Search found 131 matches
- Wed Nov 01, 2006 10:57 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Need Help Before Convert
- Replies: 15
- Views: 31562
"There are other quotes, that I'm not going to spend the time compiling, that talk of nurturing and patience in helping souls newly exposed to the Light of the Lord to grow and learn and eventually take on the mantle of responsibility, to follow the guidance in our lives, to not over burdon them, et...
- Tue Oct 31, 2006 10:52 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: converting!
- Replies: 7
- Views: 16556
>>i know that in order to become a baha'i, you have to sign the declaration card.. easy. but what are like some daily things you have to do to be baha'i, like with prayers, and all of that?>> You have found the Promised One of the Ages, the One Promised by Daniel, by Isaiah, by Jesus Christ Himself....
- Tue Oct 31, 2006 10:48 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Need Help Before Convert
- Replies: 15
- Views: 31562
>>I can not just leave her because I'm changing my faith >> Look at the comparison between these passages in Baha'u'llah's Writings; "It is incumbent on these servants that they cleanse the heart -- which is the wellspring of divine treasures -- from every marking, and that they . . . shut the door ...
- Tue Oct 31, 2006 10:23 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: My parents
- Replies: 9
- Views: 20249
>>Do you feel that because your parents may have supported you when you were younger, that you "owe" it to them to support them now? (Pay the bills they run up etc, just because they did it for you when you were younger and unable to work)>> Well, I suppose I would place the financial question you a...
- Wed Oct 25, 2006 11:13 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Prayer positions
- Replies: 10
- Views: 24653
I would be interested in seeing any guidance from the House that specifies that being "seated" is as shown in those images, i.e. more of a kneeling position, not in a chair. Although, the House is not emphasizing these details. Also, the fact that Muslims pray that way is in no way guidance for Baha...
- Fri Sep 22, 2006 4:59 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: 1000 years.
- Replies: 7
- Views: 19503
In the Bayan the Bab refers to the time of "Mustaghath". The numerical value of this word in the Abjad reckoning used in Persia in those days is 2001. And the Bab stated that this duration of time must elapse between Himself and "Him Whom God shall make manifest". However, that is a dilemma only to ...
- Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:21 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: nurse training
- Replies: 4
- Views: 10702
There are a great many Baha'i health care professionals, among them: You may wish to investigate association with the Baha'i Association of Mental Health Professionals http://www.bamhp.org/ Health For Humanity, which is Baha'i-inspired http://www.healthforhumanity.org/ A Baha'i statement on health m...
- Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:12 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: 1000 years.
- Replies: 7
- Views: 19503
There are aspects of every Revelation that are hidden; that depend upon one's development and spiritual experience for a deeper understanding; that are rich in imagery. There are also aspects of each Revelation that are literal. It is quite common for the ordinary person to take literally, a passage...
- Thu Sep 21, 2006 8:41 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Gnostics
- Replies: 7
- Views: 17121
Brett did a good job of summarizing key elements of the Baha'i view of gnosticism. All I would add, is that while the Baha'i Writings contain a great deal of criticism of the phonies in this field, and of those mystics who reject the Manifestations of God, the mystic element is still extremely impor...
- Tue Sep 05, 2006 10:38 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Abdul'baha's Translator
- Replies: 3
- Views: 12024
There is a lot of information about Ali Kuli Khan in the books written by his daughter Marzieh Gail; some are on Ocean. A most interesting family. When I lived at the Bahai' School in Santa Cruz, California in the early 1980s, Marzieh's younger sister lived in a retirement home in town; we saw her s...
- Tue Sep 05, 2006 12:01 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Abdul'baha's Translator
- Replies: 3
- Views: 12024
Abdul-Baha had more than one translator. One was Ali Kuli Khan. Another was Dr. Younis Afroukteh. After His release from prison Ahmad Sohrab ("Mirza Ahmad Esphahani" below) and Dr. Amin Farid ("Ameen U. Fareed" below) were among His translators, but I don't know if either was a translator during the...
- Tue Sep 05, 2006 11:53 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: 120 sites chosen for Temples
- Replies: 9
- Views: 19414
Shoghi Effendi began the process of having National Spiritual Assemblies purchase plots of land for Baha'i Houses of Worship, back in the 1950s. So if you look at the 10 year Crusade messages (perhaps the words "temple" and "land" in Ocean?) you will find some of these references. Also the Universal...
- Sun Aug 27, 2006 4:26 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Is Bahai Faith ofshoot of shiism!?
- Replies: 2
- Views: 9660
You have asked if the Baha'i Faith is an offshoot of Shiih Islam. The Baha'i Faith teaches that Muhammad was a true Prophet of God, and that the Qur'an is a divinely-revealed Book. It also teaches that the 12 Imams of Shiih Islam were divinely-guided and possessed `ismat, moral immaculacy and infall...
- Sun Aug 27, 2006 3:28 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: New Member
- Replies: 28
- Views: 56015
- Sat Aug 26, 2006 4:57 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Was Adam being the first man on earth only spiritually true.
- Replies: 2
- Views: 7929
I agree, that sometimes in the Baha'i Writings Adam is spoken of as the first man (Gleanings p. 172); and sometimes as the first Prophet (Iqan p. 149). Here's how I put it together. What is the definition of a "man"? To me, a man is a being capable of knowing God. So the first being to know God, was...
- Sat Aug 26, 2006 4:42 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: New Member
- Replies: 28
- Views: 56015
Majnun wrote: "My suggestion to you is to start where it starts: the valleys. [...] Each valley brings up a sensible topic, the first being the relationship with our own family. [...] Informed people know that baqara, ayat 170 and 171, deals with people who are simply parrots of their parents and gr...
- Sat Aug 26, 2006 12:03 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: kitab Aqdas
- Replies: 15
- Views: 25728
Abbas, "Bayan" is derived from an Arabic word meaning to become plain, evident, or clear. The word "mubayyin" is derived from the same word, and it means the one who makes clear; it is the original word translated in the Baha'i Writings for "Interpreter of the Word of God." The Bab revealed two work...
- Sat Aug 26, 2006 1:31 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: kitab Aqdas
- Replies: 15
- Views: 25728
There are many quotations in the Baha'i Writings from the Qur'an; this is particularly true of the Iqan, which was written for the guidance in particular of Shi'ihs, as there are not only quotes from the Qur'an, but also from Shiih Traditions. If you are already familiar with the Qur'an and the Hadi...
- Sat Aug 26, 2006 1:13 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: New Member
- Replies: 28
- Views: 56015
Well, I really misread you. My guess was that you were a 40 year old with a Master's degree, based on your command of English. I do hear your sincerity in your explanation of who you are, and your motivation. I hope you will accept my apology, and that we can get to the substance of your search. If ...
- Fri Aug 25, 2006 10:48 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: New Member
- Replies: 28
- Views: 56015
Abbas has written in various messages on this forum, of his approach to the Baha'i Faith: “I am currently a muslim and am very keen to understand and following the bahai religion.” “I just want to know the truth.” There is an organization in Iran called Tablighat-e-Islami, generally translated as “S...
- Fri Aug 25, 2006 5:34 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: New Member
- Replies: 28
- Views: 56015
- Fri Aug 25, 2006 12:12 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: How old is the world?
- Replies: 3
- Views: 10703
- Fri Aug 25, 2006 12:09 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: New Member
- Replies: 28
- Views: 56015
I do not think that you will get an accurate picture of the Baha'i Faith by reading Shaykhi literature. Shoghi Effendi wrote in his introduction to his seminal history of the first century of the Baha'i Faith: "It is my purpose, on the occasion of an anniversary of such profound significance, to att...
- Thu Aug 24, 2006 10:38 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: expulsion from membership
- Replies: 11
- Views: 25732
I think again that definitions are being asked of the mind of the individual, that the individual is incapable of making. These are matters for the Head of the Faith, and I personally feel that it is preferable to leave such people to themselves, to ask God to guide them, to realize that no man know...
- Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:25 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: expulsion from membership
- Replies: 11
- Views: 25732
I am not sure that the a,b,c that you or I would come up with, would be the same as the definitions the Universal House of Justice would make -- or if it would make such a definition at all. Often it refrains from making definitions, because of the general principle explained by the Guardian: As reg...
- Thu Aug 24, 2006 12:42 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: expulsion from membership
- Replies: 11
- Views: 25732
- Wed Aug 23, 2006 11:04 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: expulsion from membership
- Replies: 11
- Views: 25732
That was a very different situation. Intentionally denying one's faith is considered a very base deed for a Baha'i, and I *heard* that some of the Baha'is who did this to escape Iran had their administrative rights removed. This IS NOT expulsion from the Cause. This is a deprivation of the privilige...
- Wed Aug 23, 2006 10:59 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Babi law....
- Replies: 4
- Views: 12410
It was God's way of bringing one of the holiest Beings to ever walk the face of the earth. If you study the Bab's Writings, His life, and especially, I hope that one day you will have the privilege of walking in the gardens surrounding His Shrine; of circumambulating His sacred Shrine, the holiest a...
- Wed Aug 23, 2006 10:43 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: expulsion from membership
- Replies: 11
- Views: 25732
The short answer is I don't know. I don't know the whole scope of what's going on in the worldwide Baha'i community; I don't know how many peole have been removed from the community; I don't know if any of the three people I know of who were removed from the community has applied for reinstatement o...
- Wed Aug 23, 2006 8:02 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Babi law....
- Replies: 4
- Views: 12410
Shoghi Effendi's secretary wrote on his behalf: ...The severe laws and injunctions revealed by the Báb can be properly appreciated and understood only when interpreted in the light of His own statements regarding the nature, purpose and character of His own Dispensation. As these statements clearly ...
- Wed Aug 23, 2006 7:01 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: expulsion from membership
- Replies: 11
- Views: 25732
Expulsion from membership as I understand it, is neither deprivation of administrative rights, nor expulsion as a Covenant-breaker. It is removal from the Cause, spiritually and administratively. I asked a member of the House of Justice about this, and if memory serves correctly he said that this ac...
- Wed Aug 23, 2006 6:56 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: What is the 'Mahabad' faith
- Replies: 9
- Views: 22491
I believe that Mahabad is considered by the Zoroastrians to have been a Prophet who appeared before Zoroaster. I am guessing that there is no footnote in the Text, because the scholarship on this subject is very diffuse and not agreed upon. That's just a guess. Anyway, the Tablets in this new Book a...
- Tue Aug 22, 2006 4:04 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Should non- or ex-Baha'is be allowed; should I post warnings
- Replies: 20
- Views: 38900
When I became a Baha'i some decades back, I often heard older Baha'is say, "Well, you try, and you fall on your face, and you get up and try again". This was not my experience. My experience was: I lived on my face. Once in a while, I looked up. Once in a *very* great while, I stood up. But basicall...
- Tue Aug 22, 2006 2:52 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Judging the spiritual condition of others
- Replies: 12
- Views: 24568
"The believers ought to give the Message even to those who do not seem to be ready for it, because they can never judge the real extent to which the Word of God can influence the hearts and minds of the people, even those who appear to lack any power of receptivity to the Teachings." (From a letter ...
- Mon Aug 21, 2006 1:47 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Should non- or ex-Baha'is be allowed; should I post warnings
- Replies: 20
- Views: 38900
"The status of being an exBaha'i carries a heavy stigmatism to it." I urge you to reconsider your attitude: "If any Bahá'í finds that he does not believe in the Faith," the Universal House of Justice has stated, "he is free to leave it . . . , and no stigma at all attaches to such an action." (From ...
- Mon Aug 21, 2006 11:39 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Judging the spiritual condition of others
- Replies: 12
- Views: 24568
I suggested that the letters of the Greatest Holy Leaf written to the Baha'i world are very good on establishing community unity. Eric scanned some of the book of Khanum's letters and wrote: "I think I saw one paragraph that seemed directly relevant to the relationships of people in average Baha'i c...
- Mon Aug 21, 2006 11:13 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Should non- or ex-Baha'is be allowed; should I post warnings
- Replies: 20
- Views: 38900
"It would be interesting to know, but alas we never will know, whether Dr. Hatcher would think it was a good idea to allow self professed exBaha'i viewpoints on a forum that is moderated by a member of the Baha'i Faith. It has been my position all along that this is not a good idea" Well, it's not t...
- Mon Aug 21, 2006 12:28 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Judging the spiritual condition of others
- Replies: 12
- Views: 24568
Although spiritual and materal views of reality are not reconcilable, science and the Baha'i teachings are. Even more so, the views of people on other spiritual paths are reconcilable with our own, if we look past the difference in language. "Warn, O Salman, the beloved of the one true God, not to v...
- Sun Aug 20, 2006 11:54 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Judging the spiritual condition of others
- Replies: 12
- Views: 24568
"i still have the problem of being impatient with those who are impatient, and angry with those who are angry. I have trouble being tactful with tactless and difficult persons" Well, join the human race. We all face exactly the same struggles. And, the truth be told, *we are ourselves* the test to s...
- Sun Aug 20, 2006 10:11 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Judging the spiritual condition of others
- Replies: 12
- Views: 24568
The point -- at least my point, I don't know about Eric's -- is that different people use different terminology to describe the stages of growth of a community. In the Faith, we might speak of immature communities. Some secular people speak of "pseudo-community" to describe the earliest stages of co...
- Sun Aug 20, 2006 12:57 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Epistle to the son of the wolf quote-about THE BAYAN
- Replies: 11
- Views: 24211
>>Where is the Bayan and why isn't it circulated in EVERY language so that we can recognize Baha'u'llah?>> Edward Granvillle Browne summarized the Persian Bayan and translated a significant portion of it. It was found among his unpublished papers, and has been published in the book "Selections from ...
- Sun Aug 20, 2006 12:01 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Judging the spiritual condition of others
- Replies: 12
- Views: 24568
Your comment about being willing to talk with others, reminds me of this reported statement from `Abdu'l-Baha: "Now associate with good people. You must try to associate with those who will do you good and who will be the cause of your being more awakened, and not with those who will make you neglig...
- Sat Aug 19, 2006 11:55 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Reservations needed for visiting Baha'i gardens in Haifa?
- Replies: 10
- Views: 21453
Even though this is a very old topic, I found it an interesting question. When I was in the Holy Land, this was the information I received. Please do not take it as authoritative. And even if it was accurate at the time, the policy might have changed. And all of this is aside from whatever the situa...
- Sat Aug 19, 2006 1:32 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Judging the spiritual condition of others
- Replies: 12
- Views: 24568
In listening to the CD from the most recent US National Convention, it sounds like the delegates felt that they were moving from pseudo-community forward. There were several heartfelt comments from Baha'is feeling they were really heard, particularly from African-American friends. As far as "the dys...
- Sat Aug 19, 2006 11:01 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Baha'i and the Unforgivable Sin
- Replies: 6
- Views: 18150
The unforgivable sin is not unforgivable because it is such a terrible deed. It is unforgivable because the nature of the deed or condition is such that it puts the person's soul in a state where it does not desire forgiveness; where reconciliation to God is not desired. Clearly the "blasphemy again...
- Fri Aug 18, 2006 12:35 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: I need help.
- Replies: 6
- Views: 16696
Persian Hidden words, #11. O SON OF DUST! Blind thine eyes, that thou mayest behold My beauty; stop thine ears, that thou mayest hearken unto the sweet melody of My voice; empty thyself of all learning, that thou mayest partake of My knowledge; and sanctify thyself from riches, that thou mayest obta...
- Fri Aug 18, 2006 12:29 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Judging the spiritual condition of others
- Replies: 12
- Views: 24568
Judging the spiritual condition of others
I posted that before taking to heart the views of someone about the Cause, I look at the relationship of that person to the Cause: "If someone says something about the institutions of the Faith, or the progress or conduct of the Cause, I first look at where that person is, in relation to the Cause. ...
- Thu Aug 17, 2006 7:28 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Should I study to be a doctor, or engineer?
- Replies: 22
- Views: 39499
A further comment on the influences on the Guardian at his various educational institutions. The following is a pilgrim's note: " . . .the Master turned again to me and said: "At the present time the British Empire is the greatest and is still expanding and its language is a world language. My futur...
- Thu Aug 17, 2006 7:08 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Should I study to be a doctor, or engineer?
- Replies: 22
- Views: 39499
I regret that I am unable to relate the specific Baha'i context we're talking about, to the framework and language you are using. As far as the elites vs. the people working for the Race Amity events, I think that you are positing a false premise. The leader of the Race Amity conferences was a wealt...
