GODHEAD.—God is the one infallible authority. The prophets are also infallible because their message is the message of God. The message is valid until superseded by a later message given by another prophet. Remedies for world sickness in one age are not suitable in another age. In other words, the Bahais reverence all prophets, but must be guided only by the words of the last one, Baha'u'llah, and obedience is required in that direction.
Jesus is classed with Zoroaster, Moses, and Mohammed as a great prophet with a message for His time, but Balau'llah is the promised one of all the prophets, the "Divine Manifestation in whose era the reign of peace will actually be manifested. The troubles of the era are but signs of the coining of the Lord, which is, with the coming of Baha'u'llah, an accomplished fact."—BahciVIlah and the New Era, pp. 59, 6o.
The message of Jesus, according to the Bahais, was for the individual; but when Baha'- u'llah was revealed the world was ready for international social emphasis as well as the need for personal regeneration."—They Have Found a Faith, p. 207. Accordingly only Bab and Baha'u'llah could fill that need.
Creation.—The universe is without beginning in time. It is a perpetual emanation from the First Great Cause. The creation of the world or anything therein is not making something out of nothing; it is rather making visible something that was not seen before. The Genesis story gives in a few bold strokes of symbolism the essential spiritual meaning of the story. The story of Adam and Eve is simply a symbol.
Life After Death.—Life in the flesh is just the embryonic stage of a person's existence.
Death is a new birth into a fuller, freer life.
The light radiated by such released souls is responsible for the progress in the world. They send the rain and control the sun, thus bringing blessings to the world. The nature of such a soul cannot be described, but as soon as you die the nature of it will be discovered!
Heaven and Hell.—Heaven is the condition of spiritual life; hell, that of spiritual death. A person may be in heaven or in hell while still in the body.
The Devil.—There is no such thing as positive evil. Evil is just the absence of good. Error is lack of goodness; falsehood, the lack of truth. Since they are "lacks of," they are nonexistent. Evil is always the lack of good, and a man who appears evil needs to have good supplied. This is the Bahai interpretation of Christ's influence to the more abundant life.
Nonresistance.—Bahais may not use arms to defend themselves, but must submit to their enemies. This differs from the position taken by the early Bahais, who fought fiercely for their ideas.
Education.—The sacred tablets are full of the importance of education. Parents are to teach their children the teachings of the prophet, and by example give them character training. Each person should also be adept in an art, craft, or science.
Monasticism.—Baha'u'llah forbids his followers to lead monastic lives, and recommends monogamy. Marriage is conditional on consent of both parties and parents.
Divorce.—If married folk develop an aversion for each other, they should try for one year to develop harmony. If they cannot re-establish a harmonious agreement, then they may divorce.
Prayer.—The Bahais are exhorted to chant or recite the words of their prophet every morning and at other times. A mediator is necessary, and such a mediator is Balth'u'llah. Many prayers are recorded for personal and congregational communion.
Healing.—Both material and spiritual remedies should be combined for perfect healing. Physicians should be called in time of illness, but it is possible to be healed through prayer. Also, though spiritual health is conducive to physical health, physical health depends on many factors, some outside the control of the individual. Therefore, a person may be most exemplary spiritually, and not enjoy physical health.
Alcohol.—Except as a remedy in case of illness, it is strictly forbidden, as is also the use of narcotics.
Recreation.—Lotteries and gambling are prohibited. Waste of time is not acceptable, but recreation to improve the body powers is desirable.
Food and Cleanliness.—"The food of thy future will, be fruits and grains. The time will come when meat will no longer be eaten."-- BahcFulla and the New Era, p. 126. Animal food is not forbidden, however. Cleanliness is more than next to godliness; it is godliness. The Bahais are required to bathe in clear, clean water daily.
Political Freedom.—"We approve of liberty in certain circumstances, and refuse to sanction it in others. We, verily, are the all knowing."—Ibid.,p. 117.
Clergy..—The Bahais have no paid clergy or teachers, for they believe such should not have authority over the conscience of any member of the cause. People are drawn to the Bahai faith by reading the works of the prophet, whose numerous writings care for all questions which may arise as to ethics and conduct.
Meeting Time.—They gather every nineteen days for silent prayer, devotion, and discussion of ways to lead a better life.
Attitude Toward Other Churches.—Bahais believe there is truth in all religions, but that they are all steps toward man's final "union with God." They are not a member of the Federation of Churches.
Prophetic Teachings of the Bahais
Coming of the Lord.—Baha'u'llah teaches that the coming of the Lord is no other than His manifestation in the human temple. That is, Baha'u'llah is the manifestation of the Lord in these days.
Time of the End.—The prophecies which refer to the "time of the end,' "coming of the Lord of Hosts," and such prophecies as Isaiah 9:2-7, refer not to the Advent of Christ, but to that of Baha'u'llah. The "branch" spoken of by Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah, refers to Abdu'l-Baha—Baha'u'llah being the "root," and Abdu'l-Balia the branch. (Ibid., p. 249.)
Day of Judgment and Day of Resurrection.—This is the opportunity given the world to accept the teachings of Baha'u'llah, "thus opening the gate of Paradise and living in love with all his creatures. Those, on the other hand, who prefer their own way thereby consign themselves to the hell of selfishness."—Ibid., pp. 269, 270.
Daniel 12:1-2.—The 1335 days of this prophecy begin with the Hejira in A.D. 622, and thus end in 1957 when, according to Bahd'ullah. "universal peace will be firmly established, a universal language promoted, misunderstandings pass away. The Bahai cause will be promulgated in all parts and the oneness of mankind established. It will be most glorious."ibid., p. 303.
ADMINISTRATION: The basic unity is the town or city in which the Bahais elect a local Spiritual Assembly annually. A National Spiritual Assembly is elected by the Bahais of a nation through delegates selected proportionally from the local assemblies. At the present there are seven National Spiritual Assemblies : the United States, which has 126 local assemblies and Canada: Persia; Iraq; India and Burma ; Egypt and the Sudan; Australia and New Zealand; and the British Isles. There are local assemblies in many other places—France, Germany, South Africa, and Central and South America.
At the temple in Wilmette, Illinois, nine members of the National Spiritual Assembly meet to co-ordinate the Bahais activities. Four summer camps are maintained for vacations of learning. In 1946 seven volunteer missionaries had gone from the United States to Western Europe.
GROWTH: By 1921, when Abdu'l-Baha died, there were Bahais coinmunities in thirty-two countries. In 1944 one hundred years after Bab's announcement, there were believers in seventy-eight countries. There are at present about 5,500 Bahais in America. While Shoghi Effendi lives in Haifa, Palestine, the temple at Wilmette constitutes a world center for the re-and Abdu'l-Baha made the American Bahais his trustees in the plan to promulgate their cause.
Implications' for the Gospel Worker
The gospel of the Bahais, as Ferguson points out (Charles Ferguson, The Confusion of the Tongues, Doubleday Doran, New York, 1928, p. 232), "is well suited to the temper of our times, a quiet sect addressing itself purely to the social conscience and intellectual spirit." The individuals who embrace the faith are generally already what the world would term "good moral folk," highly intelligent, and in the main quite wealthy. They compare very well with Nicodemus, whose attention needed to be drawn to the new birth.
The place of the good moral life in the plan of salvation needs to be clarified. The fact that reconciliation with God is the first point necessary to salvation should be emphasized. Romans 5:10 and i Tiniothy 4:10 are especially good on this point.
Common-Ground Meeting Places: The good moral life, ideals of temperance, respect for prophets, vegetarianism, and recognition of year-day -principle.
Points to Be Clarified: Gift of prophecy, new' birth, recognition of Christ as the Saviour, seriousness of denying Christ as the Saviour.
As with Nicodemus, patience arid tactfulness-are required ; and, as in the case of the rich young ruler, many will turn away. All the counsel given through the Spirit of prophecy relative to work for the wealthy would apply here. Study of such techniques would enlarge our field of soul winning, not only for the Bahais, but for the large groups of similarly minded folk for whom we have done so little thus far.
