Search found 96 matches

by MontanaDon
Sat Dec 26, 2020 12:37 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: baha'i writings addressing pornography specifically?
Replies: 52
Views: 71092

Re: baha'i writings addressing pornography specifically?

https://bahai-library.com/uhj_nudity_art [permission to post by recipient] THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT OF THE SECRETARIAT 30 July 2008 Dear Bahà’i Friend, Your email letter of 13 July 2008, enclosing a copy of an email of 15 January 2007 requesting guidance on the subject of nudity in ...
by MontanaDon
Tue Oct 22, 2019 12:59 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Has there ever been a case of the UHJ forgiving a Covenant breaker
Replies: 4
Views: 19274

Re: Has there ever been a case of the UHJ forgiving a Covenant breaker

IMO, the role of the House of Justice in such matters is administrative, not spiritual.
by MontanaDon
Thu Oct 17, 2019 12:49 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Has there ever been a case of the UHJ forgiving a Covenant breaker
Replies: 4
Views: 19274

Re: Has there ever been a case of the UHJ forgiving a Covenant breaker

The closest I can think of is the case of Perdu, who was declared a CB due to contacts w/ Sohrab. Officially, no decision was made, but his family believes the Hands/Counsellors had approved the idea and all it needed was the official statement by the House of Justice. However, before that could occ...
by MontanaDon
Mon Jul 08, 2019 4:55 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Children's prayer
Replies: 2
Views: 15715

Re: Children's prayer

The earliest I can find is this - - - - A Compilation of the Words of Baha'o'llah and Abdul-Baha to assist Parents and Teachers in the Education of Children Compiled By Pauline A. Hannen Star of the West Vol IX, #10, September 8, 1918m, p114 It has the prayer and says it is "In Tablet to Mrs. E...
by MontanaDon
Thu May 23, 2019 6:43 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Where did "All religions are one" come from?
Replies: 2
Views: 16857

Re: Where did "All religions are one" come from?

From Mahmud's Diary Friday, November 22, 1912 [New York] The Master spent the morning until noon at His residence. In the afternoon He went to a gathering at the home of Mrs Krug. The meeting with such eager friends was very enjoyable. A feature of the afternoon was the visit from a Christian minist...
by MontanaDon
Sat Mar 11, 2017 5:46 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Please define "self and passion"
Replies: 4
Views: 32908

Re: Please define "self and passion"

passion is an emotional response, a strong desire or predisposition.

today instead of "self" we would prob say "ego".

Don C
by MontanaDon
Sat Jan 14, 2017 4:53 pm
Forum: Bahá'í Writings
Topic: Book of Certitude - Noah
Replies: 6
Views: 39652

Re: Book of Certitude - Noah

950 years is the traditional age of Noah for Judaism, Christianity and Islam. As to the number of followers, not that He also says - - - Finally, as stated in books and traditions, there remained with Him only forty or seventy-two of His followers. At last from the depth of His being He cried aloud:...
by MontanaDon
Sat Jan 14, 2017 4:35 pm
Forum: Bahá'í Writings
Topic: Moving Qibla ?
Replies: 4
Views: 31730

Re: Moving Qibla ?

The Bab, in the Arabic Bayan, designated "Him Whom God shall make manifest" as the Qiblih. The Qiblih is indeed He Whom God will make manifest; whenever He moveth, it moveth, until He shall come to rest. Baha'u'llah confirmed this, so His resting place is the Qiblih. 137 O people of the Ba...
by MontanaDon
Tue Nov 15, 2016 12:45 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: hypnotist ?
Replies: 3
Views: 26724

Re: hypnotist ?

August Forel was a practitioner and taught it on the college level. Julie Chanler mentions Ahmad Sohrab telling stories about his activities as a hypnotist. Harlan Ober and several others used and encouraged "self-hypnosis", a technique that appears to be a type of auto-suggestion and rela...
by MontanaDon
Fri Aug 05, 2016 6:47 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: "Prayer of the Pacific"?
Replies: 4
Views: 37492

Re: "Prayer of the Pacific"?

