Baha`i is a hybrid of Mormonism and Islam. They use the "1890/1 revelation" of Joseph Smith Jr to prove their founder is Jesus reincarnated. In short, the revelation promises Joseph if he lived to be 85 he would see the Second Coming. LdS contend that Joseph didn't even live to see his 40Th birthday so the predicate is null and void. Those of the Baha`i faith (and splinter groups) say that the return of Jesus wasn't predicated on Joseph's lifespan. Joseph would have turned 85 in December 1890. In 1891 the founder of Baha`i presented himself in Salt Lake City, Utah, but the LdS leadership didn't accept him as Jesus.
The Bah?'? Faith is the youngest of the world's main religions. It was founded in Iran during the mid 19Th century by Siyyid 'Ali-Muhammad (1819-1850 CE). He assumed the title Bab ("the Gate") and prophesied the future arrival of "One greater than Himself." One of the Bab's followers, Mirza Husayn-'Ali-i-Nuri (1817-1892), announced that he was the Manifestation predicted by the Bab. He assumed the title Baha'u'llah ("glory of God"). His teachings on world peace, democracy, civil rights, equal rights for women, the acceptance of scientific discoveries, etc. were decades ahead of his time.
Bah?'?s believe in a single God who has repeatedly sent prophets into the world through whom he has revealed the "Word of God." Prophets include Adam, Krishna, Buddha, Yeshua of Nazareth (Jesus), Mohammed, The Bab and Baha'u'llah.
The Bah?'? faith is still looked upon by many Muslims as a breakaway sect of Islam. Bah?'?s are heavily persecuted in some countries, particularly Iran.
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We UUs sporuted from the Congregationalists in New England and have gotten more liberal over the years. We expect every member to make up his / her mind about the Nature of God.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/u-u.htm
says this about us:
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Unitarianism Universalism is an unusual religious organization. Unlike most religions in North America, it does not require its adherents to adhere to a specific set of beliefs. Its membership includes individuals who identify themselves as Agnostics, Atheists, Buddhists, Christians, Humanists, Wiccans, or other religious tradition. Many inter-faith couples find it to be a comfortable religious home. UUs view the main function of the congregation as facilitating the spiritual quest of its members.
Major concerns of the UU religion include social justice and service to humanity. Most UUs readily adapt their beliefs to the findings of science. Thus they were very active in the abolition of slavery, gaining of equal rights for women, and the attainment of equal rights, including the right to marry, for homosexuals and bisexuals. They have an influence on the culture that is far beyond what one would expect from their numbers.
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UU and the Baha'i Faith differ in their historical background, their relations to science, their theologies, and in their degree of inclusiveness and social activism.
The Baha'i Faith began in Persia (now Iran) in 1844 within a messianic Shia Islamic cultural context. In its theology, it is broadly in line with the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition. But it adds two more Messengers to the list of those sent by God to found major religions on Earth. The major Baha'i Messenger is Baha'u'llah, meaning "Glory of the Lord." Baha'is see Baha'u'llah as the return of Christ "in the Glory of the Father." The word "Baha'i" itself refers to the radiance of the sun. Thus, to be a Baha'i is to be radiant with positive qualities.
While Baha'is accept the major prophets of past religions -- Krishna, Buddha, Zoroaster, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad -- it is also necessary to accept the Baha'i prophets and the authority of the Baha'i Universal House of Justice in order to be a Baha'i. Thus, while the Baha'i faith speaks of world unity, it puts theological requirements on people and says rather unappealing things about atheists. It also thinks of homosexuality as a disease to be fought against.
While it believes in the harmony of science and religion, and even says that religion that does not conform to science is superstition, in fact religious teachings trump science in many aspects of the Baha'i faith's teachings. For example, despite its teaching of the ethical equality of men and women, women cannot serve on the supreme Baha'i elected body, the Universal House of Justice. No valid ethical or scientific reason for this exclusion has ever been given.
The Baha'i Faith is open to people of any race or economic class. It is very strong on the "oneness of humanity." It is a very widely spread faith internationally, second only to Catholicism. It does not get involved in "politics." It promotes "spiritual" solutions to economic and social problems -- a stance which tends to isolate it from cooperation with other groups. It has a global network of semi-democratic local and national "spiritual assemblies" guided by an "infallible" Universal House of Justice. The Universal House of Justice operates officially in English and Persian (Farsi).
