Baha'i

Notes

"The canonical texts of the Baháʼí Faith are the writings of the Báb, Baháʼu'lláh, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice, and the authenticated talks of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. The writings of the Báb and Baháʼu'lláh are considered as divine revelation, the writings and talks of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá and the writings of Shoghi Effendi as authoritative interpretation, and those of the Universal House of Justice as authoritative legislation and elucidation. Some measure of divine guidance is assumed for all of these texts"

The Bab was a merchant in Iran in 1844 who claimed to be a messenger of God at the age of 25. The Bab is a predecessor or forerunner who paved the way for a future messianic figure. Baháʼu'lláh claimed, in 1863, to be this figure.

"Baháʼu'lláh's notable writings include The Hidden Words (Kurdistan: 1858), the Book of Certitude (Baghdad: 1862) and the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Akka: 1873), which all vary in themes.[4] His teachings revolve around the unity of God, of religion, and of mankind. God is seen to have sent a series of divine messengers that are unified in purpose, and draw humanity toward greater spiritual, moral, and intellectual truths.[5] Baháʼu'lláh's claim to be the most recent in this series is the basis for the faith's widespread recognition as the only independent world religion to emerge in the modern age, not being a sect of any other faith"

The principle writings of Writings of Bahá’u’lláh translated into English https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/

Patriarchy

Exists. The Bahá'í Faith, whose founder repeatedly refers to God as a male patriarch. (Abdu’l‑Bahá 1912).

Definitely exists. The Bahá'í Faith, whose founder repeatedly refers to God as a male patriarch. (Abdu’l‑Bahá 1912).. The highest legislative and doctrinal body, the Universal House of Justice, is exclusively male.

Bahá’u’lláh refers to god as Him in The Seven Valleys.

Good Versus Evil

"Glorified is He before Whom all the dwellers of earth and heaven bow down in adoration and unto Whom all men turn in supplication."

Officially, the Baha'i deny the existence of a personified evil figure. However there are references to this figure in the literature.

Sin

"sinning" is to follow the inclinations of one's own lower nature, to turn the mirror of one's heart away from God." "This lower nature in humans is symbolized as Satan — the evil ego within us, not an evil personality outside."

Heaven, Hell, Judgment, Justice, Punishment, and Reward

Officially, the Bahai deny this suggesting that hell is a state of disconnection. However in the writings of the Bab there are numerous references to hellfire, justice, judgment, and damnation. For example,

For example, this thread. "O King of Islám! Aid thou,... for God hath, in very truth, destined for thee, and for such as circle round thee, on the Day of Judgment, a responsible position in His Path. I swear by God, O Sháh! If thou showest enmity unto Him Who is His Remembrance, God will, on the Day of Resurrection, condemn thee, before the kings, unto hellfire"

"The Day is approaching when God will render the hosts of Truth victorious, and He will purge the whole earth in such wise that within the compass of His knowledge not a single soul shall remain unless he truly believeth in God, worshippeth none other God but Him, boweth down by day and by night in His adoration, and is reckoned among such as are well assured"

It is also indicated in the teaching that the "sin against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven, in this world or the world to come." This sin results in "everlasting banishment from God."

Victim Blaming

"Thus it is that certain feeble souls have confined the wide expanse of knowledge within the walls of self and passion, and beneath the cloak of ignorance and blindness, and have thereby veiled themselves from the light of the mystic Sun and the mysteries of the eternal Beloved. They have strayed far from the gem-like wisdom of the resplendent Faith of the Lord of the Messengers,38 have been shut out of the inner court of the All-Beauteous, and have been banished from the Kaaba of glory. Such is the worth of the people of this age!"

The Fool's Journey

The goal of the journey is union or "reunion" "Thy Paradise is My love; thy heavenly home, reunion with Me. Enter therein and tarry not. This is that which hath been destined for thee in Our kingdom above and Our exalted dominion."

Exists: "When death occurs in this world, the soul is separated from the body, and continues to progress in an eternal journey towards perfection."

In The Seven Valleys, Bahá’u’lláh discusses the person's journey of searching, through the Valley of Search, the Valley of Love where pain is required to advance, the Realm of Knowledge, where the "inner eyes" is opened and one converses directly with God, the First Station of Unity, where one experiences union/oneness, the City of Contentment, the Valley of Wonderment, where one wonders at the glory of creation, whereupon one finally reachers the Valley of True Poverty and Absolute Nothingness, where one "dies to the self and lives in God" (i.e, permanent and persistent Connection.

From Three Other Tablets

Set out, then, from thine abode, take thou seven steps upon the earth, and with each step complete a stage of the journey.

With the first, enter the ocean of search and seek God, thy Lord, with thine inmost heart and soul.

With the second, enter the ocean of love and make mention of God, thy Lord, in the transports of thy longing and the ecstasies of thy rapture.

With the third, tread the paths of detachment; that is, sever thyself from thine idle fancies and walk in the ways of thy Lord.

With the fourth, enter the fathomless depths of oneness and the billowing seas of eternity. Cover thy face in the dust before the Lord of Lords, and sanctify thy self and thy spirit from all departure and return, that thine inmost heart may be freed from all things in the kingdoms of creation.

With the fifth, ascend unto the heaven of wonderment, that thou mayest taste the goodly fruits of this blessed realm, lose thyself in bewilderment before the power of thy Beloved and dominion of thy Creator, and proclaim that which the King of existence and the Goal of all de hath proclaimed: “Increase my wonder and amazement at Thee, O God!”

With the sixth, soar upon the wings of submission and contentment unto the cities of Unseen, that thou mayest enter the expanses of utter nothingness wherein thou shalt die to self and live in Him Who hath fashioned thee. With the seventh, drown thyself in the depths of eternity, that death may not overtake thee, and that thou mayest abide forever in the shadow of the everlasting Face of God. Thereupon shall the fragrance of the All-Glorious be diffused from the realm of the All-Merciful, and thy heart shall grieve no more over the vicissitudes of a fleeting life and the turns of a transient fortune.

<ref>Bahá’u’lláh. “Three Other Tablets.” In The Call of the Divine Beloved: Selected Mystical Works of Bahá’u’lláh. Haifa: Bahá’í Reference Library, n.d. https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/call-divine-beloved/.

Texts

The Hidden Words: An Alignment Manual that provides advice on being humble, reflective, who to hang out with, and what to do to progress towards stronger union. Really wordy and not very useful as a result.

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Footnotes

References