Mormons

"The Baha'i Faith" is a publication authored by Mary Perkins and Philip Hainsworth, and is sent out to those inquiring into the Baha'i Faith. This tract is a Christian reply to the claims contained therein.

Our concern is that when recruiting persons into the Baha'i Faith, the claim is made that you can keep your Christianity and still be a Baha'i. They claim you can join your Christianity to their noble aims and all work together for world unity and peace. Christians, please consider carefully the following points

BELIEFS OF THE BAHA'I FAITH ONENESS OF HUMANITY -- HOW?

Page 39 of "The Baha'i Faith" quotes their prophet Baha'u'llah as saying,

"We verily, have come to unite and weld together all that dwell on earth." The paragraph goes on to point out that there is "unity in diversity", and "every group of people can find the highest possible expression of their own particular ideals and aspirations." Page 40 goes on to state that "unity will not be imposed from above" ..."but will evolve gradually in human consciousness..."

THE CHRISTIAN REPLYTO THE ABOVE

The Bible teaches the establishment of God's Kingdom over the earth by Divine intervention. Entrance into that Kingdom is by receiving Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as personal Savior (John 1:12). With that rebirth, we are transferred from the Kingdom of darkness to God's Kingdom.

"For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13,14).

The Kingdom over the earth will be heralded in by the second coming of Christ in power and glory. Christians should look to Christ, not "human consciousness"!

MANIFESTATIONS OF GOD

The Baha'i Faith teaches that there have been nine manifestations of God on the earth, namely Krishna, Abraham, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, the Bab, Baha'u'llah. These messengers are referred to as "perfect and stainless souls". (BF p.40 and 41). Baha'is go so far as to say that (God)..."hath ordained the knowledge of these sanctified Beings to be identical with the knowledge of his own self." (BF p.41)

To the Christian, this is blasphemy. Christ alone is unique and perfect. He is the only sinless one. Christ alone is the mediator between God and man. 1 Timothy 2:5 reads,

"For there is one God and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

There is none greater than Jesus Christ, who is Almighty God (Revelation 1:8). He alone is God incarnate, the only manifestation of the one God.

Statements of the Baha'is such as "Each time such a manifestation appears on earth, it is as if the spirit of all the former manifestations return with him." (BF p.41) smack of Eastern reincarnation and border on the occult.

Christians are well warned in 2 Corinthians 11:4,

"There will be those coming to you preaching ANOTHER JESUS whom we have not preached..."

Truly, the Baha'i Faith preaches another Jesus, and not the Jesus Christ of the Bible and Christianity. Remember Christians, if you have the right Jesus Christ you are right for all eternity, but if you have the wrong Jesus Christ, you are wrong for all eternity!

THE BAHA'I VIEW OF THE BIBLE

The Baha'i Faith considers the scriptures of all the world's religions as sacred. They point out, however, that all religions go through the stages of birth, growth, and decay. Page 42 of "The Baha'i Faith" goes on to say, "When the period of decay is reached, a new seed is planted in the hearts of men by a new messenger and a new growth begins."

What they are really saying is that the Bible, and Jesus Christ have decayed and we now must turn to their prophet Baha'u'llah and his writings! Christians beware of those who would tamper with the eternal word found in the Bible. Psalms 119:89 says, "Forever, O LORD, Thy word is settled in heaven."

THE BAHA'I FAITH VIEW OF THE HEREAFTER

We quote here from "The Baha'i Faith", page 47, "The soul, freed from the body much in the way that a captured bird is freed from a cage, will continue to progress and advance towards God. Our progress in the next world will depend on the efforts we have made here."

"Heaven" and "Hell" are not places but states of being, Heaven in nearness to God and Hell remoteness from him. These states of being exist in this life as well as the life beyond."

Here again, the Baha'i Faith parts company drastically with Christianity. The above quotes not only allude to reincarnation and Eastern mysticism, but also of salvation by works, rather than grace.

THE CHRISTIAN VIEW OF THE HEREAFTER

Christians do not "progress" towards God, based on their works, but go directly to be with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:8 says,

"...to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord."

Christian salvation is by grace and not by works. Ephesians 2:8,9 says,

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast."

Christians do good works of course, but these are a result of their salvation, not a condition for it.

Heaven and Hell are real places to spend eternity in the Bible, not in this life, but at our literal deaths. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 25:46,

"And these (the wicked) will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

ARE THE BAHA'IS REALLY ACCEPTING OF OTHERS?

Quoting from a tablet of Abdu'l-Baha we read,

"And whatsoever people turneth its heart away from this Divine Love--the revelation of the Merciful--shall err grievously, shall fall into despair, and be utterly destroyed. That people shall be denied all refuge, shall become even as the vilest creatures of the earth, victims of degradation and shame." (BF p.38).

Therefore, we can only conclude that those rejecting the Baha'i Faith are considered vile, degraded, and shameful and worthy of destruction. Indeed, this group is not what it seems. It is not all-loving and all-accepting of other faiths. That is just a ploy to attract the unwary. Once in, the follower is bound by many regulations and rules peculiar to the Baha'is. The follower finds himself in a cult misrepresenting Jesus Christ.

IN CONCLUSION

Page 45 of "The Baha'i Faith" contains these words "Baha'u'llah does not wish anyone to accept his revelation blindly. He asks each individual to look into it for himself, to use his own eyes and ears, his own faculty of reasoning and to make up his own mind."

Having accepted this invitation, I have examined the Baha'i Faith from my Christian perspective and have found it misleading in its presentation. A Christian definitely CANNOT be a Baha'i, and neither can any Baha'i claim to be a Christian. So, make your own choice today, your eternity will depend on it!