Baha'i's topics - tribe.net

check out this thread! talk about people sensing the rising spituality - this seems big! so exciting!

StephanieMcWaters — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:10:45 GMT

http://unearthly-souls.tribe.net/thread/d26e1aed-349b-458f-93cc-bed93bd939ca#b6411f6e-36f8-46fc-921b-71356f4db0f9

posted in Baha'i - 0 replies

Teaching opportunities!

StephanieMcWaters — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:58:55 GMT

Have you ever heard of the Baha'i Faith? I thought I would just throw that out there in case you are cusios, I truely believe that that it is what's going, where we're going etc.
Baha'is believe that all religions are from God, that they are progressive, and that they have big always Truthes, and social growths each time, and thats why they are different, they progress. Baha'is also believe that another Teacher came in 1844 by the name of Baha'u'llah, the promised one in all the religions that would unite the relgions and the world. Baha'u'llah not only brought the basic always Truthes back again (for example the golden rule) he also brought new social teachings, and these ones to help us in organzing and growing together into a world society! I think that is part of the energies out there! The new spiritual speing time that is finally starting to take root! Its exciting!
anways, here is a website to start if you like
www.bahai.org, just if your curious, or if you want to know more, but I thought either way, a little more knowledge about what people think out there couldnt hurt right? :)
Thanks for posting!
with love,
Stephanie

posted in Baha'i - 1 reply

Great news from Viet Nam! :-)

Bruce — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 21:00:01 GMT

VIETNAMESE BAHA'IS REACH MILESTONE WITH ELECTION OF NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, 4 April 2008 (BWNS) -- The Baha'is of Vietnam have reached a historic milestone with the election - for the first time in many years - of a national Baha'i administrative body in that nation.

The Baha'i Faith is established in virtually every country of the world, and in most nations the Baha'is each year elect a National Spiritual Assembly of nine individuals to administer their affairs and guide the community.

In Vietnam, the Baha'i national convention and election held 20-21 March were the first since the unification of North and South Vietnam in 1975.

"This is important because it was the first time in 33 years that the government had approved that such a gathering could take place," said Joan Lincoln, a special emissary of the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Baha'i Faith. Mrs. Lincoln traveled from the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa, Israel, to Ho Chi Minh City for the occasion.

"It was a deeply moving affair," she continued. "I was told that a number of the Baha'is hadn't seen one another in many years."

Preparations for the convention, including drafting the charter for the Baha'i governing body in Vietnam, were undertaken in consultation with the government, which sent three representatives to observe the election.

The voting took place at the small Baha'i Center in Ho Chi Minh City on the first day of the convention, followed the next day by a consultative session in a much larger hall that had been decorated with flowers of congratulation sent by various government and police agencies. More than 20 officials from the central, provincial and district governments attended the session, which was highlighted by the adoption by the Baha'is of the new charter.

Documents now will be submitted to the government for the next stage in the official recognition of the Baha'i Faith in Vietnam.

A number of people attending the activities had joined the Baha'i Faith in the 1950s and 1960s and had remained firm in the religion despite the years of restrictions on certain activities.

"The high point for me," Mrs. Lincoln said, "was seeing the Baha'is from all over Vietnam, the north, the central, and the south, who had been so steadfast for over three decades, remaining obedient to the government and to the Universal House of Justice and waiting patiently until they could re-establish their activities fully.

"It was thrilling to see the delegates greet one another, and that the older believers had been able to bring up their children as Baha'is, and to see so many young couples with their own children - the third generation of Baha'is - at the convention."

A particularly emotional moment, Mrs. Lincoln said, was the announcement of the results of the election of the National Spiritual Assembly. Among the nine members are Baha'is both young and old, from different areas of Vietnam.

Mrs. Lincoln expressed appreciation for government gestures toward the Baha'is.

"They had taken many measures to show their support," she said, noting that representatives from the government-run press and television attended some of the activities and reported on them.

"The warm relations between the new National Spiritual Assembly and the government were impressive to me," she said.

She also mentioned the Baha'i youth and "how present in the organization of the convention they were - saying the prayers, singing passages from the Baha'i writings, manning the computers, handling the logistics, the food, the microphones, raising the spirit ... doing all the things that youth do."

As part of the convention, Mrs. Lincoln presented to the government of Vietnam a gift from the Universal House of Justice consisting of a framed, color facsimile of two of the personal seals of Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'i Faith.

Nguyen Thanh Xuan, vice chairman of the Government Committee on Religion, accepted the gift, and also gave the Baha'is a framed portrait of Ho Chi Minh. Mrs. Lincoln earlier had paid a courtesy visit to a government office in Ho Chi Minh City where gifts also were exchanged.

During the convention, a special message from the Universal House of Justice to the Baha'is of Vietnam was read.

"The Baha'i Community of Vietnam is regaining ground on a trail that leads to a constructive future," the message said, in part. "In restoring your National Spiritual Assembly, with the gratefully acknowledged support of your national government, you now enter upon a period of dynamic development of far-reaching virtue and influence."

On the night of 20 March, more than 200 Baha'is and friends from around the country joined in a new year's celebration - one of the largest gatherings of Vietnamese Baha'is in three decades.

Special guests for the historic convention and the new year's celebration, included, in addition to Mrs. Lincoln, representatives of the Baha'i communities of Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Singapore, and Thailand, and Mr. Jaya Gopan Ramasamy of Malaysia, representing the Baha'i Continental Board of Counsellors in Asia.

For the Baha'is of Vietnam, restoration of their National Spiritual Assembly represents a key achievement in the process to gain official recognition from the government. A major step was taken a year ago when authorities issued a certificate recognizing Baha'i activities.

The Baha'i Faith was established in Vietnam in 1954. In 1957 Baha'is there joined with a number of other countries in southeast Asia to form a Regional Spiritual Assembly, and in 1964 the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Vietnam was formed.

To view the photos and additional features click here:
http://news.bahai.org/story/617

--
3-sw-080404-1-VIETNAMNSAELECTION08-617-S

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Advance release: Please check our website for the final version of this
article.
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Copyright 2008 by the Baha'i World News Service. All stories and
photographs produced by the Baha'i World News Service may be freely
reprinted, re-emailed, re-posted to the World Wide Web and otherwise
reproduced by any individual or organization as long as they are
attributed to the Baha'i World News Service. For more information, visit
http://news.bahai.org.

posted in Baha'i - 1 reply

New related tribe - Positive thinking

StephanieMcWaters — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:39:14 GMT

Hey there, I thought that maybe some of you would be interested in this new tribe : D
Please fell free join us and add your thoughts, energies and wisdome!
Hope to see you there, Thanks!
p.s. It would be wonderful to see thoughts and discusions from Baha'is on here as well, as we sometimes have different and more wise insights into these areas (though not always, trust me I know, no ego here) but also, I would love to hear any of your thoughts on how the faith and the writtings coinside or not with the law of attraction and positive thinking. Also, one more plug, it would be wonderful for us to be able to add Baha'i thoughts and writtings to the discusions, as it seems that this is part of the new movement of the world, probably brought on by the spiritual spring time and Baha'u'llah!!

tribe.net/positivethinking
posted by:

posted in Baha'i - 0 replies

Card Carrying Baha'i

Catalyst — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 22:32:42 GMT

Hi all,
Please share with me your experiences making the decision to become a card carrying Baha'i. This week began inquiries from new friends about declaring, with expressed regrets that we cannot attend feasts until we declare. This is my first experience of feeling the exclusivity rather than inclusivity of Bahai.
Blessing? Regrets? No Big Deal?
We enjoy the services and community but wonder what change declaring made in your path.

posted in Baha'i - 10 replies

"The Secret"

StephanieMcWaters — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 06:32:51 GMT

What do you all think of 'the secret'? im really wanting to believe in it, but wonder how it all fits or not with the Baha'i Faith... what do you guys thinks? i have many thoughts both way on the topic, and will post them tomorrow, when im more awake and can find my notes :P
thanks
Stephanie

posted in Baha'i - 0 replies

you know whats weird?

seb — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 18:29:01 GMT

ome personal issues going on which involved me moving, a break up, and some other non-interesting dramatic events that I would prefer to skim over.

So hopefully we can pick up were we left off, and you dont hate me for going incommunicado.

Okay back on topic.

I was thinking about Religion, and how people see it in relation to themselves, and I really don't get the need for proofs.

Why do you need to Prove the Bahia faith in terms of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc. What proofs do you have for these other religions? Why do you believe in Christ? What teachings does he teach that you cling to so vehemently that you require some kind of proof?

OR if you are a jew. Do you REALLY belive in the 10 commandments? Is that why you are a jew? Because you really spiritually connect with them?

Not to be offensive, but thats kind of funny to me; (And its also funny to all of my Jewish friends who I talked to about this). To them religion is just as inherited as skin colour, you are what you are. To me thats ridiculous! Religion (as I see it) is supposed to be a personal belief based on your own understanding, not something that you inherit and pass down from generation to generation.

The only 'proofs' that I know about are written in books and these seem questionable as they are full of other fantastic stories that either require you to not belive in logic/science/common sense, and require you to belive in 'magical powers'.

Miracles are only good for the people who witness them. Were is your proof? The Bible says Jesus did all these fantastic things. So what? The bible also says that humanity all spoke one language originally, built a really tall tower to get into heaven, and then God was pissed and smashed it. I believe what science can prove. I believe in Dinosaurs, I believe in cavemen, I believe that slavery was eventually abolished in the Caribbean, and I believe that marmalade taste great on toast.

Where does your belief come from? Some kind of unexplainable personal supernatural experience? Please let me know.

Is it just me or does the world look crazzy when you stop to look at it?

seriously, crazy.

posted in Baha'i - 0 replies

steph's hubby

StephanieMcWaters — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 18:57:53 GMT

hey thanks everyone for any prayers sent my way!! they really really helped!! praise be to God! everything worked out wonderfully! thank you thank you and Thank God for the power of prayer!
love,
Stephanie

posted in Baha'i - 0 replies

False Prophets and Resurection

twowings — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 06:30:44 GMT

I didn't want anyone to think I was in any way challenging someone's decision to leave the Faith so thought I would start another thread for this subject(s) as it is often one that comes up in firesides.

What books and quotes, and/or personal anecdotes, have you found useful when people have asked you whether or not Baha'u'llah could possibly be a false prophet?

In regards to the Resurrection, how do you explain what the "Baha'i Concept" is of the resurrection? Does it seem to satisfy people that you are firesiding with?

posted in Baha'i - 11 replies

Looking for a relgion that fits vs. looking for truth

thebrillianthen — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 20:14:15 GMT

I'm curious about other people's viewpoints on this. I'm not directing this at Anjali, who's trying to head out of here, but s/he brought up this dichotomy which I find interesting, between looking for a religion that fits, versus looking for the truth.

In a way, I feel like these are completely intertwined. How could I find a religion which seems like it is the truth, yet does not fit me? And how could I find a religion which fits me, yet seems untrue? Logically or intellectually, it seems impossible.

On the other hand, it makes on some emotional or spiritual level to experience this dichotomy. I identify as a Jew, having been raised Jewish and had a Bat Mitzvah, yet I disagree strongly with certain scriptures. The Baha'i Faith appeals to me immensely, and resonates with me spiritually, yet again, some parts of it seem "untrue" or something I can't agree with.

In the end, as I said in the other thread, I feel like I'm not likely to find any religion of any size which conforms 100% to my personal spiritual beliefs, other than a religion which relies completely on individual discovery (UU, Theraveda Buddhism). One of the reasons the Baha'i Faith appeals to me is that it conforms to my spiritual beliefs on a level so much higher than I ever expected to encounter in a popular religion, it shocks me. If I look at any religion, including my own, I try to get to know it well and really tear it apart, so I feel like I'll always encounter these issues.

I began thinking about these issues when I played with this thing on selectsmart.com called the religion selector. My own identified religion never comes up in the results higher than 3rd. I find this to be rather common when I see other people's results - other religions are closer to the person's individual beliefs than the one they practice or were raised in. I don't know anyone of the Baha'i Faith who's taken this test, so if anyone is interested, here's a link. Sadly, Sufism and I think Zoroastrianism are missing from the possible results, although they got Jainism in there:

http://www.selectsmart.com/RELIGION/

How you rank the importance of your choices affects the outcome quite a bit, by the way.

