On Poetry Slammers: Baha'i Bumpershooter Anis Mojgani

It's the Bumpershoot arts festival this weekend in Seattle. Poetry-slammer Anis Mojgani is performing. According to his LiveJournal post, he is looking to be teaching at the high school level one day a week as an artist-in-residence in addition to continuing his performing. -gw

anis (mojgani) wrote,@ 2006-08-30 10:44:00

i decided to take the residency. it's more in line with what i should be doing in conjunction with the Faith. the House of Justice wants Baha'is to be focusing on youth particularly ages 12-14, and though the kids i'll be teaching will be high school, it's still more in line with what i need to be doing as a Baha'i. i should still be able to do shows though, as it's one day of teaching a week.
...
in other other news, i will be performing in seattle at bumbershoot on saturday (please visit bumbershoot.org and look under saturday the second under literary events to see my name in the lights)

anis mojgani, "for all you hatas out there: MICKEY DOLENZ is the man," I'm Here

Carl Hancock Rux, Anis Mojgani
Saturday, 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm @ Alki Room

Anis Mojgani is the 2005 National Poetry Slam Individual Champion. He heavily dislikes possums, has a degree in comic books, and is a member of the Baha'i Faith. A graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design, Anis has written and performed spoken word for nearly 10 years. He has shared spots on the NYC Urbana Poetry Slam team as well as the New Orleans team. A member of the 2006 Seattle team, Anis is also the current Seattle Grand Slam Champion.Anis has self-published four books of poetry, a one man show, and produced the spoken word album aeroplane. He lives in Portland, Oregon, in an art gallery called couch (www.couchstuff.com) that he and his friends run together, where he is currently working on a book length poem combining both his poetry and his visual work, to be published by Mother Press Media (www.motherpressmedia.com).

Lineup and Complete Schedule, Bumpershoot 2006, Seattle Music and Arts Festival

On Wicked vs. Baha'i Reading Materials: Semi-inspiring me to be a better person

The Heroic Female Spirit: A Collection of Tales, new from Baha'i Publications

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So Cody took lindzgoesboom69 to the Baha'i House of Worship and then bought her a book there. -gw

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Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, basis for the hit Broadway musical
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The week Cody was here inspires me to be a better person. We went to the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette and just basically stood in awe of it for a few hours on saturday. We also went to the book store and got some reading materials. He even got something for me and I definantly should be reading it instead of reading Wicked, but Wicked is so tempting, and is also semi inspiring me to be a better person.
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lindzgoesboom69, Distant Rambling From a Complete Idiot

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I don't know what book he got her, but maybe it was The Heroic Female Spirit. -gw

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The Heroic Female Spirit: A Collection of Talesby Phyllis Peterson

Softcover 204 pp. $14.00/$17.00 CAN, ISBN: 1-931847-29-0, EAN: 978-931847-28-2
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In the tradition of Joseph Campbell, these stories employ many of the moral virtues found in every religion. The heroes in each tale strive to reshape and improve the world around them, showing the qualities of the heroic female spirit at work.Myths and legends have traditionally been the domain of men and boys. The gallant hero is almost always male. In The Heroic Female Spirit: A Collection of Tales, author, performer, and storyteller Phyllis Peterson shows women and girls at the center of each story-discovering their inner gifts, defying restrictive customs, and creating peace between seemingly implacable foes. These young women demonstrate that heroic qualities are not only the domain of young men and boys, but rather these qualities are within each of us, regardless of gender. Each tale shows a young woman making a difference by acting fearlessly to improve the world around her. The Heroic Female Spirit brings together enjoyable, inspiring stories that will appeal to people of all ages and will redefine the prototypical hero.

Copyright © 2006 National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States.

On College Life: Having a constant attitude of egotistical nonchalance

Mona does a lot of catching up on her current post. One paragraph especially stands out, her characterization of what college life can be like, now that college students all over the country are returning to school for the fall. How can college life be spiritualized? -gw

Green Acre Baha'i School, BWNS
The sharp contrast I felt between the atmosphere of college and the atmosphere of Green Acre overwhelmed me at first. After adjusting, I realized the underlying cause of such a drastic "climate change." College was just so utterly irreverent. Nothing is sacred - the hearts of your fellow human beings, the bounty of life, the contemplation of spirituality...nothing. You're supposed to make fun of everything, have a constant attitude of egotistical nonchalance. Green Acre is exactly the opposite! The place itself is sacred, and the prevailing attitude is that of reverence and devotion, and above all, love.

mOna, "fetal embellishments yearn fervently for omniscience," Inblot: Interpret as you will

On Being Baha'i: it's more than a faith

From Wolfpack country, N.C. State University, comes this story. -gw

Being Baha'i: it's more than a faith

Technition Online

On War: What Has Humankind Learned?

