Thursday, January 31, 2008
On the Power of Baha'i Music: All of a sudden I started to feel better
On the power of the Baha'i Writings put to music. -gw
Today on my lunch break I finally had reached my limit. I was physically, mentally, and emotionally drained from everything. I broke down in my car and decided to put in a beautiful cd that was given to me by Leyla. It's a compilation of Baha'i music and writings sung by an AMAZING singer. I parked my car, sat back, closed my eyes and just listened. One of my favorite writings, EVER, came to me all of a sudden. I was saying it to myself over and over...all of a sudden I started to feel better. This one, brief line completely changed the route of my afternoon. I think it helped even more so because this quote is my sister-in-law, Amelia's favorite as well. She even sings it on the voicemail for her cellphone....therefore, I don't read the quote anymore. I sing it, just like Milly, and I think of her.The quotation is from a section entitled "Good Ideas Must Be Carried Into Action" from the Baha'i Writings, one of mine and Milly's favorites.....
"Therefore strive that your actions day by day may be beautiful prayers."
Debbie
A much needed pick-me-up!
My Thoughts Exactly...
From pictures to people, from recipes to ramblings, from sports to sanity, from thoughts to triumphs.....this is my life!
Photo: Uploaded on December 1, 2006 by _moonpie on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
On Phoebe Hearst, Baha'i: Co-Founder of the Parent-Teacher Association
US 1463
75 ANNIV. PTA
PHOEBE HEARST
FDC
BAHA'I
You knew that Phoebe Hearst was a Baha'i, right? Did you also know she was a co-founder of the PTA? Note the text on the First Day Cover currently for sale on eBay. Below are some other interesting facts about Phoebe Hearst that you may not know, as excerpted from comments made to a previous Baha'i Views post regarding Phoebe Hearst. -gw
Anonymous said...
... Phoebe Hearst is one of my interests as she saved Green Acre Baha'i School, and was such an important early Baha'i. It is also now known that she asked to give Abdul Baha a large share of her huge fortune to the Baha'i funds, but he did not accept it, and only asked for her "heart" instead.
Anonymous said...
... Regarding the offer of a portion of the Hearst fortune to the Baha'i funds, this is mentioned in two different sources I cannot think of at the moment. There was one unfortunate character who claimed to be a Baha'i who asked numerous early members of the community for funds for Baha'i projects and then used them for his own lifestyle. Because of the problems created by this person, Abdul Baha told Mrs. Hearst that she would not have to deal with a situation like this again because she should decline any requests for funds since they did not come from Abdul Baha. He asked for her heart instead and told her to use these funds for charitable projects, which she did including the building of various YWCA's and the University of California (Berkeley), as well as other schools, health clinics, and institutions.
It is because of Mrs. Hearst that we have the first group of pilgrims from the West, and her generosity to various Baha'i projects really helped to ignite the early American, as well as European (London and Paris) Baha'i community growth. She was very quiet in her Faith and became rather "inactive", but was a great friend to many Baha'is till the end of her life and felt that her pilgrimage to Abdul Baha was the spiritual highlight of her life. The idea that such a wealthy woman would go to visit a prisoner in Akka back is rather extraordinary. Imagine what courage and devotion they had as they left their worlds of comfort and priviledge! Her husband, George Hearst, was a U.S. senator and passed away. I guess you can tell this is a big interest of mine, and maybe some day I will write a book on the information I have collected.
http://bahaiviews.blogspot.com/2008/01/on-majnun-bahai-related-search-engine.html#comments
On Teaching Nick, the Teahouse Buddy: Action photo
It's always great to get a picture of teaching in action. -gw
On Remembering Morrey: A Staunch Baha'i
m o r r e y a r e n b r o w n
December 28, 1988 ~ September 20, 2007
- m e m o r i a m -
spiritual warrior * scholar * athlete * pianist * poet * dreamer
Morrey attended Lindbergh High School through his junior year and graduated from Kentridge High School in June 2007. He planned to continue his education and training at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA in order to pursue his dreams of being involved in sports medicine and becoming an Olympic decathlete. His Bahá'í (www.bahai.org) belief of "excellence in all things" drove him to be a gifted writer, classical pianist, athlete, and artist. His intellect and wisdom were those of someone beyond his eighteen years. He believed in service to humanity and was an active volunteer, coach, and mentor. Morrey was a “happy and joyful being" whose vivacity inspired everyone with whom he had contact. Still in this world are brother Ajan; father and mother Jonathan and Cynthia; great grandmother Theresa Collum; grandmothers Barbara Newman and Maureen Sullivan; Grantie Fa and Nette Lemon; and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. Morrey's earthly remains were interred in the San Luis Obispo Cemetery. Donations can be made to the Morrey Brown Memorial Fund at any Boeing Employees Credit Union.
Consistent with Morrey's striving for excellence in all things were many accomplishments at such a young age were:
City of Seattle Public Library -6th grade Poetry Award winner, 7th grade finalist
People to People Ambassador Youth Conference Delegate. Traveled to Florida
Presidential Award for Physical Fitness
City of Renton Champion in 100m, and 200m
Member of the Renton Youth Council
8th Place '05 Washington State Championship in 100m, 12th in 200m
7th Place at '07 Washington State Championship in 100m, 10th in 200m
Finalist at '05 and '06 Simplot Games
Many awards and medals in youth track and field including member of silver medalist relay team at Hershey Nationals
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my son Morrey, a staunch Bahá’í, ascended on 09/20, only two days before the Hand of the Cause Varqa - Morrey's mother
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On Building the Kingdom of God Using Lego Blocks: Ensuring that Every Baha'i Community Is Prepared to Meet the Spiritual Needs of Children
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I feel moved to re-post this email exchange. Dr C is a dear soul who heard about the Faith from one of her patients. She is Boston-Irish, and her husband is Scottish, although without the brogue, I am told. We have so much to learn from the seekers who come knocking on our doors. Dr C has a young son; parents with young children are so often actively looking for a spiritual practice they can be raising them in. This fact illustrates the wisdom of ensuring that every Baha'i community be prepared to meet the spiritual needs of children. From the Unviersal House of Justice's guidance and the focus of the Ruhi Institute Process, we know that the holding of children's classes is one of the core activities of the Baha'i community life. -gw
I feel moved to re-post this email exchange. Dr C is a dear soul who heard about the Faith from one of her patients. She is Boston-Irish, and her husband is Scottish, although without the brogue, I am told. We have so much to learn from the seekers who come knocking on our doors. Dr C has a young son; parents with young children are so often actively looking for a spiritual practice they can be raising them in. This fact illustrates the wisdom of ensuring that every Baha'i community be prepared to meet the spiritual needs of children. From the Unviersal House of Justice's guidance and the focus of the Ruhi Institute Process, we know that the holding of children's classes is one of the core activities of the Baha'i community life. -gw
Hi Doc!
I am glad you like the music mixes. There is so much great music being produced by Baha’is, now that recording equipment is so widely available and relatively cheap. One can really get a flavor of the Faith by listening to the music.
I’d be delighted to drive, if you don’t mind riding in a van with wildlife and canoe decals all over it. It can seat seven, as there may be three other grade-school age girls I may be transporting, and there is certainly room for the car seat.
An idea some of us were discussing the other day was to offer a play group right here in Tacoma for the mother’s of young children, whereby somebody could give the children a fun play experience while the mothers have a chance to meet separately for visiting or even study. The Gig Harbor Baha’i school has been having a Ruhi study circle for the adults who aren’t teaching during class time for the kids.
If it’s OK with you, then we’ll plan on stopping by a little after 10. Just tell me whether work or home.
I might mention there is a Baha’i home party/information gathering Bonita and I are going to Saturday evening starting at 7:30. I don’t know if you would be up to two events in one day, but it would be great to have you (and your partner!) be able to come to that as well, if you are available.
George
P.S. Here are some links on a Baha’i-Scotland connection:
http://news.bahai.org/story/347
http://news.bahai.org/story/429
http://blog.r0ry.co.uk/
http://njstone9.spaces.live.com/default.aspx
http://bahai-library.com/encyclopedia/ukhistory.html
From: C
Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 5:28 PM
To: George Dannells
Subject: Sat children's event
Hi George,
I am thoroughy enjoying the CD mixes. There are a couple tracks in particular that I'll have to ask you about.
Thank you so much for taking your time to put these together--I really appreciate it.
We are up for attending the Baha'i event in Gig Harbor this Saturday. I'd be happy to drive (and of course a car seat is needed for Liam) us or meet up with you there--whatever works best.
We had a great time visiting with you and Bonita, as you could tell Liam felt right at home and didn't want to leave!
-C
I am glad you like the music mixes. There is so much great music being produced by Baha’is, now that recording equipment is so widely available and relatively cheap. One can really get a flavor of the Faith by listening to the music.
I’d be delighted to drive, if you don’t mind riding in a van with wildlife and canoe decals all over it. It can seat seven, as there may be three other grade-school age girls I may be transporting, and there is certainly room for the car seat.
An idea some of us were discussing the other day was to offer a play group right here in Tacoma for the mother’s of young children, whereby somebody could give the children a fun play experience while the mothers have a chance to meet separately for visiting or even study. The Gig Harbor Baha’i school has been having a Ruhi study circle for the adults who aren’t teaching during class time for the kids.
If it’s OK with you, then we’ll plan on stopping by a little after 10. Just tell me whether work or home.
I might mention there is a Baha’i home party/information gathering Bonita and I are going to Saturday evening starting at 7:30. I don’t know if you would be up to two events in one day, but it would be great to have you (and your partner!) be able to come to that as well, if you are available.
George
P.S. Here are some links on a Baha’i-Scotland connection:
http://news.bahai.org/story/347
http://news.bahai.org/story/429
http://blog.r0ry.co.uk/
http://njstone9.spaces.live.com/default.aspx
http://bahai-library.com/encyclopedia/ukhistory.html
From: C
Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 5:28 PM
To: George Dannells
Subject: Sat children's event
Hi George,
I am thoroughy enjoying the CD mixes. There are a couple tracks in particular that I'll have to ask you about.
Thank you so much for taking your time to put these together--I really appreciate it.
We are up for attending the Baha'i event in Gig Harbor this Saturday. I'd be happy to drive (and of course a car seat is needed for Liam) us or meet up with you there--whatever works best.
We had a great time visiting with you and Bonita, as you could tell Liam felt right at home and didn't want to leave!
-C
Photo licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
On Baha'is Online: Moderating Influences
Kudus to the moderating influences online, the Baha'is who serve as moderators for the various Internet forums open for discussion about the Baha'i Faith. Here is one of them, World Citizen, moderator on Beliefnet. -gw
Home > People > world citizen
About Me
I believe in one God, one eternal religious truth progressively revealed by God to different peoples through the Ages, and in the family of man -- one human race created by God from the same dust.
About Me
I believe in one God, one eternal religious truth progressively revealed by God to different peoples through the Ages, and in the family of man -- one human race created by God from the same dust.
I joined Beliefnet in January 2000 and began hosting a number of discussion boards that winter. I've been a moderator just shy of eight years and have encountered any number of very interesting people, great people, rude people, beautiful people, obnoxious people, spiritual people, loving people, gregarious people and humble people in my Beliefnet travels. Each and every one unique and terrific in their own way!Although I'd love to visit much more of Beliefnet, time constraints make that impossible, so you'll usually find me hovering (as moderator) around the Islam, Baha'i Faith and multifaith Bible discussion boards.
Ciao, Shalom, Salaam, Namaste, Peace!
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Photo: Uploaded on August 25, 2007 by thivierr on flickr, licensed under Creative Common Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
On Mais de 50 Baha’is condenados por “distribuição de...: The word spreads and public opinion of Iran is further damaged
"A little flower in prison," 
Uploaded on September 29, 2006 by HAMED MASOUMI on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
The news spreads and public opinion of Iran is further damaged. -gw
Iran Sentences Baha'is to Prison
1 hour ago on Digg / World News / upcoming
Iran on Tuesday said more than 50 followers of the minority Baha'i faith were convicted of distributing propaganda against the country's Islamic
More Info · Email post · Clip post · Preview feed · Subscribe to feed
6 hours ago by Canadian Guy TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran on Tuesday said more than 50 followers of the minority Baha'i faith were convicted of distributing propaganda against the country's Islamic regime, state media reported. Ali Reza Jamshidi, Iran's judiciary ...Canadian Guy - http://acanadianguy.blogspot.com
Mais de 50 Baha’is condenados por “distribuição de...
7 hours ago by Andr on O Insurgente
Iran Sentences Baha’is to Prison Iran on Tuesday said more than 50 followers of the minority Baha’i faith were convicted of distributing
More Info · Email post · Clip post · Preview feed · Subscribe to feed
Mais de 50 Baha’is condenados por “distribuição de propaganda” no Irão
6 hours ago by André Azevedo Alves Iran Sentences Baha’is to Prison Iran on Tuesday said more than 50 followers of the minority Baha’i faith were convicted of distributing propaganda against the country’s Islamic regime, state media reported.O Insurgente - http://www.oinsurgente.org
More than 50 Bahá'ís get prison terms for talking about their...
9 hours ago on Newsvine - iran
Iran yesterday sentenced three Baha'i to four years in jail for security offences after being convicted of propaganda against the political system
More Info · Email post · Clip post · Preview feed · Subscribe to feed
Oltre 50 fedeli Bahai condannati perché parlano della loro fede
7 hours ago by navid68 Tre fedeli condannati al carcere, altri 51 hanno la sospensione della pena, ma dovranno frequentare corsi “di indottrinamento”. La persecuzione contro il culto Bahai è sistematica dal 1979. I seguaci sono condannati anche solo perché ...La Fede Baha'i in Italia - http://lafedebahaiinitalia.wordpress.com
Iran sentences dozens of Baha'is for anti-government propaganda
22 hours ago on Science News latest RSS headlines - Big News Network.com
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran on Tuesday said more than 50 followers of the minority Baha'i faith were convicted of distributing propaganda against the...
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"More than 50 Bahá’ís get prison terms for talking about their
10 hours ago on WorldWide Religious News
("AsiaNews", January 30, 2008) Tehran, Iran – Iran yesterday sentenced three Baha'i to four years in jail for security offences after being
More Info · Email post · Clip post · Preview feed · Subscribe to feed
Iran sentences dozens of Baha’is for anti-government propaganda
9 hours ago by admin Iran on Tuesday said more than 50 followers of the minority Baha’i faith were convicted of distributing propaganda against the country’s Islamic government. via CANOE.JP Goth.com - http://www.jpgoth.com
News :: Iran sentences Baha’is for teaching children
... members of the Baha'i Faith who were arrested in May 2006 in Shiraz while taking part in a project to educate underprivileged children. According to AFP, judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi told reporters that, "three Bahais have been sentenced to four years in prison for propaganda against the regime ...
12 hours ago · Baha'i Library Forum · bahai-library.com/forum
Iran: January 30/ 10 bahman
15 hours ago by christinA eijkhout In Iran are Tuesday 3 Baha'i sentenced to four years in prison for "propaganda against the regime" and 51 Baha'i received suspended one-year jail terms. According to judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi the suspension of the sentence ...empirical-what-you-see-you-get - http://empirical-what-you-see-you-get.blogspot.com/
Iran imprisons Baha'is for their faith
15 hours ago on Iran News latest RSS headlines - Big News Network.com
Iran yesterday sentenced three Baha'i to four years in jail for security offences after being convicted of propaganda against the political system
More Info · Email post · Clip post · Preview feed · Subscribe to feed
On One Planet International School: Ethiopian Accredited
http://www.oneplanetschool.com/index.htm
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"Every child is potentially the light of the world"
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"Every child is potentially the light of the world"
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Accredited by the Ethiopian Ministry of Education as an international school 
Research-based curriculum and teaching methods, based on 27 years of studies in early education 
Virtues are taught as part of the curriculum
Emphasis in Math, English and Amharic Schools come to an end and schools begin, as the need arises. -gw
On Truth, Free Will, and Ruhi: Seeking
Tonight is study circle night in our home. Todd, too, knows the joys of Ruhi. -gw
A Seeker of Truth, Free Will, and Ruhi Study Circles
This blog post is a response to a friend of mine who, upon hearing criticisms of the Baha'i Faith from his friends, decided to investigate matters for himself and join a Ruhi Study Circle. I have copied my response below:
Great to hear from you too. I think you are quite wise in discovering the truth of any matter with your own eyes and ears. That is actually the nature of a study circle. Far from being a forum whereby someone with an agenda attempts to impose a belief upon another, it is a loving and trusting environment wherein we all embark on a collaborative quest for truth and understanding. Questioning is an integral part of the independent investigation of truth, ...
http://toddero.blogspot.com/2007/12/seeker-of-truth-free-will-and-ruhi.html
Photo licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
On Friends of the Faith: He will pray that the dearest wishes of your heart may be realized
"Waiting for a friend," 
Uploaded on November 26, 2007 by Klipang Torok on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
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It's always nice to have friends. -gw
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Letter of 29 November 1952
To an individual
Dear Spiritual Brother:
Your letter dated February 13th, 1952, has been received by Shoghi Effendi, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
We are always happy to have friends of the Bahá’í Faith, and have counted amongst them many fine souls who for one reason or another cannot seem to take the step forward of working actively for that which we cherish so highly.
Shoghi Effendi is pleased to see that you are a staunch friend of the Canadian Bahá’ís; for truly in their struggles, the more friends they have amongst the general public, the better.
There are, no doubt, always grounds for criticism. The Bahá’ís are not perfect, and are not able, at present at least, to put into practice all the things they stand for. However, he feels that if you compare them to the people of the world in general, you will find a high average of sincerity and dedication to a great ideal, and a tangible effort being made on their part to live up to that which they preach. As time goes by, and there are larger communities of Bahá’ís believing in the same things, it will obviously become easier for them to put them into community practice. Perhaps sometime you will feel moved to help them. Your collaboration would be most welcome.
He will pray that the dearest wishes of your heart may be realized, and sends you his kind regards.
Yours truly,
R. Rabbani
http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/MC/mc-172.html?query=public&action=highlight#gr1
On the Baha'i Community as Shelter Anywhere in the World: Service to the Cause Makes Everywhere Home
"Manhattan Beach House," uploaded on January 9, 2008 by ::Topher:: on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic
Feeling at home is a pretty big deal for all. Do a search for "home" on flickr and you come up with 2,917,032 results. What's home to you? -gw
I want to be in LA for awhile before running off again. What I’m not sure about is for how long this LA-craving will take. Will two months home cut it? Do I need the full year? And if I do take the Namibia option, I will fall even deeper into this living in Africa trend, getting closer to a life-long habit. A big part of me just wants to settle in one place for awhile and start the habits one has when she is in her home. So I’m hesitant to move to a place that won’t be a long-term home. But then again, I have to move anyway for grad school so either way, I won’t have a serious home for a few years to come. But, then on the other side of the argument is that the Baha’i community is my shelter anywhere in the world and service with them tends to make everywhere home. So, do any of these questions and anxieties really matter?
Cecily on a Year(almost) of service in Uganda
Efforts Across Continents
A conglomeration of shared community achievements, personal reflections, experiences, current events, art, inspiration, and life's lessons
A conglomeration of shared community achievements, personal reflections, experiences, current events, art, inspiration, and life's lessons
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
On Feeling Secure: Thou art my lamp, and my light is in thee
For a feeling of instant security, click on picture. -gw
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The spirit of zeal and enthusiasm characteristic of youth has also provided an ongoing challenge to the general body of the community to explore ever more audaciously the revolutionary social implications of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings.
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On the Disturbing News Received Today: Shiraz Youth Sentenced
This has been a day for disturbing news from the Middle East. -gw
Less heartening to read on my feeds was that 54 Baha'is have been sentenced to jail in Iran, simply for being Baha'is. The Baha'i World News Service reports on calls from both Amnesty International and the US State Department for Iran to release these prisoners. There is still a long way to go in both Iran and Egypt.
http://blog.r0ry.co.uk/2008/01/egyptian-courts-and-iranian-pr.html
January 29, 2008 11:27 PM EST TEHRAN, Iran — Iran on Tuesday said more than 50 followers of the minority Baha'i faith were convicted of distributing propaganda against the country's Islamic regime, state media reported.
Ali Reza Jamshidi, Iran's judiciary spokesman, said three people, who were in custody in southern city of Shiraz, were sentenced to four years in prison. Another 51 Baha'i followers were given one-year suspended prison terms, Jamshidi said, according to the official IRNA news agency.
Last year, Baha'i communities abroad had reported that a group of followers were detained in Shiraz, located about 550 miles south of Tehran, while helping poor communities there.
Iran had been the cradle of the Baha'i faith in the middle of the 19th century. But the faith was banned after the 1979 Islamic revolution, and it is not recognized in the Iranian constitution as a religious minority.
The Baha'i faith was founded in the 1860s by a Persian nobleman, Baha'u'llah, who claimed to be a new prophet in the series of prophets that included Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. Islam considers Muhammad to be the last of the prophets.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20080129/iran-baha-is/
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5japVd1xVwzTQ23Y-QkaPymSiftEQD8UFVQNO1
Baha'i News: Amnesty International, US State Department call for ...
Worldwide Faith News (press release), NY - 14 hours ago: GENEVA - In the wake of a US State Department call for Iran to release Baha'i prisoners, Amnesty International has issued an "urgent action" appeal on their ...
News in brief
Guardian Unlimited, UK - 3 hours ago: Associated Press in Miran Shah Iran has jailed three members of the Baha'i faith for four years for "making propaganda" against the Islamic system. ...
54 Baha’is sententenced in Iran for charity work
MidEastYouth.com - 16 hours ago: I would like to state the in all likelihood the Baha’i youth and volunteers were NOT propagating the Baha’i Faith in Shiraz. In the Baha’i Faith we firmly ...
On Being a Baha'i: Not Arriving, but Striving
Uploaded on September 11, 2006 by oschene on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
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Being a Baha'i isn't a destination, as this aspiring servant points out. -gw
It is important to note that I am a part of the Baha'i community. But, I have come to understand "being Baha'i" to hold a very complex meaning. I feel that all evidence I have reviewed has affirmed the claims of Baha'u'llah to be the Manifestation of God for this Day, and I do my best to follow His Commandments for the betterment of this world and for my own soul's growth. But, to be a Baha'i is somewhat of a goal to be striven for. Maybe never to be realized. In the same way people often speak of approaching God, while His essence is inaccessible and unknowable. So, about me: Am I Baha'i? Well, I try. And I feel most comfortable just leaving it at that.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/04302069597464975860
On my journey towards paradise, I came to recognize the unity of soul between me--a black man raised on just as much Hip Hop as food--, the Hand of the Cause who was a white sports announcer from Green Valley, MN, and the Iranian refugees who left their families behind in hopes of building new ones in faith, being black almost loses some of its weight.
On Blog Coverage of the Baha'i Court Victory in Egypt: One Problem Solved
Uploaded on July 27, 2006 by Pathfinder Linden on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
Commentary and context for appreciating the court victory in Egypt. -gw
Egypt, Baha’is and ID cards - one problem solved
by Barney: They are legally required to have ID cards, as are all Egyptian citizens; they have to state their religion; but the system does not recognize “Baha’i” as a legitimate choice. Baha’is do not lie about their religion (and, in any case, ...Barnabas quotidianus - http://www.leithjb.net/blog
Baha'i News: Egypt court upholds Baha'i plea in religious freedom ...
CAIRO (29 January 2008) -- In a victory for religious freedom, a lower administrative court here today ruled in favor of two lawsuits that sought to resolve the governments contradictory policy on religious affiliation and ...WorldFaith News - www.wfn.org - http://www.wfn.org/
Victory for Human Rights in Egypt: Baha'is Can Have ID Cards ...
by Bilo: Since he was not permitted the issue of a national ID number and an ID card because of being a Baha'i, he could not obtain the required military certificate. These cases suffered six postponements before today's ruling. ...Baha'i Faith in Egypt - http://bahai-egypt.blogspot.com/
Egypt, Baha’is and ID cards - one problem solved
by Barney: They are legally required to have ID cards, as are all Egyptian citizens; they have to state their religion; but the system does not recognize “Baha’i” as a legitimate choice. Baha’is do not lie about their religion (and, in any case, ...Barnabas quotidianus - http://www.leithjb.net/blog
Baha'i News: Egypt court upholds Baha'i plea in religious freedom ...
CAIRO (29 January 2008) -- In a victory for religious freedom, a lower administrative court here today ruled in favor of two lawsuits that sought to resolve the governments contradictory policy on religious affiliation and ...WorldFaith News - www.wfn.org - http://www.wfn.org/
Victory for Human Rights in Egypt: Baha'is Can Have ID Cards ...
by Bilo: Since he was not permitted the issue of a national ID number and an ID card because of being a Baha'i, he could not obtain the required military certificate. These cases suffered six postponements before today's ruling. ...Baha'i Faith in Egypt - http://bahai-egypt.blogspot.com/
On Religious Freedom in Egypt: Court Rules in Favor of Baha'is
The news is in. -gw
Egypt court upholds Baha'i plea in religious freedom cases
CAIRO 29 January 2008 (BWNS)
In a victory for religious freedom, a lower administrative court here today ruled in favor of two lawsuits that sought to resolve the government's contradictory policy on religious affiliation and identification papers.
The Court of Administrative Justice in Cairo upheld arguments made in two cases concerning Baha'is who have sought to restore their full citizenship rights by asking that they be allowed to leave the religious affiliation field blank on official documents.
"Given the degree to which issues of religious freedom stand at the heart of human rights issues in the Middle East, the world should cheer at the decision in these two cases today," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.
"The compromise offered by the Baha'is in these two cases opens the door to a way to reconcile a government policy that was clearly incompatible with international law -- as well as common sense," said Ms. Dugal.
"Our hope now is that the government will quickly implement the court's decision and allow Baha'is once again to enjoy the full rights of citizenship to which they are duly entitled," said Ms. Dugal.
The decisions today concerned two cases, both filed by Baha'is, over the issue of how they are to be identified on government documents. ...
http://news.bahai.org/story/595
http://www.bahai.org/persecution/egypt
Monday, January 28, 2008
On Spiritual Networking: I first came across Baha'i when I invited Leif inside Orkut
God gave us Baha'u'llah and the ability to create the technology whereby we may come to know Him. Social networking becomes spiritual networking. -gw
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I first came across Baha’i when I invited Leif inside Orkut. He later on helped network me with some Baha’i within my city, although that is another story to tell. Anyways, I visited the Baha’i forum and after asking what their faith was all about, David was kind enough to give me an answer. One of the main things that makes the Faith real for me is the sense that it makes of the phenomenon of religion. What I mean is that there are so many different religious traditions, organizations, and practices out there, and if you talk for five minutes with people from any one of them you’ll realize that all of them contain not only a great deal of truth but also the ability to transform people. The idea of progressive revelation, that God has a purpose for humanity that is expressed and realized through the progression of these religions, the ultimate reality of which are beyond human ability to put into doctrines or words, gives the Baha’i faith an approach to other religions that is at once deeply reverent of their essence and yet not bound to the limiting dogmatic formulae that have been plastered on them.
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Orkut Search Toolbar Text User•de
http://taraznjp21.dustdiary.com/
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Orkut is an Internet social network service which is run by Google and named after its creator, Google employee Orkut Büyükkökten. It claims to be designed to help users meet new friends and maintain existing relationships. Similar to Facebook, Friendster and MySpace, Orkut goes a step further by permitting the creation of easy-to-set-up simple forums (called "communities") of users.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orkut
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orkut
On a Defense of the Faith of Islam: He did an excellent job!
A Baha'i defends Islam at Trinity College. -gw
Tonight the Theological Society had its first paper reading. Mark, who is a Baha'i and Chairman of the Society, read a paper he wrote on the history of Islam and the controversies surrounding its current mis-representations and mis-understandings. It was a great paper, he did an excellent job!
On Baha'i Community on Yahoo! Groups: A Non-Threatening Forum for Discussing the Baha'i Faith
There are 603 groups that come up if you search for "Baha'i" on Yahoo! Groups. This is one of them. -gw
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Bahai-Community
Activity within 7 days: 272 New Messages
Description: This list is intended as a non-threatening forum for discussing and sharing information about the tenets, history, and texts of the Baha'i Faith. Interested persons of other religions are welcome to participate, however, it is not for promoting alternative religions. Likewise it is not a place for discussions challenging the authority of the elected institutions of the Baha'i community, most especially the Universal House of Justice.
Postings should be courteous and respectful of others. The moderators will reject personal attacks (flames) directed at individual posters, similarly inflammatory attacks directed at religious institutions whether Baha'i or non-Baha'i, and articles which use offensive language. Articles may also be rejected if they are irrelevant to the list purpose.
Message History:
2007 Jan 1 * Feb 9 * Mar 453 * Apr 248 * May 429 * June 136 * July 737 * Aug 236 * Sep 553 * Oct 478 * Nov 412 * Dec 792 * 2008 Jan 1217
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Bahai-Community/
{Bottom photo: Uploaded on October 28, 2006 by mag3737 on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic}
On the New "Baha'i Studies Review": It Speaks Volumes
From the Association for Baha’i Studies: New Zealand blog, I learned of the following. -gw
Released by New Publisher
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Bahai Studies Review
Editor: Moojan Momen
Book Review Editor: Daniel Grolin
Bahai Studies Review
Editor: Moojan Momen
Book Review Editor: Daniel Grolin
The Baha’i Studies Review is an academic journal dealing with all aspects of the study of the Baha'i Faith. All papers submitted are subject to a peer review process.
http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals.php?issn=13548697
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The contents of this new volume are:
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The Baha’i Faith and the Perennial Mystical Quest: A Western Perspective,
Julio Savi, 5-22
Jamal Effendi and Sayyid Mustafa Rumi in Celebes: The Context of Early Baha’i Missionary Activity in Indonesia,
Jelle de Vries, 23-38
Baha’i Approaches to Christianity and Islam: Further Thoughts on Developing an Inter-Religious Dialogue,
S Fazel, 39-51
‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Proclamation on the Persecution of Baha’is in 1903,
Ahang Rabbani, 53-67
The Modes and Intentions of Biography,
Graham Hassall, 69-84
A Chronicle of the Babi-Baha’i Communities in Sangsar and Shahmirzad,
Moojan Momen, 85-96
Commentary: Imagining Baha’i Law,
Roshan Danesh, 97-105
The Global Distribution of Baha’is in the 1920s,
Peter Smith, 107-120
Compilation The Baha’i Concept of Evil, 121-127
Obituary: Abu’l-Qasim Afnan (1919–2004)
Iraj Ayman, 129-135
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Book Reviews, 137-153:
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Nusrat’u'llah Muhammad-Husaini, Had rat-i Bab, and Abu’l-Qasim Afnan, ‘Ahd-i A’la,
by Armin Eschraghi
Margit Warburg, Baha’i, by Daniel Grolin
William Garlington, The Baha’i Faith in America, by Peter Smith
Frank Lewis, Rumi: Past and Present, by Bruce Wannell
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On Ahmadinejad Is Right: The World Needs the 12th Imam
Barney is on to something. I think he's right. -gw
The world needs the “Hidden Imam” says Ahmadinejad. Could he be right?
Barnabas quotidianus:
Personal diary of John Barnabas (aka Barney) Leith
Tag: Imam Square, uploaded on January 15, 2008 by TfUnQ on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
On a Summary to "One Common Faith": Yahoo! to That
From the Yahoo group OneCommonFaith I discover Robert Stockman's summary of the contents of the seminal Baha'i text One Common Faith, a document commissioned by the Universal House of Justice, and published under its supervision by the Bahá’í World Center in 2005. Here is an excerpt. -gw
Section 12: The Response of the Baha'i Community to Humanity's Crisis
20. The Baha'i Cause is equipped to address the challenges facing it. The community's nature and achievements on their own justify the attention of anyone seriously concerned about the crisis of civilization. They are evidence that the world's peoples can learn to live and work as a single race in a single global homeland.
20. The Baha'i Cause is equipped to address the challenges facing it. The community's nature and achievements on their own justify the attention of anyone seriously concerned about the crisis of civilization. They are evidence that the world's peoples can learn to live and work as a single race in a single global homeland.
21. This fact underlines the urgency of the successive Plans of expansion and consolidation. Humanity has a right to expect that a body of people committed to unity will increasingly contribute to programs of social betterment that depend on unity. The Baha'i community must grow faster and partner with more and more like-minded organizations.
22. The culture of systematic growth taking root in the community seems to be the most effective response to the aforementioned challenges. Intense and ongoing immersion in the Word frees one from materialistic assumptions and develops a capacity to assist the yearnings for unity. The activities are creating a community of interest and will amplify the community's contribution to public discourse.
23. Fulfilling Baha'u'llah's mandate means carrying out two vital and reciprocal activities: teaching and promoting the betterment of society. A person exploring Baha'u'llah's teachings must gain perspective on both the processes of change worldwide and the implications for his own life.
24. The ideal of the oneness of religion is central, but sharing Baha'u'llah's message is not an interfaith project. The soul seeks certitude; the experience of conversion is not extraneous or incidental, but a pivotal issue that must be addressed.
One Common Faith: A Summary of Its Contents by Robert H. Stockman
This site is for the discussion of the reality that the essence of all religion is one, and for the study of "One Common Faith" by the Universal House of Justice.On Baha'i Reflection Meetings: Standing Room Only in Ottawa
dragfyre does it right on flickr. Wow, his reflection meeting set really catches the Institute Process spirit! 
Baha'i reflection meetings are full of joy, glad-tidings, silliness, encouragement, and earnest consultation about the goals of the Baha'i community. They're literally a pivotal part of the recent Plans given by the Universal House of Justice. Here's how we do them in Ottawa (and other places, too).
On That That is Green and Chic: Meditation, Maccaws, and the Baha'i Faith
Like Jen's blog, and the critter to the left, the Baha'i Faith is green and chic. -gw
The Baha’i faith believes that meditation is a key for opening the doors to the mysteries of the mind. As such, it is perfect for helping us understand our current behaviors and habits, providing new perspectives and clarity, and a way to transform negative behaviors into positive ones.
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{Photo: "This Macaw believes in "Meditation NOT Medication,"uploaded on April 26, 2007 by MrClean1982 on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic}
Sunday, January 27, 2008
On Abdu'l-Baha's Talk at Stanford: God has created man lofty and noble
If you Google "Baha'i" today, the highest ranking Baha'i club website that comes up is for the Standford University Baha'i Association, the 39th result. Standford is, of course, where Abdu'l-Baha famously visited and gave a talk. Below is an excerpt from that talk. -gw
If the animals are savage and ferocious, it is simply a means for their subsistence and preservation. They are deprived of that degree of intellect which can reason and discriminate between right and wrong, justice and injustice; they are justified in their actions and not responsible. When man is ferocious and cruel toward his fellowman, it is not for subsistence or safety. His motive is selfish advantage and willful wrong. It is neither seemly nor befitting that such a noble creature, endowed with intellect and lofty thoughts, capable of wonderful achievements and discoveries in sciences and arts, with potential for ever higher perceptions and the accomplishment of divine purposes in life, should seek the blood of his fellowmen upon the field of battle. Man is the temple of God. He is not a human temple. If you destroy a house, the owner of that house will be grieved and wrathful. How much greater is the wrong when man destroys a building planned and erected by God! ...
God has created man lofty and noble, made him a dominant factor in creation. He has specialized man with supreme bestowals, conferred upon him mind, perception, memory, abstraction and the powers of the senses. These gifts of God to man were intended to make him the manifestation of divine virtues, a radiant light in the world of creation, a source of life and the agency of constructiveness in the infinite fields of existence. Shall we now destroy this great edifice and its very foundation, overthrow this temple of God, the body social or politic? When we are not captives of nature, when we possess the power to control ourselves, shall we become captives of nature and act according to its exigencies?
» Full Text of Speech * http://www.stanford.edu/group/bahai/history.html
On Belief-o-Matic as a Baha'i Information Vehicle: Surprising or Not
Nenad in Belgrade, Serbia, has taken the Belief-o-Matic spirituality quiz again. Belief-o-Matic has been instrumental in putting the name of the Faith in front of so many. I just wish Belief-net would spell the name "Baha'i" right on their link. -gw
1. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (100%)
2. Liberal Quakers (79%)
3. Bahá'í Faith (75%)
4. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (74%)
5. Unitarian Universalism (72%)
On Lights in Tonga: Oceans of Fun
Natalie is in Tonga, where the Ocean of Light International School is. She is posting about Baha'i life there. -gw
well tonite is a fireside (like a little meeting thing that friends can come to it they want to hear about the bahai faith) and tomorrow is the last day of teachers week here at the Ocean of Light school. then that nite, (every friday night) is youth nite so all the bahai youth get together and go out, and on monday school starts!
http://natsintonga.blogspot.com/2008/01/ok-soo-before-tell-you-about-my-amazing.html
ok so on saturday nite there was a talent nite at Club Kelly (this nite/dance club) and me and kritz did a performance. she sang the first verse of "always be my baby" and then like picked up the beat and kinda remixed it and i joined her on stage and then she was like "REMIX!" and "fergalicious" came on and i did my cheer dance to it haha, but it went really good. and like a ton of the Baha'i youth performed with songs and dances and stuff it was sweet
http://natsintonga.blogspot.com/2008/01/ok-so-on-saturday-nite-there-was-talent.html
well tonite is a fireside (like a little meeting thing that friends can come to it they want to hear about the bahai faith) and tomorrow is the last day of teachers week here at the Ocean of Light school. then that nite, (every friday night) is youth nite so all the bahai youth get together and go out, and on monday school starts!
http://natsintonga.blogspot.com/2008/01/ok-soo-before-tell-you-about-my-amazing.html
ok so on saturday nite there was a talent nite at Club Kelly (this nite/dance club) and me and kritz did a performance. she sang the first verse of "always be my baby" and then like picked up the beat and kinda remixed it and i joined her on stage and then she was like "REMIX!" and "fergalicious" came on and i did my cheer dance to it haha, but it went really good. and like a ton of the Baha'i youth performed with songs and dances and stuff it was sweet
http://natsintonga.blogspot.com/2008/01/ok-so-on-saturday-nite-there-was-talent.html
Saturday, January 26, 2008
On Gleitschirmfliegen, Ruhi Studienkreise, Architektur, Baumanagement, und Sport: The Life of a Baha'i
This is what Toni in Liechtenstein is into. -gw
Hobby : Sport aller Art - spez Gleitschirm fliegen und Judo, Snow boarden und Skitouren,
Hanteln stemmen und joggen
Religion : Baha'i 
... Wie gesagt - es ist eine Bestätigung meiner Lebenseinstellung und in der Kombination der durch Baha'u'llah gebrachten Baha'i-Religion und dessen Organisationsform in der es keine persönliche Führer oder Guru mehr gibt - sondern das Leben eigenverantwortlich jedem persönlich übertragen ist- mir auch meine Freiheit im Denken garantiert (ich muss nicht denken , was mir einer vordenkt). ...
http://toniackermann.blogspot.com/2008/01/ist-es-doch-wieder-so-schnell-der-27.html
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Baha'i * Gleitschirmfliegen * Ruhi Studienkreise * Architektur * Baumanagement * Sport
Baha'i * paragliding * Ruhi study circles * Architecture * Construction * Sport
On Baha'i Interactive: In a Flash!
Some Bahai interactive links from the Multimedia page of Baha'i.us. -gw
Baha'i 101
This downloadable interactive Flash presentation is full of information about the Baha'i Faith.
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Anthem for the World
A Baha'i-inspired slide show and song, which emphasizes the oneness of humanity.
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Free Baha'i ebooks for your PDA
Enter "Bahai" into the search box to find more than 20 Baha'i books to download onto your personal digital assistant (PDA).
On a Parent's Concern: Is the Baha'i Faith a Muslim religion?
This came in on a news feed today. -gw
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Baha'i follows far different path than its mother religion of Islam
By Andrew Tevington
Our Faiths
Q: My daughter told us on her last visit that she converted to Baha'i. Her father was upset with her conversion to a Muslim religion, but she said Baha'i is not Muslim. Can you tell us about Baha'i, please? — Bette, Oklahoma City
A: As far as religions go, Baha'i (pronounced buh-HI) is new to the world stage ...
http://newsok.com/article/3197101/1201310053?
On the Man With the Light in His Eyes: Seeker After Truth, Rashid, Rightly Guided
The man with the light in his eyes is Rashid, whom I have posted about before. Walter, Bonita, Tim, Deb (who took the picture), and I visited his home Thursday night. He shared with the friends more of his fascinating journey which has involved the study of many different faith traditions, including, more recently, the Nation of Islam. He is now studying the Baha'i Faith. We listened to his spiritual invocations in Hebrew and Arabic. Rashid has agreed to open his home for a devotional meeting on Thursdays at 5 pm. Rashid is an Arabic given name that means "rightly guided". -gw
On Having a Different Conversation about Religion: An Interfaith Home Gathering
Opening one's home for spiritual gatherings of many kinds, such as devotional meetings, study circles, and neighborhood children's classes, is now a part of Baha'i culture. Anne of Let It Shine opened her home for an interfaith gathering. Good goin', Anne! -gw
Tonight I had an interfaith gathering at my home based on the Different Conversation About Religion developed by the Interfaith Youth Core. We started out by introducing ourselves, and happily we found out we had a diverse group with nine participants from a variety of backgrounds including Lutheran, Jewish, United Church of Christ, Moravian, Catholic, Coptic Christian, and Baha'i. Read the full post here: http://anne99.blogspot.com/2008/01/let-all-associate-in-this-great-human.html
Friday, January 25, 2008
On Haifa: A City like Any City Until You Look Up
The Shrine of the Bab and the Baha'i Gardens never fail to awe. -gw
EL just got back from a trip to Israel.
We were all concerned for her when she left, because all you hear about the middle east these days is the terror, the bombings, and how unstable the region is.
She had none of those experiences. She showed me pictures of the city of Haifa, where the world headquarters are located for the Baha’i faith. They were extraordinary.
The centerpoint of Haifa is a beautiful domed building, sitting halfway up Mt. Carmel. Below and above are a total of 18 immaculately terraced gardens, that you must crane your neck from looking all the way up at it from a pristinely rounded street. The pictures struck me that I was looking at some gigantic, heavenly postcard.
EL told me that a hundred or so years ago, there was nothing there but a barren, empty mountain. Now the city around it is built up and looks like any other city. And then you look up at this mountain and the terraces and it’s, well, … heavenly.
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On Thinking About a Baha'i Prayer: Connecting with What Is Good in the World
Beautiful picture and prayer. -gw
I am looking to connect with a higher universal whole, and to completely lose myself, embracing only what is right in this world. I have been thinking a lot these past two days about a Baha'i prayer that Makini introduced me to on Wednesday night: "Let my soul like a mirror, and my heart like an empty reed, to receive and reflect the goodness of God." Only by losing the ego, the binding desires that tie me to my bodily, singular SELF, would I be able to be connect with what is good in this world.
On Embracing the Baha'i Faith, Full-on, Gradually: It's seriously changing my life
Sian's Baha'i card has come. -gw
Embracing the Baha'i Faith full-on, gradually. :) It's seriously changing my life and I'm finding out more about myself and the world around me. I've found that for many, modern life is war and that's why some friendships don't last, but forgiveness is key. :) I've forgiven but am also compromising, saying that I forgive but won't take back. Forgiving but not forgetting, if you will. I'm stronger, yay! ...I know, I'm 18, but after a while, I thought, "I was 8 TEN YEARS AGO?!? WHEN DID I GET THIS OLD?!?!" But hahaha I'm growing young again. :D Also, my Baha'i card has come, but I have not yet received it! Maybe it's still in the mailbox or somewhere in my house. But once I get it, I'm totally going to the feasts and pioneering and everything! =D And pilgrimage, too, of course!
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Name: Sian x Paris
Bio: Hello, I'm an immigrant from GJ. I come in peace.
On the Manifestations of God: Like Perfect Mirrors
Wednesday in our study circle we studied the section in Ruhi Book 1 on polishing off the dross on the mirror. Then again, Thursday night during our home visit to Rashid's we talked about the metaphor of the mirror. It reminded me of this section from Anna's Presentation for teaching the Baha'i Faith. -gw
•So although God’s existence is far beyond our understanding, His love touches our lives and our beings ceaselessly.
•The way this love flows to us is through His Eternal Covenant. According to this Eternal Covenant, God never leaves us alone and without guidance. Whenever humanity moves away from Him and forgets His Teachings, a Manifestation of God appears and makes His Will and Purpose known to us.
