Some of My Beliefs

Thank you for taking the time to read everydayseeker.com. I have created this blog as an outlet for my thoughts on, and experiences from, seeking the truth. I don’t claim to be a profound or enlightened person, merely someone who wishes to have a deeper understanding of this existence in which we live. In case you’re interested, here’s a brief overview of my beliefs. Like in my blog posts, I will use a lot of quotes as I explain, since many of these quotes have become a foundational part of my beliefs.

I believe that all of the major world religions come from the same divine Source. We are all children of one God, however we may perceive Him to be. I also believe that Bahá’u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, is the most recent divine Messenger that God has sent to humanity. As a Bahá’í, I view religion as a continually unfolding process. The different Messengers that God has sent to humanity have each brought teachings suited for Their particular day and age, and religion has evolved over time as humankind has evolved.

This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future.

- Bahá’u'lláh

To me, it makes more sense to look at the major world religions as different stages in one unfolding process, rather than mutually exclusive ideologies. In fact, I believe that it’s essential that we as a humanity should recognize this fact. If we can see this, we can end our insane religious conflicts and focus on a common goal - the peace, unity and wellbeing of humanity. Then we can work together in a single common faith.

That which God hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith.

- Bahá’u'lláh

I believe that Bahá’u'lláh is the Promised One foretold in the previous religions, and that He has brought the revelation of God for this day. To me, the recognition of Bahá’u'lláh is the recognition of the oneness of religion. It is the recognition that God has a plan for our modern world - that He has given us solutions for the age in which we live.

Let me take a step back for a minute and discuss the nature of our relationship with God. God is unknowable in His essence. (And of course, God is not a “He” - unfortunately there’s no genderless pronoun in English). We cannot create images in our mind that fully capture the reality of God. Just like a table can’t comprehend the carpenter who made it, we can’t fully comprehend God. We can perceive signs of His existence, but our minds will never grasp His essence.

Although God is so far beyond our comprehension, we still have an important relationship with Him. God has created this reality, and has created all of us, out of love.

O SON OF MAN!
I loved thy creation, hence I created thee. Wherefore, do thou love Me, that I may name thy name and fill thy soul with the spirit of life.

- Bahá’u'lláh

We are created from love, yet at the same time we must work to be in touch with this love. The way this love reaches us is through God’s eternal covenant with humanity - He has always given us guidance. Our part of the covenant is that we must live according to His teachings. If we do this, we can establish faith, love and true prosperity in this world and the spiritual worlds beyond.

In the Bahá’í Writings, there is a term, “Manifestation of God”. The word manifest means to reveal, or to make known. The Divine Messengers - including Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Krishna, Christ, Muhammad and Bahá’u'lláh - have each manifested the attributes of God and brought forth His teachings for their time.

One analogy used to describe this is if you think of a perfectly polished mirror reflecting the sun. If God is the sun, and the Manifestation of God is a perfect mirror, then we can look at the mirror of the Manifestation to perceive the reality of God. Although the mirrors are different, they reflect the same sun. We should not argue in favor of one mirror over another. Instead, we should love the reflection of the beauty of God that we see in all of them. If a new mirror appears reflecting the light of God, we can embrace that light and benefit from its rays.

If we look at the state of the world around us, there is clearly a need for a deep spiritual change in the heart of humanity. Even though the evening news can be terribly depressing, and the immediate future of our world may look dark, I believe that God has not abandoned us. He has given us the means to heal and reconstruct our world, if only we recognize it and arise to do so.

This is the Day in which God’s most excellent favors have been poured out upon men, the Day in which His most mighty grace hath been infused into all created things. It is incumbent upon all the peoples of the world to reconcile their differences, and, with perfect unity and peace, abide beneath the shadow of the Tree of His care and loving-kindness.

- Bahá’u'lláh

I believe that there is a spiritual renewal taking place in the world, and that God has a purpose for us even in this seemingly chaotic world. I believe that He has given us teachings specifically for this day through the Revelation of Bahá’u'lláh. I also believe that, whatever any of us believe, we should work to reconcile our differences and recognize that we receive our light from the same divine Source. God wishes us to live in harmony and to be happy, why should we bring so much suffering upon ourselves?

If any of this makes sense to you, you might want to consider reading up a little on the Bahá’í Faith. I’ve been a Bahá’í for almost nine years now, and it’s been an amazing experience. Here are a few resources if you’re interested: