To quote Susan Sarandon's character sister Helen, when told she has powerful faith she replies "its not faith, its work". This seems to sum up quite nicely the way that different faiths seem to come about. It is no easy road to create a new religion, it takes time, patience, suffering and many other things.
The Baha'i faith takes the path of pretty much every religion in it's formation (at least that of those we have studied). I have read some other blogs already and they all mention the necessity of a charismatic leader, so I will try to focus on another aspect; the work it takes to form a religion. In the Baha'ullah biography, the inciting incident for the Baha'i faith appears to be the importance of the Bab, and the conversion of Baha'ullah. However, this is not a simple, easy transition to a different faith. The Bab had to be mixed with Islamic aspects to create new ideas of a life-way. The road to a religion is a long and hard one, it is extremely political, with the Baha'i and other faiths, because the state the people are in is religiously affiliated. It appears that every religion in its making was not accepted and its followers were persecuted, arrested and tortured, before something happened to make them a legitimate religion. (in this case, it was the joining of the Baha people under Baha'ullah).
So, like others have said, a charismatic leader is indeed essential, but religions come about slowly and their formation is often quite a political affair that takes perseverance and time.Faith is not faith (recognized and legitimate) until hard work has been put into it. The travails of the people who followed Baha'ullah, are fairly typical of any forming religion. This is due to the fact that most religions are a form of political statement (what the current government believes is wrong, here is what's right). Of course any power does not like being old that it is wrong, and religious uprisings can be dangerous to an administration because if there are too many followers, then the entire political system could change.
To conclude, the formation of any religion takes time and work and courage, and is almost always a political motion (whether it was meant to be or not.)
This is a good point--the idea that its more than just a charismatic leader. With regards to your reference to taking into consideration the other religions surrounding a new faith, I think that their reaction to the new religion is one of the most determining factors of that new religion.
ReplyDeleteThis Founder and opposition is indeed a mystery. Many think that when the Promised One comes it will just be a rolling out of order from chaos, and peace from war. But it seldom proceeds just like that. Baha'u'llah examines this question in a book - here's a part near it's beginning:
ReplyDelete"Consider the past. How many, both high and low, have, at all times, yearningly awaited the advent of the Manifestations of God in the sanctified persons of His chosen Ones. How often have they expected His coming, how frequently have they prayed that the breeze of divine mercy might blow, and the promised Beauty step forth from behind the veil of concealment, and be made manifest to all the world. And whensoever the portals of grace did open, and the clouds of divine bounty did rain upon mankind, and the light of the Unseen did shine above the horizon of celestial might, they all denied Him, and turned away from His face—the face of God Himself. Refer ye, to verify this truth, to that which hath been recorded in every sacred Book.
Ponder for a moment, and reflect upon that which hath been the cause of such denial on the part of those who have searched with such earnestness and longing. Their attack hath been more fierce than tongue or pen can describe. Not one single Manifestation of Holiness hath appeared but He was afflicted by the denials, the repudiation, and the vehement opposition of the people around Him. Thus it hath been revealed: “O the misery of men! No Messenger cometh unto them but they laugh Him to scorn.” Again He saith: “Each nation hath plotted darkly against their Messenger to lay violent hold on Him, and disputed with vain words to invalidate the truth.”