There have been many really good Baha'is. These people have obviously been
humble. What I have noticed over the years is that humility and
self-delusion often go together. Humble people often genuinely believe
themselves to be of a lower station than they really are, and express views
which
Dear Sandra,
Ruhiyyih Khanum thought that Shoghi Effendi had appointed
her a Hand of the Cause just because she was his wife.
I believe that was something Violette Nakhjavani said in her talk about
Ruhiyyih Khanum at the North American ABS in 2000. I'm not saying that
Shoghi Effendi said
Dear Richard,
The following story gives us a glimpse of his greatness. In the early years
of this century, 'Abdu'l-Bahá sent Mirza Abu'l-Fadl to the United States of
America to teach and help the believers deepen in the Faith. After his
return, he and a number of American pilgrims were seated in
Dear Vaughn,
I think the idea that David was a Manifestation of God is based on a
misunderstanding of the Baha'i Writings.
Is the idea that David was a Manifestation contradicted in the Writings? I
think you're trying to suggest that David would not necessarily be a
Manifestation just because
Dear Michael,
How often the Prophets of God and His supreme Manifestations in Their
prayers confess Their sins and faults! This is only to teach other men, to
encourage and incite them to humility and meekness, and to induce them to
confess their sins and faults. For these Holy Souls are pure
Another prophecy question: 'Abdu'l-Baha says that the 1290 days of Daniel
started in 613 C.E., with the proclamation of Muhammad, and ended in 1863
C.E., with the proclamation of Baha'u'llah. How exactly could anyone have
possibly figured this prophecy out in advance? Here is the prophecy:
I have a further issue to raise about chronology. Abdul-Baha wrote:
And the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months - that
is to say, the Gentiles shall govern and control Jerusalem forty and two
months, signifying twelve hundred and sixty days; and as each day signifies
Dear Mark,
The use of capitalization is an alternative to ha.drat (which was rendered,
in some early English translations as his holiness) or peace be upon
him (pbuh or asw, in Arabic). Shoghi Effendi felt that his holiness was
bad English form. Since capitalization was more common, the
'Abdu'l-Baha said:
But it is important to give perception and eternal life - that is, the
spiritual and divine life. For this physical life is not immortal, and its
existence is equivalent to nonexistence. So it is that Christ said to one
of His disciples: Let the dead bury their dead; for
Dear Mark,
It appears to me that Jesus might have been saying, in response to a fellow
who wanted to bury his father (literally), that the dead (those who are not
in Christ) should bury the dead (this man's father who was both physically
and spiritually dead). In other words, it may have been
Shoghi Effendi seems quite clear that Baha'is should always capitalize
pronouns in reference to the Manifestations or 'Abdu'l-Baha, including when
others won't share our beliefs. I would just like to make sure I understand
this issue correctly. Are Baha'is allowed to not capitalize pronouns
The Baha'i penalty for fornication and (presumably) adultery isn't nearly as
harsh as the one in the Old Testament:
If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall
die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall purge the
evil from Israel. (Deuteronomy
The Baha'i teaching is that Prophets were always Prophets, even before
whatever revelatory experience they might have had. It would seem to me
that this teaching is contradicted in earlier revelations, and even in parts
of the Baha'i Writings. In the Old Testament people 'become' Prophets (or
From looking at a few of Zaynu'l Muqarrabin' questions in Q A it isn't at
all apparent what his question actually is. I don't know if he just assumed
that Baha'u'llah was all-knowing and would thus know what he wanted to know,
or whether his questions have been edited. Here's what I mean:
Sacred fountains were enlarged to hold more holy water, and the rightful
authorities had foreseen that many miracles might take place on the day of
the jubilee, with the aid of these fountains
(Shoghi Effendi: The Promised Day is Come, Page: 68)
I didn't know that holy water was an
With reference to the suggestion made by Mr Alexander(1) for taking a record
of the Guardian's voice, he wishes me to inform you that although he fully
appreciates the spirit in which this and similar suggestions are made to
him...
(Shoghi Effendi: Arohanui: Letters to New Zealand, Page: 41)
I'd be interested in your thoughts on these comments about prophecy from a
Baha'i academic. He made an interesting point about the calcuation of the
years which I hadn't noticed, and can't say I would be able to respond to.
Here were his comments:
I tend to take prophecy stuff with a grain
I wasn't too happy about that, but hopefully we have an excuse
for
saying one less than the required amount!
Why don't you just remember to say one extra after using the 94 beads?
