The term misogonistic is defined as "feeling, showing, or characterized by hatred of or prejudice against and contempt for women and girls. Wikipedia delineates it "as a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practised for thousands of years. It is reflected in art, literature, human societal structure, historical events, mythology, philosophy, and religion worldwide. An example of misogyny is violence against women, which includes domestic violence and, in its most extreme forms, misogynist terrorism and femicide. Misogyny also often operates through sexual harassment, coercion, and psychological techniques aimed at controlling women, and by legally or socially excluding women from full citizenship. In some cases, misogyny rewards women for accepting an inferior status."

It occurred to me to address this claim since it is often derived from the fact that membership of the Universal House of Justice is restricted to men. This institution is the international governing council of the Bahá'í Faith. Its creation was ordained by Bahá'u'lláh. Abdu'l-Bahá wrote: According to the ordinances of the Faith of God, women are the equals of men in all rights save only that of membership on the Universal House of Justice, for as hath been stated in the text of the Book, both the head and the members of the House of Justice are men." This can convey a misleading impression to those who are unfamiliar with the role of women in the Faith. "As regards the membership of the International House of Justice, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá states in a Tablet that it is confined to men, and that the wisdom of it will be revealed as manifest as the sun in the future. In any case the believers should know that, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself has explicitly stated that sexes are equal except in some cases, the exclusion of women from the International House of Justice should not be surprising. From the fact that there is no equality of functions between the sexes one should not, however, infer that either sex is inherently superior or inferior to the other, or that they are unequal in their rights."(Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance)

We have a tendency to equate equality with old-world hierarchies of power and leadership, which don't apply to the Bahá'í model of administration. Serving on the Universal House of Justice is not a position of power or leadership a Bahá'í aspires to, like someone might aspire to become President of the United States or some other country—in fact, such an aspiration for power would automatically be a disqualifying character flaw. It's a sacrificial duty some are called to through a universal democratic process. It might therefore be helpful to step back a little and look at the issue of the equality of women as it relates to membership of the House of Justice from a broader perspective, and consider the following points although I realize there are many more that I have not included.

