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bah i faith
June 2009 
Organized Religion, what is it good for?
Posted on Apr 16th, 2007
by 
Creative Soul
Creative Soul
It's an age old debate raging in many circles, especially amoung spiritually-oriented non-religious people. What good is or what's the purpose of religion if it causes hatred amoungst humanity? The term organized religion is often used. As opposed to disorganized religion? I won't deny that tens of thousands of people use their religious beliefs to justify attrocities including war and millions more use their religious affiliation to set themselves apart in ways ranging from, "you're going to hell because you don't believe in (fill in the blank) to "that's fine for you but I believe in (blank)". All those go from horrible to misguided to understandable, if not acceptable to your way of thinking.
However, here's an idea that's not touched on in this debate; The difference between religion as misinterpreted by man and religion as intended by God. I want to impress here that all major and minor religions share the Golden Rule . Also, I do not claim to have a direct line to God. I leave that up to His Prophets. My feelings and beliefs stem from my affiliation with The Bahá'i Faith and yes, you can say I'm biased. We all are. We Bahá'is believe in progressive revelation. That is, we believe God has revealed to us teachings for our spiritual and social developement throughout history. Thus in our religious belief all the major religions were given to us by God and the spiritual truths are the same but the social laws changed in accordance to what mankind was mature enough to handle at that time.
According to what God has revealed to Bahá'u'lla, the Prophet/Founder of The Bahá'i Faith, we have reached a level of maturity in which we can strive for the unity of mankind, promote the equality of women and men, know that science and religion can agree and work to establish an universal auxiliary language so we may all communicate with our sisters and brothers around the world. Bottom line is that the Bahá'i Faith makes sense for me and appeals to my reasoning.
Why do I need religion? For guidance: spiritual, moral and social. It has opened my eyes to the difference between religions as misinterpreted by man and religion as intended by God. You may not need organized religion or may chose to pick bits and peices of different religions to fit your tastes. If that works for you then good. So long as your path fits your needs and you're not blindly following what others tell you to. Independant investigation of the truth is of paramount importance and a tenet of the Bahá'i Faith. Use your head and follow your heart.
Be Blessed!
However, here's an idea that's not touched on in this debate; The difference between religion as misinterpreted by man and religion as intended by God. I want to impress here that all major and minor religions share the Golden Rule . Also, I do not claim to have a direct line to God. I leave that up to His Prophets. My feelings and beliefs stem from my affiliation with The Bahá'i Faith and yes, you can say I'm biased. We all are. We Bahá'is believe in progressive revelation. That is, we believe God has revealed to us teachings for our spiritual and social developement throughout history. Thus in our religious belief all the major religions were given to us by God and the spiritual truths are the same but the social laws changed in accordance to what mankind was mature enough to handle at that time.
According to what God has revealed to Bahá'u'lla, the Prophet/Founder of The Bahá'i Faith, we have reached a level of maturity in which we can strive for the unity of mankind, promote the equality of women and men, know that science and religion can agree and work to establish an universal auxiliary language so we may all communicate with our sisters and brothers around the world. Bottom line is that the Bahá'i Faith makes sense for me and appeals to my reasoning.
Why do I need religion? For guidance: spiritual, moral and social. It has opened my eyes to the difference between religions as misinterpreted by man and religion as intended by God. You may not need organized religion or may chose to pick bits and peices of different religions to fit your tastes. If that works for you then good. So long as your path fits your needs and you're not blindly following what others tell you to. Independant investigation of the truth is of paramount importance and a tenet of the Bahá'i Faith. Use your head and follow your heart.
Be Blessed!
Access: Public
Thank you for sharing. I can see the value of religion for those who find it valuable to their lives, as you do. There are many positive things you have mentioned about your faith and that is wonderful! But there are also many people who do follow blindly not seeking their own truths and this can be seen as spiritually debilitating. However, what happens with others is their own choosing and should not be judged, for everything fits well into its own perfect place. Therefore all religions have their place as well as the non-religious avenues of spirituality. It is well that others should notice what they see as less than desirable if it is in regard to what they are choosing for themselves, but it is not well to criticize, judge, or condemn others for not sharing the same beliefs.
Stay blessed,
-Azita
Kahlil Gibran said, “God made truth with many doors to welcome every believer who knocks on them.”
There are very few people I say this to Azita, I value your opinion and love that we can come to an amicable agreement concerning our respective feelings on this matter.