I am more and more attracted to the mission yet I have a number
of doubts.
As a former Baha'i, i left over the covenant. Shoghi died,
Mason Remey said he was the new guardian and there is evidence
that he may have been correct, and his alleged successor , joel
marengella is in your state. The arguments of them are
reasonable, and also Baha'u'llah said his system was great and
unstoppable with his local houses of justice and universal house
of justice, and yet it seems to fail. He promised divine
guidance and that the world would be unified by the end of the
20th century. His temples are nine sided. In short there are so
many reasons to suspect that the Baha'i Faith would last a long
time, yet it seems to be failing. Where is the guidance promised
it? The Hands of the Cause who said God decided BADA about the
guardianship I feel were in grave error. The prayers, the laws,
and more all seem top perfect. Yet some disunity is there. The
Universal House of Justice seems to be in error and even
oppressive at times as are some of their subordinate
institutions. Yet some Baha'is feel that maybe Baha'u'llah knew
he would fail or did he simply make errors? A new prophet was or
is expected by some Baha'is to arise from the New Mexico/Arizona
area. Maitreya seems to fill that. Abdul-Baha did also say that
the Bab had failed. How do we know when or even if a prophet is
infallible and yet can make errors as the BAB did about
religious warfare and killing unbelievers.
However, I am unable to understand the predicted
reincarnation of Maitreya a number of times and no more
prophets. Abdul Baha said that for the next five hundred
thousand years prophets would come under the shadow of
Baha'u'llah in that they would reveal truths of ever more unity.
Does Maitreya say that HE will return a number of times or that
several different persons with the same prophetic spirit will
return? After the 1000 year culmination and the next and last
fall wont there be occasional prophets as long as mankind
exists? I have a hard time thinking that there will be no
prophets at all any longer. The Baha'is do say that some
prophets will not come for a long time perhaps more than a few
thousand years, but human evolution will not end. I was never
able to accept the type of successor search as exists with the
Dalai Lama.
Muhammad, Baha'u'llah, and Abdul-Baha said there was
intelligent life on other planets and mankind would meet them
when god willed and the time was ripe. He also said that every
star had planets and every planet had some type of life. We have
to be careful then to make sure we don't harm or get harmed by
alien life as we find it in our exploration and search for
resources. Genetic science and atomic manipulation would seem to
let us be able to use our planets resources more easily so that
we might not need to get many resources from other planets and
systems.
I noticed however that Maitreya declared in 1982 exactly one
vahid (nineteen years) after the formation of what I felt was an
improperly constituted Universal House of Justice. I assume he
accepts that the beauty of Baha'i prayers and meditations can be
used in the Communities of light. How do former Baha'i now in
the mission think the Tablet of The Holy Mariner relates to
perhaps Maitreya?
In the communities of light there is no mention of any
sexuality in the renunciates. Certainly men, for instance,
cannot remain without sexual needs which for health alone need
to be addressed either personally or with some one. The prophet
of Islam said that self relief, to put it gently, had no harm.
Of course a spiritualized person will have much control over his
needs, but never 100 percent at least without some medical
intervention. Also people may have occasional failures between
single men and women and, I would think, even in enlightened
times this would happen once in awhile.
The idea of social responsibility is important also. For
example what of people who become handicapped, or so poor or ill
as not to be able to function or be independent? How does one
discipline children without hurting them or on the other hand
making them unable to accept any responsibility? Is incentive
purely egotistical or can it be a source or human achievement as
in exploration and so on?
The discoveries of science are even more rapid than in the
20th century. Dark matter is now not thought of as the cause of
expansion of the universe, rather now it is thought that
gravitational leakage and ripples on the space time fabric cause
it. Does that mean that the universe will die or is it going to
be reformed or cyclical? Also we now know that one atom
stimulated in a laboratory can stimulate another one at some
distance thus showing a very deep connection within the entire
universe. Ideas on the speed of gravity may replace the speed of
light as a marker of some type are being formed. Wave theory
shows a blur between probability and solid matter. Solid matter
seems now to be pure illusion. Even time travel seems possible. Eckankar and the sound and light religions state that deep
meditation by all the ancient masters show that at its deepest
they can only say that god is " only probability." There is some
question whether Eckankar was in some way not true but yet its
ideas are valid even if borrowed. They say that HU is the
name/sound of God and is the sustaining sound of the universe.
Is it ego to want to know everything there is to know while
realizing that there is no end or no beginning to knowing?
Perhaps in the future abortions will not be thought of as
needed even for genetic disease. Does the mission support
genetic manipulation in agriculture and human genetic disease?
Does it leave abortion at present up to the persons concerned or
is there another position without it being dogma?
I also have trouble with virgin births and the actual
resurrection of Jesus or Esa. These events have nothing to do
with the truth of the mission of Esa, and I think have made Esa
seem less human and caused his worship and thus helped corrupt
Christianity.
Almost everything else seems so reasonable in the mission.
IT really DOES make sense. I have left the room on over night
and have felt something unusual within me, but I would be
dishonest to not ask whatever was on my mind. I have made too
many errors in religion and life not to be as sure as I can be
if possible. I always regretted not being alive at the time of a
prophet. Now that it seems that this regret may have been
premature, I am anxious and also fearful to ask such questions.
It almost seems presumptuous. Yet they would be in my mind even
if unasked. I ask compassion for the asking of these questions
and ask for privacy of this email address and name.
If I can resolve these questions I will humbly ask for
initiation.
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