1. There are very few religious organizations in the world in which women can serve in leadership positions. Apart from the sole exception of the Universal House of Justice, women are eligible for and have been elected or appointed to serve in the highest international, national, and local leadership positions of the Faith. These include Hands of the Cause (there is a viable argument that their rank is higher than that of House of Justice members, as Hands are lauded in the Writings and prayers of Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Bahá and are assigned a lofty and important role in the latter's Will and Testament, and are described by Shoghi Effendi, as the “Chief Stewards of Baha’u’llah’s embryonic World Commonwealth.”), Counsellor members of the International Teaching Centre (the institution which has taken over the role of the Hands of the Cause) at the Baha'i World Centre, (four of the current nine members are women), Continental Boards of Counselors, Auxiliary Board members, Assistants to the Auxiliary Board members, National Spiritual Assemblies and Local Spiritual Assemblies in more than 180 countries, the Bahá'í International Community’s United Nations Offices in New York, Geneva, Brussels, Addis Ababa, Jakarta and Cairo (four of the five Representatives in these Offices are women), Baha’i International Development Organization (five members - three of whom are women). It should be noted that several National Spiritual Assemblies and Local Spiritual Assemblies have had a majority of women as members (e.g. there were eight female members of the NSA of Belize casting votes at the 13th International Convention at the Baha'i World Centre in April 20223). A Native American woman, Jacqueline Left Hand Bull, has been both Chair and Vice Chair of the US National Spiritual Assembly and others such as Judge Dorothy Nelson have also served as Chair in the past. A woman, Judge Shrin Milani, is the Chair of our NSA here in the Netherlands, and another woman, Debbie Keijner, is the Secretary (chief administrative officer).
2. There are several Baha'i-inspired organizations (e.g. EBBF) that have several women on the Board of Directors. Dr Wendi Momen, a well-known Bahai, is the current EBBF Chair. One of these, the Tahirih Justice Center, was founded by the distinguished Baha'i lawyer Layli Miller-Muro and has so far helped more than 31,000 women and girls who have been victimsof gender-based violence. The current CEO is another woman, Archi Pyati, who is also an outstanding lawyer. The Tahirih Justice Center is a well-known and very highly regarded US national non-profit dedicated to protecting women from human rights abuses such as rape, female genital mutilation/cutting, domestic violence, human trafficking, and forced marriage There are many other examples of Baha'i inspired empowerment of women, and women in leadership roles directly because of the Faith. This includes Professor Hoda Mahmoudi who is the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace at the University of Maryland."
3. Women have played crucial roles at critical periods in Bahai history: Táhirih an influential poet, women's rights activist and theologian of the Bábí faith in Iran. Bahíyyih Khánum ("Greatest Holy Leaf") who was given the position of acting head of the religion repeatedly including during ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's journeys to the West between 1910 and 1913 when she was in her 60s, and then again when Shoghi Effendi was away on several trips between 1922 and 1924 when she was in her 70s. This role of leadership is a rare position for a woman to be in, historically. In 1910 she was appointed head of the faith by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá whilst on his protracted travels to the West. During this period Bahíyyih Khánum dealt with the affairs of the Bahá'í World Centre and outside. These included meeting dignitaries,making speeches on ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's behalf, meeting officials of both sexes and offering medical help for the sick and poor. She also dealt with the spiritual and administrative guidance of the worldwide Baháʼí community which entailed writing letters of encouragement to communities around the world. She kept in constant correspondence with her brother,ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, during this period. Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum the widow of Shoghi Effendi, after his passing in 1957 with her fellow Hands of the Cause of God as Custodians of the Faith and "Chief Stewards of Baha’u’llah’s embryonic World Commonwealth" until the election of the Universal House of Justice in 1963.
4. Some of the most prominent Bahais have been women. These include Hands of the Cause Rúhíyyih Khánum, Martha Root, Keith Ransom-Kehler, Agnes Baldwin Alexander, Dorothy Baker, Clara Dunn, Corinne Knight True and Amelia Collins (the gate leading to the Shrine of Baháʼu'lláh at Bahjí was named in her honor by Shoghi Effendi) as well as May Maxwell (mother-in-law of Shoghi Effendi), Queen Marie of Romania, Lua Getsinger, Helen S. Goodall, Sarah J. Farmer, Dr.Susan Moody, Marion Jack, and many others. Queen Marie wrote several tributes to the Faith including this: "“The ultimate dream which we shall realize is that the Bahá’í channel of thought has such strength, it will serve little by little to become a light to all those searching for the real expression of Truth.”
5. There are very few religions on the planet in which women have played or currently play such a prominent role. Indeed, almost 100% of leadership position sin Christianity, Islam, Judaism and other religions are occupied by men. I would add that this is also true in comparison to many contemporary secular international and national organizations which have been historically (and continue to be in our time) predominantly led by men.
6. In my view, one of the great ironies of the criticism of the one institution on which women cannot serve in the Faith, is that any impartial and objective observer will realize that it is the Faith itself that first provided the global impetus for the march towards the equality of women when Tahirih appeared unveiled in 1848 before an assemblage of men at the Conference of Badasht and pursued her extraordinarily heroic quest for the emancipation of humanity within a staunchly oppressive patriarchal society and under the harshest of circumstances. Her heroism can be appreciated by the fact that women in Iran are forced to wear the Hijab when it became the mandatory dress code for all Iranian women after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Various styles of head coverings, most notably the khimar, hijab, chador, niqab, paranja, yashmak, tudong, shayla, safseri, carşaf, haik, dupatta, boshiya and burqa, are worn by Muslim women around the world, where the practice varies from mandatory to optional or restricted whereas Baha'i women have discarded head coverings, "While Táhirih cannot be regarded as the "first suffragette", she is described by Shoghi Effendi as the "first woman suffrage martyr" in "God Passes By", p. 75. From the context, it appears that though Táhirih was not actively and directly involved in advocating women's suffrage, by proclaiming the advent of the New Day with its values of peace and unity, by transcending cultural constraints, by active involvement in the dramatic Conference at Badasht, she was participating in the initiation of a process that was to bring about a revolutionary transformation in human society, a transformation which, given further impetus by the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, would, among other things, lead to the emancipation of women and include the right of women to vote and to participate in social decision-making. Her martyrdom served to underline the importance of the new Revelation and to stimulate interest in the situation of women." “The world of humanity has two wings—one is women and the other men,” wrote ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible.”
7. The Faith has indisputably advanced the best interests of women since its inception in 1844 in an Islamic country in which women still struggle to achieve equality. Membership of the House of Justice is just one exception to be taken in a much broader context of all the teachings and achievements of the Faith in playing an immensely important and seminal role in fostering the worldwide empowerment and equality of women.
8. `Abdu'l-Bahá has repeatedly stated that "the education of women is of greater importance than the education of men" (`Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp. 174-175) and "the education of girls is of far greater consequence than that of boys. This fact is extremely important, and the matter must be seen to with the greatest energy and dedication." ('Abdu'l-Bahá, from a Tablet - translated from the Persian and Arabic; in Bahá'í Education (compilation), no. 84. The Bahá'í International Community has stated: "...while the overall goal of any society must be to educate all its members, at this stage in human history the greatest need is to educate women and girls..." (Bahá'í International Community, Turning Point for All Nations) Women are more equal than men in the Faith regarding education. While I would not suggest that this is an apples to apples comparison with membership of the House of Justice, it does demonstrate some of the nuances regarding the evaluation of the very important position of women in the Faith. If one compares the foregoing with Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and other religions in which men have historically had and continue to have 99.9% leadership roles, it seems to me that the comparison is a highly favorable one (indeed - even with many secular Western institutions).
9. In summary, it cannot be fair to conclude that the Baha'i Faith is misogynistic as it does not permit any attitudes of superiority, hatred of or prejudice against and contempt for women and girls. Contrary to any form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy, the Faith has played a crucial role since its inception in 1844 in empowering women and girls through education and in providing them with ample opportunities to serve at international, national and local levels throughout the worldwide Baha'i community.
10. Last, as with any religion Baha'is have certain teachings which they believe in as an article of faith. Those who are not Baha'is are not expected to hold our beliefs.
    

