First teach them...

It is said, one of the ways the earlier believers would teach the Faith, is to first teach that person what their religion truly was. If they're Christian, teach them first about Christ. If they're Muslim, teach them first about Muhammad.

How's this for starting with Christ? I shared it with my Christian friend earlier today, and we had an epic talk about the Baha'i Faith stemming from that. And I want to share this quotation with all of my Christian (and non-Christian friends too), not with the primary purpose of teaching them about the Baha'i Faith, but to share this overwhelming love I feel for Christ, in this beautiful passage - especially the latter half from Baha'u'llah.

Oh, to weep with a great weeping.

"As to the position of Christianity, let it be stated without any hesitation or equivocation that its divine origin is unconditionally acknowledged, that the Sonship and Divinity of Jesus Christ are fearlessly asserted, that the divine inspiration of the Gospel is fully recognized, that the reality of the mystery of the Immaculacy of the Virgin Mary is confessed, and the primacy of Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, is upheld and defended. The Founder of the Christian Faith is designated by Baha'u'llah as the "Spirit of God," is proclaimed as the One Who "appeared out of the breath of the Holy Ghost," and is even extolled as the "Essence of the Spirit." His mother is described as "that veiled and immortal, that most beauteous, countenance," and the station of her Son eulogized as a "station which hath been exalted above the imaginings of all that dwell on earth," whilst Peter is recognized as one whom God has caused "the mysteries of wisdom and of utterance to flow out of his mouth." "Know thou," Baha'u'llah has moreover testified, "that when the Son of Man yielded up His breath to God, the whole creation wept with a great weeping. By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things. Its evidences, as witnessed in all the peoples of the earth, are now manifest before thee. The deepest wisdom which the sages have uttered, the profoundest learning which any mind hath unfolded, the arts which the ablest hands have produced, the influence exerted by the most potent of rulers, are but manifestations of the quickening power released by His transcendent, His all-pervasive and resplendent Spirit. We testify that when He came into the world, He shed the splendor of His glory upon all created things. Through Him the leper recovered from the leprosy of perversity and ignorance. Through Him the unchaste and wayward were healed. Through His power, born of Almighty God, the eyes of the blind were opened and the soul of the sinner sanctified.... He it is Who purified the world. Blessed is the man who, with a face beaming with light, hath turned towards Him." -- Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p. 109

To be religious

The purpose of being religious is to be a seeker of truth.

Then, people find truth in religion, in science etc. And they all have truth.

However, it isn't dichotemous, there isn't this truth, that truth. There isn't that religion, this religion. It's all one. There are man made boundaries that prevent us from exploring and embracing the truth in other traditions. Veils.

If we should have a truth, we should proclaim that truth, and offer it to others, as you would priceless jewels to a king. For, what is more valuable than truth?

Finding truth, embracing a religion. It's not a black and white process. It's a journey - a search for truth (we're all seekers). When we stop this search, thats when truths multiply and veils form. And if we find a truth greater than the one we possessed before, what else is there to do other than embracing this greater truth?

That is sacrifice - giving up something smaller for something greater - because we may not recognize its true worth at first.

And why to accept a religion? But to recognize truth in its origin, and truth with regards to its purpose.

The purpose of religion --
"God's purpose in sending His Prophets unto men is twofold. The first is to liberate the children of men from the darkness of ignorance, and guide them to the light of true understanding. The second is to ensure the peace and tranquillity of mankind, and provide all the means by which they can be established." (Baha'u'llah)

So, it is to enkindle the spiritual nature/qualities of our souls and enable the establishment of peace in our civilization.

There's a book - the Seven Valleys (by Baha'u'llah), which explores the spiritual jpurney of the human soul. The first stage of the journey is through the first valley - the valley of search. Here are some of my favourite quotations from this valley:

"The steed of this Valley is patience; without patience the wayfarer on this journey will reach nowhere and attain no goal. Nor should he ever be downhearted; if he strive for a hundred thousand years and yet fail to behold the beauty of the Friend, he should not falter...No bond shall hold them back, and no counsel shall deter them.

"It is incumbent on these servants that they cleanse the heart—which is the wellspring of divine treasures—from every marking, and that they turn away from imitation, which is following the traces of their forefathers and sires, and shut the door of friendliness and enmity upon all the people of the earth.

"The true seeker hunteth naught but the object of his quest, and the lover hath no desire save union with his beloved. Nor shall the seeker reach his goal unless he sacrifice all things. That is, whatever he hath seen, and heard, and understood, all must he set at naught, that he may enter the realm of the spirit, which is the City of God. Labor is needed, if we are to seek Him; ardor is needed, if we are to drink of the honey of reunion with Him; and if we taste of this cup, we shall cast away the world."