Christianity Beyond the Crossroads by BahaiBookstore.com

Christianity beyond the Crossroads The Son and the Father Lameh Fananapazir

OXFORD GEORGE RONALD

George Ronald, Publisher Oxford www.grbooks.com

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978−0−85398−643–0

Cover design: Steiner Graphics

CONTENTS Preface, by Hooper C. Dunbar Acknowledgements Foreword, by JoAnn Borovicka Introduction

vii viii ix 1

PART I. WHAT DEFINES A CHRISTIAN? ________________________________________________________ 1. Taking stock: The darkening spiritual horizons

2. Revisiting Christian virtues and relearning to walk in Christ’s footsteps

3. Discarding obsolete teachings, outworn shibboleths and injurious superstitions 58 PART II. PROMISES OF NEW DIVINE INTERVENTIONS ________________________________________________________ 4. The times of rebirth and renewal of faith

107

5. The advent of the world redeemer in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament)

116

6. The ‘good news’ of the Gospels and the signs of the times in the New Testament 133

christianity beyond the crossroads

PART III. DIFFICULTIES AND OBSTACLES ________________________________________________________ 7. Objections to Jesus as the Messiah

175

8. Stumbling blocks at the Second Coming

206

9. Further impediments

244

PART IV. CHURCH DOGMA AND REALIZED ESCHATOLOGY ________________________________________________________ 10. Review of some Christian themes

279

11. Resurrection

305

12. The Trinity

338

13. Sacraments and ordinances

351

14. Biblical criteria to validate truth

364

15. Biblical promises fulfilled

384

PART V. RENEWAL AND RESURRECTION ________________________________________________________ 16. Bahá’u’lláh’s proclamation

413

17. Continuity of divine purpose: Multiple religions but one common faith

428

18. Reaffirmation of earlier moral and ethical teachings

462

19. New social paradigms for a global society

490

Bibliography Notes and References Index

515 535 573 vi

PREFACE Dr Lameh Fananapazir’s new volume, Christianity Beyond the Crossroads, conveys its convincing arguments through the same general expository methods he employed so effectively in his previous work on Islam and the challenges presently facing the Islamic world. In that volume, his approach was a persuasive one, gently placing his keen insights and observations before us, informed and reinforced with relevant passages from authentic Muslim scriptures, both from the Qur’án and its traditions. The result was a clear demonstration of the continuity of divine revelation with respect to Islam and its connection with the Holy Writings of the Twin Founders of the Bahá’í Faith, Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb. This was all done in such a manner as to draw the attention of the reader to his earlier and possibly erroneous assumptions, and persuade him to reconsider certain fundamental points. Here, Dr Fananapazir has taken up the same task, but this time with the vast scriptures and traditions of Judaism and Christianity. Considering the diversity of views currently weighing on Jewish and Christian communities around the globe, the content of this volume holds the promise of new vision and understanding. It is addressed to the sincere followers of these Faiths and to other fair-minded people seeking a united way forward − a way which corresponds with the urgent worldwide need for unity and wholeness. One that enables souls to resolve the perplexities of our broken past. Before us, then, lies the prospect of promoting a worldwide fraternity based on God-given scriptures, the common heritage of us all. The keys are at hand. Amidst the darkness besetting us, the words and teachings of Bahá’u’lláh shine out as a beacon of hope, illumining the path ahead − they constitute, as demonstrated here, the consummate gift of God to our distracted age. Hooper C. Dunbar vii

INTRODUCTION Faith and the many challenges facing humanity

It is a truism to say that global society is becoming increasingly interdependent, and that the welfare of any section of humanity on our planet ultimately affects us all. Yet most of us tend to ignore the plight of the rest of the world as we pursue our own personal and local interests. In this context, Bahá’u’lláh, the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, admonishes us: ‘Let your vision be world-embracing, rather than confined to your own self.’1 And when we do direct our attention to the state of the world we readily appreciate that mankind faces incalculable challenges. These include climate change; environmental pollution and destruction; rapid deterioration in the health of the global ecosystem and vanishing biodiversity; hunger and malnutrition in impoverished countries and, in contrast, health problems associated with overindulgence and obesity in affluent countries; uneven economic growth; inharmonious international trade and investment; diminishing planetary resources; rapid and ultimately unsustainable population growth; an increasing gap between the rich and the poor; functional and cultural illiteracy; gender rights violations; human trafficking and slavery; political polarization of societies; international conflicts and terrorism with attendant refugee and migrant problems; drug addiction and related gang violence; and the scourge of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases. In the latter context, Covid-19 has highlighted the vital need for cohesive action and cooperation at both national and international levels if humanity is to stem the tide of this dire plague. Sadly, everywhere, but more specifically in the United States, the fires of prejudice and racism are being stoked. The following statement in the Bahá’í Writings, written just before World War II but still relevant today, presaged a dismal situation: 1

christianity beyond the crossroads

Who knows but that these few remaining, fast-fleeting years, may not be pregnant with events of unimaginable magnitude, with ordeals more severe than any that humanity has as yet experienced, with conflicts more devastating than any which have preceded them. Dangers, however sinister, must, at no time, dim the radiance of their new-born faith. Strife and confusion, however bewildering, must never befog their vision. Tribulations, however afflictive, must never shatter their resolve. Denunciations, however clamorous, must never sap their loyalty . . .2