Unitarian Universalism, on the other hand, grew out of the merger in 1961 of two heretical and free-thinking Christian denominations: Unitarians (only one God, not a Trinity) and Universalists (no Hell, universal salvation). The roots of these heresies go back hundreds of years in Christian history.
In fact, however, UU has outgrown its parochial Christian background and is now a truly universal fellowship. While the UU denomination in the United States (WNW.uua.org) has no theological creeds and is neutral about theology, it has seven broad ethical principles that loosely guide its members, including the inherent worth and dignity of all individuals.
Humanists and atheists, Buddhists and pagans, -- all are welcome in UU, and, unlike the Baha'i Faith, do not have to change their philosophies or theologies -- except that they must learn to respect other people's rights to their own philosophies and theologies. People of sexual preference minorities are also welcome.
Despite its theoretical openness to all people, UU is internationally less widely spread than the Baha'i Faith and is less racially and ethnically diverse in the United States. It is isolated primarily to the English language. However, national groups are starting in 30 to 40 countries outside the United States and Canada.
Unlike the Baha'i Faith, with its semi-embrace of science and democracy, UU fully embraces critical thinking and the democratic process.
Both UU and the Baha'i Faith strongly support the work of the United Nations and see its principles as the ethical essence of religion applied to the global community.. UUs have an "envoy" network that links local congregations to a UU United Nations Office (www.uu-uno.org) with status at the UN. The network aims at education about and political support of the UN. The Baha'i Faith has no such network but has a large NGO office (the Baha'i International Community) with status at the UN.
UUs were active against slavery and for women's suffrage in the 19th century. They embraced humanism, science, and the "social gospel" in the 20th century. UUs for a Just Economic Community, a separate UU membership group, explores Earth Community and 21st century alternatives to corporate capitalism and US political hegemony UUs in general remain one of the most activist-oriented denominations in the world. Baha'is have individually been active in many progressive causes but are typically "non-political" and less confrontational in their approach, and the administrative institutions tend to remain aloof.
In UU there is a high emphasis on ethical principle and on religion as "re-ligare" from the Latin roots meaning to "reconnnect.". This allows it to focus on religion as in fact the science and universal principles of connectedness and of building community solidarity. In the Baha'i Faith, there is a high emphasis on revelation and authoritative scripture and official pronouncements. Community follows primarily from acceptance of those pronouncements and norms, and the prophetic figures that revealed them, and only secondarily from the rationality of the principles themselves.
The Baha'i scriptures are of high eloquence and beauty in both the original Persian and Arabic, and in their English translations. UU services will frequently use Baha'i scriptures as readings, alongside other sources of inspiration.
From the UU point of view, it is fine to be a Baha'i and a UU. There is no contradiction. From the point of view of the US Baha'i administration, it is not possible to be both a Baha'i and a UU.
These and other differences make UU and the Baha'i Faith quite different despite their superficial similarities in terms of "openness" and "wide embrace."
Through their support of the United Nations, both UU and the Bahas'i Faith point to the framework of universal human rights and sustainability as the "global public ethical religion" of the 21st century.
It is true that both faiths are fairly broadly accepting of other traditions. However, the major difference is that the Baha'i faith has a creed, a doctrine in which adherents must believe in and Unitarian Universalism is a covenants faith and not a creeds faith. The covenants faith of Unitarian Universalism dates back to our Prue-colonial days in America with the Cambridge Platform (1648) , which was a covenant established among congregations in New England. It was the covenant the people made that became more important than any creeds test or belief. Today, Unitarian Universalists covenant together to uphold a set of principles. These principles include the inherent worth and dignity of all people; the responsible search for truth and meaning; justice, equity and compassion in all relations among others. Because Unitarian Universalists have a covenant and not a creeds test, members can explore the various faith traditions that inform our faith, such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, earth based spirituality's to name a few and draw on the wisdom of the ages as well as science and reason to aid in our living up to our principles.
What is the difference between the Baha'i faith and Unitarian Universalism?