- Thu Aug 17, 2006 12:42 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Should I study to be a doctor, or engineer?
- Replies: 22
- Views: 39499
"The Guardian of course was schooled in France and England, and probably absorbed a bias against "american populism/libertarianism" (the tradition of political decentralization) as a result." I may be mistaken, but I believe the sequence of the Guardian's education was: 1. The "College des Freres" h...
- Wed Aug 16, 2006 9:12 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Should I study to be a doctor, or engineer?
- Replies: 22
- Views: 39499
Thank you for your views. You appear to have determined that I have abandoned the correct principles of consultation enjoined in the Teachings, that I was not trusting in the Word of God, that the Master didn't urge consulting with experts, and that Assemblies work with marital problems through cons...
- Wed Aug 16, 2006 5:36 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Are baha'is against individuality and freedom of thought?
- Replies: 16
- Views: 35649
Eric wrote: >>The real question is "is Baha'i culture predominantly conformist in general?" I would say that it is. . . >> If you are talking about behavior, I agree that this needs to be guarded against. Here are a few quotes I've culled from the writings that may be of interest. Brent There would ...
- Wed Aug 16, 2006 9:59 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Should I study to be a doctor, or engineer?
- Replies: 22
- Views: 39499
- Wed Aug 16, 2006 5:55 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Should I study to be a doctor, or engineer?
- Replies: 22
- Views: 39499
I think it is a balance of listening to your heart, watching for signs, and consulting. I very much agree that consultation is advisable; but I do not think that consulatation with *everyone* is a good idea; because most people are not equipped to offer sound views to your specific needs. Look for p...
- Wed Aug 16, 2006 5:50 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Mecca / Medina
- Replies: 7
- Views: 20671
I think that to go to Mecca, one must convince the religious authorities not only that you believe that Muhammad is a divine Prophet, and that the Qur'an is a divinely-revealed Book; but that you are a Muslim. In essence, a Baha'i would have to deny being a Baha'i, would have to quote verses from th...
- Wed Aug 16, 2006 5:46 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: a member of The Universal House of Justice
- Replies: 6
- Views: 15559
Hi Dean, maybe this is what you mean. It is why the Manifestation is referred to as the "Word" and the followers as "Letters," such as the "Letters of the Living". "It is evident that the Letter is a member of the Word, and this membership in the Word signifieth that the Letter is dependent for its ...
- Wed Aug 16, 2006 5:38 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Baha'i afterlife??
- Replies: 4
- Views: 15202
You have asked about: sin righteousness salvation is there a heaven is there a hell by what means do you go to either A proper response would take thirty pages. The call to righteousness is the same in all the divine Revelations; so it is the same in Christianity as in the Baha'i Faith: "The purpose...
- Wed Aug 16, 2006 5:14 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Are baha'is against individuality and freedom of thought?
- Replies: 16
- Views: 35649
Every organization -- and religious organizations are no exception -- has its people who do not like authority. When the authority exercises itself, these people raise a hue and cry, claiming that the authority has overstepped its bounds. Mirza Muhammad-`Ali accused even `Abdu'l-Baha of this. As the...
- Wed Aug 16, 2006 4:58 am
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: a member of The Universal House of Justice
- Replies: 6
- Views: 15559
It seems to me that if a person has become a Baha'i, and has turned to the House of Justice, that a person is a member of the body of the Cause of God, is related to the Universal House of Justice, and is under its protection. Perhaps that is what you mean by being a "member" of the Universal House ...
- Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:54 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Why were Baha'u'llah and The Bab so close together?
- Replies: 14
- Views: 25315
The proximity of the Revelations of the Bab and Baha'u'llah was prophecied in the Bible. `Abdu'l-Baha explains in Some Answered questions, page 56 that the "Second Woe" promised in the Revelation of John was the Bab, and the Third Woe was Baha'u'llah. The short duration between them was promised in ...
- Tue Aug 15, 2006 3:17 pm
- Forum: Discussion
- Topic: Covenant-breaking (who?)
- Replies: 28
- Views: 55893
I would like to offer my views on this subject. First, it has been stated that "according to Baha'i scripture" only the following had the authority to declare a person as a Covenant-breaker: Baha'u'llah, the Master, the group of nine Hands of the Cause who worked most closely with the Guardian. 1. B...