Shoghi Effendi... expel[led] his brothers, sisters and aunts from the Faith.
(Adib Taherzadeh, The Child of the Covenant)
(Adib Taherzadeh, The Child of the Covenant)
Saturday, November 2, 2024
Severe laws and harsh measures against nonbelievers in the Persian Bayan
…among those ordinances (of the Persian Bayán) are a significant number of… severe laws, which… prescribe harsh measures against nonbelievers, similar to the Islamic “law of the sword,” including holy war. The Bayán’s gate 5 of the fifth unity ordains that all lands must be conquered by the Bayán and the property of unbelievers must be seized unless those unbelievers enter the Faith. Gate 6 specifies the distribution of the spoils of such a conquest: objects that are matchless belong to the Point, and the rest are to be used for propagating the Bayán, paying soldiers, building places of worship, and aiding the poor and the community. Gate 4 of the sixth unity extols the five lands that were the first to receive the Cause of the Báb—Fárs (Shiraz), Iraq, Azerbaijan, Khurásán, and Mázandarán. Since these lands represent the Letter Há’, the five aspects of the human temple, the five layers of the name of the Báb, and the five levels of the affirmation of Divine Unity, God does not wish to behold anything in those lands except that which is most perfect and refined; thus it is not suitable for unbelievers to reside there. Gate 16 of the seventh unity orders Bábí rulers to expel all unbelievers from their lands except those who engage in wholesale trade that is useful to the believers. The same gate prohibits the Bábís from having unbelievers in their homes. Gate 6 of the sixth unity calls for the destruction of books other than those written by Bábís. Finally, gate 15 of the eighth unity ordains marriage among the faithful to bring into the world one who will sing the praise of God. Marriage with unbelievers is not permitted, and upon acceptance of the Faith by one spouse and its rejection by the other, the marriage becomes null, while the unbelieving spouse forfeits any claim to his or her property.
(Gate of the Heart, Nader Saiedi, page 340)
(Gate of the Heart, Nader Saiedi, page 340)
Monday, October 28, 2024
Impressive writings!?
This is what I believed as a Baha'i, that his writings were superhuman. This is what the writings themselves put forward as the greatest proof after his person (for those who didn't get to meet him).
Combined with the reportedly prolific pace with which he wrote, it felt incredibly compelling.
What's interesting is that after several years of leaving the Baha'i Faith, re-reading those same works is far less impressive. It really is incredibly subjective.
Baha'u'llah had a suite of literary motifs he'd reuse and they get tiresome.
For example he over-relied on imagery of veils, foliage, the sun, birds singing, etc. It would go something like this: thus doth the all-knowing inform thee, that verily my writings are my proof. Yea, to this doth attest the warbling of every bird, could ye but hear it! Lift the veil that haply the sun of reality might dawn in this Day of Days, and ye become accounted among those whose names are inscribed in the Book of Life. Verily this is better for you than that which ye possess, could ye but perceive it!
You also realise he'd use far more words than is necessary to say simple things. And we also know he plagiarised some works verbatim without citing them, including incorrect facts (e.g. the years of birth of famous Greek philosophers).
Another way of challenging this idea is to ask people today if they have heard of Baha'u'llah or the Bab? And ask them if they have heard of Charles Dickens, Leo Tolstoy, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, etc. All contemporaries of the Bab/Baha'u'llah but far more widely appreciated. That shouldn't be the case even with the mitigating circumstances -- we are after all talking about the claim that these works were supposedly produced by God when he manifested himself twice during that same period -- it shouldn't even be a competition! Yet here we are showing how unimpressive they are..
Combined with the reportedly prolific pace with which he wrote, it felt incredibly compelling.
What's interesting is that after several years of leaving the Baha'i Faith, re-reading those same works is far less impressive. It really is incredibly subjective.
Baha'u'llah had a suite of literary motifs he'd reuse and they get tiresome.
For example he over-relied on imagery of veils, foliage, the sun, birds singing, etc. It would go something like this: thus doth the all-knowing inform thee, that verily my writings are my proof. Yea, to this doth attest the warbling of every bird, could ye but hear it! Lift the veil that haply the sun of reality might dawn in this Day of Days, and ye become accounted among those whose names are inscribed in the Book of Life. Verily this is better for you than that which ye possess, could ye but perceive it!
You also realise he'd use far more words than is necessary to say simple things. And we also know he plagiarised some works verbatim without citing them, including incorrect facts (e.g. the years of birth of famous Greek philosophers).
