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On Avatar Snubbed: But not for long
TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2010


Re: Avatar completely snubbed at the SAG awards
by JMCompt Tue Jan 26, 2010 10:44 am. The SAG awards is by and for Screen Actors, right? It is focused on their own assessment of the performances. I have no doubt that many of the Guild-members felt there was not enough actual screen-time for the actors and actresses to warrant the receipt of an award. Out of curiosity, how many actual animated films have resulted in SAG awards for their talent?
Also, just because you might not have heard about something does not mean that it has little to no validity. How many people here have heard about the Baha'i? I didn't really know anything about China outside of Kung-Fu flicks 10 years ago, and I only recently learned about the art of Bento. I am so very thankful learning is a lifelong task.
Sooner or later Avatar the movie will get its just due, just as Baha'u'llah, the Avatar of this age, will come to be recognized by the masses of humanity. -gw

Bahۡ'u'llh - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Later, `Abdu'l-Bah stated that Bahᡡ'u'llh was the Kalki avatar, who in the classical Hindu Vaishnavas tradition is the tenth and final avatar (great ...

See Phillipe Copeland's blog post: http://www.bahaithought.com/2009/12/avatar-some-in...



The spiritual light of the world has risen again from the eastern horizon. The night is finished; the day is come and the first rays of the dawn are destroying the shadows, dispersing the clouds, making the plants to grow, the trees to become verdant and ornamenting the flower-beds with roses. The sun of reality hath reappeared with tremendous power and soon the light of BAHA'U'LLAH will be diffused throughout the world. See how the light of Christ's shining star took three hundred years to shed its rays on the world, whereas the light of BAHA'U'LLAH has permeated all regions in less than half a century. His cause has been spread in every country and the mention of BAHA'U'LLAH made in every tongue. In nearly every country there is an assembly of friends from Teheran to Paris, to San Francisco, to Japan. This is a different age and light is spreading with great rapidity.

Abdu'l-Baha
Divine Philosophy, p. 80

On Lessons Learned After 15 Years in Siberia: The Baha’i model is the only thing that’s kept me really afloat
November 19, 2009

The most important thing that I’ve learned from my multi-cultural life is that the Baha’i model is the only thing that’s kept me really afloat here. First off I’ve avoided the trap of extreme chauvinism that ails many ex-pats here and makes it so they can’t stick around for more than a few years.

This is a fascinating post from Coffee in Siberia? with love.-gw

what I’ve learned is that I should always be learning and not insisting until I’ve distilled what is TRUTH based on what is right from that which is an indoctrinated idea that may very well be a myth (on either the American or Russia side of my cultural fence). A great example of this TRUTH is a recent conversation I had with a business partner of mine. He told me of a conversation he had just had with a very well educated Russian professor of economics. The conversation went something like this… the professor asked, “Why do we need transparency?” My partner began to give a bunch of arguments, like in the long run it will pay off, but from the Russian point of view it seems the opposite, transparency is the formula for closing your business because it will not be profitable. One argument after another the professor batted down with examples of why one should not be transparent. Finally my business partner remembered the argument that Baha’u'llah used about why one should be honest and truthful, “Because it’s right!” As he relayed the story to me he said that the professor’s face totally changed and said something like, “Now that’s the real reason why…” This example shows that there are things that are universal and we should build on them, this is what will be the foundation of our new endeavors, our truly joint-ventures, our new civilization…
http://coffeeinsiberia.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/15...


"The Eternal Truth is now come. He hath lifted up the Ensign of Power, and is now shedding upon the world the unclouded splendor of His Revelation"

Baha'u'llah
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 59

A Special Visit to the Baha'i National Center
November 17, 4:55 PM Topeka Bahai Examiner Duane Herrmann