Also, I'm very interested in anyone's thoughts on this, in general.

posted in Baha'i - 7 replies

Attending Burningman?

thebrillianthen — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 19:58:08 GMT

It's that time of year, when non Burningman related tribes are peppered with the inquiry, "Is anyone on here going to Burningman this year?"

I will be there, and would be interested in meeting up with others familiar with the Baha'i Faith, if you or anyone you know are going.

posted in Baha'i - 0 replies

stories of ordinary Baha'i's doing extraordinary things!

Amy — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 20:43:55 GMT

doubletake.tv presents hip, inspiring stories of ordinary Bahá'í doing extraordinary things.

Take the example of Layli Miller, a law student who took on one of the most famous cases in the recent history of women's rights and then went on to start the Tahirih Justice Center. The Tahirih Justice Center takes on pro bono cases promoting the equality of men and women, changing the world one case at a time.

Or, take the example of Tony Deamer, an Australian married to an Indian-Malay woman living in Vanuatu, South Pacific. He wishes to uplift Vanuatu society, and has started a coconut oil fuel company. It's part of his bigger vision of building God's kingdom on earth. He and his wife, and their four children, are changing the world.

"Welcome to doubletake.tv, where you will find that there is always another way to look at the world around you. Here you can watch multilingual, multicultural content with substance. Our videos are submitted from every corner of the globe and feature stories that make you think twice."

http://www.doubletake.tv/cms/

posted in Baha'i - 0 replies

Leaving the Faith

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 15:26:09 GMT

I'm writing to all of you because in some way we have walked and talked while on our spiritual paths. After 5 years as a Baha'i, I've realized that it is time for me to leave the Faith. I know for some of you it might seem rather abrupt, but there are issues and questions I have mulled over for the entire 5 years, even as a seeker, as well as some new ones that independent investigation has cropped up, which simply can't be resolved satisfactorily to me within the Baha'i context...meaning all the explanations and beliefs and rationalizations are there, but I just don't believe them anymore. I feel that now is the time to make my decision, but of course I hope to always be friends with Baha'is and of course, my own friends are my friends first, and the Baha'i aspect was always secondary to that. I hope there will be no hard feelings due to our differences of opinion. I'm pretty sure that you all will be able to respect the twists and turns on my spiritual path as much as I respect yours:-)

I wish everyone the best:-)

Take care.

~Anjali

posted in Baha'i - 22 replies

info please

Bev — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 06:00:45 GMT

I want to become part of the baha'i faith how would i do that

posted in Baha'i - 2 replies

latest on persecution of Baha'is in Iran

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 13:43:08 GMT

http://www.bahai.org/persecution/iran/update

Background: Recent Attacks against Baha’is in Iran
June 2007
Reports and documents filtering out of Iran over the last six months indicate a widespread and calculated effort by the government to maintain and gradually intensify the persecution of Iranian Baha'is.

The evidence tells of continued efforts by the government to monitor and identify Baha'is; further incidents of abuse and discrimination directed at Baha'i students at all levels; stepped-up efforts to deprive Baha'is of their livelihood; and ongoing attacks on the Baha'i Faith in the official news media.

This summary focuses on the period from November 2006 to May 2007, citing a number of confirmed incidents that give ample evidence that the intentions underlying the 25 February 1991 secret memorandum from the Iranian Supreme Revolutionary Cultural Council, which outlines a plan for the quiet elimination of the Baha’i community in Iran, remain in force.

Taken together, these incidents paint a picture of a government-led effort to make the Baha’is physically vulnerable, to instill in them social and occupational insecurity, and in general to create a climate of fear.

Moreover, this effort clearly seeks to disengage Baha'is from their friends and fellow citizens by generating suspicion and mistrust — even hatred — in the hearts of individuals in society at large, part of a larger effort to impede the social, economic, and cultural progress of the Baha'i community and to block its growth.

Amassing information on the Baha’is

Among the most worrisome trends over the last several years has been the emergence of evidence that the Iranian government is secretly working to identify and monitor Baha'is, an effort that some observers have compared the German government's effort to collect information on Jews at the beginning of the Nazi era.

Recent incidents include:

Evidence that efforts are being made in the school system to identify Baha’i students of all ages and the members of their families throughout Iran. As an example, the Security Office of the Education Department in Shiraz has circulated a form to be completed for all students “who belong to religious minorities and the perverse Baha’ist sect.” The form requires not only detailed information about the student and his or her parents, but also detailed information on all the student’s siblings. Under “Religion” are listed four options: “Christian; Jew; Zoroastrian; the perverse sect of Baha’ism.”
Read the form in English >
Read the form in Persian >
Reports of attempts to obtain information through surreptitious means, such as people posing as journalists or questioning children playing in the street.
Baha’is who are known to the Ministry of Information are unrelentingly harassed to give personal information regarding other Baha’is.
Reports of stepped-up interrogations of Baha'is. In February 2007, for example, police in certain sectors of Tehran, and in Bandar Abbas, Muhammadiyyih, Shirvan, and Kirmanshah, began going to the homes and businesses of Baha’is and interrogating them at length regarding the members of their families, occupations, education, etc., sometimes in the guise of conducting a survey. Baha’is who were questioned in their places of business were also asked for their work permits, whether they owned the business, the number of employees and their relationships to each other. In two instances, Baha’is were summoned to the local police station for this questioning. In one case, when the Baha’is asked why they were being asked to participate in this “survey,” they were told: “We have our orders from the head office.” On another occasion the reason given was that the information would assist the authorities to solve any problem that would arise.
These incidents come after international human rights groups have expressed concern about previous documents regarding Iran’s effort to amass as much information as possible on Baha'is and their activities.

The most significant document on this effort was the emergence of a secret letter dated 29 October 2005 and signed by the Chairman of Command Headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces, instructing commanders of various state intelligence services, police units, and the Revolutionary Guard to "identify" Baha'is and “collect any and all information” about their activities.
Read the letter in English >
Read the letter in Persian >

Other documentation obtained by the Baha'i International Community on this effort to identify and monitor Baha'is includes:

A letter dated 19 August 2006 from the Ministry of Interior ordering officials throughout the country to step up the surveillance of Iranian Baha'is, focusing in particular on their community activities.

A 2 May 2006 letter to the Iranian Union of Battery Manufacturers asking it to provide to the Trades, Production and Technical Services Society of Kermanshah a list of members of "the Baha'i sect."
Read English translation >
Read Original Document >
Attacks against Baha’i schoolchildren

Baha’i schoolchildren continue to be subjected to severe harassment, vilification, and other forms of intense psychological pressure, as was first reported in April 2007.

Moreover, a campaign appears to be under way to “educate” school teachers throughout the country about the Baha’i Faith by providing them with instruction and materials that perpetuate the gross falsifications of Baha’i history and teachings along the lines that have been traditionally been used in attacks on the Faith in Iran and that are currently being repeated in the propaganda disseminated through the mass media.

Specifically, on 23 April 2007, a group of high school religion teachers from 14 provinces visited a center for religious studies in Qom as part of their in-service training organised by the Ministry of Education. During this visit, they attended a two-hour presentation that was critical of the Babi and Baha’i Faiths.

On 14 and 15 May 2007, Iranian online news agencies (Ayandeh Roushan and Rasa) published an article reporting on the publication in Tabriz of an 85-page booklet and accompanying CD that provide an “Introduction to Baha’ism” for high school religious teachers. That article hints at a number of inaccuracies about the Faith and its history, such as the oft-repeated falsehood regarding the British and Russian colonial role in the Faith’s development and its current relationship to Israel.
Read the article in English >

Denial of access to university education

After being admitted to universities in Iran last autumn for the first time in 25 years, Baha'i students have nevertheless been expelled in increasing numbers throughout the academic year as their religion has become known to school officials, evidence that the government’s policy of opening the doors to Baha'i students is nothing but a sham, designed to mislead international human rights monitors.

In February, the Baha'i International Community reported that of the 178 Baha'is admitted to universities this school year, at least 70 had been expelled.

As of 3 May 2007, that figure has risen to 104, meaning that more than 58 percent of Baha'i students admitted since the beginning of current academic year have now been expelled, solely on the grounds of their adherence to the Baha’i Faith.

Denial of means of livelihood

Over the past six months, efforts to deny Baha’is their means of livelihood have accelerated and have included the following tactics:

refusals to issue or renew business licenses;
closing Baha’i-owned businesses;
encouraging banks to close bank accounts of Baha’is and to refuse loan applications from Baha’is;
issuing instructions to chain stores and government offices to avoid purchasing from companies owned by Baha’is;
refusing to pay retirement benefits to Baha’is in private-sector employment in some regions of the country; and,
threatening private-sector employers against hiring Baha’is and harassing such employers to dismiss Baha’i employees.
For example, on 10 April 2007, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of a company was summoned to the office of the Information Ministry in Sanandaj and told that because the company had a Baha’i employee, it was going to be shut down unless it fired the Baha’i.

Dissemination of misinformation to incite the population against the Baha’is

Inflammatory material about the Faith and its adherents continues to be spread through the mass media.

Scurrilous attacks on the Faith are still appearing in “Kayhan,” one of the oldest and most influential newspapers in Iran. This daily newspaper is published by the Kayhan Institute and is currently managed by Hossein Shariatmadari, who is also the representative of the Supreme Leader at the Institute. Most recently, the newspaper carried on Page 1 the opening lines of an article titled “An Interview with a Person Saved from Bahaism.” This was the first installment in a series of interviews with Bihzad Jahangiri (his new Muslim name is Husayn Fallah) a former Baha’i who, along with Mahnaz Raoufi, his former wife, converted to Islam about 10 years ago. During the past year, “Kayhan” also ran a series of articles based on the so-called “memoir” of Mahnaz Raoufi, with the same intent — to “expose” the inner workings of the Baha’i community.

This 15 May 2007 Kayhan article is typical of these recent attacks. The article falsely implies, for example, that Baha'is have their marriage partners chosen for them and that Baha'is live together before marriage. It also misrepresents the number of Baha'is inside and outside of Iran.

For background about the attacks on the Baha'i Faith in the Iranian media, go to: http://www.bahai.org/persecution/iran/mediaattacks

Desecration of Baha’i properties

Some Baha’i cemeteries have been vandalized over the past six months.

Denial of freedom of movement

Although, in recent years, some Baha'is have managed to obtain passports and to travel in and out of Iran with relative freedom, lately some Baha’is have had their passports confiscated when endeavoring to travel outside Iran. As well, some Baha’is, such as those who are involved in coordinating community activities on an ad hoc basis, have also been placed on “no fly” lists.

For example, the passports of the members of a Baha’i family were confiscated when they were at the airport en route to Kuwait. The official with whom they met about this matter told them: “You [i.e. the Baha’is] are all spies and we will not let you go abroad [to carry out] spying activities. We will take measures to stop you.”

Denial of access to legal process

Discrimination against Baha'is in the legal system continues to be a problem. In February 2007, for example, the Public Court of Justice in Falard decided not to hear a lawsuit “due to the plaintiffs’ belonging to the Baha’ist sect.”
Read the judgement in English >
View the judgement in Persian >

The harassment and intimidation of Baha’is and their non-Baha’i friends, including physical assaults.

Currently, there are four Baha'is in prison. As well, since March 2005, more than 120 Baha'is have been arrested or detained for short periods of time, ranging from several days to several months. All of these individuals are out on bail and awaiting trial on charges solely related to their religious activities.

Baha’is across Iran continue to experience an escalation in acts of personal harassment.

