Re: Prophecy
If I didnt know any better I would have said that Abdul-Baha was cheating in order to make 3.5 days into 1260 years. Perhaps Im missing something... The Master's use of a year to represent 360 days and a month 30 etc., is well-established and is really pretty universally accepted by Christians. Just go to www.google.com and in the search box type each day for a year prophecy including the quote marks just that way, and see how many goodies show up. This was not an invention of the Master, but a resolution of Scriptural content with sound reasoning. Someone wrote to the Guardian about the fact that in the Master's interpretation of the Zoroastrian prophecy on p. 101 of WOB, He in one case interpreted a day as a year, in another case day represented one year, and in another case one hundred years. Shoghi Effendi's secretary responded on his behalf: Regarding the question of days referring in some cases to years, and in some cases to centuries in the Tablet to a Zoroastrian follower of the Faith: The only answer we can give people who lack the faith to accept the words of the Master as being divinely inspired interpretations of the truth, is that the language of prophecy has always in the past been veiled in meaning, and that allusions are found in all the Holy Books which cannot be accepted literally, and have not been satisfactorily interpreted until the appearance of this Revelation when, we believe, the books of the past and their mysteries have been at last unsealed. Could anybody find a more logical interpretation of this allusion in the Zoroastrian literature than that given by `Abdu'l-Baha, or one which fits a coherent interpretation of religious history as well as the Master's words do? (Compilation of Compilations, Vol. I, p. 23) When trying to understand the logic of the Master, a satisfying approach is to assume that His motive lies in a lofty direction, never in a base one. Brent __ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web - http://list.jccc.net/read/?forum=bahai-st News - news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
re: SAQ question
Often, `Abdul-Baha gives different or additional applications of familiar Bible verses; for example, cutting off the right hand or plucking out the eye [Matthew 18:9] to mean expulsion of Covenant-breakers [BWF 432] is a completely original interpretation. I think that He is not here speaking of unbelief as death, which is the typical interpretation of these verses of Christ. Rather, He is saying that this physical life, in comparison to the life of the spirit is equivalent to nonexistence. The point is made clearer in another passage from SAQ where He says: . . . attachment to the earthly world, in relation to attachment to the spiritual world, is considered as a sin. The good deeds of the righteous are the sins of the Near Ones. This is established. So bodily power is not only defective in relation to spiritual power; it is weakness in comparison. In the same way, physical life, in comparison with eternal life in the Kingdom, is considered as death. So Christ called the physical life death, and said: Let the dead bury their dead. Though those souls possessed physical life, yet in His eyes that life was death. (SAQ 126) The passage in the Gospel you quote is about discipleship. I think that perhaps when it says that the disciples followed Jesus into the boat this means that they advanced into the Cause of God. As Mark says, it may have been a fictional account or parable. Often the verses of the Gospel which appear to narrate historical events are treated as entirely symbolic. Perhaps here `Abdul-Baha is equating following Jesus with living the life of the spirit; there is really no difference. `Abdul-Baha is elaborating on what Jesus called the Kingdom of God, or what `Abdu'l-Baha above calls eternal life in the Kingdom, i.e. the life one lives suffused with the fragrances of life, when one is a true disciple. Brent __ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web - http://list.jccc.net/read/?forum=bahai-st News - news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Opening the gates of all things
I have heard from one of the friends that there is a Tablet from Baha'u'llah in which He says that if a person wants the things of this world in preference to the spiritual gifts God offers, God in His justice will give them to him in abundance, because throughout all the worlds of God, that's all he's going to get. Does anyone know of such a Tablet, perhaps not yet translated? It seems to me this might be one of the themes in a Tablet addressed to Mirza Husayn Khan, the Persian Ambassador in Constantinople. Baha'u'llah writes: Heed, therefore, My counsel, and hearken thou, with the hearing of thine heart, unto My speech, and be not careless of My words, nor be of them that reject My truth. Glory not in the things that have been given thee. Set before thine eyes what hath been revealed in the Book of God, the Help in Peril, the All-Glorious: 'And when they had forgotten their warnings, We set open to them the gates of all things,' even as We did set open to thee and to thy like the gates of this earth and the ornaments thereof. Wait thou, therefore, for what hath been promised in the latter part of this holy verse, for this is a promise from Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Wise, a promise that will not prove untrue. (Summons of the Lord of Hosts p. 227, and Gleanings CXIII p. 227, quoting Qur'an 6:44.) Their warnings refers to those of the apostles God sent to the nations (6:42). I understand the reference to what has been promised in the latter part of the verse, to be a promise that God will grant Husayn Khan more of the things of this earth, such as fame, prestige, wealth, power and the other benefits this world offers. Thoughts welcome. Brent __ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web - http://list.jccc.net/read/?forum=bahai-st News - news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: Baha'i Saints, Heroes, Martyrs, Administrators
Being a martyr is easier than being a bureaucrat? Amazing! The true calling of a Baha'i administrator is a very high one. It calls on one to be a complete person, to have a well-developed panoply of virtues, and to be wholly consecrated to the well-being of the Cause of Bahaullah and humanity as a whole. As the Guardian made clear, the spirit of consecration is what counts, which was expressed in a previous day as martyrdom, and now is expressed through service. It is true that if we are halfhearted Bahais we do not deserve to say that our deeds today, and our spirit today, is the same as that of the martyrs. But I think Mr. Grossman was not talking about the armchair Bahai administrator. I think he was talking about the true calling, the fullness of what it means to be a shepherd to humanity. Just a cursory glance at the necessary virtues of the Bahai administrators in the Writings includes these high attainments: to be motivated by a true sense of love extreme humility candor entire devotion long-suffering kindliness moral courage self-discipline complete reliance on the power of Bahaullah detachment from all else save God to act in the spirit of self-sacrifice I am a member of my local spiritual assembly, but I dont claim to be a Bahai administrator. I know one, though. He gets up at 5:00 every morning to pray for two hours for his community before he goes to work. He and his family support the activities of the friends, their firesides and feasts and devotional meetings. He is available to a believer with a stalled car, or a seeker with a profound question. But it is not only these outward deeds. I really think that being a true spiritual assembly member is the hardest job in the faith today. It calls on us to stretch in ways that other human beings are not asked to stretch; to accept others and be respectful of their views; to be candid not only in offering our views, but in admitting our own flaws; to reach out in love to those who have been rejected; to listen to harsh and undeserved criticism addressed to us, and not to respond in kind; and to look at all things with a spiritual eye. So to me, a true Bahai administrator does display the same characteristic of devotion and consecration as a martyr does. But it is a long way to being a true Bahai administrator. And I think that is who Mr. Grossman was describing. He led into his comments by quoting from the Master, ...we, all of us, should strive with our whole hearts to offer ourselves up, guide others to His path, and train the souls of men. Brent __ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web - http://list.jccc.net/read/?forum=bahai-st News - news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: Baha'i Saints, Heroes, Martyrs, Administrators
I'd be interested to know where he got the idea that the Guardian was arranging these categories from easiest to most difficult. I assume that is his own view, based on his own experiences. Given that this is the view of a man who lived through the Nazi persecution of the Baha'i community, it tells volumes about how hard he finds administrative service in the Faith, and how much he puts into it. As to saint, I have no problem assigning this station to Bahiyyih Khanum. But beyond that, I think all others are speculative. (I don't think it is appropriate to assign Abdu'l-Baha or Shoghi Effendi to this station, as they are each in a category of their own.) Rank is an interesting thing. When writing of the burial of Navvab, the Purest Branch and Bahiyyih Khanum in the Monument Gardens, Shoghi Effendi wrote of ...these three incomparably precious souls who, next to the three Central Figures of our Faith, tower in rank above the vast multitude of the heroes, Letters, martyrs, Hands, teachers and administrators of the Cause of Baha'u'llah... (Messages to America 1932-1946, pp. 32-33) Brent __ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web - http://list.jccc.net/read/?forum=bahai-st News - news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: Baha'i Saints, Heroes, Martyrs, Administrators
But none of the above specifically relate to being an administrator. Why not call the above a saint instead? You are quite correct, this is saintly behavior. And Mr. Grossman's point was that to be a real Baha'i administrator, one needs to be a saint. Baha'i administration isn't about pushing paper. It's about love and dedication, and that's what the Writings call for. When the Assembly members live sacrificially for their communities, the communities advance. Advancement doesn't come cheap. It requires martyrdom. Brent __ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web - http://list.jccc.net/read/?forum=bahai-st News - news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
How to stop Microsoft Word from changing Baha'i to Baha'I and Kitab-i-Aqdas to Kitab-I-Aqdas
It has to do with the autoformatting feature. In Word click FORMAT Then AUTOFORMAT OPTIONS button AUTOCORRECT tab The cursor should be blinking in the replace box. Type the small letter i. In the larger box below it you will see that a list appears, and at the top of the list on the left is the small letter i and in the box to the right of it is a capital I. Click on the small i to highlight both items on that line. Click the DELETE button. Click OK. Go on with your life a happier, more contented person. Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
RE: World Govt and the UHJ
Is it possible to get this memorandum in a Word document, or is there somewhere on the Net where it can be found formatted? I access the messages on this list on the Net, and the memorandum came across very broken up. Thanks Brent attorney at newmexico dot com -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: Temple Designs by Mason Remey
Has the House actually confirmed that the Remey design will be built? Given that the Master and Guardian approved Remey and his design before he broke the covenant, it would seem that the House would have grounds to alter the decision. Does it seem credible or consistent that either the Master or the Guardian would not revoke a responsibility and bounty bestowed upon a believer if he broke the covenant, especially if that believer rebelled against the House, an institution further developed and defined by the Master and the Guardian themselves? I don't remember where I learned this. My recollection is that when the Baha'is were choosing the design for the Wilmette Temple, Remey's and Bourgeois' designs tied. Remey then graciously withdrew his design. The Master stated that because of this act, Remey would design the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar for Mount Carmel. Remey then designed it, with input from the Guardian. Shoghi Effendi's secretary wrote on his behalf: The type of dome on such structures as Mason Remey's Temple for Haifa, the Shrine of the Báb and St. Peter's in Rome he considers beautiful in proportion and suitable. http://www.bahai.com/writings4/ShoghiEffendi/aunz/126-130.htm Remey did not like the Guardian interfering with his designs, but in my view the Guardian really enhanced Remey's designs, using his technical abilities as a tool. I heard somewhere that two of the doors of the Shrine of the Bab -- I think five were named by the Master, 4 by the Guardian -- that two of the believers after whom doors of the Shrine of the Bab were named by the Master, broke the Covenant after the Master's passing. Shoghi Effendi did not change the names. So the Head of the Faith is guided to know when such a change would be meet and proper, and when it will do no harm. It is a sign of the profound respect the House of Justice gives to the decisions of the Master and the Guardian, that Remey's design will be built on Carmel. My recollection is that a model of this design is in the central hall of the Mansion of Bahji. I can't point to any authorized statements on any of this, other than the quote above. Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: Temple Designs by Mason Remey
'Abdu'l-Baha permitted the covenant breaker to live at the mansion at Bahji, even paying their expenses. In contrast, Shoghi Effendi could not wait to get them out and bulldoze their shanty appendages. How do we view Shoghi Effendi's actions in light of 'Abdu'l-Baha's? It's my view that the Master took the approach He did, for reasons of wisdom. For years following the Ascension of Baha'u'llah, it was not known that the Covenant-breakers had separated themselves from `Abdu'l-Baha. The pilgrims would come on Pilgrimage, and while there, the Covenant-breakers would invite them to come to the Mansion. (The Master lived in `Akka until 1910, when He moved into His house in Haifa). There are references in Baha'i literature to the efforts the Covenant-breakers made, to turn the believers against `Abdu'l-Baha. (Memorials of the Faithful, p. 55) When the pilgrims would visit the Shrine of Baha'u'llah, the Covenant-breakers would interfere. I believe I read that Mirza Muhammad-`Ali would, with great ceremony, descend the stairway in a manner to try to impress the pilgrims. At this time, the rupture had not become open, and the Master kept it secret. He wrote in a Tablet to Mirza Abu'l-Fazl that when the Covenant-breakers wrote to the Baha'is around the world trying to get the believers to turn to them instead of to the Master, and when some of the mail was returned to the Post Office, it was returned to the Master, not to the Covenant-breakers. Through this means, He discovered their deeds. Since they had made the rupture open, He no longer concealed it. The Master was grievously ashamed of the conduct of the Aghsan. I believe that His support of them was calculated to keep them out of sight, at the Mansion, out of town. I do not think it was something He felt was His duty. Baha'u'llah had written in the Kitab-i-`Ahd that the Aghsan had no right to the property of the believers, and I understand this to mean that there was no right to be supported by the Fund or the Huquq'u'llah. I think it was discretionary with the Master. I do not know when the flow of funds stopped, but have always assumed that it stopped abruptly when Shoghi Effendi became the Guardian. By that time the British Mandate had been in place for three years, and things were opening up. British administration meant more freedom of expression for the Baha'is, protected by the government. Shoghi Effendi did not carry forward the Master's practice of attending Friday prayers at the mosque. No longer being administered by a Muslim government, it was now safe for the Cause to emerge into the public eye as a new Faith. Leroy Ioas was one of the sons of Charles Ioas, who served on the first Assembly in the West -- Chicago. He had met the Master when he was a boy. He became one of the pillars of the Faith in America, deepening the friends at the Geyserville School, educating them in the spirit and administration and history of the Cause. He was a born administrator, and I believe was the VP for Customer Relations for the Union Pacific Railroad. He brought these administrative skills to bear when he served on the National Teaching Committee. It was his encouragement and practical support that enabled a good many homefront and foreign pioneers to settle in their new homes. Then Shoghi Effendi brought Mr. Ioas to Haifa, to assist him in his work. Finally, finally, he had capable assistance. Mr. Ioas met with government officials, particularly in connection with building permits for the burgeoning developments on Carmel. When the three Hands -- Maxwell the architect, Giachery who supervised the marble and tile construction in Europe, and Ioas who was construction supervisor in the Holy Land -- acted on behalf of Shoghi Effendi in building the Shrine of the Bab, these three great Hands enabled Shoghi Effendi to reach his height. Shoghi Effendi loved the Shrine of the Bab so much, that when you sit in the seat he used to sit in, in the Pilgrim House in Haifa, you can see that it enabled him to see the dome of the Shrine of the Bab as he spoke with the friends, framed in the window. Mr. Ioas told Shoghi Effendi that there was an Israeli law that prohibited residences within a certain number of meters of a designated Holy Place. At mealtime Mr. Ioas mentioned this to Shoghi Effendi, and that perhaps this law could be used to evict the Covenant-breakers from the Most Holy Spot. Shoghi Effendi asked Mr. Ioas if he really thought he could do this, and Mr. Ioas said no, he did not think that he could. But if Shoghi Effendi told him to do so, he knew that the power of the Holy Spirit supported everything Shoghi Effendi wanted, and that if he instructed him to do so, it might be done. Shoghi Effendi then asked him to proceed. Shoghi Effendi told Mr. Ioas that everything he had done in his life, all his services to the Cause, including construction of the Shrine of the Bab (Imagine! Constructing the Shrine to One prophecied
Re: Recite ye the verses of God every morn and eventide
Dear Friends, Allah'u'Abha... Does the verses of God include the Writings of the Bab too? With much love, Ardalan In the Notes to the Aqdas the House states that the Guardian has stated that neither the Writings of the Master nor those of the Guardian are intended by this verse. My recollection is that the House stated that whether one views the Writings of the Bab as fulfilling this obligation to read the Writings morning and evening is a matter of conscience for each believer. However, I cannot locate this passage, so ... Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: America and the Most Great Peace: More elucidation
Patti Goebel wrote: Dear Brent, You are most correct in identifying our neglegence. How often I've = heard someone say We should have brought a camera! or What year was = that? I am not so sure it is negligence; more often we just don't think of it. We don't have a historical perspective and just need a reminder. FYI here are guidelines I received two or three years ago, from the US Baha'i National Archivist Roger Dahl. Though it may not apply in your Baha'i community -- did you say you are in Alaska? -- it may still be of interest. Brent ORAL HISTORY GUIDELINES 1. A successful interview requires previous research on the life and activities of the interviewee. The interviewer should come to the interview with a list of prepared questions or topics to be covered. 2. The interviewer will often want to start the interview by getting some general background and family information from the interviewee. The interview can then proceed chronologically or by topic. 3. The interviewer should be flexible enough to be able to explore unexpected information or a new trail of inquiry not covered by the prepared questions if one should suddenly appear. This is why a good grasp of the subject being discussed is so valuable. 4. A basic purpose of oral history is to fill in gaps in manuscript or printed sources or to elaborate on them. Manuscript material is considered to be archival when it has permanent historical, administrative, or religious value and will be used by researchers in the future. The same criteria also applies to oral history interviews. 5. Before the interview begins the interviewer should discuss with the interviewee any restrictions the interviewee may want to place on the use of the tapes. The National Baha'i Archives would prefer not to have any restrictions but is willing to accept reasonable restrictions on access or copyright if the restrictions have a definite time limit. A letter detailing any restrictions should be sent with the interview to the Archives. Upon receipt of the tapes, the National Baha'i Archives will send a deed of gift to the interviewee. 6. The interviewer should be friendly and courteous. 7. The interviewer may want to do more than one interview, if the subject warrants it and the interviewee is agreeable. 8. The interviewer should phrase his questions carefully and keep them short so that the interviewee is free to express his own ideas and knowledge. The interviewer should avoid leading questions. 9. A letter of appreciation should be written afterwards. 10. The interviewer should keep careful records of who is interviewed, when and where. Each tape should be labeled with the name of the interviewer and interviewee, place and date. 24 July 1980 -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
`Abdu'l-Baha in Egypt
Mirza Ahmad Sohrab kept a diary of events during the Master's sojourn in Egypt, including, as I recall, some Tablets. This book, published as `Abdu'l-Baha in Egypt was reviewed by the US NSA and was a kind of peace offering to Sohrab in a vain effort to attract him back to the Administration. Anyway it is a very rare out-of-print book. I saw a copy of it on the Net for $250 which is way beyond reasonable. I am wondering if anyone has it in electronic text? Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: The Lesser Covenant of the Bab
Richard Gravelly wrote: Below is a narration of those new laws of the Bab'i Dispensation, Revealed by Tahirih and possibly Quddus as two of the Successors of the Bab. And quoted from the Dawn-breakers: Still others who recognized the authority of both Tahirih and Quddus viewed the whole episode as a God-sent test designed to separate the true from the false and distinguish the faithful from the disloyal. I appreciate your comments, Richard. It does seem that Tahirih and Quddus had a kind of spiritual authority, in the sense of being exemplary believers. And true, the rank of Quddus was second only to that of the Bab. So in that sense, you are confirming what I asked in my posting, perhaps it was the Letters of the Living who aided in maintaining the unity of the Babi community. I would not go so far as to say that the two of them were successors because the Guardian has stated that the Bab named no successor. But in the sense I think you mean it, I think this is a really good observation. I also agree with Khazeh, that the Lesser and Greater Covenants of the Bab may be conflated into one, in the sense that turning the believers eyes towards Him Whom God will manifest was designed both to lead the Babis to the next Manifestation, and also to keep His community united for the duration of the Babi Dispensation. It seems to me that it has to be these things -- what else could there be, to which the Guardian refers as the Lesser Covenant of the Bab? Also, when the Guardian refers to Baha'u'llah's explusion of Mirza Yahya and Siyyid Muhammad-i-Isfahani from the Babi community, he states that the Covenant of the Bab insured the integrity of the Community. (GPB 170) Interesting, as this was during the Dispensation of Baha'u'llah, and after His public Declaration. Thank you both, and thank you, too, to Kendal for referring me to Saeidi's book, one of the finest Baha'i books I've read in a decade. Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
The System of the Babi Faith
In God Passes By, Shoghi Effendi explains that the Vazir Haji Mirza Aqasi engineered the banishment of the Bab to the remotest outreaches in northwest Persia. However, this isolation that the plot of the Vazir brought about, actually allowed the Bab uninterrupted time to develop His Faith. There are two aspects of what the Bab revealed during this period of His incarceration that I wish to ask you folks about, and the first is this: Little did he imagine that the very isolation he was forcing upon his Prisoner would enable Him to evolve the System designed to incarnate the soul of His Faith... (God Passes By, p. 18) This is the same language Shoghi Effendi uses to describe the institutions Baha'u'llah brought into being: ... the ultimate erection of a House of Worship that will incarnate the soul of a flourishing nation-wide community (Shoghi Effendi, Messages to Canada p. 14) ... that World Order that must incarnate the soul, execute the laws, and fulfill the purpose of the Faith of God in this day. (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, Introduction, p. xii) ... an Administration which, as it evolved, would at once incarnate, safeguard and foster its spirit. (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 83) My question is, what is the System of the Faith of the Bab? I know of no administrative institutions that He created, so what is it that He revealed that incarnated the soul of His Faith? I know that a number of the laws of the Aqdas have their predecessors in the Bayan; perhaps these are what Shoghi Effendi refers to. Also, as Baha'u'llah designated the Rulers and the Learned, the Bab appointed Mirrors, Witnesses and Letters; though I know of no specific functions they had, other than proclaiming the Cause of the Bab. Perhaps these could be thought of as proto-institutions? I'd be grateful for any insights. Thank you Brent I know of no inst -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
The Lesser Covenant of the Bab
My second question derives from the same sentence of the Guardian, in which he describes the fruit of the Bab's three-year banishment to the mountains of Adhirbayjan: Little did he [Aqasi] imagine that the very isolation he was forcing upon his Prisoner would enable Him to evolve the System designed to incarnate the soul of His Faith, and would afford Him the opportunity of safeguarding it from disintegration and schism... (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 18) The last three and most eventful years of the Báb's ministry had, as we have observed in the preceding pages, witnessed ... the establishment of that Lesser Covenant which was to safeguard the unity of His followers and pave the way for the advent of an incomparably mightier Revelation. (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 30) The Covenant of the Báb, to which reference has already been made, with its immutable truths, incontrovertible prophecies, and repeated warnings, stood guard over that Faith, insuring its integrity, demonstrating its incorruptibility, and perpetuating its influence. (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By p. 170) The House of Justice has explained that the Lesser Covenant of a Manifestation concerns maintenance of the unity of the Faith during His Dispensation: There is, for example, the Greater Covenant which every Manifestation of God makes with His followers, promising that in the fullness of time a new Manifestation will be sent, and taking from them the undertaking to accept Him when this occurs. There is also the Lesser Covenant that a Manifestation of God makes with His followers that they will accept His appointed successor after Him. If they do so, the Faith can remain united and pure. (The Universal House of Justice, letter to an individual believer dated 23 March, 1975, Compilation of Compilations, Vol. I, p. 111, Compilation on the Covenant) So to summarize, the Greater Covenant concerns the next Manifestation, and the Bab's promise of Baha'u'llah was, then, His Greater Covenant. The Lesser Covenant concerns the Successorship and maintains the unity of the Faith during the Prophet's Dispensation. Shoghi Effendi states in the above three quotes that during His banishment the Bab revealed His Covenant which safeguarded His Faith from schism; established His Lesser Covenant which safeguarded the unity of His followers; and that the Covenant of the Bab insured the integrity of His Faith. These three quotes sound like the function of the Covenant concerning the successorship. However, as Shoghi Effendi has written: A successor or vicegerent the Báb never named, an interpreter of His teachings He refrained from appointing. (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 28) What, then, constituted the Lesser Covenant of the Bab? Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: Adam as Manifestion