It is an approved translation published in "MEMORIES OF NINE YEARS IN 'AKKA", Dr. Youness Afroukhteh. "My dear reader, in this third chapter of the book the pen has run wild and the story grown long. But alas, alas, not even this overly-long presentation can truly depict a drop from t...
by MontanaDon
Tue Jul 26, 2016 12:41 am
Forum: Bahá'í Writings
Topic: The last sections in the Dawnbreakers.
Replies: 2
Views: 29907

Re: The last sections in the Dawnbreakers.

Go back to the beginning of the Chapter, p582. He spends the next several pages saying that the people have rcvd all that is necessary to believe in a discussion of the reaction of people to His claims and then makes the statement you cite as the reason for these various reactions.

Don C
by MontanaDon
Tue Jun 07, 2016 5:18 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Simulation hypothesis/quantum physics and the Faith
Replies: 5
Views: 36656

Re: Simulation hypothesis/quantum physics and the Faith

https://medium.com/@vahidhoustonranjbar/ Vahid Houston Ranjbar is a physicist currently working at the RHIC collider in Brookhaven National Labs. His field is beam dynamics and spin physics. http://irfancolloquia.org/pdf/lights9_klebel_cosmos.pdf Emergence, Enchantment, Entanglement and Excellence o...
by MontanaDon
Sun Apr 03, 2016 1:49 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Paid functions in the Faith
Replies: 4
Views: 34848

Re: Paid functions in the Faith

Baha'i institutions are allowed to receive appropriate compensation for services rendered. For instance, they can rent space to non-Baha'i organizations in a building they own at market value. At one time, the NSA of Guyana had a contract to provide educational services in the rural areas of that co...
by MontanaDon
Wed Mar 23, 2016 6:29 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: un-translated writings
Replies: 5
Views: 32480

Re: un-translated writings

I have been told that some tablets will never be translated because they are in a jargon that nobody understands any more. I have also been told other tablets are so ambiguous that an "official" translation will prob never be approved since there is no longer a living Guardian. I have also...
by MontanaDon
Fri Mar 11, 2016 7:15 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Darwin loss of faith
Replies: 3
Views: 26700

Re: Darwin loss of faith

I think there's a pilgrim's note that is more specific, but this has a similar idea, fm Paris Talks - - - I hope you are all happy and well. I am not happy, but very sad. The news of the Battle of Benghazi grieves my heart. I wonder at the human savagery that still exists in the world! How is it pos...
by MontanaDon
Sun May 03, 2015 2:41 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Compilation of Compilations
Replies: 2
Views: 26957

Re: Compilation of Compilations

All three volumes are available here - see http://bahai-library.com/Books
by MontanaDon
Wed Apr 22, 2015 1:15 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Ridvan message, 2015
Replies: 1
Views: 24444

Re: Ridvan message, 2015

For me, this is one of the most important statements - - - -
Change in a cluster, be it swift or hard won, flows neither from a formulaic approach nor from random activity; it proceeds to the rhythm of action, reflection, and consultation, and is propelled by plans that are the fruit of experience.
by MontanaDon
Fri Mar 06, 2015 8:15 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: What do Baha'is say about Exodus & 40 years wandering
Replies: 2
Views: 27215

Re: What do Baha'is say about Exodus & 40 years wandering

I don't think you'll find a satisfactory answer. IMO, most of the history in the Bible needs to be understood as myth in a technical sense. They are stories with some factual basis but in which the point of the story is more important than factual accuracy, stories that tell who a people are, where ...
by MontanaDon
Sat Dec 27, 2014 5:54 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Is the UN or human rights work "political involvement"
Replies: 4
Views: 34186

Re: Is the UN or human rights work "political involvement"

This is a complex topic and I recommend people read and carefully consider all the authoritative tests on the issue. What is the problem w/ political involvement and why did Abdu'l-Baha say to get out? IMO, it is because the purpose of political activities today is the accretion of power in order to...
by MontanaDon
Thu Nov 20, 2014 9:50 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Day of the Covenant
Replies: 5
Views: 37957

Re: Day of the Covenant

OK, but the Day of the Covenant is 181 days after the Passing of Baha'u'llah, not 180.

Don C
by MontanaDon
Thu Nov 20, 2014 11:02 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Day of the Covenant
Replies: 5
Views: 37957

Re: Day of the Covenant

The usual answer is that Abdu'l-Baha did not want His observance to take away from the observance of the Declaration of the Bab and therefore chose a day 6 Gregorian months from the Ascension of Baha'u'llah, the day on which He assumed the role of Center of the Covenant. However - - - - Why then did...
by MontanaDon
Mon Nov 17, 2014 6:22 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Relation between Seir and Jesus
Replies: 5
Views: 38463

Re: Relation between Seir and Jesus

I find that there are some Muslim references, e.g. 10th cent C.E. Syrian poet Wawa Al-Dimashki, that identify the mount where Nazareth is built as Seir. But this appears to be based on the assumption that Seir is to be identified w/ Jesus and not because it was previously known as Mt Seir. I persona...
by MontanaDon
Thu Nov 13, 2014 3:32 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Relation between Seir and Jesus
Replies: 5
Views: 38463

Re: Relation between Seir and Jesus

My understanding is that this is an esoteric Muslim teaching used by Shaykh Ahmad. It was believed that when Jesus went into the wilderness, it was on Mt Seir that He had His sanctification, that it was here after rejecting the offers of Satan that He "became" a Manifestation. As to where ...
by MontanaDon
Sat Oct 25, 2014 5:17 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Ocean
Replies: 8
Views: 47498

Re: Ocean

He did, Jonah, and then it disappeared again, in late spring or early summer.

BTW, there are several other implementations of the Lucene engine for Windows machines, at a variety of costs, as well as DevonThink for Macs.

Ocean and Archive share a different engine.

Don C
by MontanaDon
Fri Oct 24, 2014 9:20 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Ocean
Replies: 8
Views: 47498

Re: Ocean

I'm not sure this is going to be available again for a while. There were some problems w/ some of the material that was being included. I suggest you download Archive, a Mac oriented system. http://www.schoolmarmwood.org/Home_files/ARCHIVE.zip Unzip it and save the various data files to a directory....
by MontanaDon
Fri Sep 12, 2014 3:58 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: US/Canada history
Replies: 4
Views: 31285

Re: US/Canada history

Don't find anything definitive. Horace Holley says he "was born into and grew up wlth a family of pioneer Baha'is. His spiritual environment from youth was Baha'i." (BW Vol X, 511) Stockman in his Vol 2, chap 14, says Thorton Chase was an important teacher for Portland in the years when Ja...
by MontanaDon
Thu Jul 24, 2014 12:19 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Women on the UHJ and Abdu'l-Baha's letters to Corrine True
Replies: 18
Views: 74938

Re: Women on the UHJ and Abdu'l-Baha's letters to Corrine Tr

Jennifer -
With the exception of the quotation from Compilation on Women, these are provisional translations of Persian pilgrims' notes published by the Persian Publishing Trust in Iran.

The Compilation on Women can be found at http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/c/CW/

Don C
by MontanaDon
Wed Jul 23, 2014 10:41 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Women on the UHJ and Abdu'l-Baha's letters to Corrine True
Replies: 18
Views: 74938

Re: Women on the UHJ and Abdu'l-Baha's letters to Corrine Tr

Has anybody ever seen a bogus letter from the House of Justice posted on a web site?

Don C
by MontanaDon
Mon Jul 21, 2014 11:32 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Women on the UHJ and Abdu'l-Baha's letters to Corrine True
Replies: 18
Views: 74938

Re: Women on the UHJ and Abdu'l-Baha's letters to Corrine Tr

There's another possibility that nobody wants to talk about. What if women are never to serve on any House of Justice? They are currently allowed to serve on Spiritual Assemblies, but what if that changes when they attain the status of House of Justice? I have never seen any authoritative citations ...
by MontanaDon
Thu Jun 26, 2014 7:49 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Any comments on teaching of Carlos Castaneda?
Replies: 7
Views: 44830

Re: Any comments on teaching of Carlos Castaneda?

