Originally, I had a link to a discussion forum carrying this posting. It has disappeared and I do not know how to contact the author. But I thought it was an interesting posting. I obviously do NOT agree with the Baha'is but it is good to know how they argue. That is the reason I display this a explanation, which Christians will reject as a twisted understanding of the Biblical revelation.

A Correction Please: Your previous post was interesting, but contained one factual error that should be corrected.

I cannot speak for the other religions you mentioned, but respectfully request that you do not list Baha'is among those that deny the Divinity of Jesus Christ. I would simply like to cite the following quote from Shoghi Effendi, who was the head of the Baha'i Faith from 1921 until his passing in 1957:

"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 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 Apostles, is upheld and defended."

Also, Baha'u'llah described the station of Jesus as a "station which hath been exalted above the imaginings of all that dwell on earth." I take this to mean that we cannot imagine how great His station was.

Baha'is will defend the station of Jesus as vehemently to non- Christians as they will defend the station of Muhammed to non- Muslims.

The discussion of the true nature of Christ has been going on for centuries. It divided the early church into contentious factions, and later became a major source of the misunderstand- ings between Islam and Christianity.

All of this occurred, in short, because people failed to consider that there were other alternatives to the question of whether Christ was essentially a man or essentially a co-equal with God, the Father. Clear arguments can be made that show that both of these positions are untenable, and few people (in the religious community at least) would accept either position unequivocally. Islam made it clear that monotheism was very important and that neither Christ, nor any of the other Messengers, could be considered as co-equals with God, the Father, as this would be a departure from monotheism. Christians seem to have taken the Islamic teaching to mean that Islam regards Christ as nothing more than a normal man with a set of moral teachings. This is not the case.

This dilemma is resolved in the Baha'i teachings, which recognize a level of existence that is between man and God, the Father. It is sometimes referred to as the level of the "Manifestation of God". We cannot comprehend the greatness of this level of existence, any more than an animal can comprehend what it is like to be human or a plant comprehend the life of an animal. It is unquestionably a divine and eternal station. From this station, the light and image of God, the Father are perfectly reflected into our human world, and His will is made known.

Many of the confusing statements in the Bible about the nature of Christ are easily understood if we keep this analogy of a mirror in mind. "I am in the Father" i.e. Christ is a mirror that is able to stand in the direct light of God, the Father; "and the Father is in Me," i.e. whenever we look at the mirror, we see a clear image of God, the Father. The Manifestations are indeed the "light of the world," a light that shines into the darkness, which the darkness cannot overcome. "The Father and I are one" refers to the fact that the spiritual light that shines from God is the same as what is reflected in Christ.

It is a challenging topic, and I pray that the readers will be able to stretch themselves enough to understand a new concept. To do so is to take an historic step over barriers that have been the source of vast amounts of misunderstanding, hatred and even war over many centuries.