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A Bahá'í Concept of God |
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The Bahá'í belief in one God means that the universe and all creatures and forces within it have been created by a single supernatural Being. We will have different concepts of God's nature, and may pray or worship God in diverse ways using different names--Allah or Yahweh, God or Brahma--nevertheless, Bahá'ís believe that we are speaking about the same unique Being. Bahá'u'lláh wrote that God is too great and too subtle a Being for the finite human mind ever to understand or to construct an accurate image of God:
If we
say that God is the All-Powerful, the All-Loving, the Infinitely Just,
such terms are derived from a limited human experience of power, love,
or justice. Our knowledge of anything is limited to our knowledge of those
attributes or qualities perceptible to us: "Know
that there are two kinds of knowledge: the knowledge of the essence of
a thing and the knowledge of its qualities. The essence of a thing is
known through its qualities; otherwise, it is unknown and hidden.
"Whatever
is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is a direct evidence of
the revelation within it of the attributes and names of God, inasmuch
as within every atom are enshrined the signs that bear eloquent testimony
to the revelation of that Most Great Light.... To a supreme degree is
this true of man.... For in him are potentially revealed all the attributes
and names of God to a degree that no other created being hath excelled
or surpasssed.... And of all men, the most accomplished, the most distinguished,
and the most excellent are the Manifestations of the Sun of Truth. Nay,
all else besides these Manifestations, live by the operation of their
Will, and move and have their being through the outpourings of their grace"
Although
a rock or a tree reveals something of the subtlety of its Creator, only
a conscious being such as a human being can dramatize God's attributes
in life and action. Bahá´ís
believe that the messangers
of God are in a perfected state and so, through their lives and teachings,
they can help us to a deeper understanding of God. God is not limited by a physical
body. So the messengers or manifestations of God such as Jesus Christ,
Muhammad or `Bahá'u'lláh
are the closest we can come to the knowledge of God. "The
door of the knowledge of the Ancient Being [God] hath ever been, and will
continue to be, closed in the face of men. No man's understanding shall
ever gain access unto His holy court. As a token of His mercy, however,
and as a proof of His loving-kindness, He hath manifested unto men the
Day Stars of His divine guidance, the Symbols of His divine unity, and
hath ordained the knowledge of these sanctified Beings to be identical
with the knowledge of His own Self" Of course, only those who live during the time of a manifestation have the possibility for direct observation. However the essential connection between the individual and God can also be maintained through the writings and words of each manifestation. For Bahá'ís, the words of the manifestation reflect the Word of God, and it is to this Word that the individual can turn in his or her daily life in order to grow closer to God and to themselves. The written word of the manifestion is an important instrument that helps to create a consciousness of God's presence: "Say:
The first and foremost testimony establishing His truth is His own Self.
Next to this testimony is His Revelation. For whoso faileth to recognize
either the one or the other He hath established the words He hath revealed
as proof of His reality and truth.... He hath endowed every soul with
the capacity to recognize the signs of God." It is for this reason that the discipline of daily prayer, meditation, and study of the holy writings constitutes an important part of the individual spiritual practice of Bahá'ís. They feel that this discipline is one of the most important ways of growing closer to their Creator.
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