Erin: Friends

It has been a while since we started Speakeasy, but I want to reflect on what I have learned so far, from Chuck, who is a Friend. I think what is fascinating is the different manifestations of spirtuality through the religious modalities that we have explored, and how much they have in common. One of the most striking things about this experience for me is the connections that I have made to different faiths, the opening of my eyes.

When Chuck used the word "the spirit," I think he was referring to Christ, but I still think that he had the same feeling about the spirit that I have as a Jew. It was like we were talking about the same thing, the presence of the spirit in each person, and the special presence of that spirit when we gather together. I felt so many ties to Chuck- when he talked about the "quaking," it reminded me of what I once heard a young Orthodox Jewish boy say- that G-d said "let the people of Israel be like flames," which is why the Orthodox are constantly moving, in a sort of back and forth, repetitive, meditative movement, representing a flickering flame. In Judaism, this flame represents the soul. The understanding that I had of this helped me to instantly recognize what Chuck was talking about, about the moving spirit inside of everyone.

The most important thing I learned from Chuck was about being "uncomfortable." I wholeheartedly appreciate the decision making process that the Quakers undergo, in which they do not make a decision unless everyone is uncomfortable, because if one is uncomfortable, there may be something wrong about the idea. This idea of uncomfortable has been a special development in my vocabulary, an excellent way to articulate myself which I did not have before. I think in our general, American culture, there is an attitude of ignoring and denying individual discomfort because it is perceived as a weakness. Understanding the importance of discomfort to the Friends has opened my eyes and made me more aware of my discomfort. I think that gut feelings can be very perceptive, and now, instead of ignoring discomfort, I find it necessary to address it. I also think it is pertinent to address others' expressions of being uncomfortable, which could key us in to things that we are missing.

I am hoping to go to a meeting of the Friends soon.

Sean: Reflecting on the Bahai Faith dinner

Well, that was interesting...

To preface all of the below bullet points, and without going into great detail (I'll leave that for other folk and other sections of this blog... like certain pages etc. More to come), we had Brad Pokorny and his wife and son come to Speakeasy last Thursday night. The dinner was delicious, and the conversation was riveting (that's becoming a common theme!).

To get yourself acquainted with the Bahai faith, check out their website.

The things that "stuck"...

This is probably easiest to be listed in bullet point, and I may go into it in further detail below. I'm only giving myself 15 minutes to write this post, so not sure how far I'll get.

1. Progressive Revelation
2. Afterlife
3. Purpose of living
4. Understanding of the divine
5. Not "really" a universalist religion/faith
6. Role of the Holy Spirit
7. Holy Trinity not a part of it
8. Role of martyrdom
9. Truth Seeking
10. No evil entity/power (aka Satan does not exist)

1) Progressive Revelation "Redefining Authority in the Historical perspective"

This is probably the concept that attacks me the most. I use the word "attacks" because it gets right at the heart of my investigation into my own Christian faith. I look at the Bible as Divine Revelation and inspiration. I see Christ, within that context, as being a historically true human being who was also Divine. (Wholly human and holy Divine). Christ himself was part of the Divine's revelation to human-kind. Christ was a fulfillment of prior prophecies. And he foretold future events, as well as other prophets throughout the past few millenia.

Thus, the claim that Bahá’u’lláh (pronounced "Ba-how-oo-luh") was the next step in the Divine's self-revelation to mankind is a much more interruptive one than the typical universalist claim that all religions are one (or that all religions attempt to seek the Divine).

Basically, and this is without checking primary sources, Baha'u'llah himself fulfills prophecies and is, in some sense, the Second coming of Christ. Each time the Divine speaks through its (his? her?) prophets, throughout history, it is to refine what has come before.

Simply put; if the claim of Baha'u'llah's Divinity is True, then what follows is a restructuring and reexamination of Christian Scripture, taking all of those interpretive issues and giving authority to Baha'u'llah's writings and teachings in order to understand them.

Does it make sense why this is so jarring to me? The issue of homosexuality