# Babism: What Is It? *Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-20 — 1 clipping.* --- > Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: E. G. Tisdall, Babism: What Is It?, bahai-library.com. > ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── > > THE > MEDICAL MISSIONARY' > PRICE > VOL. XUI No. 1 JANUARY, 1904 SO cents a year > > . ANOTHER YEAR The Season of Good Resolutions > ANOTHER year is dawning! dear Master, let THE sick-bed, the ocean in a storm, > it be and the beginning of a new year are > In working or in waiting another year with seasons when mental reformations are > Thee! always very near the s~rface of our > Another year of leaning upon thy loving tboughts and purposes. The habit of > breast, making periodical reforms is not one to > Of ever-deepening trustfulness, of quiet, be decried, for tbese are steps in the up- > happy rest. ward path. Tbe trouble witb good reso- > Another year of mercies, of faithfulness lind > lutions is not in the habit of making them, > grace; > Another year of gladness in the shining of but in tbe habitual failure to carry them > thy face. out. One reason wby people so often fail > Another year of progress, another year of to live up to tbe good resolutions they > praise, adopt at the New Year season is that the > Another year of proving thy presence •• all resolutions are so indefinite. Tbey are > the days." adopted under a vague sense tbat the life > Another year of service, of witness for thy has not been just what it sbould have > love; been, and no well-defined sense of what > Another year of training for holier work > tbe defects are. Tbe only way to make > above. > Another year is dawning! dear Master, let a reformation effective is to make it defi- > it be nite. We need to deal faithfully witb our- > . Anywhere and everyw.here, another year for selves. Has life been a struggle for self- > Thee! isbends? Have our energies been con- > - Francis Ridley HaverlJal. sumed in the narrow purpose of getting > wbat we could and trying to keep wbat > we got? Then let us remember tbat .. A > We indulge the bope that the appear- man's life consisteth not in the abun- > ance and contents of the first number of dance of the things he possessetb." Let > the new volume will commend the paper us defillitely determine in the strengtb of > to our readers with sufficient force to in- God that our hearts shall open to tbe > duce them to help in raising our subscrip- wants of others, and our bands sball > tion list to a good round number. Tbis minister to the suffering around us. Let > is a good number and well wortb the us resolve that not another year or day > price, but it is hardly a fair sample of sball pass witbout someone being made > wbat we hope to do in succeeding num- bappier and better for our infiuence, and > bers. the belp we are waiting to bestow. Do > We are sending tbis paper to quite not let us permit either the cares or pleas- > a number of friends of the cause whose ures of life, or the deceitfulness of ricbes > names are not yet on our lists. It is a to crowd out the better part of life, and > gentle invitation to have tbe names of so defeat it. Now it is bigb time to > such, and tbe names of tbeir friends, awake out of sleep; for the day is at > placed there. hand. > Bentley Historical > Library > .- •• !.-Ll __ _ > Digitized by Google > BABISM - WHAT IS IT? > OWING to the riots which have taken Thus, then, we have the idea that the > place during the past few months in Bab is Christ returned with angels, > Persia and the hundreds who have laid clouds, and trumpets. His angels are > down their lives for what they believe his messengers; the clouds are the > to be the truth, we propose to give, as doubts which prevent Christians, Mo- > far as is possible in a short article, some hammedans, and others from recogniz- > idea of this new religIOn which is ob- ing him; and the sound of the trumpets, > taining such a hold on the people, more the sound of the proclamation which we > especially the upper-class people in this now hear. > land. > In August last, the mob, incited by > the MullaQ,s, or priests, rose in Tabriz, > Teheran, rspahan, and Yezd, and killed > some hundreds of those who had joined > this new sect, at the same time pillag- > ing their houses and carrying off every- > thing of value they could lay hands > upon. Numbers were, however, able > to flee to other towns where the bulk of > the population are Babis, and it was in > passing through one of these towns > that I met some of their chief priests > who bad fled there for "refuge from > Teheran. > > A 8ROTHKR 01" THI£ "R~lItNDRD CHRIST > > The Jews were told to expect a > Messiah, but when he came, they did > not accept him; the Christians to look > for Christ's second coming, but when > he came (in the person of the Bab), they > rejected him ; and the Mohammedans to > look for the fulfilment of the promise of > Al Mahdi, yet now