AENON E. MOSS LETTER

23 February 2010

Dear Friends,

For the past 40 or so years the "12 Principles" has been offered by the Friends in answer to "What do Baha'is believe?" Actually, the "Principles" were initially not designed to be "the reply" to "What Baha'is believe?". They were created initially as the "12 Foundations of World Unity"; principles that Baha'i teachers could use when speaking before World Peace and Race Unity meetings. They were very effective before audiences who did not wish to hear about religion, but were interested in hearing about progressive social principles.

Today, the "Principles" are unfortunately put forth as "What Baha'is believe". But they are not comprehensive enough. They repel, instead of attract, most spiritually-minded Seekers. I submit to you the 19 Beliefs:

I. There is one God named Alláh Who is Unknowable in His Essence, Who begets not nor is begotten, and Who has no son or consort.

II. Alláh has 99 Names and Attributes mentioned in the Holy Qur'an (the Holy Book of Islaam); One of Which is Al-Quyyoom ("The Self-Existing One"), otherwise known as "Jehovah", Who is the Father, the Begetter of the Spirit (Jesus)

III. The Essence of God (Alláh) does not incarnate, but the Names and Attributes of Alláh sometimes incarnate upon this planet as Perfect Men Who are called Manifestations of God: it is through these Perfect Men that God may be known.

IV. The Manifestations of God on this planet have included Adam, Noah, Enoch, Abraham, Moses, Christ, Muhammad, The Báb, and Bahá'u'lláh; as well as Krishna, Buddha and Others.

V. Jesus was "the very Savior of Man" (PUP, p.62), the "Lord of the Visible and Invisible" (GWB 57,#23), the "Lord of all being" (GWB 55,#23), the WORD of God (SWA 20:1), the "Son of God" (SAQ 63, WOB 105) Who was born of a literal virgin and the Holy Ghost (LG #1637), whose death on the Cross infused a fresh capacity into all Creation, Who healed the sick, caused the blind to see, the lame to walk, and sanctified the soul of the sinner (GWB 85-86).

VI. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Unto Him) was a Manifestation of God, the Comforter that Christ promised the Father would send, the one called "Faithful and True" mentioned in the Book of Revelation, and the Seal of the Prophets.

VII. His Holinesss The Báb (The Gate of God) was a Manifestion of God, the Return of the Imam Mehdi of Shi'ite Islam, and the Forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh.

VIII. Bahá'u'lláh (The Glory of God) was the Supreme Manifestation of God, the incarnation of the Father on Earth, the Begetter of the Spirit (Jesus), the Author of the Most Holy Book, the Lord of the Vineyard, the Messiah ben David, the Kalki Avatar, the Maitreya Buddha, the Shah Bahram, the Son of Man, and the Spirit of Truth.

IX. There will be future Manifestations of God Who shall appear on this planet, but only after 1000 literal years from 1863.

X. The Mission of Bahá'u'lláh was to unite Mankind into the Kingdom of God the Father on Earth; otherwise known as the Millennial Kingdom, the City of New Jerusalem, the Reign of Christ on Earth, or the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh.

XI. The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh will protect and promote the equality of men and women, promote the independent investigation of truth, make religion the cause of unity among mankind, promote a Universal Auxilary language, mandate the elimination of prejudices of all kinds (racial, class, caste, ethnic), eliminate the extremes of poverty and wealth via spiritual solutions to economic problems, mandate universal education for males and females, provide for a Universal Tribunal to settle disputes between nations, and to protect the basic human rights of all people everywhere.

XII. There is no reincarnation of human souls on this material planet, but mortal existences on other material planets is possible.

XIII. Heaven and Hell are not geographic locations but inward conditions of the soul in this life which manifests heavenly or hellish outward conditions for the soul in the Afterlife.

XIV. There is no eternal unending Hell; all souls will have the opportunity for spiritual advancement in the Afterlife.

XV. For every deed done in this life, whether good or evil, there is a recompence (reward or punishment) in the Afterlife.

XVI. There is no resurrection of the physical body, dust returns to dust; at death the soul is freed from the physical body like a bird freed from a cage.

XVII. The more we suffer in this world, the less we will have to suffer in the next world.

XVIII. 'Abdu'l-Bahá was not a Manifestation of God, but the Word and Mystery of God, the Master, the Exemplar of the Faith; the example of what every Bahá'í should be.

XIX. To be a Bahá'í simply means to love all the world; to love humanity and try to serve it; to work for universal peace and universal brotherhood.

The "12 Principles" is a HUGE turn-off to Christians, Mormons, Traditional Catholics, New Agers, and just about all people except for social-activist personality types (about 2% of the population). The 19 Beliefs is much more comprehensive and thus will attract a much more diverse group of Seekers.

The 19 Beliefs will attract spiritual Seekers, rather than repelling them as do the "12 Principles"; which say nothing about Jesus, the Afterlife, and next to nothing about God.

These 19 Beliefs are part of a much larger set of tenets called The 95 Tenets which include:

*The 19 Beliefs
*The 19 Duties
*The 19 Prohibitions
*The 19 Admonitions
*The 19 Directives

The number 95 is sacred, because it is 19 times 5.

I have also written a series of 19 Suggestions for THE QUICKENING of the Baha'i Faith in North America. It is online. Suggestion #1 is an independent film titled "Servant of Glory"; about the life and teachings of 'Abdu'l-Baha. The film will convert a number of Hollywood celebrities (who will see the film at indie film festivals), and the film will also be shown in select cities, and eventually on HBO, the History channel, and be dubbed into other languages and given to TV stations across the world. It will do more for Entry-by-Troops than any other "campaign". You can read more about "Servant of Glory" and the other 18 Suggestions online in:

http://mustagath.angelfire.com

The name "Aenon E. Moss" is a pseudonym, so it cannot be said "He seeketh a following!" That is the LAST thing I am seeking, I can assure you.

Please consider using "The 19 Beliefs" to replace "The Principles" whenever the question "What do Baha'is believe?" is asked. It will prove to be extremely helpful in attracting, instead of repelling, spiritually-minded Seekers.

Please read The Quickening online. I think you'll find suggestions to help the Faith grow and prosper in North America. Thank you.

Aenon E. Moss