To measure the relation between religion and Bahaism, two elements of “revelation” and “interpretation are fundamental for each organization and population regardless of influential cognitive factors focusing on the aspect of religion which is making identity.
It is claimed that the supreme revelation in Bahaism is merely done for Bahaullah and its revelation has been evolutionary.
The element of “revelation” is the important index for identifying and defining the relation between religion and Bahaism. So, the identity making factor for Bahaism will be subsidiary of revelation life. Danesh writes in this regard:
“The Baha’is consider Bahaullah’s works as inspirational. Abdul Baha and Shogi’s works are considered as the valid interpretation of Bahaullah. Bahaullah didn’t give the universal house justice the power of interpretation. However, the universal house of justice views concerning some affairs are infallible having the highest Baha’i fundamental authority.”[۱]
The fundamental difference between the Baha’i revelation and the concept of inspiration in Islam and Judaism is that according Ibrahimi tradition, inspiration has been sent down the prophet from outside and the prophet is the receiver of inspiration and he as a human being doesn’t seize the divine word, but in Bahaism inspiration receiver been introduced as the very source of the faith or transcendental man who is in fact the receiver of inspiration. Consequently, Bahaullah’s word can’t be recognized from the divine one.
When Bahaullah considered himself as the proselytizer of Bab and of those who believed in “the one whom God will manifest”, he assumed himself as merited to claim for the position of the one whom God will manifest independently. The evolutionary revelation is the element which introduces the meaning system of religions in doubtful path and also bestows a position to Bahaullah that he can’t be criticized.
The result of this view is creating behavioral action which makes identity for the Baha’i community as the followers of Bahaullah which is obeying Bahaullah’s leadership.
The important note about Bahaullah’s revelation is that his and claims couldn’t be measured. As an authorized leader, he was allowed to pose his speech powerfully without any proof or reason.
After Bahaullah, the revelation movement was cut and Bahaullah’s ideology came out of personal state and was organized. This important issue culminated after Shogi Effendi by organizing the universal house of justice. He settled the universal house of justice as the most powerful and the greatest Baha’i foundation.
The process of establishing and development of Bahaism caused the concept of religion not to be distinctly attributed to Bahaism.
Consequently, no clearly defined reading of Baha’i religion has been presented by the Baha’is. Eventually, some have accepted it as the concept of newly-emerged religious movement.
Regarding the posed notes about the nature of Baha’i faith, the researchers’ analyses about the relation between religion and Bahaism aren’t the same.
Source: The book Bahaism in transformation periods of time, pp. 148-152.
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[۱] Danesh, Roshan (2008), “Church and State in the Baha’i Faith: An Epistemic Approach”, Journal of Law and Religion, vol. 24, no. 1: pp 21-63