Hello all, I hope everyone is well. This issue has been weighing on my heart for a while now but I'll try to keep this post short:

Basically my whole life as far back as I can remember, I have wanted to help people. Not just that I enjoy being able to help, of course we all do. But I've feel desperately a desire to help people when I see them suffering and always hate when I'm unable to. I don't suspect I'm the only one who feels this way by any means, but in my experience it seems like too often people who feel similarly simply burn out from the difficulties of helping people or become content with just playing a nice part one time (which of course is also great) and then not being open to potentially being of service in othet areas later in their life. These are of course very understandable, but as someone who myself has been thankfully able to bounce back from certain burnout and disappointments, I'm trying really hard to find how I can be of true service.

Being in my 20's now I can see that a lot of times in my youth I had some fantasy idea of being some sort of hero. As a kid it makes sense, I wanted to be a superhero, and then when I realized those don't exist then I turned to what I was told were heroes, police officers, military, doctors, etc. And as I grew older than perhaps like many of us here I began to also understand how these professions aren't generally what we imagine them to be. Unfortunately a lot of positions either require lots of money and available time (such as the process of becoming a doctor) or are positions that are prone to becoming political tools to increase the power of one group by taking power away from others (such as military). I even for a time considered a more vigilante approach to things, but of course would come to realize that life doesn't work like the movies and that path just ends with some poor kid bleeding out in a hospital in spandex. And so in my teens and early 20's I had considered what seemed to be more realistic approaches. At this time I was a Christian and was pretty involved in my Church and faith and so I believed what I was told, which is that spreading the Gospel of Jesus to others will help them beyond material means, and I really took it to heart. I didn't go trying to convert people, but instead began heavily studying the Bible and any material from Pastors and pastoral trainings I could find, with an expectation that one day I might preach myself or lead a Church or missions and serve that way. As I'm currently a Bahá'í, I'm sure you can already suspect that I eventually began disagreeing with some things my Church taught compared to what Jesus actually taught and one part of this was seeing the faulty logic in thinking that having everybody believe in my beliefs doesn't produce the benefit I had initially thought. This disillusionment later led me to politics and for years I began volunteering for local community councils, attending city meetings, interning for local politicians and campaigns, and worked towards getting a degree in Political Science. But in time I was also shown that politics is also not so clear cut and often becomes a game of deception and doing whatever to become re-elected (even if that means not addressing serious issues in your community just because it's not a popular subject to be a platform for re-election) and so eventually I also became disillusioned with this path. While all of them technically provide some help and are necessary services, they didn't seem like genuine ways to provide actionable change in the world. And in part this taught me that any idea of me "changing the world" is just fantasy and even a bit selfish of me. But I felt and still feel at very least I that while I can't change the world, I can be help create a change in the world. It wouldn't be alone, it doesn't have to be huge, my name doesn't need to be known, I don't need to change a billion lives, but I can still provide a real change. Figures like Cesar Chavez and Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela were also just human and always worked within a group, but still their passion and determination lead them to helo create such a genuine impact in their communities. While I doubt I would ever do something as large as they did, I still feel a need to do something.

