Bahai faith followers are the most recent faith -so like Sikh faith which preceded them - learned to take good things from all good faiths and have a remarkable community involvement and book reading etc mechanisms which other faiths can learn from.
I am now going to try get a www.UBC.ca student into Harvard College by transfer after completing his second year. He was overwhelmed that I thought he was fit to go to Harvard and would contribute a lot to understanding of world peace . He had earlier applied to only Vancouver based colleges since his brother has been here for past 12 years. This guy was born and brought up in Haifa, Israel where Bahaullah was under house arrest for decades as was his son Abdul Baha later (40 years in jail). In Israel , it seems -like Bihar - give high school diploma one year after you graduate so only UBC would have taken him anyway. He has done well there . His parents are custodians of Bahai historical properties at Israel -visited by Bahais all over the world. It seems everyone has to study religionn in govt schools -depending upon the majority choice - his school read Old Testament -requiremnet for graduation, it seems. No harm in trying it seems. I have met many who transfered after two years in local community college to Princeton etc. http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/09.14/99-admissions.html Harvard (and now Princeton) seem eager too get new , fresh viewpoints from around teh world -esp after their removal of early admissions -so might have a chance. If it works out might try for India based students. This guy is a British-Canadian white student who speaks with British clipped accent though without any attitute. Umesh --- umesh sharma <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Some might like it esp those who do not believe in > organized religion -like Rajen-da. This is from my > host's mother. > > Regards. > > Umesh > > > --- amy newman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > From: "amy newman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Subject: 1992 Baha'i World Congress > > Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 07:40:37 +0000 > > > > --------------------------------- > > dear umesh, > > i received this from a friend. It is an article > that > appeared in the NY Times in 1992 about the upcoming > event. > The only mistake i see in this articel (besides some > other subtle things0 is mention of missionaries... > There are no such thing as Baha'i missionaries. > But the rest of it is a pretty succinct summary of > the > Baha'i Faith in a broad sense. > > good read, > > amy > > > > --------------------------------- > From: "Bente Osteraas" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "\"undisclosed recipients\"" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: FW: [Wncbahai] 1992 Baha'i World Congress > Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 11:07:46 -0400 > > > > > NYTimes Go to a Section ----------------------- > Arts > Automobiles Books Business Cartoons Classifieds > Corrections Crossword/Games Dining & Wine > Editorials/Op-Ed Education Fashion & Style Health > Home > & Garden International Job Market Learning Network > Magazine Movies Multimedia/Photos NYC Guide NYT > Front > Page National New York Region Obituaries Readers' > Opinions Real Estate Science Sports Technology The > Public Editor Theater Travel Washington Weather Week > in Review ----------------------- Services Welcome, > gjdemas99 - Member Center - Log out > [input] [input] NYT Since 1981 NYT 1851-1982 > Google/Web Multimedia NYC Events NYC Venues > > SAVE THIS PAGEMY SAVED PAGES > > TODAY'S ARTICLESCREATE ALERTMANAGE ALERTS > > > > > > --------------------------------- > Tip for TimesSelect subscribers: Want to easily save > this page? Use Times File by simply clicking on the > Save Article icon in the Article Tools box below. > > --------------------------------- > METROPOLITAN DESK > Baha'i Faithful Prepare for World Congress > [input] [input] [input] [input] [input] > > [input] [input] [input] [input] [input] > [input] [input] [input] E-Mail This > > [input] [input] Printer-Friendly > Save Article > > > > By ARI L. GOLDMAN, (Special to The New York Times) > 1223 words > Published: November 22, 1992 > > ROXBURY, Conn., Nov. 17 - > Several years ago a friend showed Akin Odulate a > locket with picture of the Prophet Muhammad inside. > As > the young man stared at the gentle bearded face, he > thought he could also see the faces of Jesus, > Zoroaster, Moses, Abraham and other holy men > throughout history. > This