Good grief! I accidentally entered a site dealing with that dreaded subject "religion".
'The driving force behind the civilising of human nature has been successive interventions of the Divine in history. It has been through this influence that the innate moral and spiritual faculties of humanity have been gradually developed and the advancement of civilisation made possible. Associated with the missions of such transcendent figures as Krishna, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Mohammed, the phenomenon is an ever-recurring one; it is without beginning or end because it is fundamental to the evolutionary order itself.
Although nurtured by the process, humanity has never understood it. Instead, people have
constructed around each episode in their spiritual experience a separate religious system.
Throughout history the religious impulse has been hobbled by the resulting contradictions and bitter conflicts.'
Bahá'u'lláh emphasizes the fundamental obligation of human beings to acquire knowledge with their "own eyes and not through the eyes of others."
One of the main sources of conflict in the world today is the fact that many people blindly and uncritically follow various traditions, movements, and opinions.
God has given each human being a mind and the capacity to differentiate truth from falsehood. If individuals fail to use their reasoning capacities and choose instead to accept without question certain opinions and ideas, either out of admiration for or fear of those who hold them, then they are neglecting their basic moral responsibility as human beings. Moreover, when people act in this way, they often become attached to some particular opinion or tradition and thus intolerant of those who do not share it.
Such attachments can, in turn, lead to conflict. History has witnessed conflict and even bloodshed over slight alterations in religious practice, or a minor change in the interpretation of doctrine. Personal search for truth enables the individual to know why he or she adheres to a given ideology or doctrine.
I have been a member of the Baha'i Faith since I turned 15 and, although I could try to tell you all about the Baha'i Faith right on this page, I couldn't do it any better than any number of fine Baha'i home pages already on the net.
The Baha'i Faith is a religion for today and tomorrow. Even if you are not dissatisfied with your own faith, even if you are not searching for something "more", you will find much of intellectual merit in the writings of the Baha'i Faith.
If you are interested in learning more, try the following links. If not, scurry back into the darkness.
The Baha'i World (multi-lingual site)
The Baha'i Community of Canada (bilingual site)
International Baha'i Library (ftp download of Baha'i texts available here)
A friend's Spanish language Baha'i page.
Not enough links? You may need divine assistance!
I appreciate feedback. Please send me your comments.
