Yaakov ben Avraham

St. Francis, Bahu'Allah, Kahil Gibran, & others of the sort.
« on: December 29, 2013, 04:05:07 AM »
Following up on the thread re: Gibran as a poet, I am led to think of men like St. Francis, Bahu Allah, Gibran himself, & others like them. Although Francis & Gibran were both Catholic, they were in many ways in broad sympathy w/ the Bahu Allah, who founded the Bahai Faith in Persia (outlawed there now, it makes its HQ in Israel today). The Bahais came out of Islam, & seek to unify the world's great religions. Gibran's family, for example (his maternal grandfather was a Maronite Catholic priest) was always welcoming Jews, Muslims (Sunnis, Shi'ites, Sufis), Christians, Bahais, & others. This greatly influenced Gibran as an adult. Lebanon, as most people know, has seen the best & the worst of multi-religious occupancy in one place. Although my patience for modern Islam is limited, Islam wasn't always what it is today, & may not always be what it is. It contains w/i it the potential for change, as all things do. What do people here think of the deeper philosophy? By that, I mean work like Gibran's 'The Prophet',

Yaakov ben Avraham

Re: St. Francis, Bahu'Allah, Kahil Gibran, & others of the sort.
« Reply #1 on: December 29, 2013, 04:20:08 AM »
that could have been written by a Jew, a Christian, a Muslim, a Bahai, or even possibly a Sikh (an interesting attempt to weld Muslim monotheism & Hindu Dharmic belief into one faith). I mean the philosophy that goes past questioning what denominational credentials a man like Gibran's Almustafa has & questions instead what he says. Certain parts of the world seem almost suited to produce a Gibran or a Bahu Allah. Persia, Lebanon, Israel, India. Lands of many great religions & philosophies. & lands in many cases (the 1st 3) where you can go into the blasted desert, & be purified of all the creature comforts. It is no wonder the Essenes, & the Christian monks after them, chose those lands. Rather than letting this thread degenerate into a war over the existence of God or some silliness, lets keep it on the high ground of people trying to reach out to people across confessional boundaries. Comments?