Carlos Castenada did not begin writing til the mid 60's.
So far as I know, the House of Justice has never commented on him.
by MontanaDon
Wed May 07, 2014 1:31 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: President of UHJ
Replies: 4
Views: 32797

Re: President of UHJ

There has never been a President of the House of Justice; there have never been any officers of any kind. That's why no individual ever signs letters/msgs from the House of Justice.
by MontanaDon
Fri Mar 14, 2014 1:39 pm
Forum: Bahá'í Writings
Topic: every trace, fruit, and mention
Replies: 1
Views: 22765

Re: every trace, fruit, and mention

I would ask Will McCants. I assume it is his translation.

Don C
by MontanaDon
Mon Mar 10, 2014 2:43 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Schizophrenia and serving in Institutions of the Faith
Replies: 7
Views: 30569

Re: Schizophrenia and serving in Institutions of the Faith

I have to wonder if you understand what a diagnosis of schizophrenia indicates. I doubt that a person in whom it is out of control could be elected to an Assembly. The most common symptoms are delusions, disorganized thinking, a lack of emotion and a lack of motivation. If you see evidence of them, ...
by MontanaDon
Mon Mar 10, 2014 10:36 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Schizophrenia and serving in Institutions of the Faith
Replies: 7
Views: 30569

Re: Schizophrenia and serving in Institutions of the Faith

OK, then the first question is, "Is the person's behavior disruptive?" If not, then there is nothing to be done. That is one of the implicartions of the quote I posted. People with many mental disorders are capable of functioning just fine so long as they stay on their meds. And it's not a...
by MontanaDon
Mon Mar 10, 2014 6:35 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Schizophrenia and serving in Institutions of the Faith
Replies: 7
Views: 30569

Re: Schizophrenia and serving in Institutions of the Faith

It is the responsibility of Bahá’í Assemblies to decide when individual interests should be subordinated to those affecting the collective welfare of the community. But, as already stated, the interest of the individual should always be safeguarded within certain limits, and provided they do not se...
by MontanaDon
Mon Jan 27, 2014 9:16 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Baha'i Review
Replies: 3
Views: 20470

Re: Baha'i Review

Excerpt from a letter of the Bahá’í Internet Agency to a National Spiritual Assembly, as emailed to an individual by the U.S. Review Office [date of source unknown; quotation shared by Review Office in October 2012] The emerging category of "electronic books" is subject to the usual pre-pu...
by MontanaDon
Mon Jan 27, 2014 9:57 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Question regarding Baha'i Heresy
Replies: 4
Views: 24595

Re: Question regarding Baha'i Heresy

Without actually reading the site and context - - - - once in a while things like this sneak thru. I.e. - Stuff happens! 8-)

By and large, our moderators keep on top of this type of thing pretty well.

Don C
by MontanaDon
Wed Jan 15, 2014 10:57 pm
Forum: Bahá'í Writings
Topic: Author of the Bayan
Replies: 1
Views: 19873

Re: Author of the Bayan

Saiedi says that the Bab repeatedly refers to Himself as the Burning Bush in the Qayyumu'l-Asmá' (Gate of the Heart, p68), while Shoghi Effendi says that Baha'u'llah was the Voice in the Burning Bush. .......... Baha'u'llah is not the intermediary between other Manifestations and God. Each has His o...
by MontanaDon
Fri Jan 03, 2014 1:15 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Prophecies fulfilled by Muhammad
Replies: 4
Views: 25335

Re: Prophecies fulfilled by Muhammad

Since He was primarily talking to Muslims, there was no reason to discuss how Muhammad fulfilled prophecies - it was simply assumed. This is the only paper I can think of that discusses the issue. PROPHECY IN THE JOHANNINE FAREWELL DISCOURSE: THE ADVENTS OF THE PARACLETE, AḤMAD AND COMFORTER (MU`AZZ...
by MontanaDon
Wed Jan 01, 2014 12:13 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Returning to Faith
Replies: 13
Views: 45825