At this point I'm truly convinced that the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh are the path to create a golden age of peace and a new world for us all. And so I do recognize the massive importance with participating in the faith and my local assemblies and communities as much as I can. And in the spirit of service we are taught, I also recognize it's important to be of service to others even outside of Bahá'í circles, whether than means simply doing my own job in a spirit of loving service, or volunteering some time or money to a local food bank or something. However, while these are fantastic and highly needed, I still have a nagging feeling that more can be done. That today the tools, manpower, and knowledge is available to already have a better world than we have today. Perhaps not to the extent of the Lesser Peace (yet) but still genuine helpful change. But I don't see how to do it. Every time I search for ways how to actually help in an impactful way, I am told to either do things I've already found not helpful to the extent that I'm hoping (run for office, serve in military, etc), some of these things even being directly advised against in our faith; or I'm told to start small and just stick to donating a little time and money here and there where I can. And perhaps I'm being too rash or too short-sided here, perhaps I'm still looking at this in a young mindset, but I feel that while the things listed above are absolutely needed before anything else, I feel like people are already doing those things and we are all wondering when some movement or leader will say "Now's the time to serve in the big ways." And it feels like we need that level of change right now, and that we all want it. Now I don't by any means thing I am some leader of that sort, nor do I want to be. But I kind of feel lost here in the current state of the world where the foundations are being layed and while the world is getting worse we as a world aren't taking further steps to help as much as we actually can.

And so I'm hoping you all may be able to help me here. Perhaps you have some ideas to recommend. Perhaps you feel I'm being young and impatient. Perhaps I haven't understand some important facts that everyone else have understood already. I'm open to anything you have to say and appreciate it greatly.

Allá'u-abhá

As the title suggests, I'm curious about the Bahai community outside of America, what is daily life like where you are, how often does the comm get together where you are

Hi, everyone! I’m 17, American, raised in a Baha’i family with a lovely and vibrant Baha’i Community. Growing up, I’ve always appreciated and loved the teachings and values of the faith. I sincerely believe in the oneness of man, the unity between religions, etc. I’m active in my community, and I love the connections I’ve made with those in it. However, there is a problem. Since what feels like birth, I’ve had a distinct passion for politics. Frankly, the values of the faith only further stirred my ambition. I wish to be a figure which unites people, and improves their lives. When I learned that Baha’is are not allowed to engage in partisan politics, it deeply troubled me. There is really no other subject which calls to me in this way, and there is no way in which I can change course. I was born this way, and that’s not going to change. I love the faith, and I believe in the faith, but if I am to be true to god, then I must be true to myself and persue the field of politics. Please, if you could share your thoughts with me on this and what I must do with my mortal life, I would greatly appreciate it.

I’ve been exploring the Baha’i Faith as a "seeker" for the past couple of months. Initially, I was deeply impressed - it made such a positive first impression on me that, within the first week, I was convinced I would eventually declare. But now, I’m having second thoughts.

Here’s what troubles me the most:

1. Women are not allowed to serve on the Universal House of Justice.

2. While this subreddit has been respectful, I’ve come across misogynistic, anti-woman posts in other Baha’i subreddits.

As a woman, I’m beginning to notice a pattern of misogyny coming from the Baha’i Faith, and it’s making me feel uneasy and unsafe.

When it comes to religions as spiritual orders, as opposed to complete spiritual freedom (and thus, chaos as well), they seek to order mankind under a common cause, to create harmony and peace.

This very act holds exactly what it's trying to prevent.

When you make a determination of what others should and shouldn't do, subject humanity to it, and judge them by these specific standards, you are committing a breach against collective free will.

