I'm thinking I want to do a year of service in a place where French is the main language. 

Anybody know any Baha'i schools in French speaking places? Any French speaking schools? 

Thanks! 

The Indian Baha'i community has recently launched bahaihouseofworship.in, a site for the House of Worship in Delhi. Here are a couple of ways you can help this website:

1. If you have a blog or other web space, add a link to it. You can add a link that says Baha'i House of Worship in India or also Baha'i Lotus Temple in India. Your link can help the site get better search engine results and send more traffic there.

It's officially known as the House of Worship, but links with the words "Baha'i Lotus Temple in India" will probably help more with traffic. Everyone in India knows it as the Lotus Temple, and those keywords get more searches in Google. Also, it has almost no rankings for kewords "Baha'i Lotus Temple", so any help there would be great.

2. Mention it on Facebook or other social networking sites. If you're into StumbleUpon, give it a stumble. It's another opportunity to make people aware of the Faith.

Any help here would be much appreciated. Keep in mind that these kinds of links and exposure are helpful to other Baha'i sites too :)

Have you visited SoulPancake? If not, you should check it out. From the FAQ's:

What is Soul Pancake?

Well, it’s more of a mission than a Web site...

We want to make discussions about Spirituality, Creativity, and Philosophy cool again. Were they ever cool? I have no idea. But it seems like a good idea. We want to engage the user to “Chew on Life’s Big Questions”™. (I was kidding about the ™ symbol; you can use that phrase however you want. Even to sell frozen taquitos.) Where do you go on the Interwebs if you want an irreverent, fun, and profound take on God and Art and the Soul and Faith and Beauty? Fox.com? Maybe. But maybe also here at SoulPancake.com.

We provide some rockin’ content (interviews, blogs, challenges, contests, features, and more), but it’s really all about having YOU - the SoulPancake community - bring this site to life. Say what’s on your mind. Be real. Talk about WHY WE’RE HERE. And if I say something that offends you, let me have it.

Just remember: Life is a rich, weird, difficult experience. So join us as we go on the spiritual and artistic journey that is SoulPancake.

Why aren't Baha'is allowed to teach to Israelis? 

A little early for the UK, but I am going out to break the fast with friends.

Intro to a four-part documentary on Hand of the Cause of God, Enoch Olinga. This project is the culmination of literally decades of dedication and work by American Baha'i filmmaker Joyce Olinga.

I got this information via email (which I copy/pasted in here), so some of you guys may have seen this already. :)

Rainn Wilson on Oprah – Monday, March 9, 2009

 

As one of the better known Baha’is on the international scene, Rainn Wilson (who plays Dwight on The Office) has been letting people know the basics of this Faith whenever afforded the opportunity in the media — particularly mentioning the onenesses of God, religion and humanity.

Recently, as many are already aware, he wrote a commentary for CNN bringing awareness to the plight of the 7 Baha’i leaders who remain wrongfully incarcerated in Iran.

And now, he will be chatting with Oprah Winfrey on her “Soul Series” webcast. Some details of the upcoming interview, taken from

http://www.oprah.com/article/spirit/inspiration/pkgoprahssoulserieswebcast/20080915_oaf_oss_guest :

Rainn Wilson
Actor and creator of a website that aims to connect people and offer a place to discuss life’s big questions. 

Coming Up: March 9

Ayatollah Qorban-Ali Dorri-Najafabadi
Prosecutor General
Islamic Republic of Iran

Your Honor,

Your recent announcement regarding the administrative affairs of the Bahá’ís of Iran has
brought to the arena of public debate issues which not only affect the safety and livelihood of
the members of that community but also have profound implications for the future of every
citizen of that esteemed nation. The steps that have been taken to formulate the response of
the Iranian Bahá’í community to your announcement have surely been communicated to you.
The Yaran and the Khademin, the small groups that have been attending to the spiritual and
social needs of the several hundred thousand Bahá’ís of Iran, the former at the national level
and the latter at the local, have expressed their willingness to bring to a close their collective
functioning. This decision has been made for no other reason than to demonstrate yet again
the goodwill that the Bahá’ís have consistently shown to the government of the Islamic
Republic of Iran for the past thirty years.

Read the rest of the letter here: http://bic.org/areas-of-work/persecution/prosecutor-general-iran-en.pdf

It clearly explains the situation of the Baha'is in Iran and their intentions.

