"Unrestrained As The Wind" online?

All research or scholarship questions
shm
Posts: 50
Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2006 6:40 pm

Off topic question

Postby shm » Mon Jun 12, 2006 9:46 pm

Where can you find the book "Unrestrained as the Wind" on the internet, or is it only available in hard copy. Ive looked on the internet but could not find it

thank you your help in much appreciated

Jonah
Site Admin
Posts: 412
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2003 1:25 pm
Location: St Catharines, Ontario (near Niagara Falls)
Contact:

Postby Jonah » Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:34 pm

I don't think I've seen it online. Anyone? It would be helpful to have that one scanned!

-Jonah

brettz9
Posts: 1368
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2003 12:12 pm
Contact:

Postby brettz9 » Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:50 am

I had heard (only heresay) that a new updated version was being worked on.

In the meantime, if not scanning the whole book, maybe someone could type up the citations for each quotation, and perhaps just scan those entries which were not from books readily available elsewhere online...

take care,
Brett

Richard Stamats
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Jun 10, 2006 1:41 am
Location: Colorado Springs
Contact:

Postby Richard Stamats » Thu Jun 15, 2006 10:54 am

Try this link at Alibris used books.

http://www.alibris.com/books/isbn/08774 ... aha'u'llah

Richard Stamats
Richard Stamats
Colorado Springs, Colorado

shm
Posts: 50
Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2006 6:40 pm

Postby shm » Sat Jun 17, 2006 1:29 pm

Thanks all for the comments

Jonah
Site Admin
Posts: 412
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2003 1:25 pm
Location: St Catharines, Ontario (near Niagara Falls)
Contact:

Postby Jonah » Sat Jun 17, 2006 5:56 pm

could you please scan just section 72 of chapter 8

If my copy wasn't packed (along with most of my books, in storage) I'd happily oblige. Anyone else? Email me the OCR and/or a scan at 300ppi. Email <i>jonah AT winterswebworks.com</i> . Thanks, -Jonah

shm
Posts: 50
Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2006 6:40 pm

Postby shm » Tue Jul 18, 2006 7:07 pm

I just went to a Bahai bookstore, I think it was called Distributions or something like this, and I asked the lady to check to see if they had the book " Unrestrained as the Wind" and the lady told me that the book is not being published or produced anymore.

Jonah
Site Admin
Posts: 412
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2003 1:25 pm
Location: St Catharines, Ontario (near Niagara Falls)
Contact:

Postby Jonah » Wed Jul 19, 2006 1:37 am

I dug out my copy, found the section you're interested in, Googled it, and luckily it's already online. From http://bahaistudies.net/masturbation.html , I just added some formatting to match the printed text. See also a thread on this topic (which includes the same quote, unformatted) at http://bahai-library.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?t=93 .

We have found in the Holy Writings no explicit references to masturbation, but there are a number of principles and teachings which can guide a Bahá'í to the correct attitude towards it. In a letter to an individual believer, written by the Guardian's secretary on his behalf, it is pointed out that:
<blockquote>The Bahá'í Faith recognizes the value of the sex impulse, but condemns its illegitimate and improper expressions such as free love, companionate marriage and others, all of which it considers positively harmful to man and to the society in which he lives. The proper use of the sex instinct is the natural right of every individual, and it is precisely for this very purpose that the institution of marriage has been established. The Bahá'ís do not believe in the suppression of the sex impulse but in its regulation and control.</blockquote>
In response to another letter enquiring if there were any legitimate way in which a person could express the sex instinct if, for some reason, he were unable to marry or if outer circumstances such as economic factors were to cause him to delay marriage, the Guardian's secretary wrote on his behalf:
<blockquote>Concerning your question whether there are any legitimate forms of expression of the sex instinct outside of marriage: According to the Bahá'í Teachings no sexual act can be considered lawful unless performed between lawfully married persons. Outside of marital life there can be no lawful or healthy use of the sex impulse. The Bahá'í youth should, on the one hand, be taught the lesson of self-control which, when exercised, undoubtedly has a salutary effect on the development of character and of personality in general, and on the other should be advised, nay even encouraged, to contract marriage while still young and in full possession of their physical vigour. Economic factors, no doubt, are often a serious hindrance to early marriage but in most cases are only an excuse, and as such should not be over stressed.</blockquote>
In another letter on the Guardian's behalf, also to an individual believer, the secretary writes:
<blockquote>Amongst the many other evils afflicting society in this spiritual low water mark in history is the question of immorality, and over-emphasis of sex...</blockquote>
This indicates how the whole matter of sex and the problems related to it have assumed far too great an importance in the thinking of present-day society.