Some quotes referencing / implying Adam was a Manifestation: It seems to me that the whole notion of the First man implies a Manifestation. It all depends on how one defines man and if humanity implies the capacity to know God, how could one know God if there was no Manifestation? Similarly, at the symbolic level, the Manifestation bringing a new creation into being is frequently explained as the Manifestation announcing Himself, and attracting followers. This is beautifully explained in a Tablet by the Master quoted in the notes to the Aqdas, in connection with the meaning of the Hidden Mystery where He brought creation into being. Likewise with Adam naming all of the creatures; this symbolically describes the distinction between the realm of revelation, and the realm of names. Likewise Eve being created from the rib of Adam, I have always understood to mean something of the spiritual creation, where the believer is brought into the realm of reality by accepting the Manifestation. Maybe there is a link between the rib of Adam, and Moses putting His hand into His bosom, and Jesus inviting Thomas: Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing. John 20:27 Also, there is a place in one of Abu'l-Fad'ls essays about the angels arguing with Adam, and he interprets this as the Aghsan opposing Abdu'l-Baha. The angels in this instance meaning those in the highest station in the Cause, in heaven i.e. the presence of the Master, and membership in the Holy Family. So in this instance Adam meant the Vali, the Successor, the one representing the Manifestation. Abu'l-Fad'l was one of the first believers to know of the defection of the family of the Master. So anyway, I think that the creation stories in Scripture have a lot to do with being a spiritual description of the bringing into being of the community of believers of a Manifestation, at least as much as with the bringing into being of the physical creation. This is perhaps also related to the passage in the Gleanings pp. 150 ff, where Baha'u'llah relates the passing away of the creation, and God being alone, to the Manifestation being in the world, yet being unknown of anyone until the First Believer comes into being. It's very beautiful. Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: Designation of Avarih as Hand of the Cause of God
Faruq wrote: Dear friends as we haven't seen all letters and tablets revealed by `Abdu'l-Baha, we cannot definitely comment that there has never been such a thing like designating Muhammad Hussayn Shafti, Avareh, as Hand of the Cause. There is another sense in which a believer might be referred to as a hand by the Manifestation (keeping in mind that in Arabic there is no capitalization, so no difference between Hand and hand): O people of Baha! The river that is Life indeed hath flowed for your sakes. Quaff ye in My name, despite them that have disbelieved in God, the Lord of Revelation. We have made you to be the hands of Our Cause. Render ye victorious this Wronged One... (Baha'u'llah, quoted in The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 76) Perhaps there is a passage where the Master referred to Avarih in this same way. But it did not elevate him to the rank of Hand of the Cause. Shoghi Effendi signed many of his letters, Your true brother, Shoghi. That didn't make the recipients Aghsan. Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: Designation of Avarih as Hand of the Cause of God
*Another case of suppression involves John E. Esselmont's use of materials by the former Baha'i historian Abdu'l-Husayn Ayati, named Avarih or Wanderer by Abdu'l-Baha. Avarih was also a Hand of the Cause I note that there is no footnote to Mr. Salisbury's assertion that Avarih was designated a Hand. I think it is a fabrication he heard from someone, and he is passing along. If Avarih had been designated a Hand, and had then been removed from the Cause, the fact of his having been previously designated a Hand would not be removed from Baha'i texts. For example, the fact that Mason Remey was designated a Hand, then was expelled, does not deprive him of his place in history. When Barron Harper was researching his book on the Hands, Lights of Fortitude, he asked the House of Justice how to handle Remey, and was told to include a chapter about him. The House is not fanatical. Further, since the Master had designated Remey as the architect for the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar to be built in the future on Mount Carmel, and since Shoghi Effendi approved the design, it will be built by the House of Justice, to carry out the decisions of the Master and the Guardian. Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: Pure/used water
The link to Arthur Dahl's paper didn't come through the last time, let's see if it does this time. Brent http://bahai-library.org/conferences/water.html QUESTION: Concerning pure water, and the point at which it is considered used. David, you might find this brief paper presented by Arthur Dahl at a Symposium on Water interesting -- The Baha'i Perspective on Water. I believe Arthur was working for an international agency at the time, and may well still be. Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: Pure/used water
QUESTION: Concerning pure water, and the point at which it is considered used. David, you might find this brief paper presented by Arthur Dahl at a Symposium on Water interesting -- The Baha'i Perspective on Water. I believe Arthur was working for an international agency at the time, and may well still be. Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: Social problems in the Baha'i Faith
M. Chase wrote: Personally, I don't care who does the research. A more important point in my mind is that Bahais need to figure out for themselves what works and doesn't work in the administrative order and how to make improvements. We need to be able to learn how the administration order is working by some consistently planned follow-up or feedback that we can learn from successes or mistakes and make adjustments in strategies and procedures accordingly so our communities and institutions can grow, progress, and function at a higher level more in line with their true potential as envisioned by the writings. I think this is an important point. Assemblies have a lot on their plate. They have a mandate broader and more important than any other institution I have ever heard of. They have ethical, moral and spiritual requirements for proper functioning that far exceed the reach of any other work I know of. I don't know of any more challenging process than Assembly consultation. Part of that process is self-examination and self-correction by the Assemblies, and welcoming examination of Assembly decisions by the friends in the community. The Master reveals that the divine approach is support for the majority decision even if it is wrong, as it is in unity the truth will be revealed and the wrong made right. Only the House of Justice is freed from all error -- the Assemblies have to monitor, evaluate the results, learn, and make corrections. I think that approach to arriving at truth is also a divine process. One method of bringing the wrong to light is that a believer, after having supported the Assembly decision, can ask the Assembly why they made a certain decision and politely request them to reconsider. (From a letter on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, in the Compilation on Consultation) It seems to me that the Assemblies could do more looking into the mirror. One such mirror is the goals they create. Too often they are carefully crafted, then stored away for safe-keeping, never to emerge again. I think they are supposed to be living documents. Often, the entire structure of a goal is later found out to be measuring the wrong thing, and it is by sensible, loving and respectful consultation that a more fundamental root is found, and the nature of the goals may be entirely changed. If there is not a process in place for the Assembly members and the community members to review how the community is doing, how an initiative is working, a seeking out of where improvements can be made, then the Assembly persists in its