The moment has arrived for me to say goodbye to my Blogger site. It is hard to tear myself away from its big goofy comfort. It has served me well, but it is time to move over to my new home on Wordpress.
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, the editor of which has included it in a new post, "Worldwide Grassroots Moves Towards Participatory Democracy." It is certainly a wonderful description of Ruhi study circles as are in use throughout the Baha'i world today. -gw"Fundaec study circle - completed"
Without wishing disrespect to anyone’s views or beliefs, it is interesting to note that the Baha’i community world wide uses study circles to great effect as a means to develop spiritual insight and better understandings of both the history and nature of the Baha’i community, its aims and teachings as well s prepare participants for service-orientated activities.
There are a series of 8 study circle guides which were originally developed by the ‘Ruhi Institute’ in Columbia and which are sequentially based on developing an increasingly mature grasp of the Baha’i Faith. Each is linked to serve-based activities - for example holding a devotional meeting or running a children’s class; and whilst these may be things of importance only to the Baha’i community, of equal importance might be the structure and character of these study circles (and yes, they have always been referred to as ’study circles’) which sees them as sequential, based on developing a spiritual motivation (a recognition that one’s responsibilities extend beyond one’s immediate needs) and linking this to a specific activity.
Equally the Baha’i community operates on a process of consensual decision-making: there is no individual leadership, no clergy in the community, and decisions are made through a process of ‘consultation’. Small as the import of those decisions may presently be, nevertheless, the skill and discipline that develops as a result of this is having a profound effect on the participants, which of course is the purpose of religion - to provide daily habits and practice (prayer, meditation and participation in community activities) by which one can acquire spiritual virtues - love, compassion, humor etc that distinguish us all as human beings - and which in turn support, sustain and propagate civilization. For the Baha’is the ultimate outcome of this being a global society: ‘The world is but one country and mankind its citizens’.
The effect these study circles have had on even the most impoverished and remote of participants (from my own experience in Papua New Guinea, and accounts from Africa, India and S. America) has been remarkable in galvanising them into service-driven activities, self-development and self-improvement.
It is worth then examining this community and its methodologies and democratic processes more closely. Study circles, children’s classes and devotional meetings in particular are open to public participation.
Over 90% of the children attending children’s classes offered to Secondary schools are not Baha’is, such is the regard that parents have for the programme offered. Interestingly because these classes are offered by volunteers, study circles are an important means of increasing the number of teachers and assistants required.
http://www.pigswillfly.com.au/?p=1667
thecommanderdia goes to a Baha'i devotional meeting on the relationship between religion and science and posts this. -gw
Then, a day came when some scientists, theologians, philosophers and mystics came to understand that their many trees were one TREE located at the intersection of the four paths to knowledge. They then agreed to study the TREE OF TRUTH in collaboration and cooperative good will. They shared their frames of reference and the ladders of their insights with each others without egotistic attachments and were amazed at how quickly higher and higher branches came to be within their view. They learned that for every apparent paradox, there exists a higher frame of reference wherein the conflict would be resolved. They further understood that at the tip of the tree perfect unity would be found.
http://thecommanderdia.livejournal.com/72124.html
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"The very tip-topmost apex branch of the tree outside our third floor apartment's kitchen window." Uploaded on April 3, 2005 by DWinton on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic
Audacious Baha'i. -gw
I received an e-mail after preaching a sermon on the beginning of relationships (Genesis 1-3)
from a 25 year old guy who was in the service that morning, who is of the Baha'i tradition. It took a couple weeks for us to finally meet up, but we eventually did get the chance to sit down in a coffee shop and chat about religion. Essentially, it seems that he is some sort of Baha'i evangelist or something, not trying to "convince" me of anything, but rather trying to "reveal" the "real truth" to me.