Another way of challenging this idea is to ask people today if they have heard of Baha'u'llah or the Bab? And ask them if they have heard of Charles Dickens, Leo Tolstoy, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, etc. All contemporaries of the Bab/Baha'u'llah but far more widely appreciated. That shouldn't be the case even with the mitigating circumstances -- we are after all talking about the claim that these works were supposedly produced by God when he manifested himself twice during that same period -- it shouldn't even be a competition! Yet here we are showing how unimpressive they are..
https://www.reddit.com/r/exbahai/comments/1gcj8xx/make_love_not_war_why_was_bahaullah_unable_to/
Sunday, October 27, 2024
He should ask his mother why he is this way.
When it comes to those who deny his (Baha's) claims. It’s just that the House isn’t keen to translate those bits of his letters. One of many passages:
تالله الحق من ينكر هذا الفضل الظاهر الباهر المتعالي المنير ينبغي له بان يسئل من امه حاله فسوف يرجع الی اسفل الجحیم
By God, the Truth! One who denies this luminous, exalted, dazzling, evident grace should ask his mother why he is this way. He will return to the nethermost fire. (Ma’idih, 4:355)
تالله الحق من ينكر هذا الفضل الظاهر الباهر المتعالي المنير ينبغي له بان يسئل من امه حاله فسوف يرجع الی اسفل الجحیم
By God, the Truth! One who denies this luminous, exalted, dazzling, evident grace should ask his mother why he is this way. He will return to the nethermost fire. (Ma’idih, 4:355)
Friday, October 25, 2024
Spiritual aspects of the Faith cannot be separated from the administrative aspects
Any attempt to separate the purely spiritual aspects of the Faith from the administrative aspects “... can only result in the disintegration of its component parts, and the extinction of the Faith itself.”
Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh
https://bahai.works/The_American_Bahá’í/Volume_2/Issue_8/Text
Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh
https://bahai.works/The_American_Bahá’í/Volume_2/Issue_8/Text
Friday, October 18, 2024
NSAs are the generals of the Army of Light
The standard-bearers of this Nine Year Plan are the Hands of the Cause of God. The responsibility for directing the work will rest upon the shoulders of the National Spiritual Assemblies, the generals of the Army of Light, under the guidance of the Universal House of Justice.
(Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986)
(Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986)
https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal-house-of-justice/muhj-1963-1986/muhj-1963-1986.docx
Thursday, October 17, 2024
In 1948, the Baha'is congratulated David Ben-Gurion on the establishment of the State of Israel.
In 1948, the Baha'is congratulated David Ben-Gurion on the establishment of the State of Israel, but also made sure to mention their neutrality (although they sometimes emphasized that the Jewish state was established in the Baha'i period, not the Christian or Muslim one). Israel approved the establishment of the Baha'i Temple in Haifa and its ongoing expansion. The Baha'is do not spread their religion in Israel and actually refrain from establishing a Baha'i community there. They avoid the concentration of believers in the world center of religion. There is no doubt that this approach suits the Israeli sensitivity to the activities of non-Jewish religions in the country.
The peak of this tolerance and partnership between Israel and the Baha'is was in the early 1950s. At that time, Israel faced the demands of the Palestinian refugees, the Arab world and various mediators such as the United States and the United Nations - to return to the refugees the property they abandoned in 1948. Israel did not return this property, and its actions, especially the establishment of new settlements on abandoned lands and the introduction of new immigrants into the refugee homes , established irreversible facts. However, the Israeli government acted consciously to return the Baha'is to their abandoned property.
The peak of this tolerance and partnership between Israel and the Baha'is was in the early 1950s. At that time, Israel faced the demands of the Palestinian refugees, the Arab world and various mediators such as the United States and the United Nations - to return to the refugees the property they abandoned in 1948. Israel did not return this property, and its actions, especially the establishment of new settlements on abandoned lands and the introduction of new immigrants into the refugee homes , established irreversible facts. However, the Israeli government acted consciously to return the Baha'is to their abandoned property.
https://www.haaretz.co.il/misc/2001-06-08/ty-article/0000017f-e091-d75c-a7ff-fc9d65530000
Baha'u'llah and Mirza Musa's properties in Palestine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCBenVHiXVY
Baha'u'llah and Mirza Musa's properties in Palestine and Abdul Baha selling these lands to Jewish Colonization Association (JCA) in 1903 and to other Jewish organizations.
Starts from 15 mins 20 Sec.
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
America is a noble nation, the standard-bearer of peace throughout the world
America is a noble nation, the standard-bearer of peace throughout the world, shedding light to all regions. Foreign nations are not untrammeled and free from intrigues and complications like the United States; therefore, they are not able to bring about universal harmony. But America — praise be to God! — is at peace with all the world and is worthy of raising the flag of brotherhood and international agreement.
Saturday, September 28, 2024
A large percentage of seekers who join study circles go on to accept the Faith.