•The word “manifest” means to reveal, to bring forth something that was not known before.
•The Manifestations of God are those special Beings Who reveal to humanity the Word and the Will of God; thus when we listen to Them, we are responding to the Call of God.
•There is an example from the physical world that helps us to understand the concept of “Manifestation” as taught by Bahá’u’lláh. In this world, the sun is the source of all warmth and light, without which life would not exist on the planet. Yet the sun itself does not descend to earth, and if we tried to approach it, we would be totally consumed.
•But suppose we take a well-polished mirror and point it towards the sun. In it we will see the image of the sun, and the more perfectly polished the mirror, the more perfect the image will be.
•The Manifestations of God are like perfect Mirrors that reflect the Light of God in all its Splendor. And all these Mirrors reflect the same Light.
•While God is beyond our reach, these perfect Beings come to us from time to time, live among us, give us guidance, and fill us with the energy we need to progress, materially and spiritually.
On Wisdom, Goodness, and Deep Faith: Visiting Grandma's and Vice-Grandma's
Oh my God, is this post beautiful! Click over and read it in its entirety with photos. -gw +
& visit to vice-grandma’s:)
All these years that I had minimal contact with my Iraqi grandparents I considered this wonderful couple from Iran, Rosa and Mozaffar, vice-grandparents of a sort. Before Christmas I learned Mozaffar had passed away……and I immediately wanted to visit Rosa. Today I took the bus, train, metro and bus to go to Tapiola and met Rosa and her wonderful son, a real continuation of Mozaffar.
After 2,5 hours of intense and interesting conversation (and cookies:) we ended with these photos - how strange that Rosa has at one point carried someone twice her size in her womb… the wonders of evolution;) It’s also fun to think Rosa remembers me from the times I was half her height - now she’s half my height!
As I hinted before, the wisdom, goodness and deep faith (Baha’i faith, by the way) of Mozaffar lives on in his son, and it was really an honour to have some very fascinating conversations with him. I wish everyone had a chance to have sincere and respectful conversations with representatives of different world-views and faiths such as I did today.
I want to thank the Namdars and wish them all the best in their trip to the Holy Land and then to America. May God protect you and be with you.
http://emilanton.wordpress.com/2008/01/25/grandmas-visit-visit-to-vice-grandmas/
All these years that I had minimal contact with my Iraqi grandparents I considered this wonderful couple from Iran, Rosa and Mozaffar, vice-grandparents of a sort. Before Christmas I learned Mozaffar had passed away……and I immediately wanted to visit Rosa. Today I took the bus, train, metro and bus to go to Tapiola and met Rosa and her wonderful son, a real continuation of Mozaffar.
After 2,5 hours of intense and interesting conversation (and cookies:) we ended with these photos - how strange that Rosa has at one point carried someone twice her size in her womb… the wonders of evolution;) It’s also fun to think Rosa remembers me from the times I was half her height - now she’s half my height!
As I hinted before, the wisdom, goodness and deep faith (Baha’i faith, by the way) of Mozaffar lives on in his son, and it was really an honour to have some very fascinating conversations with him. I wish everyone had a chance to have sincere and respectful conversations with representatives of different world-views and faiths such as I did today.
I want to thank the Namdars and wish them all the best in their trip to the Holy Land and then to America. May God protect you and be with you.
http://emilanton.wordpress.com/2008/01/25/grandmas-visit-visit-to-vice-grandmas/
Thursday, January 24, 2008
On Aggression: Lessons from the BMAC and the Baha'i Writings
Because of the work I do, one of the most interesting PowerPoint presentations from the Baha'i Medical Association of Canada, linked to in the previous post, was the one on "Violence and bullying in children and youth." Even just the definitions and categorizations alone are of interest.
For example, I learned that aggression need not be just bodily. According to the presentation, there are two categories of aggression: hostile (aka reactive or affective) and instrumental (aka proactive or predatory), the latter being the more concerning.
The qualities of instrumental aggression are: hides aggressive acts, very careful to protect self when aggressive, looks proud of being aggressive, plans aggressive acts.
Living at this time in human history, one can be the recipient of aggressive acts even sitting in front of a computer screen. Hackers, spammers, phishers, and stalkers all practice instrumental aggression, and there are other malevolent actors on the Internet.
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In man here are two natures: his spiritual or higher nature and his material or lower nature.... Every good habit, every noble quality belongs to man's spiritual nature, whereas all his imperfections and sinful actions are born of his material nature.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 60)
Let [the friends] never be defeated by the malice of the people, by their aggression and their hate, no matter how intense.
(Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 24)
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{Photo: Uploaded on September 19, 2007 by Dominic's pics on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic}
On the Baha'i Medical Association of Canada: Conference Presentations
Baha'u'llah came to heal the world. From the Baha'i Toolbar, under the Baha'i News heading, I learned of the Baha'i Medical Association Of Canada, which held its most recent conference this past December. Here were the presenters and their presentations. -gw
Dr. Nathalie Auger, MD MSC FRCPC
MOVING TOWARDS A NEW PARADIGM IN MEDICINE:
The role of social determinants of health
james Ferguson
COMMUNITY HEALTH AIDE PRACTITIONERS:
A model of health care in rural Alaska & Guyana
Dr. Abdu'l-Missagh Ghadirian, M.D., FRCPC
THE ROLE OF SPIRITUALITY IN THE PREVENTION OF DEPRESSION
Parviz Ghadirian, Ph.D.
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF NUTRITION AND CANCER: AN OVERVIEW
Dr. Chris Greenaway
INFECTIOUS DISEASE AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN AN INTERCONNECTED WORLD
Dr. John Guilfoyle, MD CCFP FCFP
PREJUDICE: ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH
Dr. Harb Kang
PLACEBO EFFECT
Dr. John LeBlanc
VIOLENCE AND BULLYING IN CHILDREN AND YOUTH
Ron Matthews
EXPLORING THE HEALING POWER OF BEING HUMAN
Dr. Ashkan Monfared
MEDICINE AND MYSTICISM
Dr. Nyassa Navidzadeh
SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF MENTAL HEALTH AND VIOLENCE
Taravat Ostovar
SUICIDE AMONG ABORIGINAL POPULATION OF CANADA:
SOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL DETERMINANTS
Dr. Nader Sharifi, BSc, MD, CCFP, ASAM, CCHP
VIOLENCE, RISK ASSESSMENT, AND PUBLIC SAFETY
Dr. David Smith
BECOMING A SOURCE OF SOCIAL GOOD
Dr. Philip Squires
MATERIALISM IN RESPECT TO CHILD HEALTH
Dr. Jean-Paul Vader
WHERE IS THE SPIRITUAL?
A missing link in the struggle to improve population health
Dr. Rahi Victory
VIOLENCE, POVERTY, AND WOMEN'S HEALTH
Dr. Farhan Yazdani
ETHICAL DECISION MAKING:
Meeting the Daily Multidisciplinary and Multicultural Challenges
On Devon Gundry in England: Singing at the Top of His Lungs
Devon has been in England, singing at the tops of his lungs, undoubtedly. -gw
Devon Gundry, a musician who lives in LA has been staying in Ruscombe for a few days and the Brook group were joined by him and others after the meeting. He shared some of his own songs and talked about how being a Baha'i inspired him and his music. Devon was wonderfully passionate and energetic with every song he played - some were set to beautiful spiritual words, others he had written himself - we finished with food and talk and even a free cd for some.
See his You Tube videos which include some of his songs and a link to his Myspace site - see here. He is heading back to the States now but says he may return in the future to Stroud as he had such a good welcome here.
http://ruscombegreen.blogspot.com/2008/01/ruscombe-brook-and-la-musician-devon.html
{Photo: Stroud, Gloucestershire, uploaded on September 27, 2007 by Eleventh Earl of Mar on flickr,
licensed under Creative CommonsAttribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic}
On a Model Defense: Baha'i Apologetics at Its Best
Re-posted below is a wonderful example for the Baha'i friends as to how to respectfully defend the Faith against attacks on the Internet by individuals who are, at best, misguided, or, at worst, purposeful in their anti-Baha'i polemic. -gw
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In BAHA'I FAITH TODAY - THE RELIGION OF RULERSHIP, MRDONUT makes a number of claims about the Bahá'í, concluding that it is a cult today. I shared a response on the blog and promised that I would include specific passages supporting some of my claims. Of course, some of my statements were purely anecdotal — as, it would seem, are all of MRDONUT's. I am not here to be in an argument or flamewar, and I do not claim that MRDONUT has not experienced these things. Rather, I would like simply to show how my personal experience differs.To summarize the claim: the Bahá'í Faith today is a cult of rulership / leadership, well beyond Bahá'u'llah's intentions. Supporting claims:
* Members are expected to "lavish devotion" on administrators and not ask questions "about anything in the religion"
* The "Bahá'í Funds" and treasurers thereof are personally coercive and guilt-inducing
* "distancing of the believer from his roots" -- through denial of family, country, etc.
* literature lost in the "clouds of Rube Goldberg inventions" to reconcile selves to cult membership
* "preponderence of intellect over emotion, administration over spirit"
I cannot imagine where the notion of denouncing one's parents, education, country, etc. comes from — I've never encountered anything like this. When I became a Bahá'í, no one pressured me to abandon my family and friends, indeed, it was suggested to me that I be even more mindful of them, given Bahá'u'lláh's exhortations to respect that parents. Bahá'ís strive for high educational attainment, they are explicitly taught not to reject the laws of their country, and in general are encouraged to be an active participant in the affairs of the world.
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Consider that which the Merciful Lord hath revealed in the Qur'án, exalted are His words: "Worship ye God, join with Him no peer or likeness; and show forth kindliness and charity towards your parents..." Observe how loving-kindness to one's parents hath been linked to recognition of the one true God!
(Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdás, p. 139)
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The primary, the most urgent requirement is the promotion of education. It is inconceivable that any nation should achieve prosperity and success unless this paramount, this fundamental concern is carried forward. The principal reason for the decline and fall of peoples is ignorance. Today the mass of the people are uninformed even as to ordinary affairs, how much less do they grasp the core of the important problems and complex needs of the time.
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The primary, the most urgent requirement is the promotion of education. It is inconceivable that any nation should achieve prosperity and success unless this paramount, this fundamental concern is carried forward. The principal reason for the decline and fall of peoples is ignorance. Today the mass of the people are uninformed even as to ordinary affairs, how much less do they grasp the core of the important problems and complex needs of the time.
(Abdu'l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 108)
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Furthermore each and every one is required to show obedience, submission and loyalty towards his own government. Today no state in the world is in a condition of peace or tranquillity, for security and trust have vanished from among the people. Both the governed and the governors are alike in danger.
(Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 293)
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Knowledge is as wings to man's life, and a ladder for his ascent. Its acquisition is incumbent upon everyone. The knowledge of such sciences, however, should be acquired as can profit the peoples of the earth, and not those which begin with words and end with words. Great indeed is the claim of scientists and craftsmen on the peoples of the world.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 51)
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Now, these passages hearken back to the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and His Son. How do they relate to the Bahá'í Faith today? Simply in this: that all actions by members (including administrators) are expected to follow this guidance. Indeed, that is what it means to be a Bahá'í — to accept Bahá'u'llah's guidance as something to uphold and strive to live by. My words and understanding, anyway. And I emphasize strive, for that is all that we can do.
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I have been a contributor to the Bahá'í Funds since joining the Faith more than a decade ago, and have never once been personally pressured to give or give more. In fact, it is strictly forbidden to solicit funds from specific people. I have heard rumor that something like this occurs in some communities, with a wink and a nudge; I hope that anyone who receives such a letter consults with the proper administrative representatives to ensure that the incident does not re-occur. It is true that finding the balance of how to raise funds required for various activities — in which the community should have a full voice in choosing — without coming across as guilt-inducing is difficult. I know this from recent personal experience as a treasurer. In the end it is up to every individual to respond, and there is nothing that any institution can do to compel giving or punish the lack thereof.
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Whenever they make reference to the Huquq [closest equivalent to tithing], let them confine themselves to a mere word uttered for the sake of God and this will suffice; coercion is unnecessary, inasmuch as God hath never wished that those engaged in His service should experience any hardship.
(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 502)
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And among the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh is voluntary sharing of one's property with others among mankind. This voluntary sharing is greater than equality, and consists in this, that man should not prefer himself to others, but rather should sacrifice his life and property for others. But this should not be introduced by coercion so that it becomes a law and man is compelled to follow it. Nay, rather, man should voluntarily and of his own choice sacrifice his property and life for others, and spend willingly for the poor, just as is done in Iran among the Bahá'ís.
(Compilations, Bahá'í World Faith, p. 288)
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I have never personally experienced unreasonable administrative actions, coercion, "devotion to administration," etc. I will readily admit that there is a great stress placed on obedience and unity. Unity is the whole point of this enterprise. But that does not mean there is no questioning, or that decisions are imposed upon a group.
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The members thereof must take counsel together in such wise that no occasion for ill-feeling or discord may arise. This can be attained when every member expresseth with absolute freedom his own opinion and setteth forth his argument. Should anyone oppose, he must on no account feel hurt for not until matters are fully discussed can the right way be revealed. The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the clash of differing opinions. If after discussion, a decision be carried unanimously well and good; but if, the Lord forbid, differences of opinion should arise, a majority of voices must prevail.
(Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 87)
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It is true that this is a young Faith that has its growing pains. Each community will experience different things, depending on the members themselves, who are far from perfect. I don't think a day goes by where I do not ask myself — am I doing the right thing? By being a Bahá'í, by promoting the Bahá'í Faith? Bahá'u'lláh tells us to "bring [ourselves] to account each day." This is part of my accounting. Clearly my answer is still yes.
It is true that this is a young Faith that has its growing pains. Each community will experience different things, depending on the members themselves, who are far from perfect. I don't think a day goes by where I do not ask myself — am I doing the right thing? By being a Bahá'í, by promoting the Bahá'í Faith? Bahá'u'lláh tells us to "bring [ourselves] to account each day." This is part of my accounting. Clearly my answer is still yes.
SAF(NET) = STEPHEN A. FUQUA operating on the Web since 1995Stephen is a web developer, Bahá'í, and interfaith activist in St. Paul, Minnesota. He likes to write about religion, social justice, sustainability, science, programming, &c.
I love the name, Safnet. There it is again, that word. Safe. Baha'is are striving to make the world safe for human beings to grow and develop spiritually in unity. -gw
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
On More Easy Access to Official and/or Safe Sites: Baha'i Toolbar
Everyday it's something new. Over the months I have come to know BahaiNine - the Baha'i blog aggregator, Majnun - the Baha'i search engine, and Baha'i Communties - the social networking site. Today it's the Baha'i Toolbar. I've downloaded it. I love it.
You can be sure Baha'i Toolbar, like the other tools mentioned, is the result of individual initiative. The progress of the Cause depends upon individual believers arising to serve, and Baha'i Toolbar is the fruit of someone's service. Thank you for that, servant! -gw
The Bahá'í Toolbar for Internet Explorer has been designed and created in order to provide Bahá'ís around the world with fast and easy access to key Bahá'í resources on the world wide web.
The Bahá'í Toolbar provides:
*one-click search at Google, the Bahá'í reference library, and more
*one-click access to key learning and education web sites
*one-click access to official Bahá'í web sites and resources
*RSS news feeds from Bahá'í sites
*Huqúqu'lláh resources, one-click access to the official "Huqúqu'lláh Compilation
*instant look-up of the current value of 19 mithqáls of gold in CAD, USD, and Euro
*a world clock with 18 time zones
*a Gregorian/Badi date display
The Bahá'í Toolbar's links and resources are displayed dynamically, meaning they are always up-to-date so users will never find their Toolbar links broken or obsolete. And, importantly, the Toolbar provides links only to official and/or safe web sites and resource materials.
http://www.bahaitoolbar.com/
I am noting a trend. BahaiNine, Majnun, Baha'i Communities, and now Baha'i Toolbar all strive to include what is"official and/or safe" and screen out what is not. Who decides? That Baha'i whose individual initiative created the tool in the first place, with maybe a little help from the Friends. The Baha'i Faith has strong boundaries. And I like that. -gw
On Mike's Invitation to Barbeque: Hey Baha'is!
There he goes again. Mikester Mike is bringing up the name of the Faith. And everytime he does, I go over to have a look-see. In this post he testifies to the power of the Faith ... to bring people to his site every time he brings it up. -gw
So, here's to my 10,000 MySpace visitors! Thanks! Keep coming around and commenting on my bs ...
Strangest thing, though, is that the most responses I really received was on the subject of religion, specifically my praise of Baha'i. Next to the Universalist/Unitarians, it is the religion I enjoy the most. The few people from the faith I have been in contact with have been extremely positive, thoughtful individuals. Keep it up, guys!
Of course, just because a person is of a particular faith doesn't mean that they can't be jerks. Faith does not define personality. On the contrary, personality will end up defining faith.
And no, so far none of my neighbors have identified themselves as Baha'i. Not like it matters, but the offer is still open. Come on down and let's have a barbeque.
10,000: a blog on a blog
MikesterMike's Mind
Sometimes funny, sometimes thought-provoking, always full of B.S
On Assisting Senior Friends to Feel More Comfortable Going Out into the Neighborhood: Accompaniment
Accompaniment,
uploaded on September 3, 2006 by Hugo Ahlberg (cricke) on flickr,
licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
A paragraph from the Savannah story on teaching.bahai.us. -gw
We are focusing our planning in an effort to assist some of the senior friends to feel more comfortable in going out into the neighborhood around the center. Because of this, each of the teaching teams include at least one newly declared junior youth or youth. These youth have been wonderful team members, anxious to go out and well recognized in their own neighborhood. We are sure this strategy of accompaniment will eventually give all of the friends the confidence to go out and realize their potential.
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On Times Have Changed in Savannah GA: Done with "talking about it"
"Savannah Negro Quarter, 1935" 
Uploaded on May 28, 2007 by pingnews.com on flickr, Public Domain.
New on teaching.bahai.us today. Spread the news. -gw
Things has changed in the Savannah Area Cluster since the Birth of Baha’u'llah, in November 2007.
The once small quiet community in Savannah GA which was content with “talking about it” has now become a wonderfully, wild experience in which 45 new believers have transformed any trace of “before”!
Feasts which used to have 4-5 Baha’is now buzz with over 40, most of whom are children, junior youth, and youth. Last night’s Feast of Sovereignty featured 14 adults and 26 younger Baha’is. All prayers and writings were read by the younger friends and they were great. The spiritual growth visualized in these kids has been remarkable in the last 3 months.
Sunday children’s classes which used to have 8 children or junior youth who were not yet Baha’is are now classes which regularly host 18-20 children most of which are new Baha’is. Three mothers and one grandmother of children and junior youth have declared, eager to learn more about this Faith that their children, in part, are teaching them about. ...
A B-cluster transformed by new (young) Baha’is
... Speaking of great results, we had a declaration this weekend! This was someone that was not a contact from the door to door, but the teachers did utilize concepts from Anna’s Presentation to teach him the Faith. In addition, one woman we met going door to door just started attending firesides and learning about the Faith, before we met her! Imagine the confirmation for her, as a new seeker, to have Baha’is come to her home and find out they’re her neighbors!! In fact, she and her family will be starting a Book 1 very soon! ...
Halfway through the Howard County/Laurel IPG
The teaching work in San Diego cluster is progressing beautifully. By the end of yesterday, Jan 16th (four days into the expansion phase), there have been 10 new Baha’is (5 declarations and 5 children registrations). One of the teachers has shared his story below. ...
During the consolidation phase in Phoenix the declarations keep coming in! 6 more declarations have been added to the 34 (plus 35 children registrations) they had at the end of 2 weeks expansion phase. ...
Declarations across the Southwest
On a Taxonomy of Baha'i Blogs: From Apologia to Youth
Uploaded on December 21, 2005 by Misterteacher on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic
Here is a taxonomy of Baha'i blogs as provided in one of the papers available from the Baha'i Internet Agency. Baha'i Views is a re-posting blog primarily, so shares elements of all of these categories. -gw
Apologia: blogs focused on contemporary issues and current events
Community: blogs created for and used by a Bahá’í community to share and publicize information
Personal: individual blogs created for the purpose of sharing information from the perspective of an individual
Socio-Economic Development: blogs with content related to SED projects and themes
Spirituality: blogs focused on spiritual questions, themes and other related content
Youth: blogs created and maintained by Bahá’í youth
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
On Carrying out the Four Core Baha'i Activitities: Performed by Baha'is everywhere in a collective effort
A 19-year-old Baha'i from Florida goes to Swaziland for service. -gw
I received word that I and two other Baha'is are being sent to a small town near Piggs Peak for a two-week long intensive teaching campaign. Our roles will be guides to accompany and encourage Baha'is to carry out the four core activities (devotional gatherings, children's classes, junior youth groups, and study circles about spiritual themes) which are performed by Baha'is everywhere in a collective effort to help our communities socially and economically develop, as well as spiritually develop. We will also help them to teach receptive people about the Baha'i Faith directly.
http://maiamily.blogspot.com/2008/01/ngiya-e-piggs-peak-im-going-to-piggs.html
I received word that I and two other Baha'is are being sent to a small town near Piggs Peak for a two-week long intensive teaching campaign. Our roles will be guides to accompany and encourage Baha'is to carry out the four core activities (devotional gatherings, children's classes, junior youth groups, and study circles about spiritual themes) which are performed by Baha'is everywhere in a collective effort to help our communities socially and economically develop, as well as spiritually develop. We will also help them to teach receptive people about the Baha'i Faith directly.
http://maiamily.blogspot.com/2008/01/ngiya-e-piggs-peak-im-going-to-piggs.html
On Stirring MLK Celebrations in Tacoma: One big, one Baha'i
Rashid couldn't come with Walter, Bonita, and I when we went to the
Tacoma Dome to join the 2600 people there for the 20th Annual Martin Luther King celebration in the Dome. He had to miss out on the post-MLK celebration lunch 
at Tim and Deb's they have for Baha'is and seekers. But I talked to him afterwards at length. He wanted to know more about the process of becoming a Baha'i. I had slipped a declaration card into the American Baha'i I had given him the night before. He has invited the Baha'i friends to come over again on Thursday at 5 p.m. -gw
On Ruhi and the Louis Gregory Baha'i Institute: Put your hands together and praise Him!
The road more traveled, to and from LGBI
, Tarazullah Dannells
Ruhi and LGBI. Now that's a combination! -gw
, Tarazullah Dannells Ruhi and LGBI. Now that's a combination! -gw
It was good to hear about all the busy Ruhi Institute processes being directed from LGBI. As I drove away from Hemingway, SC, I listened to gospel songs on 90.9 FM, Radio Baha'i...." Put your hands together, and praise Him!" Great way to start the day. The station was clear for me for well over an hour. My favorite spot on the air was when I heard Gabrielle do a short presentation on the dangers of materialism.
http://audreymike.blogspot.com/2008/01/so-far-so-good.html
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My son spent 6 months at LGI a few years. Here are photos (the page takes a while to load) of his nature experience there. -gw
On O God, Guide Me: ¡se quedó profundo!
"después de ir a Bosch Baha'i School," uploaded on August 27, 2005 by nekochan9 on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
On Other Kinds of Baha'i Gospel Music: A Baha'i Prayer Chanted in Arabic
REAL PEOPLE SHARING REAL MUSIC
Rick posts about another kind of Baha'i gospel music with a YouTube video on Mog. -gw
It's a chant of a prayer in Arabic. The prayer comes from the Baha'i religion, but this kind of chant is common in Islamic culture as well. In fact, this is referenced in Jon Hendricks' lyrics for A Night in Tunisia,
"Thrill to the chant of - the MuezzinCallin' all t'pray aroun' the closin' o'the day
Becomes a regular occurrence"
I do not know the name of the woman doing the chant. It's not likely to have been a recording of a musical performance per-se. Rather, I'm guessing it was recorded during an observance of a Baha'i holy day. The backing slide show is mostly the Baha'i gardens on Mt. Carmel, in Haifa.
Gospel Music? Artist: Unknown Track: Arabic Chant
http://mog.com/RSchaut/blog_post/139137
On How a Girl Fresh From a Baha'i Year of Service Is Coming Back to Light a Fire: Scary Threat
This dear soul is doing a Baha'i Year of Service in Africa and thinking about what it will be like when she comes back home. -gw
my ex-ATC members...oh man...you're in trouble...I'm coming for you! lol
What a threat huh...how scary girl fresh from a year of service coming back to light a fire...well..I hope I get the chance to do that...because honestly ya'll, the world needs this Faith...it is sooo apparent here that it is needed...and being in the South we actually have a very receptive population...other places aren't nearly as religious...I mean I know we are Bible Belt and as such we think that means that it will be hard to teach people...but that just means people care about religion and God...so yeah...get out there and do Anna's presentation by golly...so yeah thats me on my pedestal...I will step off it...because I know you didn't come to read my blog to hear a spiel about how we should get out there and go...but...we really should...I can't wait to get back home and be able to
http://rachelmichellewolfe.blogspot.com/2008/01/happy-day.html
{Photo: Buckles for the Bible Belt, uploaded on August 19, 2007 by greenmelinda on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic}
On Baha'i-inspired Poetry: Free for Download
at 10:42pm on January 20th, 2008
George! My favorite blog compiler! :) Can I give you a request for something to put on Baha'i Views? I think my friend's poetry album is among the best I've heard, and more people deserve to hear it, and maybe they'll find it on your page. Here's the link, do what you like with it. Enjoy!http://homepage.mac.com/aspiringservant/FileSharing1.html
George! My favorite blog compiler! :) Can I give you a request for something to put on Baha'i Views? I think my friend's poetry album is among the best I've heard, and more people deserve to hear it, and maybe they'll find it on your page. Here's the link, do what you like with it. Enjoy!http://homepage.mac.com/aspiringservant/FileSharing1.html
Download Eddie Glenn's entire album of Baha'i-inspired poetry or pick and choose from among the individual selections. What a marvelous addition to any iPod! Thanks Marvelous Mona. -gw
Before the Dawn by Eddie GlennDownload the files freely and pass them around
Thanks for listening
Before the Dawn - 185 KB * clocksstrikesempty.mp3 - 3.6 MB * dearpoet.mp3 - 3.6 MB * langaugeofinfinity.mp3 - 949 KB * lastgeneration.mp3 - 739 KB * letuspray.mp3 - 3.1 MB * lostsouls.mp3 - 2 MB * lostvoicefound.mp3 - 3.5 MB * odetothegreatestname.mp3 - 3.3 MB * priestsandguns.mp3 - 1.7 MB * reflection1.mp3 - 2.5 MB * reflection2.mp3 - 1.4 MB * thisgeneration.mp3 - 2.9 MB * todiefor.mp3 - 1.9 MB
Monday, January 21, 2008
On Which Religious Claims Are True: (1) None (2) All (3) Only one (4) Some truth, some junk
A fascinating discussion here. -gw
So now, what can we say about different religious claims about reality? If we were to take all these claims as they are made today, there appear to be blatant contradictions amongst them. Now what are the different possible cases that could exist?
1. None of them are true
2. All of them are true, as they are today
3. Only one (some) of them is (are) true
4. All of them have some grain of truth to them, but a lot of what they say is junk too
I think that is the complete set of possibilities. Lets examine these separately. ...
Nikhil Ravi, "One common faith," The Quest for Certitude
Uploaded on April 4, 2007 by spike55151 on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
On Downloadable U.S. Declaration Forms: Available Online
DECLARATION OF BAHÁ'Í BELIEFS
In signing below, I declare my belief in Bahá'u'lláh, the Promised One of God. I also recognizethe Báb, His Forerunner, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Center of His Covenant. I request enrollment in the Bahá'í Community with the understanding that Bahá'u'lláh has established sacred principles, laws, and institutions which I must obey.
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On the sidebar of teaching.bahai.us I note a link to a page from which you can download a declaration (and registration) form for printing. -gw
It is hoped that these resources will further facilitate the outward-looking orientation needed as our community continues to develop its capacity for sharing the message of the Faith openly and directly, and boldly inviting those who respond to embrace the Cause of Bahá’u'lláh.
DECLARATION FORM! — JR. YOUTH/CHILD REGISTRATION FORM!
and
SPANISH DECLARATION FORM! — SPANISH REGISTRATION FORM!
and
SPANISH DECLARATION FORM! — SPANISH REGISTRATION FORM!
Using the Forms
These forms can be printed directly from this website as needed. The files can also be saved on a personal computer and kept available for future use. When filled out by a seeker, these forms are handled identically to the current cards - countersigned by a Local Spiritual Assembly (in the case of a declaration) and sent to the Office of Membership and Records, 1233 Central Street, Evanston, IL 60201. In either case, the Assembly would lovingly help the individual through the enrollment/registration process and welcome her or him into the Baha’i community.
If you are unable to locate Baha’is in a declarant’s area (or a nearby Assembly), forms can be sent to the Office of Baha’i Information, 1233 Central Street, Evanston, IL 60201 for further assistance with verification and processing.
http://teaching.bahai.us/?page_id=83
On the Metaphor of the Tree: It's Use in Hinduism and the Baha'i Faith
More on the metaphor of the tree. - gw
The symbol of the tree occurs in many places in the Hindu Holy Books. In the Rig-Veda there is mention of a cosmic tree, sustained by the Lord, that has its roots in heaven with its branches spreading down to earth. The same concept is found in the Bhagavad Gita and many other places. (30)
In the Upanishads this tree is said to be the same as Brahman:
The Tree (Asvattha) of Eternity has roots in heaven and branches that grow down to earth. It is Brahman; it is pure Spirit. It is called the Immortal. All the worlds rest on that and beyond it none can go. (31)
Baha'u'llah identifies Himself with this `Tree beyond which there is no passing'. This tree is the Manifestation of God, the Avatar, the signpost, guiding the world of man. In one passage, speaking of the need for each individual person to take responsibility for his own spiritual development, Baha'u'llah writes:
Ponder a while thereon, that... ye may perceive the subtleties of Divine wisdom ... which... I have revealed ... and that ye may not stray far from the All-Highest Throne, from the Tree beyond which there is no passing, from the Habitation of everlasting might and glory. (32)
http://www.northill.demon.co.uk/hinduism/ch1.htm
{Photo: Uploaded on May 2, 2006 by premasagar on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic}
On Monotheism in Hinduism: A Surprise to Some
Aggie Catholic attended an Interfaith Dialogue Club that included representatives from the following religious communities: Baha'i, Hindu, Jewish, Unitarian, Buddhist and Islamic. -gwAll in all, it was a good experience. I learned some things about the other faiths I didn't know (did you know Hindu's consider themselves monotheistic?).
http://aggiecatholic.blogspot.com/2008/01/after-dialogue.html
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All the Hindu scriptures (The Vedas, Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita) ultimately stress the one-ness of God and describe God as the Eternal Truth that is birthless, ageless, and omnipresent. Many scholars interpret the verses as either Monotheistic and Pantheistic or a combination of both.The Rig Veda, the first book of the four Vedas at more than 3500 years old, contains evidence for monotheistic thought. Often quoted ...
"There is one truth, though the sages know them by many names", Rigveda 1.164.46
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotheism#Hinduism
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Brahman is eternal, above ignorance and knowledge. He is the One who rules over the root causes and the primal forms of all things... He is the Lord who created the lords of creation (Yatis), the supreme Soul who rules over all. Even as the radiance of the sun sheds light in all regions, so does that glorious Lord, single and adored rule over all His creation... He is the One, the only God, who rules over the whole universe (2)
Similarly, Baha'u'llah teaches that the Essence of Brahman or God cannot be known by man. Any ideas that mankind may have of Brahman must always be the creations of man's limited mind. Brahman as Absolute Reality is unlimited and infinite. Therefore any ideas that human minds may form cannot be a complete description of Brahman/God. They are only partial descriptions which emerge from limited capacity of men's minds.
http://www.northill.demon.co.uk/hinduism/ch1.htm
On the Dead Won't Mind: Making Changes for the Sake of the Plan
Photo: Flitzy Phoebie
I have so many impressions swirling through my mind after one thrilling day participating in Seattle's Intensive Program of Growth. I am struck by how history is being made with each passing day of this precious plan as Baha'is make the changes to get their priorities straight.
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This morning I was reading the newest copy of the American Baha'i. I was struck by ample evidence of a change that is occurring in the Baha'i National Community. Never has their been such a focus on growth and unity of purpose around strategies for growth, today those inherent in the Institute Process.
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I thought of the youthful believer who was up from Sacramento to participate in Seattle's directing teaching. Why? Because Sacramento has its IPG coming up soon and this friend wanted to be ready with the requisite skills.
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Looking at the Baha'i tabloid in my lap, I noted on almost every page evidence of a resolve to win the goals of this plan. From the teaching stories on the front page, to the announcement about the teaching blog http://teaching.bahai.us, to the side bar reminder of what are the service practices associated with each of the RuhiBooks, to the description of the home visits taking place in South Carolina in the vicinity of the Gregory Institute, to the fact that the National Spiritual Assembly appointed the members of the Regional Council of the Central States this year to ensure there would be expertise relevant to the current plan, to the changes that are occuring in the American Baha'i newspaper itself. -gw
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As part of efforts to intensify the printed edition's focus on winning the goals of the Five Year Plan, full-length obituaries in the future will be printed in only rare and selected circumstances.
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The American Baha'i, Jan/Feb 2008, p. 23.
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I don't think those Baha'is who have passed on to the next world will mind.
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Yesterday I dropped by seeker Rashid's home to invite him to go with our family to the Tacoma Dome for the annual Martin Luther King Celebration. I brought with him my son's copy of the American Baha'i to give him. He looked at the front page and noted the article about the teaching work in Savannah, Georgia. He said that is where his friend who told him about the Faith is from, the friend who is now a Baha'i, thanks to the Institute Process. -gw
Sunday, January 20, 2008
On the Parties Over: When Unity Prevails
To the ear of a Baha'i, "Parties Over" is a rather memorable phrase. There will come a time. When unity prevails. -gw
Could it be that one day the political party will be a thing of the past?
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{Photo: "the party's over," Uploaded on January 13, 2005 by Walsh on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic}
On the What Happens When a Branch Is Cut Off from the Tree: A Botanical Truth
The tree's vascular system draws the water up through the trunk and distributes it to the leaves. http://www.treehelp.com/trees/trees-basics-root.asp
The simile used by Momen in this discussion of the Baha'i Covenant is the vascular system of a tree. -gw
One of the most striking of the claims made by the Bahá'í Faith is that the religion is divinely protected from schism (Abdu'l-Baha, The Promise of Universal Peace, 455-6, Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, 145). Clearly this statement does not mean that it is impossible to set up a group that rejects the authority of the head of the religion since that has happened on numerous occasions. What it appears to mean is that, although it is possible for some to set up an independent group and to call themselves Bahá'ís, that group is like a branch
that has been cut off from a tree - 
-although it may appear alive and verdant, eventually, because it is cut off from its source of life, it will wither and die.
http://www.northill.demon.co.uk/relstud/covenant.htm#3.%20Links%20between%20the%20different%20groups%20of%20Covenant-breakers.
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{Photo: "A limb lopped by Fall's Snow," uploaded on October 11, 2005 by teece on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic}
On Inclusive Spirituality: No minister, open discussion
"Christians, Jews, Muslims and others dance and sing for peace... ," uploaded on October 9, 2006 by leeno on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic
A piece on inclusive spirituality. -gw
At a university I went to there was an Inter-Faith Chapel. Every sunday they gathered, and it was for all faiths. Islam - Christianity - Buddhism - Baha’i - all of them. They would use the first 40 minutes to do a type of service that was more or less inclusive. There was no minister or leader, each week someone else led the service in a way that felt right and spiritual to them. Following the service there was a discussion - you could ask what ever you wanted, and there would be open discussion about it.
On Children and Children's Education: In Lisbon and Seattle and Around the World
What is it about children that pictures of them strike us so deeply? It was a photo collage with music of chldren from around the world that Counselor Murphy chose to show us during the evening program for attending seekers and Baha'i Friends last night in Seattle. Marco of Povo de Baha provides this lovely video of children's education in his community. -gwBaha'i Children Classes in Lisbon, Portugal
05:54
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A Portuguese version is available here:
See also: Building a Better World
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Baha'is teaching childrens classes, junior youth groups, and study circles using the Teachings of Baha'u'llah. These classes are open to followers of all religions. All in the hope of building a better world through spirituality, unity, action, and fellowship. All the Manifestations of God progressively reveal the Word of God and are of the one Religion of God. Peace and Unity :)
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On the Seattle Intensive Program of Growth, Day 8: Some Photos
..
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My son Rahmat took these photos, with the exception of the one of the tree taken by Tia, included here as a way of describing the weather, which was cold and wet. No matter, the hearts were warm, at the Seattle Baha'i Center and at the homes in the neighborhood the friends visited as part of the campaign. More later. -gw
Friday, January 18, 2008
On Don't Read Baha'i Views: Read TEACHING.BAHAI.US instead
What are you doing here? Don't read Baha'i Views. At least not until you have read this blog instead. -gw
I'm going to Seattle tomorrow. Don't want to miss out. -gw
On Continuing News from Egypt: Human Rights Record Criticized
http://basmagm.wordpress.com/
I received an email in today with a link to an important post regarding the difficult situation facing the Baha'is of Egypt. -gw
an interview with Prof: Foad Riad (son of abd ul Moneim Reiad) he is an eminanat person internationally he was a member of International Criminal Court & also he is member of National councle of Human rights in Egypt.
I received an email in today with a link to an important post regarding the difficult situation facing the Baha'is of Egypt. -gw
an interview with Prof: Foad Riad (son of abd ul Moneim Reiad) he is an eminanat person internationally he was a member of International Criminal Court & also he is member of National councle of Human rights in Egypt.
I received this yesterday from Marco in Portugal. -gw
Dear Baha'i Friends,
Have you had a chance to read this?
European Parliament resolution on the situation in Egypt
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&language=EN&reference=P6-RC-2008-0023
This resolution mentions the Baha'is.
The story is on the media:
EU lawmakers adopt text criticising Egypt's rights record
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iEejnwjCA1tvyKFl6Pd_a6GFcE2A
Cairo rejects EU resolution on human rights in Egypt
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/174965,cairo-rejects-eu-resolution-on-human-rights-in-egypt.html
Egypt calls in European ambassadors over rights resolution
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080117/wl_africa_afp/egypteuparliamentrights
Egypt summons EU envoys over rights motion
http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN726247.html
* * * * * Greetings, Marco
See also coverage in: Baha'i Faith in Egypt
On Reading from Right to Left: Three Languages, One World
To a Baha'i this seems significant. Baha'u'lah's reveled His Words in Arabic and Persian. The Baha'i Faith has its world headquarters in Hebrew-speaking Israel, the land where Baha'u'llah was sent as a prisoner decades before the current political boundaries were established. -gw
January 17, 2008 — permalink
We are excited to announce that Blogger is now available in three more languages: Arabic, Hebrew, and Persian!
We are excited to announce that Blogger is now available in three more languages: Arabic, Hebrew, and Persian!
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Blogger in Hebrew, Arabic, and Persian
Supporting these languages is a huge milestone for us because — unlike the other 37 languages Blogger is translated into — Arabic, Persian, and Hebrew are written from right to left. As you can see from the above screenshot, we had to flip the whole interface around.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
On a Child Will Lead Us: Taking Up the Challenge
The Baha'i video that warms hearts and heightens intentions. -gw
13 year old validates Anna's Presentation
Isaiah 11:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. (King James Bible)... well, not quite a little child but a 13 year old boy confirming that "entry by troops" is nigh. Ashwin Gunaseelan, 13, took up the challenge and successfully connected the hearts of 11 adults and 2 youths to that of Bahá'u'lláh's.
On Note to Self: Go to Bed
Best day ever for Baha'i Views in terms of both visits and page views with a little less than an hour to go before midnight. -gw
Hickory Dickory Dock,
The duck quacked at the clock
The clock struck eleven 11,
The duck said 'oh heavens!
'Hickory Dickory Dock!
http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/hickory/words.htm
On Talking Religion at Borders: The Baha'i Faith goes up in rank, second only to Coltrane
Here's the excerpt. -gw
My buddy Tim and I were just up at the local Borders, so I could purchase my really expensive copy of Mojo magazine and there was a meet up group of people discussing the Baha’i religion. Seizing the opportunity to finally quench this luke warm curiosity that I’ve had all these years we sat down and learned about the Baha’i religion, and by the end of our discussion I was able to tell them with no guile or venom that for my money of all the religions that I ignore, I dislike theirs the least. Actually, I don’t really dislike theirs at all. ...
So for you all scoring at home. If I were forced under penalty of death to join a church, my ranking is now:
1. Saint John Coltrane Church in San Francisco2. Any Baha’i Church
3. Whatever other group has the best music
4. All the rest except:
5. Whatever Mel Gibson is currently into
Here is the email received this evening that goes with the excerpt. -gw
Dear Whoever –
Last Saturday about 6 of us (all Baha’is) were enjoying a conversation at the local Border’s and a man (about 35-40 years old) came up and started asking us questions about the Baha’i Faith. We asked him sit down and join us, but he declined. However, he kept asking questions and finally just sat down and kept it up for about a half hour. A friend with him said little. Anyway, he kept challenging us, and we kept answering his questions. It was such fun. Then he sent a link to his website or blog – or something. So I’m forwarding it to you for your edification.
- BB
Last Saturday about 6 of us (all Baha’is) were enjoying a conversation at the local Border’s and a man (about 35-40 years old) came up and started asking us questions about the Baha’i Faith. We asked him sit down and join us, but he declined. However, he kept asking questions and finally just sat down and kept it up for about a half hour. A friend with him said little. Anyway, he kept challenging us, and we kept answering his questions. It was such fun. Then he sent a link to his website or blog – or something. So I’m forwarding it to you for your edification.
- BB
He wrote:
Enjoyed chatting with you all and your tolerance for my tomfoolery - wrote about you all on my site
http://bradlaidman.com/uncategorized/i-find-out-the-answer-to-an-age-old-question/
brad
On Our Spiritual Journey: Take thou one pace and with the next advance into the mortal realm
In this excerpt from another meaty post from the Watchman on Masterkey, he invites us to take out a chess piece to illustrate a passage from the Hidden Words. -gw
One of the striking recurrences in the Judeo-Christian tradition is a permeating pattern of three’s as a means of expressing spiritual processes and events. ...First, let us consider the Persian 7th Hidden Word from Baha’u’llah, the Founder of the Baha’i Faith:“O Son of Love!
Thou art but one step away from the glorious heights above, and from the celestial tree of love. Take thou one pace and with the next advance into the immortal realm and enter the pavilion of eternity. Give ear to that which hath been revealed by the pen of glory.”
I invite the reader now to take out a chess piece, or other small object, and place it on a table in front of you. As you recite the above sentence aloud, beginning with “Take thou one pace and with the next …,” move the chess piece as directed, from left to right. Are you done? You have moved it twice, and in so doing the piece has changed three positions:+
The first position was before the first “pace” or move, the second position was after the first pace but before the second, and the third position was after the second pace. Now imagine that the chess piece is you, that the Hidden Word above represents your spiritual journey conveyed spatially or geographically, and that each position represents a spiritual condition or state of being. This is what I mean by spiritual geography. Baha’u’llah invites us to “give ear” to His meaning, i.e., to understand and heed His words.
http://watchman-masterkey.blogspot.com/2008/01/spiritual-geography-paces-and-places.html+Bottom photo: "The Lone Pawn," uploaded on August 29, 2007 by destinme on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic
On Another Take on Tolerance: Intolerance need not be viewed negatively
"coal elevator to the fires of Hell," uploaded on February 9, 2006 by Picture_taking_fool on flickr
licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic
No need for any comment on this one. Depending on how "devil," "hell fire," "damnation," etc., is defined, this has a certain logic. -gw
The Beauty of Intolerance
Just today, I was reading a rambling diatribe written in support of the Baha'i religion. What was beautiful about it, is that it exposed the devil's soft underbelly. In other words, even as the Baha'is seek to preach unity, peace, coalescence of all things, and world-wide good feelings about everything--they are, in fact, quite intolerant.
Intolerant of what? Christianity. Of whom, in particular? The Christian clergy.
Interesting. But intolerance, in itself, is not a bad thing. In fact, it's a good thing. Tolerance of all things is hatred, and demonstrates the epitome of an uncaring spirit. Intolerance has the courage, and the integrity to say, "No, this is not true; this is not good; this will do you harm."