I hope this is allowed, if not, feel free to delete. I have just been introduced to the baha'i faith, I am very limited in knowledge of the baha'i but am incredibly interested in it and feel it is a religion I can actually incorporate into my life after being an agnostic for awhile. I was wondering what the best books were for "beginners" of the faith so to speak, and also i was wondering if there was somewhere where i could read about the practices or "events" of the faith such as the recent fast? I looked on bahai.org but couldnt seem to find it. Also, one question, I read somewhere that homosexuality is looked down upon? Is this correct? Thank you!

Very interesting timeline starting with the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

I enjoyed reading  lunaesia 's post about what happened at the Feast of 'Ala in her community. I hosted Feast this time as well (along with one of my children), and I'd like to share what I did - since people here seemed to really enjoy it. 

I printed up 1 sheet with 5 medium length selections from the Writings.  I made a mix CD containing 8 or so  Baha'i-themed songs that varied widely in genre and style, and that I was pretty sure no one else in the community had heard before, and I came up with a list of at least 10 songs that I know and/or could lead everyone in singing together. 

Then I printed up a page that said in large, colorful letters:

1. READ  or
2. SING  or 
3. PLAY CD  or
4. PRAY  or
5. PASS


The friends could choose to do any one of those things, and every option was chosen at least once by someone.  I've done something similar before (for devotionals where we go around the room twice at least) without printing up an options page, but then every time someone else came in late, I'd have to stop and explain again what the choices were. The printed page worked much better. Next time I will put at the top of the paper -  "Choose one".

I've also learned from the other times I've tried this:

1) No matter how many readings are on the piece of paper, the friends somehow feel that unless we've read them all, we are not "done", so 5 is a good number.

2) When given a choice, the friends here will sing twice as much as any other option, so I'd better be prepared to lead a LOT of songs.  I just write down the first line.  If I'm teaching something unfamiliar, I sing it at least 3 times in a row.

3) The mix CD makes a nice gift for a new Baha'i or any Baha'i that doesn't have a lot of Baha'i theme music.

I would love to have others try this and hear back how it works in your community, and if there is interest, I will post some tips here on songleading...for those of you that might not be very confident.  :o)

I also wanted to share with you something about the lovely Feast I went to last night. A representative from each family reached into a bag and pulled out a slip of paper. People could trade if they wanted to. Then each family (or individual, but there are a fair number of kids in this community) took a turn doing what it said on the paper. The papers said things like

Tell a story of one time you taught the Faith.
Chant a prayer.
Share your favorite story from Baha'i history.
Tell a funny Baha'i story.
Recite a Baha'i quotation you know from memory.
Say a prayer in a different language.
Share your favorite memory of the Baha'i community.

It was really lovely, and set the perfect mood for a joyful Feast!

Editor’s Note: Earlier today, Iran’s Prosecutor-General declared that the seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders have confessed to the charges brought against them. This blatant lie and utter misrepresentation is the latest in what is fast becoming a long line of dubious statements made by the Prosecutor-General. Meanwhile, the seven detained Baha’is continue to be deprived of due process and the opportunity to meet with their attorney.

Responding to the public outcry from western nations [against Iran] for the plight of seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders, Iran’s Prosecutor-General stated, “These individuals have accepted the charges [brought against them.]”

On Friday (27 February 2009), Qorban-Ali Dorri-Najafabadi, Iran’s Prosecutor General, labeled criticisms raised by the European Union and the United States as a “tired old” tactic, stating, “Despite the fact that these individuals have accepted the charges [brought against them], the West – including the United States – claims that Iran is bent on suppressing them by violating human rights laws.”
Source: Iran Press Watch

This is bad. Very, very bad.

Happy Ayyam-i-Ha everyone! I hope it's been a wonderful celebration for you so far. It's been great for me to date. Tomorrow our extended community is having a huge cookout/party. It looks like we might be getting some severe weather, but we're not going to let a little lightning and hail stop us! :)

I wanted to remind everyone of a great link to use while you're fasting. http://www.sunrisesunset.com can tell you local sunup and sundown times for your locality by month. I use this site every year to print out those times on a calendar and it is immensely useful. (For those of you who are html-savvy, it's also easy to go into the calendar source code and remove sunrise/sunset times from the non-fasting days.)

Good day Friends,

The Pittsburgh, PA LSA has initiated a new way to participate in collective efforts on behalf on the imprisoned Baha'i leaders in Iran: you can join Pittsburgh's prayer campaign by signing up online to say a prayer individually at a scheduled time of your choosing!

I invite you to participate in a prayer campaign, with the goal of bringing people of diverse Faith backgrounds together to pray for the safety of the 7 Bahá'í leaders in Iran who have been in prison since early 2008.

