Baha'i

[Handmaiden07]

Originally Posted by I, Brian

And welcome to CR, Handmaiden007.

Thank you, Brian! and, thank you, Harmony!

[BruceDLimber]

All's going great, thanks, Art, and I hope this is likewise for you! :-)

Bruce

[BruceDLimber]

Brian, hi! :-)

If I may ask a humble favor, it would be really nice if you'd give "Baha'i" a line-item entry under the "World Religions" menu along the left margin!

(And no, I don't say that because we'd currently be first in the list! Who knows? Someday, you may have an Anabaptist forum!) :-)

Best,

Bruce

[I, Brian]

Originally Posted by BruceDLimber

Brian, hi! :-)

If I may ask a humble favor, it would be really nice if you'd give "Baha'i" a line-item entry under the "World Religions" menu along the left margin!

(And no, I don't say that because we'd currently be first in the list! Who knows? Someday, you may have an Anabaptist forum!) :-)

Best,

Bruce

I've had this requested numerous times - but before I do that I need to write at least a short essay covering the same themes as the others in that section, and also host on this site some of the writings of Baha'u'llah. That takes a little time to do and it's time that I just do not have at the moment. Hopefully soon later in the year.

[9Harmony]

Originally Posted by I, Brian

I've had this requested numerous times - but before I do that I need to write at least a short essay covering the same themes as the others in that section, and also host on this site some of the writings of Baha'u'llah. That takes a little time to do and it's time that I just do not have at the moment. Hopefully soon later in the year.

Dear Brian,

Thank you so much!

Would it be too much to ask that before you post it in it's place that maybe you could post it here for some of us to look it over and make sure it's accurate. I'm sure you will do a wonderful job on it, but as I'm sure you're aware by now, alot of information published by non-Baha'i's about Baha'i's can be based on speculation. (The same can be said for other religions as well.) I don't foresee that being a problem here as I have been very impressed by your openness and fairness on this forum. Continue to ask questions as you have them and we will do our best to answer them. I look forward to reading what you write up.

Thanks again!

Loving Greetings, Harmony

[arthra]

Originally Posted by 9Harmony

Dear Brian,

Thank you so much!

Would it be too much to ask that before you post it in it's place that maybe you could post it here for some of us to look it over and make sure it's accurate. I'm sure you will do a wonderful job on it, but as I'm sure you're aware by now, alot of information published by non-Baha'i's about Baha'i's can be based on speculation. (The same can be said for other religions as well.) I don't foresee that being a problem here as I have been very impressed by your openness and fairness on this forum. Continue to ask questions as you have them and we will do our best to answer them. I look forward to reading what you write up.

Thanks again!

Loving Greetings, Harmony

I'm sure Brian knows that we would all be willing to assist in any way and offer our support.

- Art

[I, Brian]

I'm pretty sure everything I do is quite under public scrutiny.

A Baha'i section would be a little prococious though for the moment. I do plan to extensively add to this site later in the year, though.

[smkolins]

Originally Posted by BruceDLimber

Greetings, all; it's good to be here! :-)

Hey Bruce (wave)

Originally Posted by BruceDLimber

I've been reading through the postings to date, and will endeavor to provide some answers (and a few corrections) here to things that various folks have raised.

Looks like I tripped across the same website just a month after you did!

Originally Posted by BruceDLimber

...
As to reincarnation, the Baha'i scriptures simply reject it (so I"m rather surprised that Mick implied we accept it in some form): Baha'i teaching is that each human soul begins at conception and lives eternally, passing from this life to the Next, which endures forever. So reincarnation is simply not part of our world-view: we "only go around once" in this life! :-S

I thought I might chime in here. I haven't seen Mick's post but I thought I might bridge the matter a bit. I can see both sides of this issue really. On the one hand it is clear in Baha'i Writings that the soul does not return to live another life. On the other hand it is also clear that there is more than a hint of a cyclic nature to history in the Baha'i Writings - especially in religion. In this sense there is a context of a return though it's not spoken of as a general rule. I know I've read some early Christian references and felt right at home!

[smkolins]

Originally Posted by Mick

Quote:

Vajradhara said:
my first question is this... are those postings the "official" position of your faith tradition or are they the opinons of an adherent?