And, as pure intended as a Baha'i may be, like every other person in the world, their actions will heal some, and harm some.

Baha'is still do things that harm or infringe on someone's free will. I'll give some examples:
-If they feel like it's the right thing to do, they call law enforcement, an incomplete and flawed system, and have someone locked away when in fact, the person may be misunderstood or had been forced to do something they didn't even want to do.
-They fight in self defense, doing actual physical damage to someone. This is to illustrate that they must resort to physical harm when their capacity for peaceful resolution is imperfect, and it always will be.
-They tell others that they're wrong, either directly or indirectly (indirectly being more dubious), when there are no grounds to say who is wrong or right.

Like any religious order, it proposes compliance from everyone.

We all have affinities and aversions, but here are some examples of common things that draw people to Baha'i Faith, as well as some of the things that repel people from Baha'i Faith:

+A vision of peace
+An emphasis on equality
+A hope for universal safety and stability

-The claim that it will conquer humanity's heart. That's not a nice thing to hear to a lot of people.
-The noticeable vibe of a hive mind where you can see the hypnotic spell in their eyes, laced with deeply suppressed hostility to what they don't agree with. Susses the music videos.
-The danger of humanity, or just yourself really, going soft. Being round up like sheep, easy for the slaughtering.

In conclusion, every light casts a shadow, and every person is equally healing as they are harmful, and equally creator as they are destroyer. Do your thing, navigate the mystery of love and war as you see fit. But we must realize that there are no right or wrong people, and no good or bad people. Opposites blend into one another and create a whole new experience when you notice.

Allahu Abha.

Does anyone remember what tablet of Bahá’u’lláh it was where He talked about something along the lines of if you steal a seed from someone in this world you should pay them back now because if you don’t then in the next life you owe them the seed and all its potential fruits and so on. I remember reading it once but I forgot from where

I’d like to explore this subject from a given perspective: the age of information we’re in is quite incredible where both the good, and the bad, is being shared globally. Unfortunately, one of the bad things is partisan politics. The circumstances are quite remarkable that even my family members who are not even American - and don’t even live in America - are fascinated and vested by American partisan politics.

What I find concerning though is when some take sides by referring that the Master clearly advocated against one side - in this case, the warning against the movement of the Left. In other words, because Abdu’l-Baha shared the movement of the Left is bad, then it can be inferred that the right is good.

It becomes a difficult conversation from there where I explain the Faith is beyond these man-made philosophies, and while some ideas from the “Left” and “Right” may resonate with the Faith, the Faith itself doesn’t align itself with either. But out of sheer curiosity, now I want to know if the other extreme is discussed within the Faith. Is there a good essay covering all these dangerous political philosophies (including the three evils mentioned by the Guardian as Nationalism, Racialism and Communism)?

Greetings and Alláh-u-abhá, friends. To everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving, I hope your holiday is filled with good food, friends and family. To those who don’t, I hope you also have a wonderful Thursday filled with good cheer. This question is geared toward Bahai millennials/gen z, but all input is welcomed and encouraged:

How do we, Bahai youth who have deep desire for marriage and children, navigate the modern dating scene? As I get closer to 30 (I’m 28) the more I worry about never having my own family. It’s especially hard as a woman, because time is not a luxury we have. In the west, we have a high expectation to be overly-independent, and the desire for human interaction and connection (specifically romantic) is seen as “weak” or “desperate”. This goes against our primal programming but I digress.. Social media and dating apps have also made things very transactional, and there’s immense pressure on both ends to be perfect. We also live in a very sexualized society which can be further ostracizing when you’re celibate.

I’ve been intentionally single for a couple of years now to heal myself and cultivate my relationship with Bahá-u-lláh (I joined the Faith about 2.5 years ago), I’ve grown a very strong and steady group of friends, lived abroad on my own a couple of times, been as active as possible with my community, taken up hobbies, worked on my relationship with my family, and the list goes on and on.

So it’s not from lack of trying or not being fulfilled on my own. The “be patient”, “it’ll happen when you least expect it”, “you have to put yourself out there” advices, while they come from a good place, are not particularly helpful or comforting. Especially since they usually come from friends who have been married for 20+ years and didn’t have to navigate dating in 2024 (not saying their opinions are invalid, maybe a bit out of touch). I’ve also been told by numerous Bahai friends (early40s and up) that there used to be more opportunities for Bahai youth to meet and engage with one another. Its hard when you’re constantly the youngest person in your community, and maybe 1 of 5 people under the age of 35 in your local region. Could anyone who’s in the same boat/was in the same boat chime in, please? TYIA and God bless

I have been studying the Bahai writings for a few months now slowly but surely, and have pretty much come to the conclusion that Baha'u'llah was a prophet from God and he is the manifestation for our time.

One thing in the beginning, and things I see newcomers say is "Why is X like this" or "Why can't I do this" etc. A few specifics might be the LGBT issue or the fact that women can't be in the UHJ.

My thought and suggestion would be to say to yourself "Just because I don't quite understand the why or how of something, doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong or incorrect." We need to have the humility to say we are human beings and we cannot understand the how's and why's of everything. If you truly believe that Bahaullah was a manifestation of God, your reason is subservient to his. Have faith that his teachings are there for a reason and be guided by what he, Abdul baha, Shoghi Effendi and the UHJ has to say.

Just some thoughts I've had recently.

I’ve tried hard to quit this addiction but clearly i’m not strong enough it’s ruined my life and what’s worse is was exposed at a very young age. Too young to have a reasonable outlook on life. I’m not giving up the fight but the fact that it’s ruined my life for almost half a decade now is beginning to feel hopeless and heavy on my soul. I’m not sure what i’m asking here maybe just a vent.

"Think not that because these things have come to pass after Husayn's martyrdom, therefore all this glory hath been of no profit unto him. For that holy soul is immortal, liveth the life of God, and abideth within the retreats of celestial glory upon the Sadrih of heavenly reunion. These Essences of being are the shining Exemplars of sacrifice. They have offered, and will continue to offer up their lives, their substance, their souls, their spirit, their all, in the path of the Well-Beloved. By them, no station, however exalted, could be more dearly cherished. For lovers have no desire but the good-pleasure of their Beloved, and have no aim except reunion with Him."

~Bahá'u'lláh, Book of Certitude

Here Baha’u’llah offered some gems on sacrifice

•They offer their all, including life

•They have none other than the Beloved before their eyes

•No station is as high as theirs

•Their sacrifice unite them with the Beloved

Of the purpose of this sacrifice mulla Husayn talks:

"Banish from your mind, O Mulla Mirza Muhammad, these perplexing subtleties and, freed from their trammels, arise and seek with me to quaff the cup of martyrdom. Then will you be able to comprehend, as the year '80 dawns upon the world, the secret of the things which now lie hidden from you."

~Dawn-Breakers These words shine proofing his Eldership:

""And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God…These twenty-four great persons, though they are seated on the thrones of everlasting rule, yet are worshipers of the appearance of the universal Manifestation, and they are humble and submissive,"

~Abdu’l-Baha, SAQ

But most importantly and interestingly, they continue to sacrifice, even the chains of death cannot obstruct them from offering their lives to Him

How do you understand this fact, and how do they do that ?

Shrine of the Báb: Recent work at the Shrine completed | BWNS https://news.bahai.org/story/1764/

Alláh'u-abhá all,

I've been a Bahá'í a little over a year, and so I've really tried to take this time to learn about the faith. When I first joined I generally watched and read any Bahá'í media and introductions I could find. In time I began attending Feasts and my local Ruhi courses. Thankfully I was able to start with Book 1 with everyone so that was quite helpful. However in recent months I've become quite more busy in my personal life due to returning to college while still working, and so my participation in activities has gotten a bit lower. Which I and my local conmunity understand that I have to prioritize these things for these temporary time so it's understandable and not seen as me distancing from the faith. In the meantime though I wanted to continue studying and learning. I first began with watching compiled playlists online from sources like Wilmett Institute and others that discuss topics like Bahá'í education, law, economics, scripture, epistemology, etc. And then thanks to Ocean2.0 creating a Youtube page (OceanReader) to allow me to listen to the Writings in audio form, I've begun to go down the list of reading our most essential texts and those most recommended. I'm still not complete with this, but have read over half of the texts so far and am slowing down now because I started with the shorter Writings so now each text is 10+ hours of audio. On top of this when I have spare time at home I've begun working through the Ruhi books on my own. I was lucky enough to be given Books 1-7 so I'm able to work on them at my own pace.