Please join us in prayer for the safety of these individuals and for the protection of religious freedom throughout the world. Visit http://www.mysignup .com/pray_ for_imprisoned_ bahais and pick a time when you can say a prayer, alone or with others.

Collectively, we will strive for a continuous stream of prayers on behalf of these friends. Thank you!

From http://iran.bahai.us/:
The trial of the seven leaders of the Baha’i Faith in Iran could take place as early as this Saturday, Sunday or Monday. They have been charged with spying for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the Islamic republic. These charges are unfounded and no evidence against them has been brought to light. The Baha’i leaders have been held for nearly a year in Evin prison, denied access to their attorney, the Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi.
( U.S. State Dept statement regarding persecution of religious minorities in Iran )

(Edited to reflect guidance about not disseminating publicly the letters from the NSA.)

If you are as puzzled, mystified, maybe horrified as I am about why the persecution of Iran's Baha'i community is never covered as news in the U.S., you can now ask a real, live news anchor tomorrow during the NPR Live Chat on How Iranians view Iran at noon EST tomorrow, Friday the 13th. I will be working, but I did ask my question on the comment section of the page. If you see it, please hit "recommend" at the bottom of my comment so it is more likely to be aired.

If anyone from this list does call in or listen, please report back afterwards for the benefit of those who can't listen live.

http://www.freedomforazizsamandari.org/

This site created by the family of a Baha'i currently detained by Iranian authorities.

Several years ago I ran across a website that provided audio recordings of native Persian pronunciation of Baha'i terms, notably "Baha'i" and "Baha'u'llah". I've since lost it...was wondering if anyone else has ever stumbled across such a site and if so, could you kindly provide the link? I thought maybe ljbahai had been the source which originally provided the information, but i went back a couple hundred posts and had no luck searching.

Thanks in advance...

Zia Mohajerjasbi, who does all of the music videos for Common Market and the groups on our label - did this video, in memory of Becky Murphy - a Bahai counselor for the NW region - who passed away suddenly a few months ago from a heart attack. She will be missed so much - but Zia does SUCH a good job of making us laugh and also reminding us how fun and loving she was.

Becky would LOVE this video and I am sure is laughing along with it....

You don't have to be a Baha'i to enter, just a person with a commitment to justice. The deadline is March 21st. So who wants to make a movie? :)

For guidelines, see:

http://www.youtube.com/group/bahaistudentsiran

 I pretty much know the Faith's position on homosexuality, I'm just wondering more about the administration side of it. 

If somebody is gay, the LSA or NSA can take their declaration card away? And therefor prohibit them from going to Feast, etc? 

Does anyone have a copy of this book, Stories about the Baha'i Funds? I'm looking for a particular story about someone who donated three eggs for the construction of one of the houses of worship. Can you help me?

Ever wondered about all the eight-pointed stars and other appearances of the number eight in the holy places? I have. I came across this and just had to share.

During my first visit to the Holy Land in 1952, Shoghi Effendi related to me that when 'Abdu'l-Bahá undertook construction of the original Shrine of the Báb in 1900-8, He wanted to have eight doors, but He could not achieve more than five. The Master's wish was finally fulfilled in 1929, when Shoghi Effendi added three rooms. Since the beginning of Shoghi Effendi's noble enterprise, when Mr. Maxwell brought to Rome his drawings of the superstructure and the photograph of the Shrine's model, I had observed that the number eight had a predominant part in the whole project. Without my asking the significance of that number in the structure and the surrounding grounds, Shoghi Effendi one day made reference to a verse of the Qur'án, which he first recited in Arabic and then in English: '... on that day eight shall bear up the throne of thy Lord'.[*] He then explained the sublime station of the Báb,[**] and how he guided Mr. Maxwell to incorporate the spiritual meaning of this Islamic prophecy in the project, to testify to His exalted station, to honour eternally the Martyr-Prophet enshrined in the Sepulchre, and to emphasize how closely the Báb's Revelation was connected with the expectations of the Islamic world. Shoghi Effendi further mentioned that 'Abdu'l-Bahá, on completing the initial six rooms, had named each of the five doors after one of the followers of the Faith, including those who had been associated with the construction of the Shrine, and that He always referred to the Shrine as the 'Throne of the Lord', and to the Casket of the Báb also as the 'Throne'. Even the Holy Dust was called by Him the 'Throne'.

* Sura LXIX, 'The Inevitable', verse 17, of Rodwell's translation. For Arberry's translation see last footnote * before p.97

** Rabb-i-A'la, literally: Lord the Most High.

(Ugo Giachery, Shoghi Effendi - Recollections)

Posting this with permission from sholeh. (thank you!)

