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Old 04-25-2009, 09:29 AM
Spartan316's Avatar
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Default Do Bahai followers hold Baha'u'llah higher than Jesus or the other "prophets"?

I know they are both considered prophets, but is one closer to God than the other? Do they believe the Bible when Jesus says "I am in the Father and the Father is in me" and "before Abraham was, I am" and "in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God" and "all the fullness of the godhead dwelt in him" ? If so, Do they believe the same for the other prophets? Thank you.
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Old 04-27-2009, 09:29 AM
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probably. Lil
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Old 05-01-2009, 09:29 AM
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Frankly, I know nothing about Baha'i. However, I got this lovely "be the first to answer this question" from Yahoo. I find that when I do that, I submit my answer and immediately I get to see all the other answers that were already there and I want to see those so I can learn something. This is a drag, but "so it goes".
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Old 05-04-2009, 09:29 AM
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Jesus and Baha'u'llah are both Manifestations of God. They are, in fact, the same being who just happened to appear at different times. The Baha'i believe that God reveals his plan in stages as mankind can understand it. Thus, for a Baha'i, the teachings of Baha'u'llah are more up-to-date than those of Jesus or Mohammed (also a Manifestation of God)

More info: http://altreligion.about.com/od/beliefsandcreeds/a/mani_of_god.htm
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Old 05-08-2009, 09:29 AM
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Baha'u'llah is sometimes referred to as the "greatest" of all Manifestations (that's paraphrased), but I believe that's in reference to the fact that his message is the most recent, most updated, and thus "greatest" because it supersedes the messages of the past. In other words since his Revelation has more information in it than any others of the past, it has greater import. However, in general Jesus and Baha'u'llah are considered to have equal stations as Manifestations of God, and in fact are typically considered by Baha'is to be the same spiritual entity. Baha'u'llah is the return of Christ to us.

> Do they believe the Bible when Jesus says "I am in the Father and the Father is in me"

Yes. Baha'is believe that Manifestations are humans who have been Divinely touched and inspired like no other human, and so they are a human representation of God. The Baha'i concept is slightly different in that we don't believe Christ (or other Manifestations) were *LITERALLY* God, but instead a "perfect reflection" of Him. Think of the Manifestations as perfect mirrors reflecting the sun. You can point at the reflection and say "That is the Sun". What you say is completely true, but you are also not looking directly at the sun--you're looking at its reflections.

Baha'u'llah says in the Kitab-i-Iqan (one of the most holy books of the Baha'i Faith): "Such revelation is confined to His Prophets and chosen Ones, inasmuch as none mightier than they hath come to exist in the world of being. This truth all recognize, and bear witness thereto. These Prophets and chosen Ones of God are the recipients and revelers of all the unchangeable attributes and names of God. They are the mirrors that truly and faithfully reflect the light of God. Whatsoever is applicable to them is in reality applicable to God, Himself, Who is both the Visible and the Invisible. The knowledge of Him, Who is the Origin of all things, and attainment unto Him, are impossible save through knowledge of, and attainment unto, these luminous Beings who proceed from the Sun of Truth. By attaining, therefore, to the presence of these holy Luminaries, the "Presence of God" Himself is attained."

> Do they believe the same for the other prophets?

Yes. Well, I need to make a distinction that to Baha'is there is a difference between "prophet" and "Manifestation". A prophet is someone who is given the gift of seeing something that others cannot see, such as Elijah or Aaron. A Manifestation is a person who speaks directly for God. Wikipedia has a decent description of the Baha'i idea on this-see the link below. Anyway, Baha'is believe the same for all Manifestations--Buddha, Zoroaster, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, The Bab, Baha'u'llah, etc.

I need to point out some inconsistencies in the answer from "dances when no1s around". First, Baha'u'llah is not the "last prophet". He is the most recent. Baha'u'llah tells Baha'is that eventually there will be another Manifestation (no less than 1000 years after Him) who will supersede the Baha'i Faith in a new Revelation. Thus Baha'u'llah and the Baha'i Faith are unique in religious history as predicting--even requiring--their own replacement. Second, Baha'is do not consider other prophets to have been "corrupted". The Manifestations are perfect representations of God. What I believe he's trying to say is that Baha'is believe that over the centuries, the message of those Manifestations was corrupted *by humans*, who are fallible and imperfect. This human corruption by imperfection is the exact reason why God sends down new Manifestations periodically--to renew the Revelation, to set it straight again, to provide new social laws that society can understand, to throw out the old orders that have been led away from the path by human leaders.

I hope all this has helped!
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