A blog post title with accompanying image that I came across when doing a search for “postmodernity.” -gw

Interdependence vs. Egomensuralism? [volatile thoughts]

I am stirred by Saiedi’s Introduction to Gate of the Heart that addresses in a most illuminating fashion how the Writings of the Bab and Baha’u'llah solve the dilemma of a world that has “had it” with not only modernity, but postmodernity, but can see no other alternative. -gw

The twenty-first century finds itself trapped between awareness of the need for a universal ethic and a global framework, and pervasive suspicion of universalism and of foundations. We are thus left with a cult of tradition that eliminates the possibility of any a universal criterion for judging among contending cultures and normative practices in the world. The spirit of this contradiction is nowhere more visible than in the heart of the very idea of postmodernism and cultural relativism itself. Advocates of these theories venerate diversity and equality, and yet they do so by denying the possibility of any objective, rational, and universal ground for morality and truth. Thus the acceptance of diversity, which is a reflection of the consciousness of the equal values of all human beings, has become turned into the worship of tradition. The dark side of cultural diversity, however, is racism, patriarchal suppression of women, ritual mutilation, genocide, colonialism, and other practices that oppress one segment of society and maintain the dominance of another are also venerable cultural traditions. …

The writings of the Bab, and those of Baha’u'llah, unfold a vision that is simultaneously historical and mystical, in which phenomenal reality is linked to its transcendental ground, the principle of unity of all beings. Human reason, assisted and inspired by a spiritual perspective, becomes empowered to discover the basis of universal moral truth which is eternal in its principle while relative in its historical expression and realization. (pp. 13-14)

Photo: Uploaded on August 18, 2005 by mimax on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

American University Washington College of Law, October 9-11, 2008

Sixth North American Baha’i Conference on Law: Exploring the Intersections of Religion and Governance, Past, Present and Future

The North American Baha’i Conferences on Law seek to promote new ideas for addressing global problems, with the hope of promoting unity and global justice, while maintaining and respecting a diversity of views, cultures, and beliefs. This goal is inspired by the view that all humankind is one, and all religions and faith traditions are ultimately united, as diverse reflections of one truth. Speakers:

Arash Abizadeh, Associate Professor, Political Science Department, McGill University * Robert Ahdieh, Professor, Emory University School of Law * Padideh Ala’i, Professor, American University, Washington College of Law * Frank Amanat, Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office – Eastern District of New York * Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law, Emory University School of Law * Ian Bartrum, Irving S. Ribicoff Fellow, Yale Law School * Suheil Bushrui, Director, Kahlil Gibran Chair for Values and Peace Project, Center for International Development and Conflict Management, University of Maryland * Roshan Danesh, Adjunct Professor, University of British Columbia & Visiting Professor, European Peace University * William Davis, President, DPK Consulting * John Grayzel,  Baha’i Chair for World Peace, Center for International Development and Conflict Management, University of Maryland, former Senior Officer USAID * Jeremy Gunn, Director, Program on Freedom of Religion & Belief, American Civil Liberties Union * David Hunter, Associate Professor & Director, Program on International & Comparative Environmental Law, American University, Washington College of Law * Michael Karlberg, Associate Professor, Department of Communications, Western WashingtonUniversity, & Research Affiliate, Institute for Global Prosperity * Ayse Kadayifci-Orellana, Assistant Professor, School of International Service, American University * Frederick Landry, LL.M. (Vanderbilt University), J.D. (University of Melbourne) * Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing, Director, Global Action for Collective Security * Neysun Mahboubi, Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Connecticut School of Law * Patrick Meagher, Senior Fellow, IRIS Center, University of Maryland * Layli Miller-Muro, Executive Director, Tahirih Justice Center * Ileana Porras, Visiting Professor, Watson Institute of International Studies, Brown University * Ezra Rosser, Assistant Professor, American University, Washington College of Law * Abdul Aziz Said, Mohammed Said Farsi Chair of Islamic Peace, School of International Service, American University (invited) * Josh Sarnoff, Professor & Practitioner-in-Residence, American University, Washington College of Law * Martha Schweitz, Director, Office of Review, Baha’i National Center, and former Professor of International Law, Seinan Gakuin University (Japan) & University of Oregon School of Law* Sheila Snyder, Attorney, Law Offices of Becki L. Young, PLLC * Justin Stein, Associate, Latham & Watkins * Tajan Tober, LL.M. Candidate, Harvard Law School

http://www.wcl.american.edu/secle/fall/2008/documents/listofspeakers9.9.pdf?rd=1

Religion and governance. There is certainly much to discuss at this intersection. -gw

Photo: Uploaded on May 30, 2007 by Terecico on flickr,licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

There they are at the top of Google Blog Search page, when I do my daily search for “Baha’i,” today at least. Two Baha’i Views. One is this blog on WordPress. The other is my old Blogspot blog, to which I stopped posting back in April.

I don’t understand the Internet. I don’t understand why visitors to my Blogspot blog are actually increasing in numbers, despite no new postings.

I love this blog on WordPress, but I don’t really understand blog promotion, despite the best efforts of some highly qualified folk who stand at the ready to offer me guidance and support. I don’t understand SEO.

Like, I don’t understand tags. I should be doing them, but they seem too much trouble to do. Once I’m done with a post, I want to be done and not have to figure out the keywords.

Like, I can’t get my blog on the DMOZ. I’ve tried three times, but each time …  nothing. I think it’s because they consider my blog mirrored, which is a no-no.

Yes, I have two blogs, one new and one old. The old stuff is carried in the archives on the new one, while the old blog is still accessible. I had read something about a 301-redirect, so anyone coming to the old blog would be automatically sent to the new blog, but it remains a mystery to me. In the meantime, the number of visitors to bahaiviews.blogspot.com is a surprise. I’m not complaining, but what’s up with that?