errors, and that's not the Baha'i way. For example, in Developing Distinctive Baha'i Communities, (p. 13.13) a resource prepared by the US NSA for the LSAs, there is this extract from a letter in the chapter on Social and Economic Development projects: It is also worth remembering that projects may need amendment to or alteration of their objectives as operational experience may show. The need for such changes can only be realized if constant monitoring is carried out and is accepted as a component part of the project. (Letter from the Office of Social and Economic Development at the World Center, approved by the Universal House of Justice, dated December 13, 1983, to a National Spiritual Assembly.) This was also a point made in a marvelous video tape produced at the World Centre, Creating a Culture of Growth. The friends in a teaching project in Atlanta shown on that tape evaluated their progress weekly, and made modifications as appropriate. It seems to me that if an Assembly builds such monitoring into all of its activities, if it sets a time frame for regular evaluation of how well each of its initiatives is meeting a certain need, then the Assemblies are going to far more quickly carry out the instructions of the House of Justice and fashion effective methods for the healing of the world. If the Assembly does not build in such monitoring; if it does not seek the views of the friends, at Feast or elsewhere, and regularly at the meetings of the Assembly itself, then when a believer feels that, going back to the quote from the Master at the top, the truth has been revealed, and the fruits of the error are now manifest -- there is no place for the Assembly member or community member to make his or her remarks without being viewed as inappropriate, or even disloyal. In order for the truth to be revealed, we have to make it OK for the friends to express such views. Other than the friends drawing such things to the attention of the Assembly, how will the truth come to light and the corrections be made? Granted, there are spiritual processes that make such changes in mysterious ways. But loving consultation and re-evaluation is a spiritual process, too, and one called for by Baha'u'llah: Consultation ... transmuteth conjecture into certitude. (Consultation compilation). So not only in SED projects, but in all its activities, rather than a
Re: Social problems in the Baha'i Faith
Has there been any scholarship on social problems within the Baha'i Faith, such as abusive behavior, corruption of institutions, and mind-control cults? Jim Jim, I think the questions are unduly harsh. I've helped with investigations of sensitive cases as an ad hoc basis from time to time; I am sure it has something to do with the fact that I'm a lawyer, and in the past dealt with child and elder abuse professionally. While any of these cases in the Baha'i community are too many, my impression is that the laws of Baha'u'llah are a moderating influence, and we have less of a problem than society at large. Also, the NSA aggressively pursues these cases, and by promoting the recent module on family violence, which does not pull any punches, is I think an honest acknowledgment that a problem exists and must be rooted out. I think that it is fair to say that the NSA is interested in the LSA's being increasingly effective healers of society's ills, including the most gross aspects of today's social problems. It does not take the approach of mere condemnation; anyone can criticize. It is trying to fashion effective remedies. As far as corruption of institutions, the NSA takes flak when it takes strong action, and conversely when it allows time for human beings to outgrow their flaws. It is a Very Big Deal to dissolve a divine institution, and instead of dissolving institutions -- I only know of one case in the 30 years I've been a Baha'i in the USA -- issues related to ineffective functioning of Assemblies are dealt with by Auxiliary Board members for Protection, combined with representatives sent directly by the National Assembly. All reports of Assembly functioning go through NSA minutes to the World Centre, as well as through ABM reports which fit into Counsellor reports to the International Teaching Centre. So the House has a pretty good idea of the temperature of the Baha'i community, and it deals with things frankly. The people at the National Center (I'm talking about the Community Administration and Assembly Development office at the US National Center) who deal with this kind of stuff have very keen sensitivity and have heard it all. They do cut to the chase. I do not believe that corruption of Baha'i institutions is a problem in the Baha'i community. It all depends on who you listen to. I once worked very closely with a Baha'i community that was publicly accused of corruption. I was in a position to know the truth of the matter. I learned something important from that experience: The existence of accusations, even strong and insistent accusations, against a Baha'i administrative body does not mean that at least some of it must be true. There have been thieves of local Baha'i Funds, and the NSA has, after thorough investigation, not hesitated to deprive such individuals of their administrative rights, and institute proper accounting safeguards. I can't think of anything more stupid than stealing Baha'u'llah's money: He who dealeth faithlessly with God shall in justice meet with faithlessness himself. (Aqdas, paragraph 97) Whoso dealeth dishonestly with God will in justice be exposed. (Baha'u'llah, Compilation on the Right of God). As far as mind-control cults within the Baha'i Faith, I will say that I am, quite unusually, stunned into silence by the question. If there is one thing the Baha'i Faith is keenly sensitive to, it is personality cults or personal leadership of any kind. It gets nipped in the bud. We are probably too sensitive to it, and healthy kinds of individual leadership could better emerge, and we will gradually outgrow our timidity in this regard. Heck, even some of the Christian cult-watch groups who profoundly disagree with us theologically have stated that the Baha'i Faith is not a cult, because of its emphasis on independent investigation of truth, and not cutting ties with one's family, employer, government or society. I think that it might be worthwhile to contact the Baha'i Network on AIDS, Sexuality, Addictions and Abuse. http://www.bnasaa.org/ It is comprised of Baha'i professionals in these fields, and participants include Baha'is coming from these backgrounds, so there is a lot of compassionate listening and understanding, which in turn is relayed into recommendations to the National Spiritual Assemblies of the US and Canada. Possibly they would have some information. Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: Divine punishment
If, however, he persisteth in his error, God will, assuredly, send down one who will deal mercilessly with him. (Baha'u'llah: The Kitab-i-Aqdas, Page: 32) I'm not familiar with any interpretive passages in the Writings about this verse, and I'm not sure how to understand it. The language send down is particularly interesting, because that's language more descriptive of Prophets. Generally when the Writings talk about God causing believers to do something, they are raised up. Send down upon them, O Lord, the concourse of the angels in heaven and earth and all that is between, to aid Thy servants ... (Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 192) After my arrival in Haifa, Shoghi Effendi had often spoken of another task he would entrust to me, a task which he defined as 'spiritual'. It concerned the erection of the Most Holy Shrine of the Bahá'í world: 'The Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, the One Who had sent down the Prophets'. (Ugo Giachery, Shoghi Effendi - Recollections, p. 123) He it is ... for Whose greater glory Thou didst send down the Bayan... (Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 39) Send down, therefore, from the heaven of Thy behest Thine invisible hosts, that, holding aloft the ensigns of Thy victory, they may help them in Thy land, and may shield them against Thine adversaries. (Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 116) How numerous the verses Thou didst send down unto Me... (Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 184) Raise up, I implore Thee, O my God, as helpers to this Revelation such as shall be counted worrthy of Thy name... Erelong will God raise up the treasures of the earth -- men who will aid Thee through Thyself and through Thy Name... (ESW 21) Erelong will God raise up within thee men endued with mighty valour... (Aqdas 78) Ah -- it isn't always that way: How can He be conceived as powerless to raise up yet another Messenger after Moses? (Iqan 136) If I be slain at your hands, God will assuredly raise up one who will fill the seat made vacant through My death... (Gleanings 224) Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: Fw: UHJ and majority vote.
I missed the part of the Constitution and By-laws that Guy posted. The only specific reference I can find in the Constitution of the House of Justice to the requirement for the entire membership to be present in consultation on a matter, is at the very end of the Constitution and Bylaws: This Constitution may be amended by decision of the Universal House of Justice when the full membership is present. Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: Manifestations only from the east?