'Abdu'l-Baha is the son of Baha'u'llah....His writings are considered translations and explanations of the writings of Baha'u'llah and The Bab...

I thought I might chime in here. It is true that various scriptures in the Baha'i Faith are considered authorized. But there is always the issue of matching the answer to the question. It is a reasoning mind that reads a question here and finds the "right" answer from authorized sources. This is not the same as an unfailingly correct answer. At the simplist level there is simply a different take on questions among equally sound points of view - the issue of reincarnation for example. One metaphor I use is a camp fire amid trees and a lake and distant mountains. From one side of the camp fire it is clearly framed by nearby trees which are themselves illumined by it while from another angle it is the contrast with the distant cool lake that makes the fire stand out while from another angle it is the placement of the mountain seemingly above the fire that makes it take on dimension. And so on. Are these views wrong? Right? Even if you get up and walk around and percieve all angles - it is still different from being so close to the fire it's all you can see or being so far away that it's just a flickering light almost gone.

More formally I can even distinguish between statements I or others may offer and whatever statements the authorities of the Baha'i Faith may offer in the present tense. Authorized positions on topics of the Baha'i Faith come from authorized sources that authorized institutions communicate in authorized ways - but of course this is just my own formulation. On the other hand, a sincere effort brings it's own reward.

[smkolins]

Originally Posted by I, Brian

I'm pretty sure everything I do is quite under public scrutiny.

A Baha'i section would be a little prococious though for the moment. I do plan to extensively add to this site later in the year, though.

I suppose if you are speaking in terms of adding a section simply on the basis of a few people showing up and asking you might well be right.

On the other hand More than 2,100 ethnic groups and tribes are represented. and the Baha'i Faith has had prominant roles in the World Environmental Conference and leadership in Women's Conferences and these kinds of contributions (even among DuBois' talented tenth) aren't new! Indeed I think the Baha'i Faith has
emerged from the depths of obscurity

In that light it is perhaps mearly due.

[smkolins]

here

[barefootgal9]

Hi Steven!

Brian is working on it. The lack of the listing isn't because Brian doesn't think it merits it, it's just the logistics of restructuring the boards - hows and whens - which aren't always "at his command."

[I, Brian]

I am quite aware of Baha'i as a religion, but a Baha'i section is merely one of a number of additions I need to work on for the site.

I'm also currently working on getting the Koran and Sunnah, and the Tao Te Ching hosted on CR.

I also now have access to a very comprehensive range of Old Testament Apocryphal writings, which I plan to add very soon, along with the Nag Hammadi library.

I also need to seriously update the sections for Judaism and Sikhism - especially with an eye to getting the Adi Granth onsite, as well as some Judaic texts - some form of the Torah (ie, Judaic translation, alliterated with Hebrew characters) and an eventual goal of hosting the entire Babylonian Talmud here.

The more modern religious groups are generally very poorly represented here as well, and the ancient mythology section needs a serious boost, too - something more in-depth on the Roman and Greek interpretations of deity for a start.

I have a lot to do - and much is being worked upon - but recent moves into self-employment, and a new baby arriving, have severely restricted my free-time for the moment at least. I sincerely hope to really work on massive expanding the site later in the year. Maybe you'll see a Baha'i section here yet in 2004.

[barefootgal9]

Wow!

Congrats on the new baby coming! And good luck on the self-employment (I'm a freelancer myself - much of the time it feels more like "self-unemployment" - alas!)

You are probably already aware of the free OCEAN download - a substantial collection of the world's Sacred Texts and supplementary materials. But, just in case you, or others, haven't got it, here's an URL for you:

http://www.bahai-education.org/ocean/

[arthra]

Originally Posted by I, Brian

I am quite aware of Baha'i as a religion, but a Baha'i section is merely one of a number of additions I need to work on for the site.

.....

I have a lot to do - and much is being worked upon - but recent moves into self-employment, and a new baby arriving, have severely restricted my free-time for the moment at least. I sincerely hope to really work on massive expanding the site later in the year. Maybe you'll see a Baha'i section here yet in 2004.

I know the Baha'is here would be willing to assist you in any way through our resources and contacts to improve this Forum!

- Art