Part of the problem with intolerance is the unfortunate reputation it has developed, (probably, at least partly, through fault and error). But intolerance need not be viewed negatively at all. An intolerant, yet gracious soul is a beauty to behold. A person who can love another; and yet, at the same time, oppose and disagree with that other--is not a monster, but rather a gem.
Intolerance is actually inevitable. All people are intolerant. God Himself is intolerant. Even the devil is intolerant. Intolerance is a good thing: it guards us from hell fire, damnation, harm, misery, sin, and despair.
http://revivingthetruereligion.blogspot.com/2008/01/beauty-of-intolerance.html
On Ruhi: Recently Posted on Beliefnet
On Beliefnet from Gentle9 (nice screen name -- I like it almost as much as Mr Meek of "Anna's Presentation" PowerPoints fame). -gw
I 've enjoyed my Ruhi study circles very much, and I've gone through the entire sequence save one, which I hope to start very soon. The discussions have been engaging and challenging and I've been very fortunate to have wonderful facilatators. But, what I really wanted to share with everyone is a different way of looking at study circles and the Institute process in general. I would lovingly suggest that the Ruhi courses are not deepening courses for Baha'is. Rather, these courses offer a set of skills and tools to use as we share the Faith with those who would like to learn more about our Faith. The impetus behind the Institute process is to develop human resources for the Baha'i community--to "train" teachers who will have the skills, the information, and the approaches to share the Faith with all those who are interested.
The repetitive nature of the exercises, the emphasis on memorization, the importance of the "practices" designed for each course--all of these elements help prepare us to Teach the Cause. Just last evening I was at a dinner, and the person seated next to me mentioned that he had heard I was a Baha'i. He then asked if I would tell him about the Faith, asking pertinent questions as we continued our conversation. I can honestly say that my involvement with the Ruhi courses have helped me so much in these kinds of situations. Having an approach in my head about how to talk about the Faith has increased my confidence and helped me to be less hesitant about how to begin these kinds of conversations. I have some quotes and passages from the Writings in my head that I can refer to, and I approach situations like the one I've just described with joy.
I wish that everyone could have the kind of experience I've had with Ruhi, but barring that, I hope this offers another perspective on how to approach your next Ruhi course.
On Why People Come to This Blog: Anna's Presentation
"Leading a Ruhi Study Circle"
uploaded on June 10, 2007 by Dr Phil on flickr
licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
By far "Anna's presentation" is the most frequently searched for keywords that bring visitors to Baha'i Views according to Sitemeter. That says a lot. Many visitors are Baha'is who are teaching the Faith and want to teach even more effectively. -gw
http://bahaiviews.blogspot.com/2007/10/for-bahais-wanting-to-brush-up-on-their.html
http://bahaiviews.blogspot.com/2007/11/on-annas-presentation-we-told-them-that.html
http://bahaiviews.blogspot.com/2007/11/on-annas-presentation-amazing-success.html
http://bahaiviews.blogspot.com/2007/12/on-bold-move-by-mr-meek-annas.html
http://bahaiviews.blogspot.com/2007/12/on-annas-presentation-its-refreshing.html
http://bahaiviews.blogspot.com/2007/12/on-bahaikipedia-and-bahaikinews-here.html
http://bahaiviews.blogspot.com/2007/12/on-using-annas-presentation.html
http://bahaiviews.blogspot.com/2007/12/on-more-annas-presentation-learnings.html
http://bahaiviews.blogspot.com/2007/12/on-intensive-teaching-with-annas-help.html
http://bahaiviews.blogspot.com/2007/12/pn-putting-teaching-in-your-life-bahais.html
http://bahaiviews.blogspot.com/2008/01/on-conclusion-to-annas-presentation.html
Add to these URLs, these:
http://pizza.sandwich.net/photos/album/72157601224136973/annas-refresher---2007-07-30.html
http://ruhiresources.org/index.php?fid=15&id=52&search=believers&src=forum&srctype=post&tid=23
http://bahai.org.uk/england/tife/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/annas-presentation.doc
http://studycircleshc.blogspot.com/
And I am sure there are many others I have missed in my cursory review. -gw
On a Note to Baha'is Using Flickr: License under Creative Commons
Note to Baha'is using Flickr. Consider taking the few extra clicks and making the photos you post licensed under Creative Commons. It increases the likelihood that your fine photos portraying Baha'i life are re-posted by others and seen by a larger audience. Be sure also that you tag your photos "Baha'i" and with whatever additional Baha'i-related tags that will also increase exposure for your pics.
Hey, my wife has gotten busy and is putting up all our family photos up on Flickr. She still has more to post, but click over and see how she is doing. -gw
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/85934826@N00/
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
On Coming Back from a Devotional: I am so seriously considering becoming a Baha'i
Diana came back happy from the Baha'i devotional she attended. -gw
I just got back from another dinner and devotional with JB, OAK, Beheeyyah (i'm SOOO butchering her name!) and a few other people over on good ol' whaley street. I am seriously considering becoming Baha'i, but I want to make sure that I am informed enough and know enough to make this decision. If i choose to make this decision final, i have to be sure this is really what i want to do 100%. We're talking a major lifestyle commitment here. I want to be sure that I truly believe in what I am commiting to, and that takes more than just a few months to be sure.
I feel something stir within in me while I'm learning. I'm very excited, but i'm afraid to stay with this feeling. I want to be sure this excitement will never fade.
I have never been a part of a major religion with the entirety of my being. I have been raised christian but have always questioned my faith. I want to be able to question, but to still have faith in what i am questioning. I don't think that makes any sense, but there it is.
I am happy right now. Estatic, really. There is something so invigorating about devotional. I love to be around people, and it's so nice to be around positive people. They are happy to see me there and always patient and kind with my questions. I really don't seem to have many though. I'm usually just there taking it all in. What i hear and see about the faith really just makes sense to me. Nothing has jumped out and said .. "Woah, wait a minute.. what's up with THAT?"... That always seems to happen when i'm learning about religion, but i haven't had that happen yet.
Neways, school starts tomorrow... for real. I don't know if i'm ready for classes. i should be sleeping right now, but.... you know me... i never do what im supposed to do. 
HOpefully i'll sleep soon!
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love Love love Love
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http://bubblesanangel.livejournal.com/92198.html
{Re-posted with permission}
On Pilgrimage: A Soul scrub, the mirror of your heart polished after the dusty build up of time and experience
There can be no better reason to blog than to share the joy of pilgrimage. -gw
Cantelle
Finally, after much procrastination, I have arrived in the land of blogging!It is hard to sum up what has gone on during the last year while living in Israel. To start off with I am going to share my experience of my first ever Baha'i Pilgrimage, which happend a month ago in the twin Holy Cities of Haifa & Akka.
Part of me was reluctant to do this, to share what has been the most moving and deeply profound experience of my life, and even attempting to describe what exactly is a Baha’i pilgrimage is beyond me. I am still trying to process what happend, and will probably do so for the rest of my life!
But at the same time, going on pilgrimage is a gift and privilege that needs to be expressed and shared with everyone.I think of those friends and families in New Zealand who told me before I left to come on service here in Jan 2007, that though they long for it, they could never come on pilgrimage because they cant afford it or their health cannot take it.
I keep their faces, their words, their spirits with me as I step into the Shrines and place my head on the threshold. I think of the Baha’is in Iran and the horrendous persecutions they continually face. I think of myself, 23 years old, from a pretty sheltered, comfortable existence, and a 23 year old in Iran today who is denied university education, basic human rights, suffering so much because of their devotion, how it’s all connected, how it all contributed to getting me here.
Coming on pilgrimage, praying athe Shrine of the Bab and Baha'u'llah is one part of it but the most important part is the action once you leave, how you apply what you have learnt and experienced. So my first step in this is to share a tiny glimpse of a privilege not everyone can attain
9 days of deep reflection
Of cleansing your soul and spirit
9 days of rejuvenation
Of battery re charging
Of ‘spring cleaning’
Clarity of mind
Reminding yourself of what really is important
Walking step by step through the history of the Faith in the Holy Land
9 days of walking in the footsteps of the Blessed Beauty Himself, of Abdul Baha, of the Holy Family...
Of cleansing your soul and spirit
9 days of rejuvenation
Of battery re charging
Of ‘spring cleaning’
Clarity of mind
Reminding yourself of what really is important
Walking step by step through the history of the Faith in the Holy Land
9 days of walking in the footsteps of the Blessed Beauty Himself, of Abdul Baha, of the Holy Family...
It did feel like that. The slate was wiped clean. A fresh start. A soul scrub, the mirror of your heart polished after the dusty build up of time and experience.
Of zooming out into the macro and zooming into the micro of what my faith is.
Of breathing in the same air
Of walking up the same stone steps
Of seeing what He saw from the windows of His prison cell.
Of breathing in the same air
Of walking up the same stone steps
Of seeing what He saw from the windows of His prison cell.
The incredible waves of Akka behind that ancient fortress wall.
Sitting in the same room as He revealed tablets, as pilgrims would sit, hundred or so years before, and here we are now. History repeating but never losing its essence.
http://chantellesadventures.blogspot.com/2008/01/reflections-on-pilgrimage.html
{Photos and text re-posted with permission}
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
On the Core Activities of Baha'i Life: Our Universal House of Justice exhorts us to hold these prayer gatherings
One of the countless bounties of the Ruhi Institute process has been the encouragement given to the Baha'i friends to hold devotional meetings in their homes. Jacky does. -gw
Devotional Meeting
For some 6 months now, I've been having devotional meetings at my home every fortnight. Our Universal House of Justice (the supreme guiding body of the Baha'is) exhorts us to hold these prayer gatherings as one of the four core activities to invite our non-Baha'i friends and introduce them to Baha'i principles and beliefs. On average, I've had a non-Baha'i or two at these meetings and it is always fun.For this particular one, we had a non-Baha'i friend from Benin, Western Africa. He tells me he enjoys the prayer gatherings. This is the second time he's attended. Edison and Elena sang, chanted and played the guitar, and then we read Writings on service, as well as said and chanted prayers. And after all that, we ate lots. I really enjoyed it.
About Me
I am one lucky lady who has had more opportunities for personal growth than many can boast of. It has been an adventurous, quite rewarding, life so far. I still seize every opportunity I can to make my mark (do something significant for humanity). I have much to be thankful for, though: My Faith, my indispensable family, a wonderful circle of friends, and a very supportive husband, Aaron. You can check out our wedding website at www.jackyandaaron.com.
My personal space to roam...freely
{Re-posted with permission}
On Making Friends: Exquisite Pleasure for Baha'is
Photo by Flitzy Phoebie
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She called, we visited at her home, we called again, we visited her at her work, and then she came with her son to Tim and Deb's devotional. To meet new people, to make friends, to teach. Is there any more exquisite pleasure in this world for a Baha'i? -gw
On Questions Asked and Answers Given: Studying the World Order of Baha'u'llah with Ali Nakhjavani
acuto 2006 bahai youth
Uploaded on August 15, 2006 
by sahbapasta on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
Notes: A participant [email on file] writes: Mr Nakhjavani gave these talks in February of 2004. It was a wonderful experience- he gave one talk every morning for six days, and was available during the rest of the time for questions and discussions with the youth.
Six Talks on the Various Aspects of the World Order of Baha'u'llah
by Ali Nakhjavani
Tablet of study: "World Order of Baha'u'llah"
Bullet Points for the Six Talks (outline)
1.
THE LESSER PEACE AND THE MOST GREAT PEACE
2.
THE GUARDIANSHIP AND THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE KITÁB-I-AQDAS AND ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S WILL AND TESTAMENT
3.
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
4.
THE BAHÁ’Í ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER IN CONTRAST TO RELIGIOUS AND SECULAR SYSTEMS
5.
THE ROLE OF THE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY IN THE EMERGENCE OF THE WORLD ORDER OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH
6.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE BAHÁ’Í ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER-ITS SPIRIT AND FORM (THE RULERS AND THE LEARNED)
Forward: Sixty young Bahá’ís from 24 countries in Europe gathered in Acuto for a week long course on the study of various aspects of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. This course was arranged by the National Spiritual Assembly of Italy, in consultation with the Board of Counsellors in Europe.
Shoghi Effendi has warned the friends that the future will witness attacks on the Administrative Order. It is hoped that the themes presented and the conclusions drawn in these notes will assist the participants of this course to defend the Cause against these attacks in the days to come.
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On Yahoo! Answers: Best Questions
There have been a lot of questions posed on 
346, in fact. I just inadvertantly deleted a comment on Baha'i Views by a Yahoo Answerer -- whoever it was, sorry! -- so I searched for the site, clicked over and discovered yet another place where people can go to find out more about the Faith. Kind of a neat system. A "Resolved Question" has a "Best Answer - Chosen by Voters," the votes cast by visitors to the site. Kind of a peer review way of ferreting out the truth. It looks like there are some devoted Baha'is on the case as answerers, among them... -gw 
Sarethor
Member since: February 10, 2006
About me: im from Belgium and im 16 and im a Baha'i.
LivingDownSouth
Member since: April 27, 2006
Member since: April 27, 2006
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DragonHeartMember since: April 22, 2006
About me: I believe in Unity and Peace. All religions are the same. Individual Investigation of truth is the way to learn wisdom, and knowledge. I love reading about other religions, other cultures, and exploring outdoors. I've travelled to four different countries, and been to 38 states in U.S. Experienced different socio-economical situations of life of different people in these four countries.
world_gypsyMember since: January 26, 2006
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Monday, January 14, 2008
On a Glistening Dome in Haifa: Photo of the Day
Baha'i photo of the day. -gw
"Rainbow over Shrine of the Báb and the International Teaching Centre," uploaded on January 12, 2008 by John Barnabas of Barnabas Quotidianus on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic
On a Question for Bahainine: Does Admin know what you're up to?
A question for Baha'i Nine: Best Baha'i Blogs, Photos and Videos. -gwQ: Um, so who exactly are you guys and does the Baha’i Administration know what you’re up to?
A: You can read short biographies of the Baha’i Nine team members here. This site is the result of our own individual initiatives, but the Universal House of Justice appointed Baha’i Internet Agency (BIA) is aware and fully supportive of this project. You can read a BIA prepared documented encouraging Baha’i blogging here. So what are you waiting for? Start your blog and register it with us.
Bahai Nine Project: news, thoughts, and comments about the project
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About
About Bahainine
Bahainine is an initiative that a group of us started in 2006.
The goal of Project Bahainine is to increase awareness of the Baha’i blogosphere and to facilitate the creation and discovery of the Baha’i inspired content. As part of this project, visitors of this site can browse, search, discover and rate their favorite blogs, photos , videos and podcasts and view the most popular content.
About Bahainine
Bahainine is an initiative that a group of us started in 2006.
The goal of Project Bahainine is to increase awareness of the Baha’i blogosphere and to facilitate the creation and discovery of the Baha’i inspired content. As part of this project, visitors of this site can browse, search, discover and rate their favorite blogs, photos , videos and podcasts and view the most popular content.