Oh, I can see how that might have been unclear. I meant an excuse for those
times we said it before we found out
A few months ago someone here said that 'Abdu'l-Baha said in a Tablet that
the year of patience is waived in the case of adultery. After reading the
following passage in the Aqdas I seriously doubt there is such a Tablet:
Should a woman be divorced in consequence of a proven act of infidelity,
Many Baha'is use prayer beads to assist in this. The ones I use (and make)
have five large beads and 19 smaller ones to assist in counting. You hold
one of the larger ones in the fingers of one hand while slipping the
smaller ones through the fingers of the other hand while repeating
Dear Susan,
Correct, but that doesn't mean if a Senator or President became a Baha'i
they
would have to resign from their office.
This comment surprised me. Why do you think they would be allowed to
continue?
David
_
Gaming
I thought it was against Baha'i teachings to be member of a political
party.
You're not familiar with running as an independent? i.e. not aligned with
any
party.
Hmm. Isn't the teaching not only that we shouldn't be aligned with a party
but that we shouldn't take sides about parties? That a
Those who have never had any opportunity of hearing of the Faith but who
lived good lives will no doubt be treated with the greatest love and mercy
in the next world, and reap their full rewards.
-- Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 62.
I'm just wondering what this quote
This passage struck me when I read it:
O handmaid of the Lord! Speak thou no word of politics; thy task concerneth
the life of the soul, for this verily leadeth to man's joy in the world of
God. Except to speak well of them, make thou no mention of the earth's
kings, and the worldly
From Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha p. 136: Self-love is a strange trait and the
means of the destruction of many important souls in the world. If man be
imbued with all good qualities but be selfish, all the other virtues will
fade or pass away and eventually he will grow worse.
This is an
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
Dear Khazeh,
I don't think the Guardian would be too happy with those capitalized
pronouns you used in reference to him!
David
_
Gaming galore at http://xtramsn.co.nz/gaming !
--
You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as:
Can someone give me the link to that site which has readings for Feasts?
I've got Feast tonight and am a bit rushed.
David
_
Download MSN Messenger @ http://messenger.xtramsn.co.nz - talk to family
and friends overseas!
the verses of God means all Writings of Baha'u'llah and they should be read
(Talavat literally means reading, as Persian to Persian Dictionary of
Mo'een defines) everyday.
Does that mean that if a person had memorized all of Baha'u'llah's Writings
they would still have to literally read His
We are fortunate to have in our community a woman (American)
with a lovely a cappella voice. She often chants prayers in
English.
This reminds me of an American woman who was in my community a year ago.
She would often sing prayers at events, however her singing was mediocre and
if I were her
I would like to know from those who have more extensive knowledge of
Baha'u'llah's Writings than I whether Baha'u'llah proclaimed any of His
Baha'i contemporaries to be some Prophet of God. Baha'u'llah referred to
the Bab pronouncing Mulla Husayn to be Muhammad:
Consider thou the Revelation
In general people only have as friends those whom they have personal
interest in. In describing the gradual method of teaching 'Abdu'l-Baha
speaks of making friends with receptive people. Since He doesn't say that
one shouldn't make friends (and by friend I mean a person whom one sees for
at
Dear Scott,
That's a very strange question, David. Why would you think that Abdu'l Baha
wishes one to make false friendships?
I wouldn't see it like that. It seems that the concept of friendship in the
Faith is just more liberal than the norm. 'Friendship' in the Writings
seems based totally
I'm just wondering if it would be permissible for a non-Baha'i (15 years or
over) to be buried with one of our burial rings, if they requested it (prior
to death). Would it be disallowed for all non-Baha'is, and I mean those not
pronounced Covenant-breakers, or would it simply be conditional
It says in the Writings that mortal illnesses come to people to bring them
closer to God. One might expect, therefore, that those getting diseases
like cancer would be the ones who really need the spiritual benefit the
illness could provide. In other words, the least spiritual people. One
Dear Tim,
What became of these people who took notes? Does anyone know?
I believe they all died.
David
_
Surf the net and talk on the phone with Xtra Jetstream @
http://www.xtra.co.nz/products/0,,5803,00.html !
--
You
Dear Susan,
Not allowing a man's hair to grow too long also had something to do with
this. Certain qalantars, or wandering Sufis used to do this.
I think Baha'u'llah is saying Baha'is shouldn't do these kinds of things to
make ourselves stick out. We should be distinctive in our character, not
1. Baha'u'llah said, Shave not your heads; God hath adorned them with hair,
and in this there are signs from the Lord of creation to those who reflect
upon the requirements of nature. (Kitab-i-Adqas, p. 35.)
Many people, mostly women, shave their legs. I would be interested to look
at this in
Dear Don,
I suppose Badi pretty much had to lie in
not answering the questions of his tormentors.
I don't see the failure to answer as being lying.
Yeah, I take that back. He just didn't reveal anything he knew.