To this disconcerting list may be added the decidedly negative part played by what passes as religion in many recent conflicts. Arguably, this is not the only cause of the hostilities but there is no denying the part played by religion either actively or through its inability to mediate peace and foster harmony. Bahá’u’lláh predicted 150 years ago: ‘Religious fanaticism and hatred are a world-devouring fire, whose violence none can quench. The Hand of Divine power can, alone, deliver mankind from this desolating affliction.’3 The relevance of faith in a world increasingly oblivious of its Creator

As is fairly evident, we may wish to retreat from the world, but the global concerns will ultimately have their impact on all of us. The fact that many of the problems have a scientific and sociological basis, and hence are potentially remediable, begs the question as to why we have been impotent to eradicate the issues despite the expenditure of significant resources and the sincere efforts of many organizations. For example, using scientific methods, we should theoretically be able to eradicate many of the infectious diseases, and eliminate hunger and malnutrition, and yet we have failed to do so. This is because the issues cannot be solved by a materialistic approach only, as the underlying problem has to do with how we view and treat one another. The question that is vital to our survival and that of our fragile planet is whether we continue to regard each other as strangers with alien beliefs and customs, or recognize one another as members of one human race. Will we pursue only our own selfish interests, clinging to unreasonable theories such as excessive nationalism, or, whilst espousing a sane patriotism, consider 2

introduction

mankind as co-inhabitants of one land? Will we continue to merely imitate ancestral beliefs, or instead study the reality of all religions and determine whether, as currently practised, they accord with reason and advance the best interests of humanity? We may well conclude that to bring about the cultural changes that will effectively rescue the planet demands a spiritual transformation and renewal of faith. Exulting in our own Christian Faith, and reaffirming time-expired beliefs, dogma and rituals, referred to by some Christians a century and a half ago as ‘Churchianity’,4 will not be enough to turn the downward spiral. This presentation relies largely on the scriptures and is one attempt to help us understand the specific issues that confront Christianity. It discusses their possible solutions, particularly in the light of Bahá’u’lláh’s revelation. The Bahá’í Faith

In the year 1844 and at the time when there was great world-wide excitement about the fulfilment of biblical prophecies, a young man named the Báb declared that God would soon manifest the One promised in all of the sacred scriptures. He and many thousands of His followers were cruelly martyred. Nine years later, Bahá’u’lláh (in English ‘Glory of God’) announced that He was the One foretold by the Báb and all earlier divine mediators. In His turn, He suffered untold hardships, mainly at the hands of Shí‘ih and Sunni monarchs and religious leaders. Despite this, His Faith has now spread to all corners of the world. Relation of the Bahá’í Faith to Judeo-Christianity

In the following pages we will explore the mission of Christ and its relationship to the Bahá’í Faith. This also requires us to examine briefly the deteriorating state of Christianity. However, it must be stated at the outset that Bahá’ís love Christ and have an absolute and abiding conviction in the validity, efficacy and goodness of the Christian revelation. Their genuine love and appreciation for Christianity is grounded in the Bahá’í Writings which emphasize the indispensability of the Christian Faith and emphatically eulogize Christ, as exemplified by the following passage: 3

TAKING STOCK: THE DARKENING SPIRITUAL HORIZONS The phenomenal initial growth of Christianity may in part be attributed to the fact that it represented a transforming experience in the life of not only the individual but also the community, based on a belief in the centrality of Jesus Christ as the agent of God’s saving grace. In the words of the Apostle Paul: . . . for we walk by faith, not by sight . . . Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,1 he is a new creation.2 The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.3 (II Cor. 5:7, 17)

Compelled by Christ’s love and sacrifice for them, Paul wrote that they had become reconciled to God (II Cor. 5:18–20). His own life testified to this transformation. Previously he had been a zealous persecutor of the Christians, but he was now ready to give his life to promote the cause of Christ, his Lord. He urged his fellow believers not ‘to be conformed to this world’, that is, not to embrace its values, customs, traditions and rituals, but to ‘be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect’ (Rom. 12:2). Similarly, Simon and his brother Andrew had been quite content with catching fish in the Sea of Galilee, but were called to become the ‘fishers of men’ (Matt. 4:19). Simon, whom Jesus renamed as Peter, died as a martyr in Rome. So it was that, faithful to the Divine Word, the outlook of the early Christians became changed, making them effective witnesses to Christ and His teachings, and examples of the ‘good fruits’ of His revelation. As stated by the Apostle Paul: for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the 11

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Lord. Walk as children of light [for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true], and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. (Eph. 5:8–10)