On Sustaining Virtues: Universal Gifts of Character
From "acceptance" to "zeal," here you have virtues of a sustainable life listed. These virtues are part and parcel of the Baha'i Faith. -gwThe Virtues Project (tm) inspires the practice of virtues in everyday life by helping people of all cultures to discover the transformative power of these universal gifts of character. The virtues are spiritual life-skills that help us to live our best lives.
On Strange Religion: Increasingly Common-ly Known
Parker is a Common Market lover. -gw
Parker’s most listened to in 2007
Monday, January 14
I think this album was released in early 2006, but I listened to it a lot in 2007. The Seattle group is MC’ed by RA Scion and produced by Sabzi (who also represents half of the Blue Scholars). Sabzi went to UW, which is pretty cool too. The lyrics are highly political and spiritual:
Devout by choice, but providentially Baha’i* by chance
I make the most of an unusual circumstance
For a Cause I discovered in another land
I don’t expect y’all to fully understand
from most listened to song: G’dang Diggy . It is intelligent hip-hop and it is really good. They are releasing “Tobacco Road” in 2008.
*his strange religion
More on Religious Tolerance: Baha'i Human Rights Statements
More on religious tolerance. -gw
01-1123
Belief and Tolerance: "Lights Amidst the Darkness" [HTML] [PDF]
95-0110
Promoting Religious Tolerance [HTML] [PDF]
93-0803
Ending Religious Intolerance [HTML] [PDF]
93-0612
Promoting Religious Tolerance [HTML] [PDF]
93-0218
Eliminating Religious Intolerance [HTML] [PDF]
92-0210
Creating a Climate of Religious Tolerance [HTML] [PDF]
91-0225
Promoting Religious Tolerance [HTML] [PDF]
90-0125
Eliminating Religious Intolerance [HTML] [PDF]
89-0302
Promoting Religious Tolerance [HTML] [PDF]
88-0217
Eliminating Religious Intolerance [HTML] [PDF]
87-0303
Eliminating Religious Intolerance [HTML] [PDF]
http://statements.bahai.org/rights.cfm
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Image: "Toleranz / tolerance,"
uploaded on November 12, 2006 by pittigliani2005 on flickr licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic
On the Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights: Source Documents
A valuable page of links over on this site. -gw 
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(English / HTML link)
- Message from the Universal House of Justice to religious leaders of the world
- Message from the Universal House of Justice to religious leaders of the world
(English / HTML): also available in Farsi and Pashto
- Community Under Siege: The Ordeal of the Baha’is of Shiraz
- Community Under Siege: The Ordeal of the Baha’is of Shiraz
(English - PDF File)
- Resisting Educational Exclusion: The Baha’i Institute of Higher Education in Iran
- Resisting Educational Exclusion: The Baha’i Institute of Higher Education in Iran
(Farsi - Word doc)
- From Moorish Qurtuba to the Baha’is of Iran: Islamic Toleration and Coercion
- From Moorish Qurtuba to the Baha’is of Iran: Islamic Toleration and Coercion
(Farsi - Word doc) & (English - Word doc)
- Message from the Universal House of Justice concerning Baha’i rights in Iran
- Message from the Universal House of Justice concerning Baha’i rights in Iran
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About: The Muslim network for Baha’i rights is developed by a group of Muslim interfaith activists who believe in tolerance, coexistence and freedom. We created this site to promote human rights, religious freedom and respect within the Arab and Muslim world. We strongly believe that such values should apply it to all people equally regardless of their faith, cultural differences, political stance or nationality. We are making this effort not only as believers of freedom, but also for the sake of a better and more productive society.
http://www.bahairights.org/about/
http://www.bahairights.org/about/
On the Infallibility of the Universal House of Justice: The Truth Enshrined in Baha'u'llah's Words
"Seat of the Universal House of Justice"
Uploaded on March 8, 2007 by Sholeh on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0
There are so many gems in Adib Taherzadeh's wonderful books, this passage being one of them. -gw
It does not seem possible for a person who is not a Baha'i to accept the House of Justice as "the source of all good and freed from all error", nor is it possible to prove this statement to him scientifically. The only way that someone can become convinced of the authority and infallibility of the Universal House of Justice is to recognize Baha'u'llah as God's Messenger for this age. Then, as a matter of faith, he will be able to accept His assurances in this regard and become convinced of the truths enshrined in His words. As the believer grows in his faith and acquires greater depth in his understanding of the teachings of Baha'u'llah, he becomes progressively more assured that the Blessed Beauty "shall guard it [the Universal House of Justice] from error and will protect it under the wing of His sanctity and infallibility".
Adib Taherzadeh, The Child of the Covenant: A Study Guide to the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha, p. 378.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
On World Religion Day: Halifax Commemorates
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Both the event and the workshop the day before is sponsored by the Baha’i Community of Halifax and hosted by St. Matthew’s Church on Barrington Street, near Spring Garden Road. The theme is “being messengers of peace”. I will be painting live as an “artist in attendance”. I’m planning to bring my ... Halifax painting for anyone who wants to see it up close in person.
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I am hoping to have another creatively busy year. So far so good!
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Cheers,
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Sharon
Sharon
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On Shaykh Tabarsi and Mob Violence: Saturday Night Stories
As usual, saffron-tinted Persian rice was served at Chris and Shadi's fireside tonight, only Shadi didn't make it. Chris did. Shadi was attending the funeral of her father in New Zealand. I will say prayers for the progress of his soul. We heard Enayat tell stories tonight, personal stories of family members who were among those martyred at Shaykh Tabarsi. -gw
Fadhil bin Hassan bin Fadhil Al-Tabarsi (Arabic: فاضل بن حسن بن فاضل الطبرسي, Persian: فاضل بن حسن بن فاضل طبرسى), known as Shaykh Tabarsi (Arabic: شيخ الطبرسي Shaykh al-Tabrasî, Persian: شیخ طبرسی Shaykh Tabarsi), was a 12-century Persian Shia scholar. He died in 548 AH in Mazandaran. His main work is Majma'-al-bayān, a commentary (tafsir) of Qur'an.His shrine was the location of a battle between the forces of the Shah of Persia and the Bábís, followers of the Báb, over the period October 10, 1848 to May 10, 1849.
We also heard Enayat's story of family members who had to flee their small town when passions were aroused by the local mullahs. A group of Baha'is were surrounded and attacked by a mob that intended to kill them when a Muslim was inadvertantly killed instead during the defense by the Bahais. A Baha'i was subsequently thrown off a rooftop and martyred and the rest of the Baha'is forced to leave. And we heard of Enayat's own recollection of bravely identifying himself as a Baha'i and expounding on the teachings of the Baha'i Faith in the face of suspicion and hostility during his mandatory Shariah class in high school.
And we heard a full set of Russ Salton's wonderful songs. He has a new album of all Baha'i-inspired songs that will be done in the next three months or so. -gwPhotos by Rahmatullah Dannells
On Honoring Differences and Celebrating Our Common Ground: Central to Baha'i practice
Honoring differences and celebrating our common ground is central to Baha'i practice and in keeping with what Baha'u'llah teaches. There is one loving creator, one unfolding religion, and one human family. -gw
Heard From The TablesDr. Duane Troxel,Administrator of the Baha'i Center of Metro Denver, Chair of the Denver Baha'i Assembly, and Common Tables Member: "Put me down as one of those who enthusiastically supports what Common Tables is doing to build bridges between faith communities. Although I cannot speak for the entire Baha'i Faith, I can speak for myself as a Baha'i. The Baha'i Faith seeks to promote unity in all its forms; this too seems an important function of Common Tables".
Common Tables Mission Statement:Common Tables is a human relations organization which offers the world an alternative to bias, bigotry, racism and religious intolerance. Using education and small group interactions, Common Tables lowers perceived barriers and promotes respect and understanding between traditionally disconnected communities.
On the Importance of Talking: More on Marriage
More on marriage, a story from a Baha'i psychotherapist. -gw
An elderly couple celebrated their golden anniversary…while eating breakfast together, the woman thought, “for fifty years I’ve always been considerate of my husband and have always given him the crusty top of the bread roll. Today I want to finally enjoy this delicacy for myself.” She spread the top part with butter and gave the other part to her husband. Contrary to her expectations, he was very pleased, kissed her hand, and said, “My darling, you’ve just given me the greatest joy of the day. For over fifty years I haven’t eaten the bottom part of the bread roll, which is the part I like best. I always thought you should have it because you like it so much.”
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{Photo: "tiger loaf crust texture," uploaded on January 29, 2007 by Leo Reynolds on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic}
On Marriage: A Fortress but not Flawless
Quote of the day. -gw
I just mean to say that, while it's cool to have things in my life that are easy-to-operate and near-perfect ..., I'm more comfortable with those that require a little work. I like being able to always learn more, always improve a relationship. In the Baha'i Faith, marriage should be "a fortress of well-being", but it's not going to be flawless from Day 1. It takes constant effort by both parties, and it takes patience and lots of love.
http://speedyanisa.livejournal.com/23932.html
{Photo: Uploaded on April 28, 2007 by imjoshdotcom on flickr, licensed under Creative Common, Attribution 2.0 Generic}
On a Re-Cap Yo, its 2008!!!: wished i was a kid again tho!
"SUNSET OVER THE SARAWAK RIVER "
Uploaded on December 8, 2007 by BlueDolphin_Stefania on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic Some highlights from the year for rOya. -gw
MAR: fastingggggg!! it was cool 2 hv like d whole fam arnd first few days... rare sights all of us waking up super early eating breakfast 2gath... absolutely onli happens during fasting months! practiced dance 4 naw-ruz despite the amazing amounts of assignments... but naw-ruz was ok.. wished i was kid again tho!AUG: sarawakk babeh!!! travel teaching with me couzie was great! wonderfull experience.. the long houses.. boy will never 4get the worst nite ever there.. is probly the best nite ever too cuz we got 2 c soooooooooooooooooo many stars! the freinds who helped us our way along... n the JY camp was the highlight... so much spirit.. n made some good friends there too.. boy, i miss Kolo mee!!
OCT: i dont rmbr wat happen.. guess it was just too much work in uni! 1 more addition 2 da Baha'is in uni! can open Baha'i Club adi! hehe..
Re-Cap Yo! its 2008!!!
blOgiee wOgiee..!!
i don't knw why there must b a reason for the name of my blog.. i didn't knw wat 2 call it.. so i used some creativity n tadaaaa!! p.s do post yr comments..i luv readin em!:)
On Designs for a Baha'i Center: Creating an inviting space
Here is a blog used to look at proposals for design of a Baha'i center. -gw
Madison Baha'i Center Committee
Friday, January 11, 2008
Proposed Photo-Murals
GATHERING AREA - In order add visual interest and create a more inviting space of the gathering area at the Center; it is proposed that a full size photographic mural be applied to the wall. This would be pasted to the wall; much like wallpaper. The intention in selecting the photo shown below is to create the illusion that we are sitting on the slopes of Mount Carmel, looking down over a panoramic view of the terraces and the magnificent gold dome of the Shrine of The Báb and the city of Haifa beyond. It is hoped that this would form a beautiful backdrop to the space. (Click here to see a larger version)
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Friday, January 11, 2008
On Soon to be 13 and Proud: I have the best friends and family
Yana has started a blog. -gw
then i went to a Baha'i junior youth class because i'm cool like that. at the end of the class we went to baskin robins-it was like, 9pm!
http://yanasblogg.blogspot.com/2008/01/blog-day.html
i am me. and i am proud of me. i am 12...soon to be 13...and i have the best friends and family in the world. well, as good as friends and family can be.. so thats me :D
{Photo: Uploaded on November 15, 2007 by mag3737 on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic}
On the Online Journal of Bahá’í Studies (OJBS): Robert Hayden for "Those Winter Sundays"
Volume 1: 2007 is complete and a first entry to Volume 2: 2008 (Prepress) of the Online Journal of Baha'i Studies is posted, an article by Christopher Buck on American Baha'i poet Robert Hayden. -gwTHOSE WINTER SUNDAYS by Robert Hayden
Sundays too my father got up early
and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,
then with cracked hands that ached
from labor in the weekday weather made
banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.
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Photo right: "Robert Hayden's Poem 'Those Winter Sundays' In Front Of The Maple Market (Takoma Park, MD)," uploaded on April 7, 2007 by takomabibelot on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
On a Coincidence or Not: I am grateful to heaven
Coincidence 3
In 1820 Joseph Smith had a vision of the Father and the Son and a Kingdom of God arising in the New World. He founded the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. In June 1844 this religious teacher was killed, and no Kingdom came from heaven to America. Instead even before the end of the 19th century, Americans were playing a pioneering role in the spread of the message of Bahá’u’lláh Who prayed: God grant that the light of unity may envelop the whole earth, and that the seal, “the Kingdom is God’s”, may be stamped upon the brow of all its peoples.
In 1820 Joseph Smith had a vision of the Father and the Son and a Kingdom of God arising in the New World. He founded the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. In June 1844 this religious teacher was killed, and no Kingdom came from heaven to America. Instead even before the end of the 19th century, Americans were playing a pioneering role in the spread of the message of Bahá’u’lláh Who prayed: God grant that the light of unity may envelop the whole earth, and that the seal, “the Kingdom is God’s”, may be stamped upon the brow of all its peoples.
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Bahá'í Thinking is my personal response to nine questions which were often posed to me: Bahá'í? - Utopia? - Religion? - God? - Revelation? - Bahá'u'lláh? - Man? - Death? - Coincidences? All my answers are based upon my perception of the Writings which are provided by the youngest Revelation from God. ...
The selected links to other websites are like the doors to elevators, stairways, floors and rooms of the treasures house of a worldwide spiritual miracle. That I have discovered it, I am grateful to heaven. Fortunately for me friends have encouraged me to pick up my pen again after I had laid it down.
To Susanne, Marc, Banafshèh and Benyamin, I give my thanks for their example of loyalty to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.
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On Utterance: An enlightened man of wisdom should primarily speak with words as mild as milk
I remember when Jess changed the name of her blog from Rambles, Reviews and Rants to Tangential Thoughts. I really admired that. Jess is not a Baha'i, but has taken a Ruhi Book 1. For some reason she decided she didn't like Rambles, Reviews and Rants, so she changed the name. I always thought it was because she didn't like the "Rants" part. To a great extent our culture extols ranting as acceptable behavior, yet consider the following. -gw
Web definitions for rant
harangue: a loud bombastic declamation expressed with strong emotion wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn - Definition in context
rant: Definition, Synonyms and Much More from Answers.com
rant v. , ranted , ranting , rants . v.intr. To speak or write in an angry or violent manner; rave.www.answers.com/topic/rant - 62k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this
rant - definition from dictionary.die.net
rant n 1: a loud bombastic declamation expressed with strong emotion [syn: harangue, ranting] 2: pompous or pretentious talk or writing [syn:dictionary.die.net/rant - 6k - Cached - Similar pages -