David
_
Surf the
As to the question whether it is right to tell an untruth in order to save
another, he feels that under no condition should we tell an untruth but at
the same time try and help the person in a more legitimate manner. Of course
it is not necessary to be too outspoken until the question is
One of the Baha'is where I live started his year of patience and then went
overseas to live for what he seemed to think might be about a year in his
home country of the US. During the year of patience couples typically see
the other sometimes and try to work things out. In this case, the two
AFTENPOSTEN
Shirin Ebadi - biography
The Iranian lawyer and human rights activist Shirin Ebadi was born in 1947.
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She received a law degree from the University of Tehran.
I wrote to someone at the World Centre on this issue and received this
response to my message:
I think you basically have a good grasp on what the House does.
You cannot really go past the provisions of the constitution. The critical
part
is the section you have quoted below. As far as I am
Dear Brent,
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
Dear Mark,
Do you know of a denomination which believes that only 144,000 will be
saved?
I'm not sure that any Christian denomination believes that, though I think
some individual Christians do. But I think I know of one other group who
believes this - the Covenant-breaker group BUPC. They
I think everyone here knows of the passage in which 'Abdu'l-Baha tells us to
teach one person per year. This passage is often cited to show that if
Baha'is live their life properly and teach properly the outcome will be that
they will convert one person to the Faith a year. It is also
It hath been enjoined upon you to pare your nails, to bathe yourselves each
week in water that covereth your bodies, and to clean yourselves with
whatsoever ye have formerly employed. Take heed lest through negligence ye
fail to observe that which hath been prescribed unto you by Him Who is the
Dear Sekhmet,
Isn't showering a subcategory of bathing? And if you can figure out a way
to
take a shower _without_ the water covering your body, while still getting
clean, let me know...
Baha'u'llah said: bathe yourselves each week in water that covereth your
bodies. I understand where you're
Dear Sandra,
As for bathing, it appears to me that Baha'u'llah is actually
endorsing what we now call a shower. The (nearly) bottom
line of this passage is:
If the bather, instead of entering the water, wash himself by
*pouring it upon his body*, it shall be better for him and
shall *absolve*
Dear Sekhmet,
Seems to me you're overinterpreting yourself into a corner. My advice: if
the
minutiae of bathing are that important to you (why?), ask for an
elucidation
from the Universal House of Justice.
And don't tell them I sent you...
I would allow for the possibility I'm missing
Dear Dean,
With respect, I urge you to consider the wisdom of what Khazeh has tried to
explain to you below. Did you read it? I do not see any indication that
you did, and I never saw any acknowledgement that you did.
I read it. I don't see why I would need to respond to it, however. Sure, I
The Bab, at the outset of His mission, explicitly prohibited tobacco, and
the friends one and all abandoned its use. But since those were times when
dissimulation was permitted, and every individual who abstained from smoking
was exposed to harassment, abuse and even death - the friends, in
Dear Brian,
Here, also, is the possibility
that a description of the Self of God may also have differences that are
specific to God alone as compared to the self of man (being a mirror of
God's Self). But, here also is the possibility that God's Self is actually
so completely revealed in the
Dear Ahang,
While this is true, it seems that some of the QA were not based on actual
questions raised by Zayn and are extracts from previously-revealed Tablets
that Zayn pulled into QA, That is, the QA seems to be a mix of questions
that Zayn asked after reading the Aqdas and also compilation
Dear Ahang,
That would mean that the QA section isn't all by definition part of the
Aqdas, wouldn't it?
You lost me. How did you get to that inference?
It seemed you were saying that parts of QA are not Baha'u'llah's answers to
the set of questions given, but from other Tablets of His.
Dear Sandra,
but since Shoghi Effendi indicated 'Abdu'l-Baha Revealed things
I get a bit uncomfortable when believers make comments as statements of
fact, suggesting that ALL Baha'is must know or believe this -without the
authoritative source. And, particularly on an open listserve and
Dear Susan,
The statements in this case are mostly oral talks, in other words, pilgrim
notes in which case they don't have authority.
The following authentic passage might be read to indicate that the
Manifestation has always come from the East, but maybe it doesn't say that.
It depends
Perhaps the next manifestation will come from California (this speculation
is only half tongue-in-cheek)? In Tablets of the Divine Plan Abdu'l-Baha
compares it to the Holy Land (quote below).
Yesterday I happened to see reference to a Mount Carmel in Illinois.
Wouldn't it be something if the
I thought there was a passage in Gleanings which states that all of the
Prophets have come from the Holy Land. Of course, this may not preclude
Messengers.
Dear Matt,
What's the Holy Land?