Are there any other Mount Carmel's I should know about? As has been quoted, the Master compared the vegetation in California to that of the Holy Land, and then prayed that a spiritual similarity would develop as well. I recall reading a pilgrim's note where the Master referred to California as the Holy Land of the West. The city of Santa Cruz, California is at the north end of Monterey Bay, and the town of Carmel is at the south end. The curvature of the bay, the sandy beach in between, and apparently a hill in Carmel that strongly resembles Mount Carmel in the Holy Land, were all apparent during the approach by sea into Haifa Bay. I was told that the Christian missionaries who named the California town of Carmel, and apparently nearby Mount Carmel, were struck by the similarity of sailing into the Bay of Haifa. Have never checked it out, and wouldn't know how to, other than asking the local historians in Carmel. the Holy Land of the West. The thing is, that the appearance of the Prophets in the Holy Land, may have something to do with the holiness the earlier prophets bestowed on that land, and may also have to do with the spiritual condition of the people there. As Baha'u'llah wrote: This is the promised Land in which He Who is the Revelation of God was destined to be made manifest. This is the Vale of God's unsearchable decree, the snow-white Spot, the Land of unfading splendor... These same Scriptures, however, unanimously condemn the people that inhabit this land. (Gleanings 344-345) As has been pointed out, the Guardian wrote that the Manifestation appears in the part of the world where the state of society has declined the most (ADJ 17). Likewise, he wrote, America has been divinely chosen as the standard-bearer of the New World Order not because of its inherent excellence, but because of its degradation -- because of how far it has to travel, and when Americans, after being influenced by the Revelation, are freed from the prejudice, corruption, and materialism which affects the society, then it will be a proof of the truth of the Faith. The Master says the same thing about the original peoples of Arabia and of America in the Tablets of the Divine Plan -- that as the light of the Revelation of Muhammad illumined the tribes of Arabia who had been in a state of degradation, they proved the mission of Muhammad, and in like manner when the Indians of the Americas are illumined by the light of the Revelation of Baha'u'llah, the whole earth will be illumined (TDP 32) Likewise, in a passage I can't find at the moment, the Guardian said, not long after the Nazi phenomenon, that Germany was the spiritual heart of Germany. Likewise, he told a pilgrim that New York City was chosen as the City of the Covenant because it was the most corrupt city on earth. Reading these passages shows that while there are spiritual potentialities in the peoples of these regions, it is primarily because of the distance they -- we-- have to travel. So. The next Manifestation is likely to appear in ... actually, California's not a bad guess ! Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: vinson jamir
Also, I'm trying to get in touch with two of his old friends, Andrea Jordan and Jeff Miller. I know Andrea Jordan used to live in Baytown, TX, taught ESL in China, and has two children (Vahid and Deana). Jeff Miller, I believe, lives in Mexico. Any form of contact information for these two would be greatly appreciated. You can write to any US pioneer c/o Office of Pioneering, Baha'i National Center, Wilmette IL 60091 and they will forward mail to them, but will not release contact information to you. Your brother Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: Revival and Decline
In my personal view, the moral corruption in America is accelerating. In the last 2 or 3 years the lack of moral conscience related to sexuality among many of the young, and the increasing number of people who have no conscience when it comes to murder and other acts for selfish reasons, has dramatically increased. I can hardly watch any TV shows any more; I feel completely alienated for what passes for music and entertainment in my culture these days. I think it has not anywhere near reached bottom. It is not only in these areas as reflected on TV, but Michael Josephson who heads up an ethics foundation has also stated that people admit in anonymous surveys to a decrease in personal honesty. There are ways in which America maintains integrity, but I think that the immorality and the secularism are going to reach a critical mass and that this society is going to create a lot of moral monsters. Only then will it begin to awaken to the damage it has done by excising God, religion, and spirituality out of public life, and by elevating tolerance as the only virtue, and to excess. Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: Revival and Decline
Dear Brent, Do you have any evidence for this? It is my understanding that the crime rate is actually down. I've been fortunate in that I have not been touched much by crime in my life, so it is not based on that kind of personal experience. Nor is it because crimes now are more heinous, though there is some of that. It is the lack of conscience, a phenomenon Shoghi Effendi predicted (WOB 187). As far as evidence, this reminds me of what a dear friend said, a Jewish attorney who died a couple of years ago, to whom I referred all the friends for their wills. We were talking about ethical issues in the practice of law and he said, Ask yourself, 'Does it pass the smell test?' That cut through all the tomes and canons and brought it down to a level anybody can work with. And these days, TV doesn't pass the smell test. What passes for garments for teenagers these days don't, either. Evidence? It's all around. My former consitutional law professor, Justice Anthony Kennedy now on the US Supreme Court (then on the 9th Circuit with Dorothy Nelson), a devoted Catholic, a man highly sensitive to the impact of a statement of a justice in a formal opinion, has just opened the door to homosexual marriages, in the name of unity. I live in a relatively tame place, Las Cruces, New Mexico. I know it's relatively tame because I recently took out an attorney ad, sight unseen, in a major newspaper in the Denver area 700 miles to the north. After my ad came out and a copy of the newspaper was sent to me, I discovered that lawyer comes right after lapdancer in their classified advertising. Yessir, a photo of me and my ad, on the page after Madame Trixi and her whip. Anyway, we don't have that kind of thing here in little ol Las Cruces. Which brings me to a statement Baha'u'llah makes about society's corruption, which the Guardian quotes towards the end of the same letter I refer to above (WOB 201). But first: I read in yesterday's wire services about an asteroid: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3200019.stm Asteroid danger in 2014 downplayed. Astronomers monitoring near-Earth objects are playing down the chances of a newly discovered asteroid hitting Earth in 2014. Asteroids may have brought life-forming chemicals to the early Earth They say that there is a one in 909,000 chance of asteroid 2003 QQ47 impacting our planet. The chances of a catastrophe are likely to become even slimmer once more measurements of the asteroid's orbit have been made. The current odds are based on 51 observations made since the giant rock was spotted by a US programme in New Mexico on 24 August. 2003 QQ47 has been ranked one on the Torino scale. Zero on the scale is for objects where the chances of collision with Earth are virtually nil. The top of the scale, 10, is reserved for certain collisions capable of causing a global climatic catastrophe. 2003 QQ47 is likely to drop down to zero on the Torino scale once more observations have been made. Torino scale one objects are deemed worthy of careful monitoring. The BBC's science correspondent Christine McGourty says that 2003 QQ47 merits observation due to its sheer size and velocity. The rock is said to measure approximately 1.2 kilometres (less than a mile) across - only one tenth of the size of the impactor thought to have wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. It is travelling at a speed of about 30 km (approximately 20 miles) per second. 'In theory such an asteroid could cause devastation across an entire continent,' Christine McGourty says. The odds are very, very low... We have to keep some kind of perspective It's my personal opinion that Baha'u'llah is speaking of an asteroid when He writes: O ye that are bereft of understandiing! A severe trial pursueth you, and will suddenly overtake you. Bestir yourselves, that haply it may pass and inflict no harm upon you. (Gleanings LXXV p. 169) And: The world is in travail, and its agitation waxeth day by day. Its face is turned towards waywardness and unbelief. Such shall be its plight, that to disclose it now would not be meet and seemly. its perversity will long continue. And when the appointed hour is come, there shall suddenly appear that which shall cause the limbs of mankind to quake. Then, and only then, will the Divine Standrd be unfurled, and the Nightingale of Paradise warble its melody. (Gleanings LXI p. 118) I was once told that Mildred Mottahedeh had asked Shoghi Effendi how we would know when the calamity comes, and he responded, You will read about it in the newspapers. Anyway, the part about mankind's perversity long continuing resonates when I see the increased tolerance for swearing on TV (basic cable) along with everything else. I feel like a frog being cooked. But I think that in my lifetime I will see the turnaround the Guardian foretold. Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: the fragrance of His garment
