Re: [Q] Bahai way of Salvation?
bahai-faith@oneworld.wa.com
Sat, Jan 28 1995 02:18:42 GMT
[Steve writes: ...What do Baha'is
believe about those who have no opportunity to hear the word
of God? If a pagan is a good pagan does he merit salvation
and what is the opposite of salvation (e.g. for Christians
it's hell). And what about an atheist who is a "good" atheist
at least in terms of his works?]
I have always seen death as a continuum rather than a constant point
where once we die we always exist at that point. This is based on
quotes talking about moving through the "worlds of God" and we are told
by Baha'u'llah that we can pray or intercede for those who've already
passed onto the next world.
Although it is not a Baha'i book, I had a lot of feeling for the Book
written by Betty Eadie (I'm probably misspelling her name) on her near
death experience.
In many disscussions life after death has been likened to a ladder.
Assuming that God is at the top of the ladder, what we have learned in
this world places us nearer or further away from God on that ladder.
Obviously this is all in relation to what we were given the opportunity
to learn in the first place. So a person who was good but had turned
away from God's messengers might (IMHO) have a different place on that
"ladder" than someone who had never even been told about those
messengers during his/her lifetime but who was just as good. (Therefore
there is no "hell" except the desolation felt from being far from God).
One of the strongest precepts in the Baha'i Faith is that of Justice.
We are admonished to be just here on earth. Why should we assume that
God is any less just? The athiest in your example might be judged
differently than the pagan who was never taught of God -- but we won't
know that until we actually pass on.
We here on earth are not the ultimate judges of mankind -- God is. We
will probably never know what the true meaning of salvation is -- which
means that we should do everything in our power to use this existance as
a learning tool and to continue to grow. I have to believe that my goal
here on earth is to be the absolute best I can be. Where I get the
guidance on that is from the writings of Baha'u'llah.
--Kathy Koch
kathy_koch@ccm.sc.intel.com