So, at any rate, on another forum I go to, someone mentioned that I sounded more like Baha’i than Christian, which is what I always thought I was. And since we STILL haven’t found a church that dh and I are comfortable raising our children in, well, that is what caused me to REALLY ask him what he believes. I don’t want my children growing up in a home that has no direction, no faith, no comfort in what we believe. So, I, being bull-headed and stubborn, decided to just put dh on the spot and it turned out to be the best thing I ever did. I went to the Baha’i website and read for about 2 hours, dh, who doesn’t read much at all, was on there for an hour and a half. I like what I read, but really just want to know how it all fits together and whether our beliefs (that we just came up with on our own and I felt we were both weird for) fit with the Baha’i faith. Am I being drawn to this faith because I fit, or am I just searching and may never find a true religion that I am comfortable with?

Petie, Post subject: New here, and a few questions

It sure looks to me like your ideas are consonant with Baha’i teachings. I most definitely believe you are being drawn to the Faith because you–as with everyone potentially–CAN fit.  Life is a struggle, and so can be conquering self on our path of service to all humanity (by ‘self’ we mean negative behaviors or conceptions like racism, materialism, etc., not our true nature which comes out in the context of service to others).

So, while the Divine Physician’s remedies may sometimes conflict at first with what we in our fallibility may believe to be correct, those elected by God to seek and join His Faith often find within themselves–and others–the absolute harmony of the religion of God with our true natures such as no man-made solutions can provide.

brettz9, Post subject: Re: New here and a few ???

http://www.bahai-library.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1995&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

There is no more exquisite experience than teaching the Baha’i Faith to receptive souls. Along with many dear Baha’i co-workers, I had the privilege to do just that over the course of nine days that ended Sunday. There are many story details yet to share, but a high point certainly has to have been teaching with Mary Ellen, a new Baha’i of only two weeks. Together with soon-to-be 6th grader Raul, the three of us presented the Faith to a dear 16 year-old girl sitting on her front porch who paid rapt attention as we proceeded through the presentation formerly known as Anna’s. Her mother even brought us each a glass of ice water, a wonderful act of kindness, considering the 90 degree temperatures, but also a sign that she was comfortable with our teaching her daughter. It was so moving to hear Kimberly’s voice as she read aloud the last passage in the flip book prior to signing her declaration card.

Later yesterday afternoon Mary Ellen and I returned to the home of a gentlemen that Les and I had visited the day before, a retired army drill sargent who had described the terrible acts of discrimination he had experienced back in South Carolina as a child that had left him with lingering feelings of bitterness almost seven decades later. Mary Ellen challenged him in a way that I could not. Before we left we had an invitation from him to return to his home tomorrow to begin a Ruhi Book 1.  

Last Wednesday Duana, one of our declarants from our last expansion phase, was at our home again doing her Ruhi 1 with Chris. Friday Bonita and Helen were at the home of another declarant from our last campaign for 2 1/2 hours, further strengthening the bonds of friendship. Alisha’s mom was there, and Bonita and her mom hit it off famously.

Friends, it’s happening. Rapid growth. And it’s easy and fun. Just pick the right neighborhood, the one with the most diversity. It’s the souls who have suffered a bit who are the most receptive.

Hilltop is a great neighborhood to teach in. My experience there has been that there is at least one receptive soul on every block who will be open to hearing a (formerly Anna’s but now my own) presentation on the Faith from beginning to end, giving me the exquisite opportunity to invite that soul to join the Community of the Greatest Name right there on the spot.

Photos by Flitzy Phoebie. Top: The friends gather at the end of 9-days of teaching. Bottom:

This is Duana on the left, one of our newest Baha’is, with Chris who is tutoring “Reflections on the Life of the Spirit”, book one of the Ruhi Institute. The basic concept underlying all the units of the Ruhi Institute is that of walking a path of service and promoting spiritual growth. The student then acquires skills and attitudes that enable them to trace their own path of service.

http://flitzyphoebie.blogspot.com/2008/06/flowers-of-thy-meadow.html

It’s amazing what you find on Facebook. -gw

I’ve been listening to these tracks on my iPod. Thank you, Rubén! -gw

What unites the following religious, ethics and faith-based organizations?