"The process of the Baha'i communities opening their activities has been slow but successful. About 70 to 80 per cent of the participants in Baha'i classes for children are from non-Baha'i families and 50 to 60 per cent of seekers participate in the devotional meetings. A large percentage of seekers who join study circles go on to accept the Faith."
(The Five Year Plan 2001-2006 - Summary of Achievements and Learning)
(The Five Year Plan 2001-2006 - Summary of Achievements and Learning)
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Governor-General Sir Stewart Symes
... the Governor-General Sir Stewart Symes was an old acquaintance and invited them [Shoghi Effendi and Ruhiyyih Khanum] to lunch at the Palace on 1 October [1929].
(Shoghi Effendi Through the Pilgrim's Eye, Volume 1, Building the Administrative Order, 1922-1952 by Earl Redman)
(Shoghi Effendi Through the Pilgrim's Eye, Volume 1, Building the Administrative Order, 1922-1952 by Earl Redman)
Shoghi Effendi and Rúhíyyih Khánum entered the Congo
Shoghi Effendi and Rúhíyyih Khánum entered the Congo at Lubumbashi, a major copper mining centre, where the Guardian admired beautiful green malachite carved into various objects. While in the Congo, their car broke down on an isolated jungle track. While it was being repaired, Rúhíyyih Khánum asked Shoghi Effendi if she could stretch her legs a bit. With his assent and a caution about lions, she walked off down the lonesome road, 'drinking in the beauty of untouched nature', and completely oblivious of the passing time. All of a sudden, a man on a bicycle appeared and told her that 'the gentleman in the car was very worried over her'. That is when she realized that she had been gone for almost two hours. She borrowed the man's bicycle and raced back to her worried husband.
(Shoghi Effendi Through the Pilgrim's Eye, Volume 1, Building the Administrative Order, 1922-1952 by Earl Redman)
(Shoghi Effendi Through the Pilgrim's Eye, Volume 1, Building the Administrative Order, 1922-1952 by Earl Redman)
Sunday, September 22, 2024
There is an artificial hill which the Guardian made from the houses of the covenant breakers who had been occupying the Mansion.
The gardens at Bahjí are places where pilgrims and others are to be found slowly walking and trying to absorb and retain that spiritual fragrance. There is an artificial hill which the Guardian made from the houses of the covenant breakers who had been occupying the Mansion. He destroyed those houses and then made them into a terraced hill of gardens. Those who try to resist the Will of God are thus reduced to dust. All that they strove so hard for is now beneath the believers' feet.
(The Baha'i Communities of Iran - 1851-1921 - Volume 1: The North of Iran by Moojan Momen)
(The Baha'i Communities of Iran - 1851-1921 - Volume 1: The North of Iran by Moojan Momen)
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Former Baha'i, Payam Aryan exposes Baha'i belief about Baha'u'llah
https://www.youtube.com/live/osoVlbf3Uzk?si=i3G4GegNqHIGIOhp&t=941
Starts at 15:40
Baha'u'llah is the sender of the prophets.
https://www.youtube.com/live/osoVlbf3Uzk?si=i3G4GegNqHIGIOhp&t=3180
Starts at 58:00
Monday, September 16, 2024
You know, before 'Abdu'l-Bahá passing away, it was on a Friday, we went visit the mosque in Haifa, Friday morning.
You know, before 'Abdu'l-Bahá passing away, it was on a Friday, we went visit the mosque in Haifa, Friday morning. That day return from mosque, He had to walk up the step. He says "I am tired," went into the room. Then Friday, Saturday, Sunday! Three days. Sunday night, He passed away. Those days we had many American pilgrims there. That Mr. and Mrs. Hoagg, Boschs were there. I heard the cry, deafening noise. So immediately I went up this gate, there's many collected and mourning, the Eastern believers very demonstrative, you know. I said "What is it?" "It's 'Abdu'l-Bahá has passed." So immediately I come back to Pilgrim House, informed them. And some of them come out, come now. That day. It's one o'clock, and all the family are all together there. Can't help. Doctor just left, Dr. Habib, that Christian Arab, that's their family doctor. Then from that room we had after few days, the day in Mount Carmel. I went there myself, making a place. ( ) called, ah, Ramatullah, he's very strong man, he carried casket way down. Ramatullah lived a long time ago, he was caretaker, gardener, very nice man. He had a big family, but years ago.
All the notables from Haifa and Jerusalem, all were collected here, ah, for funeral. Even Herbert Samuel, walked right up, passing Master.
(Interview of Sachiro Fujita by Sylvia Ioas, 1975)
All the notables from Haifa and Jerusalem, all were collected here, ah, for funeral. Even Herbert Samuel, walked right up, passing Master.
(Interview of Sachiro Fujita by Sylvia Ioas, 1975)