On grading religions: A Baha’i perspective on developing interreligious dialogue

Abstract

though Baha'i texts explicitly affirm the validity of the major world religions, the idea of grading religious movements and theological developments is not alien to them. For example, aspects of Shiite and Sufi thought, some of Luther's reforms of the Catholic church, and certain secular changes in the late nineteenth century Middle East are endorsed. In this paper, the question we propose to answer is what central religious ideas and themes are graded in Baha'i texts. We will present two key concepts - progressive revelation and a balanced hermeneutic - that cut across the major world religions that could potentially contribute to improving interreligious dialogue, and consider how these concepts have emerged in these religions.