Dear Susan,
I think the piece from TDP p. 85 that Sandra just quoted answers this:
THE BLESSED state of
Dear Sandra,
Also, (David), with regard to gender of the next Manifestation - a female
Manifestation would certainly be a challenge; and that in itself suggests
the probability, - to me. Having said that... I firmly believe at this
point in time that the physical temple of the Manifestation
Dear Susan,
I thought all Manifestations were supposed to come from the East. Am I
misled about this?
I think that is pretty much a Baha'i myth. The Qur'an says there is no
people to whom a Prophet has not been sent. I presume that means the West
as
well as the East.
Obviously 'Abdu'l-Baha's
Dear Mike,
I have found that it is very difficult not to appear cold and unfriendly
if, when greeted by a female with a loving embrace, I proffer my hand
instead. Nevertheless in view of the above quote I believe this would help
if we would abide by it.
I agree. I don't think too many people
FYI, this is the result of one of the semi-finals of the mens 800m at the
World Track and Field Championships, in which David Krummenacker, an
American Baha'i, ran. He did not make it through.
Heat 3 - Friday, August 29, 2003 - 20:52
Pos Lane Bib Athlete Country Mark
1 5 717 Longo
Dear Patti,
I must admit I find 'Abdu'l-Baha's view that World War 1 was Armageddon
confusing, in light of the chronology of the Book of Revelation, which I
suppose I find confusing as well. Revelation reads:
16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river
Euphrates; and
http://www.emode.com/tests/religion/authorize/signin.jsp?url=/tests/religion/index.jsp
This has a test to see what religion your beliefs best fit you to. I
decided to take it and give answers that fit Baha'i beliefs, so as to see if
it would say I best fit Baha'i beliefs. It did indeed say
Here is a recent letter from the World Centre on Tattoos:
19 August 2003
Dear Baha'i Friend,
Your email letter of 17 August 2003 regarding tattoos has been received
at the Baha'i World Centre and referred to our Department for response.
In reply to your enquiry, nothing at all has been
Dear Ahang,
Actually, there are 4 elders whose identity is unknown at the present.
That is, of the 24, we can account for 20: The Bab, 18 Letters and
Vakilu'd-Dawlih. That leaves 4 more to be identified and there is nothing
that suggests Siyyid Kazim or Shaykh Ahmad should be included.
I agree.
Various rulers are referred to or addressed by either the Central Figures or
Shoghi Effendi with titles like Your Majesty. What I would like to know
is whether, when the world is Baha'i, such titles will still be used for
kings. Surely a title such as Your Eminence, in capitals no less, would
Some years ago Time had a list of the 100 most influential persons of the
twentieth century, which was determined by people sending in votes. I
chanced to come across a letter from the House of Justice telling Baha'is
not to vote for 'Abdu'l-Baha. Does anyone have the text for this letter?
Dear Sheila,
2.)Before marriage, and to assist in maintaining
monogamy within a marriage, masturbation serves a
necessary biological function. I would state the
studies supporting this, but I don't remember the
exact details ( I remember reading about them in my
college biology course). If I
Dear Don,
I didn't say whatever *might*, I said knows is likely. There's a
big difference. It is the reason for putting restrictions on the
clothing women wear at Baha'i events.
Have some restrictions been made? What are you referring to?
Regards,
David
Dear Don,
Any behavior or action by a woman which she knows is
likely to elicit
a sexual response by a man who is not her husband
is, in my opinion,
sexual activity outside marriage and therefore
prohibited under Baha'i
law.
I would agree that women should not try to do something that
The woman is indeed of the greater importance to the race. She has the
greater burden and the greater work. Look at the vegetable and the animal
worlds. The palm which carries the fruit is the tree most prized by the
date
grower. The Arab knows that for a long journey the mare has the longest
Dear Susan,
When my husband and I were consulting, before we married, regarding my
married name to be, we had several issues to consider: 1) my
professional work already done under my maiden name of Brill, 2) my
strong desire for a family name that would linguistically and
symbolically reflect
There are two places in the Writings speaking of a figure to come after
Baha'u'llah. Until I examined the context, I thought they were very similar
passages, but which spoke of two different people. Now I see that it is a
different translation. Here are the passages:
By God, O people! Mine
Dear Steve,
Interestingly Khan encourages others to keep working on this theological
problem, if only to present it more palatably:
These are the kind of things we need to be thinking about and developing
thoughts about this. Of course the question of the composition of the
Universal House of
Dear Susan,
Since I don't think there is anything in the Writings on this topic, I'm
not
sure what any of us could say beyond expressing our personal opinion. It
sounds like it is more of a topic for Baha'i-Discuss than Baha'i Studies
which is focused on issues related to scholarship.
Point
I was looking at the archives recently, and read about how Allan Ward was
elected to the National Assembly of America some time back, but was removed
from the NSA by the Universal House of Justice as soon as they found out
about his election. While I have no interest in finding out the reason,
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