This past weekend four members of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Shawnee County (the governing council of the Baha’i community surrounding Topeka) participated in the “Special Visit” program to the Baha’i National Center. The National Center is in Evanston and Wilmette, IL where the Baha’i House of Worship for North America is located, north of Chicago. This program is sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States, the national governing coucil.
The purpose of the program is to deepen the knowledge of members of local Spiritual Assemblies about the functioning of various offices of the national center. Local councils and offices of the national center work together to administer the affairs of the local Baha’i community. Communication is usually by letter, phone or email. The Special Visit program provides a comprehensive face-to-face communication.
Presentation were made by various offices about their functions. These were given by the Office of Communications (publications of the National Assembly and news media relations), the Office of Fund Development (long range financial planning), the Office of the Treasurer (current financial operations), the National Teaching Office (regarding efforts to share news of the Baha’i Faith with the public), the House of Worship Activities Office (regarding programs at the House of Worship), the House of Worship Restoration Project (updates on progress, past the half way mark, and construction of a new Visitors Center, to begin next year), the Office of Assembly Development (to assist the functioning of local Spiritual Assemblies), and the Office of Community Administration (dealing with issues of Baha’i law).
After the presentations, participants were encouraged to personally visit those and other offices if they had more questions or concerns. The Shawnee County members took advantage of this to register their new, recently elected Secretary: Mary St. John, and Treasurer: Dr. Mark Herrmann. And another address problem was cleared up.
Those attending the program were given a special tour of the Baha’i House of Worship to see progress in the restoration. The most visible undertaking of the restoration is the replacing of the nineteen monumental stairs that encircle the structure and the plaza or apron at their base. The harsh Chicago winters had caused significant deterioration of the steps and the nearly century-old waterproofing was no longer viable.
To expand usable space in the foundation area the back-fill under the apron was excavated and that area enclosed to become part of the foundation space. That has now become a new foundation encircling the original building and is devoted to the new heating and cooling system as well as the pumps and electrical service for the nine fountains in the nine gardens surrounding the building. Computer monitored wind sensors were installed in the fountains so that high winds will no longer send water drenching those walking in the gardens. Such equipment did not exist when the original fountains were install over half a century ago. Reflection pools at the two main entrances, called for in the original plans, have now been installed, one with a waterfall.
Status of the construction of the next Continental Baha’i House of Worship, near Santiago,Chile was also shared. Clear title to the land has been obtained and foundation work is beginning. Fabrication of components of the structure has begun in Canada where the architect is located. The building will utilize panels of pressed glass and alabaster on steel framework. Sunlight will enter the building from all angles during the day and radiate light at night. It will glow in the dark!
Just as the House of Worship in Wilmette stretched the technological limits of the day (it was the first building to be made of pre-cast concrete panels, among other things), the Santiago House of Worship is pushing the limits of current technology (a building of glass and alabaster in an earthquake zone!)
A special exhibit was arranged for participants by the Baha’i National Archives. This exhibit included an illuminated Tablet written by Baha’u’llah, Prophet-Founder of the Baha’i Faith, several letters written to American Baha’is by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, son of Baha’u’llah and Center of the Baha’i Covenant as well as other items.
This Special Visit program is held only three times a year for members of half a dozen local Spiritual Assemblies. Members of the Shawnee County Assembly felt privileged to participate.


Say: O peoples of the earth! Destroy the abodes of negligence with the hands of power and assurance, and raise up the mansions of true knowledge within your hearts, that the All-Merciful may shed the radiance of His light upon them. Better is this for you than all whereon the sun shineth, and unto this beareth witness He Who holdeth within His grasp the ultimate decree. The Breeze of God hath been wafted over the world at the advent of the Desired One in His great glory, whereupon every stone and clod of earth hath cried out: "The Promised One is come! The Kingdom is God's, the Mighty, the Gracious, the Forgiving."

Baha'u'llah
The Seven Valleys, p. 23

The Baha'i Influence at the United Nations

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 02, 2009
Jennifer Rast

The Baha’i faith now numbers some five million souls and the Encyclopedia Britannica lists Baha’i as the second-most widely spread independent religion in the world, after Christianity. With Haifa, Israel as the site of its international headquarters, its strong presence in the United Nations, and within other international groups, Baha’i is in a position to play a prominent role in the fulfillment of end times prophecy. In fact, they state in their literature that their goal is to do just that. They eagerly await the man who will usher in global peace (known to Christians as Antichrist), and hold as one of their central missions the establishment of a united global commonwealth that will control all things political, financial, and spiritual. At times, while reading from Baha’i writings, one begins to feel like you’ve picked up a Bible and began reading directly from the book of Revelation.

The ultimate deception of the end times will involve the worldwide worship of the Antichrist. But the Antichrist will not rise to power alone. His success will result from a worldwide spiritual deception perpetrated by his sidekick, the False Prophet. The Antichrist will not appear until after the falling away (2 Thess. 2:3), but the spirit of Antichrist is already at work perverting the gospel and corrupting the church. The False Prophet will look religious, sound religious and use religious terms, but his message will be straight from Satan (Rev. 13:11). The final phase of apostasy before the Antichrist arrives on the scene will introduce a religious system to be led by the False Prophet. It will be an ecumenical, interfaith religion much like the Baha’i faith.

There are nearly 130 agencies and organizations operating within the UN system, each overseeing programs that require vast sums of money and massive bureaucracies to operate. These UN programs are all strategic parts of a plan to achieve global governance and eliminate national sovereignty from the planet. Most of these programs are never covered in the world’s media and are able to operate outside of the awareness of the public they hope to govern. This giant bureaucracy is so far outside the realm of accountability that most people have no idea how it is operating or what agenda it is moving forward. Most Christians would be shocked to know how deeply involved the United Nations is in the spiritual agenda of the interfaith movement. Just as they are striving for a world government, they are also working with religious leaders and organizations to create the one world religion found in Bible prophecy - the religion that is to be an integral part of the Antichrist’s rise to power.

The Baha'i community has, as a duly accredited non-governmental organization, long worked closely with the United Nations, supporting many of its goals and programs, and taking a leadership role in several international gatherings. Its involvement in the United Nations dates back to the founding of the UN in 1945. In 1947, the Baha’i communities of the United States and Canada were recognized by the UN Department of Public Information (DPI), and the next year, the Baha’i International Community itself was recognized by the UN DPI as an international non-governmental organization. In May 1970, they were granted consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), allowing for a greater degree of interaction with the Council and its subsidiary bodies. Since then they have also been granted consultative status with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and relationships with the many UN bodies have deepened and expanded over the years. Today for example, the Baha’i organization has a working relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO), is associated with the United Nations Environment Programme, and is involved in joint activities with UNIFEM and UNICEF as well as many other religious, environmental and social programs within the UN, to include peace-building, human rights, women’s affairs, education, health, and sustainable development.

When you examine the beliefs and writings of the Baha’i community, it is not hard to understand the United Nations’ support and confidence in this organization. Their end goal is the same. Just as the United Nations believes that a new world order is just around the corner, the Baha’i believe the human race is nearing the next stage in their spiritual evolution - a phase that brings us one rung higher on the evolutionary ladder toward world peace and utopia. In their belief statement they write that, “The current world confusion and calamitous condition in human affairs is a natural phase in an organic process leading ultimately and irresistibly to the unification of the human race in a single social order whose boundaries are those of the planet.” They use their voice at the United Nations to convince global leaders of the need for a spiritual element in the development of the new world order. In the Baha’i document “A Vision of World Peace”, written by the Universal House of Justice, they state that “no serious attempt to set human affairs aright, to achieve world peace, can ignore religion.” The Baha’i “incarnation of God”, Abdu’l-Bah, said, “religion is the greatest of all means for the establishment of order in the world.” They refer to the organized religions of today as “stuff of history” and claim that these religions of exclusivity, intolerance, and perversions of truth are the root of all evil and the cause for all of the world’s social, political, and economic ills.

“A Vision of World Peace” goes on to say that “those who have held blindly and selfishly to their particular orthodoxies, who have imposed on their votaries erroneous and conflicting interpretations of the pronouncements of the Prophets of God, bear heavy responsibility for the confusion and artificial barriers erected between faith and reason, science and religion”. They blame the resurgence of “fanatical religious fervor” occurring across the globe for what they call a “dying convulsion that is undermining the spiritual values which are conducive to the unity of mankind”.

In 2 Peter 3:3-5, the Bible warns the following: “First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation. But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.”

Always eager to fulfill prophecy, a Baha’i statement reads: “The time has come when those who preach the dogmas of materialism, whether of the east or the west, whether of capitalism or socialism, must give account of the moral stewardship they have presumed to exercise. Where is the “new world” promised by these ideologies? Where is the international peace to whose ideals they proclaim their devotion?” Of course the new world of peace will come when our Lord Jesus Christ returns to establish His kingdom on earth.

I Thessalonians 1:10 “..and wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.”

God warns us not to be deceived by those who will try to pave the way for the Antichrists false peace and deception.

II Thessalonians 2:3, 6-7 "Let no one in any way deceive you for it (the Day of the Lord) will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. And you know what restrains him now, so that in this time he may be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way."

The Bible teaches us that in the end times a global religion will be established. It is referred to as Mystery Babylon, the mother of all harlots, and it will ride in on the Beast that is Antichrist. We can see the beginnings of this global faith today in our increasingly ecumenical religious leaders, such organizations as the United Religions Initiative, the Parliament of World Religions, and in the United Nations.

The Baha’i faith sees the United Nations as the vessel by which the unifying of the world’s religions into one faith will come to fruition. Their plan for the future of our world and the role of the United Nations and a regionalized world, are an eerily complete and detailed picture of Bible prophesy. Baha’i writings state “the oneness of humanity implies an organic change in the structure of present-day society, a change such as the world has not yet experienced…It calls for no less than the reconstruction and the demilitarization of the whole civilized world – a world organically unified in all the essential aspects of life, its political machinery, its spiritual aspiration, its trade and finance, its script and language.” They also promote a redistribution of wealth and a communist system of government that would be able to bring about this leveling of the playing field. This brings to mind the Antichrist’s future financial system in which no one will be able to buy or sell without the mark of the Beast.

While the Baha’i praise the United Nations as the only hope for the “world peace promised by all the major religions”, they are not satisfied with its progress and are a loud voice on the international stage for stepping up the pace of our “spiritual evolution”.

In a statement to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in August 2002, the Baha’i Community wrote, “despite significant achievements, the United Nations has yet to grasp fully both the constructive role that religion can play in creating a peaceful and prosperous global order, and the destructive impact that religious fanaticism can have on the stability and progress of the world.” They go on to say “while the United Nations’ human rights machinery has been used to condemn religious intolerance and persecution, UN development policies and programs have hardly begun to address religious bigotry as a major obstacle to peace and well-being.” While we do not deny that the world has seen a great deal of death and violence due to religious fanaticism (most prevalently today from Islamic fundamentalists), the Baha’i view goes further. The Baha’is won’t be satisfied until Bible-believing Christians join them in believing that all paths lead to God, and all claims to truth are silenced. In response to what they call religious fanaticism, they suggest that religious leaders need to “work untiringly to exorcise religious bigotry and superstition from within their faith traditions and renounce claims to religious exclusivity and finality”. And who decides what is superstition and what is truth? The Baha’i and the world community, of course. “Abdul’-Bah, the Baha’i “incarnation of God”, in “The Promulgation of Universal Peace”, defined superstition as “beliefs and opinions that are found contrary to the standards of science; for the antithesis of knowledge is ignorance, and the child of ignorance is superstition.”

Baha’i writings also stress that force and coercion in matters of religion and belief are violations of the Divine command. This sounds reasonable. No one should be forced to accept a religion. However, Baha’i writings also consider simple proselytizing to be coercive. They believe humans should be able to investigate reality for themselves, and to present your truth to another is to violate that spiritual right. They believe all religions are equally valid and just different expressions of the same God, so there is no reason share your faith with others.

The Baha’i make no distinction between the government and private citizens when condemning intolerant religious speech and expression. They support building on the “Convention Against Discrimination in Education” to include sanctions for those who, in the name of religion, would use education and media to oppress freedom of conscience and to promote division. Whether public or private, they say, there should be no tolerance for educational institutions and initiatives, or media policies and programs that promote intolerant attitudes and behaviors. Remember, as proselytizing to others, claiming an exclusive path to salvation, or condemning a lifestyle like homosexuality is deemed intolerant, this would apply to private religious schools and quite possibly churches. In a statement to the United Nations on the spiritual dimension of Sustainable Development, the Baha’i International Community wrote “Ultimately, the creation of a peaceful and just global civilization, in which the diverse peoples of the world live in harmony with one another and with the natural world, will require a significant reorientation of individual and collective goals and a profound transformation in attitudes and behaviors.”

So, just how do they plan to bring about this transformation? In a statement to the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the Baha’i community presented several possible next steps for transforming the United Nations. As a first priority, they proposed holding a convention on freedom of religion and belief to be drafted and ratified as expeditiously as possible by all of the governments of the world. They suggested the foundation within the United Nations system of a permanent religious forum, patterned on the UN’s recently founded Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The creation of this body would be responsible for beginning the integration of religion into the UN’s work of establishing a peaceful world order.

Of course, to participate in this forum, religious leaders would need to meet certain criteria. Their proposal states “only those religious leaders who make it clear to their followers that prejudice, bigotry and violence have no place in the life of a religious person should be invited to participate in the work of this body.” You can be sure that any religious leader who actually believes that Jesus is “the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him”, would be disqualified from participation. A belief in the Bible as absolute truth puts you in the category of intolerant and would make you guilty of prejudice.

The statement closes by saying that “until the religions of the world renounce fanaticism and work wholeheartedly to eliminate it from within their own ranks, peace and prosperity will prove chimerical. It is they who must raise their voices to end the hatred, exclusivity, oppression of conscience, violations of human rights, denial of equality, opposition to science, and glorification of materialism, violence and terrorism, which are perpetrated in the name of religious truth.” How very tolerant! Oppress someone’s conscience, have the nerve to believe the Bible is the only absolute truth, or claim there is only one path to God, and you will be eliminated. Once again, the Baha’i have written their script for the world’s future directly from the prophecies of the Bible, and have given us a perfect example of the Spirit of Antichrist that marks all false prophets and false religions.
Source: http://www.contenderministries.org/UN/bahaiun.php


I have come from distant lands to visit the meetings and assemblies of this country (US). In every meeting I find people gathered loving each other; therefore I am greatly pleased. The bond of union is evidenced in this assembly today where the power of God has brought together in faith, agreement and concord those who are engaged in furthering the development of the human world. It is my hope that all mankind may become similarly united in the bond and agreement of love. Unity is the expression of the loving power of God and reflects the reality of divinity. It is resplendent in this day through the bestowals of light upon humanity.

Abdu'l-Baha
Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 274