If you don't know anything about the Baha'i faith, google it and read up on it, it's slightly interesting but incredibly inconsistent in fundamental beliefs, from what I have gathered (I'm certainly not an expert). This study has had me thinking on the cultural beliefs of this country/continent...
http://tedunham.blogspot.com/2008/04/truth-will-set-you-free.html
The political season is filled with TV debates. Religion, it can be argued, is never really out of season, and you can find a debate or two of the religious kind on TV as well. -gw
Ankerberg. He is an Evangelical Christian TV host of his own ... TV programme. What I love about some of his programmes is that he'll bring on people of other faiths to debate with Christianity. He is obviously biased BUT he does let the other faiths speak! I appreciate that he lets his "opponent" guests speak without interruption, and that if one of the Christian guests is getting uppity, he'll stop the squabbling. ... I was very impressed with the Baha'i and Catholic guests. ...
Mini 6" Baha'i Inspired Drum (Item number: 330227617944)
Type: Handmade drum
Material: brown bear hide, and cedar 9 point rim, dreamcatcher style star with 19*5 beaded
Style: Naive, Primitive
mOna sends encouraging words. She is that kind of person.
Her LiveJournal "Inkblot: Interpret as you will" site is substantial. A few months ago mOna took herself into account and concluded...
My new pillar of faith might just be the phrase "True loss is for him whose days have been spent in utter ignorance of his self." ...
Do you know what my priorities should *actually* look like? Well here's an idea:
1. Spiritual awareness (mostly maintained through meditation and prayer)
2. Teaching the Faith (to receptive people)
3. Being of service to others; bringing people joy
4. Doing well in school
Here is a subject mOna addressed yesterday... -gw
God Speculation
The premise: The concept of God is ridiculous because people claim that everything was created by something much more complex than us that we can’t understand…but then that would necessitate something even more complex creating that “God,” and you have this fantastic chain of “Creators of Creators.” Well, I’m not going to lie. That is quite ridiculous.
Michael relayed to me a concept embodied in the phrase “Ground of Being,” basically stating that everything more complex was built up from simpler things, down to energy and whatever is even more foundational than that. Instead of a most complex creature, we have the “Ground of Being,” the most foundational condition of reality. So he’d say something like, “I don’t thank God for creating me…I give thanks to the Ground of Being for giving me Being.”
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This is four-month old press release for a story that was carried on a number of golf sites. It's old news, but not to me. Thanks, Barmak, for passing it on. -gw
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EMAAR-MGF LADIES MASTERS TROPHY UNVEILED
BANGALORE – The EMAAR-MGF Ladies Masters trophy, a stunning piece of art, was unveiled on Friday at the Eagleton Resort clubhouse.
Senior officials of Ladies European Tour, golf in DUBAI, the promoters and organisers of the first Ladies Euopean Tour (LET) event ever to be held in India, and Women''s Golf Association of India were present at the ceremony.
Speaking on the occasion, Mohamed Buamaim, vice-chairman and CEO of golf in DUBAI, said: "The trophy has this Indian feel to it as it is designed in the shape of Delhi's world-famous Lotus Temple."
Since the tournament is being held India, it's only appropriate that the winner should return with fond memories of India," said Buamaim, who was flanked by, Alex Armas, chief executive of LET, Champika Sayal, secretary-general of Women's Golf Association of India, and Anjani Desai, the senior lady of Indian women's golf.
The Lotus Temple is a very recent architectural marvel of the Bahai faith, located south of Delhi. Shaped like a half-opened Lotus flower, this temple is made of marble, cement, dolomite and sand. It is open to all faiths and is an ideal place for meditation and obtaining peace and tranquility. Since its inauguration to public worship in December 1986, the temple has drawn more than 50 million visitors, making it the most visited edifice in the world.
Fariborz Sahba, a Canadian architect of Iranian origin, spent 10 years in designing and project management, and with the help of a team of about 800 engineers, technicians, artisans and workers brought to realisation one of the most complicated constructions in the world.
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http://www.emaarmgfladiesmasters.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=37&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
Uploaded on March 1, 2007 by oh estelle on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic
Phillips Jr. Youth Class #2
A Yale Baha'i looks at his world through the lens of his Faith. -gw
The historical 
Darius
My column, “Daft Like Dar,” has been my attempt to engender dialogue inconspicuously. My pieces are an extension of the conversations that have enriched my life at Yale, forced me to reckon with the formerly unknown and hopefully shown others a perspective and a lifestyle they hadn’t yet encountered. When I wrote about Internet neutrality, I drew on the Baha’i principle of independent investigation of the truth; my thoughts on the presidential election reflected the Baha’i admonition that partisan politics are inherently divisive. Every column began with a news item and a Baha’i principle. If these columns spoke to you, I recommend you look into both.
18 months later, a voice of the Bahá’í Faith signs off
Dariush Nothaft
Daft Like Dar
Published Tuesday, April 15, 2008
I can only hope that the combination of sincere dialogues and an unfailing sense of moral rectitude in politicians can take its effect sooner rather than later. The world faces many challenges today; to overcome them, we must first overcome our own divisions and prejudices. As is written in Baha’i scripture, “The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.”
On Ridvan. -gw
The First Day of Ridvan Holy Day ... marks the end of the dispensation of the Bab and of the first epoch of the Heroic or Apostolic Age of the Baha’i dispensation (BBD 72-79 cited in Campbell and Momen 1996: 69).
“On the same day Baha’u'llah [made] three important statements to His followers:
1. He [forbade] 
the use of the sword.
2. He [stated] that no other Manifestation will appear before one thousand years. This is later reiterated in the Kitab-i-Badi and the Kitab-i-Aqdas.
3. He [stated] that from [that] moment, all the names and attributes of God are manifested within all created things, implying the advent of a new Day" [RB1 278-80] cited in Campbell and Momen (1996: 70).
Maureen Flynn-Burhoe
http://hdcommittee.wordpress.com/2008/04/15/timeline-of-events-related-to-festival-of-ridvan/
Source: Campbell, Glen; Momen, Wendi. 1996. A Basic Baha’i Chronology. Oxford: George Ronald.
Human 
cells, a lotus flower, and a 9-pointed star -- combine for inspiration. -gw 
After many long hours and annoyances with Photoshop I finally finished my Business Card and Logo. I wanted my logo to combine spirituality and science, so I used a nine pointed star which is the symbol of the Baha'i faith and reshaped it to resemble a lotus flower. I then used a microscopic photo of human cells on a petri dish as a pattern to fill in the nine pointed lotus shape.
Youthful Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Baha'is gathered together to perform remarkable service, as described by Anne on her blog Let It Shine with LOTS of wonderful pictures. -gw
Message from Marco. -gw
"A to Z of Belief - The Baha'i Faith". It was broadcasted in 1990. I remember how I enjoyed this program in those days. I also remember how some friends were shocked about the 
"aggressive questions" being asked. Some friends from Northern Ireland commented that programs about other beliefs were far more 
aggressive. I converted this VHS tape to a MPG file and uploaded into YouTube. Because the tape was an old one, the sound is far from perfect. You may see the video here: 
iPhone lovers who love blogs can stay abreast of the latest post on their most favorite site. Yes, that's Baha'i Barney's site up on the screen. 
Have you seen the "new" Baha'i Views? Sneak preview, here. Grand opening coming soon. -gw
{Photo: Uploaded on October 14, 2006 by Ran Yaniv Hartstein on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic}
There is a new look to Baha'i Library Forum. The logo for phpBB graces it. The administrator Jonah has seen fit to utilize software from phpBB, which has at its theme "creating communities." That'a a phrase that goes right along with the fundamental purpose of the Baha'i Faith. Baha'u'llah gathers many communities into one campground, thereby bringing peace to the world. -gw
Since its creation in 2000, phpBB™ has become the most widely used Open Source forum solution. ... With millions of installations worldwide, it is no wonder phpBB™ is one of the most popular ways to create and support a community. 