Re: Returning to Faith

The following is from Guidelines for LSA's - BAHÁ’Í CREDENTIALS All American Bahá’ís, adult and youth, should carry current Bahá'í Membership cards issued by the National Spiritual Assembly. The cards identify them as members of the Bahá’í Faith in good standing and entitle them to attend Nineteen D...
by MontanaDon
Wed Oct 30, 2013 4:13 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Which NSA members elected the first House of Justice in 1963
Replies: 11
Views: 45415

Re: Which NSA members elected the first House of Justice in

Ministry of the Custodians, beginning on p406.
Also indicates which ones attended in person.

Don C
by MontanaDon
Tue Oct 22, 2013 6:40 pm
Forum: About Baha'i Library
Topic: Can anyone digitize cassettes?
Replies: 2
Views: 25178

Re: Can anyone digitize cassettes?

I'm told it's pretty easy.

http://lifehacker.com/222394/alpha-geek ... ette-tapes
or
http://www.macworld.com/article/1041790/tapetocd.html
There's a guy here in GF that also does LP's, (for a substantial fee!)

Don C
by MontanaDon
Tue Oct 22, 2013 1:23 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Which NSA members elected the first House of Justice in 1963
Replies: 11
Views: 45415

Re: Which NSA members elected the first House of Justice in

There were 56 involved in the election, listed on page 468-9 Check your FB msgs. A bigger issue is figuring out who was on some of the regional and disrupted NSA's. E.g. the NSA's of Iraq, Cuba and Arabia. I do find pics from the 50's and 60's but no names. There were also quite a few Regional NSA's...
by MontanaDon
Tue Oct 22, 2013 1:04 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Poetry Lives!
Replies: 14
Views: 53580

Re: Poetry Lives!

Prob OCR but easier to just use the Word version.
by MontanaDon
Mon Oct 21, 2013 11:01 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Poetry Lives!
Replies: 14
Views: 53580

Re: Poetry Lives!

Oops, take that back.
But the pdf file is partially restricted. While that keeps people from making changes, it also keeps it from being searched. Interesting. Didn't know such things were possible.

Don C
by MontanaDon
Mon Oct 21, 2013 10:33 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Poetry Lives!
Replies: 14
Views: 53580

Re: Poetry Lives!

A bit of a side note, but this is not included in the pdf file at the the BWC site.
by MontanaDon
Mon Oct 21, 2013 2:44 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Baha'i teachings re withholding sex in marriage
Replies: 7
Views: 30275

Re: Baha'i teachings re withholding sex in marriage

Actually, he belonged to a segment w/in the Faith that were convinced that sexual activity other than for the purpose of procreation was at the least discouraged.

There were a few of these people on-line when I first got on-line in 93/94.

Don C
by MontanaDon
Thu Oct 17, 2013 12:04 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: He cannot receive newsletters and other bulletins
Replies: 4
Views: 19100

Re: He cannot receive newsletters and other bulletins

You're making this a legal issue. It isn't. The question is not obedience to the letter of the law, but exemplifying the principle. A Baha'i w/o administrative rights is forbidden from being involved in any administrative activity. That means they can not have a Baha'i marriage because that is an ad...
by MontanaDon
Wed Oct 16, 2013 5:09 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: He cannot receive newsletters and other bulletins
Replies: 4
Views: 19100

Re: He cannot receive newsletters and other bulletins

I suggest you dl Guidelines for Spiritual Assemblies. A Baha'i who has lost their administrative rights can not participate in any Baha'i administrative activity. That includes rcvg information regarding such activity that is not distributed to the general public. The vast amount of news is not rest...
by MontanaDon
Mon Sep 16, 2013 5:18 pm
Forum: About Baha'i Library
Topic: torrent
Replies: 3
Views: 29441

Re: torrent

This has been going really slow. until recently DL speed has been generally <2K/sec when available, which was not even every day. The last couple days have been running around 14K/sec and available far more of the time. I suspect availability is based on when Jonah's personal computer is on-line. As...
by MontanaDon
Thu Aug 29, 2013 8:34 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Procedure of Universal House of Justice decision-making
Replies: 9
Views: 38147

Re: Procedure of Universal House of Justice decision-making

May be you have any information about Yaran and Cademin? Their differences from LSA and NSA? I can only give my impression - A better correlation would be to the Institution of the Learned. I'm guessing that the House of Justice, being obedient at least to the letter of Iranian law, has designated ...
by MontanaDon
Thu Aug 29, 2013 7:25 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Procedure of Universal House of Justice decision-making
Replies: 9
Views: 38147

Re: Procedure of Universal House of Justice decision-making

The undocumented citations above are in a email to an individual dated 1996-10-22.
http://bahai-library.com/uhj_authenticity_some_texts
An older link no longer works.

Don C
by MontanaDon
Thu Aug 29, 2013 5:03 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Baha'i teachings re withholding sex in marriage
Replies: 7
Views: 30275

Re: Baha'i teachings re withholding sex in marriage

Believe it or not, this was an early issue taken to the House of Justice, before the summer of 1966. There is an unpublished letter to the USNSA which says that a refusal to engage in any sexual relations can be taken as *A* sign of estrangement, but is not a sufficient basis for divorce by itself. ...
by MontanaDon
Mon Aug 19, 2013 8:51 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: BIC Statement on Nature
Replies: 1
Views: 10671

Re: BIC Statement on Nature

I have a partial answer. There were two separate statements made. One, the one I asked about, was produced in Sept 86 on the occasion of the formation of the religious Network affiliated w/ the WWF. The only formal Baha'i source appears to be http://iefworld.org/bicpne.htm The other, "official&...
by MontanaDon
Sun Aug 18, 2013 3:51 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: BIC Statement on Nature
Replies: 1
Views: 10671

BIC Statement on Nature

I have a statement headed - A BAHA'I PERSPECTIVE ON NATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT © 1986 Baha'i International Community Office of Public Information September 1986 I can't locate it on the BIC site, this site nor find any idea of who it was written for or why. I do find a listing of it being published ...
by MontanaDon
Fri Aug 16, 2013 10:38 am
Forum: Bahá'í Writings
Topic: Difference between Lawh and Surih
Replies: 2
Views: 25768

Re: Difference between Lawh and Surih

Start here -
http://bahai-library.com/momen_lawson_iranica_lawh

The impression I've gotten over the years is, "If you have to ask, you'll never really understand." LOL

Don C
by MontanaDon
Wed Jul 17, 2013 1:39 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Why were the saints called saints?
Replies: 2
Views: 15338

Re: Why were the saints called saints?

I would say it is obviously a pilgrim's note. but not one in my collection.
The only place I can find Abdu'l-Baha discussing Saints is in Paris Talks, p25, THE TWO NATURES IN MAN,
November 1st. His description there is quite different.

Don C
by MontanaDon
Sun Jun 09, 2013 1:34 am
Forum: About Baha'i Library
Topic: torrent
Replies: 3
Views: 29441

torrent

Is this the best place for this? While I've used torrents for quite a while, I really don't understand some aspects. E.g., who is listed as "seeds" and "peers" at any given time? Why I ask is I have seen as many as 2 seeds, tho' it is currently listed as zero, and as many as 50 p...
by MontanaDon
Fri May 03, 2013 10:04 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: reasons why the bahai faith is not a cult
Replies: 10
Views: 34298

Re: reasons why the bahai faith is not a cult

iranpour - The people who believe the Faith is a cult do not accept your definitions of religion. They believe that the term should be restricted to people who generally believe as they do, usually some type of fundamentalism. I can remember back in the 80's when some of these people took out large ...
by MontanaDon
Thu Apr 25, 2013 7:22 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Can't find the original quote: "Seventy and two meanings"
Replies: 6
Views: 25181

