#babism

Granted, the idea that God is "unknowable" in the sense that no man can ever fully "know" him is hardly revolutionary-if God is omnipotent, omniscient, or any form of perfect then it's impossible by definition to fully "know" Him, in this life at least, because the human mind cannot possibly conceive of such things. But the way the teachings of the Bab seem to speak of Him, it's almost as though He's some benevolent eldritch entity who needs prophets in order to spread His message because He is so unknowable that normal people simply could not understand Him if He were to communicate directly to them. Now, maybe I'm misunderstanding parts of that, and since that's possible I won't predicate anything on it, but I just don't see how a being who is omnipotent and omniscient can ever have all these qualities of separation from mankind, because if God knows everything and can do everything then by necessity He is able to find a way to communicate to mankind even though we are incapable of fully perceiving His true nature.

An artistic rendition of Ṭáhirih by Ivan Lloyd

Ṭáhirih (Arabic: طاهره "The Pure One") or Qurratu'l-`Ayn (Arabic: قرة العين "Comfort of the Eyes") are both titles of Fátimih Baraghání (1817 - 1852), an influential poet and theologian of the Bábí faith in Iran. Also known as Fátimih Umm-i-Salmih.

روحش شاد, Bahá'u'lláh.  Born Mírzá Ḥusayn-`Alí Núrí in Persia in 1817, Bahá'u'lláh’s teachings focus on the unity of God and mankind, with the hopeful mission of spiritually unifying the entire planet through the eventual eradication of racism and nationalism.  Needless to say (alas, alas), he was imprisoned by the Ottomans and his followers have been persecuted and sometimes executed for their beliefs (particularly in Iran, but also in other predominately Muslim countries, where the Bahá'í faith is considered an apostasy from Islam).  Bahá'u'lláh died on this date in 1892 at the age of 74.

Stamp details: Left stamp: Issued on: April 21, 1992 From: Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago SC #548

The Bahá’í Faith began with the mission entrusted by God to two Divine Messengers—the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh. Today, the distinctive unity of the Faith They founded stems from explicit instructions given by Bahá’u’lláh that have assured the continuity of guidance following His passing. This line of succession, referred to as the Covenant, went from Bahá’u’lláh to His Son ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and then from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to His grandson, Shoghi Effendi, and the Universal House of Justice, ordained by Bahá’u’lláh. A Bahá’í accepts the divine authority of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh and of these appointed successors.

The Bab

The Báb is the Herald of the Bahá’í Faith. In the middle of the 19th century, He announced that He was the bearer of a message destined to transform humanity’s spiritual life. His mission was to prepare the way for the coming of a second Messenger from God, greater than Himself, who would usher in an age of peace and justice.

Baha’u’llah

Bahá’u’lláh—the “Glory of God”—is the Promised One foretold by the Báb and all of the Divine Messengers of the past. Bahá’u’lláh delivered a new Revelation from God to humanity. Thousands of verses, letters and books flowed from His pen. In His Writings, He outlined a framework for the development of a global civilization which takes into account both the spiritual and material dimensions of human life. For this, He endured 40 years of imprisonment, torture and exile.

Adbu’l-Baha

In His will, Bahá’u’lláh appointed His oldest son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, as the authorized interpreter of His teachings and Head of the Faith. Throughout the East and West, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá became known as an ambassador of peace, an exemplary human being, and the leading exponent of a new Faith.

The Abrahamic religions are groups that trace their spiritual lineage back to the patriarch Abraham. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are the most well known, but there are also a few smaller religions that fall under this category.

Judaism: 

Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. The oldest of the Abrahamic religions, Jewish lineage is traced back to Abraham’s son Isaac. Their holy scripture is the Tanakh, which is comprised of three parts: Torah, Nevi’im, & Kethuvim (Law, Prophets, & Writings, respectively). Other texts include the Midrash and Talmud. Different sects include the Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and Reform. While originating in Israel, the Jewish people can be found all over the world, including India, China, Iran, Ghana, Europe, & North America, among many others. Judaism is the tenth largest religion in the world.

Christianity: 

Christians also trace themselves back to Isaac. While the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) is held as authoritative, Christians use what is called the New Testament, which is comprised of the Gospels, Epistles (letters), and the Book of Revelation. Jesus Christ is the central figure of this religion, largely believed to be the Son of God, or God incarnate (though this belief may vary by sect). There are three main groups found in Christianity: the Orthodox, Catholic, & Protestant, and there are further divisions within these main three. Christianity is currently the largest religion in the world and is therefore found virtually everywhere, even in extremely isolated nations such as North Korea.

Islam:

Unlike Jews and Christians, Muslims trace their lineage back to Ishmael, the other son of Abraham. The Tanakh & the Bible/New Testament are believed to be revealed by God but also to have been altered by humans over the centuries. Thus, their holy text is the Quran, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel (or Jibreel in Arabic), and it is believed to be the literal word of God. Jesus Christ is considered a prophet in Islam, along with other Christian and Jewish figures (i.e. John the Baptist, Jonah, Lot, Noah, & Moses, to name a few).  There are two main groups of Muslims, the Sunni and Shi’a; there are further divisions within these two sects. Islam is the second largest religion in the world.

Now here are some overlooked Abrahamic religions:

Babism:

This religion was founded in 1844 in Persia by the Bab. The Bab based many of his teachings on his own interpretations of the Quran and other Islamic traditions. The Persian Bayan is one of the primary Bab texts and is generally believed to supersede the Quran. This religion declined in popularity and the Baha’i religion rose to greater prominence.

Baha’i:

This religion was founded by Baha’u’llah, who was one of the earlier followers of the Bab. One of their primary texts is the Kitab-i-Iqan, or the Book of Certitude. God is believed to have manifested as different prominent religious figures throughout history, each meant for the people of that specific time and place. Abraham, Buddha, Krishna, Jesus Christ, and Moses are some of these primary incarnations. Harmony between religions, along with unity between peoples and equality between men and women, are emphasized in this religion. There are an estimated 5 to 7 million Baha’is scattered around the world, found in the United States, Iran, Israel, India, Germany, Uganda, and more.

Druze:

The Druze are an ethnoreligious group found primarily in Syria, Israel, Lebanon, and Jordan. One of their primary religious texts is the Kitab Al Hikma (Epistles of Wisdom). Elements of Shi’a Islam, Gnosticism, and Neoplatonism can be found in their beliefs; reincarnation is a key Druze belief and is unique among most other Abrahamic religions. There are approximately 1 million Druze in the world today.

Samaritanism: