Peace Bahai

TRUTH

2008-07-01T23:20:00.001-07:00

1. When two people meet, the prize always goes to the one with the most self-insight. He/she will be calmer, more confident, more at ease with the other.

2. Never permit the behavior of other people to tell you how to feel.

3. Pay little attention to what people say or do. Instead, try to see their innermost motive for speaking and acting. (Now, apply this very same rule to yourself and you become an enlightened person!)

4. Any friendship requiring the submission of your original nature and dignity to another person is all wrong.

5. Mystically speaking, there is no difference between you and another person. This is why we cannot hurt another without hurting ourselves, nor help another without helping ourselves.

6. When we are free of all unnecessary desires toward other people, we can never be deceived or hurt.

7. You take a giant step toward psychological maturity when you refuse to angrily defend yourself against unjust slander. For one thing, resistance disturbs your own peace of mind.

8. You understand others to the exact degree that you really understand yourself. Work for more self-knowledge.

9. Do not be afraid to fully experience everything that happens to you in your human relations, especially the pains and disappointments. Do this, and everything becomes clear at last.

10. The individual who really knows what it means to love has no anxiety when his love is unseen and rejected.

11. If you painfully lose a valuable friend, do not rush out at once for a replacement. Such action prevents you from examining your heartache and breaking free of it.

12. Do not be afraid to be a nobody in the social world. This is a deeper and richer truth than appears on the surface.

13. Every unpleasant experience with another person is an opportunity to see people as they are, not as we mistakenly idealize them. The more unpleasant the other person is, the more he can teach you.

14. You can be so wonderfully free from a sense of injury and injustice that you are surprised when you hear others complain of them.

15. We cannot recognize a virtue in another person that we do not possess in ourselves. It takes a truly loving and patient person to recognize those virtues in another.

16. Do not mistake desire for love. Desire leaves home in a frantic search for one gratification after another. Love is at home with itself.

17. There are parts of you that want the loving life and parts that do not. Place yourself on the side of your positive forces; do all you can to aid and encourage them.

18. You must stop living so timidly, from fixed fears of what others will think of you and of what you will think of yourself.

19. Do not contrive to be a loving person; work to be a real person. Being real is being loving.

20. The greatest love you could ever offer to another is to so transform your inner life that others are attracted to your genuine example of goodness.

Do not worry about anything.

2008-07-01T23:16:00.000-07:00

Do not worry about anything.

What you are not certain about, you will become more certain about as your time moves forward.

Convey the truth as you know it, be yourself, share what you feel, what you think.

It will change one day, but it may still be valid now.

Tune in to the person in front of you.

Be in the heart: it knows what to do and what to say.

No one knows -- and no one needs -- the whole story. They need the part, the chapter where they are at.

If you are uncertain, be in silence. Let Spirit choose. You do not have to offer a whole library.

Perhaps only a flower, a hand to hold, a few words carefully chosen.

When you are fulfilled, you are like a pitcher that can fill other glasses.

All you have to do is put in a little tilt. The glass has to be under there willingly, and then it is perfect.

So it is flowing, so it is honest, so it is real. If it is real, it will prevail.

Where it is more difficult and uncertain, perhaps it is a time to wait.

To get more familiar with the waters in that part of the ocean?

Pretty soon you will be swimming in the depths and you will look back on the time of wondering how, and you will understand that you moved right through those waters.

Let this time be like the bird preparing to fly out of the nest, soar through the skies and discover a bigger reality.

Once the bird takes flight, the wings take over. They know just what to do.

Think of it as the dormant angel in you.

Open the wings of your heart and discover how good it feels to let them take you places.

To take you into the glory of a New Morning!

2008-06-23T04:38:00.001-07:00

Ontario Legislature adds Baha’i text to set of new opening prayers

Toronto, Ontario, 19 June 2008 (CBNS) — In a move towards greater religious inclusivity, Ontario legislators voted late last week to supplement the daily recitation of the Lord’s Prayer in the Ontario Legislature with prayers from several other major religious traditions, including a Baha’i prayer.

The Ontario Legislature building, where new prayers will now be said. [Photo by wyliepoon]MPP’s voted unanimously 58-0 to retain the Lord’s Prayer but also to add a second prayer said in rotation. Other sacred texts selected for the new prayer list include: Baha’i, Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish, Sikh, and Native. As well, a non-denominational prayer blessing Queen Elizabeth and a moment of silence have also been added out of respect for those with other religious beliefs.

Premier Dalton McGuinty first raised the question of how to move the Ontario Legislature prayer practice “to a more inclusive approach that reflects 21st century Ontario” back in February. Since then, more than 20,000 Ontario residents wrote in, the vast majority wishing to retain the Lord’s Prayer and the practice of prayer in the Legislature, more generally.

An all-party committee, which spent months studying the issue and invited many groups, including the Baha’i Community of Canada, to submit feedback, eventually came to the multi-faith recommendation.

Within days of the change to the Ontario Legislature prayer practice, news coverage of the story was picked up by more than 100 Canadian newspapers and radio stations across the country, including articles in the National Post and Globe & Mail.

pilgrim progress

2008-05-27T00:09:00.000-07:00

Wendi's Wanders blog

25 May 2008 04:27 PM CDT
. . . although pilgrims upon earth we should travel the road of the heavenly kingdom’ `Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í writings
One hundred and ten years ago, in the summer of 1898, Phoebe Apperson Hearst - philanthropist, promoter of women’s education and founder of the National Congress of Mothers (a forerunner of the Parent Teacher Association) - became a Baha’i.

A few weeks later, on 22 September, a small group of Baha’is, invited by Mrs Hearst, set out on the first Bahá’í pilgrimage to be undertaken by westerners. Travelling via New York and Paris, the group of 15 arrived in the holy land on 10 December. They split themselves into three parties, using Cairo as a staging post, with each small party visiting the holy land for a few days.
It was a period of `firsts’ for the new religion. Not only was it the first pilgrimage of western Bahá’ís, but included in the first party was Robert Turner, Mrs Hearst’s butler and the first black person to become a Bahá’í anywhere in the world. On 31 January 1899, before the third party could make its pilgrimage, the remains of the Bab, forerunner to Bahá’u'lláh, arrived in the holy land for burial. Shortly afterwards the foundation stone for the Shrine of the Bab was laid by`Abdu’l-Bahá. And in the spring of 1899, on return home from her pilgrimage and inspired by what she learned there, May Bolles established the first Bahá’í group on the European continent, in Paris.
Today, following in the footsteps of Phoebe Hearst and her friends and co-workers, Bahá’í pilgrims converged on Haifa, across the bay from `Akka, to begin their pilgrimage. But this time there are more than 30 times the number there were 110 years ago. This time people come from every background imaginable - many from Iran and the United States, but also large numbers from Europe, Africa, Asia, the Pacific and the Americas. There are tiny children, including a newborn infant, and very elderly people. The pilgrim groups are divided on language lines - Persian, English, German, Russian. A Portuguese pilgrim wonders whether he should go with the English or the Persian group; the Mongolians go with the Russians. The Australians and Pacific Islanders are exhausted after their 24 hours of travelling but of course they came by air, not by sea as Mrs Hearst’s party did.
The first visit is to the environs of the Shrine of the Báb. When the first western pilgrims visited, there was no shrine - the remains of the Báb were yet to arrive. Not so long ago all the pilgrims were able to enter the Shrine together to say prayers - now there are so many pilgrims that the best that can be achieved is a circumambulation of the Shrine, with people squeezing into the Shrine afterwards to say their individual prayers.

Already one can see how inspired people are - the buzz at the lunch tables about the direct teaching of the Faith and the new Baha’is who have recently entered as a result is surely born of the same excitement and love of Bahá’u'lláh that prompted May Bolles to create a Bahá’í community in Paris.
Tomorrow we are off on the next leg of the journey - to Bahjí, where Bahá’u'lláh Himself is buried - and we meet the newly elected Universal House of Justice - something that was only a dream in 1898.

THE FACES OF THE BAHA'I WORLD

2008-05-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

HAIFA, Israel, 12 May 2008 (BWNS) -- Experiencing the diversity of the human family can be humbling, as Baha'is attending their recent international convention learned.

One can meet an industrialist from Italy, a civil engineer from Barbados, and a presidential advisor from South Africa - but realize that a 25-year-old student from South America is equally impressive with her knowledge of how to organize classes for children and youth.

Or discover that the Ph.D. who works with the international research agency speaks two languages, but the woman who owns a small business in Cameroon speaks five.

A thousand delegates from more than 150 countries came to Haifa for the 10th International Baha'i Convention, and at least some participants say the diversity was unprecedented.

Gregory C. Dahl, who formerly worked at the International Monetary Fund and has attended many U.N.-related meetings, had never seen anything like it.

"This is easily the most diverse gathering of people on the planet," he said of the convention. He compared it to a U.N. meeting but said the diversity at the Baha'i gathering came not just from the different nationalities but from the backgrounds of the participants.

"At the United Nations, there are representatives from many countries, but not from so many different social, economic, and professional classes," said Mr. Dahl, who attended the Baha'i convention as a delegate from Bulgaria. He noted that the others from Bulgaria included someone who works for a coal-mining company, another employed by an insurance company, a musician, and a secretary.

The purpose of the Baha'i convention, held every five years, is to elect the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Baha'i Faith. Delegates also consult about their experiences and concerns. The nine delegates from each nation are themselves the elected members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of their country.

Alan Smith of the Virgin Islands was attending his sixth International Baha'i Convention and said he noticed a difference this year.

"It's feeling far more international," he said, attributing the change not to additional countries but to more diverse groups of delegates from within each country.

Among the delegates from Russia, for example, were two ethnic Russians; one Russian with Estonian ancestry; two individuals of Buryat-Mongolian ethnicity from Eastern Siberia; a Tatar, whose family background is Muslim; an Osetin woman from the Caucasus; and an American-born man descended from Russian Jews who is married to a Russian and lives in Siberia.

From the United States came a federal judge, a psychologist, a medical doctor, a corporate retirement plan manager, and an administrator who works with health-care issues for Native Americans. Some are white, some are black, and one is American Indian of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Sicangu Lakota.

From Albania came a police officer, a lawyer, a teacher, a secretary, some from the northern part of the country, some from the south.

From Venezuela came "younger" and "older" - three of the delegates were 25 years old, and two were in their 60s or older.

Daniel Woodard, an engineering student from Caracas, said he realized at the convention that not only is the Baha'i community diverse but that it truly encompasses the whole world. He was even more heartened by the unified spirit, as Baha'is and others work together to create a better world.

"Despite the fact that there are now many of us, and we are so diverse, nobody is being left behind," he said of the people he saw. "We are so intertwined that as we move forward, if someone falters or has difficulties, they will be sustained and helped by the others."

More about the delegates to the International Baha'i Convention:

-- The oldest delegate, from Niger, was 82. The youngest was a woman from Belarus who turned 21 last August and was elected to her National Assembly in a by-election in November. (The minimum age for election is 21.)

-- Delegates came from almost everywhere, from Greenland in the north to Chile, Argentina, and New Zealand in the south; from Kiribati just west of the international date line, around the world to Samoa just east of the date line. Those remote islands were balanced by delegates from the world's great cities - London, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Buenos Aires.

-- Twelve delegates were 25 years old or younger.

-- English was the main language, and most participants apparently were comfortable with it because only about 320 participants requested earphones to listen to translation to Spanish, French, or Russian. (Convention organizers also noted that a small handful of people might not have been able to manage any of the four official languages and required one-on-one help with translation.)

-- More than 40 percent of the convention delegates were women.

NewsChannel 5.com - Nashville, Tennessee - Issues of Faith

2008-05-07T13:09:00.000-07:00

2008-05-05T09:29:00.001-07:00

Mona Heern tells her story of faith and persecution as a Bahai child in Iran at the Utah Valley National Day of Prayer Commemoration on Thursday, May 1, 2008.

City united by desire to believe

Janice Peterson -DAILY HERALD

People of all faiths gathered Thursday night to pray and learn about one another's faiths in the Provo Tabernacle for Utah Valley's National Day of Prayer celebration. The keynote speaker for the night was Mona Heern, who spoke of her experiences with religious intolerance in Iran.

"My family experienced a lot of persecution there, and it still continues," she said.
Heern grew up in the largest minority faith in Iran, Baha'i. The Baha'i were among the first people to be attacked in the 1979 revolution, and Heern was forced to leave school at the age of 8 because of her religion. The Baha'i were no longer allowed to attend school, teach school, hold positions of power or work in certain jobs. Instead, Heern said she attended secret underground schools taught by Baha'i teachers who were no longer allowed to work.
Heern said her father went to work one day and never came back. For seven months, the family searched from prison to prison to find him, and were only given visitation rights after 10 months. Even then, Baha'i families visiting their loved ones were forced to arrive at the prison once a month at 7 a.m. and wait until 4 p.m. for 10 minutes of visitation. One day, the family waited for hours to visit her father, and when it was their turn Heern's mother presented the visitation card to the guard.
"This man looked at the card and he just started laughing and laughing," Heern explained, saying she could never forget his laugh.
"Why didn't they tell you?" he asked. "We killed him a month ago."
After her father's death, Heern's mother sold all her jewelry to escape the country, fearing for the safety of her children. The family was smuggled into Pakistan in the middle of the night and spent years as refugees before moving on to Germany.
Despite all the struggles her family went through, Heern said she wanted to make the point that there are good people everywhere, including good people of other faiths who helped her family along the way.
Heern is now a teacher in Salt Lake City, and she said her students often ask if she wants to return home. Heern tells them that she could not be who she is if she were to return.
"I know, in this country, not a lot of people want to become teachers, but I remember sitting in Iran thinking, 'I want to be a teacher,' " she said.
Heern concluded with a Baha'i prayer for humanity and unity. She said she believes the message is important because there are many people in the world who do not have religious freedom, but it is time for different faiths to unite.
The world is becoming a global village, and people cannot close their eyes to other cultures anymore, she said. Heern said she believes her message is especially important to residents in Utah Valley, because many do not know who the Baha'i are or about much of the religious persecution in the world.
"To me, the root of prejudice is ignorance," she said.
The theme of the night was "From Tolerance to Love," which Chaplain Linda P. Walton of Utah Valley State College, chairwoman of the event, said implies that there must be more than just tolerance for other religions.
Walton said the National Day of Prayer is a time for all religions to come together in prayer, but she believes it is also a celebration of the Bill of Rights. Walton read the First Amendment to the audience, which includes freedom of religion, and copies of the Bill of Rights were handed out to attendees.
"We need to celebrate that we have the right to do religion or not to do religion," she said.
Walton said the day is one for citizens to be reminded of their freedoms and pray for those who provide it, such as government leaders and those in uniform.
The celebration included scripture readings from books of several faiths, music by the One Voice Children's Choir and the Utah Valley Handbell Choir, and prayers for the military and religious freedom.
Connie Giblon of Tooele said she attended the event because her daughter was in the handbell choir, but she believes the celebration is important for people of different faiths.
"Whatever religion you are, that's a time to come together and have our purpose be the same," she said.
Giblon said she thinks it is important for people of all faiths to get together and the day of prayer is important for a country that was founded on the basis of religious freedom.
The National Day of Prayer is a time for people to remember the problems in the world and pray for all people, she said.
"I think it's a good thing. I think there's too much emphasis on taking prayer out of people's lives."

2008-05-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

SYSTEMATIC TRAINING INITIATIVE SHOWING RESULTS, SAY CONVENTION DELEGATES
HAIFA, Israel, 2 May 2008 (BWNS) -- There is a new wind blowing in the Baha'i world.
That message came through loud and clear in three days of consultations at the 10th International Baha'i Convention.
Delegates from 153 countries described how a systematic, grassroots process of community-building -- focused on training, learning and service -- is creating a new dynamism in Baha'i communities worldwide and striking a chord in wider society.
On the convention floor and in the hallways, delegates talked about how the emphasis on service to humanity through four core activities - children's classes, devotional meetings, study circles, and programs for young teens - is starting to yield results in country after country.
In India, for example, more than 80,000 people have completed a study circle based on material from the Ruhi Institute in Colombia, and some 6,000 people have advanced to the seventh book in the same series of material.
As a consequence, said Nazneen Rowhani, a delegate from India, many people have become interested in the Baha'i Faith, and thousands have become Baha'is since last May.
"So India's challenge has been how to mobilize a substantial percentage of these new believers into the field of service," said Ms. Rowhani.
Reports from other countries described similar degrees of success at both energizing Baha'is and reaching out to others - all with the ultimate goal of addressing the ills that afflict humanity.
-- In Colombia, in an area known as Norte del Cauca, the number of people involved in core activities has risen dramatically since 2005, when a cyclical campaign to inspire more involvement was begun. Hundreds of young teens have participated in the junior youth empowerment program, and a thousand have attended devotional gatherings. There are about a hundred neighborhood children's classesAs a result of this increased activity, said Carmen Caldas Hernandez, the number of Baha'is has doubled.
"Our reflection gatherings have become like a party, like a feast, where we celebrate the achievements of the previous cycle," said Ms. Hernandez, describing the atmosphere at periodic Baha'i meetings to assess the progress of core activities.
-- In Kenya, since January 2005, the number of people who have completed Ruhi Book 7 in an area known as Tiriki West has risen sharply and the number in children's classes has reached more than 1,000.
-- In Brazil, an effort to reach out to young teens around Porto Alegre now has hundreds of participants. Such classes for "junior youth" do not teach the Baha'i Faith but rather focus on improving literacy and thinking and articulation skills, and encouraging better moral choices - all designed to "empower" young people.
The classes have been so successful, said Katherine Monajjem, a delegate from Brazil, that some local public school officials have embraced them as a model. "One school supervisor was so impressed that, although she is a Baptist, she asked that her young son be trained in the program," said Ms. Monajjem.
Such reports were echoed, often on a smaller scale, by delegates from countries where Baha'i communites have also begun more intensive outreach efforts.
"What we're seeing are the fruits of a worldwide education process that is trying to empower the Baha'i community with the skills that it needs to enrich their own community and also carry the message of Baha'u'llah to others," said Joan Lincoln, a Counsellor at the International Teaching Centre at the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa. She is involved in monitoring many of these efforts.
"What Baha'i children's classes have to offer is character development," she said. "What junior youth programs have to offer is assistance to young people trying to find their place in a very chaotic world."
The situation in the world at large was very much on the minds of the some 1,000 delegates at the convention. In addition to the mechanics of systematized study and outreach, delegates discussed wider topics relating to the deteriorating social conditions in the world, from the crisis in moral education to the impact of HIV/AIDs in Africa.
In particular, many delegates responded passionately to a letter from the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Baha'i Faith, that discussed the new dynamism in Baha'i communities worldwide and said its impact on wider society will only come to the degree that Baha'is live lives of high morality and "champion the cause of justice."
"Sustaining growth ... will depend on the qualities that distinguish your service to the peoples of the world," said the message, released as part of the Festival of Ridvan observed by Baha'is at this time every year.
"So free must be your thoughts and actions of any trace of prejudice - racial, religious, economic, national, tribal, class, or cultural - that even the stranger sees in you loving friends.
"So high must be your standard of excellence and so pure and chaste your lives that the moral influence you exert penetrates the consciousness of the wider community," said the message.
Muin Afnan, a delegate from the United States, like others, observed that the essential teachings of the Baha'i Faith emphasize the importance of service to humanity at large.
"When we look at the life of 'Abdu'l-Baha, we see that service meant serving the poor and people of all classes, all ranks," said Dr. Afnani. "The core activities of the plan are really bringing us back to a focus on serving the people."
Gregory Dahl, a delegate from Bulgaria, explained that the new emphasis on a few core activities, along with a systematic process of learning and reflection, is indeed aimed at building up the Baha'i community's capacity for such service.
"The whole orientation of the Baha'i Faith is service to humankind, and we can do that better if we can do that systematically," said Mr. Dahl.

THE INTERNATIONAL BAHAI CONVENTION A PLACE WHERE NONE EXIST EXCEPT LOVE AND UNITY

2008-04-29T07:18:00.000-07:00

BAHA'IS ELECT UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

HAIFA Israel, 30 April 2008 (BWNS) --

The results of the election of the nine members of the Universal House of Justice, the governing body of the Baha'i Faith, have been announced.
Delegates to the Tenth International Baha'i Convention cast ballots yesterday for membership in the council that serves as the head of the religion.
Those elected are Farzam Arbab, Kiser Barnes, Peter Khan, Hooper Dunbar, Firaydoun Javaheri, Paul Lample, Payman Mohajer, Shahriar Razavi, and Gustavo Correa.
Members are elected for five-year terms.
The Universal House of Justice has its permanent seat at the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa, Israel. Membership requires residence in Haifa.
Any Baha'i male age 21 and over is eligible for election. Both women and men are eligible for election or appointment to all other Baha'i institutions.
In His teachings, Baha'u'llah provided for the elected institution of the Universal House of Justice, which gives a continuing source of divine authority to guide the worldwide Baha'i community and to legislate on matters not spelled out in the Baha'i sacred writings.
The delegates that voted in the election are themselves members of national Baha'i governing bodies from around the world. They were chosen in earlier elections in their own countries.
The Baha'i Faith, which has more than 5 million followers, is established in almost every nation.
The members of the Universal House of Justice are, from left to right, Farzam Arbab, Kiser Barnes, Peter Khan, Hooper Dunbar, Firaydoun Javaheri, Paul Lample, Payman Mohajer, Shahriar Razavi, and Gustavo Correa. They were elected by delegates to the 10th International Bahai Convention in Haifa. Election results were announced on 30 April.
To view the photos and additional features click here:http://news.bahai.org
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BAHA'IS ELECT UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
HAIFA, Israel, 30 April 2008 (BWNS) -- The results of the election of the nine members of the Universal House of Justice, the governing body of the Baha'i Faith, have been announced.
Delegates to the Tenth International Baha'i Convention cast ballots yesterday for membership in the council that serves as the head of the religion.
Those elected are Farzam Arbab, Kiser Barnes, Peter Khan, Hooper Dunbar, Firaydoun Javaheri, Paul Lample, Payman Mohajer, Shahriar Razavi, and Gustavo Correa.
Members are elected for five-year terms.
The Universal House of Justice has its permanent seat at the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa, Israel. Membership requires residence in Haifa.
Any Baha'i male age 21 and over is eligible for election. Both women and men are eligible for election or appointment to all other Baha'i institutions.
In His teachings, Baha'u'llah provided for the elected institution of the Universal House of Justice, which gives a continuing source of divine authority to guide the worldwide Baha'i community and to legislate on matters not spelled out in the Baha'i sacred writings.
The delegates that voted in the election are themselves members of national Baha'i governing bodies from around the world. They were chosen in earlier elections in their own countries.
The Baha'i Faith, which has more than 5 million followers, is established in almost every nation.
The members of the Universal House of Justice are, from left to right, Farzam Arbab, Kiser Barnes, Peter Khan, Hooper Dunbar, Firaydoun Javaheri, Paul Lample, Payman Mohajer, Shahriar Razavi, and Gustavo Correa. They were elected by delegates to the 10th International Bahai Convention in Haifa. Election results were announced on 30 April.
To view the photos and additional features click here:http://news.bahai.org/
--2-sw-080430-1-08CONVENTION-629-S

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BAHA'IS CELEBRATE MOST IMPORTANT FESTIVAL AT MOST HOLY SITE
ACRE, Israel, 30 April 2008 (BWNS) --
Followers of Baha'u'llah from more than 150 countries gathered yesterday at what for them is the holiest spot on earth - the tomb of Baha'u'llah - to celebrate Ridvan, their most important festival.
This year's celebration at Bahji, outside Acre in northern Israel, was special because it came during the 10th International Baha'i Convention, currently under way in nearby Haifa.
A thousand delegates from around the world - a true representation of the global community of five million Baha'is - joined with nearly a thousand other Baha'is for a program of prayers and readings and to circumambulate together the Shrine of Baha'u'llah.
With 2,000 people in attendance, the stream of Baha'is making their way through the beautiful gardens of Bahji stretched more than half a kilometer as they walked together around the sacred tomb, where in 1892 the earthly remains of Baha'u'llah were laid to rest.
The nine members of the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Baha'i Faith, led the procession. Many of the convention delegates came in distinctive native dress, highlighting the diversity and international character of the Baha'i community.
Gerda Haug, a delegate from Germany who was participating in such an event for the first time, said circumambulating the Shrine of Baha'u'llah with Baha'is from around the world was a memorable experience.
"It was a symbol to me," she said, "not just something spiritual but more than that: We were all walking together in one direction, devoted to what Baha'u'llah taught, guided by the Universal House of Justice - it was a great moment."
Ridvan - Arabic for "paradise" - is a 12-day festival commemorating the 12 days in 1863 that Baha'u'llah spent in the Garden of Ridvan in Baghdad. It was during that period that He announced publicly for the first time that He was God's Messenger for this age, the latest in a line of divine teachers that includes Jesus, Mohammad, Buddha, Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, and others.
The Festival of Ridvan goes from 21 April to 2 May, and the first, ninth, and 12th days of the period are marked as specific holy days. Yesterday's commemoration was for the ninth day of Ridvan.
To view the photos and additional features click here:http://news.bahai.org
--29-sw-080430-1-08CONVENTION-628-S
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IN A GLOBAL PROCESSION, BALLOTS ARE CAST FOR THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

HAIFA, Israel, 29 April 2008 (BWNS) --

In a ceremony that combined spiritual dignity with global diversity, a thousand Baha'cs from 153 countries cast ballots today in an election to choose the nine members of the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Baha'i Faith.
For nearly three hours, delegates to the 10th International Baha'i Convention filed decorously, one by one, onto a majestically adorned stage, each dropping a ballot into a simple wooden box.
The votes will be tallied overnight and the results announced here tomorrow.
The event was a study in globalism, a hallmark of the Baha'i Faith, which has some five million followers and is established in virtually every nation.
Delegates were called by name, in alphabetical order by country. Many proudly wore traditional or native dress, an acknowledgment of their belief in the concept of unity in diversity.
The result was colorful and joyous, as women in bright ethnic dresses or simple pantsuits mixed with men in Western business suits or gaily decorated tribal costumes.
The balloting process began with prayers, followed by brief remarks from Penny Walker, chairman of the convention.
"We gather together here with hearts full of excitement at the achievements of the Baha'i world in the last year, and with hearts full of gratitude to Baha'u'llah for making it possible that this extraordinary assembly of His followers, from every corner of the earth, could come together in the Holy Land, to elect the Universal House of Justice, the supreme body of our Faith," said Dr. Walker.
Dr. Walker, who holds the position of International Counsellor in the Baha'i Faith, outlined the voting procedure, in which the delegates write down the names of nine men they feel are most qualified to serve on the Universal House of Justice.
"As you know, the Baha'i electoral process is finally spiritual in character, a unique feature of our divinely ordained administration," she said. "Let us remember the words of Shoghi Effendi, which urged us to approach this task of election with selflessness and detachment, ... 'with a purity of motive, a freedom of spirit and a sanctity of heart.'"
The delegates to the convention are the members of the Baha'i National Spiritual Assemblies of the world, who were themselves elected by delegates chosen at the grassroots level in their own countries. Thus virtually every adult Baha'i in the world had the opportunity to participate in the election of their supreme body, an event that occurs every five years.
About 500 of the 1494 delegates could not be present for voting, for personal or other reasons. Those who could not attend sent ballots by mail, and there were numerous pauses in the procession as tellers brought forward absentee ballots, removed an identifying outer envelope, and dropped the inner contents into the ballot box.
In the case of Iran, where 300,000 Baha'is face intense persecution and Baha'i administration has been outlawed, the absence of delegates was noted by the placement of 95 red roses at the front of the stage and the reading of a message from Iranian Baha'is.
"Even though circumstances deprive us of the bounty of attending this luminous gathering, we are nonetheless with you in spirit, and present to you this bouquet of flowers as a token of our love and affection," the message said.
The nature of Baha'i elections
Today's balloting reflected a unique election process that emphasizes qualifications over promises, and inclusiveness over money or other barriers to office.
There are no parties or platforms, all forms of campaigning are strictly avoided, and no nominations are made. Rather, after prayer and reflection, each delegate simply writes down the names of nine individuals who he or she feels are best qualified to serve.
These instructions are followed in all Baha'i elections, guided by the statement in the Baha'i writings that electors should vote for people who posses qualities "of selfless devotion, of a well-trained mind, of recognized ability and mature experience."
At the local and national levels, any adult Baha'i is eligible for election. For the Universal House of Justice, any adult male Baha'i from anywhere in the world is eligible for election. Membership is limited to men because of a specific stipulation in the Baha'i sacred writings, the wisdom of which will become clear in the future.
While some observers have asked how it is possible to manage an election without parties, campaigning or nominations, Baha'is believe their system helps protect against divisiveness and such things as vote-mongering, campaign debts, or factionalism.
"Because there is no nomination process -- there are no 'candidates' per se -- and therefore no campaign," said Susanne Tamas, a delegate from Canada.
"As a result, there is no opportunity for individuals to be encouraging others to vote for them, whether by magnifying their own qualities or finding fault with other candidates.
"Underlying this whole process is reliance on prayer and efforts of the delegates to keep themselves informed of the activities of the Baha'i community worldwide," she said.
Ballot integrity
During the voting, a number of procedures were taken to ensure the integrity of the balloting process - some of which were visible and others less so.
Foremost, the current Universal House of Justice was seated as a body, front and center, as obvious observers to the process.
Then, as vote casting began, the ballot box was tipped towards the assembled delegates, to show that it was empty. And when the voting was completed, it was sealed with tape bearing the signature of the chief teller, Thelma Khalghati, a delegate from Guinea.
Ms. Khelghati was assisted by three other tellers on stage, who carefully checked voters and absentee ballots against a master list of delegates and observed to be sure that ballots were carefully placed in the box.
There were 19 tellers plus the chief head teller and an assistant, and the names of all were announced. They had been selected by the Universal House of Justice, receiving notification of their role upon arrival in Haifa.
"The tellers come from all parts of the world, from different backgrounds, so they are there to witness and vouch for the process," said Baharieh Rouhani Ma'ani, the ballot officer for the convention.
This year, delegates from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Guinea, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Taiwan, Turkey, Uganda, the United Kingdom, the United States, Vanuatu, and Zambia were selected as tellers.
The tellers will be sequestered in a counting room at the Seat of the Universal House of Justice until the ballots are counted and cross-checked, a process that in some past years has taken well beyond midnight.
"The electoral process actually began last year, with the election of the National Spiritual Assemblies, ... when the process of verifying those names began," said Ms. Ma'ani. Members of those national councils serve as delegates to the International Convention.
"Then, when the ballots come in by mail, every name is checked against a database to be sure that the person sending the ballot is indeed a member of the National Spiritual Assembly," she said.
The ballots themselves are sheets of paper printed with blank rectangular fields for nine names (and another field for the country or other identifying term as may be needed). The ballots are perforated between each name, and once in the counting room, the tellers separate each ballot into nine strips, yielding more than 13,000 individual votes.
The tellers work in teams of two, said Ms. Ma'ani, under the supervision of the head tellers, cross checking and then sorting the paper strips into a series of alphabetized boxes to complete the tally.
"The process is completely manual," said Ms. Ma'ani. "There is no doubt."
No one leaves until the counting is done. Meals, as necessary, are brought in once the ballot box is unsealed. When finished, the tellers all sign the results and they are presented to the Universal House of Justice for approval.
To view the photos and additional features click here:http://news.bahai.org/
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CONVENTION DELEGATES PRAY AT HOLY PLACES

ACRE, Israel, 28 April 2008 (BWNS) --

Less than a kilometer outside thisfortified medieval city in northern Israel is a whitewashed mansion,
surrounded by elaborate gardens, known as Bahji.
For Baha'is, it is the holiest place on earth.
Beneath one of the buildings in the garden, the earthly remains ofBaha'u'llah were laid to rest in 1892 - and today that
structure is known as the Shrine of Baha'u'llah.
It is understandable, then, that delegates arriving from 153 countries forthe 10th International Baha'i Convention are
streaming to Bahji as part of the process to prepare themselves fortomorrow's election of the Universal House of Justice,
the supreme governing body of the Baha'i Faith.
"We came out Saturday night, on the last bus, at 11 p.m." said BahiaEttehadieh, 53, a delegate from Austria, "and it was
amazing to see so many friends still here at midnight.
"They had come from the remotest places on earth, and many had beentraveling for 24 hours or more, very tired, but they were
so full of spirit and happiness," she said.
The Baha'i writings offer explicit instructions about how Baha'i electionsare to be conducted - and the first and foremost
prerequisite is that they be held in an atmosphere of prayer and reflection.
The 1,000 some delegates gathered here followed those instructions byvisiting not only Bahji but many of the other Baha'i
holy sites in the Acre-Haifa area in northern Israel.
Dashan Fox of the Bahamas visited the House of Abbud in Acre Sunday morning.It was there, in 1873, that Baha'u'llah revealed
the Kitab-i-Aqdas, "the Most Holy Book," which outlines the main principlesand laws of the Baha'i Faith.
"Ultimately, what Baha'is get out of the experience of going to these holyplaces is a centering," said Mr. Fox, a young
civil engineer who like other delegates is a member of the NationalSpiritual Assembly of the Baha'is in his home nation.
"We all take away a little of that experience into the election process. Itreminds us of the sacrifice others have gone
through for the Faith," he said.
Polin Rafat of Norway was deeply moved after visiting the prison cell inAcre where Baha'u'llah was incarcerated for two
years after His arrival in the holy land in 1868.
"Baha'u'llah suffered in that cell so that we could stand here today in thisbeauty and prepare to elect the House of
Justice," said Ms. Rafat, referring to the beauty of the gardens at Bahjiand elsewhere in the Acre-Haifa area that Baha'is
have since adorned their holy places with.
For some of the delegates, it was their first time in the holy land - andthey were overwhelmed.
"I was in seventh heaven," Agim Kotoni, 56, of Albania, said after his visitto Bahji. "I was looking so much forward to
seeing something like this, and Baha'u'llah has fulfilled my wish."
For Mr. Kotoni and others, an added feature of the experience was visitingthe shrines and holy places in the presence such a
diversity of Baha'is from all parts of the world.
"The Baha'is in my city, it is like we are a family," said Mr. Kotoni, whois a police officer in Kabaja. "But now, here, I
see that we are also a single family all over the world.
"Everyone you meet, it is not like I am meeting them for the first time -it's like I have known them for years," he said.
"They offer so much love and respect and spirituality. I am uplifted andfull of emotions."
Hilda Abelinti, 41, of Suriname, was likewise struck by the sense ofcommunity she felt with other Baha'is from around the
globe.
"Every time I meet a new person, I believe more what Baha'u'llah says - thatwe are 'one people,'" she said.
"Everyone may speak a different language, but we all believe the same thing- we try to do what Baha'u'llah teaches - to live
in unity and respect."
To view the photos and additional features click here:http://news.bahai.org/
--2-sw-080428-1-08CONVENTION-626-S
------------------------------------------------------------Advance release: Please check our website for the final version of thisarticle.------------------------------------------------------------Copyright 2008 by the Baha'i World News Service. All stories and photographsproduced by the Baha'i World News Service may be freely reprinted,re-emailed, re-posted to the World Wide Web and otherwise reproduced by anyindividual or organization as long as they are attributed to the Baha'iWorld News Service. For more information, visit http://news.bahai.org/.------------------------------------------------------------If you have questions about this list or wish to unsubscribe, contactsubscribe@bahai.org

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DELEGATES ARRIVE IN HAIFA FOR INTERNATIONAL BAHA I CONVENTION

HAIFA, Israel, 27 April 2008 (BWNS) -
- A thousand delegates from 153countries have arrived from the southern tip of Africa, to Siberia, to theAmericas, to remote Pacific islands to participate in the 10thInternational Bah Convention.
On Tuesday, 29 April, they will gather to elect the nine members of theUniversal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Bah Faith, a task that delegates view as both a sacred duty and a supremeprivilege.
I ve been preparing myself since November, when I got the ballot, saidBakary Bojang, 31, a delegate from Gambia. I give praise that I have theopportunity and the health to be here.
The convention, held every five years, runs from 29 April to 2 May at theHaifa International Convention Center. In addition to the election, it willinclude consultation on issues and concerns facing the worldwide Baha icommunity.
The delegates are all members of the National Spiritual Assembly of theBaha is of their countries, elected councils that oversee Baha i activity ina particular jurisdiction. The balloting process to elect the UniversalHouse of Justice is unlike any other election system in the world.
There are no nominations and no campaigning, said Erica Toussaint, 61, adelegate from the United States. Rather, each elector writes down the namesof nine people they feel are the most qualified to serve.
The process is free from the constraints that I ve seen in other electoralprocesses around the world, which for me makes it very profound and moving, she said.
Preparing for the four-day convention presented a number of logisticalhurdles, said Anja Nicke, project manager of the International ConventionOffice.
One of the biggest challenges was just communications with NationalSpiritual Assemblies, said Ms. Nicke, 35, who was a schoolteacher beforecoming to the Bah World Centre as a volunteer in September 2004.
For us, it is a simple matter to send an e-mail or make a telephone call, she said. But some National Assemblies are in countries that are torn bywar or poverty, and such types of communications are not always so easy.
In one case, she said, a National Assembly was out of contact for two weeksbecause someone had stolen the wires that connected them to the Internet andtelephone system.
For delegates, the importance of prayer was foremost in their minds as theydiscussed how they would prepare themselves for voting.
We have many things to pray for, said Francis Reimers, 65, from theMarshall Islands, explaining the process by which he decides who to votefor. I come and I mix with people and I pray about who I am going to votefor and I try to reflect on the people I know.
The Baha i writings say that in all Bah elections, which take placeannually at the local and national levels and every five yearsinternationally, the emphasis is on choosing individuals with qualities ofselfless devotion, of a well-trained mind, of recognized ability and matureexperience.
Thelma Khelghati, a delegate from Guinea, said Bah elections differ fromtraditional electoral systems where aggressive, ambitious individuals withinfluence and financial means, or at least the ability to mobilize financialmeans, end up being the ones we elect.
Rather, she said, Bah elections are a spiritual process where thedelegates or voters reflect on the demonstrated qualities and experience ofall whom they know, and then vote for those whom they feel best combine theneeded qualities for a given post.
Lise Raben, a delegate from Denmark who has participated in fiveinternational Baha i conventions, said the entire process is a greatexperience. The feeling of unity is very strong when you see hundreds ofpeople gathered to elect our supreme institution that governs the Bah world. The feeling of love and unity makes an International Convention veryspecial and absolutely different from political elections, where thedifferent candidates often try to exhibit their opposites in a bad light.
The Universal House of Justice has its permanent seat on Mount Carmel inHaifa. Situated in the Akka/Haifa area are many holy sites of the Baha iFaith, including its holiest, the burial place of Baha u llah, the founderof the religion.
The Universal House of Justice is the international governing council of theBah Faith. It guides the worldwide Bah community in its development and inits response to changing world conditions.
To view the photos and additional features click here:http://news.bahai.org
--22-sw-080427-1-08CONVENTION-624-S
------------------------------------------------------------Advance release: Please check our website for the final version of thisarticle.------------------------------------------------------------Copyright 2008 by the Baha'i World News Service. All stories and photographsproduced by the Baha'i World News Service may be freely reprinted,re-emailed, re-posted to the World Wide Web and otherwise reproduced by anyindividual or organization as long as they are attributed to the Baha'iWorld News Service. For more information, visit http://news.bahai.org/.------------------------------------------------------------If you have questions about this list or wish to unsubscribe, contactsubscribe@bahai.org

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LEAVING AFTER MANY YEARS OF SERVICE IN THE HOLY LAND
HAIFA, Israel, 23 April 2008 (BWNS) --
Two members of the Universal House ofJustice, the international governing body of the Baha'i Faith, are leavingafter many years of service in the Holy Land.
The Universal House of Justice announced in November 2007 that it had givenpermission to Mr. Hartmut Grossmann and Mr. Glenford E. Mitchell torelinquish their membership, but they will continue serving until the nextelection of the body, scheduled for next week.
Mr. Mitchell was first elected as a member of the Universal House of Justicein 1982 and after that to successive five-year terms. Mr. Grossmann waselected in 2003. The Seat of the Universal House of Justice is located atthe Baha'i World Centre in Haifa.
All nine members of the Universal House of Justice are elected at theInternational Baha'i Convention, which is held every five years. The 10thsuch convention is scheduled for 29 April to 2 May in Haifa, with anexpected attendance of more than 1,000 delegates.
Mr. Mitchell, 73, was born in Jamaica and has worked in the United States asan assistant editorial director for a publishing company, a magazine editorand a managing editor. He taught English and journalism at HowardUniversity. He served as the secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly ofthe United States from 1968 until his 1982 election to the Universal Houseof Justice. He and his wife, Bahia, will be returning to the United States.
Mr. Grossmann, 74, who was born in Germany, was a lecturer and head of theGerman Department at Joensuu University in Finland. He has served on theNational Spiritual Assemblies of the Baha'is of Germany and of Finland andwas a member of the Baha'i Continental Board of Counsellors for Europe. In1988, he was appointed to serve on the Baha'i International Teaching Centrein Haifa. He and his wife, Ursula, will be moving to Finland when they leaveHaifa next month.
To view the photos and additional features click here:http://news.bahai.org/
--2-sw-080423-1-RETIREMENTOFUHJMEMBERS-622-S
------------------------------------------------------------Advance release: Please check our website for the final version of thisarticle.------------------------------------------------------------Copyright 2008 by the Baha'i World News Service. All stories and photographsproduced by the Baha'i World News Service may be freely reprinted,re-emailed, re-posted to the World Wide Web and otherwise reproduced by anyindividual or organization as long as they are attributed to the Baha'iWorld News Service. For more information, visit http://news.bahai.org/.------------------------------------------------------------If you have questions about this list or wish to unsubscribe, contactsubscribe@bahai.org----------------------------------------------------------

2008-04-23T23:08:00.002-07:00

Baha'i] Ridvan Greetings from Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, and Leader of the Liberal Democrats

--National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United Kingdomnsa@bahai.org.uk
Dearly loved friends - The National Spiritual Assembly is pleased to be able to share with you Ridvan greetings it has received from the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Liberal Democrats. Their messages have been sent on the occasion of the annual reception of the All-Party Parliamentary Friends of the Baha'is group, being held at the House of Commons on Tuesday 22 April. "I would like to express my respect and admiration to those attendingthis reception, and the wider Baha’í community which makes an importantcontribution to British life. I very much recognise and welcome thoseof the Baha’í faith as a distinguished and valuable part of our rich andmulti-cultural society. The Baha’í community has a long, proud and respected tradition andcontributes much to today’s Britain. Your faith includes a clear obligationto work towards religious tolerance and respect for other faiths, anaim shared by both myself and a wide range of different communitiesacross Britain. I commend you for promoting and understanding and explorations of yourfaith to wider British society. The Baha’í community can be proud ofits success in working to foster cohesive and integrated communities." The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, the Prime Minister "I am delighted to send my best wishes to everyone attending the AllParty Parliamentary Friends of the Baha’is Group reception to mark thefestival of Ridvan. I would like to take this opportunity to also send mybest wishes to the wider Baha’í community in the UK. Not only is Ridvan an important time for communal prayers andcelebration, and for electing local governing councils, but it can also be atime for reflection on the principles which the Baha’í community holdsdear. These principles include unity, the promotion of social justice, abelief in the importance of family life, and a concern for theenvironment. I know that you will also be thinking of your co-religionistselsewhere who may be facing persecution because of their beliefs. May I once again send my good wishes to you and your families at thistime." The Rt Hon David Cameron MP, Leader of the Opposition "I would like to take this opportunity to wish the Baha’í community inthe United Kingdom and your guests a very happy Ridvan. I am sure thatthis celebration will help raise awareness of the issues facing theBaha’í community and that you will have a wonderful evening." The Rt Hon Nick Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats With loving Baha'i greetings National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United KingdomDr Kishan Manocha, Secretary

2008-04-23T23:08:00.001-07:00

President Pervez Musharraf greets Ridvan: President greets Bahai community

Tuesday, April 22, 2008ISLAMABAD: President Pervez Musharraf has extended heartfelt congratulations to the Bahai Community of Pakistan on the occasion of Eid-e-Rizwan festival being observed today (Tuesday).
The president said the government of Pakistan was committed to preserving for equal rights of all minority communities as enshrined in the Constitution. "Minorities are a sacred trust for Pakistan. The founder of the nation had affirmed this pledge on the creation of Pakistan that the policy of equality, freedom and security for all communities shall be ensured," the president said in a message on the occasion of Eid-e-Rizwan festival.
The president said all religions teach high values like equality, social justice and human rights, as Islam also strongly preaches fair, equal and just treatment for all. The president said: "Eid-e-Rizwan is also an opportunity to remind us and to reaffirm our commitment to work hard for betterment of humanity. I wish a very happy Eid-e-Rizwan to the Bahai community, especially those who live in Pakistan."

2008-04-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

in quest of a study circle
the work of a regional institute coordinator is pretty hard…

2008-04-17T00:22:00.000-07:00

2008-04-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

Connection between racism and mass atrocities addressed by panel
Mark Weitzman of the Simon Weisenthal Center and Yvette Rugasaguhunga, a survivor of the Rwanda genocide of 1994, were among nine speakers at a discussion titled "Eliminate Racism: Prevent Mass Atrocities." Two United Nations ambassadors and representatives of the U.N. human rights office also spoke.

NEW YORK
7 April 2008 (BWNS)

The relationship between racism and mass atrocities was the focus of a panel discussion co-sponsored by the Baha'i International Community to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

"Genocide is not a natural disaster," said Payam Akhavan, an associate professor of law at McGill University, whose appearance was sponsored by the Baha'is. "It is a man-made disaster, an instrument through which ruthless leaders exercise power at the expense of millions."

Professor Akhavan and eight others spoke on 27 March 2008 at the Church Center at United Nations Plaza in New York.

The event, titled "Eliminate Racism: Prevent Mass Atrocities," was sponsored by the Sub-Committee for the Elimination of Racism of the NGO Committee on Human Rights at the United Nations, in cooperation with the Dutch and Jamaican U.N. missions and the New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Nine other organizations were co-sponsors.

Craig Mokhiber of the U.N. human rights office in New York had a somber assessment: "The struggle against racism is unfortunately not on the forward path many of us thought it was on a decade ago."

Racism is a global phenomenon, he said, made worse by impunity for the perpetrators of atrocities committed under its influence. The concept of "the other" is what perpetuates racism, he said.

Payam Akhavan of McGill University said governments sometimes turn a blind eye to events that lead up to atrocities against groups of people.

Mr. Mokhiber suggested that racism is the result of "us," plus "the other," added to an unequal power structure and hatred inflamed by politicians and the media.

"Defeating this paradigm is the central struggle against racism today," he said.

The Dutch ambassador to the United Nations, Piet de Klerk, agreed that racism is alive in many forms and that making a connection between racism and atrocities is "very appropriate."

Reducing individuals to representatives of specific groups makes it easy to perpetrate mass atrocities, he said.

Among the others who spoke at the event were Raymond O. Wolfe, the Jamaican ambassador to the United Nations; Yvette Rugasaguhunga, a survivor of the 1994 Rwandan massacre; and Mark Weitzman of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. The discussion was moderated by Tahirih Naylor, a representative to the United Nations of the Baha'i International Community.

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Realizing Dr. King’s dream, Baha'i style

2008-04-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

Realizing Dr. King’s dream, Baha'i style

January 17, 2008 - 6:28pm

If you’re a member of a minority, and you’re not involved in decision-making at an administrative level, then society is still far from realizing the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., says Phillipe Copeland, a Baha'i in Boston who examines social issues from an African-American perspective on his blog, Baha'i Thought.

Reflecting on the Jan. 21 observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Mr. Copeland says Dr. King envisioned “a multiracial democratic community, which means more than people of different races simply being in the same physical space at the same time.”

Mr. Copeland says it’s “rare in our society to see communities in which racial diversity is reflected in administrative structure and governance.”

Rare, but not non-existent. Mr. Copeland points to the administrative structure of the Baha'i Faith as an example of what Dr. King had in mind: Members elected by other members to serve on councils at the local, national and international level.

And because of the Baha'i Faith core beliefs in the oneness of humanity and the elimination of prejudice, among others, Baha'i communities tend to be made up of an unusually diverse population.

Indeed, the Faith not only approves of interracial marriage, it encourages and supports it.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.“Baha'is in the United States and other countries are raising multiracial families in intentionally diverse communities. That’s a “significant contribution in helping to erase prejudice,” Mr. Copeland says. “Maybe I’m just really proud of the Baha'i Faith, but I challenge people to find other institutions where this happens regularly.”

Mr. Copeland, who became a Baha'i 11 years ago, is married to Maura, a Caucasian woman whose family of origin includes Russian Jews, German Lutherans, a sister adopted from India and a sister-in law from China. As a lifelong Baha'i, she fully expected to marry a man of another “race.”

Although the Copelands and other Baha’is take interracial unions for granted, society doesn’t, Mr. Copeland says.

“There’s still a big gap in what Dr. King hoped for and what is. He’s still way ahead of his time. Segregation is everywhere. The oneness of humanity is still considered optional,” says Mr. Copeland, who has a Master’s degree in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School. “A lot of people subscribe to it, but don’t feel morally compelled to act on it. They don’t measure themselves on it in their daily life.”

Mr. Copeland says he believes the idealism of Dr. King can be put into action by following the precepts revealed by Baha’u’llah, Founder of the Faith.

“The Baha'i Faith addresses the needs of all people,” he says. “We all just need to build the system that Baha’u’llah has created and the rest takes care of itself

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2008-04-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

God as Friend

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by Dale E. Lehman

Appeared: 01/11/2008

Bahá'u'lláh’s The Hidden Words consists of 153 brief exhortations, 71 in Arabic and 82 in Persian. Each which begins with a salutation:

O son of spirit!
O son of being!
O ye people that have minds to know and ears to hear!
O son of earth!
O my children!

Some of these appear only once, while others are repeated a number of times. Some appear only in the Arabic section, others only in the Persian section. Nine of the Persian exhortations, for example, refer to the reader as “friend”.

That’s an interesting statistic. In nine of 82, just over one-tenth of them, God calls us His friends. This relationship is not mentioned at all in the Arabic section but forms a significant part of the Persian, wherein God not only names us friend but challenges us to be as true a friend to Him as He is to us.

O My friend in word! Ponder awhile. Hast thou ever heard that friend and foe should abide in one heart? Cast out then the stranger, that the Friend may enter His home.
(Baha'u'llah, The Hidden Words, Persian 26)
O children of negligence and passion! Ye have suffered My enemy to enter My house and have cast out My friend, for ye have enshrined the love of another than Me in your hearts. Give ear to the sayings of the Friend and turn towards His paradise. Worldly friends, seeking their own good, appear to love one the other, whereas the true Friend hath loved and doth love you for your own sakes; indeed He hath suffered for your guidance countless afflictions. Be not disloyal to such a Friend, nay rather hasten unto Him. Such is the daystar of the word of truth and faithfulness, that hath dawned above the horizon of the pen of the Lord of all names. Open your ears that ye may hearken unto the word of God, the Help in peril, the Self-existent.
(Baha'u'llah, The Hidden Words, Persian 52)

A special Friend is often mentioned in these passages, one whose love is pure and true, who has suffered for our sakes, and who gives us the best counsel. This is the Manifestation of God, and His portrayal as a true Friend is nothing new. Abraham is called “the Friend of God” in the Bible, the Qur’án, and the Bahá’í Holy Writings, while Jesus spoke of His followers as friends:

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. (John 15:12-15, KJV)

Muhammad, too, spoke of the friendship between God, His Manifestation, and humanity:

Your (real) friends are (no less than) Allah, His Messenger, and the (fellowship of) believers, those who establish regular prayers and regular charity, and they bow down humbly (in worship).
(Qur'án 5:55, Yusuf Ali’s translation; some translations give “protector” instead of “friend”)

Finally, as we have seen, Bahá'u'lláh spoke frequently of these friendships, and they are powerful indeed. Friendship is one of the most fundamental of human relationships, a relationship with which everyone has at least some experience, no matter how imperfectly. We all at least know the spirit of true friendship and recognize true friends by their actions. Our friends are concerned for our well-being, are willing to lend a helping hand even when doing so calls for sacrifice. Selfish motives don’t interpose themselves between friends.

Now if we recognize all this from our human friendships, which after all have a tendency to be imperfect over the long haul, the infinite friendship of the Manifestations of God and of God Himself should be as clear as the noonday sun. Overwhelming, certainly, and unfathomable, but no less clear for that. For instance, Bahá'u'lláh wrote this of the sacrifices He had made on our behalf:

The Ancient Beauty hath consented to be bound with chains that mankind may be released from its bondage, and hath accepted to be made a prisoner within this most mighty Stronghold that the whole world may attain unto true liberty. He hath drained to its dregs the cup of sorrow, that all the peoples of the earth may attain unto abiding joy, and be filled with gladness. This is of the mercy of your Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful. We have accepted to be abased, O believers in the Unity of God, that ye may be exalted, and have suffered manifold afflictions, that ye might prosper and flourish. He Who hath come to build anew the whole world, behold, how they that have joined partners with God have forced Him to dwell within the most desolate of cities!
(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, XLV, p. 99-100)

The events of His life—the loss of all material wealth; forty years of imprisonment and exile, the extreme hardships He faced when forced to move from place to place, repeated tortures and attempts on His life, and betrayal by members of His own family, to name the most significant—are accurately reflected in this passage. It would have been so easy for Him to avoid all that and remain what He had once been: a wealthy man liked and respected by high and low alike.

But when God’s summons came, He was God’s true Friend and ours. He gave up everything to bring God’s new Message to us, not so as to gain anything for Himself but solely to give us a chance to approach God and build a better world.

That’s true friendship, to a degree we can’t fully comprehend. But we surely know it when we see it. The question then becomes, having seen it what do we do about it?

Friendship, after all, is a two-way street.

Planet Bahá'í

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Lose the prejudice and find fairness in our hearts

2008-04-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

Lose the prejudice and find fairness in our hearts

February 29, 2008 - 1:56pm

As I listened to the news today, Los Angelista writes, “I found myself thinking specifically about how as a nation we have not addressed our religious prejudices against Muslims. In fact, we are guilty of a great deal of religious prejudice toward our Muslim brothers and sisters.”

On Handing Tests the Media Deliver: Guidance received Baha'i Views: On a World Citizen: de George Wesley Dannells

2008-04-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

Papijoon

I understand your concern. This is a severe test for you to be detached from all this garbage that is in the media and the stupid things that are being said. If you can remember what 'Abdu'l-Baha went through with the Covenant Breakers, His own family, turned against Him and did everything they could to get Him killed... you may be able to begin to learn how to deal with this sort of thing. Of course you are angry, but as a Baha'i you need to take a higher position of detachment from this. It has been predicted that the world will go through great turmoil before we can ever come to the realization that we have to work together. Education is needed, but it isn't easy when so many people think they already know it all.

But then there are the more silent ones, who are disturbed as well, but don't know what to think. This is the time for you to be strong, not angry, not take sides, not be defensive, not be consumed with the challenges of the media who are happy to have a big story to promote. Surely you can get together with the other friends in your community for support. In this world at this time, there is nothing that is in balance. The last thing we Baha'is should do is take sides in political or other divisive issues.

I can't say much more. But I will be in the USA as of May 1, until mid June. It is my plan to try to use the fact that I live in China to help diffuse, to educate others. The only answer is unity. We have to work for that." If a thought of war comes, destroy it with a more powerful thought of peace". If a person has ten bad qualities and one good, focus on the one good. Look for a point of unity - reason - when speaking with others. Understand that the last thing the people have is knowledge of China in the west. There is nothing that is clearly right for one group of people and clearly wrong for the others. Unless we work together and open our minds and hearts to others, be patient in teaching them, learning from them, we can never come to unity or harmony.

2008年4月15日-一些回复

http://yiyiyaya8.blogspot.com/2008/04/2008415.html

巴哈伊世界 * 巴哈伊祷文 * 巴哈伊资料

{Photo: Chinese bowl at the Baha'i World Centre, Haifa, Israel. Uploaded on February 12, 2007 by .leila on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic}

2008-04-16T00:46:00.000-07:00

A Yale Baha'i looks at his world through the lens of his Faith. -gw

The historical Darius
My column, “Daft Like Dar,” has been my attempt to engender dialogue inconspicuously. My pieces are an extension of the conversations that have enriched my life at Yale, forced me to reckon with the formerly unknown and hopefully shown others a perspective and a lifestyle they hadn’t yet encountered. When I wrote about Internet neutrality, I drew on the Baha’i principle of independent investigation of the truth; my thoughts on the presidential election reflected the Baha’i admonition that partisan politics are inherently divisive. Every column began with a news item and a Baha’i principle. If these columns spoke to you, I recommend you look into both.

1 8 months later, a voice of the Bahá’í Faith signs off
Dariush Nothaft
Daft Like Dar
Published Tuesday, April 15, 2008
I can only hope that the combination of sincere dialogues and an unfailing sense of moral rectitude in politicians can take its effect sooner rather than later. The world faces many challenges today; to overcome them, we must first overcome our own divisions and prejudices. As is written in Baha’i scripture, “The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.”

Candidates’ loyalties should lie with all humanity
By Dariush Nothaft
Presidential candidates should ideally appeal to a loyalty to humanity, rather than one to party. Only then will we unlock the true capacity of American loyalty. Only then will we witness the American dream fulfilled.

Shifting focus from anti-terror to pro-

Shifting focus from anti-terror to pro-allianceBy Dariush NothaftAmerica can be the ethical leader we imagine it to be; I’m sure many people like my grandfather are just waiting to be convinced.
Emphasis on The Canon glorifies Us vs. ThemBy Dariush NothaftThe question is not which philosophy is read, but rather how the ideals of each — most of which are unfulfilled — can be used to realize their promises in a way that benefits everyone.
Advice for America: Align by ethics, not policyBy Dariush NothaftAlliances between democracies can be more difficult at times, because other countries may disagree with the American agenda. But in today’s world, an ongoing conversation is infinitely better than a schoolyard posse.
Vigil-goers express solidarity, open conversation on raceBy Dariush NothaftI am proud to have gone to the vigil, and was profoundly touched by the words I heard strangers and friends speak. I hope that if any of you shared the sentiment of the News, you ask your friends, neighbors or colleagues about the vigil. Be ready to listen. This is an ongoing conversation.
Iran should not deny education to Baha’iBy Dariush NothaftThe case of the Baha’is in Iran reminds us that we must sharpen our wits when dealing with repressive regimes, lest they take our trust as naivete and use our good intent against those they repress. We must use the avenues of international diplomacy to remind Iran that what they are doing is wrong, so that these avenues can become well worn, and can be more easily used for future issues. This would benefit all minorities worldwide, not only Baha’is.
'Virtual' religion raises interesting questionsBy Dariush NothaftThe concept of Internet-administered religion merits further scrutiny.
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2008-04-16T00:41:00.000-07:00

2008-04-16T00:27:00.000-07:00

Views: On a World Citizen: Papijoon


	8:43 AM (42 minutes ago) On a Pilot Project in the Phillips Neighborhood: A lil about the Baha'i Faith from Baha'i Views: On a World Citizen: Papijoon by George Wesley Dannells Tags: phillips minneapolis, Uploaded on March 1, 2007 by oh estelle on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic This guy has the outward orientation of a Baha'i teacher. And I love the fact that he really mixes up the type sizes and typefaces on his blog. -gw Phillips Jr. Youth Class #2 Reflections on Teaching with Anna's Presentation II Phillips Jr youth class #1 Beginning a Jr Youth class is amazing. It can be so intimidating, but once action takes place, the momentum is really driving.A friend and I just had the bounty of helping to start a new Jr. Youth class in Minneapolis in the Phillips neighborhood. How fun. Seriously! We met with the parents last week and they were all excited. We taught them a lil about the Baha'i Faith, they all seemed relatively interested, and signed all the kids up.Total kids- 6 Total time-7wks (pilot project) Reflections on Teaching with Anna's Presentation I Have you counted your b-lessons today? Where I spell out realizations, events, epiphanies which I believe are both lessons of life that are helping me progress, as well as blessings of God in my life. Peace on that. + Tags: Minneapolis Phillips Ventura Park neighborhood snow thawing. Uploaded on March 18, 2007 by Transguyjay on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic

RIDVAN

2008-04-16T00:24:00.000-07:00

The First Day of Ridvan Holy Day ... marks the end of the dispensation of the Bab and of the first epoch of the Heroic or Apostolic Age of the Baha’i dispensation (BBD 72-79 cited in Campbell and Momen 1996: 69).

“On the same day Baha’u'llah [made] three important statements to His followers:

1. He [forbade] the use of the sword.
2. He [stated] that no other Manifestation will appear before one thousand years. This is later reiterated in the Kitab-i-Badi and the Kitab-i-Aqdas.
3. He [stated] that from [that] moment, all the names and attributes of God are manifested within all created things, implying the advent of a new Day" [RB1 278-80] cited in Campbell and Momen (1996: 70).

Maureen Flynn-Burhoe

a student of Faith

2008-04-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

by George Wesley Dannells

Arsinoe is a student of faith, the Baha'i Faith, but not yet declared. -gw

Officially, I am not yet a Baha'i as I have yet to declare. However, I have been studying the faith for a year or so now and have known about it a bit longer. Believe it or not, i first heard of the faith on a chat show. One of the participants mentioned that she was Baha'i and as I had not heard the word before I began to investigate. At the time I was studying both Religious Studies and Religious Education at GCSE level and thought it important that I learn what I can about the different pathways of Belief. But it was only ever the Baha'i teachings that stayed with me and intrigued me in years to come. I know no one else who is a Baha'i. My Parents are from a C of E and Jehovahs Witness background respectively and there was little discussion in our household in regards to other cultures and ways of being. One of the things I have come to love about the faith is its acceptance of all people and its recognition of our essential unity. It allows for exploration and demands very little of you other than your individuality and world embracing vision. I also love how the Baha'i faith is very much rooted in practicality. It allows you to live your faith and contribute actively in the world powered by your belief. These were two aspects I had been looking for in a religion and the Baha'i way has provided me with both :)

+
http://www.experienceproject.com/uw.php?e=191592
Arsinoe,"Be The Change That You Wish To See In The World - Ghandi"

Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_Studies

2008-04-15T14:33:00.000-07:00

On Blessings upon Blessings: Pilgrimage dates received

from Baha'i Views: On a World Citizen: Papijoon by George Wesley Dannells

"19 April 2007. you can't imagine how fragrant, how beautiful, how comforting, how divine the scenes and breezes are."
Uploaded on April 19, 2007 by .leila on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

Letter received. Blessings upon blessings. -gw

Dear Baha’i Friends,

In response to your letter indicating your preferences for pilgrimage dates, we would like to inform you that you have been scheduled to come to Haifa for pilgrimage starting 13 April 2009 and finishing in the evening of 22 April 2009.

During this time, the celebration of the First Day of Ridvan will be commemorated on 21 April. To allow for the attendance at this Holy Day observance, the House of Justice has decided to extend the period of this pilgrimage by one day.

With loving Baha'i greetings,
The Department of Pilgrimage

2008-04-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

On Ridvan Links: Sources of inspiration for reaching and teaching

"Detail of the benches in the Ridván Garden, ‘Akká, Israel"
Baha'i Media Bank

With the Baha'i Holy Day of Ridvan in mind, Jeanette and Vahid call our attention to more great sources of inspiration they have gathered together on their website, Reaching and Teaching Efforts. -gw

Dear Friends,

Happy Ridván

"Upon Our arrival, We were welcomed with banners of light, whereupon the Voice of the Spirit cried out saying: 'Soon will all that dwell on earth be enlisted under these banners.'" Bahá’u’lláh

To see different Ridván videos and the video of Israelis and Palestinians together singing songs of Love and Peace and witness a glimmer of that Great Spirit, please go to http://teachingandprojects.com/ then,
1) Click on " Art and Music " on the left hand side of the page
2) Scroll down to Happy Ridván

Also in the same page you will find the Arabic chanting of the Tablet of Ahmad that hopefully will be a source of inspiration and help to you as much as it has been to us.

At your request, we will enumerate some of the additions and updates to the above site since we last posted it here, as follows:

1) In the “Home” Page
· Multimedia: Audio, Video, Images, Blogs and Podcasts
2) Children and pre-youth
· Spiritual Education Lesson Plans

3) In the “Art and Music” page
· “Happy and joyous Naw-Rúz and Ridván” Slide shows
· Happy Ridván - Persian Tar and Poetry
· “Happy Naw-Rúz “From Radio Nasim Persian
· Chant of Tablet of Ahmad in Arabic
· Bahá’í Short Obligatory Prayer in English and Arabic
· “O GOD” PRAYER IN ENGLISH AND ARABIC
· DOUG CAMERON MONA WITH THE CHILDREN
· Universal peace brotherhood video
· A tribute to Bahá’í artists around the world
4) In the “Other Religions” page
· “World Religion Day” Interfaith understanding and harmony site
· Teaching Christians Effectively Seminar 10 hour seminar by Dr. David Young
· Prophecy Fulfilled Planet Bahá'í
5) In the “Other sites” page
· “Radio Nasim” Persian radio site
· Arabic Bahá’í Dialogue Room for Religions and Faiths
· Gathered information on the postal stamps and material related to the Baha'i Faith
· “DivineNotes” Collection of Baha'i-inspired music in various languages
· A Bahá'í Faith Page
· Bahá'í Faith Index
· The Wilmette Institute on-line courses on the Bahá’í Faith
· True Seeker, various Writings website
· Bahá’í videos available from around the world, about 586 different videos or 72 hours of videos

With best wishes for all,
Vahid and Jeanette Hedayati

http://teachingandprojects.com/

2008-04-15T14:26:00.000-07:00

from Baha'i Views: On a World Citizen: Papijoon by George Wesley Dannells

Three dear souls, two adults and one young child, visit a new believer, one of three from Tacoma's recent door-to-door campaign. -gw

We visited with her this morning and presented the first of the Book 2 deepening themes to her, on The Eternal Covenant of God. We felt a little awkward at first, not having met her before (and this being our first time doing the practice of Book 2) but we launched right in and soon were having a warm dialogue as we worked through the material. We used the quote cards "á la Anna's presentation" which worked well, and we left her with those five quotes. Also I took a cd from our children's classes which has about 7 tracks on it of prayers and quotes the kids have been working on learning this year, and a flier about our children's classes. Her husband was cleaning up the kitchen as we were talking and although we introduced ourselves and he smiled, he kept on doing his work but at one point very deliberately came into the living room to turn down the tv volume for us.

She is married and has two daughters, age 6 and age 3 and two cats. She is from the Tacoma area originally and has 2 sisters and 1 brother. Her sister is currently serving in Iraq and will be there until January. Prayers for her protection please. She currently works at a plastics factory, but is trying to get a job at Walmart where she previously worked.

We told her about Feast, but she's working this evening, and we mentioned study circles and encouraged her to bring the kids to children's classes. We exchanged phone numbers and asked if it would be okay for us to come back next Wednesday and she said that would be great.

Thank you for your prayers and this wonderful opportunity to practice our skills acquired from Ruhi. We really enjoyed our morning.
With much love...

2008-04-15T14:24:00.000-07:00

by George Wesley Dannells

Consolidation Story #2. Chris does a home visit to the woman who was our very first declarant in the first 90 minutes of teaching in the Hilltop neighborhood, Tacoma, the day after Naw Ruz. -gw

I went to visit D today. I called before going to her Grandmother's where D is a care-provider. D sounded very low. She said she was having a confusing day. I suggested that our visit might lift her spirit so she said to come up. When she opened the door she was crying. We went off to a quiet courtyard and said prayers. We said prayers for the departed (her friend died this past weekend), prayers for assistance, for healing and remover of difficulties. We talked, she emptied, I listened and then I offered to share more on Baha'u'llah....it was getting colder sitting outside so D offered to go into the apartment. Her mother K was there and D introduced me as her Baha'i Counselor!! Yikes!

I shared that i was a Baha'i and asked K if she knew about the Baha'i Faith. K shared that D was being pressured by friends who said the Faith was a Cult. Okay.......i pulled out our trusted Anna and we went in there! We made it through the sufferings and influence of Baha'u'llah and the teachings on Unity....and K starts bobbing her head agreeing with everything. When we finished the quotation on the circle of Unity she was crying.......I asked her if she also believed that Baha'u'llah is the Manifestation for this New Day and she said Yes!! (OH George I needed to be smooth and start filling in her name but alas i didn't bring a card!!)

Then the phone rings and D starts crying too. Her friend's husband was just put in jail for driving without a license and he has 4 little girls at home. I suggested we offer a powerful prayer revealed by the Bab...Is there any remover of difficulties........ everything suddenly quiets and in we are hugging! These are difficult times but there is a power beyond our understanding when we walk in prayer..... remember Baha'u'llah's imprisonment, banishment and sufferings...... all because He loves us. You will get through this. Before parting D's Grandmother comes in (she has Alzheimer's and Cancer) she want's to know why I am in her apartment. D and K introduced me as the Baha'i Counselor and laugh!

2008-04-15T14:19:00.001-07:00

Apr 11, 2008 (4 days ago)

On Being Prepared: I am going to put some declaration cards in my purse right now

from Baha'i Views: On a World Citizen: Papijoon by George Wesley Dannells

"Be prepared to move fast when opportunities present themselves." Uploaded on December 30, 2006 by wildphotons on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic.

Consolidation story #3. A conversation between two Beloved of God after their consolidation efforts. -gw

Chris: This is so amazing!!!!

Helen: Amazing is right! And brought to mind that part of the long Healing Prayer "I call on Thee O Unfastener, O Counselor, O Deliverer! Thou the Sufficing, Thou the Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!" It really sounds as though you were able to offer Baha'u'llah's healing medicine at just the right time Counselor Chris. And a valuable learning too, we need to make like the boy scouts and "Be Prepared." I'm going to put some declaration cards in my purse right now.

Chris: Not Chris at all............. Oh..... Counselor Baha'u'llah........... It is so true He is the Healer,the All Suficing...... In tears we beseech Him saying...... Gosh you really get the learnings, Helen!! I left my prayer book at home that is stuffed with declaration cards. The one in hand was not as prepared! Yes to Scouts! Yes to being prepared!!! Let's stuff our purses!

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2008-04-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

Apr 12, 2008 (3 days ago)

On Defense of Faith: Religion is social

from Baha'i Views: On a World Citizen: Papijoon by George Wesley Dannells

An interesting exchange regarding defense of faith. -gw
+
Re: Defending the Faith of God
From: Kent
+
...So I need to remember that religion is personal, only for me, and not push it on anyone, not defend it to anyone. And try not to be shocked by how badly anyone treats my religion, or our fellow humanity.
+
http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Soc/soc.religion.bahai/2008-02/msg00083.html

Dear Kent, I would have to disagree with you there. Beliefs and faith is personal, but religion is social. The term religion comes from the Latin word *religio* which means to link or bind. It is what links us in community. But belief is a matter of personal conscience. Warmest, Susan
+
http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Soc/soc.religion.bahai/2008-02/msg00085.html

2008-04-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

On the House of ‘Abdu’lláh-Páshá: Windows on the world

from Baha'i Views: On a World Citizen: Papijoon by George Wesley Dannells

House of ‘Abdu’lláh-Páshá,
Uploaded on April 8, 2008 by Man United on flickr,
licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic

Baha'i Views: On a World Citizen: Papijoon

2008-04-15T13:47:00.000-07:00

from Baha'i Views: On a World Citizen: Papijoon by George Wesley Dannells

There are 25 days between the end of the fast and the end of the tax season. That's when I do my taxes. When I do them, I review what my contributions were to the Baha'i Fund during the previous year. It is also a time to note the status of the National Fund at the end of the Baha'i Fiscal Year. Remember the Fund, friends, remember the Fund.

Tax season is also a time many Baha'is figure out and pay their Huququllah. Only Baha'is can contribute to the Baha'i Fund and pay the Huquq. Just in case you think that this is a "Baha'is only" post, consider the email I got today from a seeker who asked, "And why can’t non-Baha’is give to the fund?" That only the contributions of Baha'is have, for example, built the Houses of Worship around the world is a point of distinction for the Faith, and, apparently, a point of attraction for this seeker. -gw

Let's All Go to the Movies!
5 Reasons You Need to Know About Financial Planning

[from the U.S. National Treasurer's Office]

2008-04-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

On a Very Good Friday for Five Religions: Eid Milad-un-Nabi, Holi, Naw-Ruz, and Good Friday, too

from Baha'i Views: On a World Citizen: Papijoon by George Wesley Dannells

I found mention of this article on Elixir's Cogitabund blog. -gw

March 21 will be of special significance this year as the calendars of five different religions will coincide, giving each faith a reason to celebrate the day.

As Muslims celebrate Eid Milad-un-Nabi (the birth of Prophet Muhammad PBUH) on Friday, Christians will mark the crucifixion and death of Jesus as Good Friday, while Hindus and Sikhs will come together to celebrate Holi, also known as the festival of colours. Meanwhile, Eid-e-Nauroz, the religious festival of members from the Baha’i faith will fall on March 21, which is also a community festival for the Zoroastrians as well as the Ismailis and Iranians.

“For the first time in the history of my life have we been blessed by such a day when people from all different faiths will be celebrating their religious festivals on a single day,” Riaz Ahmed Shirazi, a Baha’i remarked. He prefers calling it a ‘blessed weekend’ and sees it as a sign from God to spread the message of religious tolerance.

Eid-e-Nauroz also marks the Baha’i New Year after the 19-day fast from March 2 to March 20 in the last month of the Baha’i calendar. Nauroz is one of the nine holy days of the year in the Baha’i religion when work is suspended.

The Zoroastrian community as well as Persian speakers and those who trace their roots to Persia will also celebrate Nauroz which marks the first day of spring according to the astronomical vernal equinox. It is a Persian word meaning New (year) day.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=102278

2008-04-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

On Divine Phenomena: We accept any sign from God to encourage us in our way

BBC News

Ethiopians looked to the sky and what did they see?

"The ring of light caused by sunlight refracted by ice crystals hung in the sky for almost an hour before it finally faded and disappeared."

Baha'i Views is the place to come for calamitous news of blight and other catastrophes, rings around the sun and other signs from God. Here we sit in wonderment, grateful to God. Thanks to Barmak Kusha for passing on this bit of news from his virtual stomping ground, Northeast Africa. -gw

Churchgoers who had flocked to see the visiting Patriarch of Alexandria, Pope Shenouda, acclaimed the phenomenon as a miracle, or at least a sign of a blessing from God.

Pope Shenouda himself believed it was a signal from above.
"We accept any sign from God to encourage us in our way," he said, "and confirm that we are going right in our way."

Abuna Paulos, the Patriarch of Ethiopia, added his voice to those who believe in signs from God.

"If God reveals himself from the sky," he told a press conference, "we believers do not get surprised. We only rejoice and double our efforts to thank God. Thank you, God, for revealing a sign."

http://nazret.com/blog/index.php?title=sun_halo_wows_ethiopia_amid_poll&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

On Direct Teaching in the Hilltop Neighborhood: Be Boldfrom Baha'i Views: On a World Citizen:

2008-04-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

by George Wesley Dannells

Be bold. Be bold.

Jacqueline Left-Hand Bull, Chair of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States, was present to go out door-to-door teaching with us on Saturday as we launched our 11th Intensive Phase with 11 teams scattering to different assigned blocks in the Hilltop. Seven more teams went out Sunday.

We've had "entry by troop" in Tacoma before, back in the 90's when El Rico, Tosca, Robert, and Linda, included in this picture, entered the Faith along with others from a tight-knit group of friends and family.

Our IPG began with a Reflection Meeting that included several small-group break-out sessions, this being one of them on prayer.

We moved to the Lewis home for further training in the use of Anna's Presentation and the formation of teams. Then out the door. To be continued.... -gw

On Another Word for "Unenrolled": Expelled

2008-04-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

At the gate of the garden, some stand and look within, but do not care to enter. Others step inside, behold its beauty, but do not penetrate far. Still others encircle this garden, inhaling the fragrance of the flowers and, having enjoyed its full beauty, pass out again by the same gate. But there are some who enter and, becoming intoxicated with the splendor of what they behold, remain for life to tend the garden.
-'Abdul-Baha

There are Not-Yet-Baha'is, Baha'is, and ex-Baha'is. There are billions of Not-Yet-Baha'is. There are millions of Baha'is. The garden gate being designed to work the way it does (we're free to go in or out), there are probably thousands of ex-Baha'is.

The vast majority of ex-Baha'is fit the criteria of "leavetaker," a term used by sociologists of religion. A handful meet the criteria for "apostate," another term used by academics. There are probably less than 100 persons with some sort of on-line presence who are involved in what I call the Internet Anti-Baha'i Society, consisting of apostate Baha'is and others who oppose the efforts of the International Baha'i Community.

Persons expelled from the Baha'i Faith constitute a tiny number of ex-Baha'is. Of these expelled, a mere handful fit the category of Covenant-Breaker, a Baha'i term. The rest, a few dozen, if that, have had their membership removed for reasons of behavior following a long process in which they were invited to change their behavior. Some of these ex-Baha'is have chosen to call themselves "unenrolled." Another word for "unenrolled" is expelled.

For a more detailed discussion of these subjects, check out the article in the academic journal Religion by Momen. -gw

{Photo: "Butchart Gardens, Victoria, B.C." Uploaded on June 14, 2005 by **Mary** on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic}

2008-04-15T13:33:00.000-07:00

Every day I am having exquisite teaching experiences as part of the Tacoma Intensive Program of Growth. After every doorstep visited there is a story to tell. I have not yet had the time to recount here the details, but I look forward to being able to reflect on them upon the conclusion of the teaching campaign Sunday night. Below is a brief overview written by one of the team members as distributed via email to the Baha'i friends in Cluster 19.

Inspiring us are the three prisoners of Shiraz. -gw

There have been many exciting and inspiring stories from our teaching efforts over the past few days. There were so many positive experiences. On Saturday there were 28 people (adults, youth and children) that made up 11 teams and on Sunday there were 22 adults,youth and children on 8 different teams. During the week days there have been 3-4 teams going out doing follow up visits and visiting new homes. These are just a few of the stories so far.

At one home when the team went to the door and said they were Bahá’ís, the person at the door excitedly said “I am a Bahá’í!! I never expected Bahá’ís to come to my door. God works in mysterious ways.” Two days later, Bahá’ís went back again.

At another home a woman came to the door and there was another young woman lying on the couch. When the team told the woman at the door that they were Bahá’is, the other woman flew off the couch and said, “I am a Bahá’í!!! Allah’u’abha”” . She had just moved to the area and hadn’t had time to contact the Bahá’ís yet. She had been very busy with school and work but now she isn’t working and will be able to be involved in the activities of the community.

At the home of a Bahá’í in the target neighborhood, some other Bahá’ís came to visit. The visitors included a man, a woman, her son and the son’s girlfriend. The girlfriend was not a Bahá’í but knew some things about the Faith. So, the Bahá’í who’s home was visited asked if he could give her a presentation on the Faith (Anna’s presentation from Ruhi book 6). She agreed. At the end of the presentation, she embraced Baha’u’llah!

At another home the team came across a Vietnamese couple. The couple didn’t speak much English so the team said they would come back with a translator. Two days later, one of the original team members along with another Bahá’í woman and the Vietnamese speaking Bahá’í went back to the house. They were there for about 45 minutes. The English speakers said the Vietnamese couple were very gracious and offered them tea. Everyone seemed happy but the English speakers didn’t understand one word of the exchange. However, phone numbers were exchanged between the Vietnamese Bahá’í and the seekers.

At another home a very radiant man heard part of Anna’s presentation and asked that someone come back any day after 7:00. He said the door would be open. He was very open and responsive to hearing about the Faith.

At another home the team gave part of Anna’s presentation by holding the book up to the window with the person peeking thru the blinds! The person told them to “come back and who is this Baha’u’llah?”

The home of another Bahá’í has many non-Bahá’i relatives living there. The Bahá’í asked the fiancé of his daughter if he would take the time to hear a presentation on the Faith that would take about an hour. This fiancé knew some things about the Faith from talking to the Bahá’í but hadn’t had a comprehensive presentation. The fiancé agreed to take time out from his Easter dinner cooking to listen. As the presenter was getting going, there was a knock on the door. It was the Mormon elders who were teaching this fiancé. As it turns out, the fiancé invited the elders to hear the message of Bahá’u’llah because he said “they need to hear this!”. Other members of the family gathered in the living room to hear the presentation and the quiet that descended on the room was amazing considering all the previous activity and people who were there. One Mormon friend was very agitated and impatient to go, but the other one, along with the fiancé, was enthralled with what they were hearing. The Bahá’í was singing prayers to his baby grandson so the praying for the success of the presentation was very natural. In the end, the fiancé was very excited about what he heard. The presenter is going to start a Ruhi book 1 with him and whoever else wants to come. The next day, some Bahá’is were at that house using it for the headquarters of the Expansion phase and the fiancé couldn’t stop talking about the Faith and the presentation of the previous day. He was still so afire with what he had heard.

One of the team members who is a veteran Bahá’í said that it was “really fun”! For the past 25 years she said she would never do door to door teaching again. When the core team invited people to do direct teaching she decided that she was just going to take photographs. But once she stepped into being part of the team and they started teaching, she said she was filled with joy.

Another team member who was 13 and had never done door to door teaching, reported with a smile when he came back “it was fun!”

Photos by Flitzy Phoebie

Also, please check out my wife's posts so far on the campaign. - gw:

http://flitzyphoebie.blogspot.com/2008/01/little-kindness-travels-long-way.html

http://flitzyphoebie.blogspot.com/2008/01/just-counting-my-blessings-here-friends.html

2008-04-15T13:32:00.001-07:00

On Circles of Interest and Disinterest: Yours for the blogging

This is a circle of disinterest. Doesn't care about blogging, yours or any other hepcat's. Not what the Baha'i International Teaching Center is encouraging us to nurture. It is our circle of interest on the internet that we wish to expand with each and every blog post, as Praveen's marvelous slide show inspires us to do. Take a look, if you haven't already. -gw

Page 9

Blog
– What's it??
An Interactive website
where one person [blogger]
shares information on a
particular topic which is
viewed and responded by
his circle of interest on the
internet.
Page 10
Blogging opens new avenues for sharing the message of Bahá’u’lláh.
It is a grassroots participatory undertaking
Page 11
Blogs can serve as an instrument to draw that particular
community of interest to the Revelation and to Bahá’í
community activity
The networking phenomenon associated with blogs allows for
information to reach potentially large numbers of like-minded
people

http://bangalorebahais.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/bahai-participation.pdf

2008-03-28T07:21:00.000-07:00

Attraction and Harmony

"In short, attraction and harmony of things are the cause of the production of fruits and useful results, while repulsion and disharmony of things are the cause of disturbance and annihilation." ('Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith, p. 296)

Know His Own Self

"...man should know his own self, and know those things which lead to loftiness or to abasement, to shame or to honour, to affluence or poverty." (Baha'u'llah, The Baha'i World, p. 167)

Before Choosing a Partner

Some counsels of 'Abdu'l-Baha addressed to a believer help men and women to reflect on their attitude and the person of their choice.

1) A joyful disposition "...she must be sympathetic, kind-hearted, happy and endowed with a joyful disposition." ('Abdu'l-Baha, 22nd Dec 1918, to A.S., Star of the West, vol 11, no 1, p. 20)

2) A companion and a partner"....She must take an interest in all the problems pertaining to thy life, and be thy companion and partner in every phase of thy existence..." ('Abdu'l-Baha, 22nd Dec 1918, to A.S., Star of the West, vol 11, no 1, p. 20)

3) Everlasting friendship"Before choosing a wife a man must think soberly and seriously that this girl will be his friend throughout all his life. It is not a temporary matter." ('Abdu'l-Baha, 22nd Dec 1918, to A.S., Star of the West, vol 11, no 1, p. 20)

A Mate and Intimate Confident"She is a soul with whom he must associate all the days of his life; she will be his mate and his intimate confidant; therefore, day by day their love and their attachment to each other must increase." ('Abdu'l-Baha, 22nd Dec 1918, to A.S., Star of the West, vol 11, no 1, p. 20)

No Interference"As for the question regarding marriage under the Law of God: first thou must choose one who is pleasing to thee, and then the matter is subject to the consent of father and mother. Before thou makest thy choice, they have no right to interfere." ('Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha, p. 118)

Consent of Parents"As we desired to bring about love and friendship and the unity of the people, therefore We made marriage conditional upon the consent of the parents also, that enmity and ill-feeling might be avoided." (Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Aqdas)

Eternal Bond"Baha'i marriage is union and cordial affection between the two parties. They must, however, exercise the utmost care and become acquainted with each other's character. This eternal bond should be made secure by a firm covenant, and the intention should be to foster harmony, fellowship and unity and to attain everlasting life." ('Abdu'l-Baha, The Baha'i World Faith, p. 372)

Character and Faith"There is a difference between character and faith; it is often very hard to accept this fact and put up with it, but the fact remains that a person may believe and love the Cause - even to being ready to die for it - and yet not have a personal character, or possess traits at variance with the teachings." (Shoghi Effendi, from a letter dated October 17, 1944, written on behalf to an individual believer.)

True Baha'i Marriage"The true marriage of Baha'is is this, that both husband and wife should be united both physically and spiritually, that they may ever improve the spiritual life of each other, and may enjoy everlasting unity throughout all the worlds of God. This is Baha'i marriage." ('Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha, p. 118)

Tenderness Out of This World"In the same way, when any souls grow to be true believers, they will attain a spiritual relationship with one another, and show forth a tenderness which is not of this world. They will, all of them, become elated from a draught of divine love, and that union of theirs, that connection, will also abide forever." ('Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha, pp. 117-8)
***********************************

--
=============================================
.....Every eye which is weeping for the sake of
the love of God is blessed; every ear which is
hearing the divine call is blessed....

~ Abdu'l-Baha
Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1
p. 214

2008-03-22T06:05:00.000-07:00

Teaching kids to connect in a multicultural world
Throughout the United States Baha’is are inviting spiritual seekers to enrich their spiritual and community life through such activities as prayer gatherings, weekly study of the Baha'i scriptures and classes for the spiritual education and training of children.
When the city council of Monrovia, Calif., recently sought to combat racially charged gang violence in this bedroom community of Los Angeles, it turned to the Monrovia Baha'i Family School as a role model for how people of different cultures can get along in our cross-cultural world.
Whites, Latinos and African-Americans don’t always connect in a friendly way on the streets of Monrovia, but they do on Cypress Street -- home of the Baha'i school, whose students range from kindergarten to high school.
Some students are Baha’is; others come from different faiths. On Wednesday afternoons, they’re all one, says director Joanie Yuille, a lifelong Baha'i and lifelong Monrovian.
The purpose of the many Baha'i schools located throughout the country, is to teach children about the oneness of humankind. This core principle of the Baha'i Faith forms the foundation of the Faith’s other principles, which include equality of the sexes, elimination of prejudice, abolition of extremes of poverty and wealth.
Baha’i schools are populated by children of families who want their children to receive a spiritual education that stresses the importance of diversity and unity. Students also learn the Baha'i concept of progressive revelation -- that the world's major religions are part of a single, progressive process through which God reveals His will to humanity.
“I love that my children are learning about the major religions of the people of the world,” says Elizabeth Marquardt, mother of Marianna, 5, and Thomas, 3, who attend the Flowers of One Garden Baha'i School in Wilmette, Ill. “My hope is that what they are learning will help them be the kind of compassionate and educated global citizens that our world needs.”
To teach the youngest students Baha'i principles, Baha'i schools start by teaching virtues -- “how to be good people,” says Layli Miller-Muro, who founded a Baha'i school in Falls Church, Va. Ms. Miller-Muro also is the founder and director of the celebrated Tahirih Justice Center in Falls Church.
The school’s participants represent a cornucopia of cultures and religions: American, Ethiopian, Pakistani, Afghani, Christian and Jewish as well as Baha’i.
“We live in a multiracial, multicultural world, so these classes fit in perfectly,” says Angie Fox, a new Baha'i whose 4-year-old son, Patton Oliver, attends the Baha'i school in Falls Church, Va., which was recently featured on NPR’s Morning Edition.
The Lions and Whales Baha'i School, held on the campus of the Louhelen Baha'i School in Davison, Mich., isn’t as eclectic, at least by Baha'i standards -- participants are white, African-American and Latino -- but its aim is the same as the other Baha'i schools: to celebrate diversity and grow spiritually.
The school takes its name from a quote by Abdu’l-Baha that says God bestows us with the ability to be like “lions roaring in the forest of knowledge and wisdom, and whales swimming in the oceans of life.”
Lions and Whales has upward of 30 students, who meet after school on Wednesdays. Most of its participants are not Baha’is and come from nearby Flint, a town known nationally for being hard-hit by the downsizing of General Motors.
The class serves several purposes: It educates students on Baha'i principles, and after class, provides tutors to help students with homework assigned by their public school. The school also provides a pizza break, where students and teachers mingle.
At 5:30 p.m., everyone takes a pizza break with Barbara and Rick Johnson, co-administrators of Louhelen.
Lions and Whales has been a big success, says Barbara Johnson, who, with her husband, Rick, runs Louhelen. Rather than brag, she points to the comments of students and their families:
“I don’t act bad like I used to, and my report card is better.”
“Lions and Whales is a place you can go without being judged.”
“At first I thought it was just another program that would put me to sleep. Now I know it’s a program that brings people together.”
“It shows them how to behave in society and how to treat people along the way. They care more.” (Grandparent)
“I see (more) love in their eyes. I see some respect that they didn’t have before and a love of saying prayers.” (Grandparent)
And, from one child, “I’m grateful.”

Source URL: http://www.bahai.us/teaching-kids

2008-03-19T02:58:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI, 19 March 2008 (BWNS)

-- Every day, the people come. Thousands ofthem. At times it's a constant stream of humanity. Eight thousand people aday, 10,000, sometimes 15,000. On holidays 30,000, even 50,000. And once,150,000.
Yet everyone is calm, orderly, sometimes waiting in line to leave theirshoes in a hidden checkroom and climb the stairs to the building they callthe Lotus Temple. Inside, the mood is one of serenity. Considering the vastnumbers of people who make their way around the property, the peacefulnessperhaps is surprising.
"We are impressed - the discipline," said Ramesh Cheruku, who with his wifeand young son had come from Hyderabad in the south of India for their firstvisit to the Baha'i House of Worship, located in the capital city of NewDelhi.
With more than 4.6 million visitors last year, the temple is one of the mostpopular spots on earth, in a league with St. Peter's Basilica in Rome andnot far behind the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Many of the visitors are from India, but people come from all over theworld. They are Hindus, Christians, atheists, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs,and, of course, Baha'is. There are families, couples, single people,schoolchildren, tour groups.
Many come to see a stunning piece of architecture - and stunning it is.Still, their behavior suggests something more.
"Peace of mind," murmured Reeta Singhai when asked how she felt after herfirst walk through the temple, whose outward form is like a lotus flower. Ithas 27 "petals," arranged in threes so that the structure has nine sides,just like the other six Baha'i houses of worship around the world.
It is exactly this feeling of peace that the public relations director,Shatrughun Jiwnani, mentioned as he pondered the question about what appealsto visitors, most of whom are inside the temple only a few minutes.
"They suddenly find themselves in a place that is quiet," he said. Theypause "and maybe for a few moments look inside themselves."
"You can almost start to hear your own thoughts," agreed Sarang Joshi. Anative of India now living in the United States, he was impressed by what hecalled the "spiritual nature of the building."
"It's really interesting how that's captured by the architecture," he said.
Mr. Jiwnani said most people stay inside for only a few minutes, but such avisit can still be meaningful.
"Maybe two hours of quiet at home means nothing, whereas two minutes in thetemple can move you," he suggested, noting that there are many people whovisit frequently.
"People like it that there are no sermons or lectures here. They are able tobring their own religion and sit and pray or meditate."
To view the photos and additional features click here:http://news.bahai.org/
--30-sw-080319-1-INDIATEMPLE2008-611-S
------------------------------------------------------------Advance release: Please check our website for the final version of this article.------------------------------------------------------------Copyright 2008 by the Baha'i World News Service. All stories andphotographs produced by the Baha'i World News Service may be freelyreprinted, re-emailed, re-posted to the World Wide Web and otherwisereproduced by any individual or organization as long as they areattributed to the Baha'i World News Service. For more information, visithttp://news.bahai.org/.----------------------------------------------------------

2008-03-15T01:55:00.000-07:00

ROUHANGEZE

Le jazz à sa guise

Elle fait les choses à sa manière. Alors que les autres jeunes de son âge se tournent vers les tendances dans le vent, préférant la tecktonik ou le rock comme influence sonore, la jeune chanteuse emprunte la route du jazz dans un brassage sonore invitant le funk et l’électronique dans sa bulle. Rouhangeze sur le chemin du jazz…
Elle a de l’ambition et croit dans ce qu’elle fait. Elle a renoncé à beaucoup de choses pour garder le cap vers son objectif : faire un album de jazz. Une musique qu’elle découvre grâce à son père «une audiophile restreint et grand amateur de jazz.» Rouhangeze incarne cette nouvelle génération de jeunes, qui cultive un autre arbre de la musique, qui ne pousse que rarement sur le sol mauricien. Ayant abandonné les études pour se consacrer à sa musique, elle ne regrette point ce choix. Celle qui a 16 ans s’est lancée dans la production avec un ami et réalisé l’album du groupe BKS, prendra par la suite une autre route. «Après la fin de ce projet, on s’est plus vu cet ami et moi et depuis je me consacre uniquement à la vocalise,» dit-elle. Troisième à la dernière édition du concours Rêve de Star avec sa chanson You Are, cette chanteuse est tombée dans la marmite du jazz très jeune. «A la maison, mon père nous obligeait à écouter du jazz et à décortiquer la musique.» C’est de cette expérience qu’elle a pris goût à cette musique et l’a ensuite adoptée. Depuis, elle s’est frottée à de grosses pointures de l’univers jazzesque de l’île. Elle a eu l’occasion de jouer avec Jhonny Joseph, Frédéric Grenade, Christophe Bertin, les frères Desvaux, ainsi que Jocelyn Armandine… pour ne citer qu’eux. Avec ces derniers, elle a appris à ne plus «chanter dans la gorge mais dans le ventre.» Avec son compagnon, Chris Jacques qui l’aide dans la réalisation de son premier album, elle vise d’autres milieux que le marché local. Le couple s’est rendu compte de l’indifférence gratuite accordée à cette musique. Sa participation à un concert organisé à l’université de Maurice, atteste ce rejet du jazz par la jeunesse. Certes, ce constat ne peut être généralisé, car il y a bien des jeunes qui s’intéressent et qui jouent de cette musique, mais ils sont en minorité. «Le jazz souffre de sa complexité,» constate Rouhangeze. «Chris a décidé de s’investir dans mon projet. Je devais quitter le pays pour aller jouer en Chine mais je suis restée à cause de Chris.» Elle monte son propre home studio pour enregistrer ses chansons. Celle qui joue du piano, veut se donner le temps qu’il faut avant de sortir son premier opus. C’est la rencontre avec Chris Jacques, il y a neuf mois qui lui donne encore plus l’envie de réaliser son album. «Chris a décidé de s’investir dans mon projet. Je devais quitter le pays pour aller jouer en Chine mais je suis restée à cause de Chris,» ajoute Rouhangeze. De sa musique, elle dira qu’elle «n’est pas vaste mais il y a quelque chose de profond.» Son album aura le parfum jazzique avec une dose de funk entre l’électronique et l’acoustique. «Pour l’heure, j’ai six titres qui sont déjà prêts et cinq autres dans ma tête,» dit-elle avec un léger sourire. L’arrangement du disque sera fait par les musiciens qui l’accompagnent dans ce projet, mais le gros du travail sera assuré par Jocelyn Armandine. Chris Jacques, souligne, que le disque peut sortir en décembre si tout se passe bien. «Mon rôle est de donner à Rouhangeze les moyens qu’il faut pour qu’elle puisse exposer sa musique et son talent.»

2007-10-31T08:10:00.000-07:00

Remote Baha'i school adds two new grades

BUNISI, Papua New Guinea
31 October 2007 (BWNS)

In the remote village of Bunisi in Milne Bay Province in Papua New Guinea, the age you start school doesn't depend on how old you are - it depends on whether you can handle the hike to and from class.

Each morning, children trek for two hours, walking 2,000 feet down the mountain to the Ikara Primary School. And each afternoon, they hike back up.

Not easy for a 7-year-old.

"By the time the children get to school they are exhausted," said Jalal Mills, a Baha'i familiar with the educational system in Bunisi. "Then they are expected to concentrate in class and learn."

But now the situation is changing, at least for the first and second graders. Last month, the Bunisi Elementary School, which until recently only served preschoolers, added new classrooms.

Operated by the Baha'i community of Bunisi, the school serves students in preschool and now grades one and two from nearly a dozen nearby villages, covering an area with a population of perhaps 1,000 people. The pupils come from different religious backgrounds.

"The people are happy that the Baha'is have helped build a school to provide education for the boys and girls of the area," said Kessia Ruh, who in September traveled by helicopter from Rabaul to attend the inauguration of the new classrooms.

Kessia Ruh, a Baha'i Counsellor invited as a special guest to the inauguration of new classrooms at Bunisi Elementary School in Papua New Guinea, cuts the ribbon at one of the new buildings.

A Baha'i Counsellor, Ms. Ruh said the Baha'is themselves were eager to have outside visitors for the ceremony. "They hadn't had visitors from outside the area, and they wanted other neighboring villages to know that the Baha'i friends from (other places) would come," she said.

The school was started in 1995 by local Baha'is, who were concerned about the lack of educational opportunities for their children. They began with a preschool and spent last year working to add the new classrooms. They hope to expand further, perhaps adding a grade each year. Some 50 Baha'is live in Bunisi, with another few hundred in the surrounding area.

Instruction in the school is in the local language, Umaikana, because that is the norm in the country for the first three years of school. Students pay the equivalent of about US$3 a term and, because it is a government-registered school, public subsidies pay another US$99 per term for each child.

The school has three teachers, offering class for some 75 children in all. Two of the teachers are Baha'is, but most of the students are not. Religious instruction is limited to specified periods, and several religions are taught.

Even for Papua New Guinea, Bunisi is remote. Located 4,600 feet above sea level near the Milne Bay area in the eastern part of the country, Bunisi doesn't appear on most maps - it is just one of many small villages that dot the area. The closest settlement with electricity and running water is Rabaraba, a coastal station reached by a two-day walk through the mountains.

Map shows the location of Bunisi in New Guinea and in the world.

Bunisi itself has no electricity, no running water and no telecommunication services. Most of the people are subsistence farmers.

In addition to Ms. Ruh, other guests of honor at the inauguration were Chief Sigeru Buapa of the Bunisi area and the headmaster of the Ikara Primary School, where older children from the area will continue to attend classes.

All the guests joined in singing and dancing with local residents and hundreds of other visitors from the area who had hiked to Bunisi to participate in the festivities.

The land for the school was donated by the chief.

"Before, I used this land to hunt cuscus, and now I give it for the future generations to hunt for education," he said at the inauguration ceremony for the new classrooms.

lets pray for peace prevail

2007-09-17T02:55:00.000-07:00

Bush setting America up for war with Iran
By Philip Sherwell in New York and Tim Shipman in Washington
Last Updated: 2:29am BST 17/09/2007

Senior American intelligence and defence officials believe that President George W Bush and his inner circle are taking steps to place America on the path to war with Iran, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt.

Dick Cheney ('The Man') with George W Bush

Pentagon planners have developed a list of up to 2,000 bombing targets in Iran, amid growing fears among serving officers that diplomatic efforts to slow Iran's nuclear weapons programme are doomed to fail.

Pentagon and CIA officers say they believe that the White House has begun a carefully calibrated programme of escalation that could lead to a military showdown with Iran.

Now it has emerged that Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, who has been pushing for a diplomatic solution, is prepared to settle her differences with Vice-President Dick Cheney and sanction military action.

In a chilling scenario of how war might come, a senior intelligence officer warned that public denunciation of Iranian meddling in Iraq - arming and training militants - would lead to cross border raids on Iranian training camps and bomb factories.

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A prime target would be the Fajr base run by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Quds Force in southern Iran, where Western intelligence agencies say armour-piercing projectiles used against British and US troops are manufactured.

Under the theory - which is gaining credence in Washington security circles - US action would provoke a major Iranian response, perhaps in the form of moves to cut off Gulf oil supplies, providing a trigger for air strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities and even its armed forces.

Senior officials believe Mr Bush's inner circle has decided he does not want to leave office without first ensuring that Iran is not capable of developing a nuclear weapon.

The intelligence source said: "No one outside that tight circle knows what is going to happen." But he said that within the CIA "many if not most officials believe that diplomacy is failing" and that "top Pentagon brass believes the same".

He said: "A strike will probably follow a gradual escalation. Over the next few weeks and months the US will build tensions and evidence around Iranian activities in Iraq."

Possible flash points: Click to enlarge
Previously, accusations that Mr Bush was set on war with Iran have come almost entirely from his critics.

Many senior operatives within the CIA are highly critical of Mr Bush's handling of the Iraq war, though they themselves are considered ineffective and unreliable by hardliners close to Mr Cheney.

The vice president is said to advocate the use of bunker-busting tactical nuclear weapons against Iran's nuclear sites. His allies dispute this, but Mr Cheney is understood to be lobbying for air strikes if sites can be identified where Revolutionary Guard units are training Shia militias.

Recent developments over Iraq appear to fit with the pattern of escalation predicted by Pentagon officials.

Gen David Petraeus, Mr Bush's senior Iraq commander, denounced the Iranian "proxy war" in Iraq last week as he built support in Washington for the US military surge in Baghdad.

The US also announced the creation of a new base near the Iraqi border town of Badra, the first of what could be several locations to tackle the smuggling of weapons from Iran.

A State Department source familiar with White House discussions said that Miss Rice, under pressure from senior counter-proliferation officials to acknowledge that military action may be necessary, is now working with Mr Cheney to find a way to reconcile their positions and present a united front to the President.

The source said: "When you go down there and see the body language, you can see that Cheney is still The Man. Condi pushed for diplomacy but she is no dove. If it becomes necessary she will be on board.

"Both of them are very close to the president, and where they differ they are working together to find a way to present a position they can both live with."

The official contrasted the efforts of the secretary of state to work with the vice-president with the "open warfare between Colin Powell and Donald Rumsfeld before the Iraq war".

Miss Rice's bottom line is that if the administration is to go to war again it must build the case over a period of months and win sufficient support on Capitol Hill.

The Sunday Telegraph has been told that Mr Bush has privately promised her that he would consult "meaningfully" with Congressional leaders of both parties before any military action against Iran on the understanding that Miss Rice would resign if this did not happen.

The intelligence officer said that the US military has "two major contingency plans" for air strikes on Iran.

"One is to bomb only the nuclear facilities. The second option is for a much bigger strike that would - over two or three days - hit all of the significant military sites as well. This plan involves more than 2,000 targets."

2007-09-14T22:40:00.000-07:00

Scholarship and spirituality blend seamlessly at Baha'i conferencePosted : September 14, 2007 - 4:13pm | Terms : News | Human Interest
Michael Penn, a Baha'i and an associate professor of psychology at Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania, was headed for the 31st Annual Conference of the ABS (Association for Baha'i Studies-North America) in Ontario, Canada, and found himself seated next to another scholar on the plane.

Michael PennDuring the course of their conversation, Mr. Penn felt moved to share how the spiritual forces of intellect, will and love help shape civilization. "Your ideas are wrong," the man responded, and then proceeded to soliloquize for half an hour on Mr. Penn's "inadequate thinking." This caused Mr. Penn, for all his learning and convictions, to feel very small indeed -- and thankful he soon would be among those who not only welcomed, but sought out, others' opinions.

Indeed, the Association for Baha'i Studies was formed in 1975 to offer scholars an opportunity to present the results of their research and exchange ideas. The Baha'i approach to scholarship encourages people to assume "a humble posture of learning" and opens up dialogue to more than just those with a PhD. Anyone who can demonstrate a serious approach to the study of a subject may apply to present his or her findings at an ABS conference.

This year's ABS conference, "Scholarship and Community Building," offered presentations by Baha'is and non-Baha'is on the intersection of the Baha'i writings with research in the fields of science, literature and the arts. Approximately 1,200 participants came from a variety of backgrounds and ranged in age from a 15-year-old high school junior to an 85-year-old English professor.

Mr. Penn's paper centered on the protection and refinement of the human spirit, inspired by the words of Abdu'l-Baha:

"Verily, Thy lovers, thirst, O my Lord . . . robe them in the garments of learning and knowledge."
Mr. Penn's talk was poetic and incisive, encouraging as well as scholarly, full of hope and meaning, calling humanity to its noble destiny. Using the knowledge of scholar-activists from Confucius and Socrates to present-day thinkers, he emphasized that the development of civilization and knowledge must include the cultivation of spiritual forces that animate the mind and heart.

Mr. Penn concluded by saying he was in the presence, at this conference, of many of the most cultivated minds on this planet. A rousing ovation followed his words, and no listener was made to feel small.

2007-09-09T10:15:00.000-07:00

Chers Amis,

L'Organisation des Nations Unies a proclamé que le "21 Septembre" de chaque année sera la :

" Journée Internationale de la Paix ",

que nous préférons appeler, ainsi :

" Journée Internationale pour la Paix ",

"Journée" au cours de laquelle des actions et des initiatives devraient être prises en faveur de la Paix.

A l'occasion, de la "Journée Internationale pour la Paix" de cette année, qui aura lieu le :

Vendredi 21 Septembre 2007

le "Centre Bahà'i de Nice" (ville au sud-est de la France) lance, au niveau mondial, une :

"Journée de Prières inter-Religieuses",

afin que, pendant 24 heures, les croyants de toutes les religions fassent des Prières pour que la violence et la guerre

diminuent dans le monde et qu'elles soient remplacées progressivement par l'esprit de Paix et d'Amour, et, bientôt, par la Paix promise par toutes les grandes Religions révélées.

Mais, les Prières auront encore plus d'effets, si elles sont accompagnées par des actions concrètes.

" Aide-toi, et le Ciel t'aidera ! ", dit un dicton français.

Nous vous prions donc de bien vouloir faire une ou des Prières lors de cette "Journée" et, si vous avez envie de la partager avec d'autres personnes, l'envoyer à notre adresse : CentreBahaiNice@Absmark.com, afin que toutes les prières soient groupées et retransmises à tous.

Veuillez indiquer, si possible, la source de cette prière (la religion dont elle est issue ou la personne qui l'a rédigée), la langue dans laquelle elle est écrite, ainsi que votre Nom si vous voulez qu'il apparaisse comme "expéditeur" de la Prière.

Seigneur Dieu, fais que ton Royaume qui est au Ciel, s'installe aussi sur la Terre !

Certes, les Hommes ont le libre-arbitre de travailler ou non dans ce sens, néanmoins, aide-les à suivre tes Commandements : ce sont Tes enfants, mais ils manquent d'humilité et de discernement !

Avec nos cordiales pensées,

pour le "Centre Bahà'i de Nice",

Rochan MAVADDAT.

–––––––––––––––––––––

Veuillez retransmettre cette information à tous vos amis et correspondants afin

qu'une grande chaîne de Prières puisse être tissée autour du monde !

M E R C I.

- P.S. : Le Vendredi 21 Septembre 2007, le Centre Bahà'i de Nice (24 Rue Maréchal Joffre. Nice, France) organise, à 20 h, une Réunion de Prières inter-religieuses, accompagnées par de la musique inter-culturelle.

Vous y êtes tous les Bienvenus !

« La Terre n'est qu'un seul pays,

et tous les Hommes en sont les citoyens. »

« Le bien-être de l’Humanité, sa paix et sa sécurité

ne pourront être obtenus, si son unité n’est pas fermement établie. »

Écrits sacrés de la Foi Bahà'ie (1863 ).

" AL-SALÂM " calligraphié en arabe = " PAIX ", en français.

= " PEACE ", in English.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

English translation :

Dear Friends,

The United Nations Organisation proclaimed that the “21^st of September” of each year will be the :

“International Day of Peace”,

that we prefer to call :

“International Day for Peace”,

a “Day” during which actions and initiatives should be taken in favour of Peace.

On the occasion of the “International Day for Peace” of this year, which will take place on :

Friday, September 21^st 2007,

the “Bahà'i Centre of Nice” (city in the south-east of France) will launch, on a worldwide level, a “Day of inter-religious Prayers”, so that, during 24 hours, the believers of all religions pray in order for violence and war to decrease in the world and be replaced gradually by the spirit of Peace and Love, and, soon, by that Peace promised by all the great revealed Religions.

However, the Prayers will have even greater effects, if they are accompanied by concrete actions.

“Help yourself, and Heaven will help you !”,

says a French saying.

We therefore kindly ask you to make a Prayer (or several) during this “Day” and, if you want to share it with others, please send it to our E-Mail address : CentreBahaiNice@Absmark.com, so that these Prayers can be gathered and transmitted to all.

Please, indicate, if possible, the source of the prayer (the religion from which it come, or the person who wrote it), the language in which it is written, as well as your Name if you want it to appear as the “sender” of the Prayer.

Lord God, make that Thy Kingdom, which is in Heaven, be settled also on Earth !

All men have the free-will to work or not in this direction, nevertheless, help them follow your Commandments : they are your children, however they lack humility, discernment soul and understanding !

Warm Regards,

For the “Baha’i Centre of Nice”, France,

Rochan MAVADDAT, General Secretary.

________________

Please forward this information to all your friends and correspondents

so that a large chain of Prayers can be woven

around the world !

Many Thanks !

=> P.S. : On Friday September 21st, 2007, the Bahà’i Centre of Nice (24 Rue Maréchal Joffre. Nice, France) organizes, at 20 hours (8 p.m.), an inter-religious Prayer Meeting, accompanied by inter-cultural music.

You are all Welcome !

« Today there is no greater glory for man than that of service

in the cause of the "Most Great Peace".

Peace is light whereas war is darkness. Peace is life; war is death.

Peace is guidance; war is error. Peace is the foundation of God; war is satanic institution.

Peace is the illumination of the world of Humanity; war is the destroyer of human foundations. »

« The Earth is but one country, and Mankind its citizens ! »

The Baha’i Faith’s Scripture (1863)

2007-09-09T10:13:00.000-07:00

Prayers

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by Kathleen Lehman

Appeared: 09/07/2007

We Bahá’ís are lucky to have a huge library of prayers revealed to us by the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. We use them all the time, and we love them. But frequently when I pray, I find my thoughts turning to other prayers, written by average folks like you and me. OK, so most of them were saints, and some of them are the greatest figures Christianity has ever known, but they’re sort of “you-and-me” prayers. Prayers that were composed, not by the Great Lights, but by people who, like you and me, daily sought God, occasionally got lost, and wept more often than Jesus did.

People sometimes wrote to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, including prayers they themselves had written. To one Bahá’í, He responded:

The brief prayer which thou didst write at the close of thy letter was indeed original, touching and beautiful. Recite thou this prayer at all times.
(‘Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 66)

To a believer who asked about the form prayer should take, Shoghi Effendi wrote:

In regard to your question: we must not be rigid about praying; there is not a set of rules governing it; the main thing is we must start out with the right concept of God, the Manifestation, the Master, the Guardian -- we can turn, in thought, to any one of them when we pray. For instance you can ask Bahá'u'lláh for something, or, thinking of Him, ask God for it. The same is true of the Master or the Guardian. You can turn in thought to either of them and then ask their intercession, or pray direct to God. As long as you don't confuse their stations, and make them all equal, it does not matter much how you orient your thoughts.
(from a letter dated 24 July 1946 to an individual believer, The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, p. 241)

I’ve been thrilled to see prayers written by Bahíyyih Khánum included in some of the recent women’s prayer books. I suppose I should hesitate in calling a member of the Holy Family “average folks”, but Bahíyyih Khánum has a lot more in common with most women than does, say, her big brother. This prayer, which is almost lovely beyond words, was part of a letter written to the Spiritual Assembly of Tabríz the spring after His passing:

O God, my God!
Thou seest me immersed in the depths of grief, drowned in my sorrow, my heart on fire with the agony of parting, my inmost self aflame with longing. Thou seest my tears streaming down, hearest my sighs rising up like smoke, my never-ceasing groans, my cries, my shouts that will not be stilled, the useless wailing of my heart.
For the sun of joy has set, has sunk below the horizon of this world, and in the hearts of the righteous the lights of courage and consolation have gone out. So grave this catastrophe, so dire this disaster, that the inner being crumbles away to dust, and the heart blazes up, and nothing remains save only despair and anguish.
Thou seest, O my God, in the midmost of this terrible event, this ultimate calamity, when the devoted never put aside their mourning dress, and the moaning and the tears never cease -- how that malevolent band have, with all their powers, mounted an attack against Thy loved ones who are loyal to the Covenant, even as the assault of wolves upon the flock. They are striving, with all their strength, to bring down the mighty structure of Thy Covenant in ruins, and level Thy strong citadel to the ground, and turn away from Thy straight and clearly-marked path those Thou hast guided aright. O my Lord, I voice my complaint before Thee, and lay bare my griefs and sorrows, and supplicate at the door of Thy oneness, and whisper unto Thee, and weep and cry out.
O my kind Lord! Thou didst make a clear compact and a Covenant explicit and firm, not in veiled and allusive language, that all should turn unto the Centre of Thy Covenant and the Protector of Thy Cause -- so that no doubts whatever would remain for the hostile and the suspicious to exploit; and then Thy lone Servant rose up to lift Thy banner high, and carry the day for Thy Faith. For thirty years He summoned the people unto Thee, publicly, privately, and spread Thy Teachings and Thy principles to every corner, every country of the earth. Night and day, He fostered Thy loved ones in the cradle of divine knowledge and wisdom, and endowed them with the qualities of the spirit. And all this time He bore, at the hands of that evil crew, not once but over and over again, every kind of outrage, and calumny, and oppression. For they were forever lying in wait for Him, were spying on Him at all times from their ambush, attacking Him in whatever manner they chose, swelling with their insolence and pride. And yet, through Thy strong support, Thine overwhelming confirmations, they were the losers in the end, and their strivings came to nothing in this world's life, and all they gained was their own ruin.
Then, O my Lord, Thou didst make Him to ascend unto Thee, to place Him at Thy side, and by this the pillars of joy were shaken to their base, and the hearts of the devoted were terrified, and the smoke of their sorrow overspread the earth. At such a time that hate-filled band, seeing their advantage in the dire event, came in from every highway and byway, advancing on every side to topple over the throne of Thy Covenant, and lead Thy loved ones to perdition. They have laid their very being in ruins and they know not. How far, how very far have they gone in their ignorance!
But the Centre of Thy complete and flawless Covenant, He Who occupies the seat of servitude to Thee in Thine exalted and all-glorious Cause, had written by Thy will and Thy power a Book that shall never be lost nor ever forgotten. Within it by Thy predestinating knowledge and might, He had set forth all that is essential and obligatory for the upraising of Thy Cause in this world below. It is a book in which all things are explained in minute detail, in such wise that no matters whether small or great have been left out. And by Thy will and pleasure He designated therein, in place of His own Person, a Branch grown out from the Tree of Thy holiness, one fresh and tender, verdant and flourishing, arising to serve Thee, dwelling in the groves of Thine eternity, and Thine immortal gardens. And he, after turning to Thy gracious countenance and through Thine ancient succour, is inviting the people unto Thee and unto Thy Covenant, sound and firmly-established, and is spreading Thy commandments and Thy doctrines throughout Thy land, and guiding Thy servants to the path that leads aright.
O my God, I beg of Thee by all the days which Thy Light, the Centre of Thy Covenant, did spend in scattering Thy sweet scents abroad, and by all the nights when that delicate and fragile Being rested not, but kept the long vigils, crying out unto Thee, expending His efforts to guard Thy Cause and Thy dear ones, exerting His utmost to spread out Thy bounties and bestowals -- while the malevolent, comfortable against their pillows, rested in their beds -- I entreat Thee, by the ordeals He endured, for the sake of exalting Thy Word, at the hands of those who join partners to God, and the deniers, and the deserters, to keep Thy loved ones safe from the arrows of the calumniators, and the doubts of those who mislead and betray. Hold them fast, then, in the gardens and groves of Thy Covenant and Testament, and make them to enter the pavilions of Thy good pleasure, and shelter them in the refuge of Thy protection, and cast upon them the glance of Thy mercy's eye, and guard them from deviation and schism. Make them to live in unity and harmony, one with the others, and aid them to serve Thy Faith and to spread Thy Teachings far and wide.
Verily Thou art the Living, the Eternal, the Watchful, the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
(Bahíyyih Khánum: The Greatest Holy Leaf, p. 125)

Overwhelming. I hear in this prayer not only the love of a human being for her brother but the weeping of the Maid of Heaven. I’m looking forward to listening to more of Bahíyyih Khánum’s words, whenever we get them, although I’ve become resigned to the likelihood that most of them were spoken to other women who may or may not have made note of them; their fragrance long ago vanished on the breeze.

When I think of the long and painful roads that some of us travel before we reach a home in the Faith, this prayer of St. Augustine comes to mind. Augustine was a wild and crazy youth who was the despair of his Christian mother, Monica, who nevertheless prayed constantly for him. Eventually Augustine had his moment of clarity, and the rest is history. In his Confessions, written around the year 400 C.E., he wrote this prayer, which has become a classic:

Late have I loved Thee, O Beauty so ancient and so new; late have I loved Thee: for behold Thou wert within me, and I outside; and I sought Thee outside and in my unloveliness fell upon those lovely things that Thou hast made. Thou wert with me, and I was not with Thee. I was kept from Thee by those things, yet had they not been in Thee, they would not have been at all. Thou didst call and cry to me to break open my deafness: and Thou didst send forth Thy beams and shine upon me and chase away my blindness: Thou didst breathe fragrance upon me, and I drew in my breath and do now pant for Thee: I tasted Thee, and now hunger and thirst for Thee: Thou didst touch me, and I have burned for Thy peace.
(Augustine of Hippo, Confessions)

Hmm, there’s something familiar about that “ancient Beauty”!

St. Francis of Assisi, who lived from 1181 to 1226 (and whose memory is perpetuated in stone and bronze in gardens ‘round the world), composed prayers of exquisite simplicity. The prayer usually called the Canticle thanks God for the material world—fire, water, the sun, moon, and stars, air and wind, death, and so forth—and inspired the movie Brother Sun, Sister Moon. My favorite prayer of St. Francis’s is this one:

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console,
To be understood, as to understand,
To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

You might have seen that prayer; it’s popular and appears in many places. If only more people would pay attention!

St. Patrick, who lived in the fourth and fifth centuries C.E., had the right attitude toward the Manifestation:

Christ, be with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I arise,
Christ in the heart of every one who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every one who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Salvation is of the Lord,
Salvation is of the Lord,
Salvation is of the Christ,
May your salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.

This prayer of Patrick’s always makes me think of the long prayer of the Báb invoking God’s protection “from what lieth in front of us and behind us, above our heads, on our right, on our left, below our feet and every other side to which we are exposed”. It’s also quite a teaching challenge to be “Christ in every eye that sees me” and “Christ in every ear that hears me”. While we want the Manifestation to go with us, we also need to remember that we are representing Him to others. We don’t want to appear anything less than (in Patrick’s day, anyway) Christlike.

Interfaith prayer books are now beginning to appear with some regularity, and I think they’re great. They should be in every Bahá’í library. The words we use in approaching God are universal. And there are marvelous prayers that people have written over the ages.

I’d like to leave with this one. It was turned into the song “Day By Day” in the musical Godspell; a catchy tune contemporary with a rock version of the Lord’s Prayer and Jesus Christ Superstar, during the ecumenical revival of the early 1970s. The prayer, however, was composed in the thirteenth century C.E. by St. Richard of Chichester. St. Richard, of course, writes of Christ, but you are free to substitute a different Manifestation.

Thanks be to Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits which Thou hast given us; for all the pains and insults which Thou hast borne for us. O most merciful Redeemer, friend and brother, may we know Thee more clearly, love Thee more dearly, and follow Thee more nearly; for Thine own sake.

Amen. So be it.

http://www.planetbahai.org/cgi-bin/articles.pl?article=326

the seven valleys

2007-09-07T00:44:00.000-07:00

2007-08-01T01:23:00.000-07:00

Artist Duffy Sheridan at the 2005 Florence Biennale with three of his paintings.

For artist Duffy Sheridan, painting is a means to “elevate the human condition”
Increasingly recognized for his contributions to the new “realism,” Mr. Sheridan is unambiguous about how his Bahá’í belief affects his artistic expression.

ELOY, Arizona, USA — Having painted in obscurity for decades, artist Duffy Sheridan was in Italy of all places when an art lover surprised him by singling him out in a crowd.

Mr. Sheridan had just finished hanging three paintings in the main gallery at the 2005 Florence Biennale of Contemporary Art — a prestigious, invitation-only art festival which that year brought together 768 artists from 74 countries.

“My son and I were walking back to the hotel when we heard a woman yelling, ‘Artiste! Artiste!’” said the painter, telling the story during an interview at his home in this American Southwest desert town.

“We started looking around for someone, and we see that she’s pointing at me and running at me with a group of women. They had seen my self-portrait hanging in the gallery and recognized me in the crowd. I turned to my son and said, ‘This is going to be fun.’”
The recognition given to Mr. Sheridan at the show in Florence, where he won the celebrated President’s Award, is all the more significant because of the style of his paintings. Mr. Sheridan is a classical realist and his vision runs counter to the trend in contemporary art toward abstraction.

He is also unusual in the art world because he is entirely self-taught, and because he speaks explicitly of the influence of spirituality on his work. A member of the Bahá’í Faith since 1971, Mr. Sheridan is unambiguous about how Bahá’í teachings and principles affect his choice of subjects and themes.

“There is a direct relationship to what I do as an artist and what I believe as a Bahá’í,” said Mr. Sheridan.

Duffy Sheridan in his studio at home in Arizona.
See larger version>
His first big break

Unsuccessful as a young artist in California in the early 1970s, he moved with his family to the Falkland Islands in 1976 to assist the Bahá’í community there. He thought the isolation would mean the end of his painting, but instead it allowed him to refine and refocus his technique and his approach. The sojourn also put him in the path of the Falklands War, an event that required him and his family to spend every night for nearly two months in an underground bunker.

Interest in the war led to his first big break when in 1983 a show in London featured his paintings of Falkland Islanders. Since then, Mr. Sheridan has won increasing notice as an important figure in the realist school.

“I believe Duffy is one of the top 15 or 20 artists alive today,” said Fred Ross, chairman of the Art Renewal Center, a not-for-profit organization in New Jersey that promotes a return to traditional realism. “He has a wonderful technique that gets better and better. He captures the humanity of his subjects, creating very moving pieces that are very compelling.”

In March 2005, the Center honored Mr. Sheridan’s painting “Trust” with the Chairman’s Choice award in the Second International ARC Salon Competition, which had received more than 1,500 entries from around the world. In 2006, one of Mr. Sheridan’s paintings was a finalist in the Third International ARC Salon Competition.

The Center has also honored Mr. Sheridan with the appellation “Living Master,” a title it has bestowed on about 40 individuals worldwide.

In 2005, also, Mr. Sheridan’s “Self Portrait 2004” won the Director’s Award at the International Guild of Realism, a juried show in Dallas, Texas. And again in 2006, his “Promise of Renewal” received the Director’s Award at the International Guild of Realism show in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

“I consider him one of the best classical realist painters today,” said Don Clapper, founder of the International Guild of Realism. “His technique, his ability to render light and shadow, is absolutely gorgeous. He really captures the emotions and the life of the individuals that he paints.”

To describe Mr. Sheridan’s style is not difficult: Most of his paintings are simple but highly realistic portraits, often of young women, in elegant classical or natural settings.
Some have compared them to photographs, but the depth of field, the choice of detail, and an indescribable “life” that illuminates them go beyond even the painting school of “photorealism.”

“All I really want to do is to create an image that will make the viewer stop for a minute and say, ‘Honey, I really want to look at this,’ and to do it so skillfully that they can’t ignore it,” said Mr. Sheridan, who is 59.

His choice of subjects — mainly the human face and figure but also natural things like rocks and water and even the wings of birds — come from a desire to portray spiritual qualities he sees in the real world.

“I have found that my eye — my heart — is always attracted to the things which are beautiful to me,” he said. His goal is to call attention to “tokens of the Divine” that he believes can be found everywhere, and especially in the human countenance

“For me, as a Bahá’í, I don’t want to do anything other than to elevate the human condition by pointing to something that is lovely,” he said. “And nature’s best expression of that is usually found in the human face.”

Many of his paintings carry simple titles of virtues — “Hope,” “Trustworthiness,” “Compassion.”

“Most abstract painters believe our true artistic nature is inspired abstractly, but not me,” said Mr. Sheridan, explaining why he prefers to paint people and why he strives for realism. “I try to reflect things that are great in the human sphere. Love for a human being is different than love for a rock or a tree.”
Long path to success

“The Confidant” is typical of Duffy Sheridan’s use of realism to convey human emotion.
See larger version>

Like many artists, Mr. Sheridan’s path to success was long and tortuous. At one point in the late 1960s, he was working as the manager of a grocery store in California by night and selling simple portraits by day. In another down-and-out episode, he traded his only means of transportation — a red Volkswagen with a leaky exhaust pipe — for a month’s rent and three cords of heating wood.

It was during this period that Mr. Sheridan and his wife, Jeanne, heard about the Bahá’í Faith from an old college friend.

“His message was that the world had a new teacher or educator from God,” said Mr. Sheridan, explaining the Bahá’í concept of progressive revelation — that all the world’s major religions were sent from one God — and how the process was renewed in the 19th century with the coming of Bahá’u’lláh.

“We realized that if the nature of progressive revelation was true, it was not something that could be ignored,” said Mr. Sheridan.

The couple recalls staying up all night after hearing about the Bahá’í Faith and deciding that they had to embrace it.

“Everyone comes into the Faith in their own way, but for us it was a spiritual experience as opposed to an intellectual experience,” said Mr. Sheridan. “It was the knowledge that even though we didn’t have a thorough understanding of who Bahá’u’lláh was, it was clear to us that the Manifestation of God for this day had come.”

The couple moved to the Falklands in April 1976 in response to an appeal from Bahá’í institutions to travel to areas where Baha’i communities were small or struggling.

They found the windswept islands in the South Atlantic to be a sharp and often difficult change from life in the United States.

“At that time, the lifestyle probably wasn’t much different from what it was 100 years ago,” said Mr. Sheridan. Heating and cooking were done on peat-fired stoves, the diet was mostly mutton and potatoes. “And there was no television or refrigerators.”

To support the family, Ms. Sheridan got a job as a typist for the government and Mr. Sheridan started working as a carpenter. It didn’t occur to him he could make a living as an artist.

“I told myself, ‘Well, there goes any art career I ever dreamed of,’” he said, explaining that he believed that the distance from art centers in North America and Europe would cut him off from trends in the art world and from access to galleries. “As it turned out, it was exactly what I needed for my art.”

Duffy Sheridan and his wife, Jeanne, who is a ceramics artist, on the front porch of their home in Eloy, Arizona, USA.
See larger version>

The couple discovered that life was so simple in the Falklands that it did not take much money to survive. They were able to live on Ms. Sheridan’s salary, and Mr. Sheridan was able to take up painting full time.

“I was really cut off — as cut off as I could be on the planet,” he said. “And because I didn’t have anybody looking over my shoulder, I was allowed to practice according to my own whim. I found that I had a greater tendency towards drawing and painting in a realistic fashion
Learning to observe

He also developed in himself a power of observation — an ability to find what he believes are “tokens of the divine creation” in the shape of a rock or the pattern of a leaf. “I just learned to love to look at stuff,” he said.

Their sense of isolation was abruptly broken in 1982 by the outbreak of the war between Argentina and Great Britain over the Falklands. Thousands of Argentinian soldiers swarmed the island, driving out British officials, and setting up defenses to repel a possible counterattack.

Committed to Bahá’í principles of humanitarian service, the Sheridans ignored calls by the U.S. government to evacuate. Mr. Sheridan helped form the civil defense committee in Port Stanley, the capital, and ended up serving during the war by driving around to check on elderly people and others who could not easily get out for groceries or other necessities.

“With thousands of Argentine troops in town, we were essentially hostages, and we knew that,” he said. “They set up gun emplacements all over town. And we realized this was a real danger… They fired at every cat that jumped out of a garbage can. And the shells they were using would go right through the houses, in one side and out the other.”

Their own house had walls of thin metal siding, “so we went and stayed with a family who had a bunker underground,” said Ms. Sheridan. “Eleven of us spent 56 nights sleeping head to toe in that bunker.”

Before the war, Mr. Sheridan had spent much of his time painting portraits of native Falkland Islanders, a project that became the core of the 1983 show in London that first brought wide attention to his work. A stunningly lifelike portrait of the family’s baby sitter, Anya Smith, ended up on the cover of the Sunday Times Magazine in London.

In 1986, the Sheridans moved to Samoa, where Mr. Sheridan painted full time and Jeanne did secretarial work. Today an 8-by-11-foot painting of his hangs in the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Pago Pago. Mr. Sheridan also did a portrait of the Samoan head of state, His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II, who was also a Bahá’í. [Editor’s note: The Malietoa passed away on 11 May 2007.]

Five years later, the Sheridans moved back to the United States, eventually settling in Eloy, Arizona, a desert community in the southwestern United States. Mr. Sheridan has established relationships with a number of galleries and also travels to exhibitions around the country and even overseas, as when he was invited to Florence. He also has a Web site that displays his work and from which prints can be purchased.

Through it all, he has retained a sense of humility. “I don’t ever remember thinking that I was going to be a famous painter,” he said. “I just always wanted to paint. And when the opportunity presented itself to do that, I would do it. And then I managed to start making a living at it.

“But the goal has always been to do it just as good as I can do it. And anything else that happens is in the realm of providence.”

About the Bahá'í Faith | Contact Us | Copyright 2007, Bahá'í International Community
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ISLAMIC YOUTH DEFENDING BAHAIS RIGHTS

2007-07-31T21:07:00.001-07:00

Here is the group ' s website: http://www.bahairights.org/

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--New Article on BBC-Persian

Interesting article

http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/story/2007/07/070719_si-wkf-bahaiedefence.
shtml

and a quick translation:

Formation of a Muslim Group in Defense of the Rights of Baha ' is

Na ' im Sobhani

BBC-Persian , Washington

For the first time on the internet, a group of Muslim youth has
established a site called "the Muslim Network for Baha ' i Rights." This
site closely monitors the conditions of Baha ' is in Egypt and Iran
.

That a group of Muslims-made up social activists and liberal students
from Arab countries-has exposed the plight of Baha ' is is seen as a
significant development by human rights advocates.

"The Muslim Network for Baha ' i Rights" is not based in any specific
country, nor does it have an office or staff.

This internet group has made known its goal of attaining civil rights
and basic freedoms for Baha ' is in the Islamic and Arab worlds.

On their website, they closely follow and discuss all the latest news on
the Baha ' is in the Islamic world.

The founder of this internet project is Esra ' a Shafei, young woman
from Bahrayn.
Esra ' a states that she is a believing Muslim and has no connection
with Baha ' is. However, as a Muslim, she believes it is necessary to
respect the rights of this religious minority.

This Bahrayni student added that she has purposefully named the group
"Islamic" to attract the attention of Muslims.

However, this step has stirred a great deal of debate. According to Esra
' a, "They ask me why I am doing this? Why are you working against your own
religious identity? They even accuse me of being a traitor and a Zionist. 70
percent of the reactions I have thus far received have been of this nature."

Esra ' a, who is only 20 years old, adds that such reactions will not
dissuade her. She states that she closely follows the condition of
Baha ' is in Iran and Egypt .

It is believed that there are some 500 Baha ' is in Egypt .

In the 1960s, their religion was declared illegal by order of Jamal
Abdul-Nasser, the former president of Egypt . Until this day, Baha '
is are considered "apostates" in Egypt .

The Iranian constitution also refuses to officially recognize the Baha '
i religion-one of the largest non-Muslim minorities in this country. The
Baha ' is of this country face extensive limits on work and education.

Unknown

The founder of "the Muslim Network for Baha ' i Rights" believes that
most people in the Arab world know very little about the Baha ' is:
"When I talk to my friends about the Baha ' i faith, they tell me that it is
a satanic religion. I ask them to provide me with one of the principles of
this religion, but they have no answer. Some think that the Baha ' is are a
sect of Shi ' i Islam which is also a mistake. They don ' t know anything
about it, but they are nonetheless suspicious of its followers."

This Bahrayni youth is convinced that the most successful societies in
the world today are those which-notwithstanding the diversity of religions
and ethnic groups within them-are able to preserve their unity and respect
the rights of their minorities.

John Wall, a professor of Islamic history at Georgetown
University in Washington DC , agrees with this view. But he believes
that in an age of globalization, one can ' t affix the label of religious
minority to any one religion: "In this day and age, everyone is considered a
minority. Even Christians, who constitute the largest religion in the world,
are a minority in certain countries. Muslims are the majority in the Middle
East, but are considered a religious minority
in Europe . Sunni Muslims, for instance, face difficulties in
attaining permission to establish mosques."

Mr. Wall provided a positive assessment of the fact that a Muslim group
has for the first time taken up the problem of Baha ' i rights.
According to him, the efforts of individuals such as Esra ' a, a Bahrayni
student, can help in promoting human rights and inter-faith
dialogue in the Middle East .

2007-07-31T21:07:00.000-07:00

--New Article on BBC-Persian

Interesting article

http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/story/2007/07/070719_si-wkf-bahaiedefence.
shtml

and a quick translation:

Formation of a Muslim Group in Defense of the Rights of Baha ' is

Na ' im Sobhani

BBC-Persian , Washington

For the first time on the internet, a group of Muslim youth has
established a site called "the Muslim Network for Baha ' i Rights." This
site closely monitors the conditions of Baha ' is in Egypt and Iran
.

That a group of Muslims-made up social activists and liberal students
from Arab countries-has exposed the plight of Baha ' is is seen as a
significant development by human rights advocates.

"The Muslim Network for Baha ' i Rights" is not based in any specific
country, nor does it have an office or staff.

This internet group has made known its goal of attaining civil rights
and basic freedoms for Baha ' is in the Islamic and Arab worlds.

On their website, they closely follow and discuss all the latest news on
the Baha ' is in the Islamic world.

The founder of this internet project is Esra ' a Shafei, young woman
from Bahrayn.
Esra ' a states that she is a believing Muslim and has no connection
with Baha ' is. However, as a Muslim, she believes it is necessary to
respect the rights of this religious minority.

This Bahrayni student added that she has purposefully named the group
"Islamic" to attract the attention of Muslims.

However, this step has stirred a great deal of debate. According to Esra
' a, "They ask me why I am doing this? Why are you working against your own
religious identity? They even accuse me of being a traitor and a Zionist. 70
percent of the reactions I have thus far received have been of this nature."

Esra ' a, who is only 20 years old, adds that such reactions will not
dissuade her. She states that she closely follows the condition of
Baha ' is in Iran and Egypt .

It is believed that there are some 500 Baha ' is in Egypt .

In the 1960s, their religion was declared illegal by order of Jamal
Abdul-Nasser, the former president of Egypt . Until this day, Baha '
is are considered "apostates" in Egypt .

The Iranian constitution also refuses to officially recognize the Baha '
i religion-one of the largest non-Muslim minorities in this country. The
Baha ' is of this country face extensive limits on work and education.

Unknown

The founder of "the Muslim Network for Baha ' i Rights" believes that
most people in the Arab world know very little about the Baha ' is:
"When I talk to my friends about the Baha ' i faith, they tell me that it is
a satanic religion. I ask them to provide me with one of the principles of
this religion, but they have no answer. Some think that the Baha ' is are a
sect of Shi ' i Islam which is also a mistake. They don ' t know anything
about it, but they are nonetheless suspicious of its followers."

This Bahrayni youth is convinced that the most successful societies in
the world today are those which-notwithstanding the diversity of religions
and ethnic groups within them-are able to preserve their unity and respect
the rights of their minorities.

John Wall, a professor of Islamic history at Georgetown
University in Washington DC , agrees with this view. But he believes
that in an age of globalization, one can ' t affix the label of religious
minority to any one religion: "In this day and age, everyone is considered a
minority. Even Christians, who constitute the largest religion in the world,
are a minority in certain countries. Muslims are the majority in the Middle
East, but are considered a religious minority
in Europe . Sunni Muslims, for instance, face difficulties in
attaining permission to establish mosques."

Mr. Wall provided a positive assessment of the fact that a Muslim group
has for the first time taken up the problem of Baha ' i rights.
According to him, the efforts of individuals such as Esra ' a, a Bahrayni
student, can help in promoting human rights and inter-faith
dialogue in the Middle East .

2007-07-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

http://www.uniondemocrat.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=24003
Aging followers keep the Baha'i faith going
Published: July 27, 2007
By MICHAEL KAY
The Union Democrat
Edward Nadeau Diliberto does not look like a man who has traveled to 26 countries for his faith.
He does not wear a pendant or cross. He does not carry a rosary. Dressed in white slacks and a green Hawaiian-print shirt on a recent afternoon, the 71-year-old looked like an average Mother Lode retiree.
But in the last two decades, Diliberto has logged trips to everywhere from the Canary Islands to Slovakia for the Baha'i faith; and for much of his eight years as a Twain Harte resident has served as the unofficial spokesperson for Baha'is in Tuolumne County.
The Baha'i faith claims 5 million followers in 265 countries, qualifying it as the second-most dispersed religion in the world, yet is nearly as inconspicuous in the Mother Lode as Diliberto's clothing.
Tuolumne County counts about 25 followers — a number that Diliberto says has risen about one a year over the last decade. Calaveras County has around 10 — down slightly from previous years.
One of the few public notices of the Baha'i faith is a listing in the church section of Union Democrat's Know-it-All, its nearest center is in Santa Cruz and the nearest House of Worship is in Wilmette, Ill.
The relative scarcity of Baha'is in the area is actually what prompted Diliberto and his wife, Evelyn, to move to the foothills eight years ago.
"We said, ‘Lets go somewhere there are few Baha'is and keep spreading it," he said.
The practice is common among Baha'is, who applaud pioneers — followers who move to other countries to be ambassadors of the faith.
Yet the faith forbids proselytizing — inducing others to join your religion — and often Baha'is' neighbors and co-workers do not know their friend's faith or even how to pronounce it (Buh-Hi).
"You teach by how you conduct yourself — if you're kind or if you're helpful," said San Andreas resident Sarah Dixon Ercolini, 83, who has been a Baha'i since age 21.
The tenets of the faith are often summarized as a belief in the unity of God, the unity of religion and the unity of mankind — which leads Baha'is to open their arms to nearly everyone, regardless of faith or philosophy.
Equally important, Baha'is believe that religion is an evolving process and that religious leaders from Krishna and Moses to Jesus and Muhammed are all manifestations of God.
Their early leaders — founder Siyyid Ali-Muhammad, called the Bab, and Baha'u'llah, who led the faith after Ali-Muhammad's death — are merely the latest manifestations, they say.
"Bab'ullah is just the most recent. It's not superior, but his message is the most ample and grand," Diliberto said.
Founded in Persia in 1844 by Ali-Muhammad — likened by Baha'is to John the Baptist in historical importance — the Baha'i faith is the youngest of the major world religions.
Baha'is use a calendar with 19 months of 19 days each and come together for feasts at the end of each month. As the year adds up to only 361 days, they use the other four or five days for New Year's celebrations, in addition to nine holy days each year.
The first 19 days of March are spent in a dawn to dusk fast. But like the holidays, members of the faith are quick to note that there is no compulsion.
"All these obligations are between you and God," Diliberto said. "We're not nutty about anything."
Despite the faith's youth and largely progressive image, Baha'is hold to many traditional religious values — believing homosexuality is unnatural and promoting abstention from alcohol, drugs and pre-marital sex.
But other Baha'i beliefs seem designed to accommodate those forces which typically drive schisms between the religious and secular spheres: the harmony of religion and science, independent investigation of truth and, perhaps most pertinent for this decade, unity of religion.
Baha'is believe that humankind is at the dawn of a new era when many of their core values — world peace and unity — will come to fruition.
Current turmoil in the Middle East is proof for, not against, their view, says Diliberto. He likens the situation to the battles of Charlemagne or the Greek city states that also brought new order.
"The transition from essentially fractured civilizations to some sort of world system will be long and tortuous," he said. "Why would we expect anything else?"
Whether the Baha'is in the Mother Lode will be around to see that future is questionable. Like many in the area, their members are gray and graying — many converted in a ‘60s era that saw the U.S. population of followers quadruple.
"I'm one of the younger Bahai's and I'm 52," said Valley Springs resident Bonnie Braga-Goerke.
Contact Michael Kay at mkay@uniondemocrat.com or 588-4529.

2007-07-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

A stirring article posted in The Times of India says the Baha'i House of Worship in New Delhi "combines the grandeur of a palace and the peace of a monastery."

Petal perfect19 Jul, 2007 l 0349 hrs ISTlTNN http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Petal_perfect/rssarticleshow/2216038.cms

If you stand atop any highrise in Delhi's Connaught Place on a clear day and look towards the south east direction, the outline of a white lotus is silhouetted against the blue sky. An epiphany in marble, the Bahai house of worship has etched itself on the consciousness of the city's inhabitants — capturing their imagination, fuelling their curiosity, and revolutionising the concept of worship. Set among sprawling green lawns, the petals of this grand lotus are surrounded by nine pools that represent the floating leaves of the flower. The interior dome is spherical and patterned after the innermost portion of the lotus flower. Light enters the hall in the same way as it passes through the inner folds of lotus petals. The interior dome is like a bud consisting of 27 petals. Light filters through these inner folds and is diffused throughout the hall. The central bud is held by nine open petals, each of which functions as a skylight. The nine entrance petals complete the design. External illumination is arranged to create the impression that the lotus is afloat on water. A spectacular combination of architecture, nature and culture, the Bahai house of worship combines the grandeur of a palace and the peace of a monastery. There are no priests, idols, pictures, sermons or rituals here. It is a place for communication between man and his God. The aura of silence surrounding the Prayer Hall instills reverence. Daily public services here include selections from the holy books of all religions. Few temples radiate the atmosphere of sublimity, peace, and calm so necessary to elevate a devotee spiritually as the Bahai House of Worship.

2007-07-14T23:45:00.000-07:00

THE NEED OF AN EDUCATOR

When we consider existence, we see that the mineral, vegetable, animal and human worlds are all in need of an educator.

If the earth is not cultivated, it becomes a jungle where useless weeds grow; but if a cultivator comes and tills the ground, it produces crops which nourish living creatures.
It is evident, therefore, that the soil needs the cultivation of the farmer. Consider the trees: if they remain without a cultivator, they will be fruitless, and without fruit they are useless; but if they receive the care of a gardener, these same barren trees become fruitful, and through cultivation, fertilization and engrafting the trees which had bitter fruits yield sweet fruits. These are rational proofs; in this age the peoples of the world need the arguments of reason.
The same is true with respect to animals: notice that when the animal is trained it becomes domestic, and also that man, if he is left without education, becomes bestial, and, moreover, if left under the rule of nature, becomes lower than an animal, whereas if he is educated he becomes an angel. For the greater number of animals do not devour their own kind, but men, in the Sudan, in the central regions of Africa, kill and eat each other.
Now reflect that it is education that brings the East and the West under the authority of man; it is education that produces wonderful industries; it is education that spreads great sciences and arts; it is education that makes manifest new discoveries and institutions. If there were no educator, there would be no such things as comforts, civilization. 8 or humanity. If a man be left alone in a wilderness where he sees none of his own kind, he will undoubtedly become a mere brute; it is then clear that an educator is needed.
But education is of three kinds: material, human and spiritual. Material education is concerned with the progress and development of the body, through gaining its sustenance, its material comfort and ease. This education is common to animals and man.
Human education signifies civilization and progress -- that is to say, government, administration, charitable works, trades, arts and handicrafts, sciences, great inventions and discoveries and elaborate institutions, which are the activities essential to man as distinguished from the animal.
Divine education is that of the Kingdom of God: it consists in acquiring divine perfections, and this is true education; for in this state man becomes the focus of divine blessings, the manifestation of the words, "Let Us make man in Our image, and after Our likeness."[1] This is the goal of the world of humanity.[1 Cf. Gen. 1:26.]
Now we need an educator who will be at the same time a material, human and spiritual educator, and whose authority will be effective in all conditions. So if anyone should say, "I possess perfect comprehension and intelligence, and I have no need of such an educator," he would be denying that which is clear and evident, as though a child should say, "I have no need of education; I will act according to my reason and intelligence, and so I shall attain the perfections of existence"; or as though the blind should say, "I am in no need of sight, because many other blind people exist without difficulty."
Then it is plain and evident that man needs an educator, and this educator must be unquestionably and indubitably perfect in all respects and distinguished above all men. Otherwise, if he should be like the rest of humanity, he 9 could not be their educator, more particularly because he must be at the same time their material and human as well as their spiritual educator -- that is to say, he must teach men to organize and carry out physical matters, and to form a social order in order to establish cooperation and mutual aid in living so that material affairs may be organized and regulated for any circumstances that may occur. In the same way he must establish human education -- that is to say, he must educate intelligence and thought in such a way that they may attain complete development, so that knowledge and science may increase, and the reality of things, the mysteries of beings and the properties of existence may be discovered; that, day by day, instructions, inventions and institutions may be improved; and from things perceptible to the senses conclusions as to intellectual things may be deduced.
He must also impart spiritual education, so that intelligence and comprehension may penetrate the metaphysical world, and may receive benefit from the sanctifying breeze of the Holy Spirit, and may enter into relationship with the Supreme Concourse. He must so educate the human reality that it may become the center of the divine appearance, to such a degree that the attributes and the names of God shall be resplendent in the mirror of the reality of man, and the holy verse "We will make man in Our image and likeness" shall be realized. [1][1 Cf. Gen. 1:26.]
It is clear that human power is not able to fill such a great office, and that reason alone could not undertake the responsibility of so great a mission. How can one solitary person without help and without support lay the foundations of such a noble construction? He must depend on the help of the spiritual and divine power to be able to undertake this mission. One Holy Soul gives life to the world of humanity, changes the aspect of the terrestrial globe, causes intelligence to progress, vivifies souls, lays the basis 10 of a new life, establishes new foundations, organizes the world, brings nations and religions under the shadow of one standard, delivers man from the world of imperfections and vices, and inspires him with the desire and need of natural and acquired perfections. Certainly nothing short of a divine power could accomplish so great a work. We ought to consider this with justice, for this is the office of justice.
A Cause which all the governments and peoples of the world, with all their powers and armies, cannot promulgate and spread, one Holy Soul can promote without help or support! Can this be done by human power? No, in the name of God! For example, Christ, alone and solitary, upraised the standard of peace and righteousness, a work which all the victorious governments with all their hosts are unable to accomplish. Consider what was the fate of so many and diverse empires and peoples: the Roman Empire, France, Germany, Russia, England, etc.; all were gathered together under the same tent -- that is to say, the appearance of Christ brought about a union among these diverse nations, some of whom, under the influence of Christianity, became so united that they sacrificed their lives and property for one another. After the time of Constantine, who was the protagonist of Christianity, divisions broke out among them. The point is this, that Christ united these nations but after a while governments became the cause of discord. What I mean is that Christ sustained a Cause that all the kings of the earth could not establish! He united the various religions and modified ancient customs. Consider what great differences existed between Romans, Greeks, Syrians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Israelites and other peoples of Europe. Christ removed these differences and became the cause of love between these communities. Although after some time governments destroyed this union, the work of Christ was accomplished. 11
Therefore, the Universal Educator must be at the same time a physical, human and spiritual educator; and He must possess a supernatural power, so that He may hold the position of a divine teacher. If He does not show forth such a holy power, He will not be able to educate, for if He be imperfect, how can He give a perfect education? If He be ignorant, how can He make others wise? If He be unjust, how can He make others just? If He be earthly, how can He make others heavenly?
Now we must consider justly: did these Divine Manifestations Who have appeared possess all these qualifications or not? [1] If They had not these qualifications and these perfections, They were not real Educators.[1 Divine Manifestations are the founders of religions. Cf. "Two Classes of Prophets," p. 164.]
Therefore, it must be our task to prove to the thoughtful by reasonable arguments the prophethood of Moses, of Christ and of the other Divine Manifestations. And the proofs and evidences which we give are not based on traditional but on rational arguments.
It has now been proved by rational arguments that the world of existence is in the utmost need of an educator, and that its education must be achieved by divine power. There is no doubt that this holy power is revelation, and that the world must be educated through this power which is above human power. 12
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 6)
-------------------------
ABRAHAM
One of those Who possessed this power and was assisted by it was Abraham.
And the proof of it was that He was born in Mesopotamia, and of a family who were ignorant of the Oneness of God. He opposed His own nation and people, and even His own family, by rejecting all their gods. Alone and without help He resisted a powerful tribe, a task which is neither simple nor easy. It is as if in this day someone were to go to a Christian people who are attached to the Bible, and deny Christ; or in the Papal Court -- God forbid! -- if such a one were in the most powerful manner to blaspheme against Christ and oppose the people.
These people believed not in one God but in many gods, to whom they ascribed miracles; therefore, they all arose against Him, and no one supported Him except Lot, His brother's son, and one or two other people of no importance. At last, reduced to the utmost distress by the opposition of His enemies, He was obliged to leave His native land. In reality they banished Him in order that He might be crushed and destroyed, and that no trace of Him might be left.
Abraham then came into the region of the Holy Land. His enemies considered that His exile would lead to His destruction and ruin, as it seemed impossible that a man banished from His native land, deprived of His rights and oppressed on all sides -- even though He were a king -- could escape extermination. But Abraham stood fast and showed forth extraordinary firmness -- and God made this 13 exile to be to His eternal honor -- until He established the Unity of God in the midst of a polytheistic generation. This exile became the cause of the progress of the descendants of Abraham, and the Holy Land was given to them. As a result the teachings of Abraham were spread abroad, a Jacob appeared among His posterity, and a Joseph who became ruler in Egypt. In consequence of His exile a Moses and a being like Christ were manifested from His posterity, and Hagar was found from whom Ishmael was born, one of whose descendants was Muhammad. In consequence of His exile the Báb appeared from His posterity,[1] and the Prophets of Israel were numbered among the descendants of Abraham. And so it will continue for ever and ever. Finally, in consequence of His exile the whole of Europe and most of Asia came under the protecting shadow of the God of Israel. See what a power it is that enabled a Man Who was a fugitive from His country to found such a family, to establish such a faith, and to promulgate such teachings. Can anyone say that all this occurred accidentally? We must be just: was this Man an Educator or not?[1 The Bab'S descent was from Muhammad.]
Since the exile of Abraham from Ur to Aleppo in Syria produced this result, we must consider what will be the effect of the exile of Bahá'u'lláh in His several removes from Tihran to Baghdad, from thence to Constantinople, to Rumelia and to the Holy Land.
See what a perfect Educator Abraham was! 14
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 6)

===========
MOSES
Moses was for a long time a shepherd in the wilderness. Regarded outwardly, He was a Man brought up in a tyrannical household, and was known among men as One Who had committed a murder and become a shepherd. By the government and the people of Pharaoh He was much hated and detested.
It was such a Man as this that freed a great nation from the chains of captivity, made them contented, brought them out from Egypt, and led them to the Holy Land.
This people from the depths of degradation were lifted up to the height of glory. They were captive; they became free. They were the most ignorant of peoples; they became the most wise. As the result of the institutions that Moses gave them, they attained a position which entitled them to honor among all nations, and their fame spread to all lands, to such a degree indeed that among surrounding nations if one wished to praise a man one said, "Surely he is an Israelite." Moses established laws and ordinances; these gave life to the people of Israel, and led them to the highest possible degree of civilization at that period.
To such a development did they attain that the philosophers of Greece would come and acquire knowledge from the learned men of Israel. Such an one was Socrates, who visited Syria, and took from the children of Israel the teachings of the Unity of God and of the immortality of the soul. After his return to Greece, he promulgated these teachings. Later the people of Greece rose in opposition to 15 him, accused him of impiety, arraigned him before the Areopagus, and condemned him to death by poison.
Now, how could a Man Who was a stammerer, Who had been brought up in the house of Pharaoh, Who was known among men as a murderer, Who through fear had for a long time remained in concealment, and Who had become a shepherd, establish so great a Cause, when the wisest philosophers on earth have not displayed one thousandth part of this influence? This is indeed a prodigy.
A Man Who had a stammering tongue, Who could not even converse correctly, succeeded in sustaining this great Cause! If He had not been assisted by divine power, He would never have been able to carry out this great work. These facts are undeniable. Materialist philosophers, Greek thinkers, the great men of Rome became famous in the world, each one of them having specialized in one branch of learning only. Thus Galen and Hippocrates became celebrated in medicine, Aristotle in logic and reasoning, and Plato in ethics and theology. How is it that a shepherd could acquire all of this knowledge? It is beyond doubt that He must have been assisted by an omnipotent power.
Consider also what trials and difficulties arise for people. To prevent an act of cruelty, Moses struck down an Egyptian and afterward became known among men as a murderer, more notably because the man He had killed was of the ruling nation. Then He fled, and it was after that that He was raised to the rank of a Prophet!
In spite of His evil repute, how wonderfully He was guided by a supernatural power in establishing His great institutions and laws! 16
6
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 6)
=================
CHRIST
Afterward Christ came, saying, "I am born of the Holy Spirit." Though it is now easy for the Christians to believe this assertion, at that time it was very difficult. According to the text of the Gospel the Pharisees said, "Is not this the son of Joseph of Nazareth Whom we know? How can He say, therefore, I came down from heaven?"[1][1 Cf. John 6:42.]
Briefly, this Man, Who, apparently, and in the eyes of all, was lowly, arose with such great power that He abolished a religion that had lasted fifteen hundred years, at a time when the slightest deviation from it exposed the offender to danger or to death. Moreover, in the days of Christ the morals of the whole world and the condition of the Israelites had become completely confused and corrupted, and Israel had fallen into a state of the utmost degradation, misery and bondage. At one time they had been taken captive by the Chaldeans and Persians; at another time they were reduced to slavery to the Assyrians; then they became the subjects and vassals of the Greeks; and finally they were ruled over and despised by the Romans.
This young Man, Christ, by the help of a supernatural power, abrogated the ancient Mosaic Law, reformed the general morals, and once again laid the foundation of eternal glory for the Israelites. Moreover, He brought to humanity the glad tidings of universal peace, and spread abroad teachings which were not for Israel alone but were for the general happiness of the whole human race. 17
Those who first strove to do away with Him were the Israelites, His own kindred. To all outward appearances they overcame Him and brought Him into direst distress. At last they crowned Him with the crown of thorns and crucified Him. But Christ, while apparently in the deepest misery and affliction, proclaimed, "This Sun will be resplendent, this Light will shine, My grace will surround the world, and all My enemies will be brought low." And as He said, so it was; for all the kings of the earth have not been able to withstand Him. Nay, all their standards have been overthrown, while the banner of that Oppressed One has been raised to the zenith.
But this is opposed to all the rules of human reason. Then it becomes clear and evident that this Glorious Being was a true Educator of the world of humanity, and that He was helped and confirmed by divine power. 187

==================
MUHAMMAD
Now we come to Muhammad. Americans and Europeans have heard a number of stories about the Prophet which they have thought to be true, although the narrators were either ignorant or antagonistic: most of them were clergy; others were ignorant Muslims who repeated unfounded traditions about Muhammad which they ignorantly believed to be to His praise.
Thus some benighted Muslims made His polygamy the pivot of their praises and held it to be a wonder, regarding it as a miracle; and European historians, for the most part, rely on the tales of these ignorant people.
For example, a foolish man said to a clergyman that the true proof of greatness is bravery and the shedding of blood, and that in one day on the field of battle a follower of Muhammad had cut off the heads of one hundred men! This misled the clergyman to infer that killing is considered the way to prove one's faith to Muhammad, while this is merely imaginary. The military expeditions of Muhammad, on the contrary, were always defensive actions: a proof of this is that during thirteen years, in Mecca, He and His followers endured the most violent persecutions. At this period they were the target for the arrows of hatred: some of His companions were killed and their property confiscated; others fled to foreign lands. Muhammad Himself, after the most extreme persecutions by the Qurayshites, who finally resolved to kill Him, fled to Medina in the middle of the night. Yet even then His 19 enemies did not cease their persecutions, but pursued Him to Medina, and His disciples even to Abyssinia.
These Arab tribes were in the lowest depths of savagery and barbarism, and in comparison with them the savages of Africa and wild Indians of America were as advanced as a Plato. The savages of America do not bury their children alive as these Arabs did their daughters, glorying in it as being an honorable thing to do.[1] Thus many of the men would threaten their wives, saying, "If a daughter is born to you, I will kill you." Even down to the present time the Arabs dread having daughters. Further, a man was permitted to take a thousand women, and most husbands had more than ten wives in their household. When these tribes made war, the one which was victorious would take the women and children of the vanquished tribe captive and treat them as slaves.[1 The Banu-Tamim, one of the most barbarous Arab tribes, practiced this odious custom.]
When a man who had ten wives died, the sons of these women rushed at each other's mothers; and if one of the sons threw his mantle over the head of his father's wife and cried out, "This woman is my lawful property," at once the unfortunate woman became his prisoner and slave. He could do whatever he wished with her. He could kill her, imprison her in a well, or beat, curse and torture her until death released her. According to the Arab habits and customs, he was her master. It is evident that malignity, jealousy, hatred and enmity must have existed between the wives and children of a household, and it is, therefore, needless to enlarge upon the subject. Again, consider what was the condition and life of these oppressed women! Moreover, the means by which these Arab tribes lived consisted in pillage and robbery, so that they were perpetually engaged in fighting and war, killing one another, plundering and devastating each other's property, 20 and capturing women and children, whom they would sell to strangers. How often it happened that the daughters and sons of a prince, who spent their day in comfort and luxury, found themselves, when night fell, reduced to shame, poverty and captivity. Yesterday they were princes, today they are captives; yesterday they were great ladies, today they are slaves.
Muhammad received the Divine Revelation among these tribes, and after enduring thirteen years of persecution from them, He fled.[1] But this people did not cease to oppress; they united to exterminate Him and all His followers. It was under such circumstances that Muhammad was forced to take up arms. This is the truth: we are not bigoted and do not wish to defend Him, but we are just, and we say what is just. Look at it with justice. If Christ Himself had been placed in such circumstances among such tyrannical and barbarous tribes, and if for thirteen years He with His disciples had endured all these trials with patience, culminating in flight from His native land -- if in spite of this these lawless tribes continued to pursue Him, to slaughter the men, to pillage their property, and to capture their women and children -- what would have been Christ's conduct with regard to them? If this oppression had fallen only upon Himself, He would have forgiven them, and such an act of forgiveness would have been most praiseworthy; but if He had seen that these cruel and bloodthirsty murderers wished to kill, to pillage and to injure all these oppressed ones, and to take captive the women and children, it is certain that He would have protected them and would have resisted the tyrants. What objection, then, can be taken to Muhammad's action? Is it this, that He did not, with His followers, and their women and children, submit to these savage tribes? To free these tribes from their bloodthirstiness was the greatest kindness, and to coerce and restrain them was 21 a true mercy. They were like a man holding in his hand a cup of poison, which, when about to drink, a friend breaks and thus saves him. If Christ had been placed in similar circumstances, it is certain that with a conquering power He would have delivered the men, women and children from the claws of these bloodthirsty wolves.[1 To Medina.]
Muhammad never fought against the Christians; on the contrary, He treated them kindly and gave them perfect freedom. A community of Christian people lived at Najran and were under His care and protection. Muhammad said, "If anyone infringes their rights, I Myself will be his enemy, and in the presence of God I will bring a charge against him." In the edicts which He promulgated it is clearly stated that the lives, properties and honor of the Christians and Jews are under the protection of God; and that if a Muhammadan married a Christian woman, the husband must not prevent her from going to church, nor oblige her to veil herself; and that if she died, he must place her remains in the care of the Christian clergy. Should the Christians desire to build a church, Islam ought to help them. In case of war between Islam and her enemies, the Christians should be exempted from the obligation of fighting, unless they desired of their own free will to do so in defense of Islam, because they were under its protection. But as a compensation for this immunity, they should pay yearly a small sum of money. In short, there are seven detailed edicts on these subjects, some copies of which are still extant at Jerusalem. This is an established fact and is not dependent on my affirmation. The edict of the second Caliph [1] still exists in the custody of the orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, and of this there is no doubt.[2][1 Of Umar.][2 Cf. Jurji Zaydan's Umayyads and Abbasids, trans. D. S. Margoliouth.]
Nevertheless, after a certain time, and through the 22 transgression of both the Muhammadans and the Christians, hatred and enmity arose between them. Beyond this fact, all the narrations of the Muslims, Christians and others are simply fabrications, which have their origin in fanaticism, or ignorance, or emanate from intense hostility.
For example, the Muslims say that Muhammad cleft the moon, and that it fell on the mountain of Mecca: they think that the moon is a small body which Muhammad divided into two parts and threw one part on this mountain, and the other part on another mountain.
Such stories are pure fanaticism. Also the traditions which the clergy quote, and the incidents with which they find fault, are all exaggerated, if not entirely without foundation.
Briefly, Muhammad appeared in the desert of Hijaz in the Arabian Peninsula, which was a desolate, sterile wilderness, sandy and uninhabited. Some parts, like Mecca and Medina, are extremely hot; the people are nomads with the manners and customs of the dwellers in the desert, and are entirely destitute of education and science. Muhammad Himself was illiterate, and the Qur'án was originally written upon the bladebones of sheep, or on palm leaves. These details indicate the condition of the people to whom Muhammad was sent. The first question which He put to them was, "Why do you not accept the Pentateuch and the Gospel, and why do you not believe in Christ and in Moses?" This saying presented difficulties to them, and they argued, "Our forefathers did not believe in the Pentateuch and the Gospel; tell us, why was this?" He answered, "They were misled; you ought to reject those who do not believe in the Pentateuch and the Gospel, even though they are your fathers and your ancestors."
In such a country, and amidst such barbarous tribes, an illiterate Man produced a book in which, in a perfect and eloquent style, He explained the divine attributes and 23 perfections, the prophethood of the Messengers of God, the divine laws, and some scientific facts.
Thus, you know that before the observations of modern times -- that is to say, during the first centuries and down to the fifteenth century of the Christian era -- all the mathematicians of the world agreed that the earth was the center of the universe, and that the sun moved. The famous astronomer who was the protagonist of the new theory discovered the movement of the earth and the immobility of the sun.[1] Until his time all the astronomers and philosophers of the world followed the Ptolemaic system, and whoever said anything against it was considered ignorant. Though Pythagoras, and Plato during the latter part of his life, adopted the theory that the annual movement of the sun around the zodiac does not proceed from the sun, but rather from the movement of the earth around the sun, this theory had been entirely forgotten, and the Ptolemaic system was accepted by all mathematicians. But there are some verses revealed in the Qur'án contrary to the theory of the Ptolemaic system. One of them is "The sun moves in a fixed place," which shows the fixity of the sun, and its movement around an axis.[2] Again, in another verse, "And each star moves in its own heaven."[3] Thus is explained the movement of the sun, of the moon, of the earth, and of other bodies. When the Qur'án appeared, all the mathematicians ridiculed these statements and attributed the theory to ignorance. Even the doctors of Islam, when they saw that these verses were contrary to the accepted Ptolemaic system, were obliged to explain them away.[1 Copernicus.][2 Cf. Qur'án 36:37.][3 Cf. Qur'án 36:38.]
It was not until after the fifteenth century of the Christian era, nearly nine hundred years after Muhammad, that a famous astronomer made new observations and important discoveries by the aid of the telescope, which he had 24 invented. [1] The rotation of the earth, the fixity of the sun, and also its movement around an axis, were discovered. It became evident that the verses of the Qur'án agreed with existing facts, and that the Ptolemaic system was imaginary.[1 Galileo.]
In short, many Oriental peoples have been reared for thirteen centuries under the shadow of the religion of Muhammad. During the Middle Ages, while Europe was in the lowest depths of barbarism, the Arab peoples were superior to the other nations of the earth in learning, in the arts, mathematics, civilization, government and other sciences. The Enlightener and Educator of these Arab tribes, and the Founder of the civilization and perfections of humanity among these different races, was an illiterate Man, Muhammad. Was this illustrious Man a thorough Educator or not? A just judgment is necessary. 258
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THE BÁB
As for the Báb -- may my soul be His sacrifice! -- at a youthful age, that is to say, when He had reached the twenty-fifth year of His blessed life, He stood forth to proclaim His Cause.[1] It was universally admitted by the Shi'ites that He had never studied in any school and had not acquired knowledge from any teacher; all the people of Shiraz bear witness to this. Nevertheless, He suddenly appeared before the people, endowed with the most complete erudition. Although He was but a merchant, He confounded all the 'ulama of Persia.[2] All alone, in a way which is beyond imagination, He upheld the Cause among the Persians, who are renowned for their religious fanaticism. This illustrious Soul arose with such power that He shook the supports of the religion, of the morals, the conditions, the habits and the customs of Persia, and instituted new rules, new laws and a new religion. Though the great personages of the State, nearly all the clergy, and the public men arose to destroy and annihilate Him, He alone withstood them and moved the whole of Persia.[1 The Báb is here designated by His title Hadrat-i-'Ala, His Supreme Highness; but for the convenience of the reader we shall continue to designate Him by the name under which He is known throughout Europe -- i.e., the Báb.][2 Doctors of the religion of Islam.]
Many 'ulama and public men, as well as other people, joyfully sacrificed their lives in His Cause, and hastened to the plain of martyrdom. 26
The government, the nation, the doctors of divinity and the great personages desired to extinguish His light, but they could not do so. At last His moon arose, His star shone forth, His foundations became firmly established, and His dawning-place became brilliant. He imparted divine education to an unenlightened multitude and produced marvelous results on the thoughts, morals, customs and conditions of the Persians. He announced the glad tidings of the manifestation of the Sun of Baha to His followers and prepared them to believe.
The appearance of such wonderful signs and great results; the effects produced upon the minds of the people, and upon the prevailing ideas; the establishment of the foundations of progress; and the organization of the principles of success and prosperity by a young merchant, constitute the greatest proof that He was a perfect Educator. A just person will never hesitate to believe this. 279

BAHÁ'U'LLÁH
Bahá'u'lláh [1] appeared at a time when the Persian Empire was immersed in profound obscurantism and ignorance and lost in the blindest fanaticism.[1 Jamal-i-Mubarak, the Blessed Beauty, the title which is here given to Bahá'u'lláh. He is also called Jamal-i-Qidam, the Preexistent, or Ancient Beauty. But we shall designate Him as Bahá'u'lláh, the title by which He is known in the West.
In the European histories, no doubt, you have read detailed accounts of the morals, customs and ideas of the Persians during the last centuries. It is useless to repeat them. Briefly, we will say that Persia had fallen so low that to all foreign travelers it was a matter of regret that this country, which in former times had been so glorious and highly civilized, had now become so decayed, ruined and upset, and that its population had lost its dignity.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 15)

It was at this time that Bahá'u'lláh appeared. His father was one of the viziers, not one of the 'ulama. As all the people of Persia know, He had never studied in any school, nor had He associated with the 'ulama or the men of learning. The early part of His life was passed in the greatest happiness. His companions and associates were Persians of the highest rank, but not learned men.
As soon as the Báb became manifested, Bahá'u'lláh said, "This great Man is the Lord of the righteous, and faith in Him is incumbent upon all." And He arose to assist the Báb and gave many proofs and positive evidences of His truth, in spite of the fact that the 'ulama of the state 28 religion had constrained the Persian government to oppose and resist Him and had further issued decrees ordering the massacre, pillage, persecution and expulsion of His followers. In all the provinces they began to kill, to burn, to pillage the converts and even to assault the women and children. Regardless of this, Bahá'u'lláh arose to proclaim the word of the Báb with the greatest firmness and energy. Not for one moment was He in concealment; He mixed openly with His enemies. He was occupied in showing forth evidences and proofs and was recognized as the Herald of the Word of God. In many changes and chances He endured the greatest misfortunes, and at every moment He ran the risk of being martyred.
He was put into chains and confined in an underground prison. His vast property and inheritance were pillaged and confiscated. He was exiled four times from land to land and found rest only in the "Greatest Prison." [1][1 Exiled first to Baghdad, then to Constantinople, then to Adrianople, He was imprisoned in 'Akká (Acre), "the Greatest Prison," in 1868.]
In spite of all this He never ceased for one instant His proclamation of the greatness of the Cause of God. He manifested such virtue, knowledge and perfections that He became a wonder to all the people of Persia. So much so that in Tihran, Baghdad, Constantinople, Rumelia, and even in 'Akká, every one of the learned and scientific men who entered His presence, whether friend or enemy, never failed to receive the most sufficient and convincing answer to whatever question was propounded. All frequently acknowledged that He was alone and unique in all perfections.
It often happened that in Baghdad certain Muhammadan 'ulama, Jewish rabbis and Christians met together with some European scholars, in a blessed Reunion: each one had some question to propose, and although they were 29 possessed of varying degrees of culture, they each heard a sufficient and convincing reply, and retired satisfied. Even the Persian 'ulama who were at Karbila and Najaf chose a wise man whom they sent on a mission to Him; his name was Mulla Hasan 'Amu. He came into the Holy Presence, and proposed a number of questions on behalf of the 'ulama, to which Bahá'u'lláh replied. Then Hasan 'Amu said, "The 'ulama recognize without hesitation and confess the knowledge and virtue of Bahá'u'lláh, and they are unanimously convinced that in all learning he has no peer or equal; and it is also evident that he has never studied or acquired this learning; but still the 'ulama say, 'We are not contented with this; we do not acknowledge the reality of his mission by virtue of his wisdom and righteousness. Therefore, we ask him to show us a miracle in order to satisfy and tranquilize our hearts.'"
Bahá'u'lláh replied, "Although you have no right to ask this, for God should test His creatures, and they should not test God, still I allow and accept this request. But the Cause of God is not a theatrical display that is presented every hour, of which some new diversion may be asked for every day. If it were thus, the Cause of God would become mere child's play.
"The ulamas must, therefore, assemble, and, with one accord, choose one miracle, and write that, after the performance of this miracle they will no longer entertain doubts about Me, and that all will acknowledge and confess the truth of My Cause. Let them seal this paper, and bring it to Me. This must be the accepted criterion: if the miracle is performed, no doubt will remain for them; and if not, We shall be convicted of imposture." The learned man, Hasan 'Amu, rose and replied, "There is no more to be said"; he then kissed the knee of the Blessed One although he was not a believer, and went. He gathered the 'ulama and gave them the sacred message. They consulted 30 together and said, "This man is an enchanter; perhaps he will perform an enchantment, and then we shall have nothing more to say." Acting on this belief, they did not dare to push the matter further.[1][1 The penetrating judgment of Bahá'u'lláh upon this occasion overcame the malignity of His enemies, who, it was certain, would never agree in choosing what miracle to ask for.]
This man, Hasan 'Amu, mentioned this fact at many meetings. After leaving Karbila he went to Kirmanshah and Tihran and spread a detailed account of it everywhere, laying emphasis on the fear and the withdrawal of the 'ulama.
Briefly, all His adversaries in the Orient acknowledged His greatness, grandeur, knowledge and virtue; and though they were His enemies, they always spoke of Him as "the renowned Bahá'u'lláh."
At the time when this great Light suddenly arose upon the horizon of Persia, all the people, the ministers, the 'ulama and men of other classes rose against Him, pursuing Him with the greatest animosity, and proclaiming "that this man wishes to suppress and destroy the religion, the law, the nation and the empire." The same was said of Christ. But Bahá'u'lláh alone and without support resisted them all, without ever showing the least weakness. At last they said, "As long as this man is in Persia, there will be no peace and tranquillity; we must banish him, so that Persia may return to a state of quietude."
They proceeded to use violence toward Him to oblige Him to ask for permission to leave Persia, thinking that by this means the light of His truth would be extinguished, but the result was quite the contrary. The Cause became magnified, and its flame more intense. At first it spread throughout Persia only, but the exile of Bahá'u'lláh caused the diffusion of the Cause throughout other countries. 31 Afterward His enemies said, "'Iraq-i-'Arab [1] is not far enough from Persia; we must send him to a more distant kingdom." This is why the Persian government determined to send Bahá'u'lláh from 'Iraq to Constantinople. Again the event proved that the Cause was not in the least weakened. Once more they said, "Constantinople is a place of passage and of sojourn for various races and peoples; among them are many Persians." For this reason the Persians had Him further exiled to Rumelia; but, when there, the flame became more powerful, and the Cause more exalted. At last the Persians said, "Not one of these places is safe from his influence; we must send him to some place where he will be reduced to powerlessness, and where his family and followers will have to submit to the direst afflictions." So they chose the prison of 'Akká, which is reserved especially for murderers, thieves and highway robbers, and in truth they classed Him with such people. But the power of God became manifested: His word was promulgated, and the greatness of Bahá'u'lláh then became evident, for it was from this prison and under such humiliating circumstances that He caused Persia to advance from one state into another state. He overcame all His enemies and proved to them that they could not resist the Cause. His holy teachings penetrated all regions, and His Cause was established.[1 'Iraq; as opposed to that district of Iran known then as 'Iraq-i-A'zam and now called Arak.]
Indeed, in all parts of Persia His enemies arose against Him with the greatest hatred, imprisoning, killing and beating His converts, and burning and razing to the ground thousands of dwellings, striving by every means to exterminate and crush the Cause. In spite of all this, from the prison of murderers, highway robbers and thieves, it became exalted. His teachings were spread abroad, and His exhortations affected many of those who had been the 32 most full of hatred, and made them firm believers. Even the Persian government itself became awakened and regretted that which had arisen through the fault of the 'ulama.
When Bahá'u'lláh came to this prison in the Holy Land, the wise men realized that the glad tidings which God gave through the tongue of the Prophets two or three thousand years before were again manifested, and that God was faithful to His promise; for to some of the Prophets He had revealed and given the good news that "the Lord of Hosts should be manifested in the Holy Land." All these promises were fulfilled; and it is difficult to understand how Bahá'u'lláh could have been obliged to leave Persia, and to pitch His tent in this Holy Land, but for the persecution of His enemies, His banishment and exile. His enemies intended that His imprisonment should completely destroy and annihilate the blessed Cause, but this prison was in reality of the greatest assistance and became the means of its development. The divine renown of Bahá'u'lláh reached the East and the West, and the rays of the Sun of Truth illuminated all the world. Praise be to God! though He was a prisoner, His tent was raised on Mount Carmel, and He moved abroad with the greatest majesty. Every person, friend or stranger, who came into His presence used to say, "This is a prince, not a captive."
Upon His arrival in prison [1] He addressed an epistle to Napoleon,[2] which He sent through the French ambassador. The gist of it was, "Ask what is Our crime, and why We are confined in this prison and this dungeon." Napoleon made no reply. Then a second epistle was issued, which is contained in the Suriy-i-Haykal.[3] The epitome of it is: "Oh Napoleon, as thou hast not listened to My proclamation, and as thou hast not answered it, thy 33 dominion will before long be taken away from thee, and thou wilt be utterly destroyed." This epistle was sent to Napoleon by post, through the care of Cesar Ketaphakou,[4] as was known to all the companions of His exile. The text of this warning reached the whole of Persia, for it was at that time that the Kitáb-i-Haykal was spread in Persia, and this epistle was among the contents of this book. This happened in A.D. 1869, and as this Suriy-i-Haykal was circulated in Persia and India and was in the hands of all believers, they were waiting to see what would come to pass. Not long after, in A.D. 1870, the war between Germany and France broke out; and though no one at that time expected the victory of Germany, Napoleon was defeated and dishonored; he surrendered to his enemies, and his glory was changed into deep abasement.[1 Adrianople.][2 Napoleon III.][3 One of Bahá'u'lláh's works written after His declaration.][4 Son of a French Consul in Syria with whom Bahá'u'lláh had friendly relations.]
Tablets [1] were also sent to other kings, and among them was the letter to H. M. Násiri'd-Dín Sháh. In that epistle Bahá'u'lláh said, "Have Me summoned, gather the 'ulama, and ask for proofs and arguments, so that the truth and falsehood may become known." H. M. Násiri'd-Dín Sháh sent the blessed epistle to the 'ulama and proposed to them that they should undertake this mission, but they dared not do so. Then he asked seven of the most celebrated among them to write an answer to the challenge. After some time they returned the blessed letter, saying, "This man is the opposer of religion and the enemy of the Shah." His majesty the Shah of Persia was much vexed, and said, "This is a question for proofs and arguments, and of truth or falsehood: what has it to do with enmity to the government? Alas! how much we respected these 'ulama, who cannot even reply to this epistle."[1 Name given to the epistles of Bahá'u'lláh.]
Briefly, all that was recorded in the Tablets to the Kings is being fulfilled: if from the year A.D. 1870 we compare 34 the events that have occurred, we will find everything that has happened has appeared as predicted; only a few remain which will afterward become manifested.
So also foreign peoples, and other sects who were not believers, attributed many wonderful things to Bahá'u'lláh. Some believed that He was a saint,[1] and some even wrote treatises about Him. One of them, Siyyid Davudi, a Sunnite savant of Baghdad, wrote a short treatise in which he related certain supernatural acts of Bahá'u'lláh. Even now, in all parts of the East, there are some people who, though they do not believe in His manifestation, nevertheless believe Him to be a saint and relate miracles attributed to Him.[1 Vali.]
To sum up, both His antagonists and His partisans, as well as all those who were received in the sacred spot, acknowledged and bore witness to the greatness of Bahá'u'lláh. Though they did not believe in Him, still they acknowledged His grandeur, and as soon as they entered the sacred spot, the presence of Bahá'u'lláh produced such an effect on most of them that they could not utter a word. How many times it happened that one of His most bitter enemies would resolve within himself, "I will say such and such things when I reach His presence, and I will dispute and argue thus with Him," but when he entered the Holy Presence, he would become amazed and confounded, and remain speechless.
Bahá'u'lláh had never studied Arabic; He had not had a tutor or teacher, nor had He entered a school. Nevertheless, the eloquence and elegance of His blessed expositions in Arabic, as well as His Arabic writings, caused astonishment and stupefaction to the most accomplished Arabic scholars, and all recognized and declared that He was incomparable and unequaled.
If we carefully examine the text of the Torah, we see that the Divine Manifestation never said to those who denied 35 Him, "Whatever miracle you desire, I am ready to perform, and I will submit to whatever test you propose." But in the Epistle to the Shah, Bahá'u'lláh said clearly, "Gather the 'ulama, and summon Me, that the evidences and proofs may be established."[1][1 Cf. p. 30, n.1. In giving such importance to this example of the good sense of Bahá'u'lláh, 'Abdu'l-Bahá means to emphasize the uselessness of miracles as a proof of the truth of the Manifestations of God. Cf. "Miracles," p. 100.]
For fifty years Bahá'u'lláh faced His enemies like a mountain: all wished to annihilate Him and sought His destruction. A thousand times they planned to crucify and destroy Him, and during these fifty years He was in constant danger.
In this day Persia is in such a state of decadence and ruin that all intelligent men, whether Persians or foreigners, who realize the true state of affairs, recognize that its progress, its civilization and its reconstruction depend upon the promulgation of the teachings and the development of the principles of this great Personage.
Christ, in His blessed day, in reality only educated eleven men: the greatest of them was Peter, who, nevertheless, when he was tested, thrice denied Christ. In spite of this, the Cause of Christ subsequently permeated the world. At the present day Bahá'u'lláh has educated thousands of souls who, while under the menace of the sword, raised to the highest heaven the cry of "Ya Baha'u'l-Abha";[1][1 A cry used as a declaration of faith by the Bahá'ís, literally, "Oh Thou the Glory of Glories!"]
Finally, we must be just and acknowledge what an Educator this Glorious Being was, what marvelous signs were manifested by Him, and what power and might have been realized in the world through Him. 36
10
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 27)

2007-07-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

2007-07-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

2007-07-14T06:39:00.000-07:00

The world is,
in truth, moving on towards its destiny.

The world is, in truth, moving on towards its destiny. The interdependence
of the peoples and nations of the earth, whatever the leaders of the divisive forces of the world may say or do, is already an accomplished fact. Its unity in the economic sphere is now understood and recognized. The welfare of the part means the welfare of the whole, and the distress of the part brings distress to the whole. The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh has, in His own words, “lent a fresh impulse and set a new direction” to this vast process now operating in the world. The fires lit by this great ordeal are the consequences of men’s failure to recognize it. They are, moreover, hastening its consummation. Adversity, prolonged, world wide, afflictive, allied to chaos and universal destruction, must needs convulse the nations, stir the conscience of the world, disillusion the masses, precipitate a radical change in the very conception of society, and coalesce ultimately the disjointed, the bleeding limbs of mankind into one body, single, organically united, and indivisible.
...
To the general character, the implications and features of this world commonwealth, destined to emerge, sooner or later, out of the carnage, agony, and havoc of this great world convulsion, I have already referred in my previous communications. Suffice it to say that this consummation will, by its very nature, be a gradual process, and must, as Bahá’u’lláh has Himself anticipated, lead at first to the establishment of that Lesser Peace which the nations of the earth, as yet unconscious of His Revelation and yet unwittingly enforcing the general principles which He has enunciated, will themselves establish. This momentous and historic step, involving the reconstruction of mankind, as the result of the universal recognition of its oneness and wholeness, will bring in its wake the spiritualization of the masses, consequent to the recognition of the character, and the acknowledgement of the claims, of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh—the essential condition to that ultimate fusion of all races, creeds, classes, and nations which must signalize the emergence of His New World Order.
Then will the coming of age of the entire human race be proclaimed and celebrated by all the peoples and nations of the earth. Then will the banner of the Most Great Peace be hoisted. Then will the world wide sovereignty of Bahá’u’lláh—the Establisher of the Kingdom of the Father foretold by the Son, and anticipated by the Prophets of God before Him and after Him—be recognized, acclaimed, and firmly established. Then will a world civilization be born, flourish, and perpetuate itself, a civilization with a fullness of life such as the world has never seen nor can as yet conceive. Then will the Everlasting Covenant be fulfilled in its completeness. Then will the promise enshrined in all the Books of God be redeemed, and all the prophecies uttered by the Prophets of old come to pass, and the vision of seers and poets be realized. Then will the planet, galvanized through the universal belief of its dwellers in one God, and their allegiance to one common Revelation, mirror, within the limitations imposed upon it, the effulgent glories of the sovereignty of Bahá’u’lláh, shining in the plenitude of its splendour in the Abhá Paradise, and be made the footstool of His Throne on high, and acclaimed as the earthly heaven, capable of fulfilling that ineffable destiny fixed for it, from time immemorial, by the love and wisdom of its Creator.
(28 March 1941, published in “The Promised Day Is Come”, pp. 122–124) [50]

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The world is in greatest need of international peace. Until it is...
The world is in greatest need of international peace. Until it is established, mankind will not attain composure and tranquillity. It is necessary that the nations and governments organize an international tribunal to which all their disputes and differences shall be referred. The decision of that tribunal shall be final. Individual controversy will be adjudged by a local tribunal. International questions will come before the universal tribunal, and so the cause of warfare will be taken away.
(“The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912”, p. 301) [37]

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Bahá’u’lláh’s principal mission in appearing at this time in human history
Bahá’u’lláh’s principal mission in appearing at this time in human history is the realization of the oneness of mankind and the establishment of peace among the nations; therefore, all the forces which are focused on accomplishing these ends are influenced by His Revelation. We know, however, that peace will come in stages. First, there will come the Lesser Peace, when the unity of nations will be achieved, then gradually the Most Great Peace—the spiritual as well as social and political unity of mankind, when the Bahá’í World Commonwealth, operating in strict accordance with the laws and ordinances of the Most Holy Book of the Bahá’í Revelation, will have been established through the efforts of the Bahá’ís.

2007-07-14T06:32:00.000-07:00

The Great Being, wishing to reveal the prerequisites of the peace and tranquillity of the world and the advancement of its peoples, hath written: The time must come when the imperative necessity for the holding of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will be universally realized. The rulers and kings of the earth must needs attend it, and, participating in its deliberations, must consider such ways and means as will lay the foundations of the world’s Great Peace amongst men. Such a peace demandeth that the Great Powers should resolve, for the sake of the tranquillity of the peoples of the earth, to be fully reconciled among themselves. Should any king take up arms against another, all should unitedly arise and prevent him. If this be done, the nations of the world will no longer require any armaments, except for the purpose of preserving the security of their realms and of maintaining internal order within their territories. This will ensure the peace and composure of 2 every people, government and nation. We fain would hope that the kings and rulers of the earth, the mirrors of the gracious and almighty name of God, may attain unto this station, and shield mankind from the onslaught of tyranny. …The day is approaching when all the peoples of the world will have adopted one universal language and one common script. When this is achieved, to whatsoever city a man may journey, it shall be as if he were entering his own home. These things are obligatory and absolutely essential. It is incumbent upon every man of insight and understanding to strive to translate that which hath been written into reality and action…. That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race. The Great Being saith: Blessed and happy is he that ariseth to promote the best interests of the peoples and kindreds of the earth. In another passage He hath proclaimed: It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.
(“Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh”, pp. 249–250) [4

2007-07-14T05:35:00.000-07:00

Bahai' Prayer for Peace

Be generous in prosperity,
and thankful in adversity.
Be fair in thy judgement,
and guarded in thy speech.
Be a lamp unto those who walk
in darkness, and a home
to the stranger.
Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light
unto the feet of the erring.
Be a breath of life to the body of
humankind, a dew to the soil of
the human heart,
and a fruit upon the tree of humility.
---------------

Sikh Prayer for Peace

God adjudges us according
to our deeds,
not the coat that we wear:
that truth is above everything,
but higher still is truthful living.
Know that we attaineth God when we loveth,
and only that victory
endures in consequences of which no
one is defeated.

---------------------
Native African Prayer for Peace

Almighty God, the Great
Thumb we cannot evade to
tie any knot;
the Roaring Thunder that splits
mighty trees:
the all-seeing Lord up on high who sees
even the footprints of an antelope on a
rock mass here on Earth.
You are the one who does
not hesitate to respond to our call.
You are the cornerstone of peace.
-------------------------------------
Hindu Prayer for Peace

Oh God, lead us from the
unreal to the Real.
Oh God, lead us from darkness to light.
Oh God, lead us from death to immortality.
Shanti, Shanti, Shanti unto all.
Oh Lord God almighty, may there be peace in
celestial regions.
May there be peace on earth.
May the waters be appeasing.
May herbs be wholesome, and may trees and
plants bring peace to all. May all beneficent
beings bring peace to us.
May thy Vedic Law propagate peace all
through the world.
May all things be a source of peace to us.
And may thy peace itself, bestow peace on all,
and may that peace come to me also.

-----------------------------
Jewish Prayer for Peace

Come let us go up the mountain of
the Lord, that we may walk the
paths of the Most High.
And we shall beat our swords into ploughshares,
and our spears into pruning hooks.
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation--
neither shall they learn war any more.
And none shall be afraid, for the mouth of the
Lord of Hosts has spoken.

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

Christian Prayer for Peace

Blessed are the PEACEMAKERS,
for they shall be known as
the Children of God.
But I say to you that hear,
love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you,
pray for those who abuse you.
To those who strike you on the cheek,
offer the other also,
and from those who take away your cloak,
do not withhold your coat as well.
Give to everyone who begs from you,
and of those who take away your goods,
do not ask them again.
And as you wish that others would do to you,

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

Muslim Prayer for Peace

In the name of Allah,
the beneficent, the merciful.
Praise be to the Lord of the
Universe who has created us and
made us into tribes and nations,
That we may know each other, not that
we may despise each other.
If the enemy incline towards peace, do
thou also incline towards peace, and
trust God, for the Lord is the one that
heareth and knoweth all things.
And the servants of God,
Most Gracious are those who walk on
the Earth in humility, and when we
address them, we say "PEACE."

----------------
Shinto Prayer for Peace

Although the people living
across the ocean
surrounding us, I believe,
are all our brothers and sisters,
why are there constant troubles in
this world?
Why do winds and waves rise in the
ocean surrounding us?
I only earnestly wish that the wind will
soon puff away all the clouds which are
hanging over the tops of the mountains.
---------
Jainist Prayer for Peace

Peace and Universal Love is the essence
of the Gospel preached by all the
Enlightened Ones.
The Lord has preached that equanimity
is the Dharma.
Forgive do I creatures all,
and let all creatures forgive me.
Unto all have I amity, and unto none enmity.
Know that violence is the root cause of
all miseries in the world.
Violence, in fact, is the knot of bondage.
"Do not injure any living being."
This is the eternal, perennial, and unalterable
way of spiritual life.
A weapon howsoever powerful it may be,
can always be superseded by a superior one;
but no weapon can, however,
be superior to non-violence and love.
-------------------
Zoroastrian Prayer for Peace

We pray to God to eradicate all the
misery in the world:
that understanding triumph
over ignorance,
that generosity triumph over indifference,
that trust triumph over contempt, and
that truth triumph over falsehood

Peace Bahai

TRUTH

Do not worry about anything.

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