The Book of Acts states that ‘all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had’ (New Living Translation: Acts 2:44), and again, ‘the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common’ (Acts 4:32). The Apostles’ Creed, a document of the fourth-century church, refers to the infant Christian community as the ‘communion of saints’.4 William Barclay, Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism at Glasgow University, explained: The word saints is used . . . in its New Testament sense and not in its modern sense. The saints are not those who have the word ‘Saint’ prefixed to their names; they are not the famous examples of holiness and piety who have been canonized into saints in the ecclesiastical sense of the term . . . The first and simplest interpretation of the phrase the communion of saints takes it to be a description of the way in which Christian people in mutual care and love share everything with each other. This caring and sharing has always been the mark of the church when it was truly Christian . . . The Christians were like the members of a body. Each member had care for every other member. The need of one was the need of all and the suffering of one was the suffering of all (I Cor. 12:25–26).5

The Epistle to Diognetus, written in the late second century in defence of the much-maligned early Christian community, describes eloquently the distinguishing features of this group of individuals: For Christians are not distinguished from the rest of humanity by country, or by speech, or by customs. For they do not dwell in cities of their own, or use a different language, or practise a peculiar life. This knowledge of theirs has not been discovered by the thought and the effort of inquisitive men, they are not champions of a human doctrine, as some men are. But while they dwell in Greek or barbarian cities, according as each man’s lot was cast, and follow the customs of the 12

taking stock: the darkening spiritual horizons

land in clothing and food and other matters of daily life, yet the conditions of citizenship which they exhibit is wonderful, and admittedly beyond all expectation. They live in their countries of their own, but only as sojourners; they share the life of citizens, they endure the lot of foreigners; every foreign land is to them a fatherland and every fatherland is to them a foreign land. They marry like the rest of the world, they beget children, but they do not cast their children adrift. They have a common table but not a common bed. They exist in the flesh, but live not after the flesh. They spend their existence upon earth, but their citizenship is in heaven. They obey the established laws, but in their own lives they surpass the laws. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown, and yet they are condemned; they are put to death, yet they give proof of new life. They are poor, yet they make many rich; they lack everything, yet in everything they abound. They are dishonoured, yet their dishonour becomes their glory; they are reviled, and yet are vindicated. They are insulted, and repay insult with honour. They do good, and are punished as evildoers; and in their punishment they rejoice as finding new life therein. The Jews were against them as aliens; the Greeks persecute them, and yet they that hate them can state no ground for their enmity. In a word, what the soul is to the body, Christians are to the world . . . . . . (Dost thou not see them) flung to the wild beasts, to make them deny their Lord, and yet unconquered. Dost thou not see that the more of them are punished the more their numbers increase? These things look not like the achievements of man; they are the power of God; they are proof of His presence.6

The Christian community continued to grow steadily over the centuries and across the world. In 2005, Christianity, in all of its various denominations (Catholic, Protestant, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Syrian, Anabaptist, Restorationist, etc.), represented the largest religion on the planet comprising a third of the world’s population. Increasing issues facing the church

While Christianity as a whole continues to be the world’s dominant religion, recent statistics show its institutions in the West experiencing 13

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an unprecedented and disturbing downward spiral in their fortunes. The church hierarchy faces a bewildering array of serious challenges on a truly global scale. Christian institutions, unable to offer coherent solutions to the new issues facing humanity, have also had to contend with a number of tragic and disturbing moral lapses. Far from wishing to criticize or engage in fault-finding, the purpose here is to briefly examine the current state of Christian institutions and demonstrate the need for spiritual revival and fundamental change. Waning commitment to institutional religion – flagging church membership and attendance

Recent surveys demonstrate that the Christian experience in the West has undergone a steep decline during the past 60 years, gauged by such factors as church membership and worship service attendance.7 In the United Kingdom, the population describing itself as Anglican has dropped from 30% in 2000 to 15% today, and it is projected that if these trends continue, Anglicanism will become insignificant in Britain by 2033.8 In Scotland, church attendance has fallen by more than half over the past 30 years.9 Indeed, many people across Europe have no religious affiliation: France (28%), Germany (25%), Italy (12%) and the Netherlands (42%).10 Consequently, Europe’s churches have had to close at an alarming rate, reflecting ‘the rapid weakening of the [Christian] faith in Europe, a phenomenon that is painful to both worshipers and others who see religion as a unifying factor in a disparate society’,11 a trend described as the ‘philosophical, spiritual floundering of Europe’.12 Although the United States is still an overwhelmingly Christian country, a recent survey found that it is following the same trend as Europe. The percentage of adult Americans who described themselves as Christian fell from about 86% in 1990 to 76% in 200813 and to 71% in 2014.14 Recent articles note that in a dozen countries most young people do not follow a religion.15 Reasons for the precipitous decline

Several reasons have been cited for these trends. Reflecting perhaps the spirit of this age, the Barna research group recently reported that the 14

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