Denise and I observed the Baha'i Feast of Mashiyyat (Will) in our home this evening. One of the scripture readings for this Feast from the Baha'i Writings has a good answer to the contentious subject of creation and evolution. Notice I say "and" rather than "versus".
One of my cousins said in a recent conversation that creation happened 6,000 years ago. Rather than challenge him as wrong; rather than get into the history of dates found in the margins of some versions of the Bible, and the Irish monk who did the research; I let the comment pass. My cousin knows well that I believe in Christ, and I believe the Bible is the Word of God. My understanding differs seriously from his.
How can we believe in one Eternal God, and at the same time limit the process of creation to a beginning only 6,000 years ago?
Here's the quote. I underlined the key verses.
"A drop of the billowing ocean of His endless mercy hath adorned all creation with the ornament of existence, and a breath wafted from His peerless Paradise hath invested all beings with the robe of His sanctity and glory. A sprinkling from the unfathomed deep of His sovereign and all-pervasive Will hath, out of utter nothingness, called into being a creation which is infinite in its range and deathless in its duration. The wonders of His bounty can never cease, and the stream of His merciful grace can never be arrested. The process of His creation hath had no beginning, and can have no end."
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 61
I could go on and on with other related questions. Such as, how can I say I believe in the Bible and also believe that the Baha'i Scriptures are the divinely revealed Word of God?
For me, the revelation of the Word of God also is an ongoing, eternal process. And, it is the Creative Word, which brings a total re-creation into being with each fresh outpouring of revelation. 6,000 years ago the new creation began the Cycle of Adam. That cycle ended with the revelation of the Bab, beginning in 1844. The Eternal Spirit, the reality of the Bab Himself, has been present in every revelation of the Creative Word.
Dear Dave, this is a very good story and commentary. It seems that the emergent dialogue between "religion" and "science," like so many other dialogues (such as interfaith ones) function as brushes helping to clear away cobwebs and obstructions so that we all ... such as you and your cousin ... can more clearly see matters and have more open discourse. The idea that "the universe" is infinite in range and scope, in time and space, is one that seems to make just about everybody pause and think. Thanks for this posting. Kind regards, Ned Walker (Michigan)
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