A Brief History of the Baha’i Faith

There are over 5 million Baha’is represented in 188 countries around the world today. The Baha’i faith started in the 19th century. Its roots started with a young Persian merchant named Siyyid ‘Ali-Muhammad, who took the name “Bab,” which in Arabic means “Gate” or “Door.” On May 23rd, 1844, he announced that he was the bearer of a Divine Revelation which would change the spiritual life of humanity. One of his primary teachings was that there would be a second messenger from God that is greater than he is. This second messenger’s mission would be to bring about an age of peace and justice, which is the same mission that the major religions of the world are trying to accomplish. The Bab is in many ways similar to John the Baptist, who told about a coming one who would be greater than himself. In Christianity the greater one is Jesus Christ, in Baha’i, it is Baha’u’llah.

This promised second messenger of God was Baha’u’llah, who was born to a wealthy, noble family in Persia during the 19th century. He grew to have more interest in helping the poor rather than having the wealth and prestige of this noble family. He had a vision from God showing him God’s will for humanity while imprisoned in Tehran in 1852. In 1863, he shared that he was the promised one that the Bab foretold about. He is seen as the latest prophet or Manifestation of God given to mankind. The prophets also include Moses, Jesus, Abraham, Krishna, Muhammad, Buddha, etc., whose purpose was to create the world’s great religions and to show humanity how to worship God. These messengers were sent by a loving Creator in order to bring people to a place to worship Him. Baha’u’llah was imprisoned or exiled for over 40 years, in which he wrote over 100 volumes of religious writings that the Baha’i community follow today. Baha’u’llah died in exile in Palestine in 1892.

Both Bah and Baha’u’llah is dead. The Bible states: Matthew 28:6-7, that Christ is risen from the dead.
* 1 Corinthians 15:3–5 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.”

Is Jesus just a Prophet or God?

Baha’i Viewpoint

  1. Jesus Christ is Divine and that He also pre-existed before His human form. At the same time Baha’is believe that there are three levels of being: humankind, Manifestations or Prophets of God, and God.
  2. The various prophets that formed the various religions of the world are equal. There is no superiority or inferiority among them. So Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Moses, and Abraham are all equal.
  3. All of the various prophets of God are seen as pre-existent. So this means that Abraham, Moses and Buddha were not born as normal humans, but were pre-existent in the spiritual realm.

John 8:58, 59, “Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”

A Brief History of the Wicca Faith

Wicca is a religious belief system centering around gods, goddesses, and nature worship. Gary Cantrell, a well-known Wiccan author says Wicca is based on "harmony with nature and all aspects of the god and goddess divinity." Wiccan practice involves the manipulation of nature through various rituals in attempts to gain power, prestige, love, or whatever else a Wiccan wants. It uses symbols in its ceremonies and follows the calendar in reference to Wiccan festivals. Its roots are in ancient agrarian Celtic Society. It is considered Neo-Pagan (based on old European and pre-Christian belief systems).Wicca does not have a structure of clergy and/or congregations. But it does have priests and priestesses which are in leadership positions within covens that have witches.

One of the most common aspects of working theology is the teaching of reincarnation and karma.The purpose of reincarnation is to learn lessons through the various lives. “This process of reincarnation is repeated for numerous lifetimes until a development of the Spirit is reached where the Spirit can truly merge with the male and female balanced creator/creatrix entity. We are returned to the God and to the Goddess.”[Ibid., p. 27.] Karma is the law of cause and effect that "does not punish nor reward. It is simply a universal law that reacts to causation until disharmony is illuminated."

Wicca does not claim to be the only way but says that all spiritual traditions and paths are valid to those who practice them. It accepts "the fact that all life is sacred, including plant, animal, and human." There is an ultimate life force called "The One," or "The All" from which the male and female aspects of life emerged, i.e., the god and goddess.The Divine, god or goddess, depending on to whom you are talking, can have different names. In Wicca it doesn’t really matter what name is given to a person’s concept of God as long as you have one, or two, or more.

“Wicca does not claim to be the only way but says that all spiritual traditions and paths are valid to those who practice them.” Jesus said, John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life: No one comes to the father except by me.”

