From: fsameri@perch.lerc.nasa.gov (Ali Ameri)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.iranian
Subject: Re: Reply to  Bahaies  gang
Date: 6 Apr 92 14:39:31 GMT
Article-I.D.: eagle.1992Apr6.143931.1483
Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center [Cleveland]

In article <1992Apr3.180026.26986@hemlock.cray.com> anoosh@cray.com (Anoosh Mostaghimi) writes:
>
>In article <1992Apr3.145929.10561@eagle.lerc.nasa.gov>, fsameri@perch.lerc.nasa.gov (Ali Ameri) writes:
>> In article <1992Apr03.071552.23769@ecst.csuchico.edu> farhang@ecst.csuchico.edu (Farhang Zamani) writes:
>
>FZ = Farhang Zamani
>AA = Ali Ameri
>
>FZ> In 1844 in the city of Shiraz, BAb declared himself as the one
>FZ> whose coming was foretold in the Holy Books of the past.  He called
>FZ> himself BAb (the Gate) through whom people would know about the
>FZ> advent of another Messenger of God, far greater than Himself, Who
>FZ> would come to gather the diverse peoples and nations of the world
>FZ> together and establish the unity of mankind as promised in all the
>FZ> Holy Scriptures.  His own mission, He said was to prepare the way
>FZ> for the coming of this great Messenger.
>
>AA> Ahmad Kasravi has his own account of the events related to this subject
>AA> in his book "Bahaiigary". It is a book worth reading.
>
>Friends, as a Baha'i who believes to the principle of Independent Investigation
>of Truth, allow me to respectfully encourage those of you who wish to study
>the Baha'i Faith to examine the truth from more than a single dimmension.
>Along this path, an objective analyst (IMHO) should consider the Baha'i claim
>in light of the Holy scriptures of the past religions, independent non-Baha'i 
>sources, and the Baha'i scriptures.
>
>Unfortunately, human history is full of such parallels as we find ourselves
>in this discussion. Those of you familiar with the history of religions
>know fully well the opposion and hardships the Blessed Messengers of God
>and their followers encountered during the infancy of their dispensations.
>The Baha'i Faith as in Islam, Christianity and Judiasm was no expection to
>that fate.
>
>AA> Someone said that  many clergy joined the new religion. I respectfully
>AA> suggest that it is a point against Bahaiis and not for them.
>AA> which is worth looking at.
>
>Mr. Ameri, allow me to offer here some personal experiences. My great
>grandfather was the Imam-Jomeah of Shiraz. When he heard the claims of
>Seyyed Ali-Muhammad, the Bab, he decided to investigate what the young
>Seyyed from his town was forwarding, by fulfilling his role to eRshad the
>wayward. Through the course of several months he came to believe that Seyyed
>Ali-Muhammad was the Mehdi mouod (a) and became a Babi. My grandfather
>was his oldest son, and I vividly remember the evening that he shared
>this with a Mojtahed friend of our family who was visiting us. He said that,
>his father began to share his findings about the truth regarding Seyyed
>Ali-Muhammad's claims with other clergy in Shiraz, but they rejected
>his findings and offered him the option of either rejecting the claims of
>Seyyed Ali-Muhammad or "LOSE EVERYTHING". He decided not to give up what
>he had been yearning for and hence lost what his collegues considered as
>"everything".
>
>What happened to my great grandfather was not a unique fate to those clergies
>who became Babi and Baha'is. The new religion not only did not have the
>position of clergy to offer to these people, but also allowed those people
>to offerup their worldly possessions in the path of their Beloved.
>
>sincerely,
>
>Anoosh Mostaghimi
>
>
>"Nothing short of intense mental as well as physical agony has been able
> to precipitate those epoch-making changes that constitue the greatest
> landmarks in the history of human civilization".
>                                                     -Shoghi Effendi

 My dear Anoosh :

I suggested reading of the book by Kasravi not because he is skeptical about
Baha'i faith but because he is skeptical about Shia' as well. His ideas
therefore would not be as biased as a Bahai or a Shia. We probably differ on
 that.
 I am well aware
of atrocities committed against Bahai's in the past and present and find them
totally condemnable and abhorent. I personally believe that religions are
not the cause of wars and conflict and that peopla are. Especially people
in power, be it religious power or otherwise.  I respect your beliefs and
do not intend to denegrade your experiences.
                                           
                                            Respectfully,
                                            Ali Ameri
Newsgroups: soc.culture.iranian