Does all worship eventually go to the same God anyway?

george123 · 03-15-2010, 07:39 PM

For example, the Hindu “holy book,” the Bhagavad Gita, represents God as saying: “Even those who are devoted to other deities and worship them, filled with faith, they too really worship Me.” The Bahai World Faith considers all the world’s major faiths as part of the same evolving religion, with the same source of wisdom and spiritual power. A clergyman of Christendom said: “I believe God speaks through all religions.”

Those who hold this view often encourage interfaith. A Bahai leader stated: “All must abandon prejudices and must even go to each other’s churches and mosques.” Last year the All Africa Council of Churches expressed its desire that new converts might feel equally at ease in any church. The Roman Catholic Church, too, has become involved in interfaith. There are even hopes that one day all mankind will achieve unity of worship through interfaith.

Of course, many still feel that theirs is the most correct form of worship. Others say that ‘you should stick with the religion in which you were brought up,’ regardless of its teachings. Few who profess Christianity, for example, would feel comfortable worshiping at a Buddhist wat or a Hindu shrine. Yet what difference should it make, if all worship goes to the same God?

Clearly there is confusion when it comes to the type of worship that God accepts. Is there any source that really tells the truth on this matter?

arthra · 03-15-2010, 08:43 PM

George,

Welcome to the Baha'i Forums and I was so happy to read your first post here..

Baha'is believe God is one.. So Hindus who worship God and Muslims worship God and Christians worship God..all those prayers have efficacy and rise to the same Almighty..

For Baha'is the most recent revelation from God and not the last there are prayers that have been revealed for this day and so we recite them and read them.. There are also special obligatory prayers that are recited by Baha'is daily in private .. this is a spiritual obligation for Baha'is.

I'm going to provide you with a link so you can get an idea of what the Baha'i prayers are like..

Prayers by Category

Pollwr · 03-16-2010, 04:12 AM

I would say yes, definitely. As Arthra said, Bahá'ís believe in One God, so it is to Him all prayers must go.

Personally, I have never had the bounty of visiting or even seeing a Bahá'í temple as there are not a lot and I have not travelled to the areas they are in. I married my Catholic husband in a Catholic Church, in addition to the Bahá'í ceremony we had. I have prayed in Christian Churches and had a very lovely moment in a Budhist temple. I had experienced a difficult few months following the death of my mother, her friend and a colleague and it was in the temple that I was able to say some prayers and let go of some of the feelings of grief so I could move on.

One reason I am not a member of the Christian congregation that I grew up in is their belief that people may only access God through their church. Whilst I learned a lot about religion and my religious identity with them, I used to stand in church and wonder why anyone would think that a person living a good life as a muslim or jew would be damned. I could never get my head around that and eventually rejected it out of hand.

03-15-2010, 07:39 PM	#1
george123 Junior Member Joined: Mar 2010 From: Jakarta Posts: 1	Does all worship eventually go to the same God anyway? For example, the Hindu “holy book,” the Bhagavad Gita, represents God as saying: “Even those who are devoted to other deities and worship them, filled with faith, they too really worship Me.” The Bahai World Faith considers all the world’s major faiths as part of the same evolving religion, with the same source of wisdom and spiritual power. A clergyman of Christendom said: “I believe God speaks through all religions.” Those who hold this view often encourage interfaith. A Bahai leader stated: “All must abandon prejudices and must even go to each other’s churches and mosques.” Last year the All Africa Council of Churches expressed its desire that new converts might feel equally at ease in any church. The Roman Catholic Church, too, has become involved in interfaith. There are even hopes that one day all mankind will achieve unity of worship through interfaith. Of course, many still feel that theirs is the most correct form of worship. Others say that ‘you should stick with the religion in which you were brought up,’ regardless of its teachings. Few who profess Christianity, for example, would feel comfortable worshiping at a Buddhist wat or a Hindu shrine. Yet what difference should it make, if all worship goes to the same God? Clearly there is confusion when it comes to the type of worship that God accepts. Is there any source that really tells the truth on this matter?

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03-15-2010, 08:43 PM	#2
arthra Senior Member Joined: Jun 2006 From: California Posts: 3,064	George, Welcome to the Baha'i Forums and I was so happy to read your first post here.. Baha'is believe God is one.. So Hindus who worship God and Muslims worship God and Christians worship God..all those prayers have efficacy and rise to the same Almighty.. For Baha'is the most recent revelation from God and not the last there are prayers that have been revealed for this day and so we recite them and read them.. There are also special obligatory prayers that are recited by Baha'is daily in private .. this is a spiritual obligation for Baha'is. I'm going to provide you with a link so you can get an idea of what the Baha'i prayers are like.. Prayers by Category

03-16-2010, 04:12 AM	#3
Pollwr Senior Member Joined: Jun 2009 From: earth Posts: 311	I would say yes, definitely. As Arthra said, Bahá'ís believe in One God, so it is to Him all prayers must go. Personally, I have never had the bounty of visiting or even seeing a Bahá'í temple as there are not a lot and I have not travelled to the areas they are in. I married my Catholic husband in a Catholic Church, in addition to the Bahá'í ceremony we had. I have prayed in Christian Churches and had a very lovely moment in a Budhist temple. I had experienced a difficult few months following the death of my mother, her friend and a colleague and it was in the temple that I was able to say some prayers and let go of some of the feelings of grief so I could move on. One reason I am not a member of the Christian congregation that I grew up in is their belief that people may only access God through their church. Whilst I learned a lot about religion and my religious identity with them, I used to stand in church and wonder why anyone would think that a person living a good life as a muslim or jew would be damned. I could never get my head around that and eventually rejected it out of hand.