Happy birthday to The Bab.

Mirza Ali-Muhammed (1819-1850) was born in Persia (modern-day Iran) on Oct. 20. In 1844, he assumed the title of The Bab, founded the Babi faith, and went on to become known as the Herald of Baha’u’llah.

Baha’u’llah (1817-1892), as announced by The Bab, established the Baha’i faith. An offshoot of Shi’ite Islam, today Baha’ism numbers more than 6 million adherents worldwide. It is headquartered in Haifa, Israel, but has a presence in more than 230 countries and territories, with 1,700 Spiritual Assemblies in the United States alone.

Baha’ism seeks to promote unity and understanding among people of every faith. Baha’u’llah once wrote: “The purpose of religion as revealed from the heaven of God’s holy will is to establish unity and concord amongst the peoples of the world.”

Unifying all religions may sound like a good and attainable idea to some. But it is neither. Baha’i leaders who have promoted, or who do promote, such an agenda demonstrate a basic misunderstanding and disregard for important religious distinctions. One example is the regard that Christians have for Jesus.

Referring to leading religious figures, including Jesus, Baha’u’llah once wrote: “Know thou assuredly that the essence of all the Prophets of God is one and the same. Their unity is absolute. God, the Creator, saith: There is no distinction whatsoever among the Bearers of My Message.”

But Christians would strenuously disagree with such an assessment. To Christians, Jesus is not just another prophet of God. Jesus is God. He is Lord. Through Jesus alone there is salvation. As an exact representation of the nature of God in human form, Jesus is all in all.

Years ago Dr. Vernon Grounds told a supposedly true story about how the great conductor Arturo Toscanini once brilliantly conducted Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. The audience went mad; people clapped, whistled, stomped their feet. Toscanini bowed and bowed and bowed. He signaled to the orchestra and its members stood to acknowledge the wild applause.

Eventually, as the applause began to subside, Toscanini turned, looked intently at his musicians, and almost uncontrollably exclaimed, “Gentlemen! Gentlemen!” The gentlemen in the orchestra leaned forward. Why was the maestro so disturbed? Was he angry? Had someone missed a cue? Had the orchestra flawed the performance?

No. Toscanini was not angry. Toscanini was stirred to the very depths of his being by the sheer magnificence of Beethoven’s music. Scarcely able to talk, he whispered fiercely, “Gentlemen, I am nothing.” That was an extraordinary admission since Toscanini was blessed with an enormous ego. “Gentlemen,” he added, “you are nothing.” That was hardly news. The members of the orchestra had often heard the same message in rehearsal. “But Beethoven,” said Toscanini in a tone of utter adoration, “is everything, everything, everything.”

With all due respect to The Bab on his birthday, and to Baha’u’llah, and to Baha’is everywhere, it must be emphasized that, for Christians, Jesus is everything. On Earth is not his equal. As part of the triune Godhead, he is consummately glorious and sufficient.

To say it another way – Jesus does not simply stand alongside the prophets. He is Lord of the prophets. He created the prophets. He is as distinct from all other messengers of God as God is distinct from humanity. Referring to Jesus, Scripture says that his name is “above every name” and that “there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.”

This writer has been asked by people of various worldviews, “Why do Christians insist that Jesus is the only way? Why can’t Christians yield a little ground for the sake of religious unity and world peace? You evangelicals seem so exclusivist, so narrow – even so arrogant!”

Our response is to show that truth itself is exclusive. Jesus cannot both be born of a virgin and not born of a virgin, be deity and not be deity, be resurrected and not be resurrected.

Those three doctrines (each of which Baha’is refute, incidentally) are at the heart of the Christian faith. On them there can never be compromise, even at the expense of division. Adrian Rogers once said, “It is better to be divided by truth than to be united in error.”

Nevertheless, our division need not be violent or nasty. This column is submitted with respect to people of all faiths. Every Baha’i with whom this writer has ever dialogued has been cordial and gracious. Hopefully, a similar tone of grace and goodwill is evident in this writing.

The Rev. Daryl E. Witmer is founder and director of the AIIA Institute, a national apologetics ministry, and associate pastor of the Monson Community Church. He may be reached at the Web site AIIA.ChristianAnswers.Net or by e-mail at AIIAInstitute@aol.com. Voices is a weekly commentary by Maine people who explore issues affecting spirituality and religious life.