The Light Shineth in Darkness by -Udo Schaefer- 8 Para

First, Christians themselves are by no means agreed on the dogma of original sin.. (one) really should not expect someone outside Christianity to go exclusively by Luther. Why not Zwingli, for instance, who is, frankly, more to my taste? He rejected the doctrine of original sin as contrary to the Gospel, and called Luther crazy and non-Christian for his deviant doctrine of the Communion. What is one to think of arguments which continually confront someone outside Christianity with dogmatic positions which are disputed within it? Further, among those who adhere to the dogma of original sin, both Catholics and Protestants, the extent of the corruption of human nature and consequently of the doctrine of justification are controversial.. (91:2)

Man is not by nature evil and incapable of good, but "the noblest and most perfect of all created things." In him "are potentially revealed all the attributes and names of God to a degree that no other being hath excelled or surpassed." He is the mystery of God. But lack of education has "deprived him of that which he doth inherently possess." He is "a mine rich in gems of inestimable value." But "education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures." (Baha'u'llah). Not any sort of education: what is meant is divine education through the manifestations and according to their teachings and commandments. Just as a plant needs light to develop the perfections within it, so man needs spiritual illumination through the Sun of Truth, the Logos. Man-- as is said in the daily (Baha'i) prayer-- is created "to know and worship God." If he fails in this duty, he has missed the purpose of his existence, and the spiritual potentialities within him will not be fully developed. Without divine guidance, and relying only on his reason, man goes astray. Baha'u'llah leaves no doubt that "nothing whatsoever can exist without the revelation of the splendour of God." "Were the Hand of Divine Power to divest of high endowment all created things, the entire universe would become desolate and void." The whole development of the human race has been brought about by the revelations of God which have succeeded each other from time immemorial. (91:4)

But, one might object, the world is in a bad state, and evil is to be seen everywhere. This is recognized well enough. "And if God willed to punish men for their misdeeds, he would not leave a single living being on earth." it says in the 'Qur'an'. Baha'u'llah too complains that men "have been led astray, and are truly of the heedless," that there is no one who sincerely craves after truth and "seeketh guidance," that all are "dwellers in the land of oblivion" and "followers of the people of wickedness and rebellion," that the peoples, "have languished, stricken and sore athirst, in the vale of idle fancy and waywardness," because they have failed "to seek from the luminous and crystal Springs of divine knowledge the inner meaning of God's holy words." Baha'u'llah also warns against following "the steps of the Evil One," who "is lying in wait," who "hindereth the rise and obstructeth the spiritual progress of the children of men." Satan, however, is not an independent power opposed to God, but a metaphor for the lower nature of man tied to the world. (92:1)

'Abdul-Baha speaks of man's dual nature. The physical nature is inherited from Adam, the spiritual nature "from the Reality of the Word of God." The physical nature "is the source of all imperfection," the spiritual nature "of all perfection." The low qualities of man, the sins, are the consequence of "the power of the lusts." The body obeys the demands of Nature: "A man who has not had a spiritual education is a brute." Lofty as the station is "which man, if he but choose to fulfil his high destiny, can attain"-- he can also sink into the depths of degradation, "depths which the meanest of creatures have never reached." This (above) verse from Baha'u'llah is a sufficient explanation of all the evil on earth-- including Auschwitz and Hiroshima. The Devil was not needed; for that! But all the imperfections, all the bad qualities, "which come from the requirements of the physical life of man," can be "transformed into human perfections" by the Word of God, the cause of spiritual life, which "is a quickening spirit... Therefore Christ was a quickening spirit, and the cause of life in all mankind." (93:1)

The transformation of man-- his inner deliverance and turning to God-- is a precondition of his ability to partake of spiritual life. "Repent!" cried John the Baptist of old, to those who prepared for the coming of Christ. ..(The theologian) did not recognize that the transformation of man is more than "education, piety and brotherly love, etc.", more than the naive call, "be kind to each other and obedient to God." The transformation of man, the "return" demanded in the Jewish religion, is the complete turning of man to God, with whom he becomes united through the accomplishment of the law: transformation is the spiritual resurrection which Jesus demanded. Nothing can bring about this transformation except the living Word of God. (93:2)

God "loveth the one that turneth towards Him." But the belief alone has no power to bring salvation. That demands responsive action, for the greater the effort, the more faithfully will man "reflect the glory of the names and attributes of God." The relationship between God and man is expressed in the verse: "Love Me, that I may love thee." The idea of the Covenant got lost in Christianity owing to Paul's misunderstanding, and is not a subject dealt with in either Catholic or Protestant theology; but, as in Islam and Judaism, it is one of the essential factors in the Baha'i Faith, the latest Covenant. (The extent to which the term "Grace" is given a theological point is sufficiently shown by the fact that in his epistles the word Grace comes 110 times, while it is completely absent in Mark and Matthew.) God's intention of the salvation of mankind is complemented by the duty of man to obey God's will as manifested in the Law. "The essence of religion is to testify unto that which the Lord hath revealed, and follow that which He hath ordained in His mighty Book." The Baha'i Faith is a religion of the Law. The recognition of God, a knowledge which is "the source of all learning," must be followed by realization of the divine will which confronts man in the Law. For "the essence of faith is fewness of words and abundance of deeds." From the Law man discovers what he owes God. And only in striving to fulfil the Law does he come into the right relationship with God. The Baha'i Faith is, therefore, a religion of action. Divine grace is obtained through faith 'and' works. (93:3)

Some theologians hold that man no longer needs to make himself other than he is, that he does not have to take on any form pleasing to God but has a part in the Kingdom of Heaven "just as he is," because Jesus by his sacrificial death has brought the lost world home. This thesis, like the concept of man's inability to change, is an expression of Christianity's antinomian peculiarity, Martin Luther's 'sola fide' doctrine, whereby "man without any action of his own or any merit is justified for Christ's sake by the Faith." But the prophet from Nazareth placed the accent elsewhere, as we can see from many passages in the Gospels, e.g. Matthew 7:19-23; 19:16-21; 23:2-3. These texts do not speak of "Faith Alone" and "Grace Alone," but of obedience to the Law and to the intention of the Law. (94:1) see

On this subject Hans-Joachim Schoeps, speaking from a Jewish standpoint, has expressed basic truths so well that I cannot do better than quote at length his defense of the Law, to which as a Baha'i I can give full agreement-- thus justifying the length of this quotation: (95:1)

End of Quote

  The Light Shineth in Darkness
  Citation Source List
: see