Sites of on-going armed conflicts worldwide, Wikipedia

What have the people of the world learned from the recent war in Lebanon?

"If we had known that capturing the soldiers would have led to all of this, we wouldn't have done it," the leader of one side in the war said. The leader of the other side has expressed various regrets about the war, too.

It seems to me that each conflict or war has taught humanity something. Even negative experiences can have a positive result as humankind is nudged towards conclusions that no one had the courage to voice before a war. Little by little, humanity being nudged towards...what? Collective security, for one. During the time of the League of Nations, Shoghi Effendi wrote about the principle of collective security enunciated by Baha'u'llah. -gw

"This historic step, however, is but a faint glimmer in the darkness that envelops an agitated humanity. It may well prove to be no more than a mere flash, a fugitive gleam, in the midst of an ever-deepening confusion. The process of disintegration must inexorably continue, and its corrosive influence must penetrate deeper and deeper into the very core of a crumbling age. Much suffering will still be required ere the contending nations, creeds, classes and races of mankind are fused in the crucible of universal affliction, and are forged by the fires of a fierce ordeal into one organic commonwealth, one vast, unified, and harmoniously functioning system. Adversities unimaginably appalling, undreamed of crises and upheavals, war, famine, and pestilence, might well combine to engrave in the soul of an unheeding generation those truths and principles which it has disdained to recognize and follow. A paralysis more painful than any it has yet experienced must creep over and further afflict the fabric of a broken society ere it can be rebuilt and regenerated."

Shoghi Effendi, "Baha'u'llah's Principle of Collective Security," The World Order of Baha'u'llah

So, what are the many lessons the world has learned from the recent war in Lebanon? And what are the lessons to be learned from all of the other unresolved conflicts in the world?

Sites of armed conflicts worldwide
1964–present Colombian Armed Conflict (aka Colombian Civil War, Colombian Conflict)
Late 1960s–present New People's Army insurgency and Islamic Insurgency in the Philippines
1983–present Sri Lankan civil war
1984–present Kurdish Separatist Insurgency, Turkey and Kurdistan
1984–present Free Papua Movement, Western New Guinea, Indonesia
1988–present Casamance Conflict in Senegal
1988–present Somali Civil War
1989-present Kashmir conflict
1993–present Ethnic conflict in Nagaland, India
1996–present Nepal Civil War
1999–present Ituri Conflict (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
1999–present Second Chechen War (Russia)
2000–present al-Aqsa Intifada, in Israel and the Palestinian territories
2000–present Conflict in Laos involving the Hmong
2001–present United States war in Afghanistan
2001–present Civil War in Côte d'Ivoire
2001–present South Thailand insurgency
2003–present Iraq War
2003–present Balochistan conflict, Pakistan
2004–present Waziristan War, Pakistan
2003–present Darfur conflict (Sudan)
Chadian-Sudanese conflict and the Second Chadian Civil War, extensions of the Darfur conflict
2005–present Western Sahara Independence Intifada
2006–present 2006 Israel-Lebanon crisis

"On-going wars," Wikipedia

Photos: Nepal (top), Darfur (middle), French soldiers in WW I (bottom)

~~~~~~~~~

From the 17 August 2006 letter of the world governing body of the Baha'i Faith:

To the Bahá’ís of the World
Dearly loved Friends,

By the grace of a merciful Providence, the month-long crisis that posed a grave danger
to life in this region, and a clear threat to the safety of the World Centre of our Faith, subsided
a few days ago. Our hearts reach out to the innocent victims on both sides of the fiery conflict
it entailed. Their relief from grief is the object of our ardent prayers.

...
The recent turbulence once again involving the Holy Land was only the latest among
the recurrent upheavals so characteristic of unsettled conditions that have long obtained in
the Middle East; it was only one among a mounting tide of world-shaking afflictions. To the
followers of the Blessed Beauty imbued with a world-healing vision of the Divine Plan in
its current phase, the disquiet intermittently affecting this Land of the Prophets may well be
regarded, beyond all other contexts, as a reminder of - indeed, a spur for - the efforts to be
made, the tasks urgently to be done. Press on then, undeterred by any trouble, confident of
the promised glory of the divinely assured outcome.

...

The Universal House of Justice

On Service to the Baha'i Cause: Joey in Bolivia

Colors and textures

Joey in Bolivia
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Exquisite are his photos. His new blog is wonderfully chatty and detailed, giving the reader a sense of really being there with him. And who wouldn't want to, given the opportunities for service to the Cause there!

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...this week was the anniversary week of the school where I am, jam packed with parent workshops and special presentations by students and organized by the teachers. It is interesting the way that the school attempts to engage the parents of the students both to share with them what they feel to be important pieces of advice to promote higher levels of learning among the children, and in order to learn what the parents have as suggestions too. I suppose it would work more or less like any PTA in the US, but because of the circumstances that people are living in here and because of the special interest the culture takes into the discussions, it seems a bit more interesting than a regular PTA meeting. To me at least.

... By the end of that day, when the performances in the courtyard turned into class soccer matches, I headed off to the nearby town that is about a 20 min car ride away (1 hour or so walk but the road is not so good). The Bahá'í in the community that I am living asked me to visit that town to assist them with the election of the Local Spiritual Assembly.

Joey, "Fun with Illnesses," Puka Llaqta

{Re-posted with permission}

On Fresh Produce from the Baha'i Gardens: Holy Pomegranates!

Looking like a still-life painting, the pomegranates pictured on Natascha and John 's blog The Pilgrim Notes provide an image of instant comfort. -gw

A few days ago at our local superette at the World Centre, we were able to get some pomegranates from the Baha'i Gardens. Holy Pomegranate! No...not really, just simple, nice fruits that grow on the trees in the Gardens! I like this idea of being able to get these fruits in the superette. They look nice on the trees but we might as well eat them! Why waste them?

There were also some avocados some time ago but I don't have any photos of them. They were as tasty as the pomegranates!

John and Natascha, "Holy Pomegranates!" The Pilgrim Notes

{Re-posted with permission}

On Blog Updates: Precious Monday Miscellaneous

One of the "Top 10 Favorites" of the
國立台灣大學土木工程學系
Department of Civil Engineering
National Taiwan University
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In a very moving post, Dawn Marie or "Cuspie" of Random Expressions attends her first Baha'i function in seven years, as she had indicated she would in the excerpt featured the other day here.
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Ashley or "melodicharmony" of oh, look at how she listens shares her thoughts about the family whose tragedy introduced her to the Baha'i Faith now that her summer job is coming to an end and it's time to go back to school.
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Bilo provides incredible detail on the latest attacks on the Faith in the latest entries on his blog Baha'i Faith in Egypt.

On Arguments from Kindergarten: Would God send a last Prophet and then leave us forever

Here is an article read by many that calls attention to the treatment of Baha'is in Iran. Here is a wonderful response to the article. Farshid's conclusion is below. -gw

What I find amusing though is, for the lack of a better word, the childish nature of these institutions and clergy to prove that their Prophet was the best one or the most powerful one and that he was the very last one. Reminds me of arguments I would have in kindergarden about how my dad is stronger than others. Does any parent set a date on which they tell their child, this is the last advice I am giving you and this is the very last day I will care for you? No! So why would God do that to mankind by sending a last Prophet and then leave us forever.

Farshid Sedghi, "Brutilization of the Baha'is in Iran and the Failure of Past Religions," .farshid sedghi.

On Sense of Community: There wasn't a day we didn't convene in one way or another

Becoming a Baha'i is ultimately between the believer and God, but faith does not grow very well in isolation. Communing with one's fellow-believers is a special bounty for the individual Baha'i that not everyone partakes of. Sooner or later there is that need to connect. That blogging provides connection but not like face-to-face contact, is a subject I have touched upon more than once on this blog. In the entry below Dawn Marie describes the steps she is taking to connect with her new local community after having experienced years of sustenance in her old one. -gw

I am going to a Baha'i function tomorrow...my first one since 1999. They call it a Teaching Dinner which will consist of a 20 minute discussion about the journey of the soul followed by food and socialization. I'm nervous and excited at the same time. From 1994-1999 I was a member of an extremely small Baha'i community in Council Bluffs, Iowa (I made the 9th person) and we were all a very tight family. There wasn't a day where we didn't convene in one way or another. When I moved to Florida, I distanced myself from the community because I was afraid. Afraid that the new Baha'is around me would be nothing like my Iowa friends. It has taken me this long to muster up the courage to meet other Baha'is.

A week and a half ago I was emotionally miserable and burdened with stresses of life and I suddenly realized that I didn't have that Baha'i light anymore. I felt dead inside and desperate to say prayers in a group with other Baha'is. I immediately wrote an email to one of the local members that I had a brief lunch with 2 years ago. I told her how desperate I was and that is when she told me about the Teaching Dinner. She also said that she, and perhaps some other members, would be happy to come over and say some prayers with me in the meantime.

Dawn Marie, "Baha'i," Random Expressions

Here's a photo of one of the last gatherings I attended in Iowa. This was at John and Priscilla's house before they went to China to teach. There are local, isolated and out of town Baha'is in this photo

{Re-posted with permission}

On Trouble and Suffering: Unless the ground is first ploughed up...

Mary Elizabeth posted this excerpt from the Baha'i Writings on her blog The Restoration of Me, a "blog is about all of the mistakes that I made that ruined my life AND what I am doing to clean things up." - gw

www.tayforth.co.uk/PLOUGH.HTM
" Unless the ground is first ploughed up..."
All the Beloved of the Lord will have great trouble, but unless we suffer, we will not be fitted to receive the Powers and Gifts of God. At the time of Christ and soon after His death, those who taught the doctrine and spread the Light, were persecuted in every way, but those witnesses received great spiritual gifts which those coming after did not receive. Unless the ground is first ploughed up, it is not able to receive the seeds and bear fruit. The tree spends all its powers in growing, in trying to become taller and greater, and when the rain beats upon its leaves, it becomes all the fresher, greener and stronger.

Here are the first 18 of "100 Interesting Things about Me (100% Complete)" Mary Elizabeth includes on her Profile.

1. I believe that God is loving, caring God.
2. Seeker of life and love.
3. My kids are the best thing that ever happened to me!!!
4. I was blessed to be able to breastfeed each one of my children.
5. I have the best family & I love them!
6. My mum is 88 years old and my #1 fan.
7. I was my father's only child and he treated me like a princess.
8. I had two sets of parents:birth parents and aunt/uncle who 'adopted' me!!!
9. My friends mean the world to me.
10. I'm loving and liking myself more and more each day.
11. I love to laugh and when I laugh real hard I snort (yup, just like a pig).
12. I'm not a brave person but I do have brave moments!!!
13. I'm a bit naive at times.
14. I don't mind, actually prefer, wearing rose colored glasses.
15. However, as I get older I'm learning how to be more rational.
16. I'm a laid back, easy going person.
17. I'm a born optimist.
18. I'm a member of the Bahai Faith.

Go to her profile and read the whole list...

{Re-posted with permission}

On the Millenium Debate: In Shi'a Islam and Protestant Christianity

Calligraphy with the 12th Imam's name "Ya Aba Salih, al-Mahdi"

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Reading "Scary Theory" on I Like Your Sleeves, then going to some of the links the blogger and bahai.org provided regarding Hojjatieh, I am reminded that Islam as practiced today, like Christianity, is not monolithic in its beliefs. There are, for example, differences of opinion in Shi'a Islam over the return of the 12th Imam in a discussion that paralells a similar discussion in Christianity over the return of Christ. Baha'is believe that Christ has returned with the coming of Baha'u'llah. For Christians the debate is as follows:

The Millenium Debate
* Raptured Before the Reign (Premillenial View)
* Working Toward and Waiting for a Coming Reign of Peace (Postmillenial View)
* The Symbolic Thousand-Year Conquest of Satan (Amillenial View)

Administrator, "Proposed topics for threads - Religious Education"

Hojjatieh followers, according to the Wikipedia, believe that "chaos must be created to hasten the return of the Mahdi, the 12th Shi'ite Imam. Only then, they argue, can a genuine Islamic republic be established."

