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Baha'i Faith the 'unification of mankind'
Followers 'live the faith morning, noon and night'
BY SUSAN CANFORA • SPECIAL TO THE TIMES • MARCH 20, 2010
SALISBURY -- When discussing why they chose the Bah' Faith, followers mention unity, equality of the sexes and refusal to backbite and gossip.
Such affirmative behavior breeds positive energy, the faithful say, which is certainly to be cherished, but is not the only benefit.
"Every day you are holding yourself accountable for that day. We ask, 'What have we done wrong? How can I do it better?' You are in a constant state of reflection," said Hebron resident Bryan McElwain.
He and his wife, Cicely, are raising their three young sons in the Faith.
Unlike mainstream Christian religions, Jesus is not worshiped as the savior of mankind in the Bah᭡' Faith. The Holy Bible is regarded as a special book, but there are also Bah' prayer books and other volumes of importance. Jesus is honored as one of many Messengers from God.
It is Baha’u’llah Who they believe is the One promised in all previous religions. He is the next Messenger.
"Bah' accept all major Prophets of God. We see Them in the same light, just in different lamps," McElwain said. "The light is emanating from the same source. The Prophets are all perfect Manifestations. Bah᭡' is the unification of mankind."
In the Bah' Faith -- where there is no clergy, confession or communion -- followers are urged to investigate the truth, to study and reach their own conclusions, not to simply accept what the religion teaches without research.
There are nine holy days within the year. Every year, there is a 19-day annual fast, during which they eat only from sunset to sunrise, but not during the day. The fast ends today.
"The idea is to detach us from material things that rule our lives during the day," said Caroline Z, a member of the Salisbury area congregation of believers. "We think about people who have no food."
She was drawn to the religion because, "we live the faith morning, noon and night."
The Bah' calendar is divided into 19 months of 19 days each, according to the Web site www.bahai.us/. The Bah᭡' year begins March 21. Days begin and end at sunset, and the week begins on Saturday.
On the first day of every Bah' month, followers gather for a feast of prayer, fellowship and discussion.
The number nine has significance because it is the highest single digit number, McElwain said. In multiplication, numbers multiplied by nine equal nine when the digits are added. For example, four times nine equals 36 and three plus six equals nine. Two times nine equals 18 and one plus eight equals nine.
Bez Masloom, secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bah's of Wicomico County, wrote in an e-mail that there is reverence for the number nine, "because it is considered by those who are interested in numbers as a sign of perfection.
"The second consideration, which is the more important one, is that it is the numerical value for the word Baha ... (it) is symbolic of the perfection of the Bah᭡' Revelation which constitutes the ninth in the line of existing religions," he wrote.
The Faith was founded by Bah'u'llh, described on the Web site www.bahai.org, as "a Persian nobleman from Tehran who, in the mid-19th century, left a life of princely comfort and security and, in the face of intense persecution and deprivation, brought to humanity a stirring new message of peace and unity."
He claimed to be "a new and independent Messenger from God." His message was unity, one God and one human race. He called for an end to prejudice, extremes of poverty and wealth and promoted universal education, harmony of science and religion, balance between nature and technology and establishment of a world federal system, the Web site states.
Believers read writings morning and evening, meditating and concentrating on them all day. Cicely McElwain said the prayers help believers know God "and live a life that connects you to God in every way."
"One of the laws," Mazloom added, "is not to backbite. That is one of the biggest ways of unity."
One recent evening at the home of a member of the local Spiritual Assembly of the Bah's of Wicomico County, there was a service of children's devotions, followed by desserts. Three families and six children, aged 17 months through 7 years, joined in. Children read, listened to or repeated prayers after an adult.
"He is God! O God, my God! Bestow upon me a pure heart, like unto a pearl," the children prayed, and "O God, my God, my Beloved, my heart's desire."
Patricia Boyd, who is a relative newcomer to the Faith since getting involved in November last year, called the religion "wonderful."
"At first I felt unworthy ... but it has had a great impact. I find I am more cognizant of my actions and how they impact other people," she said. "It teaches me a way of living now with patience and giving me the goal of service every day. It is very interesting to me how much more positive energy I have in my life."
A representative from a well known society made reference to its meetings for the purpose of a search into the reality of truth, and 'Abdu'l-Bah᭡ said "I know of your work. I think a great deal of it. I know your desire is to serve mankind, and to draw together Humanity under the banner of Oneness; but its members must beware lest it become only a discussion. Look about you. How many committees have been formed, and living for a little while, have died! Committees and Societies cannot create or give life.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 107)
Five Baha'i followers arrested in Iran
TEHRAN
Sun Feb 14, 2010 4:38am EST
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Five members of the outlawed Baha'i faith, which has been a target in a security crackdown sparked by post-election violence in Iran, have been arrested on unspecified charges, an Iranian newspaper said on Sunday.
WORLD
"Iran's security forces have arrested five members of the outlawed Baha'i faith in Tehran," the pro-government Javan newspaper said, without giving a source.
It identified the fives detainees as Niki Khanjani, Ashkan Basari, Maria Jafari, Houman Sisani and Romina Zabihian.
"Some of the Baha'i leaders have escaped to Dubai and Turkey while others went to border cities to find human smugglers to get them out of Iran illegally," Javan said.
Supporters of candidates who lost to hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the presidential election last June have clashes with police in a series of protests that have plunged the Islamic republic into its most serious crisis since the 1979 revolution.
Government supporters turned out en masse on February 11 for rallies marking the 31st anniversary of the revolution. Opposition websites reported efforts by security forces to stop reformists using the occasion to stage more protests.
Seven Baha'is went on trial last month on charges of spying and collaborating with Israel. One Baha'i is among 16 being tried on connection with opposition protests that turned violent on December 27.
Exiled Baha'i leaders say hundreds of followers have been jailed and executed since 1979. The government denies it has detained or executed people for their religion.
The Baha'i faith was founded by Shi'ite Muslim clergymen in Iran in the 19th century and more than 300,000 live in the Islamic state. Iran's Shi'ite religious establishment considers the faith a heretical offshoot of Islam.
(Editing by Andrew Dobbie)
These are the counsels of Abdu'l-Bah. It is my hope that out of the bestowals of the Lord of Hosts ye will become the spiritual essence and the very radiance of humankind, binding the hearts of all with bonds of love; that through the power of the Word of God ye will bring to life the dead now buried in the graves of their sensual desires; that ye will, with the rays of the Sun of Truth, restore the sight of those whose inner eye is blind; that ye will bring spiritual healing to the spiritually sick. These things do I hope for, out of the bounties and the bestowals of the Beloved.
Abdu'l-Baha
Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 36
Group's passion spills into street
Richmond News
Published: Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The Editor,
On Monday, Feb. 1, seven Richmond youth (ages 11-14) living in a complex on Colonial Drive, known as the Waterstone Junior Youth Group, transformed an ordinary apartment lobby into a place to meet neighbours, strengthen relationships within their community, and make a positive difference locally and globally.
The group's passion for service to humanity, with sympathy and compassion for the people of Haiti, motivated the youth to organize a benefit sale in the complex's lobby where they sold hot chocolate to passing neighbours.
The group raised more than $50 for Haiti.
This project also gave them an opportunity to meet many neighbours, build new friendships, and promote their latest service project: starting a compost bin for the complex.
By delivering flyers they had made themselves (both in English and in Mandarin) about the uses and benefits of composting, they encouraged other inhabitants of the building to participate and use the bin.
The Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program is a community-building initiative offered as a service by Baha'i communities in localities and neighbourhoods worldwide.
This three-year program aims to bring to life the many latent capacities in the junior youth that are often ignored by society, empowering them to make positive decisions in their lives while serving their communities.
During this critical period -- the beginning of adolescence -- in their lives, the program seeks to develop the ability in the junior youth to express and articulate their thoughts and ideas.
It also fosters within the participating junior youth spiritual qualities such as truthfulness, kindness, perseverance, spirit of service, and respect for the environment to name just a few.
Each junior youth group is facilitated by trained animators, usually between the ages of 17 and 25.
My co-animator, Nur Shodjai, and I, are students at the University of British Columbia inspired by the program's objectives, which motivated us to move into the Waterstone apartments to foster a junior youth group and contribute to the building of our community.
The Baha'i Faith is an independent world religion with more than six million followers worldwide. Baha'is believe that humanity is one human race and dedicate their lives toward building a unified world.
The Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program is one of many global services offered by Baha'is to their communities.
Shayda Sabet
Richmond
… All (religions) are promised two Manifestations, Who will come, one following on the other. It has been prophesied that in the time of these two Manifestations the earth will be transformed, the world of existence will be renewed, and beings will be clothed in new garments. Justice and truth will encompass the world…. All the regions of the earth will become one; the superstitions caused by races, countries, individuals, languages and politics will disappear; and all men will attain to life eternal, under the shadow of the Lord of Hosts....
Abdul-Baha
Some Answered Questions, p. 46
Serving God in another country
TUESDAY, 26 JANUARY 2010 10:37
SERVING God in another country for three years is something John Hiona says is unforgettable.
Mr Hiona, who recently returned from Haifa in Israel, the world centre of the Baha’i Faith, shared his experience last Friday in Honiara.
“My experience in Haifa was very unique in everything because I even visited sites where Jesus Christ performed his miracles,” he said.
Mr Hiona described Haifa as the Baha’i world centre where thousands of Baha’i faith followers go and visit each year.
He said Haifa is the place where the remains of the co-founders of Baha’i were kept and it is a place to remind those who serve at the world centre that it’s special and is for everyone.
“The principles of Baha’i faith are unique regardless of where you come from or who you are,” he said.
Mr Hiona said Haifa world centre is a place of holiness and serving there is important because it is a historical place for all Baha’i Faith people.
He said he was one of 12 Baha’is who served in Haifa at different times in previous years.
Mr Hiona served in Haifa since 2007 and then returned to Honiara early this year after spending a few months in Vanuatu.
He is now at the Baha’i Faith in Honiara and is encourage youths and other interested people to apply to serve at Haifa.
Currently a young girl from Malaita, who left towards the end of last year, is serving at Haifa.
By GINA MAKA’A
Know thou that, according to what thy Lord, the Lord of all men, hath decreed in His Book, the favors vouchsafed by Him unto mankind have been, and will ever remain, limitless in their range. First and foremost among these favors, which the Almighty hath conferred upon man, is the gift of understanding. His purpose in conferring such a gift is none other except to enable His creature to know and recognize the One True God -- exalted be His glory. This gift giveth man the power to discern the truth in all things, leadeth him to that which is right, and helpeth him to discover the secrets of creation. Next in rank, is the power of vision, the chief instrument whereby his understanding can function.
Baha'u'llah
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 193
The Swiss ban on minarets and why it should concern us
December 3rd, 2009
David Saks www.thoughtleader.co.za
Although little reported on in our press, a firestorm of controversy has been unleashed by the result of a Swiss referendum at the end of last month banning the construction of new minarets — the distinctive tall spires attached to Islamic mosques — 57.5% of the participating voters supported the proposal.
Incongruous though this may seem, proponents of the ban insist that they are taking a stand against oppression, not implementing it. They allege that minarets are not intrinsic to the Islamic faith but rather are “a symbol of religious-political power”. Moreover, allowing the people to determine for themselves whether or not to allow them was evidence of Swiss democracy at work.
Radical feminists, citing opposition to the oppression of women in Islamic societies, reportedly favour the ban, and in pre-election polling women indeed supported it by a greater percentage than did Swiss men. The referendum campaign featured provocative posters showing images of a heavily veiled Muslim next to a number of minarets “protruding from a Swiss flag pictured in a way reminiscent of missiles”. Amongst other things, this calls to mind the similarly provocative imagery of the Danish cartoon controversy a few years back.
The Swiss have come under heavy fire for what the Vancouver Sundescribed as an “unexpected and shocking act of religious intolerance”, in which the country’s small Muslim minority had been painted as “a dangerous force bent on undermining democracy”. So far as the claim that the referendum being representative of democracy in action goes, Al-Jazeera columnist Anas Altikriti asks how in the first place a democratic society could “begin to contemplate holding a popular vote on a matter that is regarded integral to the core themes of freedom and rights”.
Naturally, much of the outrage expressed has come from the Islamic world, but they have been widely joined by traditional liberal democrats. Michael J Stickings was no doubt echoing what many others in this camp felt when he wrote that Switzerland, a country that generally valued freedom highly, had essentially “voted against its own principles, against itself”. Stickings concluded:
The Swiss people have voted stupidly, irresponsibly, and illiberally. They’ve made themselves look bad, and acted counter-productively, at a time when we need to be fighting religious extremism, including jihadist Islamism, not by violating our principles but by reinforcing just what it is we stand for.
There are a number of contradictory responses that this affair elicits. Certainly, it is concerning that a country previously regarded as modern and progressive should have chosen to take so retrograde a step. In this case, a religious minority has been denied a right accorded to every other faith group, an openly discriminatory act clearly founded on actual anti-Islam antagonism.
On the other hand, how seriously can one take Muslim objections to religious discrimination against them given how minority faiths are treated in so many Muslim countries? Indeed, compared to the prevailing situation in such countries as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan and even Egypt, a mere ban on building new minarets looks rather tame.
In Saudi Arabia and Iran, for example, individuals are punished for displaying crosses or Stars of David and jailed for preaching or praying in public. The possession of Bibles, while not a crime in theory, can carry severe penalties when the possession of large quantities is considered to be evidence of intent to convert others, and the celebration of non-Muslim holidays is banned. In these countries, as well as in Egypt and Sudan, converts to Christianity are sentenced to death. Jews are not even allowed to visit Saudi Arabia, let alone settle there and practise their faith freely. The situation for the Baha’i community in Iran is even worse, amounting to an outright ban on the entire religion and a resulting persecution of its adherents.
All that being the case, however, it remains true that two wrongs do not make a right. What ideally should be happening is the introduction of the religious toleration and equality that prevails in the Western democracies to Islamic world. With the Swiss referendum result, the opposite has happened. In an ill-considered backlash against perceived Islamist totalitarianism, Saudi-style religious intolerance has instead been re-introduced in one of the world’s oldest democracies. Whether this will prove to be no more than a knee-jerk aberration or the harbinger of an altogether more dangerous process of state-sanctioned xenophobia remains to be seen.
If thou wishest to find truth, compare the days of the Manifestation of Abha with the days of Christ; consider this is identically like that and the same doubts and oppositions are put forth.
Baha'u'llah
Baha'i World Faith, p. 387
