Pluralism is the view that there is no one truth. 2
Truth is different for every person.
Belief systems are constructed by cultural, serving the purposes of the society from which they emerge.
Reality is created by the people.
Tolerance is the highest virtue, and intolerance is the cardinal sin.
A belief system is simply like a “spiritual cuisine.”
Absolutism is the view that there is there is one truth.
There is an overarching explanation of reality based on central organizing truths.”
There is a big story that makes sense out of life, history and the universe.

v There is only one religion, the religion of God.
v All the great religions of the world are divine in origin.
v All Divine Religions (through their Nine Prophets) teach the same truth, which is not absolute, but relative.
v There is one God known by many names.
v Man is basically good and not a product of original sin.
v The doctrines of resurrection, judgment, Heaven and Hell should not be taken literally.
v Religion and science must agree, else one of them is wrong.
v Bahá’is stress world peace, unity of nations and language, education and sexual equality. 4

v The revelations of Bahá’u’lláh (over 100 books) supersede the sacred books of the major religions, yet these other religions’ books are revered as part of the progressively revealed truth of God.
v Bahá’u’lláh was greatly influenced by the Bible and quoted the New Testament extensively in his writings.

v The role of religion is to enable people to achieve a true understanding of their own nature and of God’s will and purpose for them.
v The cultivation of life’s spiritual side enables a person to develop those innate qualities that lie at the foundation of human happiness and social progress, including faith, courage, love, compassion, trustworthiness and humility. As these grow, society advances.
v Humans were created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization, a unity of humankind.
v Life is an eternal process of joyous spiritual discovery and growth. The soul develops through the individual’s relationship with God and is fostered through prayer, meditation, worship, knowledge of the scriptures revealed by the Prophets, love for God, moral self-discipline and service to humanity. This is what gives meaning to life.

v There is no hierarchy of demons, angels and archangels; these terms are symbolic of varying stages of human development.
v Whatever promotes our spiritual development is good, and whatever hinders it is bad.

v After physical death, one’s everlasting soul lives on, embarking on a spiritual journey toward God through many “worlds” or planes of existence.
v Progress on this journey is likened to “heaven.” Failure to develop keeps one distant from God, this distance being “hell.” 6

Ø 563 B.C. – Siddhartha Gautama born in India to a rich ruling father named Suddhodana and mother named Maya. He was born under the Kshatriya caste system. A seer gave a prophecy to his parents he would help mankind “find” salvation.
Ø 547 B.C. – At age 16, he married Yasodharma who bore Rahula, their son
Ø 534 B.C. – At 29, various sights of suffering –sickness, old age, death and poverty with bliss affect Siddharta. He renounces the throne to discover the reason for the suffering.
Ø 528 B.C. – After six years of searching through the teachings of Hinduism and then ascetism of the monks, he attained Nirvana after sitting under a Bohdi tree in the city of Bodh Gaya for an extended period of time (49 days???)
Ø 483 B.C. – Siddhartha dies at age 80 probably as a result of food poisoning. His last reported words were, “Be ye lamps unto yourselves. Betake yourselves to no external refuge. Hold fast as a refuge to truth. Look not for refuge to anyone besides yourselves. Behold now, brethren, I exhort you saying: Decay is inherent in all component things! Work out your
salvation with diligence.”

The death of Siddhartha resulted in no successive leader, as he would not appoint one. Over the next three centuries “Four Major Counsels” shaped the belief system and wrote the beliefs down at least 200-300 hundred years post his death. Out of this struggle, 18 substantially different sects originate with only one of the original 18 remaining today. Today, there are two
main branches of Buddhism: Theravada (the way of the elders) and Mahayana (the Great Vehicle). Although, these two branches share a common founder, the divide in beliefs is vast.

Four Noble Truths
1) Dukkha – Life is suffering.
2) Samudaya – All suffering is caused by ignorance of the nature of reality and the craving, attachment and grasping that result from such ignorance.
3) Nirodha – Suffering can be ended by overcoming ignorance and attachment.
4) Magga – the path leading to the cessation of dukkha – this occurs through the Noble Eightfold Path: right understanding, thought, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness 8 and concentration. These eight are usually divided into three categories that form the cornerstone of the Buddhist faith: morality, wisdom and samadhi (concentration).
Anatman – denial of a permanent soul looking at human existence in five bundles (shandhas): the material, body, feelings, perceptions, predispositions or karmic tendencies and consciousness.
Kharma – consists of a person’s acts and their ethical consequences. Human actions lead to rebirth wherein good deeds are rewarded and evil deeds punished. Thus, there is no unwarranted pleasure or suffering, but rather a universal justice.
Nirvana – the ultimate goal … release from the round of phenomenal existence with it’s inherent suffering; in other words, an enlightened state in which the fires of greed, hatred and ignorance have been quenched.