• The American Humanist Association 
• Baha’is of the United States 
• Church World Service
• Conference of Major Superiors of Men 
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 
• Fellowship of Reconciliation
• The Loretto Community
• Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns 
• National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA
• The National Service Conference of the American Ethical Union 
• Presbyterian Church, USA
• Religious of the Sacred Heart
• Soka Gakkai International 
• Temple of Understanding
• Unitarian Universalist Association
• General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church
• World Council of Churches

All of these organizations urge the United States and all other countries to support and join the International Criminal Court. -gw

The International Criminal Court

  serves justice and reconciliation.

http://www.amicc.org/docs/FBC_ad6_03.pdf

Photo: “Judges, International Criminal Court, Den Haag [zandsculptuur],” uploaded on June 27, 2008
by Sandsational on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic

Quenching The Light

Quenching The Light is a 9-minute video that features the paintings of 200+ Bahá’ís who have lost their lives since the Islamic revolution of Iran. The video presentation also includes video-footage of living descendants of those who had lost their lives in the past three decades and the faces of few who were able to escape the country and the persecution. There are also other Bahá’ís from around the world in the video segment who are concerned about the persecution of their fellow co-religionists. The video dramatically narrates the injustices done to the Bahá’ís of Iran since the revolution.

http://www.kdkfactory.com/quench/index.htm

Take action by spreading the word. -gw

Thanks to Amzolt, I have discovered DoubleTake TV. Am I the last person in the world to hear about this great video source? -gw

 

Welcome to doubletake.tv, where you will find that there is always another way to look at this curious world. Here you can watch multilingual, multicultural stories that matter in big and small ways.

doubletake.tv is a non-profit initiative. You can support the production of more great videos by telling your friends about this site, purchasing hi-res versions of the videos, clicking on any of the Google ads that interest you or simply by making a contribution in the amount of your choosing.

While a lot of the videos are inspired by the Baha’i Faith, it is the universality of the human experiences we try to capture.

http://www.doubletake.tv/about

Check out this one. http://www.doubletake.tv/content/where-hell-matt

Two .gifs, multiple messages. When I first put these two together, my first thought was just on the word play. But then I Googled “warning” on Baha’i Reference Library. -gw

One word more in conclusion. The proclamation of the Oneness of Mankind—the head corner-stone of Bahá’u’lláh’s all-embracing dominion—can under no circumstances be compared with such expressions of pious hope as have been uttered in the past. His is not merely a call which He raised, alone and unaided, in the face of the relentless and combined opposition of two of the most powerful Oriental potentates of His day—while Himself an exile and prisoner in their hands. It implies at once a warning and a promise—a warning that in it lies the sole means for the salvation of a greatly suffering world, a promise that its realization is at hand.

The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, Shoghi Effendi, p. 47

Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Rotating_earth_%28large%29.gif

Margo has blogged in English, but now is blogging in Swedish. And she is celebrating. (English translation is from a machine, yes.) -gw

New blog!

Vår dotter har inte fyllt 15 än, men jag såg att hon har på hennes Facebook fyllt in ‘bahá’í’ som religion.

Our daughter has not reached the age of 15 yet, but I saw that she was on her Facebook filled in ‘Bahá’í’ as a religion.

Duktig flicka. Hon vågar vara annorlunda.

Duktig girl. She dares to be different.

Labels: children, family life, future

zaterdag 28 juni 2008 Lite fest, Ett bahá’í liv: händelser och tankar i mitt liv som bahá’í

Photo:  Uploaded on February 8, 2008 by sitmonkeysupreme on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic

A Ruby update. -gw

becoming baha’i is not seeming like such a far-off thing anymore and that feels pretty nice.

i only read organic books: http://rubyannk.blogspot.com/2008/06/i-dont-know.html

Uploaded on February 28, 2007 by Leni McPoopies on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic

Brought up Mormon and trying to figure out her spiritual path, this Mom has had her child in Baha’i children’s classes in the meantime. -gw

I have had Rhayn in Children’s classes offered by a friend who is Baha’i. The morals and stories taught in the classes have been good for her and something I was struggling with teaching her.

http://ragininaz.blogspot.com/2008/06/religion-and-my-choices.html

Book cover: http://www.bahaibookstore.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=6505