Re: Can't find the original quote: "Seventy and two meanings

The number 72 is a mystic number of major importance in some systems of numerology, perhaps dating back to the Sumerians. It's exact meaning varies, but in general it indicates the harmonious functioning of the whole. According to some commentators, it is a number that can not be fully realized in t...
by MontanaDon
Fri Apr 12, 2013 12:21 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: Savage
Replies: 3
Views: 17573

Re: Savage

Brett - you're making some excellent points. I strongly recommend people read the wiki article on "noble savage" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_savage because this is the literary and philosophical context of Abdu'l-Baha's use of the term "savage". i have been told that the P...
by MontanaDon
Thu Apr 11, 2013 8:17 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: meaning of the names of 19 months
Replies: 16
Views: 61528

Re: meaning of the names of 19 months

Shoghi Effendi used Edwardian English for his translations. The standard reference work for it remains the one he used - Merriam-Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged. He used the 2nd edition, 1934 printing, but the current 3rd edition is little changed. As Ruhiy...
by MontanaDon
Thu Apr 11, 2013 12:56 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: meaning of the names of 19 months
Replies: 16
Views: 61528

Re: meaning of the names of 19 months

Given the limits in precision of human language, humility is not only definable as the absence of pride, but also potentially connoting deference or lack of authority. While deference might be an expression of humility, it is not part of the definition. Only the lack of pride or arrogance. One can ...
by MontanaDon
Wed Apr 10, 2013 10:57 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: meaning of the names of 19 months
Replies: 16
Views: 61528

Re: meaning of the names of 19 months

"Every good quality is no doubt an attribute of God (since again, 'Abdu'l-Baha tells us that we ascribe these qualities to deny God is incapable of imperfections)--unless it is a quality we would not ascribe to God because it is only a good quality due to our own weakness (e.g., humility)."...
by MontanaDon
Wed Apr 10, 2013 12:01 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: meaning of the names of 19 months
Replies: 16
Views: 61528

Re: meaning of the names of 19 months

This is a topic that has been the subject of some controversy. There appear to be a couple issues. First off, there is no authoritative statement that the names of the months are in fact names or attributes of God, as least as westerners are likely to think of the subject. Secondly, the actual name ...
by MontanaDon
Wed Mar 20, 2013 8:59 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: help! The three veils that keep of us from God
Replies: 5
Views: 18796

Re: help! The three veils that keep of us from God

Nels Ferre, Norwegian Lutheran theologian whose graduate class in comparative religion introduced the Hatchers to the Faith, in his little book "The Sun and the Umbrella", said the three great idols confronting Christians were the person of Jesus, the text of the Bible, and the community o...
by MontanaDon
Mon Mar 18, 2013 5:45 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: where do i find it in the quran...
Replies: 22
Views: 50291

Re: where do i find it in the quran...

We do not know w/ any authority whether the Sabean religion still exists in some form. While the Iraqi Mandaeans claim to be the Sabeans of antiquity, we do not know that for sure. Without scriptural authority we are left w/ the opinions of scholars and they are divided on the issue. As to the stati...
by MontanaDon
Mon Mar 18, 2013 7:22 am
Forum: Discussion
Topic: where do i find it in the quran...
Replies: 22
Views: 50291

Re: where do i find it in the quran...

see Qur'án 19:57-58, which states: "And commemorate Idrís in the Book; for he was a man of truth, a Prophet; And we uplifted him to a place on high." What we acknowledge are 9 named religions as having come from God. See MEMORANDUM on this site From: Research Department The Universal House...
by MontanaDon
Sun Mar 17, 2013 4:05 pm
Forum: Discussion
Topic: where do i find it in the quran...
Replies: 22
Views: 50291

Re: where do i find it in the quran...

i think this needs to be taken w/ a grain of salt, understood as mythology not history. For instance, how do you fit Hud, Salih and Idris/Hermes into this schema?

It was an idea that was very popular w/ early Baha'is, many of whom identified Idris/Hermes w/ Enoch.

Don C

Go to advanced search