In some ways, this is a reply to a comment on what seems to be my most ‘popular,’ or at least most discussed post. In replying to my analysis of Baha’i, a commenter calling herself “Susan” asks why it is that we look to the past, and not to the future in matters of religion.
This reason for this is very simple, and we need only begin by consider the meaning of the word ‘religion’. It was St. Augustine who stated that religion derives from the root ligare, with the prefix re-. The meaning of religion is to thus “connect again”. In Chinese, there exists a similar meaning for the word 宗教. The first character, zong (宗), has the connotation of “ancestor”, while 教 means “teaching”. Thus the purpose of religion as the ancestral teaching aims to reconnect mankind. Exoteric religion reconnects mankind through a common bond of ethical precepts, while esoteric religion attempts to reconnect mankind with the unchanging divine, just as the spokes of a wheel connect the outer hub to the center. It can clearly be seen that it is in the past that religion is rooted, and is therefore not concerned with a world of flux and becoming, but with the world of being and stability. Evidence of this is found across multiple traditions. For example, the Christians say “They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail” (Hebrews 1:12). Even Buddhism views the entire world of Samsara as in a constant state of change, and thus, the entire Dharma of the Buddhists is to transcend such change.
I think we can look to the condition of the modern Protestant church in America to see what has happened in the name of modernizing religion. In my travels, I have seen churches which are more like movie theatres than places of worship, heard “praise songs” which only appealed to emotions and had little liturgical value, and listened to ”youth sermons” dedicated to appealing to the lowest common denominator. Likewise, I have seen Buddhism in the West become nothing more than a platform for social activism. If the other religions are to follow this current course, what shall become of them?
In the Qur’an, Allah says:
“I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion” (Sura al-Maidah 5: 3)
“Say, O people of the Book exceed not the bounds in your religion, trespassing beyond the truth. Nor follow the vain desires of people who went astray in times gone by, who mislead many and strayed from the even way. Curses were pronounced on those among the children of Israel who were disbelievers, by the tongue of David and of Jesus son of Mary, because they disobeyed and persisted in excesses.” (Al-Maidah 5:77-78)
When people change or revise religion, this is called bidah (بدعة). Who, then, decides what is right and what is wrong? In our world today, there are certainly some unscrupulous people who use devious methods to achieve their own political or economic ends. This has already been seen when people have created cults such as Scientology, Falun Gong, the People’s Temple, and countless others. Suppose one group wants to promote communism, and another capitalism. When they alter the religion in service of worldly ideologies, this is the cause of much misery and conflict. However, we should note that Bidah in matters of science are different from those in matters of faith. For example, there have been scientific advancements which are helpful to mankind, which are not considered haram. This is also why Islaam can be practiced by so many cultures from the time when Muhammad (SWT) until the present day without contradicting the faith. Religion does not to be revised in order to fit the present day, but rather the faithful shall exercise restraint and not fall into temptation and sin. It is for this reason, revisionism or bidah has been forbidden.
This tells of the danger of bidah. All the divinely-revealed religions have been perfected by the Creator himself, and then transmitted through the Holy Prophets for the benefit of all mankind. By creating new religions, we indeed trespass beyond the truth. I am not denying that Baha’i has some social objectives which many people find to be attractive. Yet, these are only social objectives: another commentator makes a point that noble thoughts and well-wishing do not constitute prophethood, and this is a correct notion. In religion, we need to think of how best we can keep the Tradition alive in this decadent modern age.
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