I created a Baha'i group at gather.com and would like to invite you all to join our discussions.
Please visit http://bahai.gather.com ; it's free to join and as a bonus, the more you use the site, the more points you earn toward merchandise or gift cards!

Hope to see you there! If you join, let me know you're from LJ :)

Hi.

For a project, I need to know what is (if any) the most important and solemn holiday in the Bahá'í Faith.

Thanks in advance!

I'm the only Baha'i in my family (including husband's family) and everyone else celebrates Christmas the traditional way with a tree and presents. Hubby's grandmother just asked me if we're getting our girls (2 years and 1 year) a Christmas tree. While I'm taking this opportunity to tell her about the Faith, I was curious as to what you all do around Christmastime.

Praveen
http://spraveenitpro.blogspot.com

Armed - Devon Gundry



This is a beautiful music video by my friend Devon Gundry.

www.devongundry.com

I thought for SURE I'd check ljbahai for updates during this momentous time and see everyone talking about the fact we are witnessing, FIRST HAND, Baha'u'llah's plan unfold. We are living in a time that the Ancient Prophets pine to witness. Am I the only one overwhelmingly touched by what is happening here? I mean, politics aside, we are quickly evolving into what God wants us to become...what we are destined to become. UNIFIED.

Spread the love you feel in your heart because love will conquer all :)

I'm an avid reader of poetry, and am looking for any Baha'i poets to hunt down. Either explicitly Baha'i-themed poetry or spiritual or "secular" poetry informed by the Baha'i principles would suit my purpose. Any language is okay, as long as I can find their work in English translation.

I've already read a fair bit of work by

Horace Holley
Michael Fitzgerald
Robert Hayden
Roger White
Tahirih (but new translations would be welcome, if they're out there)
Ruhiyyih Khanum

Excluding the Creative Word as a given, what is your favorite Baha'i-inspired poem?

I have just read in the UK Baha'i news about Betty.

She was one of the first Baha'is I met, and a great inspiration - full of energy, enthusiasm and love for the Faith.

I particularly remember a weekend course she ran at my Mother's home, when she not only organised and ran the sessions but also helped cook the meals at short notice! And the time she entertained some of us after a Convention in Scotland, when we had the honour of being served tea from her special teapot (it was used to serve tea to the first members of the Universal House of Justice when they were elected) and hearing the stories about her appointment and work as a Counsellor.

Hi everyone,

I thought I might introduce myself, as well as the reason as to why I joined this community. My name is Melissa, and I am Jewish- a third generation Jew (my father, and his father were God Fearers) and I have been taking this comparative religion class at my university. We have studied a total of 10 religions, but barely touched on Baha'i, and I wanted to know more, but the time constraints of the class did not allow it.

So I was wondering if anyone in this community would be interested in taking about an hour or so to talk to me about your religion. Reason why I am asking, is because one of the assignments is to write on a religious experience that is not your own, and out of the religions we discussed, Baha'i interested me, and I would love to know more about it.

If anyone is interested, I would be eternally grateful, and would gladly share my knowledge of my own religion if you are interested.

Thank you,

Melissa

Ok one more question before I go :)


Regarding Baha'i weddings : I'm adopted. I was told my whole life that I'll probably have to place an ad in the newspaper looking for my biological parents to satisfy Baha'i law and it was never a big deal. Just a part a life.


Well I found my biological mom a year ago and we've become fairly close. We see each other a few times a month and talk frequently. I firmly believe that my adopted parents are my "real" parents as they were the ones to raise me but I welcome my birthmom into my life.


So this means I'll have to ask her permission too, right? And if she knows the name of my biological father (she avoids talking about my conception) will I have to hunt him down and ask him for permission too? I really don't wish to know him or disrupt his life as I'm pretty sure he doesn't know I exist.

I should probably tell my birthmom about Baha'i marriage sooner than later. She knows my mom and I are Baha'is but I don't want to spring it on her last moment that oh, hey, I need your permission before I get married!

Is it ok to view a picture of Baha'u'llah on a website?

I had always heard that it wasn't, and so we should be careful when browsing the internet. But I *believe* I may have seen a photograph on wikipedia when I was reading the page on Baha'u'llah.

I turned away so quickly I couldn't really tell. But I have not been an active Baha'i for 2 or 3 years, so perhaps things have changed?

If not, we may want to find a way to edit that page without seeing it.

There is an oft-used quote by 'Abdu'l-Baha which references the smallness of our numbers, and not to be discouraged thereof. It's a paragraph or two long, and a Google search did not pull up anything that I recognized. Does anyone know which quote I'm talking about? If so, could you please post it here?

