Conceptual differences between Baha'i Faith and Gnosticism?

Thanks, passive. I was under the impression that the Gnostics believed in various messiahs, including Mohammad, Jesus Christ, Moses, etc.

Which is where I drew the link to the Baha'is

I don't know much about the Baha'i Faith but few people know about Gnosticism.

Gnostics are all about spiritual experience.

The idea is you don't know anything unless you experience it.

Aside from this and rejection of organized church authority Gnostics varied considerably in many aspects of their beliefs.

It could be said that every Gnostic was different.

Some Gnostics believe and worship a female Deity, some a male, some believe in a virgin birth, some do not, some believe Jesus was the only begotten Son of God, most believed that we are all Children of God in the same way Christ was.

Gnostics without exceptions were and are pacifist.

While part of Christianity Gnostics were also influenced by Zoroastrian traditions, and Greek intellectualism.

This emphases on experience that by definition couldn't be passed on by writing nor word of mouth made Catholics declare that they kept "secret" knowledge, which is as messed up as calling Catholics cannibals for partaking in the Eucharist.

A Baha''i would have to answer the other half of your question.

/.\

Gnosticism is belief by some Christians that God has reserved some details of His relationship with His people to a select group of Christians who possess the spiritual maturity and skills of discernment to understand those details. The theory goes that most Christians are spiritual infants incapable of understanding the deepest, most profound qualities of God and His kingdom.

Gnostics study and teach from archaic religious texts not included in the Canon, (approved scripture contained in the Holy Bible, approved by the Council of Nicea.) Those works include Acts of Peter, Acts of Paul & Thecla, Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Mary Magdalene, at least one other work by King Solomon, Story of Adam & Eve, and others. For the most part, these works parallel the major points of both Old & New Testament, but are not as concise, lack credibility because authorship cannot be pr oven or has pr oven to be written by an impost er. In some cases, the gnostic tests revealed seemingly irreconcilable contradictions to the 'official' version of Scripture. For these reasons, these documents were not included in the Canon Scriptures.

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Here is a brief summary on the Baha'i faith: According to Bah??u?ll?h, the founder and spiritual leader of Baha'i, throughout history, God has revealed Himself to humanity through a series of divine Messengers, whose teachings guide and educate us and provide the basis for the advancement of human society. These Messengers have included Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad. Their religions come from the same Source and are in essence successive chapters of one religion from God.

Bah??u?ll?h considered himself the latest of these Messengers, brought new spiritual and social teachings for modern times. His essential message was of unity. He taught the concept of oneness of God, humanity family and religion.Bah?'u'll?h said, ?The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens,? and that, as foretold in all the sacred scriptures of the past, now is the time for humanity to live in unity.

Founded more than a century and a half ago, the Bah?'? Faith has spread around the globe. Members of the Bah?'? Faith live in more than 100,000 localities and come from nearly every nation, ethnic group, culture, profession, and social or economic background.
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Modern Christianity in any of its forms (including gnosticism) is in no way compatible with the Baha'i hypothesis. All Christians confesses Christ as the Son of God, Savior of humanity, and only path to reconciliation with God. This belief elevates Him far above the level of 'messenger.' His status is as an equal personality alongside the Father and the Holy Spirit Who together form Almighty God. For a Christian, no contradicting viewpoint can be assimilated into the Judeo-Christian point of view.

The Baha'i Faith believes in the authority of revelation given through Prophets (or Manifestations as we call them.) Gnostics are more likely to emphasize their personal experiences. Also, Gnostic's often consider the physical world as evil, while the Baha'i Faith, like the other Abrahamic religions, believes in the goodness of the physical creation.