1. Human Suffering
2. Soul
3. “Emptiness”
4. Salvation
5. God

Inception ~3000-1500 BC; 4 main stages:
1. Tribes in Indus Valley practiced animism.
2. Tribes conquered by armies from central Asia who introduced polytheistic Vedic religion; 5- level caste system.
3. Rebellion against the caste system. Development of the Upanishads; philosophical writings, which focused on one single principle to tie all reality together (karma, dharma, transmigration/reincarnation, samsara, moksha, Brahman).
4. Revival of Vedantic Literature. Old theology and new theology mixed.
Ø Formation of the Trimutri: 3 major gods take prominence over lesser deities:
· Brahma (creator)
· Vishnu (preserver); has the most followers; Sri Krishna (incarna ted Vishnu) has become the main deity of Hinduism.
· Shiva (destroyer)
Ø Bhagavad-Gita: Portion of larger work called Mahabharata. Most revered book in Hinduism.

Hinduism encapsulated: Atman achieves Moksha by breaking free of Samsara, detaching from Maya, and uniting with Brahman.
Some unifying beliefs but no universally binding doctrines. One of most inclusive of all religions.

Brahman is Ultimate Reality; an impersonal force beyond distinction; undifferentiated, matterless, omnipresent, objective oneness; the Universal Soul; the All. Deities are physical manifestations of Brahman. All paths lead to Brahman.

Life and individuality are illusion (Maya). There is a ‘beyond within’ the individual (Atman) that seeks union with Brahman.
Life is a hierarchy; time is a cycle (samsara). Actions determine position in the hierarchy (karma). Good karma is gained by adhering to yogas (disciplines, “ways”), categorized mainly as knowledge, works, and devotion. One’s karma, good or bad, is inevitable, inescapable,
unforgivable.

The aim of life is enlightenment/deliverance from the illusionary/finite realm (moksha); Expansion of being and consciousness to the realization that atman is one with Brahman. Accomplished by passing ever higher through the hierarchy until one breaks through the wheel of life/death/reincarnation.

The obvious ones…
1. Monotheistic vs. pantheistic.
2. One way vs. many ways.
3. Depravity vs. ignorance.
4. Grace vs. effort.
5. Linear time vs. cyclical time.

The not so obvious ones…
1. Public revelation vs. private mystical experience.
2. Will vs. consciousness.

Due to its eclectic nature, Hinduism has potential for uniting much of the non-Christian religious world. It easily meshes with:
Ø Modern natural science: emphasizes spiritual evolution.
Ø Modern psychology: emphasizes mankind’s essential divinity, consistent with basic goodness and unlimited potential of human nature.
Ø Modern philosophy: emphasizes broad tolerance of seemingly contradictory beliefs, consistent with the relativity of all truth claims.
Ø Spiritual seekers: emphasizes the primacy of spiritual over material reality, appealing to those disillusioned with strictly material pursuits.

1. Pray. Praying is fundamental. You cannot convert another. They are drawn by the Spirit.
2. Love. Acts o f inconvenient love not only commanded by God but curious to the Hindu.
3. Invest. First relate, then differentiate. Build a friendship before exploring deep differences. Read, ask questions, share, hang out. Then discuss the evidence.

The Koran (Quran) means “recitations” of Mohammed’s visions. It consists of 114 chapters.
The Hadith is a collection of early Muslim traditions which record the words and deeds of Mohammed according to his wives, friends and Muslim leaders. 18
Islam accepts Genesis 1-16 as divine revelation, but focus on the line of Ishmael not Isaac.

1. Allah is the one true God.
Connection with the Moon God of pre-Muslim Arabia He is all-powerful but unknowable, unfeeling. He never comes personally to any human. He hates sinners.
2. Allah has many prophets, including Moses and Jesus, but Mohammed is the last and the greatest.
3. The Koran is the supreme religious book.
4. There are many intermediaries (spirit beings called jinns) between God and man. Some are good and some are evil.
5. Each man’s deeds will determine if he goes to hell or heaven.
Heaven is a place of sensual gratification for men.

Repetition of the Shahadah (“There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet.”) several times a day
Prayers facing Mecca, 5 times a day. (Salat)
Almsgiving (Zakat)
A month of fasting (Ramadan)–daylight only (Sawn)
A pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in lifetime (Hajj)
Death in a Jihad (holy war) is the any exception to the five pillars of Islam.

Plan of salvation
The God of the Bible reaches out to man.
Islam offers no hope of salvation, only guidelines for Allah’s favor. 20
Mohammed performed no miracles and made no future prophecies. Jesus did both.
Lifestyle
The last 10 years of Mohammed’s life were at war. Jesus was a man of peace.
Mohammed was a polygamist, exceeding the number (4) he prescribed for Muslims. Jesus taught against polygamy, adultery, and coveting another man’s wife.
He had at least 12 wives (some list as many as 16)
He had a personal harem of another six women.
Mohammed plundered caravans and Jewish settlements to build the treasury of Medina. Jesus’ life was so pure that even his enemies said, “I find no fault in him.”

1. Be a friend.
2. Pray for your Muslim friend
3. Invite them to your home.
4. Be sensitive to their cultural values.
5. Understand their basic beliefs.
6. Listen and seek to understand.
7. Welcome open and honest discussion of your different religions.