For example, a movement continues to target Baha’i households, which have been receiving intimidating and threatening notes, CDs and tracts aimed at refuting the claims of the Baha'i Faith. In some cases, these messages have been sent to all the members of a family, regardless of age. Many Baha’is have also received provocative text (SMS) messages on their cell phones. At first, the messages most commonly received were:

Do you know that you are being used by America to clear its way?
Do you know that your approach to “wisdom” in teaching your Faith means misleading others?
Those who respond rudely, we will ignore, as such responses are indicative of the real Baha’i morals. Those who respond politely, we will soon meet in person.
The tone of the messages has become more blatantly threatening. For example, last year messages included such statements as:

Baha’i Teacher = Foreign Infantry.
Baha’is, do you know that your cooperation with America makes the Muslims hate you and that they will take their revenge on you?
Baha’is, do you know that your cooperation with America at this time and under such sensitive conditions will cause the hatred of the Muslims and will have consequences for you?
On several occasions Baha’is being interrogated by government officials have been asked why they do not simply leave the country.

Individuals who wish to join Baha’is in their activities have been interrogated, insulted, and threatened.

Baha’i military trainees are subject to harassment.

A final incident of concern

Of special concern during the recent period is the news that two elderly Baha'i women were murdered by unidentified assailants in two separate cities in late winter 2007.

On 16 February 2007, Saltanat Akhzari, an 85-year-old resident of Abbas Abad, a dependency of Abadeh in Shiraz, was slain in her home. The following day, Shah Beygom Dehghani, a 77-year-old Baha'i, was viciously assaulted by a masked intruder in her home in Mohammadiyyeh, in the province of Isfahan. Mrs. Dehghani died on 7 March 2007. The two women are unrelated.

Both victims are elderly women who were alone at the time of the attacks, which occurred in their homes in relatively small towns, and each was brutally assaulted. The body of Mrs. Akhzari was found in her house with her hands and feet bound and her mouth gagged while Mrs. Dehghani was lured out of her house in the middle of the night and then savagely attacked with a lawn rake.

While the motive for these attacks remains unknown at this time, the Baha’is in Iran have indicated that the similarity between the two murders is alarming.

For more background on the persecution of Iranian Baha’is, go to The Baha’i Question

To view this update in Persian click here

posted in Baha'i - 0 replies

Year of Service Youth Position Available!

Gini — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 17:09:15 GMT

Please pass on this message to any appropriate group lists/parties/etc...

The U.S. Bahá'í Publishing Trust is offering a Youth Year of Service

opportunity for the 2007 – 2008 academic year.

This service position will be providing focused administrative support

to our editorial department. Primary duties and responsibilities will

include, but are not limited to:

• Filing

• Light correspondence

• Data entry into databases and Excel spreadsheets

• Special interest projects that will require excellent organization

skills and attention to detail

• Other miscellaneous administrative tasks

The ideal candidate will demonstrate maturity, responsibility, and

professionalism. They will have strong written communication and

interpersonal skills for working in a professional office environment.

Will be proficient in Microsoft Office programs; Word, Excel, and

Outlook.

The Publishing Trust is located in Wilmette, IL, within walking

distance of the Bahá'í House of Worship and the Bahá'í National

Center. The ideal candidate could start as early as July 2007.

The position is potentially well-suited for a college student looking

for an internship in publishing and media to serve as a foundation for

their career interests.

Housing assistance is available, if needed.

Please submit your letter of interest to:

Gini Beasley

gbeasley@usbnc.org

gini.beasley@gmail.com

Baha'i Publishing Trust

Senior Administrative Assistant

415 Linden Avenue

Wilmette, IL 60091

847.425.7958 direct line

http://books.bahai.us

posted in Baha'i - 0 replies

Death of a Baha'i Monarch

Mon, 21 May 2007 19:12:59 GMT

Funeral and memorial service planned for Samoan head of state

His Highness Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II, center, head of state of Samoa, died on 11 May 2007.

APIA, Samoa, 14 May 2007 (BWNS) -- A state funeral is planned for 18 May for the Samoan head of state, His Highness Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II, to be followed on 20 May by a memorial service at the Baha'i House of Worship near Apia. He passed away on the evening of 11 May in a hospital in Apia.

A follower of the Baha'i Faith, he was one of the longest reigning monarchs in the world. He was 94 years old.

"His service to the people of Samoa as Head of State was distinguished by the high principles, genuine compassion and personal humility that characterized the constancy of his concern for the welfare of all," the Universal House of Justice, the international Baha'i governing body, said in a statement to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Samoa.

"As the first reigning sovereign to accept the Message of Baha'u'llah, he set a record that will forever illumine the annals of our Faith, one that future generations will increasingly extol," the House of Justice said. "His great interest for well-nigh four decades in the Faith's progress was reflected in the enthusiastic affirmation of his belief whenever the opportunity presented itself and in the abiding joy with which he regarded the construction in 1984 of the Mother Temple of the Pacific Islands in Samoa...."

He himself participated in the dedication of that temple, one of only seven such Baha'i houses of worship in the world. The other six, located in Australia, India, Germany, Uganda, the United States, and Panama, will also hold services in his memory.

He had been head of state since the country gained independence from New Zealand in 1962.

The state funeral will be at 10 a.m. on 18 May in front of the Parliament Building, with a government-organized prayer service the day before. Entombment will be in the Malietoa Family crypt a few meters from the Parliament building.

The memorial service at the Baha'i House of Worship near Apia will be on 20 May, organized by the Baha'i assembly. Earlier, on 13 May, a prayer service was held, attended by more than 200 Baha'is, family, friends, government officials, and representatives of churches and the diplomatic community.

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark was one of the first to offer condolences. "Throughout his long reign as Head of State, Malietoa represented Samoa with wisdom, humor, and insight," she said in comments published in the New Zealand Herald.

His Highness Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II was born on 4 January 1913. His wife, Lili Tunu, died in 1986. They have two sons and two daughters.

Samoa comprises several islands in the South Pacific about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii. The population is about 200,000.

bwn-sw-07 05 14 -1-SAMOAMONARCH-543-N

posted in Baha'i - 0 replies

World's Fastest Growing Religions

Mon, 21 May 2007 18:37:33 GMT

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3835

posted in Baha'i - 0 replies

Let's Petition for a Baha'i Option!

Quddus — Sun, 21 Nov 2004 14:23:10 GMT

Hi guys we have 29 members in this tribe if we can all write to the right person/people here at Tribe.net then maybe they would add a Baha'i option to the list of religions?! (in the personal profile section) I'd rather be Baha'i than "Other"!!!

posted in Baha'i - 20 replies

Season's greetings!

Bruce — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 14:49:24 GMT

Greetings, all!

Our biggest series of Baha'i holy days begins Friday at sunset, the twelve-day Ridvan (pronounced "Rizwan") festival commemorating the Declartion of Baha'u'llah, our Founder.

So I wish all and sundry a very happy Ridvan! :-)

(We'll all be having the annual elections for our Local Spiritual Assemblies Friday evening or Saturday daytime, and will be electing our National Spiritual Assemblies later in the festival.)

Best! :-)

Bruce

posted in Baha'i - 0 replies

Vote for the House of Worship!

Sat, 17 Mar 2007 23:04:43 GMT

A message from a friend:

The State of Illinois is adopting seven natural or historic sites which it
will designate as the "seven wonders of Illinois" through the website
Illinois:
Mile after Magnificent Mile. The Baha'i House of Worship is among the
current eight contenders for the Chicago suburban region (which will
presumably have to compete state-wide with other regions later). However,
it looks as if the HOW may be eliminated from our region, if more people
don't vote for it this week. If you have time to do that, go to the website
http://www.enjoyillinois.com/sevenwonders/ and just click on the second tab
on the top "Chicagoland", and then on the Baha'i House of
Worship. You can vote once a day. While there, you can also vote for your
favorite sites from other regions of the state; I assume that eventualy one
will be chosen from each of these seven regions as the seven wonders of the
state of Illinois.

It is in one of the upper right regions of Illinois, I forget which one exactly on the map.

posted in Baha'i - 4 replies

A very happy Baha'i New Year to all and sundry!

Bruce — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 14:20:32 GMT

As the day is Fast approaching (so to speak :-) ), a very happy Baha'i New Year to one and all! B.E.164 is about to begin.

Best,

Bruce

posted in Baha'i - 3 replies

Was the the Bahá'u'lláh the same Christ Mentioned in the Bible?

favoriteson — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 04:46:11 GMT

In another forum
http://christiantalk.tribe.net/thread/7dde7974-fdfd-4df2-851d-a05cef138669
I asked Anjali the following:
My understanding is that the Bahá'u'lláh, founder of the Bahá'í Faith, believed that he was the Christ who is literally seated on the Throne of David.
www.uhj.net/genealogy.htm
Do you believe this as well? If so how do you reconcile Jesus' claims to be the Christ? Also, do you believe that Jesus rose from the dead?

Anjali said:
"...Our belief is that the Christ is of the spirit, not the body, just as the Word of God , though it came as flesh in Jesus Christ as a baby, was what was eternal and pre-existing, not his physical body."

She invited me to this tribe to continue the discussion and I am curious about the baha'i interpretation of the scriptures below.

Philippians 3:20-21
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

1 John 3:1-3
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears,we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

1 Corinthians 15
35But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" 36How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
42So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"[e]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we[f] bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

posted in Baha'i - 62 replies

Baha'i Scripture : Best Starting Point?

aetern — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 09:37:54 GMT

I'm rather new to Baha'i, and quite interested.. Unfortunately, I'm not able (due to life and schedule constraints) to really meet up with the local group. I do, however, enjoy reading during downtime. What book would you recommend as a good starting point? I'd prefer it be something by Baha'u'llah, but any other suggestions are certainly welcome as well.

There's definitely a wealth of writings, so it's a bit overwhelming, the options that are available. I don't mind the size of the book, and I intend to start at the first page and continue until I finish the book. If I feel good about it, I will probably continue on with other books, and hopefully be able to meet up with those in my area.

posted in Baha'i - 10 replies

Free Qur'an

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 00:15:25 GMT

I just received a free Qur'an by going to this link: https://www.cair-net.org/explorethequran/request.asp

You only pay about 8 bucks for shipping, and this Quran is definitely worth a lot more than that! Very nice, lots of notes it looks like. Thanks Charles for letting me know about this!

posted in Baha'i - 13 replies

hello

Wanderingwolf — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 03:21:07 GMT

new guy here, ive met only one baha'i before and we had a great but brief talk about her beleifs, i find myself these days wondering about most other religions and although i feel no lack of god/goddess in my life, i have almost no knowledge of most forms of religion, i feel its wrong to bash though, so you wont hear that coming from me, but i AM curious, if you dont mind me asking, what is your faith all about? what are the precepts of your beleifs? DO you do rituals, or chant or pray or by what means do you speak to god and/or goddess?do you have, ummm... officers, pastors, leaders of any kind? and what is your religious history? wow okay thats a lot of questions, im sorry if im coming on too strong, but i really want to know, as i said before ive only met one Baha'i before but she was really nice, and i want to konw more about your religion/belief.Oh, and FYI, im not here to judge either, i , personally dont think im qualified, i see that as someone elses job, so i generally dont worry very much about it.

posted in Baha'i - 12 replies

iranian.com

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 18:48:26 GMT

If you do a search on "Bahai", they have some interesting articles. Just wanted to post two here:

Heechee kam nadaaran
When are we going to recognize Bahais?

By Jahanshah Javid
July 3, 2002
The Iranian

The reason I'm writing is that my Internet connection has been down for the past 11 hours. I have already edited (well, browsed through) five opinion pieces (my brain needs some serious rest). My work is done for the day, basically. But I have to wait for the connection to come back on.

Of course I've thought about writing something about Bahais for some time. I'm just fascinated by the fact that we -- nearly every non-Bahai Iranian -- do not really consider Bahais as Iranian. We consider them bastard children of British colonialism aiming to destroy Islam, specifically Shi'ite Islam. They're not even "other" Iranians. We see them as something else. Or maybe we don't see them at all.

Okay, okay! Not EVERY non-Bahai feels that way. But come on... who are we kidding?

As far as I know, and please correct me, Bahais in Iran have no rights whatsoever. Think about that. We bitch and moan about the condition of women and lack of freedoms under that good for nothing theocracy and meanwhile we totally ignore what's been happening to the Bahais. Yes Bahais. Remember them?

Why do we treat Bahais so badly? Or at least why aren't we concerned when they are treated badly? Is it that we don't care? Yes. It's because we don't give a damn what happens to Bahais. Haqeshooneh, we say.