Thanks...

I'm a huge music person. I am looking for Bahai inspired music, but something that I can actually feel comfortable listening to at work... I listen to some christian themed music, but even with that, I prefer it to be more spiritually oriented, like Sufjan Steven's material. Plus, I want to be able to listen to and enjoy it. Now, I know of some artists like Benny Cassette, Devon Gundry, and Andy Grammar, but are there any other suggestions?

Has anyone else heard this?  Mona's story is going to be a Mel Gibson - Jack Lenz Co-Production Movie!  More people will know about the Faith and persecution!

Dear friends. This made my day.
; )

http://news.bahai.org/story/642

I caught it in the car on my way home from dropping Paula off at school.

Baha'i Election

(She mis-pronounces Baha'u'llah, but gets everything else right)

This is a moving video from Youtube
http://youtube.com/watch?v=KHggJbklmX0&feature=related 

A friend of mine forwarded me this a few days ago and I don't know if everyone got a chance to read it.

Here is the link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7409288.stm 

Thanks 
Navid

Tell me your method of teaching the Faith to someone who says, "What is THAT?" in response to you saying you're a Baha'i. I usually take the Progressive Revelation standpoint but I'm curious what other people do.

I understand that not everyone in this community is Baha'i so this may be a good lesson to learn for seekers too :)

You don't have to give me a whole dialogue as an example, I just want to know what you start with.

The art of music is divine and effective. It is the food of the soul and spirit. Through the power and charm of music the spirit of man is uplifted.

(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 52)


There was a question on a listserve that I am on regarding music by Baha'i artists (specifically that youth and jr youth may enjoy), and so I put this little list together. There are several different types of music here. :-) It isn't a comprehensive list, but perhaps you'll discover something that you like.


Bella Canto: http://www.amityrecords.com/bella-canto.html
Devon Gundry: http://www.myspace.com/devongundrymusic
Andy Grammer: http://www.myspace.com/andygrammer
Dawnbreaker Collective: http://www.myspace.com/dawnbreakercollective
Common Market: http://www.myspace.com/commonmarket
Afshin Toufighian: http://www.myspace.com/afshin
Intrinsic Cadence: http://www.myspace.com/eyeoflayman
David Hunt: http://www.myspace.com/davidhuntmusic
Adam Crossley: http://www.myspace.com/adamcrossley
Ann-Sofie Wensbo: http://www.myspace.com/wensbomusic
Martin Kerr: http://www.myspace.com/martinkerr
Badi: http://www.myspace.com/badimusic
Laura Harley: http://www.myspace.com/lauraharleymusic

A side note: I don't really think there is such thing as "Baha'i music" yet. What I mean by this is: there is music inspired by the Faith, there are Baha'is who are musicians, there are the Writings that have been put to music...but "Baha'i music" as a clearly defined subset of music just isn't developed enough yet, as this letter points out:

"We feel that the first question is covered by the following instruction given by the Guardian: 'Prayers ... should be read or chanted, as well as hymns based upon Bahá'í or non-Bahá'í sacred writings.' (Bahá'í News, September 1931). As regards using hymn tunes of other religions there is no objection to this. As the Guardian once pointed out, we do not have at this time distinctive music which could be called Bahá'í, as such a cultural expression is the flower of the civilization and does not come at the beginning of a new Revelation."

(From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of Uganda and Central Africa, August 19, 1965)

It is seemly that the servant should, after each prayer, supplicate God to bestow
mercy and forgiveness upon his parents. Thereupon God's call will be raised:
'Thousand upon thousand of what thou hast asked for thy parents shall be thy
recompense!' Blessed is he who remembereth his parents when communing with God.
There is, verily, no God but Him, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved. VIII, 16.

The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, Baha'i World Centre, 1982
lightweight edition, p. 94

From: http://news.bahai.org/story/632

"Six Bahá’í leaders in Iran were arrested and taken to the notorious Evin prison yesterday in a sweep that is ominously similar to episodes in the 1980s when scores of Iranian Bahá’í leaders were summarily rounded up and killed."

Please help us get the word out.
Contact your government representatives, Senators, Congresspeople, Members of Parliament about this issue.

For more background on the history of the persecution of Baha'is since the inception of the Baha'i Faith:
http://question.bahai.org

Someone said in a convo, "You know Baha'i weddings..."
And I said, "No... I don't. What about them?"

But it wasn't elucidated upon for sake of conversation. Now I'm curious. What's the deal? What are they like? Any traditions or details? I know engagement period is supposed to be at most 95 days.