From the language of this statement do we know whether 'His' in the fragrance of His garment refers to God or to the person of Baha'u'llah? And then, what is your understanding as to the meaning of 'garment'? The metaphor of the 'fragrant garment' is frequently used in the Baha'i Writings to refer to the recognition of the Manifestation of God and His Revelation. (The Kitab-i-Aqdas, Note 1, p. 165) In the story of Joseph, Joseph sends His garment to His father. His father inhales the fragrance, and remembers the scent of his son. I think that all of this is allegorical, including the remembrance which refers to Remembrance of God, i.e. prayer, a God-centered life. In the Genesis version Jacob smells the fragrance. I think that in the Quranic version, in addition Jacob's blindness is healed when the shirt is cast on his face. In the Bible, a woman touches the hem of Christ's garment and her hemorrage is healed. (Matthew 9:20) Everyone who had a disease who touched Christ's garment was healed and made whole. (Matthew 14:36) I think that these are also references to recognition of Christ and living by His Ways. Recognition of the Manifestation is presented in the Scriptures in many ways. Christ said to His disciples that the people had eyes but could not see; whereas His disciples had eyes that could see and ears that could hear. (Matthew 13:16) Both of these are spiritual symbols of recognition of Him. Likewise Mary saw Jesus in the Garden, and at first did not recognize Him. Then she did. The Master states that Magdalene was the first to recognize the station of Christ after His crucifixion, that she awakened the remainder of the disciples, and in High Endeavors Shoghi Effendi confirms that this indicates spiritual recognition of Christ. The same is true for the disciples in the last chapter of Luke on the road to Emmaus, who at first do not recognize Christ; then He gives them bread and their eyes are unsealed and they recognize Him. The same is true for the brothers of Joseph who at first do not recognize Him (Genesis 42:8). Then He fed them bread (Genesis 43:31) and then they recognized Him. (Genesis 45:3) Abdu'l-Baha explains in Some Answered Questions that eating bread with Christ means drawing near to Him, partaking of His bounties and perfections. So seeing the Manifestation, and hearing Him, and eating bread with Him, and touching His garment, and eating His body [Mark 14:22], and touching His wounds (John 20:27) all refer to recognizing the Manifestation and accepting Him and doing His bidding. These symbols embrace all of the senses of the human body. Perhaps they symbolize the different paths people take, towards acceptance of the Manifestation. Also, Jesus compared His new Revelation to a new garment. (Mark 2:21) It states in Luke 8:27-35 that a man who was insane and naked spoke to Christ and was restored to his right mind, and was found to be seated with Christ, clothed. Nakedness indicates an unbeliever; new garments means that He accepted the Revelation. Similarly the brothers of Joseph, when they left His presence, were wearing new garments, and this symbolizes people who have recognized the Manifestation. Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: The Passing of Vinson Jamir
Does anyone know how I can write to his widow with my condolences? Loni Bramson You can write to any U.S. Baha'i c/o the Office of Membership and Records, Baha'i National Center, Wilmette IL 60091 and that office will forward it. They will not release the address to you, but will forward it. Or, you can do as the obituary stated. Go to: http://www.augustachronicle.com In the red box on the left click on Obituaries In the calendar that appears click on August 25 In the box that appears highlight Vinson's name and underneath the box click on Display Vinson's obituary appears, and at the top right is a link to his on-line guest book. Not as formal as a card, but often families do read these, and they do bring comfort. Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: Conferred Infallibility of the House of Justice
You state the Writings bestow the House of Justice with these powers but what you quote is the House of Justice itself which isn't exactly saying that at all. The Writings bestow those powers but often do not use those terms of art. The House has condensed the descriptions of those powers into its Constitution in a format it calls a codification. That is, each word of the Constitution describing a power of the House rests squarely on a verse in the Writings. The bulk of those source Writings for the powers of the House of Justice are in a compilation on the Establishment of the Universal House of Justice available on Jonah's site at: http://www.bahai-library.org/compilations/establishment.uhj.html I am not saying that Baha'u'llah specified these powers in the tripartite terminology that modern jurisprudence uses. For example, the word legislative does not appear in the English translations of Baha'u'llah's Writings, but we both agree that the Universal House of Justice possesses legislative power. I am really not sure what the intent of your post was. My point was about the infallibility conferred on the House in all three of these areas. Your response does not seem to address that point at all, but rather addresses the precision of my language in saying that the Writings bestow these three areas of function on the House. The Writings bestow these functions, using other terminology, or referring to specific powers which fall under one of these three rubrics. For example, elucidation is a power of the House, and I suppose one could properly place it under the Legislative function of the House, because the House has itself done so. In order to classify each and every power of the House under these three headings -- which I am not personally inclined to do -- one would first have to define each of these three terms. What does executive mean in Baha'i terminology? What does Shoghi Effendi mean when he writes that `Abdu'l-Baha is the Executive of His [Baha'u'llah's] Authority? (GPB 245) I suppose one could try to define it, but that was not my intent. My sole intent was to provide textual support for the infallibility of the House of Justice beyond its legislative function, and into the other areas of its work. As you can see the phrase in question refers to the entire Administrative Order, not just the Universal House of Justice. Yes, it is accurate to say that the phrase refers to the legislative, executive and judicial powers of the local, national and international councils of the Faith. My point was not to deny that any other institution in the Cause possesses those powers. My point is that the Writings attach the guarantee of unerring divine guidance to the exercise of those powers by the Universal House of Justice. Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: Conferred Infallibility of the House of Justice
That is, each word of the Constitution describing a power of the House rests squarely on a verse in the Writings. Dear Brent, Where does it say that? In a letter dated 3 June 1997 from the House of Justice. I found it on Ocean: There remains the question concerning the authority for the duties and responsibilities outlined for the Universal House of Justice in its constitution. These provisions are a codification of explicit statements found in the sacred texts and the writings of Shoghi Effendi. Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Re: Conferred Infallibility of the House of Justice
That is, each word of the Constitution describing a power of the House rests squarely on a verse ? in the Writings. }Dear Brent, }Where does it say that? This is again stated by the House of Justice in more exalted language, in the Constitution itself: The provenance, the authority, the duties, the sphere of action of the Universal House of Justice all derive from the revealed Word of Bahá'u'lláh which, together with the interpretations and expositions of the Centre of the Covenant and of the Guardian of the Cause -- who, after 'Abdu'l-Bahá, is the sole authority in the interpretation of Bahá'í Scripture -- constitute the binding terms of reference of the Universal House of Justice and are its bedrock foundation. The Constitution of the Universal House of Justice, p. 4) I would like to mention a principle of interpretation of the Texts bearing on the authority of the Head of the Faith, and contrast it with a principle in American jurisprudence. The American Constitution has as its founding principle, that sovereignty inherently resides in the individual citizens, and in the states. The federal government possesses no inherent sovereignty -- only that which has been conferred in the Constitution and in its amendments. This is referred to as the doctrine of limited powers and thus the US federal government possessed enumerated powers. As the 10th Amendment states: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. As a rule of interpretation, the powers delegated to the federal government are supposed to be interpreted in limited fashion, and this is the approach taught in law school and stated in judicial opinions. It is an attitude that, naturally enough, permeates American society. A somewhat related principle of judicial interpretation is that when a federal court is faced with making a ruling, if it can dispose of the matter without interpreting the Constitution and thereby setting forth a precedent decision having binding effect in future constitutional interpretations -- the court should instead peg its decision on other aspects of the case. So overall, American jurisprudence takes a sparing approach to the powers granted in the Constitution, and a sparing approach to expanding official interpretations of the powers granted therein. I suggest that this approach of American jurisprudence does not have a place in the understanding of the powers granted in the Baha'i Writings to the Successors to the Manifestation and `Abdu'l-Baha -- the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice. In support of this, I would offer this passage from a letter Shoghi Effendi's secretary wrote on his behalf: Just as the National Assembly has full jurisdiction over all its local Assemblies, the Guardian has full jurisdiction over all National Assemblies; he is not required to consult them, if he believes a certain decision is advisable in the interests of the Cause. He is the judge of the wisdom and advisability of the decisions made by these bodies, and not they of the wisdom and advisability of his decisions. A perusal of the Will and Testament makes this principle quite clear. He is the Guardian of the Cause in the very fullness of that term, and the appointed interpreter of its teachings, and is guided in his decisions to do that which protects it and fosters its growth and highest interests. (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian dated May 13, 1945, Letters from the Guardian to Australia and New Zealand, pp. 55-56) The point here is that in this beautiful elaboration of his authority, the Guardian refers to the very fullness of that term, i.e. Guardianship. I suggest that is a very different approach than we are used to, in assessing the authority of the institutions that govern us. The Guardian, for all of his humility, was not bashful about the authority he wielded. He simply referred the believers to the Will: He is assured the guidance of both Baha'u'llah and the Bab, as the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Baha clearly reveals. (Extract from a letter on behalf of Shoghi Effendi dated August 20, 1956, Lights of Guidance, 2nd edition, p. 313, #1055) This extract is significant in this present discussion about the powers of the Universal House of Justice, because the same passage to which the Guardian here refers -- on page 11 of the Master's Will -- refers equally to the Universal House of Justice. It is the only passage in the Will on that subject, so I conclude it is the verse to which the Guardian's letter refers. It states that the Guardian and the Universal House of Justice are assured the guidance of both Baha'u'llah and the Bab. So my point is that in reaching our own understanding of what the verses of the Will on the authority of the House mean, it may be helpful to