For a people who care so much about their aaberoo, we don't seem to get it that the biggest aaberooreezee of all is the way we have tolerated the persecution of Bahais. May I suggest a change of attitude? A little consideration?

***

I can't make heads or tales out of the Bahai faith or religion or whatever they call it. But what's the difference between that and Islam and Judaism, or Christianity, or I don't know... Hinduism or any other faith? Who's to say which one is more authentic? To me, all religion is hocus pocus anyway.

(God... I hope my Internet connection comes back soon.)

We can argue all we want about how Bahaism started and what it stands for. In the end, what we are dealing with is an idea. No one should be stripped of human rights for believing in something we don't. We can't eliminate a whole group of people because we don't like how they think.

What I'm trying to say is that a person's beliefs should not bring punishment. It's a really simple concept. And yet we ignore it - especially when it comes to Bahais. Why is that? Why should they be excluded from all public spheres and discriminated against on every level? Don't tell me it's all the government's fault. And no, you can't blame it all on Islam or the mullahs either.

What about you and me? What's our excuse? What have Bahais done to deserve our scorn -- and most of all, indifference? Dard o marazemoon chiyeh?

We, as a nation, have passively, carelessly, callously watched this inhumanity for decades. We respect Jews (when we're in a generous mood) only because they are people of the Book and all that crap. But when it comes to Bahais... I don't know what it is. They don't even exist.

This is an important issue just by the fact that non-Bahais don't think it's an important issue. A whole group of people, hundreds of thousands of them in Iran, have been persecuted in the most deliberate and cruel fashion for three generations (is my math correct?) and yet our dissident literature is virtually silent on this atrocity.

Go ahead. Go and shed a tear for Palestinians. They deserve it. Israel is crushing them like ants. But when you get a chance, do give a shit about Bahais too. You want a noble cause? You want to scream and shout about injustice? I'm telling you... Bahais have been really underrated as far as causes go.

Don't you think we need to care? If we don't care, if we don't support and demand human rights for Bahais, who will? The government? The mullahs? The fanatics? Why should the American government care and not us? When are we going to wake up to this terrible tragedy? Oy! Baa toam!

Don't send emails that Islam is the root of all evil or Bahais have themselves to blame. I most certainly don't want to see rehashed British conspiracy theories filling my inbox. Take responsibility for a change. Just open your eyes to what these people have been going through JUST BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE IN SOMETHING DIFFERENT. You and me are every bit as responsible. Because we don't care.

(Where's my bloody Internet connection?!)

***

You would expect that a century and a half of persecution and a quarter of a century of systematic dehumanization under the present clowns would make Bahais a bit insecure or bitter. You would have a huge chip on your shoulder if you were a Bahai, no? And yet Bahais don't have an inferiority complex at all. So it seems.

I mean if there are Bahais with a victim mentality, I haven't met any (bar akse maa!). And while Bahai-bashers are busy doing God's crooked work, Bahaism is spreading like no other religion. Why wouldn't it? It's harmless. It's inclusive. It welcomes you with open arms. It's all nice and sweet and goody goody.

Look. If you wanted to pick a religion these days, what would you choose? You would think about the symbols associated with that religion. You hear and read their main slogans and catch phrases. You observe and interact with their followers. And you do a bit of research (even though facts have very little to do with how you come to accept a particular faith. It's all show business.)

What are the most prominent Islamic symbols floating around? Angry faces, violence, chador, stoning, revolution, martyrdom, blood. And more blood. And what about the Bahai symbols? I don't know... Peace, love, tolerance. Happy faces?

Now, if you knew nothing else about either religion, which one would you pick?

(Somebody save me...)

***

Even if you don't like Bahaism, at least be fair. Give credit where it's due. Bab or Bahaulla or whoever started the Bahai faith should be recognized as a very significant (if not great) historic figure in Iranian history. For God's sake his movement is flourishing in every corner of the world. And he wasn't an Arab like the other fellow. Okay that was a cheap shot.

I better shut up now. I'm going jogging. Ageh barnagashtam halaalam koneen.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Gawd, this means I really ought to be going to Ruhi!;-)

NEIGHBORS
Spiritual friction
Manouchehr
November 1, 2006

Several months ago, one of our neighbours invited us to join them for an informal class or series of classes on spirituality and virtues along with socialization, breaking bread etc. My neighbours are Iranian Bahais, very nice but generally boring people, so I thought.

Because I was busy with playing poker most nights, my wife and kids started going to these classes without me. I noticed that every Tuesday night, all of them make sure they are home on time so they can go to these classes called 'Ruhi Institute" on time.

My boys are 13 and 16. So, being the normal Iranian dad, I thought they are going to these classes because a) there were cute girls there or b) the food was good. But why was my wife also so crazy about these classes?! I was hoping she is not going because of good looking men.

A few weeks ago I started going to whats called the Ruhi 2 class, one of several that are offered in most neighbourhoods in LA and Orange County. I have to tell you that for a typical Iranian man with A.D.D. who is also a poker addict, it takes a lot (I mean a lot) to sit my behind in a chair for 2 hours, listen to civil (no shouting, no cussing, no politics, no business) discussion and even actively participate in the discussions.

I have attended 4 classes so far. The content of what we read and the discussions are getting better each time. There was an Iranian Bahai lady in the class who was aggressively trying to promote the Bahai religion to me and my family. But fortunately the host (our neighbour) put a stop to that. I had made it clear to them that I don't want my family to change religion or to be anything other than a Muslim in name only. I still think too much of any religion spells trouble. But I tell you one thing, what you get from going to these classes is pretty awesome.

posted in Baha'i - 6 replies

trying to start up Ruhi with my roommates

seb — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 08:55:06 GMT

So! I have been talking with my roomies and a few of them have agreed that that they might be interested in doing book one with me. I’m really excited and hope they decide to follow through with it, however, its all up to God.

But here is why Im posting, I was wondering if you could include my housemates and I in your daily prayers. I’m hoping with our prayers they will become aware of the Spirit of Truth in the words of the blessed beauty.

posted in Baha'i - 0 replies

great novel about Rumi's life

connie — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 02:52:17 GMT

Dear friends and Rumi lovers,

I’m thrilled to let you know that my novel – A MOTH TO THE FLAME – the complete life story of Sufi poet Rumi – has been released by a new publisher and is now available on Amazon.com. For lovers of Rumi, poetry, and mysticism, it’s the inside story of how he became a poetic genius and illuminated teacher.

“From my first breath I have longed for Him. This longing has become my life.” – Rumi

A Moth to the Flame is the story of the meeting of two human beings that, like the conjunction of two planets, realigned the fates. Although it happened long ago, during another time of war between Islam and the West, this tale of an individual life fully lived is the tale of every life: Rumi’s yearning for God is our yearning, his anguish, our anguish, his victory, our victory. In the tradition of Siddhartha or The Last Temptation of Christ, his story is the mythic story of the human soul.
In this first novel about him, based on original sources in both Farsi and English, we discover the key moments that shaped his poetic genius. We watch his faith tested, and we witness his meeting with the beloved, which overturned his world and led, eventually, to his union with God.
For centuries, Rumi has remained as alive as Shakespeare in the hearts of millions of Muslims. Today, in the West, where he is a bestselling poet, he burns like a torch of inspiration for us all.
Connie Zweig, Ph.D., a student of the mystical practices of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sufism for more than thirty years, is a therapist and spiritual counselor in Los Angeles. She is co-author of Meeting the Shadow and Romancing the Shadow and author of The Holy Longing: The Hidden Power of Spiritual Yearning. This is her first novel, the inner story of holy longing as lived by Sufi poet Rumi.

Enjoy the book! Feel free to pass on this message to anyone who might be interested.

posted in Baha'i - 4 replies

Move about Mona - website

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 12:47:10 GMT

http://www.monasdream.com/

posted in Baha'i - 7 replies

Kalki Temple

Fri, 05 Jan 2007 16:18:13 GMT

I absolutely must go here:-) I'll climb into it if I must to see what's inside:-D

The Kalki Temple:

The only one dedicated to the incarnation of God not yet born, Raja Sawai Jai Singh, the founder of Jaipur built this temple in 1727. Hindu mythology prophesizes the birth of the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who will come riding a white horse with a shining sword in his hand as Lord Kalki to deliver the mankind from the prevailing chaos and confusion of Kal Yug. A keen student of Vedic texts, Jai Singh built the Kalki temple right opposite the eastern entrance to the City Palace. One can enter the temple through a ceremonial archway that ascends as a ramp without steps in two easy gradients to the temple perched on a twenty-foot high plinth. Facing the temple in one corner is a fine white marble stature of a horse, said to be the white horse on which the God has been prophesized to arrive. The temple conforms to the typical style of the North Indian Temple Architecture *with the exception of the presence of two shikhars or temple tops instead of the usual one* [ahem, I wonder why?;-)]. Except for a caretaker priest appointed by the state government to keep it clean and tidy, the Kalki temple has a deserted look and is closed since it has been built waiting in silence for the birth of the Lord to whom it is devoted.

posted in Baha'i - 16 replies

is this good for so-call civilize nation?

zain khan — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 10:21:50 GMT

just i read about 2000 bahis of egypt . though i belong to minority community of india but we never face such bad treatment by government. please read following paste!

Satanic" Baha'is seeking recognition
An editorial in Egypt's Al Jazeera magazine (no relation to the well known News Agency) demonstrates a typical theocratic attitude in Egypt. The issue is the attempt by citizens of Egypt who adhere to the Baha'i Faith to have their religious affiliation listed on their government issued ID cards.
You see, Egypt requires all of its citizens to list their religion on their mandatory ID cards, and lying on those cards is a criminal offense. Trouble is, Egypt only allows a choice between three religions: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. This leaves Egypt's Baha'is in no man's land, because Egypt does not recognize their religion, so believers are forced to choose between one criminal act (lying) and another (refusing the card).

Baha'is have been fighting their government to be allowed to list their affiliation, but so far to no avail, and opinions such as that linked above are unfortunately a reflection of the majority view. As Egypt's theocratic thinkers see it, there simply are no other religions, so the issue is simply moot. Baha'is' seeking of recognition is viewed not only as fractious, but Satanic.

http://altreligion.about.com/b/a/257357.htm

posted in Baha'i - 3 replies

Peter Khan talks on Islam???

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 15:05:01 GMT

A Baha'i brother suggested that I listen to Peter Khan's talks on Islam, which he had listened to on cassette tapes at some point. I have searched the web and BDS and images international for them, but haven't found them. Anyone know of this set, or where I might find them? They are supposed to be a great tool for growing closer in knowledge and love to Mohammed:-) Thanks!

posted in Baha'i - 1 reply

Library Thing - Baha'i Group created

fj — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 18:52:04 GMT

Wanted to share with you all that there exists a new group on LibraryThing dedicated to The Baha'i Faith. If you're a book fiend like I am, please come check it out and join up!

http://www.librarything.com/groups/thebahaifaith

posted in Baha'i - 1 reply

Iranian girl to be executed for resisting rape

seb — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 06:14:58 GMT

"On January 3, 2006, 18-year-old Nazanin Mahabad Fatehi was sentenced to death for murder by court in Iran after she stabbed one of three men who attempted to rape her and her 16-year-old niece in a park in Karaj (a suburb of Tehran) in March 2005. She was seventeen at the time. Iran is signatory to international treaties which forbid them to execute any one under the age of 18; however they continue to do so."

Check out this website to sign the petition and see how you can get involved:

http://www.helpnazanin.com/

posted in Baha'i - 1 reply

media campaign against the Baha'is of Iran

Sat, 25 Nov 2006 03:01:21 GMT

I'm sure some of you heard about this happening last year. I was thinking about the false things said by a few people and maintained as fact on COR....it really troubled me because though I doubt they knew it, they are just joining in the false accusations thrown against Baha'is to scapegoat them and persecute them in so many ways. I think on COR it's just mistrust of any organized religion as well as ignorance as to facts, but that's just my own opinion. Anyway, just wanted to post a link to a summary of false accusations in Iranian newspapers in 2005 - hey, if false accusations are going to be posted, why not post from the "experts" themselves?

(sorry, guess I'm just feeling sad for the Iranian baha'is right now - I apologize if I sound mean-spirited.)

http://www.bahai.org/iranthreat/mediaattacks

posted in Baha'i - 3 replies

Law & Order to use Baha'i song - supposedly

twowings — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 06:50:30 GMT

We hear that a Baha'i song will be on TV, Tuesday evening, Nov 21 Law and Order.

The song "Prisoner (Take Me Home)" will be used in the opening sequence of "Law & Order - Criminal Intent" on the Tuesday November 21st episode. So mark your calendars and set your Tivo's everyone, because this is historical. In the 17 year history of the show, the Law & Order series has never opened the show with a song, until now!

posted in Baha'i - 2 replies

Christian article with Baha'i insights:-)

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 18:11:13 GMT

My-way-or-the-highway Christianity
Column: San Viejo's Journey
Larry Moffitt
ReligionAndSpirituality.com
November 14, 2006
"If this is not about salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ," the lay minister told me, "this conversation is over." It wasn't — and true to his word, I was very politely and unambiguously shown the door. I had come to talk about interfaith communication and cooperation, based on the foolish idea that since we all believe in the same God, we can therefore work together to fight those things we all recognize as evil.

I recounted the incident to one of my friends who is a devout and straight-arrow Evangelical Christian. She winced, but she also understood. "My-way-or-the-highway Christians," she said. "Sometimes we can be a bit entrenched."

One of the columnists on this website, Dr. George Gilmore, is a committed Christian in Alabama who has incorporated some of the noble principles of Buddhism into the practice of his faith. Over lunch recently, he told me the story of a Catholic Jesuit priest, Father Robert Kennedy, who augmented his Catholicism with training to become a Zen roshi. The Buddhist master who was his teacher told him, "I am not asking you to convert to Buddhism; I am asking you to empty yourself in imitation of your Lord Jesus Christ."

The Buddhist understood that Jesus brought himself to a zero-point before God so that he could do God's will without reservation or error — and he sought to emulate Jesus' example in his own life. Sounds pretty Christian to me.

There are undeniable differences between Christianity and Buddhism. For example, Buddhism doesn't have a messiah, specifically named as such, and Buddhism itself is more about ending human suffering than it is about God, pro or con. However, they do attempt a high ethical standard of conduct — the kind of life that, if strictly followed, would bring a person onto a path roughly parallel to the one Jesus walked. So whatever the gaps between the two beliefs, I doubt the differences are the kind that would ruffle Jesus' feathers should he meet Buddha on the road.

Despite my encounter with the lay minister, I see increasing tolerance between religions these days, including calls on the part of some theologians for greater pluralism between Catholics and Protestants.

But I often wonder whether God approves of our interactive efforts or whether God is frustrated in the other direction, thinking it's fine to all hold hands and sing "Kumbaya," but it's not nearly enough. I see very little action happening with what I would call true interfaith in the sense of religions dropping their barriers and melting together. Dr. Martin E. Marty, the noted theologian and professor emeritus at University of Chicago Divinity, has a broad perspective, but is still fiercely Lutheran, and cautions people not to think of him as being touchy-feelie "interfaithy."

Like Professor Marty, a great many of us happily mingle with the "unsaved" of other faiths. We readily attend interfaith gatherings on safe neutral ground, to meet, eat and retreat. But we generally aren't deeply interfaithy. We don't actually join each other's worldview. We don't share spit.

A friend in the Midwest who is a Mennonite, in a black-white interracial marriage, is a solidly spiritual Anabaptist, but not necessarily an institutional one. She reveres the purity and gentleness of her historic peace church, and the touch of Jesus on her shoulder when she prays — but not the narrow exclusivist perspective of many of her fellow Mennonites. She pays attention to the teachings of other Christian faiths, as well as Islam, Buddhism and Judaism. "I'm so ecumenical, I almost disappear," she says.

A number of writers here on ReligionAndSpirituality.com have expressed that they had to leave their congregation behind, as their search for God heated up.

A church is important as life-support for its members, and as a place to agree on our collective interpretation of God's direction. People are community-making beings, and churches are natural, organic creations. The problem is, a few hundred years down the road, there develops a tendency to view the church's traditions as God's inviolable law.

God's law changes as our capacity to understand it grows. Jesus preached no more eye-for-an-eye, but turn the other cheek. Love your enemies. And so on. He was trying to move people out of the age of strict judgment by Mosaic Law and into the age of forgiveness, more akin to a parent-child relationship of God and humanity. He even said there will come a time, when you are ready, that I can tell you a lot more than this — everything, in fact — and clear as a bell.

But big ships turn slowly, and churches and religious institutions have trouble keeping up when God's law evolves; which is why, ironically, it's always the men of God who murder the people God sends to teach us. If I were pastoring a church, touting the law before my flock as their spiritual leader, I would be constantly examining my understanding, and asking God for guidance with as fresh a mind and heart as I could muster. Always in my mind would be this cautionary thought: Jesus was killed by ministers. The prophets and saints were killed by ministers.

The world has always been a big mixed fruit salad of races, languages and ideas. The progressives among us make a big deal out of celebrating our diversity. And we might as well, given that we are, in fact, diverse. But I wonder — is that the ideal from God's view? Some say diversity was God's doing, messing with people's heads during the building of the Tower of Babel. Really? God wanted division and racism?! My intuition tells me Babel may have been more about people's arrogance and disunity rather than anything God did. That story has always seemed more like a parable to me.

If God (the real God, and not the triple-sixer beast of the Apocalypse) were to say tomorrow, I want everyone to marry outside their religion and I want all races and religions to merge into one — the immediate reply would be, "Okay, fine, but into which race and religion?"

If God answered that he wanted everyone to be white and join one of the big, wealthy fortress churches of West Houston — I would say, "Hey, piece o' cake. I can worship, play basketball and visit Starbucks without leaving the building."

But what if God said, in big writing in the sky, "No, no, no. The people I love are the unwashed, swarthy tribesmen of the Gobi Desert. I want you to marry your sons to their daughters, and I want you all to blend with them — and everyone with everyone, over and over and over again — so that all racism, genocide, and national arrogance will fade from the earth."

That would be a toughie.

Marry my son to a desert goat-herder's daughter? Would I obey God? I hope so. As the editor of a growing interfaith "big tent" of a website, I frequently think about where God is in the world and what he is doing, and I try to keep my heart available in case God does something unexpected (again). One of the exercises I put myself through is learning about other religious beliefs and cultures, with an eye toward finding in them aspects I can love and make my own.

Though I love my own religion, I work hard to try not to have a my-way-or-the-highway obstinacy about it. If the actual God said, "Let's everybody be Missouri Synod Lutherans," or "Let's all be Jews," or Muslims, or Italians or tall, elegant black people — I am happy as a donut with all that.

— — —
Larry Moffitt is the interfaithy editor of ReligionAndSpirituality.com. His email address is Editor@ReligionAndSpirituality.com.

posted in Baha'i - 0 replies

Hello All! I need Help!

AquaLuna — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 21:08:43 GMT

Allah-u-bhah!

For our up and coming Holy day,The birth of Baha'u'llah, the presentation will be on "knitting hearts together". I don't have Oceans, because i own a MAC. Can any one share a quote with me that is related to the theme. I'm make little keep sake cards for the event, and would love to share something beautiful with all the guess.

Thank You,
Arlena in Michigan

posted in Baha'i - 1 reply

new book by a Baha'i

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 18:58:34 GMT

Again, from iranian.com.

Through the desert
A message of religious tolerance

June 8, 2006
iranian.com

Excerpt from "Veiled Souls" by Katrin Kassiri & Reza Safarnejad (PublishAmerica 2006).

In 1976 Iran is a peaceful, prosperous and Westernized country. Katrin is an eight year old girl growing up in Northern Iran in a family who follows a minority religion known as the Bahai Religion. Katrin's seventeen year old sister, Nassrin, commits suicide when Katrin's father disapproves of Nassrin's relationship with Hossein who came from a Moslem family.

As the family works through their grief, Iran's political situation destabilizes when various political factions such as pro-democracy students and Islamic fundamentalists vie to overthrow the government through a violent revolution. The bloody revolution is followed by a full-scale with Iraq, as Iran's government cracks down on the civil rights of its citizens and openly discriminates against Bahais. Katrin who sees no future for herself in Iran decides to leave for the United States, but she has to brave a trip through the desert of Eastern Iran into Pakistan with the aid of human traffickers.

Her story in the United States is a personal account with a fresh view of an Iranian Bahai who is new to the Western culture as she struggles to find her place in life. There are more twists and turns when she falls in love with a Moslem man who is younger than her and his mother will not give her blessing to their marriage.

The main subject of this "Veiled Souls" is Katrin's emotional story with a message of religious tolerance. It is an allegorical tale for all who have ever lost control of their lives as a consequence of unforeseen events or prejudices of society. This book is very unique because it gives the readers a first hand and unbiased view of Iran's revolution, the Iran-Iraq war and the changes that took place in post-revolution Iran. It is also unique because this is the only known book written by a Bahai without the review and approval of the Bahai religious governing council.

Passage from beginning of the book:
I was cleaning the basement when I came across a shoebox full of old family photos; pictures of my parents, some of them taken before I was born. Looking through the pictures was like taking a trip into the past. I came across an old picture of my mother; so old that I do not remember ever seeing her that way. She was standing near an orange tree in a white dress, with a sweet smile on her face. I tried to picture her in my mind. The photograph did not resemble the woman I remembered. It must have been taken long before the tragedies of her life stole her smile. I remember her, always dressed in black, as if no other color existed for her, and the lines on her face bore the signs of her sufferings.

I put the picture in a frame in plain view to help me remember her from a kinder, gentler time of her life. Perhaps someday it would help me tell my children the story of where their parents and grandparents came from, to pass on the lessons of our lives onto my children. How would I tell them my story, when so much of it took place in a different world? A world that is completely unknown to them. It scares me to think that my children and I come from two different worlds. How can I bridge the gap between these two worlds? How can I make them understand? Then again, I think that all parents and their children come from different worlds; some separated by the physical distance of their cultures, others by the generation gap.

My parents came from a small village in northern Iran by the Caspian Sea where everything is lush green and beautiful unspoiled beaches are just a brisk walk away. This quiet and inconsequential farming village was where they grew up, fell in love and got married. My mother was only seventeen and two years younger than my father when they married, although they had a good reason to get married at such a young age. My mother was already pregnant with their first child and in such a small community this was about as scandalous as it could get. Having a child so soon into their marriage was not a problem for my parents because they both loved children. Naturally they did not stop after the first one. I was the last of eight children; four boys followed by four girls, as they reached for hormonal balance in the house.

My parents had a wonderful relationship. They used to play cards and joke around when they were together. My father had a government job administering basic health exams and vaccinating children in small towns that paid enough to make a modest living. Even though we could not afford most luxuries, it never bothered us. The economy had been growing rapidly in the last thirty years and the country’s standard of living was in line with most Western nations. My family moved to a town about a hundred miles away called Gonbad before I was born when my father received a well deserved promotion. Gonbad is made of a mix population of mostly Turkman, Mazandarani, Persian and Azari ethnics.

The Turkmans are descendants of Mongolian tribes. They would be considered Asian in America. The Persians look Middle Eastern by American standards and the Mazandarani are fair skinned and lite colored people, although the various races have been mixing for so many generations that it is impossible to find anyone of a single pure background. The Turkmans are mostly Sunni Moslems, while the Persians and Mazandaranis are mostly Shiite. A trip to Gonbad would leave a lasting impression on even the most unimaginative visitor, as the visions of men and women dressed in traditional Mongolian tribesmen clothing clashes with the machinery and glitter of modern day life in this thousand year old city.

Iran is one of the few countries in the world like the United States or Canada where people of all colors, ethnic and religious backgrounds live on the same street peacefully. This becomes an important issue to my story because my family follows a small and little known religion called the Bahai faith. The Bahai religion is not accepted by Moslems because Moslems believe Mohammad was the last prophet, while the Bahai faith was started by a man known as The Báb (The Gate) who promised a new prophet was to come about twelve hundred years after Mohammad.

Our home was a modest three bedroom with a large courtyard in the front that led to the street. The front courtyard was surrounded by tall brick walls with a metal gate that opened to the sidewalk outside. The yard’s ground was covered with white mosaic tiles and there was a small fountain pool at the center of the yard. Adjacent to each wall there was a flower garden.

Growing up in a Bahai family, I felt no different from other children my age. My earliest childhood memories are of playing with my sisters and friends. But my most vivid childhood memory is of a terrible night when I woke up to the sound of my mother screaming. It was still dark outside. I slipped out of bed rubbing my eyes and stumbled toward the door as I made my way through my room side stepping the toys on the floor. There were about a dozen men and women in our living room. Four women surrounded my mother who was sitting on the couch and sobbing out loud. I heard the words death and tragic over and over again as the men and women whispered to each other. I looked around the room for my sisters and my dad but I could not find them. Had something happened to my father? I felt confused and scared and I began to cry. So much had changed in the past year. We had lived in the same house as long as I could remember and life was just a comfortable childish routine for me, but then everything began to change.

By winter of 1976, my four brothers and my oldest sister had all left the house. Only the three youngest girls, Nassrin, Jacklyn and I were still living in the house. My youngest brother, Ghobaud, who had recently finished his military duty, was living with us temporarily until he found a job. Having Ghobaud in the house was both good and bad. My father was away most of the time on business trips. It was nice having a man in the house. It made me feel safe. At the same time Ghobaud was very strict with us, especially with my sister Nassrin who was seventeen and a high school senior. Like most Iranian teenagers in the seventies she wanted to freely date whomever she wished. I used to hear Ghobaud and Nassrin argue often about her makeup, whom she was with, and how late she came home. But to be completely honest, being a kid I was distracted easily by my friends playing outside and never paid much attention to their fights.

I was in the second grade and I envied Jacklyn who was four years older than me and sometimes got away with wearing make up. But of all my siblings, I loved Nassrin the most. She always looked out for me and bought me toys or ice cream when she had money. I used to watch Nassrin in the morning as she brushed her long straight brown hair and put on her makeup. She was beautiful. I wanted to be like her when I grew up. I tried to mimic her by brushing my hair with her brush and putting on her makeup. But I had curly hair and always ended up with knots in my hair and makeup ended up everywhere on my face except where it should go.

Nassrin had been spending less time with me since she started dating Hossein in early fall. I was jealous that Nassrin was not spending as much time with me as she used to, but I noticed how happy my mom was for the two of them. My mom invited Hossein over for dinner often and she always cooked something fancy when he came over. Through winter Nassrin and Hossein became closer and they were spending more and more time together. I asked my mother why they were always together. I did not quite understand the whole being in love thing, but I had heard enough love stories to accept it. I had seen them kiss, although they never kissed in public. But being the youngest child I could sometimes go unnoticed and see things others in the house did not.

"Veiled Souls" is available from amazon.com. Visit VeiledSouls.com

posted in Baha'i - 2 replies

supernatural

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 14:52:42 GMT

Again, taken from Planet Baha'i:-)

Printer-friendly version
Happy Halloween!

by Kathleen Lehman
Appeared: 10/27/2006
It was a wintry day in France during World War I. Loulie Albee Mathews and her companions stood at the window of a commandeered seventeenth-century château that was serving as an aid station. In the snowy road below there was a stalled car, and several soldiers were frantically working to fix a tire. Mathews’ group couldn’t figure out where they could be going, since the château was at the end of the road. The men among them decided to go and give the soldiers a hand since they were so obviously in need of help. So down the men trooped---

And returned to tell the rest that no one had been there!

No one was there. No car, no soldiers. No marks on the fresh snow. It was as though they’d seen--

--A ghost--

Loulie Albee Mathews tells this story in an early chapter of Not Every Sea Hath Pearls. She recounts the amazement of her group at the event: their astonishment, the otherworldly frisson that ran up everyone’s spine. Eventually one of the others suggested to her that she write to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and ask him about what might have happened. Accordingly, she began a letter, but it was not until after she had left France that she was able to send it and to receive a reply.

In it, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told her that they had actually seen what they had seen—it wasn’t an illusion or collective hallucination—but that the soldiers were dead, and had been taken from life so quickly that they were confused as to where they now were. Her group had, yes, actually seen a ghost. He instructed her to pray for the soldiers.

It’s fascinating that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had the same explanation for ghosts that is common throughout the world. Ghost stories are found in every culture. They abound near places where people have met sudden violent death. Many people hold that ghosts are the dead who don’t understand what has happened, or are trying to finish something important to them. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá agrees with this.

I find this particular story very interesting for two reasons. First, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá confirms that we can, indeed, “see ghosts”. Second, it is almost contradicted by other passages from his writings, such as:

O handmaid of God! The stars in the sky do not exert any spiritual influence on this world of dust; but all the members and parts of the universe are very strongly linked together in that limitless space, and this connection produceth a reciprocity of material effects. Outside the bounty of the Holy Spirit, whatsoever thou hearest as to the effect of trances, or the mediums' trumpets, conveying the singing voices of the dead, is imagination pure and simple. As to the bounty of the Holy Spirit, however, relate whatsoever thou wilt -- it cannot be overstated; believe, therefore, whatsoever thou hearest of this. But the persons referred to, the trumpet-people, are entirely shut out from this bounty and receive no portion thereof; their way is an illusion.
(‘Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 160-1)
The question was asked if it were possible to establish communication with the dead, and whether it was wise or advisable to attend seances or to engage in table-turning, spirit-rapping, etc.

The Master said these rappings, etc., were all material things, and of the body. What is needed is to rise above the material to the realms of the purely Spiritual. Table-turning and such like were material, a natural result, and not spiritual.
But it was possible to communicate with the dead through the condition of the character and the heart.
(‘Abdu'l-Bahá, ‘Abdu'l-Bahá in London, p. 72-3)

These statements, however, are contradictory only while we forget that the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries saw a great interest in spiritualism. In what was probably an effect of the coming of the Manifestation, many people became interested in “the occult” (the period generally identified with spiritualism is 1840-1920). It was the age that saw the beginning of Theosophism, the creation of the Golden Dawn (a magickal order), a revival of interest in astrology, and serious attempts to communicate with the dead via medium. Like any other fad, it attracted numerous quacks who preyed upon the gullible. The Fox sisters of New York were prominent among this group. At the séances of charlatans, knocks were heard, tables danced, and strange forms appeared in the air. Investigation eventually uncovered the means by which these tricks were played, and their perpetrators were discredited. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s 1912 audience, however, would certainly have been asking him about a current craze, and his answer is perfectly appropriate in context.

But ‘Abdu’l-Bahá also says that it is possible to communicate with the dead through the condition of the character and the heart. How many of us have had an experience somewhat like one I had when I was about eight years old?

I woke up in the middle of the night to see a woman standing at the foot of my bed. I wasn’t afraid of her, but after a time I began to realize that I didn’t “see” her in quite the same way as I saw the dresser, the quilt, or the pictures on the wall. When I realized that, she was gone. In the morning I told my mom what had happened, and she said that the woman I was describing sounded like my grandmother--my father’s mother, who died some years before I was born. Up to that time I hadn’t even seen a picture of her. From that time on I’ve felt close to my grandmother, even though I never “knew” her. Did I “see” Grandma? I don’t know. Perhaps I communicated with her in some way that my physical body interpreted as “sight”, although it was really something else--as I said, I realized at the time that I wasn’t really “seeing” her. I still remember the experience thirty-nine years later, though, so I suspect that something may have actually happened--although I’m not entirely sure what.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá stated categorically that we do have what are commonly called “psychic powers”: they are spiritual powers that will come to the fore in the Abhá Kingdom. Right now they’re like the eyes of the unborn child—they’ll be vastly important in the future, but right now we don’t have too much to do with them. He warns us against meddling with them:

While admitting the reality of "supernormal" psychic faculties He deprecates attempts to force their development prematurely. These faculties will unfold naturally when the right time comes, if we only follow the path of spiritual progress which the Prophets have traced for us. He says:--
To tamper with psychic forces while in this world interferes with the condition of the soul in the world to come. These forces are real, but, normally, are not active on this plane. The child in the womb has its eyes, ears, hands, feet, etc., but they are not in activity. The whole purpose of life in the material world is the coming forth into the world of Reality, where those forces will become active. They belong to that world. (from Miss Buckton's notes, revised by 'Abdu'l-Bahá).
(Dr. J.E. Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era, p. 193)

What 'Abdu'l-Bahá always pointed out in this matter is that these psychic powers were not to be used in this world, and that, indeed, it was dangerous to cultivate them here. They should be left dormant, and not exploited, even when we do so with the sincere belief we are helping others. We do not understand their nature and have no way of being sure of what is true and what is false in such matters.
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, March 4, 1946. Lights of Guidance, p. 513)

On the other hand, things do sometimes “leak through”. In Some Answered Questions, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá discusses the visions of prophets. Bahá’u’lláh speaks more elaborately:

As to thy question concerning the worlds of God. Know thou of a truth that the worlds of God are countless in their number, and infinite in their range. None can reckon or comprehend them except God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Consider thy state when asleep. Verily, I say, this phenomenon is the most mysterious of the signs of God amongst men, were they to ponder it in their hearts. Behold how the thing which thou hast seen in thy dream is, after a considerable lapse of time, fully realized. Had the world in which thou didst find thyself in thy dream been identical with the world in which thou livest, it would have been necessary for the event occurring in that dream to have transpired in this world at the very moment of its occurrence. Were it so, you yourself would have borne witness unto it. This being not the case, however, it must necessarily follow that the world in which thou livest is different and apart from that which thou hast experienced in thy dream. This latter world hath neither beginning nor end. It would be true if thou wert to contend that this same world is, as decreed by the All-Glorious and Almighty God, within thy proper self and is wrapped up within thee. It would equally be true to maintain that thy spirit, having transcended the limitations of sleep and having stripped itself of all earthly attachment, hath, by the act of God, been made to traverse a realm which lieth hidden in the innermost reality of this world. Verily I say, the creation of God embraceth worlds besides this world, and creatures apart from these creatures. In each of these worlds He hath ordained things which none can search except Himself, the All-Searching, the All-Wise. Do thou meditate on that which We have revealed unto thee, that thou mayest discover the purpose of God, thy Lord, and the Lord of all worlds. In these words the mysteries of Divine Wisdom have been treasured. We have refrained from dwelling upon this theme owing to the sorrow that hath encompassed Us from the actions of them that have been created through Our words, if ye be of them that will hearken unto Our Voice.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, LXXIX, p. 151-3)
In another passage that I can’t locate right now, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá uses the example of a mother who suddenly knows that her son is in danger, although he is many miles distant. (Is it in a pilgrim’s note?)

In her book, Loulie Albee Mathews described another incident when something “leaked through” to her. As someone who has received a few “leaks” herself, I find Loulie’s experiences both familiar and fascinating. I’ve always been comforted, too, by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s confirmation that this sort of thing does really happen from time to time, although it can be easy for us to clothe the happenings in imagination. Shoghi Effendi supplies the voice of reason in a letter written in 1942:

Regarding your question: In His chapter on “Visions and Communications with Spirits” in “Some Answered Questions” the Master evidently desires to point out that there can be, under certain rare circumstances, such as those experienced by the Prophets, communion with some soul gone before into the invisible world, but that most of this type of experience which people often claim to have with departed souls is nothing but the product of their own imaginations--however real it may seem to them to be.
We have no way of knowing historically, at present, whether the experience Saul had of Samuel was an actual spiritual intercourse. It is not the product of imagination, however, as the Bible unmistakably affirms it.

Truly mystical experiences based on reality are very rare, and we can readily see how dangerous it is for people to go groping about in the darkness of their imagination after the true thing. That is why, as you point out, we are warned against all psychical practices by the Master.

If we are going to have some deeply spiritual experience we can rest assured God will vouchsafe it to us without having to look for it.
(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, dated October 25, 1942, to an individual believer. Lights of Guidance, p. 514)

So—should you believe a good ghost story? Maybe!
Happy Halloween, everybody! Trick or treat!

posted in Baha'i - 1 reply

Do people ever look at you a little oddly?

