Baha’i Justice

In this third Fireside, the four-part, Golden Criteria learned in the second Fireside are applied to the prophecies of Christ’s return, Baha’u’llah, and includes at it’s starting point those prophecies for the return of His Forerunner The Bab.

This is a reaffirmation of the scientific method as it applies to religious scripture in the investigation of prophetic fulfillment. It demonstrates the repeatability of The Divine Standard method by empirically eliminating the infinite field of possibilities, the vast but finite array of all probabilities and reaching the single outcome to the event or The Advent. This process is elemental in the study of such an advanced science as High Energy Theoretical Particle Physics but has its origin in the study of prophetic scripture.

In the process of applying The Divine Standard to the set of prophecies concerning The Return of Christ and His Forerunner, the seeker becomes familiar with words and phrases of the languages which are and were native to the inhabitants of the lands referred to in Bible. This continues and broadens the seekers introduction to the field of Linguistics and the study of religious symbolism while leading them to the wellspring of knowledge and the solution to all of the ills of the human world whether physical/material, mental or spiritual.

This Fireside demonstrates how with the very logical process of deductive reasoning, we can clearly see how Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the prophetic criteria given prior to His advent which prove Him to be the first of two Biblical Messiahs prophesied in the text of the Old Testament.

This logical, scientific system gives four criteria which when combined, point irrefutably to only one possible individual as the solution to the equation. These criteria are the prophesied Name, Date, Address and Mission. Together these four steps are called the “Golden Criteria” and can be applied as The Divine Standard to determine if anyone at any point in all of recorded history to the present is an authentic Promised One sent by God.

This portion of the second Fireside teaches the foundation of critical thinking which is the basis of the entire study of Philosophy and logical thought. Beginning with this Fireside and in certain others to follow, the skills of basic mathematics are employed as part of the application of these Golden Criteria. Through this lens applied to all fields of investigation, the truth of all things may ultimately be discovered.

In the rest of this Fireside the history of the Christian Religion is unfolded and the corruption of its fundamental expression and promulgation is laid bare for the understanding of all who seek the truth no matter how distasteful it may be. This part of the second Fireside is an education in world history through religious example which uses the disciplines of Historical Documentation, Archeology, Anthropology, the study of Languages, Literature and Symbolism as well as the methods and process of investigative research. The result brings the seeker conclusively to the understanding of how this world came to be in the condition we find it in at the present moment.

In the first Fireside entitled “Why Life”, the most basic questions of existence are both asked and answered. In the collection of his table talks entitled Some Answered Questions, Abdu’l-Baha builds a foundation for an understanding of the creation and purpose of the existence of all the levels or kingdoms within the natural world. These explanations actually form the basis for the study of the planet earth and all life upon it.

The first is the mineral kingdom which forms the most elemental atomic/energetic level, the study of which encompasses Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Mineralogy and Geography and crosses over into areas of learning such as Archeology and Paleontology among others.

The second is the plant or vegetable kingdom. From the understanding given by Abdu’l-Baha, the student can find their way into Botony and a wealth of other’s such as Horticulture, Herbology and the study of Herbal Medicine for example.

Third in the hierarchy of earthly realms as explained by Abdu’l-Baha is the animal kingdom. Learning about the animal kingdom and its dependency upon the plant and mineral kingdoms respectively is the beginning of knowledge in the schools of Zoology, General Biology, Ecology and Animal Husbandry or true stewardship of our God-given earthly resources, an art and science which mankind is, especially today, badly in need of deepening understanding.

The fourth kingdom is that of the human. The explanation of this kingdom given by Abdu’l-Baha opens the door to the study of all Social Sciences, the Arts and Psychology, Anthropology, Archeology and History to name only the most basic. Further advancement from this is made into the deeper study of Philosophy and Religious Thought.

With this as the foundation for understanding the structure of creation, answers to questions and proofs of the reality of God are given and expounded upon. Proofs for the Divine Plan and those who revealed it to humanity are provided which open the door to the study of religious, cultural and literary History as well.

The first Fireside, “Why Life”, encompasses much more than these schools of study and is yet only the beginning of a true Baha’i education. The complete Fireside series is always given free of any price by any Baha’i acting under the Provisions of the Covenant of Baha’u’llah as given on page ten of the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha.

As I stated in the posts on Television and Education in the Kingdom, The Firesides as taught by The Establisher of the Baha’i Faith will become the foundation of the public educational curriculum throughout the Baha’i world. It must also be noted that these Firesides were also taught in their earliest form by Abdu’l-Baha and are in fact contained within the sacred text of the writings of Baha’u’llah. They are absolutely authoritative.

Additionally, as mentioned earlier these firesides have enfolded within them, paths which lead into all educational schools of study as offered in all of the Universities the world over from ancient times to the present. The following series of posts will offer an introduction to each fireside in general and an explanation of how they expand into all areas of study.