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

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

Wow. -gw

On Defense of Faith: Religion is social

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

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

On Religions That Talk About Jesus: I forgot about Baha'i

Some people -- alright, a whole lot of people -- don't get metaphor, don't understand figurative speech. Which is why Baha'u'llah wrote The Kitab-i-Iqan. -gw

(One) reason I am not a Christian is the sheer lack of evidence. Right from the start, Christians can offer no evidence for their most important claim, that faith in Jesus Christ procures eternal life. Christians can't point to a single proven case of this prediction coming true. They cannot show a single believer in Jesus actually enjoying eternal life, nor can they demonstrate the probability of such a fortunate outcome arising from any choice we make today. Even if they could prove God exists and created the universe, it still would not follow that belief in Jesus saves us. Even if they could prove Jesus performed miracles, claimed to speak for God, and rose from the dead, it still would not follow that belief in Jesus saves us.



http://exchristian.net/exchristian/2008/04/why-i-am-not-christian.html

The comments section to this post on Exchristian.net carries mention of the Baha'i religion. -gw

cipher wrote:
... And I don't know where you get this business about Jesus being mentioned in other world religions. You've got Islam. That's it.
posted: April 10, 2008 EST

Astreja wrote:
Mikey, there is much, much more to the world's religions than Christianity, Islam and Bah'ai. Those are, to the best of My knowledge, the only major religions that talk about Jesus. ...

posted: April 11, 2008 EST

cipher wrote:
I forgot about Baha'i!
posted: April 11, 2008 EST

Exchristian.net seems to fit the category of an apostate site: "This forum exists for the express purpose of encouraging those who have decided to leave religion behind," specifically the Christian religion. It is a full-service anti-Christian site, a part of a larger online oppositional coalition of anti-Christian websites, offering

Testimonials Letters News Rants Forums Submit A Testimonial Front Page Archives Podcasts Videos Recent Comments Live Chat

Anti-Christian testimonials, rants, forums -- Exchrisitian.net has much in common with apostate sites of other religions, including Baha'i. It 's focus is upon negation. Read Ciphers "About Me" for an example of the worldview of one website reader. Ex-christian.net is not a place for concious affirmation.

The Baha'i view of nature and history takes into account that there is a tearing down simultaneous with a building up, but the Baha'i religion is primarily associated with a process of affirmation, not negation. Religions are born, they grow to maturity, they achieve their purpose in God's great scheme, and then they wither and die, to be superceeded by a new religion. "The Baha'i Faith is a world religion whose purpose is to unite all the races and people in one universal Cause and one common Faith." -gw

On the Online Newsletter of the International Baha'i Community: One Country

January-March 2007 (Volume 18, Issue 4)
For artist Duffy Sheridan, painting is a means to “elevate the human condition”
Perspective: Climate change and the oneness of humanity
Focus on the empowerment of girls at 2007 UN meeting on women’s status
Design for Bahá’í temple in South America wins citation
In Iran, Bahá’í schoolchildren are now targets of persecution
Congo Republic issues stamp for World Religion Day
In Papua New Guinea, mothers take charge
Firing of Egyptian Bahá’í draws international scrutiny, highlights rights concerns
The new atheism, reconsidered

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Archive List:

2007-2008

2005-2006

2003-2004

2001-2002

1999-2000

1997-1998

1995-1996

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Every article of One Country, the Online Newsletter of the International Baha'i Community, is deserving of its own blog post plug. -gw

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

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

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

Chris: This is so amazing!!!!

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

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

On the Spirit of Service: It's your business

Larry Miller, Baha'i, has been a significant voice to American business. -gw

"Religion is on the march in both the East and the West. The pendulum has swung from a time when religion guided all of our affairs, to a time when religion and faith were presumed to be an illegitimate topic for consideration in public institutions. It is now swinging back to a time when we are seeking an integration of personal faith and public life.” - Larry Miller in onecountry.org

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I came across a review of a book, Spiritual Enterprise: Building Your Business In the Spirit of Service, by Lawrence Miller, which talks about the spiritual principles that lie behind all successful business organizations. ...

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“Honesty and trustworthiness are not only the foundation of virtue but of economic activity as well,” Miller writes, outlining how honesty and trust are essential for wealth creation, innovation and leadership.

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Spirit at Work
By Noreen Kelly April 10, 2008

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http://noreenkelly.com/trustmatters/?p=58

On Removers of Difficulties and a Declaration: She introduced me as her Baha'i counselor

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

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

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

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

We promised to stay connected. I will call her tomorrow and try to set up a time to visit Friday or Saturday............. D shares that she will say the prayers, over and over...... This is so amazing!!!! Love you all....
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{Photo: Tacoma apartment building, Uploaded on February 26, 2008 by jacicita on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic}

On Savannah GA, Cluster 19 WA, Madison 19 WI, and Albany Plus NY: It's all one neighborhood

http://www.bahailife.org/

Tonight we await the possibility that one of our new declarants and her mother will come over to the weekly devotional meeting in our home. Watching the Baha'i Newsreel last night about that neighborhood in Savannah, Georgia, I felt a sense of oneness. We are doing in our own Hilltop neighborhood what they have been doing in theirs. We are one with them. And the friends in Madison. And the friends in Albany Plus. And every other locality that is arising in the present glorious moment. -gw

Last night I attended Feast at the Baha'i Center in Madison. I really enjoyed myself. There were about 25 people there. While my home Cluster has recently been promoted to B Cluster status (Yea!!! Albany Plus) the Madison area "Wisconsin 19" has just been promoted to A Cluster status. The business portion of Feast was spent preparing for their first Intensive Program of Growth.

I ask that you pray for their success. The program kicks off next weekend - on Ridvan. This group has opted to go door to door through several neighborhoods combined with an outreach at nearby University of Wisconsin - Madison spearheaded by the College Club. Counselor Birkland is coming to go door to door as are their 2 Auxiliary Board members and the entire RBC.

In listening to the congratulatory letter I could not help but notice how close Albany Plus is to being an A status..as best we can tell we have about 10 less believers that have completed the Ruhi Series. This area has Children's classes and a special class for Junior youth - our area is heading towards regular children's classes again, and maybe in multiple areas. They have multiple weekly devotional gatherings and have a cadre of 25 non-Baha'i's attending Ruhi and or devotions. Of course having a neighborhood based Baha'i Center helps greatly.

Bushism's
some positive stuff in negative world
http://jackbush.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/04/feast-in-wiscon.html

On a Big First Step of Consolidation: We felt a little awkward at first, not having met her before

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

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

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

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

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

{Photo: Flitzy Phoebie}

On To-Dos and New Learnings: Thanks for all the help

For those who may have noticed less activity that usual on http://bahaiviews.blogspot.com/, it's because I have been working on http://www.bahaiviews.net/. There is still a lot to do. I have a lot to learn. But my deepest thanks to my consultant, David of www.davidhenderson.com, who is providing such substantial support in making this transition possible. I stand on the shoulders of giants like David, and will stand even taller in the days ahead as I get my balance up here. That is David's photo above used for my new header, taken just a few weeks ago this very blessed spring season. -gw

On Ridvan Links: Sources of inspiration for reaching and teaching

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

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

Dear Friends,

Happy Ridván

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

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

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

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

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

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

With best wishes for all,
Vahid and Jeanette Hedayati

http://teachingandprojects.com/

Photo above: "Fountain and benches in the Ridván Garden in ‘Akká (Acre), Israel" Baha'i Media Bank

On Little Stories and Old Photos: I've been working on a blog

There is a story here. -gw

I’ve been working on a blog for my oldest son’s daughters … little stories and old photos of our travels from upstate NY, to California (by train and car over a 3 month period) and finding the Baha’i Faith. Then on to Mexico where Jorge and I married and then returning to the US. It is important for me to write down what I remember, because each year that gets more difficult.

Susan, Another layer of the onion Never too old to learn new stuff

{Uploaded on August 6, 2007 by Cowtools on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic}

On Not Yet a Baha'i: But studying it

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

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

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

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

On Blessings upon Blessings: Pilgrimage dates received

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

Letter received. Blessings upon blessings. -gw

Dear Baha’i Friends,

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

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

With loving Baha'i greetings,
The Department of Pilgrimage

On Martha's Barn: Drawing on the inspiration of early Baha'i Martha Root

I am happy to pass on news of this wonderful endeaver promoting the ideals of Martha Root. -gw

Hi George,

Martha Root has inspired countless individuals to live lives of deep religious faith and audacious conviction. For more than a decade, her childhood home has been the site of a rebirth of activity bringing people together to honor her life, promote arts and education and help future generations.

Recent efforts have been centered around and devoted to the restoration of Martha's Barn, promoting the ideals of Martha Root and the creative arts. It is time to proceed with the next phase in the development of the Barn and the MRRM, a non-profit 501 c3. To help focus those efforts, we are pleased to announce the launch of a new website, www.marthasbarn.org.

The Martha's Barn website highlights the barn restoration efforts, the life of Martha Root and the MRRM Foundation's mission. It also offers visitors an opportunity to help with the titan task ahead: to finish the barn restoration and proceed with the mission to promote education in the arts and encourage non-violent conflict resolution training and use.

Please spread the word, post info on your Blogsite and encourage your friends to visit the website and register for eBlasts and eNewsletters. The website, by design, is organic and will be updated frequently, so you are invited to visit often. We welcome your comments and input.

We humbly ask for your encouragement and support.

Warm Regards,
Teresa Pettersen
Art Leopold

education in the arts/sciences,
non-violent conflict resolution,
historic site restoration

On Unity Works: Resources for Baha'i Education and Children's Classes

Unity Works/Resources is a family initiative. Randie and Steve have taught Baha'i children's classes and conducted workshops for years and, as international pioneers, developed educational materials for elementary aged children. -gw

Welcome to the UnityWorks online store, offering practical, low-cost downloads and other materials designed to serve the Bahá’í community. Please visit our companion website (http://resources.unityworks.net/) for additional product descriptions and to order our teacher’s guides. Selected items are also available from: Bahá'í Distribution Service and Special Ideas. Enter ‘Gottlieb’ in the search box.
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https://store.unityworks.net/

On Baha'i Perspectives: Rapidly accumulating a rich archive

Baha'i Perspectives in its short three months of life already has a substantial archive of essays from ... a Baha'i perspective. The blog is a collective endeavor, and we know that such efforts usually have greater efficacy than individual efforts alone. Here are topics covered so far. -gw

Topics:
Alcohol capacity cause children consumerism court culture development disarmament education ego environment equality expenditure fasting freedom gender identity justice Kenya knowledge leadership love materialism men moral motion oneness persecution Poverty queen marie racism religion Ruhi books social networks sustainability Uganda unity water women world-citizen
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Baha’i Perspectives
“If ye be aware of a certain truth, if ye possess a jewel, of which others are deprived, share it with them in a language of utmost kindliness and goodwill.”

On Religious Diversity: Kevin's walk takes him among nine religious traditions

Kevin has designed a new logo for his blog that includes the Baha'i 9-pointed star. -gw

The above logo satisfies several requirements at once: you see a guy with a backpack walking along, which we automatically associate with treks. You see red, white, and blue, which represents the United States of America. And you see nine symbols of various religions, which should imply, even to the casual observer, that the walker is somehow walking past or through or among these traditions.

http://kevinswalk.blogspot.com/2008/04/new-logo.html

Kevin is the author of a book on religious diversity. He...

currently lives and teaches in Seoul, South Korea. He is an ordained elder of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and holds degrees in French (BSLA, Georgetown University) as well as Religion and Culture (MA, Catholic University). Kevin's areas of interest include interreligious dialogue, philosophy of religion, philosophy of mind, Buddhist studies, and comparative religion.

http://www.cafepress.com/bighominid.117261169

On Nicholas Being the Host: Rupa-rupanya the musical concert was about his religion, Baha'i

"Melaka at Midnight" Uploaded on November 12, 2006 by Stuck in Customs on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons, Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic

A post by Alex in Melaka.
But first, a translation...
ஆங்கிலம்: Apparently
மலாய் translation: Nampaknya / Rupa-rupanya
Apparently the musical concert was about the Baha'i religion. -gw

As some of us knew...we were invited to Nicholas thong's house for some open hse and also 'musical concert'. At 1st, i was driving out to leave from my hse. Reachin the Bkt Beruang traffic light and received a missed call from Tzong meng (coz i was driving) . At the traffic light....waited and called him. Make a U-turn back to fetch him coz i aso abit sien driving there alone....and the weather was
RAINING quite HEAVILY. Reached there around 730pm (the initial time was 7pm) together with steph, her mom, teck and ester. Soonheng went to send bagi back home and reach here 1/2 hrs later.As usual.... Teckpeng who was holding soonheng's cam...
then had our food.... spaghetti and pizza. Nicholas being the host....din help out to serve us...LOL whereas his Baha'i fren served us. *bad huh*Well....every1 didnt know what the 'musical concert' was till the thing starts. Rupa-rupanya is about his religion, Baha'i.

http://chkalex.blogspot.com/2008/04/3rd-of-april-part-2.html

On the Well-Being of Mankind: Unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established

humanitarian news and analysis
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs


DUBAI, 3 April 2008 (IRIN) - The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has given US$26.8 million to Cornell University in the USA for a new global project to fight wheat (stem) rust disease, which specialists say poses a threat to world food security.

[Read this report in Arabic]

“International coordinated action is the only possible way to address problems of this magnitude. This project is a step towards re-invigorating and focusing such coordination,” Rick Ward, the project coordinator, told IRIN on 2 April.

According to a Cornell University press release, “the Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat project [launched on 2 April] will bring together 15 partner institutions to combat the emergence of deadly new variants of stem rust that can spread quickly, reducing healthy wheat to broken, shrivelled stems.”
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http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=77586

How remarkable is this news story? This is the world we live in. A threat to one is a threat to all. Our salvation is collective, not individual. Only as we work in collaboration with others can solutions be found to the world's problems. This is the Baha'i perspective. Baha'u'llah came not for mere personal salvation, but to address the ills of an entire planet that require recognition of our essential unity for their solution. -gw

Our world has entered the dark heart of an age of fundamental change beyond anything in all of its tumultuous history. Its peoples, of whatever race, nation, or religion, are being challenged to subordinate all lesser loyalties and limiting identities to their oneness as citizens of a single planetary homeland. In Bahá’u’lláh’s words: “The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.” May the publication of this translation of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas lend a fresh impulse to the realization of this universal vision, opening vistas of a worldwide regeneration.

THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE, "Introduction,"The Kitáb-i-Aqdas
Author: Bahá’u’lláh
Source: Bahá’í World Centre, 1992 edition
Pages: 254

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{Photo: "wheat 2.0," Uploaded on July 24, 2006 by flyzipper on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic}