Baha'i

Recently Port Vila was host to the Baha'i sponsored "Youth Empowerment Conference." I was grateful for the opportunity to share the Gospel with a few of the participants. 

Mrs Deamer, a high ranking woman inside this organisation told Daily Post, the local Newspaper, 
“From Santo and Malekula we had 300 by boat, and from Tanna there were 600. In addition to other islands we had about 100 each from Solomon Islands and New Caledonia. Tahiti was also represented. These are not just Baha’i youth but youth from  the Seventh Day Adventist, Catholic, Presbyterian churches, and other religious denominations and schools, putting to action some of Baha’is beliefs that: all humanity is one family, all prejudice, whether racial , religious, national or economic is destructive and must be overcome, the family is very important and there is one God."

So who or what is Baha'i?  

HISTORY

Here is a quick history.  Basic facts here comes from their website.

Baha'i is a religion with about 5 million follower from over 180 countries around the world.  It is a relatively new religion, started in the 19th Century by a man called Siyyid 'Ali-Mahammad who decided to call himself "Bab," meaning "Gate or "Door"in Arabic.  In the middle of 1844 he declared that he had a divine revelation that would change the spirituality of humanity. 

One of his main teachings copies that of John the Baptist in that he said another second messenger of God would come greater than he is.  He would bring peace and justice.  To Christians this is Jesus but to Baha'i he is called Baha'u'llah.. 

Baha’u’llah.was thus born to a rich persian family  a little over a century later.  It appears that he was self appointed as following his imprisonment in Tehran (in 1852) that announced in 1863 that he was the greater man to come. 

The Bahai's believe that Baha’u’llah is the latest of the "Manifestations of God."  The list includes notable figures in world religion - Moses, Abraham, Krishna, Muhammad, Buddah and Jesus.  The purpose of these "manifestations" is to create the worlds great religions and show people how to worship God. 

Baha’u’llah was put in prison or exiled for over 40 years.  In that time he wrote over 100 volumes on religious teaching that the Baha'i follow today.  He died in Palestine in 1892

[And another one bites the dust!]

Other interesting facts

• The Baha'i faith began as a sect of islam.  It is a persecuted faith in Iran - the birthplace of the founder of the religion
• The Bahá'ís around the world are currently being encouraged to focus on capacity building through children's classes, youth groups, devotional gatherings, and a systematic study of the religion known as study circles.
• The symbol of the Baha'i faith is the pentagram.  The Baha'u'llah wrote a number of his writings in the pentagram form.  The pentagram as a symbol is used by Medieval Christians, Freemasons, the Mormon Church, Satanists, Neopagans (esp wiccans), Aleister Crowley's Thelemiic System of Magic,  European Occultism, Chinese practices such as acupuncture  Taoism and Feng-Shui  - how interesting!

Manifestations of God 

If we examine all of the Baha'i "manifestations" they all died - Moses, Abraham, Krishna, Muhammad, Buddah all were simple men full of the conviction that they were following the true God (or Gods, or no God at all) but they all died.  The one that stands out is Jesus.  Yes he died too, but  he rose again and ascended to heaven in front of many eyewitnesses and is now seated at the right hand of God.

Jesus died for our sins.  He died for us.  Moses died 1271BC on Mount Nebo, Jordan, Abraham died in Canaan ages ago, Krisna died (probably in Uttar Pradesh) in 3102BC. Muhammad died and is buried at Medina in 632AD  Buddah died around 400AD also in Uttar Pradesh, but there is dispute as to where his body lies.  He is understood to be under the statues of several high temples around South East Asia.  Jesus died on the cross in around 30AD and rose again from the dead 3 days later!  

THEREIN LIES ONE FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE PROVING THAT JESUS IS MORE THAN JUST A PROPHET OR MANIFESTATION OF GOD.

Another comment that Mrs Dreamer makes is that there is one God.  Indeed this is a Baha'i teaching and the statement "there is one God" is also used by Christians today.  However, the context is the thing to watch here.  Mormons believe there is one God, the Book of Mormon says so in Alma I beleive, but their current doctrine states there is more than one God.  The main issue here is there are actually more gods than one but there is only one true God.  

So is the God of Baha'i, God Almighty, the creator of the universe and the "I AM" of the Bible?  Simply put no he is not.

The key difference between th Baha'i god and the Christian God is that they deny the Trinity.  One sure test for discovering a false religion is whether they believe the Trinity.  The Trinity is this.  Three personages of God, each distinct and yet all three personages make just the one God.  This means that God the Father, is not God the Son is not God the Holy Spirit, yet the Father, Son and Holy Spirit together make One God.   Father God is not a god but IS GOD.  Jesus is not a god but IS GOD, The Holy Spirit is not a god, but is GOD.  To say that you believe that there is the Father is God but Jesus is not, is like saying that your body is you but your mind is something that is not you.  It is absurd to think that.  Your body, your mind and your spirit make YOU.  Your body is NOT your mind and is NOT your spirit, but your body is YOU, your mind is YOU and your spirit is YOU.

