From "Radical" To "Moderate"

Religion continues to play an important role in contemporary society.It has both the function of cohesing society and the role of splitting society.How to realize the harmonious coexistence between religious groups and society has become the core topic explored in this article.The Quakers that was born in Britain in the 17 th century and the Bahá'í which emerged from Persia(present-day Iran)in the 19 th century.Both were labeled with "radicals sects" during the start-up period and were suppressed by official religion and social exclusion.After nearly half a century of internal and external adjustment and interaction,it has finally completed its historical evolution as a "peaceable" group.Sorting out and comparing its historical process will not only help people solve the problem of friction of beliefs,but also provide a new perspective for Quaker and Bahá'í studies.This article adheres to the historical view of materialism,takes religious comparison as the main research method,and applies disciplines such as religious sociology to try to put forward a more complete road to peace between the Quaker and Bahá'í and draw regular knowledge.This paper is divided into four chapters.The first chapter mainly examines the radical behaviors and peaceable transitions of the two groups in the early days,and explores the causes of social hostility.The beginning of the two groups coincided with the era of social reform.Their belief change was mixed with social demands and adopted a more radical way of expression.This was the main factor for the two being excluded by the society.Next,tracing the transition from radical to peaceable,which caused the religious leaders' radical thought to start to "peace".This transformation laid the ideological foundation for the mild strategy since then.Based on the above investigations,the root causes of radical behavior of the two groups are discussed at the theoretical level,and the differences between them at the beginning period are compared at the practical level.The second chapter will examine the survival status and corresponding adjustments of the two religious groups from local and overseas.Quaker would be more suppressed in the overseas colonies than in the local community;Baha'i,on the contrary,has a superior living environment overseas.To reverse this passive situation,the two take different approaches.Quaker would seek dialogue with the British upper class through collective petitions and political lobbying.Baha'i would turn to international organizations to seek space for its own development through international public opinion.Comparing the extent of the social suppression of the two major groups,it is concluded that different social environments are the main reason for the two religious groups to suffer from regional differences.At the same time,religious frictions have caused social tensions,and they have also strengthened their integration within the religion.The third chapter compares the harmonious ideas and practices of the two religious groups from inside and outside the church.they have differentinterpretations of the concept of harmony.The Quaker's Robert Barclays and William Penn respectively have a religious affirmation of religious tolerance and a political theological application;Bahá'í's Bahá'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá were more inclined to spread the idea of religious peace.Based on this ideology,there is a difference between the two teaching practices.Quaker used the "sacred experiment" of Pennsylvania as a position and promote religious tolerance as a policy.Bahá'í adhered to the principle of non-governmental participation,cooperated with the government in the form of consultants,and practiced peace in the Global Development Plan.However,in practice,both Quaker and Bahá'ís have adopted a zero-tolerance attitude towards dissident thoughts.The difference between the internal and external practices of the two groups provides a space for discussion on the nature and relativity of peaceful tolerance.Tolerance does not mean unlimited freedom.The development of groups and the realization of tolerance complement the system norms.The fourth chapter compares the characteristics of the two churches from "radical" to "peaceable" from three aspects: self-identification,social integration,and management mode.The exclusivity of the two religious groups has weakened significantly,the secularization has gradually increased,and the complex of religious leaders in the early stage has been strong.Some similarity features have promoted the two toward peace church groups;then exploring the differences in the similarity characteristics.The two churches have different ways of integrating into society.Quaker was passively integrated into the society under the predicament of continuous loss of personnel,while the Baha'i was actively integrate.At the same time,the follow-up management models of the two churches are very different.Baha'i consolidated and developed under collective leadership,while Quaker Society declined in loose management.These two factors are the main reasons for the different developments of the two today.The conclusion part summarizes the full text,puts forward the regular understanding of this research,and makes a prediction of the status and trends of Quaker and Baha'i.Comparing the two major religious groups of different civilizations,this article draws the following conclusion: The relationship between belief groups and society is not a hierarchical relationship between judgment and be judged but a dynamic process of mutual identity recognition.The realization of harmonious coexistence requires multi-layer dialogue,compromise and concessions.