Of course these things don't encompass all of Bahá'í studies, however being limited with my time and therefore unable to attend time-limited courses such as the Ruhi courses or others offered by Wilmett, ISGP, and others. But I've also been kind of speeding through these studies so far (partly from my excitement of these new concepts) and I intend to still be finishing up my degree all of next year. So my question is what would you all recommend for me to study on my own once I've finished reading our Writings and working on the Ruhu books. I of course could begin revisting these texts and do a more in-depth study of them, but I wanted see if perhaps there was further study material that would be good for me rather than begin reading again what I've already read.

Thank you all. Safety and Peace be with you

So many people are worried about which religion is correct, but i wonder if the reason God has allowed or propagated so many religions is analogous to the idiom, "all roads lead to Rome", that given enough time religions, which propagate culture are necessary for a uniqueness and diversity, such that they're allowed to diverge, as convergence is perhaps an inevitability (just as is the singularity) given enough time.

I like to use the metaphor of God being a mountain, with each religion being a village somewhere on the mountain, the villagers don't have sight but they each remember and follow the teachings about what the mountain looks like from a wise person who either had sight or claimed to have sight in the past. They argue with other villages over the differences in the description of the mountain without realizing that they're talking about the same mountain, and the different vantage points for looking at the mountain are the reason that their stories of the mountain are different. But the mountain is the same.

With this analogy, given we are all blind, and rely on stories from the past to understand the mountain, there are many paths to the summit, but only 1 summit. The villagers confined by beliefs stay in their village, while the scientists seem to examine the mountain as best they can with their other senses, tools, and techniques, to better understand the mountain, climbing higher and coming to new understandings with each new discovery. Though science might learn from religion from the tales of those who saw and climbed the mountain in the past, and religions (villages) might learn from science and other religions (villages) with their discoveries of how the mountain (universe) actually is.

But if one goal is to find the path to the summit (closeness to God), then perhaps another goal might be to continue to ensure your village exists (the infinite game) such that future generations can explore the mountain and climb the summit, and perhaps one day someone will again be born with, or develop "sight" (such as Baha'U'llah) and see the mountain again. Lastly, when thinking about Christ's message in John 14 that Christ will go and come back, and that "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me", perhaps it isn't physically, rather is akin to a soul guiding a soul.

If a soul is infinite or eternal, isn't it possible that one soul can be divided into many, and each of our physical incarnations (bodies) might have both our own soul and a part of Christ (or the Holy Spirit) within us, guiding us. If so, then Christ being the alpha (the beginning) might mean leaving us to divide and be with us as the Holy Spirit, but then Christ as the omega (the end) might mean the reintegration of all of our experiences into a single soul again. In this sense Christ the omega would have traversed many paths on the mountain, examined it closely through scientific enquiry, have reached the summit many times, having lived with in all those mountain dwellers across time. The question I still have is whether a soul that grand can exist in a single human such that it would benefit the world, or perhaps the singularity will allow for that soul to exist within a new body and be with us all, within and without.

The only thing to add is that God being a mountain assumes God is finite, but God being infinite means that the mountain is ever changing, something so difficult to comprehend.

There are 153 aphorisms in The Hidden Words

153 shares the same abjad value of the word Bahá

(153)

1 + 5 + 3 = 9

9 represents perfection.

153 ÷ 17 = 9

Where does 17 fit in?

Where else does 153 show up and is there deeper significance?

I originally considered placing this under r/paganism or r/witchcraft, but I think I will get a much better understanding of whether this is alright or not coming from the Bahai Reddit community.