realization led Mr. Odulate to embrace Baha'i, > a > 150-year-old religion that teaches that all the > great > prophets represent the same divine spirit reaching > out > to humanity. Baha'i teaches that all religions are > one, that there is only one God and that the time > has > come for all humanity to unite and live in peace. > Gathering of the Faithful > Mr. Odulate's new faith led him to this rural area > of > Connecticut, where he is rehearsing with 60 other > young Baha'is who will perform at the Baha'i World > Congress beginning Monday at the Javits Center in > Manhattan. > Some 30,000 Baha'is from around the world are > expected > at the four-day gathering, which marks 100 years > since > the death of the Baha'i prophet, Baha'u'llah. It is > only the second world congress in the history of the > faith; the first was in London in 1963. There are > five > million Baha'is in the world, 110,000 of them in the > United States and fewer than 1,500 in the Greater > New > York area. > Brad Pokorny, a spokesman for the Baha'i gathering, > said New York was chosen because it is the home of > many races and religions. "We want to show the world > that there can be unity out of this diversity," he > said. > For Baha'is, the event at the Javits Center is more > than just a worldwide get-together of the faithful. > It > represents a celebration of what they believe to be > a > world that has finally come to embrace the > religion's > ideas of multiculturalism, equality of men and > women, > interdependence and what they have long called a New > World Order. > "All of humanity is waking up to these principles > that > Bah'u'llah talked about more than 100 years ago," > Mr. > Pokorny said. > The Baha'i faith is not widely known even among > religious scholars but it is not generally regarded > as > a cult. "I've worked in the area for 20 years and > Baha'i is not something we've received many > inquiries > or complaints about," said Marcia R. Rudin, who as > director of the International Cult Education Program > hears complaints about groups that abuse, deceive > and > manipulate converts who are alienated from their > families. "I did receive one inquiry about Baha'i, > but > I haven't seen anything to suggest it was a cult or > cultlike." An Encompassing Faith > Mr. Odulate, a 27-years-old native of Lagos, > Nigeria, > in many ways represents the coming together that > Baha'i preaches. Mr. Odulate's mother was a devout > Muslim and his father, a scientist, did not believe > in > God. As a young man, the son was sent to England to > study. There he became a Christian. > "But then I began to see the fissures in religion," > he > said. "I would be together with my friends and then > things would break up. The Catholics would go to > their > church, the Protestants to theirs, the Hindus to > their > temple, the Jews to their synagogue." > "When I discovered Baha'i, I found a faith that > encompassed them all. Suddenly, I found something > that > made everything that ever happened to me make > sense." > Other Baha'is who were rehearsing with Mr. Odulate > included a former Buddhist from Japan, a former > Hindu > from India and several young men and women whose > parents converted to Baha'i in the 1960's, among > them > blacks who said that they were attracted to its > embrace of all races. > One dancers wore a multicolored T-shirt with the > Baha'i slogan, "One Planet, One People . . . > Please." > A few in the group were descendants of Baha'is from > Iran, the land where Baha'u'llah was born and where > the Baha'i people have long suffered persecutions at > the hands of the country's Muslim majority. > Many dramatic presentations that the young people > rehearsed were about the travails of the Baha'is, > the > massacres and upheavals during their brief history. > But there was also an exuberant number, directed by > Shidan Majidi, that moved from the dances of the > Orient to Latin America to India to urban American > hip-hop. > One dancer, Frank Robinson Jr., a 24-year-old > student > from Plainville, Conn., wore a bandanna around his > head. He said that Baha'is accept the larger culture > as long as "it doesn't remove you from God." > "Our goal is to have salvation in the world, not in > isolation," he said. "If we were to live in > isolation > it wouldn't do the world much good." > Baha'i makes few demands on the faithful. Sex > outside > of marriage and alcohol are prohibited. They are > encouraged to vote, but they are restrained from > holding partisan political office since, according > to > Mr. Pokorny, such roles can be