Lamps before the Throne
There are some passages from Baha'u'llah which echo prophecies in the Revelation of John. In the Revelation of John, Chapter 4 is written: After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. (Revelation 4:1-4) Baha'u'llah uses this imagery in a Tablet He revealed to Ismu'llahu'l-Asdaq: The lamp burning before the Throne, likewise, weepeth and groaneth by reason of the things which the Ancient Beauty hath suffered at the hands of them who are but a creation of His Will. (Gleanings Selection CXXVI, US edition p. 295) The Bab has revealed in the Persian Bayan: Any reference to His being established upon the throne implieth that the Exponent of His Revelation is established upon the seat of transcendent authority... (Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 113) Another passage from Baha'u'llah's Writings that summons imagery from the Revelation of John is: Say: If it be Our pleasure We shall render the Cause victorious through the power of a single word from Our presence. He is in truth the Omnipotent, the All-Compelling. Should it be God's intention, there would appear out of the forests of celestial might the lion of indomitable strength whose roaring is like unto the peals of thunder reverberating in the mountains. (Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 197) Please compare Revelation, Chapter 10: And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. Baha'u'llah is referred to as the Mystery of God on p. 102 of God Passes By. Commentaries welcome. Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
Conferred Infallibility of the House of Justice
It is often pointed out that the House of Justice is infallibly guided when it legislates to fill the gaps intentionally left by Baha'u'llah in the fabric of His laws. That is, that the House is guided in the laws the House itself creates. This is true of course, but as the Guardian states, the House is also infallible in application of the laws revealed by the Manifestation. In his Dispensation letter, Shoghi Effendi described the House of Justice as the body on which Baha'u'llah conferred the authority not only to supplement, but also to apply the laws revealed by Baha'u'llah. (WOB 145) Even this is not a complete description of the divine protection from error given to the acts of the House, because it solely addresses the legislative function. The Writings endow the Universal House of Justice with legislative, executive and judicial powers. (The Universal House of Justice, Constitution of the Universal House of Justice, p. 8) I suggest that in the following passage from the Dispensation in which he elucidates the implications of Baha'u'llah's promise of divine guidance to that Body, Shoghi Effendi is stating that in performing all three of these functions, the House is under Baha'u'llah's Covenant of infallibility [brackets mine]: The Administrative Order of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh must in no wise be regarded as purely democratic in character inasmuch as the basic assumption which requires all democracies to depend fundamentally upon getting their mandate from the people is altogether lacking in this Dispensation. In the conduct of the administrative affairs of the Faith [executive function], in the enactment of the legislation necessary to supplement the laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas [legislative function], the members of the Universal House of Justice, it should be borne in mind, are not, as Bahá'u'lláh's utterances clearly imply, responsible to those whom they represent, nor are they allowed to be governed by the feelings, the general opinion, and even the convictions of the mass of the faithful, or of those who directly elect them. They are to follow, in a prayerful attitude, the dictates and promptings of their conscience. They may, indeed they must, acquaint themselves with the conditions prevailing among the community, must weigh dispassionately in their minds the merits of any case presented for their consideration [judicial], but must reserve for themselves the right of an unfettered decision. 'God will verily inspire them with whatsoever He willeth,' is Bahá'u'lláh's incontrovertible assurance. They, and not the body of those who either directly or indirectly elect them, have thus been made the recipients of the divine guidance which is at once the life-blood and ultimate safeguard of this Revelation. (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 153) This illustrates the principle that the authority of the House of Justice is comprehensive in its scope. (That is stated in a letter from the House of Justice which I cannot locate; I would appreciate assistance). Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
How to type the word Bahai in Microsoft Word with accents over the a and the i
How to type the word Bahai with accents over the a and the i (I'm using Windows ME so your mileage may vary) 1. B 2. a 3. h 4. control- apostrophe (hold down the control key and strike the apostrophe key, the key two to the right of the L key, and release them both at the same time.) 5. a 6. apostrophe 7. control-apostrophe 8. i 9. Voila! You can create a macro for this. While in Word click on: FORMAT AUTOFORMAT OPTIONS AUTOCORRECT In the replace box type Bahai In the box to the right of that follow steps 1-8 then click ADD. Now, every time you are in Word and you type the word Bahai it will automatically insert the diacritical marks. You can do the same thing, creating macros for the names of the Manifestations and the Master. You can make them shorter if you want to, such as Baha and Abd and it will fill in the rest. Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
RE: Nabi and Rasul
-Original Message- From: Timothy Nolan My point, which may have been obvious from my previous post, is that if Baha'u'llah was neither Nabi nor Rasul, if He was of a different category, then the Seal of the Prophets problem goes away. That is, if Muhammad said there will be no X or Y after Him, that can be seen as not a problem for a Muslim investigating Baha'u'llah, because Baha'u'llah apparently agrees; He is a Z, a different category of Manifestation. I believe that it is not that He is a different category of Manifestation than Nabi or Rasul. In essence He is like every other Manifestation; though His Revelation is greater. The Greatness of the Revelation of Baha'u'llah is shown by the fact that the Qur'an does not state that another Prophet will come. It states that Muhammad is the Seal of the Prophets, and states repeatedly that God Himself will come. Baha'u'llah refers to this in Gems of Divine Mysteries: Know then that the paradise that appeareth in the day of God surpasseth every other paradise and excelleth the realities of Heaven. For when God - blessed and glorified is He - sealed the station of prophethood in the person of Him Who was His Friend, His Chosen One, and His Treasure amongst His creatures, as hath been revealed from the Kingdom of glory: 'but He is the Apostle of God and the Seal of the Prophets', He promised all men that they shall attain unto His own presence in the Day of Resurrection. In this He meant to emphasize the greatness of the Revelation to come, as it hath indeed been manifested through the power of truth. And there is of a certainty no paradise greater than this, nor station higher, should ye reflect upon the verses of the Qur'án. Blessed be he who knoweth of a certainty that he shall attain unto the presence of God on that day when His Beauty shall be made manifest. (Baha'u'llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 42) The prophecy that God will come to the earth also appears in Isaiah 35:1-4, Isaiah 40:10, Micah 7:10-15, and Revelation 21:3. Baha'u'llah addresses the subject of His appearance being foretold as the Presence of God in the Iqan pp. 139 ff; the many passages concerning the Day of God; Epistle to the Son of the Wolf pp. 111-112; and Tablets of Baha'u'llah Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas pp. 114-116 and 258-259. Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
RE: Nabi and Rasul
Don Calkins writes: As does Jesus in the parable of the master of the vineyard (Mark 12, Mathew 21, and Luke 20). And the other aspect of that parable/ prophecy by Jesus, is that the Hebrew word carm means vineyard and carm-El means Vineyard of the Lord. Four times He visited Haifa, His last visit being no less than three months long. In the course of one of these visits, when His tent was pitched in the vicinity of the Carmelite Monastery, He, the 'Lord of the Vineyard' revealed the Tablet of Carmel, remarkable for its allusions and prophecies. (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 194) Brent -- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
