Baha’is, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Moonies. Someone just claimed you belong to a cult. Now what?

My friend, Yahoo questions is probably one of the last places to get a full answer to your question. It would be better to meet Baha'is face to face in your town, or go to authoritative websites such as www.bahai.org or www.bahai.us. First, the Baha'i Faith considers the great Founders of Religion as "Manifestations of God."

In the Qur'an, where Muhammad is termed the "Seal of the Prophets," Muslim theology has mistakenly taken this to mean that no more Divine Messengers or Manifestations will appear. This is clearly incorrect for two reasons. One is that a mere four verses after the "Seal" verse, the Qur'an promises attainment to the divine Presence.

Baha'u'llah demonstrates that the only way to attain to the divine Presence is to recognize the Manifestation of God when He appears (please read the Kitab-i-Iqan Book of Certitude). Thus, the Qur'an itself testifies that Muhammad is the Seal of the Prophets but not the last Manifestation. The other point is that every Manifestation - as the perfect embodiment of divine attributes - is both the first and the last.

Thus Jesus said He was the Alpha an Omega. Likewise, Muhammad said "I am Adam" (the first) and also the "Seal." Just as Christians have taken "No man cometh to the Father but by Me" to mean that Jesus is once and for always the only way, likewise Muslims have taken the Seal verse to mean Muhammad is absolutely the last for all time.

Baha'u'llah explains that these are incorrect; rather revelation is progressively revealed in different times and places with the correct prescriptions for the time. In each dispensation, the Manifestation for that time is "the only way," "the first and the last." Of course there are differences in the teachings of each Holy Book, for each Book was revealed as the prescription for specific "illnesses" or problems relating to an era or to specific peoples.

Baha'is recognize the Bilbe, Qur'an and Baha'i Writings as having authenticity, but Baha'is also understand that certain specific secondary prescriptions in the Bible and Qur'an have been superseded by the revelation of Baha'u'llah. You ask about the death penalty. The death penalty is only recommended in the Baha'i teachings for murder and arson.

Baha'u'llah states that society may choose to impose either death or perpetual imprisonment, but not less. There is not now, nor has there ever been, stoning in the Baha'i Faith. It is often easy to look at the harshest parts of the Qur'an and compare them with the gentlest parts of the Bible.

The teaching of the Qur'an stopped the pagan Arab practice of burying unwanted girl children alive. It gave women rights in court, in marriage and divorce, that women in Arabia had not had previously. The development and application of Islamic law is convoluted; but from a Baha'i perspective, it has been and is being carried out in direct contravention of the principles of the holy Book in which Muslims say they believe.

Baha'i law, on the other hand, is applied gradually and made binding only when unity of thought is attained. Much of Baha'i law is for a state of society that we have not reached. Baha'is believe that Gautama the Buddha was a Manifestation of God.

Baha'is also believe that His original teachings have been attenuated over time (Buddhist scriptures weren't written down until many centuries after the Buddha's time). There are complicated reasons for the possibility that Buddha did not say a lot about God - many of them having to do with the opposition to Him by the priestly caste and the distorted notions of God in the various Indian religions. Again, I urge you to read for yourself - especially the primary texts of the Baha'i Faith such as the Kitab-i-Iqan.

I was Baha'i... Not anymore so I don't know... wish I was still Baha'i but I found evidence that god doesn't exist.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.