The Light Shineth in Darkness by -Udo Schaefer- 3 Para

Some may object that I have picked a few results which suit my purpose from the vast amount of recent theological research and have arbitrarily played these cards against the orthodox doctrine. This objection would be a misunderstanding of the situation. The starting-point for my discussion is not a scientific thesis, however formed, but my conviction and faith: if, as Baha'u'llah teaches, all the revealed religions are of divine origin and there is therefore and essential unity between the religions, if the revelation of God is a cyclically recurring, progressive process, if the purpose of revelation has always been the same, the education of the human race, then there can be no essential contradictions between the religions on questions about the purpose of their revelations. For God does not contradict Himself. (86:1)

If religions contradict each other on questions independent of the turn of events on earth and the development of man and society, the contradictions go back to the individual centrifugal developments which all religions have been through, to the erosions of history. The criterion of judgment will always be the most recent revelation of God. For the purification of the religions is one reason, among others, why whenever it has pleased God, "the gates of mercy have been opened" "till the end which has no end." God Himself reforms, by speaking again to mankind at the end of a cycle of revelation. That is why the revelation of Baha'u'llah is at the same time a judgment on the old religions. It is, as he testifies, "the right path" whereby "truth shall be distinguished from error and the wisdom of every command shall be tested." It separates the thorns and thistles from the grain, the true and authentic from the untrue and false, the pure divine teaching from the human additions and misunderstandings: "Verily, the day of ingathering is come, and all things have been separated from each other. He hath stored away that which He chose in the vessels of justice, and cast into fire that which befitteth it." (Baha'u'llah- Tablet to Pope Pius Ix) (86:2)

Measured by the standard of Baha'u'llah's revelation, the Pauline doctrine of Justification, the doctrine of Original Sin, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, the sacramentalization of the Christian religion, the whole Church plan of salvation-- which not only contradicts the Jewish understanding of God but was also strongly repudiated by the revelation of God which succeeded Christianity-- these are a deformation of Jesus's teaching. Some critical theological scholars have confirmed that these deformations in Christianity started very early, in fact with Paul.. (87:1)

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