http://www.bahaihub.com/blog/ Latest Blogs http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-961/ 08 MAR 10 @ 02:31PM BY LAURA TRIESTE

Merhdad Mumtahan, Mahshid Rasouli, Mitra Shahriari and Maliha Shahriari Zavareh a...]]> 08 MAR 10 @ 02:31PM BY LAURA TRIESTE

Merhdad Mumtahan, Mahshid Rasouli, Mitra Shahriari and Maliha Shahriari Zavareh are related to seven Baha’i leaders who have been held in prison in Iran since May 2008.
Their trial began early this year, with all leaders facing charges of espionage.
Hills Baha’i community external affairs officer Carmen Lalehzari said the charges were baseless.
Merhdad Mumtahan is the nephew of Baha’i leader Saied Razaie, who he visited a few months before he was captured.
“It was devastating, they’ve executed a lot of Baha’is in Iran before and Saeid’s youngest son is the same age as my son,” he said.
Mr Mumtahan fled Iran when he was 16 when he was conscripted to go to war.
“I had no chance of being educated purely because of my religious beliefs,” he said.
Sisters Mitra Shahriari and Mahshid Rasouli are maternal cousins to Baha’i leader Mahvash Sabet and Maliha Shahriari Zavareh is her paternal cousin.
Ms Sabet was arrested on the day of her daughter’s wedding.
“They just came and took her, it was very upsetting to hear,” Ms Shahriari said. Knowing this was a possibility, Ms Sabet made sure the wedding could still happen.
“She had already prepared her consent for the wedding three months prior,” Ms Shahriari Zavareh said.
Now all the Hills Baha’i community can do is wait for the next trial date to be announced.

In the Hidden Words Bahá'u'lláh says, "Justice is to be loved above all." Praise be to God, in this country the standard of justice has been raised; a great effort is being made to give all souls an equal and a true place. This is the desire of all noble natures; this is today the teaching for the East and for the West; therefore the East and the West will understand each other and reverence each other, and embrace like long-parted lovers who have found each other.
There is one God; mankind is one; the foundations of religion are one. Let us worship Him, and give praise for all His great Prophets and Messengers who have manifested His brightness and glory.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 20)]]> http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-961/ Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:04:11 +0000 Clethass http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-960/ BY JOYCE FULLER KLEIKAMP
Baha’i Community of Pinal County
www.bahai.org
Published: Thursday, March 4, 2010 8:30 AM MST

There is an...]]> BY JOYCE FULLER KLEIKAMP
Baha’i Community of Pinal County
www.bahai.org
Published: Thursday, March 4, 2010 8:30 AM MST

There is an important difference between passively learning about a set of beliefs and ideals and actively supporting those beliefs and ideals. One can say he or she knows and understands something without taking a single step towards making it happen. To bring knowledge and belief into practice is the mark of a mature and spiritually enlightened individual.

In this day, at this stage of humanity’s development, women and men the world over are being asked to participate in building a peaceful, unified and just society based upon the divine teachings voiced by the manifestation of God. Actively creating a world civilization requires stepping forth into the arena of service.

Since the purpose of the Baha’i faith is to unify humanity—to bring an over-arching unity which celebrates and values diversity, and recognizes the common foundation of all faiths, and which promotes the spiritual education of all children, as well as adults—it is obvious that its organized structure calls for the enthusiastic participation of all those who choose to join.

As explained in the presentation booklet, “The Baha’i Faith”, there are three participants in the work: the individual, the community and the institutions. The first participant is the individual believer. It is the duty of this individual to remain firm in the Covenant, to strive daily to bring his or her life in line with Baha’u’llah’s teachings, and to serve humanity. As we do this, we are always conscious of the fact that life does not end with death and that one’s relation with God is eternal. After death, our souls become free and continue to progress towards God for all eternity. This is like the spiritual ‘big picture.’

In comparing life with the ‘afterlife,’ it is explained that our lives here on earth are very much like the life of a fetus in the womb of the mother. For nine months, the child develops faculties—eyes, ears, hands and so on—to be used later in this physical world. In the same way, then, we are to develop while here, the spiritual faculties that we need to progress in the other worlds of God.

Thinking, doing, sharing, practicing: We must continue our spiritual work. As individuals, we live among others and carry out our purpose within communities. Therefore, the second participant in the endeavor of building a world civilization and unifying the human race is the community. Human beings were not created to exist alone. We live in communities and must work together to build the new civilization.

The community closest to us is the local one, which consists of the Baha’is who reside in our village or town. It is in the local community where we learn to cooperate with one another, to grow together and become united. In addition to being members of the local community, we are also members of the national community and then the worldwide Baha’i community, which is constantly expanding and attracting people from every religious background, race, and nationality.

As mentioned in previous articles, Baha’is and their friends, families, co-workers and neighbors are actively engaged in children’s classes, junior youth groups, adult study circles and devotional meetings, which nurture spiritual development. More about this next week.


Knowledge is the first step; resolve, the second step; action, its fulfillment, is the third step. To construct a building one must first of all make a plan, then one must have the power (money), then one can build. A society of Unity is formed, that is good -- but meetings and discussions are not enough. In Egypt these meetings take place but there is only talk and no result. These meetings here in London are good, the knowledge and the intention are good, but how can there be a result without action? Today the force for Unity is the Holy Spirit of Bahá'u'lláh. He manifested this spirit of Unity. Bahá'u'lláh brings East and West together. Go back, search history, you will not find a precedent for this.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 54)]]> http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-960/ Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:35:12 +0000 Clethass http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-959/ No matter how you want to avoid being burned from all the jobs, tasks, and errands you take care for all the days of your li...]]> No matter how you want to avoid being burned from all the jobs, tasks, and errands you take care for all the days of your life there will still come a time when your mind, body, and well your spirit just gently gives you a shrug indicating that rest is needed. You have a lot of options when choosing to retire away from the tiring routines of your daily profession or education.
You can either stay within the comforts of your beloved abode or venture into the outside and see the world in its beauty. You have the choice to go on a nature adventure and discover the wild aspects of your personality or you can just stay put and contemplate on your spirituality and substance. In lieu with this let’s take an Indian vacation towards a place of worship.
The Baha’i House of Worship which is designated to the Baha’i Faith of India houses about four million visitors annually. The English translation of its Arabic name is quite inviting which is the Dawning Place of the remembrances of God. The religious circle of the Baha’i aims to pursue developments that include issues in education, humanitarianism, science, and other relevant social facets in India particularly in its place of seat which is New Delhi.
According to standards of Baha’i literature Houses of Worship should be part of civic and municipal structures and should invite people from all walks of life without religious or ethnic discrimination. The Baha’i law is quite flexible in allowing people to experience the spirit of their House of Worship even if these individuals are not part of their religious community. But it should be noted that within the boundaries of the Baha’i faith structures only scriptures that depict the beliefs of the religion should be chanted or read. Choirs can be present within the vicinity but the use of musical instruments is not allowed. Moreover there should be no performance of rituals, ceremonies, and more importantly sermons.
There are specific architectural designs and patterns that are quite noticeable with Baha’i Houses of Worship. Domes are seen in all areas of the construction although it is not really required but the most essential things is that there should be the presence of a nine-sided circular figure in the form and pattern of the structure. It is emphasized as according to Baha’i scriptures that there should be no presence of images, pictures, and statues inside the Houses of Worship.
The plan followed by the construction regarding Baha’i faith is that there should be one undivided room and that the seats should be oriented facing the Shrine of Baha’u’llah in Akka, Israel. Houses of Worship found scattered across the globe may have similar characteristics but it is actually the exact location of each structure that defines its distinct characteristics and traits.
Furthermore the Baha’i literature makes it a point that Houses of Worship are situated within the folds of institutions that promote charity, education, and humanitarianism such as universities, elderly homes, and hospitals in order to cooperate with these groups and organizations in serving the community where they are located.
The Guardian of the Baha’i Faith in the person of Shoghi Effendi clearly states that it would be better if both the Baha’i center and the House of Worship is located in the same area. He gives a great equation of the joining of worship and service in order to rid man’s society of all the negative things that have been plaguing it for so many years.
A vacation should not only be relaxing and enjoying more so it should be enriching and rewarding. So next time you plan to pack things up and go global check out the great Indian spirituality.

The contribution that thou hast made to the Temple is beloved. The Temple is the most great foundation of the world of humanity and it hath many branches. Although the Temple is the place of worship, with it is connected a hospital, pharmacy, pilgrims' house, school for the orphans, and a university for the study of high sciences. Every Temple is connected with these five things. I hope that now in America they will build a Temple and gradually add to it the hospital, school, university, pharmacy and pilgrims' house with the utmost efficiency and thoroughness. Thou shouldst make known to the believers these details, so that they may realize how important the Temple is. The Temple is not only a place for worship; nay, it is perfect in every way.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 416)]]> http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-959/ Sun, 28 Feb 2010 08:36:55 +0000 Clethass http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-958/ By Prarthana Jayaram Saturday, February 27th, 2010
Features Editor

While the big period of gif...]]> By Prarthana Jayaram Saturday, February 27th, 2010
Features Editor

While the big period of gift-giving and holiday celebration in the United States occurs in December, for six million people around the world, an important gift-giving celebration is coming up in March.
People of the Bahá’í faith will celebrate Ayyám-i-Há next month: four days of happiness, hospitality and charity. As this time approaches, the small but active Bahá’í community at Haverford and Bryn Mawr is working hard to put together events that involve the larger bi-college community and promote spiritual unity.
“During these festive days of Ayyám-i-Há, Bahá’ís offer gifts and kindness to friends, and make an extra effort to be charitable,” said Candace Lacrosse HC ’10, a senior member of the Baha’i Club.
Ayyám-i-Há is comprised of intercalary days, days inserted in the Badí’ (Bahá’í calendar to adapt it to the solar year—four days in regular years, and five in a leap year. The Badí’ calendar has nineteen months of nineteen days each, and fasting occurs in the last month, culminating with the celebration of the new year, Naw-Rúz.
The Bahá’í Club plans to bring the charitable feelings of Ayyám-i-Há to both campuses.Linnea Segen BMC ’12 mentioned the importance of fostering a sense of spiritual community on campus in a similar way to what they would do at home. The practice of fasting each day from sunrise to sunset during the period in between Ayyám-i-Há and Naw-Rúz keeps Bahá’ís closer to God. LaCrosse explained that the fast is, essentially, a period of spiritual recuperation before the new year.
Segen has noticed a difference in her approach to both Ayyám-i-Há and the fast since she came to school.
“It becomes my own now,” she said. “Now it’s our responsibility to create that warm community atmosphere. Like anything with college, now I’m having to independently realize what it really means for me to celebrate a year, and now, we’re the ones who are trying to create that spirit for the campus.”
To this end, the club will be hosting formal events for breaking the daily fast in the evenings on certain nights during the period. These nights will be included a devotional gathering, followed by a shared dinner with the group.
While the Ayyám-i-Há and Naw-Rúz celebrations are at the top of the agenda for the upcoming weeks, the Bahá’í Club is responsible for planning more than just special occasions. Members also attend weekly devotional gatherings, which focus on openness to spirituality in the community.
The Bahá’í faith, a world religion that focuses on the harmony between people of all faiths, is not widely known in the US.
“Bahá’ís are the followers of Bahá’u’lláh, whose teachings they believe will enable peace and harmony on earth,” said LaCrosse.
LaCrosse and May Lample ’10 started the Bahá’í Club when they were freshmen, four years ago.
“When we came to Haverford, we knew that there were Bahá’í clubs at lots of other universities and colleges and we thought that maybe someone would be interested in learning about the Bahá’í faith here” said LaCrosse.
So, the pair started the club on campus.
“The purpose of the club is to create an environment where students feel comfortable exploring their own spiritual beliefs,” she said. “A primary principle of the faith is the independent investigation of truth…as a club we want to encourage people to explore this.”
Lample speculates that starting the club was a natural progression from her life before college.
“Because I grew up in the Baha’í World Center in Israel, this was like making the bi-co feel more like home for me,” she said.
Segen and Liz Willis HC ‘13 are planning to be the main club leadership next year. Together, they hope to make the club better known on both campuses and organize more diverse events. By broadening the club’s on-campus role, Segen hopes to give students a glimpse of the activities that Baha’ís do in the greater community.
“What we do on campus ties is with what Baha’ís in the world are doing," said Lample. "I feel like we are just maintaining that connection."

O Pen of the Most High! Say: O people of the world! We have enjoined upon you fasting during a brief period, and at its close have designated for you Naw-Ruz as a feast. Thus hath the Day-Star of Utterance shone forth above the horizon of the Book as decreed by Him Who is the Lord of the beginning and the end. Let the days in excess of the months be placed before the month of fasting. We have ordained that these, amid all nights and days, shall be the manifestations of the letter Ha, and thus they have not been bounded by the limits of the year and its months. It behoveth the people of Baha, throughout these days, to provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy, and with joy and exultation to hail and glorify their Lord, to sing His praise and magnify His Name; and when they end -- these days of giving that precede the season of restraint -- let them enter upon the Fast.
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 24)]]> http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-958/ Sun, 28 Feb 2010 08:08:17 +0000 Clethass http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-957/ Dozens Detained Without Charge; Leaders Face Charges Carrying Death Penalty
February 23, 2010
(New York) – The Irania...]]> Dozens Detained Without Charge; Leaders Face Charges Carrying Death Penalty
February 23, 2010
(New York) – The Iranian government should immediately stop harassing and arbitrarily detaining members of the Baha’i community, Human Rights Watch said today.
The detention of 13 Baha’is on February 10 and 11 follows the arrest of 13 others in early January. The government alleges that those arrested in January helped to organize recent anti-government demonstrations but has not made public any charges against those detained in February. These arrests come during a broad government crackdown on opposition activists.
“The Iranian government seems to be using the post-election unrest as a cover for targeting the Baha’i community,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “These arrests are only the latest chapter in the government’s systematic persecution of the Baha’i.”
Unlike Iran’s Jewish, Christian, and Zoroastrian communities, which are accorded constitutional protection, the Iranian government does not recognize the Baha’i Faith and considers its adherents to be apostates from Shi’a Islam. Since the Islamic revolution in 1979, the Iranian government has put in effect various discriminatory policies against the Baha’is, including limiting access to education and employment.
Since October 2009, authorities have detained at least 47 Baha’is in Tehran, Mashhad, Sari, Semnan, and Yazd, according to the United Nations office of the Baha’i International Community (BIC) in Geneva. In May 2008, the government arrested seven leaders of the Baha’i community in Tehran, who have been held in detention since then. Their trial began on January 12, but has been postponed to April 10.
The Judiciary has charged the seven community leaders with a range of national-security-related offenses, including spying for the benefit of foreigners, propaganda against the system, establishing and spreading illegal organizations, undermining the image of the Islamic Republic in the international community, and spreading “corruption on earth.” Most of these charges carry the death penalty. During the more than a year and a half that the five men and two women have been held, they have been allowed only limited visits from family and lawyers.
One of those detained on February 10 was Alaeddin Khanjani. According to the Committee of Human Rights Reporters in Iran, Ministry of Intelligence (MOI) agents entered his home in Tehran at about 2:30 a.m., searched the premises, confiscated personal belongings including a computer and religious material, and took him into custody. Khanjani is the son of Jamaloddin Khanjani, one of the seven Baha’i leaders on trial in Tehran. Ministry of Intelligence agents had also arrested Alaeddin Khanjani’s adult daughter in January. Within several hours of Alaeddin Khanjani’s arrest, agents arrested seven more Baha’is, claiming they were being detained for their involvement in recent public demonstrations. On February 11, agents arrested five Baha’is in their homes in Tehran. No charges have been filed against any of the 13.
On January 3, MOI agents also raided the homes of 13 Baha’is and detained them, releasing three of them after they indicated they would not participate in further public demonstrations. In addition to the others arrested on February 10, one of those arrested on January 3 and then released was rearrested on February 10.
In a press statement on January 12, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran general prosecutor, said that the 10 Baha’is who have been held since January 3 faced charges of “organizing the unrest on Ashura [December 27] and sending photos of the unrest abroad.” In a previous statement on January 8, he claimed that authorities had found arms and ammunition in some of their homes. Dolatabadi denied that the arrests had anything to do with their Baha’i affiliation. Security forces have reportedly arrested hundreds of Iranians for their alleged involvement in the demonstrations on Ashura, a Shi’a day of mourning.
The authorities are holding those arrested on January 3 in Gohardasht Prison in Karaj and have not allowed them to contact their lawyers. According to the BIC, a few of them were allowed to contact family members after spending several weeks in prison.
The BIC also indicated that 60 Baha’is are currently in detention, with an additional 90 having been released but awaiting trial. Since 2004, 99 Baha’is have been convicted of various charges, including acting against national security, teaching against the Islamic Republic, propaganda against the regime, involvement in establishing illegal groups and organizations, and insulting the sacred institutions of Islam. These individuals are free pending appeal. Scores of others have been summoned and interrogated by security and intelligence agents without being taken into custody, according to the BIC.
The five Baha’is arrested in Tehran on February 11 are: Taraneh Ghanouni, Naghmeh Ghanouni, Shaida Yousefi, Aria Shadmehr, and Riaz Firouzmandi.
In addition to Alaeddin Khanjani, those arrested on February 10 are: Ashkan Bassari, Maria Ehsan Jafar, Bashir Ehsani, Romina Zabihiyan, Houtan Sistani, Simin Ghaffari, and Pedram Sanaei.
Those arrested on January 3 are: Mehran Rowhani, Farid Rowhani, Babak Mobasher, Leva Mobasher Khanjani, Payam Fanaian, Jinous Ghazanfari Sobhani, Artin Ghazanfari, Nikav Hoveydaei, Ebrahim Shadmehr, Zavosh Shadmehr, Negar Sabet, Mona Hoveydaei Misaghi, and Nasim Beiglari. Negar Sabet, Mona Misaghi, and Nasim Beiglari were released on January 3, but Mona Misaghi was summoned to the MOI agency’s office again on February 10 and rearrested.
The seven members of the Baha’i leadership whose trial began on January 12 are: Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm.
Background
Due to governmental restrictions on openly practicing their faith, Baha’is in Iran are unable to convene and administer a National Spiritual Assembly as in most countries where Baha’i communities exist. Instead, they have formed an informal coordinating body known as the “Friends of Iran.” The seven members facing trial consist of six leaders and the secretary of this coordinating body.
Haifa, in present-day Israel, is the final resting place of Baha’ullah – the founder of the Baha’i Faith – and the faith’s administrative headquarters since 1868, when Haifa was under Ottoman rule, Despite the fact that sites in and around Haifa were considered holy to the Baha’is well before the creation of the state of Israel, the Iranian government has repeatedly used the connection as an excuse to accuse Baha’is in Iran of spying for Israel, with which Iran has hostile relations.
During a recent review of its human rights record before the United Nations Human Rights Council, Iranian officials dismissed numerous concerns by member states regarding the government’s treatment of its Baha’i minority. Mohammad Javad Larijani, the head of Iran’s UN delegation, stated on February 15 that “no Baha’i in Iran is prosecuted because he is a Baha’i,” and the government rejected recommendations put forth by other governments calling for “an end to discrimination and incitement to hatred vis-à-vis the Baha’i.”

Universal benefits derive from the grace of the Divine religions, for they lead their true followers to sincerity of intent, to high purpose, to purity and spotless honour, to surpassing kindness and compassion, to the keeping of their covenanted, to concern for the rights of others, to liberality, to justice in every aspect of life, to humanity and philanthropy, to valour and to unflagging efforts in the service of mankind.

Abdu’l-Baha
Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 98]]> http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-957/ Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:10:07 +0000 Clethass http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-956/ “All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed, seco...]]> “All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident.”-Arthur Schopenhauer
In part one of this series, I related the true tale of the Bedouin named Mohammed Ali and his 1945 discovery of what has become known as the Nag´ Hammâdi Library; a collection of ancient texts that were buried in the wilderness under the cliff of Jabl al-Tarif in Egypt, just above the bend of the Nile, north of the Valley of the Kings, across the river from the city of Nag´ Hammâdi, near the hamlet of al-Qasr, apparently for safe-keeping.
These ancient compositions written in Coptic and Greek are now available in most every language. These ancient texts offer NO new answers; but they do provide us with a glimpse of Christianity at its very roots, and it was most diverse indeed.
Many of the texts were considered Gnostic and banned by the church Fathers during the reign of Emperor Constantine and were ordered to be burned. Gnosis is defined as knowledge discerned intuitively, and intuition is anathema to fundamentalists who prefer doctrines and dogmas, easy answers and who see black and white, but not shades of grey.
Today’s scholars agree that it is very possible the sayings in the Gnostic gospels are closer to the words Jesus actually spoke than what is found in the canonical gospels.
Two thousand years ago, there was lively debate about who Jesus was, and why he came. Churches before Emperor Constantine legitimized Christianity were hot beds of individuality and not the institutions that have become big business today.
Jesus said he came that we would have life to the full; abundant life [John 10:10] and that takes deep thought, wrestling with The Divine and then taking action.
“To think deeply in our culture is to grow angry and to anger others; and if you cannot tolerate this anger, you are wasting the time you spend thinking deeply. One of the rewards to deep thought is the hot glow of anger at discovering a wrong, but if anger is taboo, thought will starve to death.”-Jules Henry
The first mention of Israel in the Bible is in Genesis 32, when Jacob wrestled, struggled and then clung to the Divine being and was then renamed Israel.
Jesus also was never a Christian; in fact the term ‘Christian’ was not even coined until the days of Paul, about 3 decades after Jesus walked the earth as a man. Jesus was a social justice, radical revolutionary Palestinian devout Jewish road warrior who rose up and challenged the job security of the Temple authorities by teaching the people they did NOT need to pay the priests for ritual baths or sacrificing livestock to be OK with God; for God already LOVED them just as they were: sinners, poor, diseased, outcasts, widows, orphans, refugees and prisoners all living under Roman Military Occupation.
What got Jesus crucified was disturbing the status quo of the Roman Occupying Forces of his time, by teaching the subversive concept that Caesar only had power because God allowed it and that God preferred the humble sinner, the poor, diseased, outcasts, widows, orphans, refugees and prisoners all living under Roman Occupation above the elite and arrogant.
The early followers and lovers of Jesus were called members of THE WAY-being THE WAY he taught one should be; Nonviolent, a Peacemaker and one who did the will of the Father. “What does God require? He has told you o’man! Be just, be merciful, and walk humbly with your Lord.” -Micah 6:8
We are not just body and mind, we are also spirit; a trinity in one flesh that will decay and whither away. When any part of the human trinity is out of balance, so will ones life be. Life is a journey and the best trip one can embark upon, is by going within and wrestling with The Divine; and thus become Israel on the way.
“I said, you are gods: you are all children of the Most High God.”-Psalm 82:6
It has been said that evolution is being held up by fundamental religiosity and the surge of such narrow minded and arrogant thought, sends shivers through cynical atheists and mystics alike. The bumper sticker actually did get it right: “We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”
According to the 1987 classic, The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace, Dr. Scott Peck defines the spiritual life as fluid and that one may pass back and forth repeatedly through any of the four-probably more-stages of the soul.
Stage one upon this journey -that begins from within-is essentially our infancy in the spiritual life. Like a wild child, a person in this stage reflects the inner chaotic and anti-social, unregenerate soul that is interested only in its own self-satisfaction and ego, much like the stereotypical spoiled child.
Stage one people may claim to love others, but their behavior reflects they love their own pleasure, money, power, prestige, and security above any other. For stage one people, it really is all about them.
Stage two souls seek to “let their light shine” and will live virtuous lives and do many good works. They also can be judgmental of others, self-righteous, rigid of thought, cold of heart, legalistic concrete literal thinkers and may even be guilty of a lukewarm faith. They want to do right and they even may desire to love and please God, but have not yet fully opened up to the Inner Light, as Joan of Arc did when she challenged church and state and persisted that she had intuited God within -even while being fried.
Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.” -John 8:32
Stage two souls have not yet been set fully free and prefer the security of a higher human authority than themselves for guidance. They submit to institutions, scripture, dogma, ritual, ministers, or gurus. This is the most appropriate stage for older children and most adults who live busy lives just trying to keep bread on the table and a dry roof above.
The difference between a stage one and stage two soul, is that a one wouldn’t even notice a neighbor in need, while the two has awoken to the fact that we are to be our neighbor’s keepers and they will respond to a friend-and like the good Samaritan, even to a total stranger in need.
Most theologians would agree that the opposite of faith is not disbelief: the opposite of faith is fear. Stage three souls have not just fearlessly awoken, they have evolved! This evolution has led them to the realization of what Christ was really talking about in the Sermon of the Mount AKA: The Beatitudes which sound like crazy promises, but are all about waking people up to The Divine.
About 2,000 years ago, when Christ was about 33, he hiked up a hill and sat down under an olive tree and began to teach the people;
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.”
In other words: it is those who know their own spiritual poverty, their own limitations and sins honestly and trust God loves them in spite of themselves who already live in the Kingdom of God.
How comforted we will all be, when we see, we haven’t got a clue, as to the depth and breadth of pure love and mercy of The Divine Mystery of The Universe. God’s name in ancient Aramaic is Abba which means Daddy as much as Mommy and He/She: The Lord has said, “My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not yours.” -Isaiah 55:8
Christ proclaimed more: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
The essence of meek is to be patient with ignorance, slow to anger and never hold a grudge. In other words: how happy you will be when you also know humility; when you know yourself, the good and the bad, for both cut through every human heart.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they will be filled.”
In other words: how happy you will be when your greatest desire is to do what “God requires, and he has already told you what that is; BE JUST, BE MERCIFUL and walk humbly with your Lord.”-Micah 6:8
“Blessed are the merciful, they will be shown mercy.” In other words: how happy you will all be when you choose to return only kindness to your ‘enemy.’
“For with the measure you measure against another, it will be measured back to you.” Christ warns his disciples as he explains the law of karma in Luke 6:27-38.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they see God.”
In other words: how happy you will be when you WAKE UP and see God is already within you, within every man, every woman and every child. The Supreme Being is everywhere, the Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. Beyond The Universe -and yet so small; within the heart of every atom.
“Blessed are The Peacemakers: THEY shall be called the children of God.”
Oh how happy the WORLD will be when we all seek justice and pursue it, for there can be none without the other.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires, theirs is The Kingdom of Heaven.”
And one fine day the lion will lie down with The Lamb and man will make war no more and that is the Kingdom of God.
A stage three soul may well reject Christ as God, but often agree with the philosophy of Jesus, which Thomas Jefferson laid out when he weeded out the miracle stories from the gospels and clarified the teachings and ethics of Christ in: THE LIFE AND MORALS of JESUS of NAZARETH
1. Be just: justice comes from virtue which comes from the heart.
2. Treat people the way we want to be treated.
3. Always work for PEACEFUL resolutions, even to the point of returning violence with COMPASSION.
4. Consider valuable the things that have no material value.
5. Do not judge others.
6. Do not bear grudges.
7. Be modest and unpretentious.
8. Give out of true generosity, not because we expect to be repaid.
9. Being true to one’s self in more important than being loyal to one’s family…those who think they know the most are the most ignorant…
A stage three soul will see that a neighbor is everyone on the planet and not just those who think and look the same and are born in the same geographical localtion. Stage three’s are seekers, doubters, skeptics, atheists, agnostics and frequently adults who grew up disenchanted with institutionalized religion. Their inherent intellectual curiosity leads them to seek their own way towards the Mystery of the Divine through philosophy and the study of multiple faith paths choosing and discarding according to their “inner light.”
Stage three souls often become activists for social justice and reform and the increasing wave of humanitarian secularism verses the bondage of religious dogma just may be the way to change the world as we now know it.
It has been said we are all called to be mystics in the market place and a stage four, such as Thomas Merton and Rumi give voice to that experience of the curtain being lifted and seeing through the glass a bit less darkly.
A mystic can best be understood as one who is in love with the divine mystery and is viscerally connected to the unity of all creation. Mystics are not navel gazers, they feel the pain of the world within their hearts and grieve at what humans do to the other when they have no clue that The Divine is within the other as much as within themselves.
Mystics have detached from their concepts of God-not by their own efforts, but by the invitation and action of God upon a willing and simple soul in love with Pure Being, AKA: God for lack of a better word.
The mystic fool, Saint Francis, the leper kisser of Assisi, was so head over heels in love with God in everyone and all of creation that most people of his time considered him crazed, or at least, extremely eccentric. One needn’t be a mystic or move beyond stage two on the spiritual journey to do what is good and right just because it is good and right.
On that foundation alone people of faith, atheists and agnostics can surely find something to agree upon. Or would only a mystic see that?
Part One:
http://wearewideawake.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=759&Itemid=184
About the Author
Eileen Fleming,
Reporter and Editor WAWA:
http://www.wearewideawake.org/
Author “Keep Hope Alive” and “Memoirs of a Nice Irish American ‘Girl’s’ Life in Occupied Territory”
Producer “30 Minutes With Vanunu”


36. O SON OF MAN!
Rejoice in the gladness of thine heart, that thou mayest be worthy to meet Me and to mirror forth My beauty.
-Baha’u’llah, The Hidden Words, Arabic-]]> http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-956/ Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:18:57 +0000 Clethass http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-955/ Dr. Chris Gilbert
On Faith
Published: 04:15PM February 18th, 2010

I have been asked by readers who fol...]]> Dr. Chris Gilbert
On Faith
Published: 04:15PM February 18th, 2010

I have been asked by readers who follow this column to explain the Baha’i faith. More specifically, some have wondered why the world needs a new religion when those of the past are at the center of many global troubles.
In that good question is a good answer! We receive the teachings of a new Faith precisely when past faiths stop serving God’s heavenly purpose and begin to serve the more earthly purpose of man.
In effect, religion is renewed by a God promise to return through the message of His Teachers.
That is not to say that the universal truths inside of all the great religions are not as important to our spiritual growth today as they were in the past.
Quite the contrary: Each Faith, be it Hinduism, Buddhism, the Jewish faith, Christianity, Muslimism or the Baha’i faith, provides a clear path to creating Heaven on Earth. It is just that mankind tends to take these heavenly messages down to a more self-serving path as they spread over time.
The creation of multiple sects of a first pure faith is one example of this earthly bending of the heavenly rules.
So, as the rules begin to bend, a loving Father sends the next messenger with reminders of the universal truths of the past common to all faiths. And, these manifestations endowed with innate knowledge, bring us new rules to assist our social and spiritual development into new ages.
With more than 6 million adherents worldwide, the Baha’i Faith is this next message. It is an independent, world religion that’s founded on the principles of the Oneness of God, the Oneness of Religion and Oneness of mankind.
Baha’is respect all the past manifestations of God by knowing that all religions come from one Source, a God who sends messengers in a progression that’s designed to help our social and spiritual growth.
That is perhaps the most unique spiritual truth followers of the Baha’i Faith understand. Rather than looking at religion as based on one Divine teacher who appeared to one people at one time, Baha’is recognize a progress of these holy figures.
Each one brings teachings that are common to all the great religions of the past. They also are imbued with new rules for each age, designed to push society to new, spiritual limits.
All of mankind’s spiritual and material advances have been sparked across different ages by the progression of these Great Teachers.
The latest Messenger, Baha’u’llah (in Persian, the “Glory of God”, fulfilled the prophecies of every great Faith that another Teacher would return in this age.
So, why does the world need a new religion? One of the major sources of disunity in the world are the divisions among and between the great faiths of our world. The conflicts in which the United States is engaged in the Middle East have their roots in religious disunity and social disparity.
The messages of love and unity inside all the original teachings of the great faiths have become lost in internal and external struggles for power, material resources and human identity.
The Baha’i Revelation, the newest Faith in this long chain, is meant as a spiritual renewal for all faiths.
The new Covenant specifically advocates the equality of men and women, the elimination of all prejudice, the creation of global education systems, the need for a universal language, the elimination of the extremes of wealth and poverty, and the protection of cultural, ethnic and gender diversity through unity.
Those issues, now so vital to our world, were prophesied by Baha’u’llah in 1864, a time when they were considered revolutionary and heretical.
But is there anything in this list we don’t want to see come to pass?
The Baha’i Faith encourages an individual’s search for truth and spirituality and promotes the harmony of science and religion.
What does that mean to our daily lives? Baha’u’llah said, “Unless and until unity is firmly established upon the Earth, there shall never be peace.”
Baha’is see that as the primary mission of all religions. To become unified under one faith for one great purpose — world peace.
Divisions and a sense of powerlessness are at the heart of our current social, economic, political and spiritual ills. Baha’is focus their lives on creating and supporting community, locally and globally. They understand that inclusiveness, practiced by all faiths, by all peoples and in all nations, is the only answer for healing divisions and eliminating unjust disparities.
Toward that end, there are many spiritual paths to one God, and the Baha’i Faith offers the latest education for the journey.
There are remarkable elements of this Faith that daily herald a new view and spiritual purpose for our planet.
The Baha’i Faith has no clergy and advocates no ritual. We meet regularly every 19 days for a Feast of Prayer and Community. The Baha’i community is built through consultation rather than traditional models of leadership.
Spiritual Assemblies made up of nine who are annually elected community members serve administratively at the local, regional, national and international levels to assist the affairs of the Faith.
Only members of the Faith can contribute economically to it, and only those older than 15 are allowed to formally and individually declare as Baha’is. This new Faith is a wonderful resource that’s available to all and inclusive of all.
On Faith columnist Dr. Chris Gilbert of Baha’i Faith can be reached by e-mail at ckgilbert9@netscape.net. For more information, visit www.bahai.org.


He is not to be numbered with the people of Baha who followeth his mundane desires, or fixeth his heart on the things of the earth. He is My true follower who, if he come to a valley of pure gold, will pass straight through it aloof as a cloud, and will neither turn back, nor pause. Such a man is, assuredly, of Me… And if he met the fairest and most comely of women, he would not feel his heart seduced by the least shadow of desire for her beauty. Such a one, indeed is the creation of spotless chastity.

Baha’u’llah
Gleanings, no. LX, pp. 117-8]]> http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-955/ Fri, 19 Feb 2010 08:08:49 +0000 Clethass http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-954/ TEHRAN
Sun Feb 14, 2010 4:38am EST

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Five members of the outlawed Baha'i faith, which has bee...]]> 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-Bahá. 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]]> http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-954/ Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:38:37 +0000 Clethass http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-953/ BY MAGGIE HYDE
FEB 11, 2010

In his last year of high school in Iran, Shahrooz decided to be...]]> BY MAGGIE HYDE
FEB 11, 2010

In his last year of high school in Iran, Shahrooz decided to become Baha’i. The decision changed his life.
When he applied for the exam that all Iranian high schoolers must take to continue their education, he did not check one of the four religions listed on the card. In an open space, he wrote something else.
“I wrote ‘I am Baha’i,’” he said.
Shahrooz said when the card was returned to him, it indicated he was Muslim. He appealed to officials to change it. They would not. He insisted.
They tore up the card in front of him, essentially denying him any further education.
“They told me I couldn’t [take the test],” he said.
Now a 27-year-old studying biology at Northeastern Illinois University, Shahrooz asked that only his first name be used. He has been in the U.S. for three months, and does not want to be targeted by the Iranian government if he should return to Iran.
Shahrooz is one of approximately 13,000 Baha'i Iranian refugees in the U.S., according to Shastri Purushotma, human rights officer for the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States. There are roughly 164,000 total registered Baha’is in the U.S.
Since the religion emerged in Iran in the mid-19th century, its followers have been subjected to discrimination and ridicule.
In the wake of the 1979 revolution, the anniversary of which is celebrated Feb. 11, Baha’is were targeted by the theocratic Shiite government. An estimated 200 Baha’is have been executed for their faith since the revolution, according to Robert Stockman, an instructor of Religious Studies at DePaul University who works at the Wilmette Baha’i Institute.
In the recent strife the country has experienced, Stockman said Baha’is are again under fire.
“The situation has again become extremely serious,” he said.
Recent attention has been focused on the arrests of seven high-profile Baha’is, who are called the “yaran,” or “the friends." The seven were tried in court on Feb. 7. They have been accused of espionage, creating propaganda, spying for Israel and acting against the state, among other things.
One of the greatest violations of their rights, according to some Baha’i refugees, is the education they are denied.
Changiz Geula, a professor of neuroscience at Northwestern Medical School, is an Iranian Baha’i who came to the U.S. in 1973 for college. He said he and his parents were lucky to get out before the revolution, but neighbors told them after they had left that the government was searching for them.
“They came to our home asking for us,” he said.
Now, Geula said he is saddened to think that young Baha’is are not allowed access to universities and colleges. He said Baha’i teachings value education greatly. He calls young Baha’is in Iran now a “whole generation lost.”
“If I had remained in Iran, I would have been in the same shoes they are,” he said.
He said he is still hopeful for the future of his country, and for the people who live there.
“Iranians want human rights,” he said. “Baha’is are always hopeful, they love Iran.”
Another Northeastern Illinois University student who is Baha’i and Iranian, said she hopes to return to Iran one day, and use what she has learned to help the people there. She also did not want to be named because she feared for her family who are still in Iran.

She has been in Chicago for two years and wants to study pharmacology.
“My main purpose in coming here is education,” she said.
She said she feels fortunate to be in the U.S., but she worries about her family when she hears of arrests or violence.
“The only thing I can do is pray,” she said.

For her and Shahrooz, it has been a long journey, and one that is not yet over.
Shahrooz said his escape involved an illegal border crossing on horseback and foot, and a long stay in Turkey so he could get refugee status. Now, he has to get used to the Chicago winters and the new country.
“It’s really hard,” he said of the move. “But you have to do it.”
He said he is immensely grateful for all of the opportunity, but he still misses Iran.
“Sometimes, I think I do not belong here,” he said.
Sharooz, Geula and other Iranian refugees around the world were holding their breath for what happens Thursday, a day when typically both supporters and dissidents take to the streets.
“We have to wait and see,” said Geula.

The Baha'i faith
• Started in Iran in 1844 by Baha’u’llah
• Approximately 5 million followers in 236 countries
• Baha’is consider Baha’u’llah to be the most recent in a succession of prophets that includes Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad.
• The teachings emphasize unity and equality among all people
• There are no official clergy, only elected Baha’i leaders
• Baha’u’llah means “Glory of Glories” in Arabic
http://www.bahai.us/about-bahai


It is enjoined upon every one of you to engage in some form of occupation, such as crafts, trades and the like… Waste not your time in idleness and sloth. Occupy yourselves with that which profiteth yourselves and others.

Baha’u’llah
Tablets, p. 26]]> http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-953/ Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:39:32 +0000 Clethass http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-952/ Richmond News
Published: Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The Editor,

On Monday, Feb. 1, seven Richmond youth (ages 11...]]> 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]]> http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-952/ Thu, 11 Feb 2010 10:10:14 +0000 Clethass http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-951/ By David Gestoso

Some regard it as the cutting edge in the organisation of human society. ...]]> By David Gestoso

Some regard it as the cutting edge in the organisation of human society. Others discard it as a sect. In a few countries it is considered a threat: its followers - mercilessly persecuted and discriminated against.
The Baha'i faith is a monotheistic religion and is considered to be the youngest of the independent religions of the world. It was founded in 1863 in Persia by Mirza Husain Ali, who later became known as Baha'u'llah, which, in Arabic, means 'glory of god'.

Baha'u'llah had been a leader in the Babist movement, which was started by a young Iranian who called himself the Bab. The Bab declared that a new divine messenger, following the line of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohamed would soon appear.

This proclamation was a challenge to the Muslim state in which he lived, and, ultimately led to his arrest. After the Bab's execution, Baha'u'llah was imprisoned in Tehran- where he experienced divine revelations- and wrote letters and books outlining his ideas for human harmony.

After his release, he begun a life in exile, and declared himself to be the new messenger of god- hence- the Baha'i faith was born. The core message of Baha'u'llahs teachings is that humanity is a single race, and that the moment has come for its unification in a global society, breaking the traditional barriers of race, gender, social class, creed and nation.

The religion is practised in most parts of the world, and of the approximately five million members claimed worldwide by the Baha'i authorities, seven to eight thousand live in Nepal - a relatively small figure in a country where the overwhelming majority of the population is Hindu and Buddhist.

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is in Nepal is located in Shantinagar, Kathmandu. The two-storey building is surrounded by clean and well-kept gardens, and people from all faiths are welcome to visit.

As I entered the gates of the Baha'i Spiritual Assembly, I was led to the first floor of the building and invited to sit in one of the meeting rooms. An air of serenity filled the place.

It was large and tastefully decorated with bamboo furniture, white cushions and a white carpet, sported on the walls were pictures of the Baha'i Universal House of Justice, which is the world governing body and the epicentre of the Baha'i faith, in Haifa, Israel.

Just as I was flicking through some of the books on Baha'i teachings, Larry Robertson, Chairman of the centre, entered the room and greeted me with a smile and an amiable handshake.

Mr Robertson, aged 59, lives in Kathmandu with his Nepali wife. He first came to Nepal in 1973 after gaining a civil engineering degree in his native America, to work as a peace-corps volunteer, and fell in love with the country.

He wasn't a Baha'i when he first came to the Nepal but admits that the experience he gained during that time in the country played a pivotal role when choosing his spiritual path.

"I was a Christian when I first came to Nepal," he explains, "but mingling with people from other faiths gave me a different perspective on religion."

Mr Robertson believes their faith is well-established in Nepalese society and he also assures me that no discrimination has been shown against their members, although things were different in the past.

"Before 1990, Nepal had very strict laws about teaching other faiths, so we had to teach on a very personal basis and we couldn't run any activities."

"It was more individual, Baha'is telling other people, but after our temple was built in India, people became more aware about our faith."

"Some people dismiss our faith, accusing us of being a sect of Islam, but it is not true," he protests, "the same way, you can't say that Christianity is a sect of Judaism."

"One of the amazing things is that Nepalese people are very responsive. They pick up things fairly easy and they are now responding to the Baha'i faith."

However, he points out that despite being registered with the government, religious minorities in Nepal still encounter many hurdles to have their faiths recognised by the Nepalese authorities, often having to register as NGOs.

"At the moment, the only way to register, is as an NGO, not as a religious rganization, and that is one of the issues we're raising with the government for the new constitution."

As in any other religion, an important part of the Baha'i faith is to spread their message and to educate. This is mainly done via a process of reflection, planning and action.

Education takes a central role for the Baha'is and it is highly encouraged for everybody from a very young age, says Mr Robertson.
"We have devotional meetings where we invite friends and neighbours, and we organise children classes on moral education."

"We also have junior activities, it helps them develop a sense of who they are, to think more critically and to judge on whether things are right or wrong. It helps them to work on these issues as they reach puberty."

"For 15-year-olds and above, we have study circles - designed to develop our human resources."

Arguably, one of the most painful issues for the Baha'is, is the increasing discrimination and human rights violations they've been subjected to over the years at the hands of the theocratic regime in Iran, the birthplace of their faith.

A recent report published by the committee for the promotion and protection of human rights of the United Nations, expresses its deep concerns at serious ongoing and recurring human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran, in particular, attacks against Baha'is.

According to this report, there is increasing evidence of efforts by the state to identify, monitor and arbitrarily detain Baha'is, prevent members of the Baha'i faith from attending university and from sustaining themselves economically.

When I asked Mr Robertson for his opinion about the current situation on the Baha'is in Iran, he paused for a moment, held his palms aloft, and replied:" the Iranian government banned the administrative order, so we can't have priests."

"It is a very sensitive issue, and the Universal House of Justice is looking at it very closely. Many governments have voiced their concerns: the Netherlands, the UK and certainly the US."

"Every year the issue of human rights comes up in the UN, and the Baha'is is one of the groups mentioned as being persecuted for their religious faith. Seven Baha'i leaders were detained last year and faced serious charges without adequate or timely access to legal representation."

"Nepal used to vote against the UN resolution on the human rights situation in Iran, but we managed to convince the Nepalese government at least not to vote, just to abstain from it, and we're very thankful to them for that."

"But, you know, situations can change very quickly. Right now, the Nepalese and Iranian governments are working on a bilateral treaty of non-visas for nationals of both countries, so you never really know what might happen."

Mr Robertson's conversion from Christianity to the Baha'i faith is not an isolated case, but part of a wider trend.

Religion and philosophy, both, Eastern and Western, have never been more accessible to us than in our current global society, and, many people, who become disillusioned with their way of life, are embarking on a spiritual journey, seeking practical guidelines for a better form of living.

One such spiritual transformation happened to a Nepali, who became disenchanted with certain aspects of Hinduism, and converted to the Baha'i faith.

Mr Dhirga Vikram Shah assures me that his life has taken a positive turn after becoming a Baha'i. He is now the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is in Nepal.
The soft-spoken 58-year-old, converted to the Baha'i faith 25 years ago, he recalls:" I first heard about the Baha'i faith when I was working at the Ministry of Education. An American named David Walker, was at the time, the advisor for the Adult Education Program, he gave me the books, and searching for the truth, I became a Baha'i."

"My life has changed a lot," he adds, "before, as a Hindu, I used to drink, now as a Baha'i I don't. Before I was involved in politics, but now I'm not."

Baha'is are not allowed to become involved in politics as it is divisive, and anything that divides people, they have to stay away from.

"I follow the Baha'i principles: honesty, sincerity and truthfulness. I work towards the peace and unity of humankind."

"Also, in Nepal, there's a caste system, but I think we're all from the same root. I don't like the caste system. You see, God created us without a caste system, we're all from the same family," Mr Dirga smiles shyly.

The Nepalese constitution is about to be written, and religious and ethnic minorities, regardless of their size, need a pledge from the Nepalese government, to have a fair and equal representation on the new constitution.

As Mr Robertson pointed out, the Baha'i faith is peacefully coexisting with the other major religions in the country, but perhaps, without the same recognition.

Freedom of thought and religion takes a long time to build, and it has to be promoted, and defended with all our strength against every challenge.

The writer can be reached at forzacelta@asia.com . nepalnews.com


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]]> http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-951/ Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:53:17 +0000 Clethass http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-950/ February 3, 2010

I won!!!!!!!!...]]> February 3, 2010

I won!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nope. Not the lottery. Not a Grammy. Not American Idol
. SOMETHING EVEN MORE ASTOUNDING!
At the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Public Awards Program Saturday night at City Council Chambers I was awarded the 2010 Baha'i Unity of Humanity Award! Without warning me first, Dottie Henderson of Unity Church had written a glowing nomination for me, and she was so eloquent that the committee couldn't resist! I've read over the nomination, and Dottie seems to have the idea that I write songs about peace, personal growth, and social justice and then live my life like I believe my own songs! (Probably a dangerous thing sometimes!) I was so HONORED. Thank you so much, Dottie, for recognizing that there really IS some method to my madness! And yes, I truly do believe that music is magic. Music is medicine. Music can work miracles. And music CAN help us remake the world. Moreover--music with a message and peacemaking with music is well worth the investment of my lifetime.

http://www.danaclarkmusic.com/
Church music director receives award Dana Clark, music director at Unity Church of San Antonio, was awarded the 2010 Baha’i Unity of Humanity Award by the San Antonio Martin Luther King Jr. Commission last month.
Dottie Henderson, who nominated Clark for the award, wrote to the city commission: “Clark is in service to humanity and the world through a ministry of music as a singer, songwriter, musician, poet, music teacher and writer. A review of her work consistently presents themes of unity, harmony and oneness in the world, healing differences, and treating everyone with dignity and respect.”
Clark founded the San Antonio Peace Choir in 2006 and is co-founder of the Lewis and Clark Musical Expedition band,

Among some of the nations of the Orient, music and harmony was not approved of, but the Manifested Light, Bahá'u'lláh, in this glorious period has revealed in Holy Tablets that singing and music are the spiritual food of the hearts and souls. In this dispensation, music is one of the arts that is highly approved and is considered to be the cause of the exaltation of sad and desponding hearts.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 377)]]> http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-950/ Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:31:14 +0000 Clethass http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-949/ The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved the Doomsday Clock back one minute last Thursday. Pu...]]> The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved the Doomsday Clock back one minute last Thursday. Pushing the minute hand back on the clock that anticipates the end of the human race as we know it is supposed to reflect a “growing political will” to tackle our two greatest threats: climate change and nuclear Armageddon. Still, we’re precariously poised at six minutes to midnight on the famous timekeeper that first debuted in 1947, indicating we don’t have much time to get our collective sh*t together.
I’m not so sure that we weren’t a little safer in 1953, when the clock was set to just two minutes before midnight as the U.S. and U.S.S.R. detonated test nukes within months of each other. I dunno… two superpowers flexing global muscle versus leagues of ICBM-teethed nations, plus 53 years of carbon emissions thrown into the mix? Then again, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists includes 19 Nobel Laureates, so who am I to argue? You can check out the clock here.
Are certain days more religious than others?
Baha’is (presumably with Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Chritian Scientists, Mormons, Shinto, Bhuddists, and any open-minded followers of other denominations) celebrated World Religion Day this past Sunday. Observers gathered at hundreds of locations across the world to acknowledge their continuing aim to “foster the establishment of interfaith understanding and harmony by emphasizing the common denominators underlying all religions,” according to a World Religion Day Web site that isn’t officially affiliated with the Baha’i community.
Landing on the third Sunday in January, World Religion Day was established by the Baha’is in 1949 and was first observed the following year. I don’t know if Baha’is would agree with me or not, but shouldn’t every day be World Religion Day? Are worldy pursuits so demanding and engaging that we need special days set aside throughout the year to rejoice and rejuvenate the religion in our souls? Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Let’s work 10 days a year and then kick around and pray to the glory the rest of the time. I’d sign up for that.
Do super pious sports teams have better on-field success?
OK, we've riffed on the whole thanking god for winning sports games thing before, but this is a little bit different: Egyptian national football (that’s soccer to you Statesiders) coach Hassan Shehata told newspapers last week that talent and skill alone are not enough to secure a spot playing on the national team—players must also demonstrate “pious behaviour” and prove that they are on ongoing, good terms with God. Shehata is serious, too. Striker Ahmed Mido was cut last month just a couple of days before his expected selection, apparently due to his hard partying ways. Is God impressed? Evidence points both ways: while the Egyptian team is currently shooting for its third straight Africa Cup, they failed to qualify for the World Cup, losing to Algeria 0-1. Egypt has not qualified for World Cup play since 1990.
Pukirahe
- 2 minutes ago
Yes, definitely. We have the intelligent mind to ovecome the laws of nature and to train nature. In our infancy we have created a mess, in our maturity we are cleansing and beautifying this planet. So many enterprises have been recognized by UNESCO as world heritage, and myriads of greater works of the mature human beings will be recognized. We are not facing the doomsday, but a very brilliant future. With means like the Internet, great builders and managers of this globe can easily exchange views and use the positive thoughts, words and deeds to create incredible monuments for the next generations to contemplate and to carry forward the physical, intellectual and spiritual progress. Little mind like mine can think at this level, hence I firmly believe that greater minds can make and implement wiser and greater plans. Yes, we are carrying forward an ever-advancing civilization on earth.


All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. The Almighty beareth Me witness: To act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of man. Those virtues that befit his dignity are forbearance, mercy, compassion and loving-kindness towards all the peoples and kindreds of the earth. Say: O friends! Drink your fill from this crystal stream that floweth through the heavenly grace of Him Who is the Lord of Names. Let others partake of its waters in My name, that the leaders of men in every land may fully recognize the purpose for which the Eternal Truth hath been revealed, and the reason for which they themselves have been created.
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 214)]]> http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-949/ Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:29:11 +0000 Clethass http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-948/ 28 January, 2010 10:00:00By Hlengiwe Ndlovu
http://www.observer.org.sz/index.php?news=10713

SETSEMBISO Sebunye (Ba...]]> 28 January, 2010 10:00:00By Hlengiwe Ndlovu
http://www.observer.org.sz/index.php?news=10713

SETSEMBISO Sebunye (Baha’i) High School has attained an impressive 99% overall pass rate in the IGCSE exams.
The results were recently released by Cambridge and Setsembiso Sebunye already has access to both ICGSE and AS (Advanced Subsidiary) results.
Setsembiso Sebunye students have been fetching their results from the school since Monday, and for most, it was smiles all the way home as the results were good.
The performance for AS was also impressive as over 60% of the students recorded C grades and better in all subjects.
The school already has access to both IGCSE and AS results because it directly subscribes to Cambridge.
Impressed
Principal Mangaliso Dlamini was impressed with the school’s performance, especially after making an analysis of the results.
He said the school would have attained a 100% pass rate but for some reason, one student missed some of the papers during the exam.
Most schools in the country are doing the localised version of the IGCSE syllabus, SGCSE, though with some schools the syllabus has not been fully localised.
At Baha’i, the only subject that is being done under the localised SGCSE is SiSwati.
Horizons
The school is looking at means of broadening its horizons by offering commercial and humanities studies at the AS level.
Currently, only science subjects are being offered at AS for science, which limits the course only to students who want to pursue scientifically related fields.
Accompanied by their parents, students have been flocking the school to fetch their results from the school yesterday.
Smiles
Whiz kid Ntandoyenkhosi Mabuza who was in the company of her father was all smiles on Tuesday when she fetched her results from the school.
She has been admitted to the University of Pretoria to pursue Medicine and she is expected to begin classes today.


But knowledge of the need of this power is not sufficient. Realizing that wealth is desirable is not becoming wealthy. The admission that scientific attainment is praiseworthy does not confer scientific knowledge. Acknowledgment of the excellence of honor does not make a man honorable. Knowledge of human conditions and the needed remedy for them is not the cause of their betterment. To admit that health is good does not constitute health. A skilled physician is needed to remedy existing human conditions. As a physician is required to have complete knowledge of pathology, diagnosis, therapeutics and treatment, so this world physician must be wise, skillful and capable before health will result. His mere knowledge is not health; it must be applied and the remedy carried out.

The attainment of any object is conditioned upon knowledge, volition and action. Unless these three conditions are forthcoming there is no execution or accomplishment.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 100)]]> http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-948/ Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:29:57 +0000 Clethass http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-947/ BY JOYCE FULLER KLEIKAMP
Baha’i Community of Pinal County

One of the most disheartening and frustrating aspects of the...]]> BY JOYCE FULLER KLEIKAMP
Baha’i Community of Pinal County

One of the most disheartening and frustrating aspects of the religions of the world is that they seem to be so different from each other. What’s more, each particular religion has numerous branches and sects that can appear as different from each other as the major faiths themselves.

This is why the central theme and purpose of the Baha’i faith, to unite the human family within one universal cause, within one common faith, has sparked hope and excitement in the hearts of people everywhere.

In the past in all other religions, the followers were left to themselves once their manifestation of God was no longer walking among them. Thousands of disputes arose resulting in the fracturing and splitting of the faithful into sects, denominations and groups. The underlying cause of this disunity was often a strong desire for leadership on the part of ambitious individuals. Differences of opinion about what should be done and what should happen created problems that ultimately could not withstand the pressure. No one, no group, was authorized to act. This is now the day, the era, in which the power of unity has been preserved through the unique functioning of the covenant.

The divine design for unity has been safeguarded; Baha’u’llah protected the faith against division by writing his will and testament, in it designating his eldest son, Abdu’l-Baha, to be the sole interpreter of his teachings and Center of the Covenant. Abdu’l-Baha’s life was a gift to humanity. He was the perfect exemplar of the teachings. He lived for 77 years, shared the exiles and tribulations of his father, labored to spread the word of God throughout the east and west, and wrote thousands of tablets and letters which educated the Baha’is in the ways of unity. His writings are an important part of the writings of the Baha’i faith.

By focusing on the life and writings of Abdu’l-Baha, as the center of the covenant, in addition to the life and writings of Baha’u’llah himself, the worldwide Baha’i community remained united in their efforts to create a new civilization based upon the understanding that we are one human family and that there is a blueprint for building unity in our communities. We understand that justice is a key that overlooking the faults of others and developing virtues is vital.

Furthering the protection of the faith, Abdu’l-Baha wrote in his will that his eldest grandson, Shoghi Effendi, would serve as guardian of the faith, to be the authorized interpreter of the teachings and to guide the expansion of the faith in every part of the world. For 36 years, he clarified and educated humanity. And now, as clearly delineated, the affairs of the Baha’i world are handled by elected councils of people, at the local, national and international levels. The supreme institution guiding the faith is called the Universal House of Justice.

Throughout these years of divine revelation, divine interpretation and authorized action, the Baha’is continue to build unity in the world community; this unity is based upon the foundation of the laws and commandments given to us by the manifestation of God for this day, the promised one of all ages.

Next week, we’ll explore some of the most important and exciting of these laws and guidelines. These are the building blocks of our unity, the lamps of guidance for our footsteps. This series of articles is taken directly from the presentation entitled “The Baha’i Faith”.

Visit the Web site for the local Baha’i chapter at www.bahai.org.


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]]> http://www.bahaihub.com/Clethass/blog/one-word-god-947/ Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:28:39 +0000 Clethass