It doesn't take much to bring on chaos in today's world. In fact, the world has been in the grip of chaotic conditions for a long, long time. Misguided attempts to bring order to the world by conciously wrecking havoc causes further unnecessary suffering for humankind, given that more than a century and a half ago God sent us the Bab, the return of the 12th Imam, and Baha'u'llah, to Shi'a Islam the the return of the Imam Husayn and to Sunni Islam the descent of the "Spirit of God" (Jesus Christ). The construction of the Kingdom of God on earth is well underway. The bahai.org links regarding Hojjatieh are below. -gw

http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/article_10945.shtml
http://www.bahai.org/persecution/iran/iranica1
http://www.rferl.org/reports/iran-report/2004/09/31-130904.asp

On God: GODISNOWHERE

Joe Ben, Jr., Navajo Creation Story

When you look at these letters, what sentence do you construct?

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GODISNOWHERE*

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God is no where.
or
God is now here.

~
The Bahá'í belief in one God means that the universe and all creatures and forces within it have been created by a single supernatural Being. This Being, Whom we call God, has absolute control over His creation (omnipotence) as well as perfect and complete knowledge of it (omniscience). More >

http://www.bahai.org/dir/beliefs/god

*GODISNOWHERE is the website of a Christian ministry.

On Love: It's Pursuit in Material Culture As a Cure for Lack of Meaning

Psalm of the Platapus, the rather meandering musings of Mae, aka Siberianveggies, poses some questions for her readers to ponder about love in the excerpt below. Got any thoughts, pop on over there. -gw

~

August 22, 2006 by Chino's Art, some rights reserved

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Wherefore, wed Thou in the heaven of Thy mercy these two birds of the nest of Thy love, and make them the means of attracting perpetual grace. —‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í Prayers: A Selection of Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 107.

~

Speaking of love, i've been thinking about it a lot lately, the man and woman kind. Any thoughts on what love means to you, or society? How love should be pursued? The Baha'i writings say love must come with detachment, so we can examine our partner's traits (and our own) objectively to decide our suitability for marriage. By contrast, it seems that secular material culture sees love as the ultimate form of attachment, and the final cure for lack of meaning and any other problem for that matter. It's almost like a replacement for religion in some ways. Thoughts?
~
Mae (siberianveggies) wrote, @ 2006-08-21 10:48:00, LiveJournal

On Teaching Baha'i Children's Classes: Hannah Bahiyyih is Outstanding on the Standing Rock

HannahBahiyyih (love the name!) of Hannahxhannah is beginning a two year commitment serving on the Standing Rock Reservation, South Dakota USA. -gw

Every Sunday the Baha'i community of McLaughlin hosts regular children's classes with three age levels of some 18 kids. I got to be with the 5-6 year olds this time and learn about truthfullness.This week I will begin to visit the children, and with permission from their parents, conduct smaller chilrens classes in or around their homes. Having a children's class in the home of the children gives me a chance to work with each child one on one to learn about their specific needs while at the same time meeting their parents and giving their parnets a chance to get involved with the classes. The class will consist of a simple 15- min art project with a lesson about a virtue. If at any time the children loose intrest I will not push them to finish, but continue to spend time with them, playing and talking.

HannahBahiyyih, "Children's Classes," Hannahxhannah
~

smadera.blogspot.com

Standing Rock Sioux Reservation
Tribal Headquarters: Fort Yates, ND
Number of enrolled members: 10,859
Reservation Population: 6,171
Total Area: 2,300,000 Acres

http://www.aktalakota.org/

On A Pagan's View of Syncretism: Bah humbug to amorphous spamtheism

Baha'is believe that all religions are in essence one. The Baha'i Faith is not a syncretic religion. It was not created by some committee that borrowed from here and there. It is a religion revealed by Baha'u'llah who taught that God is one. To Baha'is the God of the Christians the same as the God of the Buddhists. (Buddhists believe in God, you may ask? Yes, the God concept is part of Buddhism, too, a good subject for another post.)

Including a brief mention of the Baha'i Faith, here is a discussion by a Pagan that rejects the "amorphous spamtheism that bedevils modern Paganism." (Isn't that a great line?) "The Gods are not interchangeable, and magical systems do not all harmonise with each other," the writer asserts. Indeed, different traditions don't mix. Traditions are humankind's creation. But God has always been God, and we are God's creation. God is one. -gw

www.paganlibrary.com

Another factor at play may be the shoplifting instinct. Christianity, that most light-fingered of religions, claims to build upon the ground work of Judaism. Islam later claimed ownership of both Abraham and Jesus, adding to the list their own prophet. The Baha'is in their turn claim the previous three mystics as their own and add on a new prophet in the form of Baha'u'llah. The Mormon prophet Joseph Smith tried desperately to work Biblical figures in to the history of America, to make it into the Promised Land. The British Israelites likewise created fantasies tying up British history with the Thirteenth Tribe of Israel. Many religions take a magpie approach, grabbing anything shiny and attractive from other creeds to add to their own hoard. Modern Pagans are no different. Why settle for just druidism, or just Greek Gods, when you can grab a handful of everything and throw it into the cauldron? I am not suggesting we have to be ultra-purists, but I would prefer that those who do borrow ideas from other cultures do so with a deep knowledge and understanding of what they are taking ~ ensuring that it fits well with what they already have. Half-arsed attempts at cobbling together conflicting ideas and skills only results in Frankenstein-style disasters. The Gods are not interchangeable, and magical systems do not all harmonise with each other ~ the sooner we get away from the amorphous spamtheism that bedevils modern Paganism the better. Bah! Humbug!

Old Dotty Clutteredbucket, "The Supernatural Swapshop," in Fallen Faeries make good friends: home of the green

On School Starting and Interfaith Services: If my floor mates don't stop having drinking parties, I'm going to kill them

School has started for some, as Abby, 18, is living proof. -gw

They keep us uber busy, trying to make us absorb as much info as possible. Ooh! I went to an interfaith service this morning, it was very cool, Muslim, Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, everything. I'm off to make a few late night phone calls. I love you all. And if my floor mates in the triple down the hall don't stop having drinking party's every night, I'm going to kill them.

Abby, "FYI and Butchnell -Maze of Magic,"L.O.V.E.

On God's Religion: Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Jain, Animist, Baha'i, Sihk, or Christian?

What religion is God? Kevin Beck asks on Transmillennial.

Here are A Servant's Thoughts on the matter.

What are yours?

http://www.bloomfield.edu/wellnesscenter

On E-Trends and B-Trends: Area Woman Visits Wilmette HOW

Area Woman of Area Woman Falls Prey to Narcissistic E-Trend visited the Baha'i House of Worship, posted a great close-up to it on her blog, and gave me permission to re-post it here. -gw

Lindsay, who alludes to being narcissist (but don't believe her), is an accomplished blogger who can show blogging newcomers a thing or two. Check out the bells and whistles and the breezy tone.

But Lindsay's real claim to fame, it can be argued, is that she, like Ginger, is a Teach for America teacher, working in Texas close to the Mexican border. Before doing that she hung out in places like Middlebury, Vermont, and St Petersberg, Russia, but she grew up in Northern Wisconsin, so she loves pine, she writes in her profile. (What are the chances she knew Ginger who grew up in Upper Peninsula, Michigan, and who loves trillium.)

Area Woman is a "something bordering on a universalist" Catholic, as she explains in comments to this post. From Wikipedia:

Universalists are those who believe God to be so loving that all will be reconciled to God. ...The doctrine can be traced to the earliest centuries of Church history, and was taught by both Origen and St. Gregory of Nyssa.

A loving God is the subject of this prayer by the Bab.

O God our Lord! Protect us through Thy grace from whatsoever may be repugnant unto Thee, and vouchsafe unto us that which well beseemeth Thee. Give us more out of Thy bounty, and bless us. Pardon us for the things we have done, and wash away our sins, and forgive us with Thy gracious forgiveness. Verily, Thou art the Most Exalted, the Self-Subsisting.

Thy loving providence hath encompassed all created things in the heavens and on the earth, and Thy forgiveness hath surpassed the whole creation. Thine is sovereignty; in Thy hand are the Kingdoms of Creation and Revelation; in Thy right hand Thou holdest all created things, and within Thy grasp are the assigned measures of forgiveness. Thou forgivest whomsoever among Thy servants Thou pleasest. Verily, Thou art the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Loving. Nothing whatsoever escapeth Thy knowledge, and naught is there which is hidden from Thee.

O God our Lord! Protect us through the potency of Thy might, enable us to enter Thy wondrous surging ocean, and grant us that which well befitteth Thee.

Thou art the Sovereign Ruler, the Mighty Doer, the Exalted, the All-Loving.

The Báb, "O God our Lord! Protect us through Thy grace...," Bahá’í Prayers: A Selection of Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

On Reading the Encyclopedia: I'm on page 102, Baha'i

Clicking "add to favorites" happens a lot around here. Checking some favorites I'd forgotten about, I came across the following... -gw

More Evidence That I'm A Geek!

I am now reading an encyclopedia. Yep, that's right. I'm the ultimate in geekiness.
It's a 4-volume encyclopedia of religion, and you could check it out at the library, so I figured what the heck! I'm on page 102 of the 1st volume, Baha'i.
Ok, go ahead and laugh at me!
LOL.

Heron By The Sea, Saturday July 8, 2006 - 12:21am, Yahoo 360

Profile Information
About Me:
I am a religious studies major. I love studying all things religious! I love learning from every religion, but my personal faith is Hinduism.
Homepage:
http://www.pathsofdevotion.com/