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 14:45:10 GMT

I saw this verse from the Qur'an posted on Planet Baha'i and wanted to re-post it here - it helps me feel connected to the Manifestations, the most important thing, even if we are living in a time when their followers often view us as being misled:

Thou wilt recognise in their faces the beaming brightness of Bliss.
Their thirst will be slaked with Pure Wine sealed:
The seal thereof will be Musk: And for this let those aspire, who have aspirations:
With it will be (given) a mixture of Tasnim:
A spring, from (the waters) whereof drink those Nearest to Allah.
Those in sin used to laugh at those who believed,
And whenever they passed by them, used to wink at each other (in mockery);
And when they returned to their own people, they would return jesting;
And whenever they saw them, they would say, "Behold! These are the people truly astray!"

Surih 83 ("Tatfif") verses 25-32

posted in Baha'i - 0 replies

Happy, Glorious Anniversary Birth of the Bab!

twowings — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 07:39:25 GMT

I am the Primal Point from which have been generated
all created things . . . I am the Countenance of God Whose
splendor can never be obscured, the Light of God Whose
radiance can never fade . . . I am one of the sustaining
pillars of the Primal Word of God. Whosoever hath recognized
Me, hath known all that is true and right, and
hath attained all that is good and seemly.
-- The Bab

What a wonderful weekend, spent with family and friends! Told so many people we had begun the holiday season with this sacred day, it was fun. Slightly crisp, fall weekend. After a turkey dinner with all of the trimmings, a daughters from Japan and Corvallis home for once, we are canning apple butter from our orchard and our grandma's-in-law and smoking more fish. Watching movies in the evening on an old Aske projector connected to a dvd player so it can be blown-up, wide-screen, on the wall. A nice way to begin the cold season, that's for sure.

What did you all do and how do you spend the upcoming holidays?

posted in Baha'i - 0 replies

Re: sharing a devotional

Rana — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 07:45:34 GMT

this is in response to seb's toronto bahai post.

i think networking over this forum to encourage each other to host devotionals is a lovely idea. i realize how deep my separation is from God that i find it easier to talk about school shootings and school prayer w/ strangers online than w/ my own classmates.

lucky for me, i have a bahai classmate and we are going to host a weekly devotional b/t classes. also lucky for me, we go to hippie law school that has a community building hour and its mission is to provide education that is "just, sacred and sustainable"

my suggestion for those who are interested in having devotionals at their work, school, neighborhood and don't have a bahai nearby, reach out to another religious friend! i have a very nice muslim classmate and a devout jewish classmate who i hope to share prayers with. when hosting interfaith prayers, i think the focus should really be on sharing prayers and appreciating them all and not on teaching the bahai faith unless people specifically ask. which they most likely will!

here's the flyer
****************************************************

For us to be “just, sacred and sustainable”…

Interfaith Community Prayers and Devotions

Tuesdays
1:30 pm

Courtyard Garden
New College Law School
50 Fell Street

“Gather all people beneath the shadow of Thy bounty and cause them to unite in harmony, so that they may become as the rays of one sun, the waves of one ocean, and as the fruit of one tree… Thou art the Giver, the Merciful, the Omnipotent”
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha’

posted in Baha'i - 5 replies

Apologetics

chaz — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 02:07:30 GMT

"Apologetics is the branch of theology which seeks to defend a religion's tenets through reasoned argument. i
ssues in question that may be considered challenging"

How do you all address these issues?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bah%C3%A1%27%C3%AD_apologetics

Homosexuality and Bahá'í Faith

The Bahá'í Faith teaches that the only acceptable form of sexual expression is within marriage, and Bahá'í marriage is defined in the religion's texts as exclusively between one man and one woman.[1] Bahá'ís stress the importance of absolute chastity for any unmarried person,[2] and focus on personal restraint.

While in authoritative teachings homosexuality is described as a condition which an individual should control and overcome,[3] Bahá'ís are left to apply the teachings at their own discretion, and are discouraged from singling out homosexuality over other transgressions, such as the consumption of alcohol, or heterosexual promiscuity.[4] Membership in the Bahá'í community is therefore open to lesbian and gay adherents,[5] who are to be "advised and sympathized with"[6][7][8]

Bahá'í Faith and gender equality

Bahá'ís assert that gender equality is an incontrovertible reality of the human condition. However, certain practices seem to favor one gender over the other in education, inheritance, and membership on the Universal House of Justice.

Although men and women are equal in the Bahá'í Faith, this equality does not imply sameness. Men and women are seen as having different strength and abilities that enable them to better fill different roles. Thus there are certain teachings that give preference to men in some limited circumstances and some that give preference to women.

Bahá'í divisions

A survey of disputes in leadership, including individuals who have left or been expelled from the Bahá'í Faith due to disagreements with Bahá'í institutions.

Bábí/Bahá'í split

The Bahá'í Faith identifies itself as the fulfilment of the Bábí Faith. The separation of the two, beginning in 1863, was beleagued with conflict and murders.

Persecution of Bahá'ís

The persecution of Bahá'ís refers to the religious persecution of Bahá'ís in various countries, especially in Iran, the nation of origin of the Bahá'í Faith, Iran's largest religious minority and the location of one of the largest Bahá'í populations in the world.

Bahá'ís and various third party entities such as the United Nations, Amnesty International, the European Union, the United States and peer-reviewed academic literature have stated that the members of the Bahá'í community in Iran have been subjected to unwarranted arrests, false imprisonment, beatings, torture, unjustified executions, confiscation and destruction of property owned by individuals and the Bahá'í community, denial of employment, denial of government benefits, denial of civil rights and liberties, and denial of access to higher education.

Covenant-Breakers

Claimants challenging the widely accepted succession have been expelled as Covenant-Breakers, though such claimants likewise regard the others in the same way, and the followers of each are required to shun the other, according to the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá.

posted in Baha'i - 9 replies

Closer Investigation: Baha'i Outlook

QueenTiye — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 22:58:47 GMT

Reposted from Chaz's thread, which, for some reason, I cannot post in... :(

Chaz wrote:

"Fear of God: Elixer for the Shameless Masses

The cornerstone of Bahá'u'lláh's religion is fear of God. Fear of divine retribution is what keeps believers in line.
To Question is to Blaspheme. It is not for mere men to question the pronouncements of the Manifestations of God:

the "because-Bahá’u’lláh-said-so" school of thought.

The Foundation: Original Sin

The Bahá'í idea is not that Adam and Eve blew it for the rest of us, but rather that we are inadequate by design, and not just morally, but we are futhermore incapable of discerning right from wrong. Our only hope is to fear God, recognize Bahá'u'lláh, and obey him."

I'd like some evidence of these ideas. Who says so, and where do these ideas come from? Please quote any references that lend themselves to these ideas.

QT

posted in Baha'i - 3 replies

A Closer Look at Baha'i: A critical investigation

chaz — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 01:55:48 GMT

this discussion started in the Cross Roads of Religion tribe... many got upset with this post

it all started when others were comparing me to Baha'u'llah...

i didn't know why and i really hadn't heard about the Baha'i Religion ...so the discussion went on and i
wanted to find out more and the more i read the more it sounded like all the things i talk and believe in
and dream of...so then i wanted to find out perhaps how we differ

so i searched for all the negative and opposing views so that i might learn more about the faith and more about myself

So Anjali ask that i might post this thread here in order to have sincere disscusions

...here it goes don't get mad at me ;-)

Any belief system with 5 million followers that professes to be the preeminent, universal religion for all time
invites close scrutiny of its claims.

Opposing Views:

• Approval of owning, capturing and mistreatment of black slaves

• Exclusion of Women from UHJ

• Intolerance toward Homosexuality.

• Jihád and Martyrdom Warring (Holy Blood)

• Bahá'u'lláh was a polygynist, having had three wives.

Fear of God: Elixer for the Shameless Masses

The cornerstone of Bahá'u'lláh's religion is fear of God. Fear of divine retribution is what keeps believers in line.
To Question is to Blaspheme. It is not for mere men to question the pronouncements of the Manifestations of God:

the "because-Bahá’u’lláh-said-so" school of thought.

The Perfection of the Master?

`Abdu'l-Bahá is known by Bahá'ís to have been infallible, but there’s a growing awareness that some things `Abdu'l-Bahá said about science, history, and the future may have been incorrect.

The Foundation: Original Sin

The Bahá'í idea is not that Adam and Eve blew it for the rest of us, but rather that we are inadequate by design, and not just morally, but we are futhermore incapable of discerning right from wrong. Our only hope is to fear God, recognize Bahá'u'lláh, and obey him.

Covenant-Breakers:

Evil Contagion of the Bahá'ís In the Bahá'í Faith, the greatest, darkest evil is that of covenant breaking.
This most evil of acts, which may be perpretrated by Bahá'ís and Non-Bahá'ís alike, is defined best as a severe attack on the leadership of the Bahá'í community.

The remarkable characteristic of this great evil of evils is its contagiousness. Whereas the Christian Satan may be crafty and cunning, the Bahá'í Satan will get you by simply breathing into your ear. This can be a frightening prospect to Bahá'ís. It is quite effective in deterring them from communicating from people who have been branded covenant-breakers, but introduces a high price to be paid in fear.
Bahá'u'lláh and the Master in many places and very emphatically have told us to shun entirely all Covenant-breakers as they are afflicted with what we might try and define as a contagious spiritual disease ...

Reality as Revelation

The central premise and self-justification of many religions is that humans are spiritually blind. Once it is established that they are blind, it's only natural to hope for a guide who transcends human blindness.

This strategy is similar to that used by many advertising agencies, who leverage on human insecurities in an effort to sell a product.

THE KING OF GRIEF
Bahá'u'lláh's penchant for wrath & self-pity Bahá'u'lláh often called himself the "Wronged One".

An Unforseen Calamity-The Bahá'í Armageddon
many predictions of doom in the Bahá'í scriptures:

The Islamic Origins of the Bahá'í Principles
Were for purposes of proselytization.

Failures

• Century of Peace
o The New Era Edits: the Bahá'í authorities change the facts and cover their tracks.
o Response to a UHJ Memorandum regarding the New Era scandal.
• Leland Jensen: when visions fail
• Candles of Unity
• Emergence from Obscurity: the promise after 160 years.
• The Curse of Bahá'u'lláh: A critique of Shoghi Effendi's history of Bahá'u'lláh's temporal reign.
o Nasiru'd-Dín: a long reign despite Bahá'í assassins and curses.
• Native Americans: to lead the world spiritually?
• The Big Quake

posted in Baha'i - 17 replies

Is Baha'i anti-gay?

flaneuse — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 00:57:41 GMT

I've been chatting with some folks about Baha'i, and someone remarked the creed is anti-gay. Given that a lot of the appeal (and the way Baha'is "markets" itself) is that Baha'i supports equality between men and women, being anti-gay would seem an odd stance to take. I'll research this further, but wanted to ask about it here, too. Has anyone had direct experience with the teachings, writings, etc.?

posted in Baha'i - 14 replies

Is anyone from Toronto?!

seb — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 04:47:52 GMT

Hi I just moved to Toronto and I'm interested in making some new friends! Hahahah... Also I want to start having a devotional, anyone interested?

posted in Baha'i - 1 reply

school prayer

Rana — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 08:50:13 GMT

i am so horrified by this latest Amish school shooting. three school shootings this week! how is it that the two words "school" and "shooting" should even go together?

let us say prayers for our schools. they suffer so much in terms of the quality of the education, the lack of support for the teachers, the social pressures amongst the children and to top it off, this twisted presence of terrorism.

i don't see how we can even think about school shootings w/o thinking about school prayer. as if metal detectors, increased funding, school counselors, or new books is really the issue or the answer. is there any solution, save God? i'm asking this literally. is there any real way to address school violence as a society?

aside from prayer... i suppose we could outlaw guns, we could institute a single-payer national healthcare system that would gurantee everyone access to a psychiatrist, we could censor violent media. it seems like the reason people bring up the issue of school prayer is because even though it is hotly condemned in the name of separation of church and state, it is not as hotly condemned as the things i just mentioned.

so i suggest we pray for our schools. and if you go to a school, perhaps you might even pray in that school!

posted in Baha'i - 2 replies

Hello?

