Lonemedic

In every religion, but especially evident in the Baha'i Faith, the Manifestation of God, discards a portion of His own Writings, stating that mankind is not ready for it....

Any idea on why this happens? Why do they even write it in the first place? It is confusing to me to think He may have changed His mind about something, when He always knows what is best for us. Is this to teach a lesson and to encourage us to strive to be ready?

monalisa

Im not sure about this and have always wondered about it myself. The best conclusion I have come up with is that when the Manifestations of God are receiving revelation, powerful forces are released into the world. Perhaps mankind might not be ready to receive these Writings or know what it was that was revealed, but I am sure that these energies affect all living things for centuries to come as a result of them just being revealed. Its all very mystical!

Lonemedic

Never thought of that!! Thanks.

arthra

That's an excellent question and I think it would help to actually cite the incidents you're referring to so we'll have abetter chance at beginning to grasp what occurred..if that's possible.

One such case is found in the Gospel of John 16:12:

"I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)

So that would seem fairly clear... Jesus is saying "you cannot bear them now" That also could be a reference for His return as His reappeance in a succeeding Manifestation.

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"There was a time, during His sojourn in Baghdad, when Bahá'u'lláh would order Mirza Aqa Jan to let the Tigris carry away the outpourings of His Pen. In a Tablet, revealed long after in 'Akká Bahá'u'lláh mentions this fact. Nabil recalls that some of those writings were saved, because of the pleading of Mirza Aqa Jan, and these included the Tablet of the Munajat-i-Huriyyih (the Prayer of the Maid of Heaven)."

~ H.M. Balyuzi, Baha'u'llah - The King of Glory, p. 167

Here it is referred to by Shoghi Effendi:

No less an authority than Mirza Aqa Jan, Bahá'u'lláh's amanuensis, affirms, as reported by Nabil, that by the express order of Bahá'u'lláh, hundreds of thousands of verses, mostly written by His own hand, were obliterated and cast into the river. "Finding me reluctant to execute His orders," Mirza Aqa Jan has related to Nabil, "Bahá'u'lláh would reassure me saying:

'None is to be found at this time worthy to hear these melodies.' ...Not once, or twice, but innumerable times, was I commanded to repeat this act."

A certain Muhammad Karim, a native of Shiraz, who had been a witness to the rapidity and the manner in which the Báb had penned the verses with which He was inspired, has left the following testimony to posterity, after attaining, during those days, the presence of Bahá'u'lláh, and beholding with his own eyes what he himself had considered to be the only proof of the mission of the Promised One: "I bear witness that the verses revealed by Bahá'u'lláh were superior, in the rapidity with which they were penned, in the ease with which they flowed, in their lucidity, their profundity and sweetness to those which I, myself saw pour from the pen of the Báb when in His presence. Had Bahá'u'lláh no other claim to greatness, this were sufficient, in the eyes of the world and its people, that He produced such verses as have streamed this day from His pen."

~ Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 137

It might be instructive to share what the beloved Guardian wrote about the time before the retirement of Baha'u'llah to the mountains of Kurdistan:

Mirza Aqa Jan himself has testified: "That Blessed Beauty evinced such sadness that the limbs of my body trembled." He has, likewise, related, as reported by Nabil in his narrative, that, shortly before Bahá'u'lláh's retirement, he had on one occasion seen Him, between dawn and sunrise, suddenly come out from His house, His night-cap still on His head, showing such signs of perturbation that he was powerless to gaze into His face, and while walking, angrily remark:

"These creatures are the same creatures who for three thousand years have worshipped idols, and bowed down before the Golden Calf. Now, too, they are fit for nothing better. What relation can there be between this people and Him Who is the Countenance of Glory? What ties can bind them to the One Who is the supreme embodiment of all that is lovable?"

"I stood," declared Mirza Aqa Jan, "rooted to the spot, lifeless, dried up as a dead tree, ready to fall under the impact of the stunning power of His words. Finally, He said:

'Bid them recite: "Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say: Praised be God! He is God! All are His servants, and all abide by His bidding!" Tell them to repeat it five hundred times, nay, a thousand times, by day and by night, sleeping and waking, that haply the Countenance of Glory may be unveiled to their eyes, and tiers of light descend upon them.' He Himself, I was subsequently informed, recited this same verse, His face betraying the utmost sadness. ...Several times during those days, He was heard to remark:

'We have, for a while, tarried amongst this people, and failed to discern the slightest response on their part.' Oftentimes He alluded to His disappearance from our midst, yet none of us understood His meaning."

~ Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 117

So these remarks I think are self explanatory it might be compared to Matthew 26:36-40 when Jesus asked His disciples to tary with Him in the Garden before His apprehension by the Temple guard:

36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?”

John Walbridge refers to a "lost manuscript":

The original source of Bahá'í law was the Bayán; the early writings of Bahá'u'lláh contain many exhortations to obey the Bayán. Until the declaration of His mission in 1863 Bahá'u'lláh did not claim the authority to change the laws of the Báb. The earliest legal instructions of' Bahá'u'lláh were contained in a Persian work written in Edirne (1863-8). This was not released to the Bahá'ís for fear that it would cause difficulties with Muslims. It is probably now lost.

Kitáb-i-Aqdas: Excerpts from John Walbridge, "Sacred Acts..."

Lonemedic

According to the Quran, Moses came down the mountain with the Ten Commandments. He then saw the people worshipping the golden cow, and realized mankind was not ready, so He destroyed them, and brought new ones to humanity.

LordOfGoblins

Really?
Once again proof of progressive revelation.

Iconodule

I forgot were God said "And I shall reveal new laws every thousand or so years that contradict each other."

LordOfGoblins

What is the point in making new laws if they are identical to the old ones?

Iconodule

Really? Well if you say so...

arthra

Hey there "Lonemedic" from Orange County..We may be close neighbors and I have a son who is a paramedic as well..

I was curious about your description of the verses in Qur'an you refer to.. Could you cite them for me?

What I found was the following in Surih 7 Al Araf:

148. The people of Moses made in his absence, out of their ornaments, the image of a calf, (for worship): it seemed to low: did they not see that it could neither speak to them nor show them the way? They took it for worship and they did wrong.

149. When they repented, and saw that they had erred, they said: "If our Lord have not mercy upon us and forgive us, we shall indeed be of those who perish."

150. When Moses came back to his people, angry and grieved, he said: "Evil it is that ye have done in my place in my absence: did ye make haste to bring on the judgment of your Lord?" He put down the tablets, seized his brother by (the hair of) his head, and dragged him to him. Aaron said: "Son of my mother! the people did indeed reckon me as naught, and went near to slaying me! make not the enemies rejoice over my misfortune, nor count thou me amongst the people of sin."

151. Moses prayed: "O my Lord! forgive me and my brother! admit us to Thy mercy! for Thou art the Most Merciful of those who sow mercy!"

152. Those who took the calf (for worship) will indeed be overwhelmed with wrath from their Lord, and with shame in this life: thus do We recompense those who invent (falsehoods).

153. But those who do wrong but repent thereafter and (truly) believe, verily Thy Lord is thereafter Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

154. When the anger of Moses was appeased, he took up the tablets: in the writing thereon was guidance and mercy for such as fear their Lord.

(Translation by A. Yusuf Ali)

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If this was the Aya you had in mind? If so where does it say He destroyed the Ten Commandments and "...brought new ones"?

InvestigateTruth

This reminds me a few other cases, which I see similarities.
One is that God can make a promiss and even set the hour, but later do not fulfill that, as in the case of Noah, which is found in Iqan:

"He several times promised victory to His companions and fixed the hour thereof. But when the hour struck, the divine promise was not fulfilled. This caused a few among the small number of His followers to turn away from Him, and to this testify the records of the best-known books.....Moreover, what could have caused the nonfulfilment of the divine promise which led the seekers to reject that which they had accepted? Meditate profoundly, that the secret of things unseen may be revealed unto you..."


Another one is in the case of Muhammad. The infidles at His time, once told Him, that they believe He is a true Prophet, and they want to learn from Him, and requested that He sends 10 of Muhammad's companions who were knowledgable to teach them Quran. Muhammd agreed and sent 10 men to those. Once they arrived, they killed them all.
Then people said, If Muhammad is a true prophet, how come His God didn't tell Him, of the infidles plan and save them?


Another case, was when brother of Baha'u'llah poisoned Baha'u'llah.

Well, maybe the Prophets, which have vision of future, do not use that to cheat. After all, their purpose is only to guide humanity. The Bab also had prophesized His own Martyrdom.

cire perdue

In Al Anon we are taught no matter what we know, it is the alcoholic's job to figure these things out for him/herself. In fact telling them the "truth" could set them back and just stir up things. I think this applies to us as recepients of God's knowledge for us. Of all people, Baha'is have to be aware that the world is in denial. You tell someone in denial the "truth" and they will not hear it and probably sabotage something because you have told them. That is why we should temper what we say and how we handle many situations, because people do not want their denial disturbed.