Masturbation is clearly not a proper use of the sex instinct, as this is understood in the Faith. Moreover it involves, as you have pointed out, mental fantasies, while Bahá'u'lláh, in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, has exhorted us not to indulge our passions and in one of His well-known Tablets 'Abdu'l-Bahá encourages us to keep our `secret thoughts pure'. Of course many wayward thoughts come involuntarily to the mind and these are merely a result of weakness and are not blameworthy unless they become fixed or even worse, are expressed in improper acts. In `The Advent of Divine Justice', when describing the moral standards that Bahá'ís must uphold both individually and in their community life, the Guardian wrote:
<blockquote>Such a chaste and holy life, with its implications of modesty, purity, temperance, decency, and clean-mindedness, involves no less than the exercise of moderation in all that pertains to dress, language, amusements, and all artistic and literary avocations. It demands daily vigilance in the control of one's carnal desires and corrupt inclinations.</blockquote>
Your problem, therefore, is one against which you should continue to struggle, with determination and with the aid of prayer. You should remember, however, that it is only one of the many temptations and faults that a human being must strive to overcome during his lifetime, and you should not increase the difficulty you have by over-emphasising its importance. We suggest you try to see it within the whole spectrum of the qualities that a Bahá'í must develop in his character. Be vigilant against temptation, but do not allow it to claim too great a share of your attention. You should concentrate, rather, on the virtues that you should develop, the services you should strive to render, and, above all, on God and His attributes, and devote your energies to living a full Bahá'í life in all its many aspects.

<small>(From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, a copy of which was sent to the compiler of <i>Lights of Guidance</i> with a letter dated March 8, 1981, in <i>Lights of Guidance</i> 268-70)</small>

brettz9
Posts: 1368
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2003 12:12 pm
Contact:

Re: "Unrestrained As The Wind" online?

Postby brettz9 » Thu Mar 14, 2013 4:45 am


BritishBahai
Posts: 251
Joined: Sat May 17, 2008 1:21 pm
Location: UK

Re: "Unrestrained As The Wind" online?

Postby BritishBahai » Thu Mar 14, 2013 7:32 am

I have that book at home. It was very useful reading during my teenage years.

Shouldnt we ask the publishers before putting it online, though?
"I have desired only what Thou didst desire, and love only what Thou dost love"

brettz9
Posts: 1368
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2003 12:12 pm
Contact:

Re: "Unrestrained As The Wind" online?

Postby brettz9 » Thu Mar 14, 2013 8:31 am

The Writings are published under open copyright. The vast majority of the book is from the Writings. One small quote is from the U.S. Spiritual Assembly, a few are small excerpts from other works (all of which should fall under "fair use").

So, given that it has taken me, sorry to say, years and years to get an answer when I have asked for permission to republish--and then found others already posting such items online or the like, when there is some work as this consisting of very little material beyond the Writings (just the foreword), I thought it was ok this time to pass on to them that I was doing it first and then retract if there is a problem.

I think it's like I am like a child with my parents distracted with other work--if you wait forever, you won't get your own needs met, and you'll likely hear about it if there is a real problem... :) (Which is not that I advocate doing things against protocol, I just don't think such a thing would be of that much concern in this case--and it's not like this material was originally only privately distributed or something...)

brettz9
Posts: 1368
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2003 12:12 pm
Contact:

Re: "Unrestrained As The Wind" online?

Postby brettz9 » Thu Mar 14, 2013 8:39 am

And besides that, I can't see Farzam Arbab getting litigious on us for releasing a book full of quotations on the Writings! :)

BritishBahai
Posts: 251
Joined: Sat May 17, 2008 1:21 pm
Location: UK

Re: "Unrestrained As The Wind" online?

Postby BritishBahai » Thu Mar 14, 2013 8:43 am

Since I made that post, I realised that the book is published by "Bahai Publishing Trust". For some reason, I thought the publishers were "George Ronald" or something - that's why I made the comment. But yes, I agree with you, it's best to share the writings.
"I have desired only what Thou didst desire, and love only what Thou dost love"

BruceDLimber
Posts: 189
Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2006 5:34 pm
Location: Rockville, Maryland, USA

Re: "Unrestrained As The Wind" online?

Postby BruceDLimber » Fri Mar 15, 2013 9:03 am

Brettz is correct that everything Baha'i is under open copyright and may therefore be reposted anywhere!

The only request is that the copyright be stated when the item is republished.

So enjoy! :-)

Bruce

brettz9
Posts: 1368
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2003 12:12 pm
Contact:

Re: "Unrestrained As The Wind" online?

Postby brettz9 » Fri Mar 15, 2013 10:17 am

Thank you for the confirmation, Bruce, though it is more accurate to say all official Baha'i Writings, i.e., ("Sacred Text, the works of the Guardian, books produced by World Centre Publications or the Bahá'í International Community. Permission from independent Bahá'í publishers is required before publishing books produced by them." per http://bahai-library.com/uhj_permission ... onic_texts ) since that doesn't include National Spiritual Assembly documents or perhaps other unpublished documents of the House, etc. And the copyright has been indicated (see the "About this document").


Return to “Discussion”