I have previously noted the durability of Baha’i Blog, also listed above. From March 2007 to July 2008 the blogger Ry didn’t post and yet this pioneering Baha’i blog maintained a substantial ranking. What we learn is that content created for the Internet doesn’t die. Especially if it has to do with the Faith.

I’m creating Baha’i-related content. Every day. Two, three, or four posts a day, if I can. I am a spider with my silk thread trying to tie things together.

Links, it’s all about links. If I link to a blog that is ranked  6,709,933 and I am at  2,104,886, then I figure that someone may possibly find that wonderful blog post on the blog with the ranking of 6,709,933 through my blog. If that ever happens, then I’m a happy spider.

Baha’i bloggers are all a bunch of spiders with a lot of silk thread at their disposal to link and link and link, until all the world is one. -gw

Photo: Uploaded on February 10, 2006 by Automania on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic

What happens when you mention the cogito in a Baha’i Children’s Class

Silvie did this cartoon during our children’s study session last night….

http://badiblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/what-happens-when-you-mention-cogito-in.html

Baha’u'llah comes in fulfillment of the expectations of all religious traditions. A Zoroastrian prayer… -gw

In the name of God , May the bounteous miraculous power and

glory of Ohrmazd the lord increase. May it (i.e. the prayer) reach

Srosh, the righteous, the vigorous, whose body is the command,

having a hard weapon, powerful of weapon, the lord of the creations

of Ohrmazd. I am contrite for all sins and I desist from them,

from all bad thoughts, bad words and bad acts which I have thought,

spoken or done in the world, or which have happened through me,

or have originated with me. For those sins of thinking, speaking

and acting, of body and soul, worldly or spiritual, o Ohrmazd!

I am contrite, I renounce them. With three words I distance myself

(from them).

This religious text can be found on the website BahaiResearch.com. -gw

This Baha’i site was created by Ian Vink as a non-profit service project. It’s an outcome of Ruhi study circles. BahaiResearch.com is designed to quickly provide access to the texts of the major Faiths of the world.

http://bahairesearch.com/default.aspx?LANGUAGE=English

Live Statistics :
Books : 3921 Folders : 411 Languages : 14

http://bahairesearch.com/language.aspx

Eric Dozier’s One Human Family Workshop is coming to the Seattle area. Sandy says: “I heard today from the planners that the workshop will be  held in Bellevue at the Bahai center with a performance Sunday in Edmonds. Please RSVP by Oct 1.”

 

One Human Family Worshops

Our Mission: To assist in the development of models of unityfor diverse populations by creating a spiritual atmosphere in which issues of conflict are addressed through frank and honest dialogue, multimedia presentation and artistsic expression.

Uniting the World One Song at a Time…

Uber () has gone under. Well, not quite. Its demise was the news this afternoon, but this evening there is an effort afoot to save the social networking site.

I first heard of Uber when I came upon an Uber blog post by a Baha’i down-under in New Caledonia about Ruhi study circles there and then reposted an excerpt. Internet ventures come and go. Blogs are started and then abandoned. There is so much change in the world, and nowhere more dramatically than online.

How different the blog world seems from just six months ago. And last year seems eons away. Concerns once harbored have dissipated, and victories hard to image have come to pass with each cycle of growth. The world is being transformed, online and in our (Hilltop) neighborhood

Whatever changes may effect individual blogs by Baha’is, whether we want to talk about reach or ranking or any other website measuring yardstick, the Baha’i Faith collectively is ever more securely rooted on the Internet, its unity of purpose readily apparent. So, too, in the real world. -gw

According to Alexa, the web information company… -gw

Bahaiprayers.org users come from these countries:

China: 82.3%

United States: 10.3%

Canada: 3.5%

Other countries: 3.7%

http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details/bahaiprayers.org

Surprised that 82% of the people who come to the website Baha’i Prayers are from China? I was. The site has a relatively high ranking in the world, but it’s ranking in China is steller: it’s ranked at 46,742! It’s overall reach, which is the percentage of Internet users who visit the site, has increased  171% in the last three months. -gw

Bahaiprayers.org - Baha’i Prayers

Prayers of Baha’u'llah, Abdul-Baha and The Bab, accompanied by photographs from nature, may be found in this quiet place of devotion.

Bahaiprayers.org has a traffic rank of:  482,985

http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details/bahaiprayers.org

The NYC Baha’i Center is a venue for many important concerts and gatherings. -gw

Saturday, September 27, 2008
Royal Shine Entertainment & Alphabet Soup
Present
Da “Real Men Don’t Hit Women” Concert
@
The Baha’i Center
53 East 11th Street (Between Broadway & University Pl)
New York, NY

Proceeds will go to a Safe Horizon battered woman shelter.

http://thezrohour.blogspot.com/2008/09/real-men-dont-hit-women-concert.html

A small group of Iranian refugees, once persecuted for their religious faith, have carved out a place in Charlotte. But it hasn’t been easy.

After her nut-brown eyes and cover-model lips, the next thing you notice about Bahareh is the rectangular photo framed in gold that she wears as a pendant. It’s about the same dimensions as a commemorative postage stamp. Against a nondescript neutral background is a head-and-shoulders shot of a thin, dark-haired man in a gray, open-neck shirt. It could have been taken any time in the last forty years. He looks to be in his twenties or thirties. Somehow, you can tell he is a foreigner—if he had been photographed in America, the photographer would have coaxed some tooth out of him. But this young man’s photo was taken in Iran, where, for adherents to the Bahá’í Faith, there isn’t much to grin about. …

Page 1 * Page 2

So begins “Seeking Refuge,” a fascinating article on the immigration of Baha’i refugees written by Tamela Rich. -gw