Thu, 26 Jan 2006 02:12:30 GMT

I just joined this tribe today - but it looks pretty quiet. Is anyone still active here? ~Anjali

posted in Baha'i - 10 replies

The POWER of Prayer -Especially when you don't want God looking at you

twowings — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 19:36:21 GMT

Recently we were having one of those times when the family gets together with the children who have all grown up and they shared how they used prayer as a way to get God to look at the misdeeds of the other child! It was too funny! When they were young and quarelling they would be sent to their rooms to "meditate on their misdeeds" and they couldn't come out until they had said nine Remover of Difficulties which they couldn't start counting until they were peaceful in heart. So, they could sit there and say the Remover of Difficulties 100 times however the nine wouldn't count until they said it with a peaceful heart. Will, one of them lit on the idea of saying the prayer for the other child who they felt was the one provoking the fight. "This one is for so and so, God, please help them with their temper" and then they would say the prayer. In our household you could not interrupt a prayer. So the other child would wait and then holler, "This one is for so and so God, please help them with their Rudeness" and say a longer prayer. This would go on, back and forth, until the children had quite satisfied themselves that God was thoroughly acquainted with all of the faults of the offending child. Then, with peaceful hearts, they could and would say their nine Remover of Difficulties and rejoin the rest of the family. We laughed soooo hard! My husband and I never knew how the children had come to peaceful hearts. In our rose colored vision we imagined them upstairs, chanting "Ya-Baha'ul'abha" until they became "peaceful'" at heart. LOL! Since then, when we become perturbed with one another we say, "And this one is for YOU! Is there any remover of difficulties..." to lighten the mood. What the children did, I think, was a very interesting and human response, "Look over there, God, not at me" (along with a variety of other things, including a call for justice). It seems that we don't want God looking at us when we are doing "wrong". Is this just my own observation of my ownself? Do more people do this as well? How do you get past it? At what point do you start praying again?

posted in Baha'i - 2 replies

Raised Baha'i, or converted?

flaneuse — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 23:01:56 GMT

Would love to hear some peoples' personal storiesjourneys, if some of you would care to share.

posted in Baha'i - 23 replies

Are you coming to the United Spiritual Gathering Council Fire?

twowings — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 22:30:21 GMT

Located at Neah Bay, Washington and hosted by the LSA of the Baha'is of the Makah Reservation. Make plans to come. This year's theme is Ruhi book 2, Arising to Serve. 3 days of speakers and fellowship. Bring your sleeping bag, groceries, a prayer book and a drum. Maybe a tent and a rain coat. :) See you there! It is free, unless you are Anjali and must fly over from the east coast. Pooor Anjali, we will think of you here, but then, you have Green Acres so you don't have it too rough!

http://www.makahbahai.org/council_fire.html

posted in Baha'i - 2 replies

Scripture library at your fingertips and BIC Statement library

twowings — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 00:08:08 GMT

I use the OCEAN software library to study from as well as get quotes from. It has the Scripture of all of the major religions as well as many commentaries used in religious studies. For those independently studying the Faith it is very helpful and for those further deepening themselves it is fantastic. The search engine is awesome and the author is pretty prompt about answering emails if you have a question or comment.

You can find th e download here: http://www.bahai-education.org/ocean/

Another really great site for the "Baha'i" take on something is the Baha'i International Community site, from where statements to the United Nations are dispatched. These papers can be sited in most research papers for universities: http://www.bic-un.bahai.org/

posted in Baha'i - 1 reply

related tribe

Rana — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 17:23:42 GMT

hi! i am the moderator of the bay area bahais. we are a very new tribe and just getting started. i don't know how to get related tribes on the sidebar, but if possible i'd like our tribe to be related to this tribe.
it looks like you have some nice activity going on here!

hope to talk to some of you more soon!
rana

posted in Baha'i - 2 replies

Learning about Baha'i

flaneuse — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 01:48:05 GMT

Another thread asked how we discovered the faith...well, here's a story: today I was going to go to the Khalil Gibran memorial garden here in Wash DC. Not for Gibran, but for the garden, because I'm an urbanist with a keen interest in public space. But I thought I'd better learn a little more about Gibran before I went--all I knew is that my parents had a copy of The Prophet in the house in the '70s--so I checked him out on Wikipedia, where I learned that he was interested in the Baha'i faith.

So I clicked on THAT, and found the Baha'i entry very intriguing, particularly the part about "accepting the validity of most of the worlds' religions", the 12 Social Principles, and that "Monasticism is forbidden, and Bahá'ís attempt to ground their spirituality in ordinary daily life. Performing useful work, for example, is not only required but considered a form of worship."

I am less enamoured of the talk about covenants and the fulfilling of prophesies.

In any case, I'd like to learn more, and will likely attend a local devotional gathering soon.

The question I'd like to ask is not HOW did you find out about the faith, but WHAT drew you to it?

posted in Baha'i - 4 replies

About Bahai.org

Wizard-Of-Air — Sun, 19 Feb 2006 23:06:24 GMT

I am very interested in this movement. I visited the website at Bahai.org and left a message requesting further contact. This has been a couple of weeks now and still no contact. I wonder if anyone here is active in Bahai in the Metro NYC area and would be willing to give me some interaction.

posted in Baha'i - 1 reply

Bahai's or anyone from portland, OR

Wed, 12 Oct 2005 22:28:50 GMT

there is a march for unity that starts in Beaverton this sunday
starting at 230pm and it is part of an intereligous thing that is goin on
anyone want the info and would like to join all types of diverse people
Bahai's , Christians, Muslims, Budhists, Hindus, Jews and all kinds, let me know and ill forward the info on to u

posted in Baha'i - 0 replies

interesting #2

Tue, 11 Oct 2005 07:57:56 GMT

I read this in the back of my Spiritual Strength for Men Prayer book.
i thought it was cool and i wanted to share it.

This book was compiled for use by men. However, it should be noted
that all Baha'i scriptures may be used by women, as well as by men.
The use of the masculine nouns and pronouns (e.g.,him,her) in the text
is an accident of language. English usage demands masculine forms, under certain circumstances, to represent both men and women. The phrase " a new race of men", for instance, is clearly intended to refer to all of humanity,
not just males. Similarly, other masculine forms should be understood to be universal in intent.
The singular pronoun in Persian is gender neutral. English has no equivalent to this, so the word must be translated to either "she" (when referring to a woman) or as "he"(for a man, or for both men and women).
Plural pronouns (they,them) are gender neutral in both languages.
Gender in Arabic is more complicated, but presents similar problems for
translation.

posted in Baha'i - 2 replies

interesting

Tue, 04 Oct 2005 06:17:09 GMT

I read this in a book recently written by a Professor.
I thought it was interesting.
The book is called "Choosing your destiny"
Author is Hushidar Hugh Motlagh, Ed.D.

"...Physchology limits the human horizan to the here and now; religion expands it to eternity and infinity. It shows the interconnection of all things-from subatomic particles to the greatest galaxies-for all time. The knowledge and love of God reveal a grand panorama of the future and a fervent hope for attaining it."

posted in Baha'i - 0 replies

Ruhi?

matt — Mon, 11 Apr 2005 08:22:52 GMT

So, how has the Ruhi experience been going for you? I am in book four, Twin Manifestations, and its going pretty good. Learning how to be a story teller. I want to be able to do that around a campfire, real good. I think that would be a good way to tell the historic stories of our faith.

What has your experience been with Ruhi? I used it in Belize, too, actually that is where I first took book 1, Reflections on the Life of the Spirit. I didn't really like it so much there. Had to do it all in one week and pretty strict, not a lot of fun. More fun when you can go through it slower and do the stuff on a slower basis. Atleast that is what i think.

posted in Baha'i - 1 reply

Searched for an hour to find the Bahai tribe!

matt — Mon, 11 Apr 2005 08:14:04 GMT

Whew! Had to search for an hour to find the Bahai tribe! It still doesn't come up easy on the search engine. Anyhow, Allah'u'abha!

posted in Baha'i - 1 reply

New Rumi book!

connie — Sun, 30 Jan 2005 00:46:00 GMT

Dear brothers and sisters, The Moth to the Flame, the complete life story of Sufi poet Rumi, is the inside story of how he became a poetic genius and illuminated teacher. Rumi's yearning for God is our yearning, his anguish, our anguish, his victory, our victory. In the tradition of Siddhartha or Last Temptation of Christ, this story is the mythic story of the human soul. It's available now on amazon.com.
Connie Zweig

posted in Baha'i - 1 reply

Allah'u'abha

mykgerard — Tue, 28 Oct 2003 18:28:32 GMT

Allah'u'abha all you lovers of the blessed Beauty!

posted in Baha'i - 6 replies

How did you discover the faith?

Trillian — Fri, 10 Sep 2004 03:23:13 GMT

Not much discussion going on! Let's fix that. If we met at a conference, it's likely we'd start with something like:
"How did YOU discover the faith? What was YOUR process like?"

posted in Baha'i - 7 replies

hello from the new guy

eric — Sat, 03 Apr 2004 03:27:26 GMT

i've just come into contact with the baha'i faith. it was mentioned in passing by someone in a class of mine and i decided to check it out. there was a book covering the basics of the religion at the library which was intersting. even more though, is that as "luck" would have it, i live a train ride and a nice walk away from the temple in willmette, il. of course it was incredible. it jumped out of the fog as i was walking down the shore of lake michigan, hoping i was headed in the right direction.
this faith seems like a good place for people of many different faiths to have a sober, compassionate discussion on God, spirituality, beliefs, you know, the good stuff. i, personally am an eastern orthodox christian, but enjoy seeing Truth in any ones honest search for unity with God. There seems to me that there is alot in common between our religions. i'd like to know more from people who are actually practicing. if i become a little more computer savvy sending some pictures of the temple would be a pleasure.
bye.

posted in Baha'i - 1 reply

Happy NAW RUZ (New Year)

Quddus — Thu, 18 Mar 2004 07:49:43 GMT

The sunrise at the equinox reminds us of life and human reality revivified. Reminds us that our thoughts are transformed and our intelligence quickened. It reminds us too that just as the solar sun is the cause of terrestrial life, the Sun of Truth rises to bestow eternal life .
This is the beginning of Spring!
I take this opportunity to convey to you my warmest greetings and best wishes on the occasion of Naw-Ruz (New Year).
I hope and pray that the new Bahá'í year may bring to you and yours every blessing and happiness, and the highest success in all your spiritual and material pursuits.
May the breezes of the Holy Spirit waft upon you, and your souls rejoice in your Lord. Thus shall you become eternal beings shining in the divine kingdom.

Wish you all a Joyous Naw Ruz! And all the best in 161 B.E.

posted in Baha'i - 0 replies

staying chaste

Quddus — Fri, 02 Jan 2004 14:51:23 GMT

Hey, i started a discussion in the Chastity tribe at

http://chastityalltheway.tribe.net

it would be cool if the Friends would contribute.

posted in Baha'i - 1 reply

New religion

Rebecca — Sun, 16 Nov 2003 16:53:18 GMT

Hi, from the start I want to say I am not out to convert people. But I have created a new religion and you might find some of its principles in synch with your religion. Please check it out, and even if you don't agree with it, please pass it on. It is hard for yahoo or other search engines to turn it up at the top of the keyword search list (even though I used different keywords) so I'm not getting any visitors. It's www.responsiblism.com Thank you so much in advance for at least looking. By the way, my best friend from high school is Ba'hai and I really like a lot of the principles in your religion. Keep up the good work in teaching people about it.

posted in Baha'i - 2 replies

Blazening His Name

craicbaby — Tue, 07 Oct 2003 20:04:58 GMT

What have your Clusters done with this? I know the Ft. Wayne Baha'is are trying to figure out how to reach more people AND be prepared for the influx of Seekers and wannabe delcarations.

Do you guys have study circles in your Cluster? Ruhi?

I'm just throwing stuff around to start topics and change ideas. =D

posted in Baha'i - 1 reply