The Baha'i Studies Listserv That is the second time you mentioned the word, "perennialism." What does that concept mean? I am ignorant of it.
On Fri, Dec 31, 2010 at 3:38 PM, Susan Maneck <sman...@gmail.com> wrote: > The Baha'i Studies Listserv > Good job taking Baha'u'llah's statement out of context! > > Let's look at the question Baha'u'llah was actually being asked: > > “Among the Manifestations of the past one hath, in His time, allowed > the eating of beef while another hath forbidden it; one hath permitted > the eating of pork whereas another hath proscribed it. Thus do their > ordinances differ. I entreat the True One, exalted be His name, to > graciously specify the appropriate religious prohibitions.” > > Baha'u'llah was reluctant to answer this question not because He was > critical of Islam but because His answer would have involved admitting > that the Shariah was not binding for all time. Here is the answer He > provides later in this Tablet: > > "The answer was therefore sent down from the heaven of the Divine Will > in an implicit manner. Indeed the statement in the first passage where > He saith: “The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of > mankind” was, and remaineth, the answer to his 36 question. He further > saith: “Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, > and centre your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.” > That is, fix your gaze upon the commandments of God, for whatsoever He > should ordain in this day and pronounce as lawful is indeed lawful and > representeth the very truth. It is incumbent upon all to turn their > gaze towards the Cause of God and to observe that which hath dawned > above the horizon of His Will, since it is through the potency of His > name that the banner of “He doeth what He willeth” hath been unfurled > and the standard of “He ordaineth what He pleaseth” hath been raised > aloft. For instance, were He to pronounce water itself to be unlawful, > it would indeed become unlawful, and the converse holdeth equally > true. For upon no thing hath it been inscribed “this is lawful” or > “this is unlawful”; nay rather, whatsoever hath been or will be > revealed is by virtue of the Word of God, exalted be His glory." > > What Baha'u'llah is rejecting here, is not Islam, nor the Prophet or > the Qur'an. He is, however, rejecting the Perenialist approach to > religion favoured by the 'ulama, by Gilberto and even by Manakji with > whom Baha'u'llah was corresponding. > > __________________________________________________ > You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:matthewhaa...@gmail.com > Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto: > leave-549472-953325.e9a9b042dd227e4657deb0ff0d384...@list.jccc.edu > Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to > ly...@list.jccc.edu > Or subscribe: > http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st > Baha'i Studies is available through the following: > Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu > Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st > News (on-campus only) - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st > Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net > New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu > > __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:arch...@mail-archive.com Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:leave-549489-27401.54f46e81b66496c9909bcdc2f7987...@list.jccc.edu Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to ly...@list.jccc.edu Or subscribe: http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st News (on-campus only) - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