The fact there are more than one gods is illustrated in just before the Exodus when God moved through the firstborn of Egypt

Exod 12:12 I will pass through the land of Egypt in the same night, and I will attack all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both of humans and of animals, and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. I am the LORD.

 Unless you have been asleep for years, you will know the first of the 10 commandments

Exod 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

King David knew there was more than one god

Ps 86:8 ​​​​​​​None can compare to you among the gods, O Lord! ​​​​​​Your exploits are incomparable!

But none can say it better than Paul's talk to the Church at Corinth.

1Cor 8:5-6 If after all there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we live, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we live.

What makes is possible to say there is one God  but at the same time many gods.  In the bible, the word God or gods is often the same word - Elohim.  Elohim is derived from Hebrew roots meaning "Strong One" or someone who has power over someone else. So in scripture we see examples where We have world rulers, kings, magistrates, devils, Satan and God as all being referred to as Elohim.  So to say you believe in a God, or you believe in one God is meaningless.

There is one True God.  But what about Jesus then.  The Baha'i believe he is not God but a divine manifestation of God the same as the other manifestations listed above.  They believe that Jesus and the other manifestations pre-existed prior to their births.  This reduces God the Son down to a lesser rank.  That is Heresy my friends.  Yes Jesus did have pre-existence.  It is easy to follow if you understand that he is God.  However there is no evidence whatsoever that Abraham, Mohammad or the others were also in pre-existence.

If the Manifestations of God were as the Baha'i say, why did they all sin and die?  

Abraham sinned - he lied about Sarah in Egypt, twice

Moses sinned - he murdered an Egyptian, he disobeyed God and was banned from the Promised Land as a result, 

Krishna broke a vow given to Shishupal's mother

Buddhist don't believe in sin at all and all we know of Buddha is that he was raised a sheltered life and given all the pleasures of life and kept away from the harshness of the world.  He was, if you like, home schooled!

It is prudent for me not to discuss if Mohammad sinned or not.

Jesus did not sin and is incapable of sin

2Cor 5:21 God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God.

1John 3:5 And you know that Jesus was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

The reason why Jesus did not and cannot sin is because God cannot sin.  Jesus IS God

JESUS DECLARED THAT HE IS GOD.  

John 17 tells the prayer of Jesus.  This is the real "Lords Prayer." 

John 17:11 I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them safe in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.

He also declared such to the Jewish Leaders

John 10:30 "The Father and I are one.”

All the other prophets of Baha'i never claimed that.

THE BAHA'I MANIFESTATIONS OF GOD CONTRADICT EACH OTHER

Of course, if you accept the Baha'i position that all of these manifestations are from the one God then surely they all say the same things.  There is no space to go that in detail but suffice to say that even common sense and basic knowledge of each of there religions say there is no unity!  Since there is no unity then one of teh foundation beliefs of the Baha'i faith implodes in on itself.

Lets ask a a few questions.  If we asked Jesus, Mohammad, Buddah, Krishna and Baha’u’llah to tell a simple yes or no to these questions what would the results be:

1. Is there a trinity - YES 1, NO 4

2. Is there sin - YES 2, NO 3

3. Is there a place called hell - YES 2, NO 3

4. Is there a place called heaven - YES 2, NO 2, SORT OF 1

So as a Baha'i, which teaching to you beleive, since they contradict?  That surely is a cause for concern and shows that things are not right.

The Baha'i believes that all religions are OK and that we can choose whatever road we need to get closer to God.  But that contradicts the Bible which says the following:

John 14:6 Jesus replied, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Rom 6:23 For the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So my dear Baha'i friends, you cannot get closer to God by following any kind of person.  You cannot get closer to God and gain Eternal Life if you follow the "Way" of Baha’u’llah.  

The Baha'i preach unity.  Yet unity comes from the work of the Holy Spirit that works in unifying God's Children.  It is God's will that unity exists, for Unity is of God while division is of the devil.  However,the unity that is the Will of God is that ALL PEOPLE of the world unite and join together under JESUS CHRIST 

Who are God's Children?  

John 1:12 But to all who have received him [Jesus]– those who believe in his name – he has given the right to become God’s children

And what unites?  Love? 

Eph 4:8-14 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he captured captives; he gave gifts to men.” Now what is the meaning of “he ascended,” except that he also descended to the lower regions, namely, the earth? He, the very one who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.
It was he who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God – a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ’s full stature.So we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes. But practicing the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head. From him the whole body grows, fitted and held together through every supporting ligament. As each one does its part, the body grows in love.

And What is Love?  

1John 4:8 The person who does not love does not know God, because 

God is love.

1John 4:9 By this the love of God is revealed in us: that God has sent his one and only Son into the world so that we may live through him.
1John 4:10 In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1John 4:11 Dear friends, if God so loved us, then we also ought to love one another.
1John 4:12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God resides in us, and his love is perfected in us.
1John 4:13 By this we know that we reside in God and he in us: in that he has given us of his Spirit.
1John 4:14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
1John 4:15 If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God resides in him and he in God.
1John 4:16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has in us. God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him.

[EDIT: Correction to the unintentional description of the Trinity - Changed Holy Spirit is A GOD to Holy Spirit is GOD.  One little letter can do so much to alter the meaning.]