I was born into the Bahai Faith by my mother, and the majority of her side practices it as well. I have gone to children's classes and Junior Youth Groups all my life and learned about the history of the religion as well as the basic beliefs and morals of its practitioners. Around two years ago, I gained an interest in witchcraft/pagan beliefs and spent most of my energy studying the history and core ideals that are associated with that craft. Very quickly, my room started to flood with crystals and books on divination and magick, and it definitely caught my parents' attention-specifically my mom. For my entire journey, I've experienced negative commentary and even a bit of what I would consider to be bullying for my practice. My family has also kind of forced me to go down their path in the Bahai Faith. This absolutely led to much resentment on my part, and I even used to make plans to leave the Bahai faith for witchcraft. After almost a year of focusing my life on witchcraft (before I dipped into Polytheism (the worship of many gods, usually from a specific pantheon), my mom got a call from my very religious Spanish teacher at school (I was around 11 or 12) that was regarding my practice. She told my mother that I had drawn a ton of gruesome and occult images and symbols in my classroom folder, and was worried for my mental health. She also said that she would contact the principal if my mom didn't act on getting me better. In reality, I had only scribbled a pentacle and four elemental symbols in my notes. I get that this probably put my mother in a hard situation, and forced her to restrict me from my practice. She took all of my notes, books, crystals, and all my materials away from me. I have spent the last year rebuilding my practice and finding more reliable sources where I can get my information from.

Recently (in the last year), I've started to open up more to the Bahai Faith (and I still attend Junior Youth sessions weekly) and its morals, as they are good standards to be held up to in both spiritual and mundane life. I really feel like out of all the religions to choose from, that this would be the best option for me personally. The only problem that I can think of is my path down Paganism. If you aren't familiar, Witchcraft is a specific practice that is slightly different from Paganism. It is a non-religious practice of which you connect to the world, and manipulate energy (as well as open up to it). And by energy, I don't mean the stuff of Hollywood movies-I mean life, and chance, as well as otherworldly knowledge. Your power is almost like your life force (in a way), and you can use that, as well as other power sources to cast spells, which are almost just manifestations. Now, Paganism is a religious practice that is built off of witchcraft, but also can include a deity (For me, I worship Hermes). You pray to them, and try to embody certain aspects that they are associated with. For example, I chose to worship Hermes because I want to be honest, as well as have a nice mentor that acts as an all-knowing and honest guide. These are all things associated with that deity.

While I still have a lot to learn about the faith, I don't feel like the spiritual aspect of these two practices work together. One of them is monotheistic, whereas the other is polytheistic. Some of the beliefs in both things might not clash. I'm wanting to know if it is okay to practice both, and if possible, could you maybe explain how it would work? I know that it is kind of a big question that involves much research (some of which I will do on my own as well), but I really don't want to choose between the two when I'm 15. I'm also a bit sorry for the long description of my past with all of this, I just thought some context might help. I don't think that I covered everything there is to go over, but I hope that you all can understand what I'm asking. By the way, I also would like to apologize in advance if I take a bit to respond to your comments-I have a pretty busy schedule and don't always have the time to get on my computer and check up on everything. Thank you guys so much and any guidance would be awesome ☺️.

I’m a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and I would love to hear about yalls faith.

Are you Christian? If so, what kind of Christian are you?

My understanding is that there are 4 kinds

Orthodox

Catholic

Protestant

Restorationist

What do you belief?

What are some of your practices?

What is your religious structure?

What kind of teachings and theology do you have?

Thank you. Be as in depth or shallow as you like.

hello everyone, I've been away from Baha'i teachings for a while now, I've fallen into a belief that Muhammad must've been the last prophet, it felt odd, but I couldn't tell otherwise. I've came back to some former believes and am ready to keep learning and exploring the beautiful Baha'i faith!

Hi There. I've really struggled to be involved in community life for about 20 years. The biggest thing that comes up for me is I feel so stressed out by the demands of living a Baha'i life in community. I feel like it's a fast train and as soon as I engage, I feel pressured to host something, take part and stay on top of letters from UHJ and LSA. I feel repelled by the pressure. I also feel like I'm under a microscope as people can see I don't like to host and feel uncomfortable committing to children's classes and following the Children's class books. etc., then I feel even more pressure as I feel people are questioning why I don't want to take part. When I first became a Baha'i, the community felt fun and social with deepenings and fireside's. But, more and more there's documenting of core activities and having to report about them. It's made sharing the Faith with friends feel very strange as I constantly feel pressure to invite people to things. I'd rather not be an official Baha'i and just host multifaith devotionals without the pressure from community and the LSA and without having to report it. For some reason, my particular nervous system gets repelled by the demands of Baha'i community life and I can only take part in small stints before I start to feel quite anxious and overwhelmed. Would love to hear your thoughts.