divisive. > Baha'is can, however, hold nonpartisan public > offices, > like judgeships. One Baha'i judge is Dorothy W. > Nelson, a Federal Court of Appeals judge in > California. Probably the nation's most famous Baha'i > is Dizzy Gillespie. No Clergy > In Baha'i there is no clergy. Decisions are made by > democratically elected body called Spiritual > Assemblies. The Baha'i world headquarters is in > Haifa, > Israel, where Baha'u'llah is buried, but there is > only > a small community of 650 Baha'is in Israel. The > greatest concentration of Baha'is is in India, where > two million live. Other concentrations are in Iran, > Bolivia, Guyana and the Pacific Islands. > The only Baha'i temple in the United States is in > Wilmette, Ill., just north of Chicago. Baha'is meet > for prayer in small groups in adherents' homes. > Services are held according to the Baha'i calendar, > which is made up of 19 months of 19 days each. > (Additional days are added to make the calendar > consistent with the Western calendar.) > Baha'is reach out through periodic home gatherings > they call Firesides. At one such meeting earlier > this > week in Highland, N.Y., near New Paltz, N.Y, 18 men > and women sat in Christine Krug's living room. Dan > Nossa, 18, spoke about the Baha'i notion of > "progressive revelation," which contends that God > sends messengers to earth in each era and that the > prophecy of each builds on that by predecessors. > While Baha'u'llah is the most recent prophet, that > does not mean he is the greatest, Mr. Nossa said. > "It > is like going to school," he said. "All grades are > equal. The first grade is not better than college. > It > is just that each grade is right for a different > time." Likewise, each prophet is right for the time > and place to which he is sent. > Although Baha'i teaches that all religions are true, > when one becomes a Baha'i, he or she gives up the > former faith and religious practices. For example, > Ms. > Krug, the hostess of the gathering, said that she > joins her Christian relatives for Christmas dinner > but > marks the holiday in a cultural rather than > religious > way. > Some in the small group who came to her house were > skeptical. Bob Smith, a social worker, said that he > liked what the Baha'i have to say but he felt it > wasn't enough. "I can't imagine them talking to > people > facing death or the loss of a child," he said. "They > are so focused on redeeming the world that a > personal > relationship with God seems to be missing." > Mr. Nossa described his own personal relationship > with > God, which led him to spend three months traveling > in > Latin America "doing service," combining charitable > and missionary activities. "This is how world peace > is > going to come about," he said. > > > Photo: In Roxbury, Conn., about 60 followers of > Baha'i, a 150-year-old religion that teaches that > all > faiths are one and there is only one God, are > rehearsing for the Baha'i World Congress beginning > tomorrow in Manhattan. A group of Baha'is rehearsed > a > play in Roxbury they are to perform at the > convention. > (David LaBianca for The New York Times) > > Advertisement > Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company | Privacy > Policy | Home | Search | Corrections | Help | Back > to > Top > > > > > > Umesh Sharma > 5121 Lackawanna ST > College Park, MD 20740 USA > > Current temp. address: 5649 Yalta Place , Vancouver, > Canada > > 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone] > Canada # (607) 221-9433 > > Ed.M. - International Education Policy > Harvard Graduate School of Education, > Harvard University, > Class of 2005 > > weblog: http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/ > > > > ___________________________________________________________ > > The all-new Yahoo! Mail goes wherever you go - free > your email address from your Internet provider. > http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html > Umesh Sharma 5121 Lackawanna ST College Park, MD 20740 USA Current temp. address: 5649 Yalta Place , Vancouver, Canada 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone] Canada # (607) 221-9433 Ed.M. - International Education Policy Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Class of 2005 weblog: http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/ ___________________________________________________________ All New Yahoo! Mail Tired of [EMAIL PROTECTED]@! come-ons? Let our SpamGuard protect you. http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html _______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