when that promise > has come (the Bab), they persecute > him. > They deny the crucifixion, saying > that God made a man the image of > Christ, whom the Jews cruoified by > mistake, thinking it was Christ. They > '!'HB PUS&MT 8048, WHOM CHRIST I AN > Ba CHRIST IIl.TURNBD TO kARTH > BA815 BaLI.vB TO > deny the atonement, for they say the > smaller must be a sacrifice for the > Their doctrine is that when one leader greater and not the greater for the less > dies, his (i. e., the same divine) spirit (i. e., if a horse is sick. they kill a fowl > passes on to his successor, and is the as a sacrifice for it, but would not kill > same divine spirit which worked in all a horse if a fowl was sick). They deny > the prophets from Adam to Moses, the resurrection and the ascension of > Christ, Mohammed, and the Imams, all Christ's body. while they accept the > of whom they accept as prophets sent resurrection and ascension of his Spirit, > from God. for they hold that flesh and blood can- > Digitized by Coogle > ~ > 222 BABISM- WHAT IS iT'! > > not enter heaven, it being a place of to death. People who are in doubt or > spirits only as God is a 8pirit, being dissatisfied with the Mohammedan faith > everywhere at once and yet unseen. (and there are many), when looking > They read and prize the whole of the on at one of these scenes, immedi- > Scriptures, but twist the meaning of ately conclude that, if so many are will- > every part to suit themselves. They ing to die for the Babi faith, then it must > are exceedingly friendly with Chris- be true, and so become enquirers and > tians, and say, "There is no dif- then converts. > ference between us, for we both accept Another reason for their increase is > Christ as the Son of God." They are owing to the reputed growth of the > taught to practice love and gentleness movement in America. Tales of the > toward everybody, no matter of what most exaggerated description are circu- > religion; to be kind to strangers and lated about the hundreds of thousands > travelers, and to call no one unclean. of followers the Bab has in America. > There is also a sort of free-masonry and these poor, uneducated people think > among Babis and they will always help that if the Americans accept this faith. > one another with money, food, or then it must be true. > clothes. Babism, in my opinion, is not a step > Of late years the faith is making toward Christianity, but, on the con- > great strides in Persia, and they have trary, they do their best to make' Chris- > very earnest missionaries working zeal- tianity a stepping-stone toward Babism. > ously in every part of the country. It The fact that so many hundreds are > is said that some of the highest govern- willing to lay down their lives for what > ment. officials are Babis, and I know of they consider the truth ought to encour- > several villages where the whole popu- age the missionaries, showing as it does > lation are followers of the Bab. that once the Persians accept Christian- > The persecutions which take place ity, they will not be "rice Christians," > from time to time are the cause of but will stand firm through any perse- > numerous converts joining them, for a cution. > Babi who is going to be killed, by burn- The fact that under the new customs > ing or otherwise, is generally taken into regulations no Scriptures in the Persian > the public square of the town and there language are allowed to enter the coun- > given a chance of cursing the Bab and try makes it doubly hard for the mis- > repeating the formula, "There is no sion~' all over Persia. No army can > God but God, and Mohammed is the fight without ammunition, and the am- > Prophet of God." If they do this, they munition of Christ's army is the Word > are allowed to go free, but if they re- of God.- Ckas. E. G. Tisdall, in Recortf > fuse, as they generally do, they are put 01 Ckristian Work. > -. > A CRYING NEED > A. W. SBMMBN S > > IF ever there was a time in the his- matters pertaining to preventive medi- > tory of the world when people needed cine - the simple agencies of nature. > educating in the principles of healthful which are within the reach of all, rich > living, it is now. The world's greatest and poor alike. Why this ignorance? > need to-day is a gospel to reach both One thing seems evident,- the "people > body and soul. A gospel that is not perish for lack of knowledge." True, > broad enough to include the body, fails there is a wisdom and knowledge to be > of its mission. found, but it is the wisdom ot the > With all the boasted civilization. en- world, and lacks the most essential > lightenment, and progress of this age, element, viz., God. II The fear of the > II darkness covers the earth and gross Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and > darkness" the multitude of mankind on in him are hid al1 the treasures of > Digitized by Google > > — *Babism: What Is It? (Used by permission of the curator)*