Reconciling Genesis with the modern world
An exploration of Biblical creationism and the Baha’i Faith
The claims of the Baha’i Faith are truly epic: the latest revelation from God, the successor Faith of Islam and Christianity, the culmination of a six-thousand year cycle of Prophets, and the one and only religion to unite the entire earth and transition humanity into spiritual adulthood.
As traditional religion devolves into irrational superstitions, how is the unity of religion even possible? How could a modern understanding of science be reconciled with the opening line of the Bible?
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
A key to understanding the books of Moses is what Baha’is call progresive revelation: religious truth is relative to the time of revelation. The people of the time of Moses were obsessed with spiritism and idol worship, with the spiritual and intellectual capacity of today’s children.
The teachings of Moses focus on a few very simple lessons like obedience, helping orphans and widows, and avoiding idol worship. The teachings of Moses were exactly what the people of Israel needed at that time to advance as individuals and as a society. ‘Abdu’l-Baha, one of three central figures of the Baha’i Faith, said,
“Moses established laws and ordinances that conferred new life upon the people of Israel and led them to attain the highest degree of civilization at that time.” (Some Answered Questions, no. 5)
In the world that Moses occupied, any comprehensive teachings had to explain how the world was made. Without an explanation of this most basic concept, the social teachings would not have advanced.
The stories of Genesis — and other creation myths — are spiritual allegories, in a way that outwardly satisfied people’s curiosity of history, while inwardly describing spiritual truths that uplifted society. The common understanding at the time was of the world as an island continent on a flat disc with infinite water, surrounded by a dome with stars embedded in its surface. A modern understanding of how the world developed was not only impossible but unnecessary at the time. The account of Genesis had the advantage of conveying the essential spiritual truths about humanity’s development with broad symbolism, and avoided the detail that was beyond their capacity to understand. ‘Abdu’l-Baha said,
“Moses taught that the world was brought into existence in the six days of creation. This is an allegory, a symbolic form of the ancient truth that the world evolved gradually… We thus have a progressive process of creation, and not a one-time happening. Moses’ days of creation represent time spans of millions of years.” (quoted in Science and Religion, p. 90)
As the lessons were learned and capacity grew over many centuries, they then needed a new and more advanced teacher. Centuries after Jesus, the same renewal and advancement was needed again.
The Baha’i Faith came about in the 19th century, just as the world’s religions went into a steep decline, and a huge advance in science was dawning. In this new context, Baha’u’llah reconciled the conflicts between observed reality and the traditional interpretations of Genesis.
Baha’u’llah taught that the physical universe is without beginning or end, and confirms the scientists who claim that the earth developed over billions of years, and even that there was a time before the earth existed.
On the nature of creation and existence, ‘Abdu’l-Baha said,
“If we were to imagine a time when created things did not exist, it would be tantamount to denying the divinity of God.
Apart from this, absolute non-existence lacks the capacity to attain existence. If the universe were pure nothingness, existence could not have been realized.” (Some Answered Questions, no. 47)
Accordingly, the story of Adam and Eve contains “divine mysteries and universal meanings, and it is capable of marvelous explanations,” but is simply a symbol, and cannot be reasonably imagined as a historical account.
Yet similar to Moses, Baha’u’llah also brought a huge advance in teachings for the individual and society; teachings that will bring about the highest degree of civilization possible over the next several centuries.
The Baha’i scriptures deny the literal interpretation of Genesis, but confirm the intent and context in which it was revealed. Similar to Moses, Baha’u’llah’s teachings focus on the spiritual development of society and the control of one’s lower nature. The people of 3000 years from now will surely need to explain why our understanding of those teachings came to differ from some newly revealed reality.