A Brief History of the Islam Faith

Islam (1.2 billion believers) is one of the major world religions that, along with Christianity (1.9 billion believers) and Judaism (14 million believers), teaches monotheism which is the doctrine that there is only one God in all existence. Like Christianity and Judaism, Islam traces its roots back to the patriarch Abraham (Gen. 12). The word "Islam" means "surrender" or "submission" and it comes from the root word "salem" which means "surrender." A Muslim (or Moslem - which means one who surrenders to God) is a believer of Islam, a religion with precise theological doctrines about God, judgment, heaven, hell, angels, prophets, salvation, etc. The Arabic word for god is "allah" which has become a kind of name of God in Islam. Islam teaches that Allah is the one and only deity in all existence (Qur'an 5:73; 112:1-4). He is supreme, all knowing (40:20), ever-present, different from all of creation (3:191), and in complete control of all things. According to Islam, Allah created the universe in six days (2:29; 25:61-62) and all that is in it continues to exist by his permission and will. Allah is non-Trinitarian (5:73), but he is absolute, and eternal.

The doctrine of the Trinityis this: there is one God who exists in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person is not the same as the other person; that is, the Father is not the same person as the Son who is not the same person as the Holy Spirit. But, each is fully divine in nature.
* John 4:24 – Jesus said, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
* John 14:16-17 – Jesus said, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.” (ASV)
* Matthew 3:16-17 – “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

The Koran (or Qur'an, which means "the reading" in Arabic) is the sacred book of Islam and is broken up into 114 chapters called Suras which cover the subjects of ethics, history, law, and theology. It is highly revered by Muslims as the direct, literal word of God. The Qur'an was delivered by the angel Gabriel (also known as the Holy Spirit) to Muhammad over a 23-year period after Muhammad's initial encounter with Gabriel in a cave when he was 40 years old. Muslims consider Muhammad (full name of Muhammad Ibn Abdullah) to be the final prophet of God to the world. Muhammad was born in 570? AD in Mecca and died in 632 AD.

Second only to the Islamic belief in the unity/oneness of God is the supremacy of Muhammad as Allah's prophet. But, Islam acknowledges that several prophets preceded Muhammad. The major ones are Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus. These prophets gave revelations from God which were written as scriptures; mainly, the Old and New Testaments. These predecessors to Muhammad are considered great prophets who spoke for God to specific people and whose message was meant for that time. Jesus, according to Islam, was simply one of many prophets. Therefore, Muslims deny the Christian doctrine of the deity of Jesus, the need for His atoning sacrifice (4:157-158), the Trinity (5:73), and much more. According to Islam, no sacrifice is needed to be forgiven, only faith in Allah, sincere repentance, and obedience to Islamic law (3:135; 7:8-9; 21:47; 49:14; 66:8-9). In fact, in Islam, the greatest of sins, called shirk, is to attribute "partners" to God. In other words, to say that God is a Trinity of persons is an unforgivable sin to a Muslim.

Nowhere in scripture do we see the mention of another prophet coming after Jesus. To the contrary, Jesus commanded His disciplines to replicate what He did on the Earth. * Matthew 28:17-20, Jesus speaking, "And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." Differences between the Bible and the Qur'an

Bible / Qur'an
Monotheistic, Trinitarian, (Isaiah 43:10; 44:6-8; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14). / Monotheistic (5:73; 112:1-4), denies the Trinity.
Jesus is God in flesh (Col. 2:9). / Jesus is not God (5:17, 75).
Jesus was crucified (1 Pet. 2:24). / Jesus was not Crucified, (4:157).
Jesus rose from the dead (John 2:19-20). / Jesus did not rise from the dead.
Jesus was the Son of God (Mark 1:1). / Jesus was not the Son of God (9:30).
Holy Spirit, 3rd person in the Godhead. He will bear witness of Jesus (John 14:26; 15:26). / The Holy Spirit is the angel Gabriel (2:97; 16:102).
Salvation by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). / Salvation by sincerity and works (3:135; 7:8-9; 21:47; 49:14; 66:8-9).
The Devil is a fallen angel (Isaiah 14:12-15). / The Devil, Satan, is not a fallen angel, but a fallen Jinn (2:34; 7:12; 15:27; 55:15).
Man is fallen, a sinner (Rom. 3:23). / Man is basically good.
Disciples were Christians (Acts 11:26). / Disciples declare themselves Muslims (5:111).
Worship on Sabbath (Exodus 20) then later on Sunday (Rom. 14:5-6; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1-2). / Worship on Friday (62:9).
Miracles, numerous are recorded (1 Cor. 15:3-5, etc.). / No Miracles recorded, except they claim the Qur'an is a miracle.
Makes numerous prophecies (Isaiah 53; Micah 5:2, etc.). / Makes no prophecies.

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