Archives › 2011 › July
Feast of Perfection
The Baha’i year consists of 19 months of 19 days each. The months are named after the attributes of God. Each Baha’i community holds a Nineteen Day Feast on the first day of each Baha’i month. The Feast has spiritual, administrative and social functions and is the primary locus of fellowship and community decision-making in [...]
Campus event spotlights denial of education in Iran
A California gathering during the holy Festival of Ridvan shone a spotlight on the denial of education to young people in Iran. The Baha’i Club at the University of California and two other student organizations sponsored the April 22 event on the Berkeley campus. It drew attention to human rights abuses in Iran that target [...]
10-year-old’s drive to aid Iran’s Baha’is is rewarded
When Leah Roberts told her 10-year-old son, Jackson, that she was writing to Florida’s U.S. senators to urge that they co-sponsor S Res. 80 in support of persecuted Baha’is in Iran, he decided to do something of his own. He drafted a petition and looked for people to sign it. At a May 14 outdoor [...]
Novel places plight of Iran’s Baha’is front and center
Author makes persecutions in Iran a central element of Dead Spy Running
Hear, hear: Baha’i audio books, talks promote understanding
A long drive or a quiet moment at home easily can be filled with uplifting sounds. And those who provide audio books on Baha’i-related topics say their initiatives are a labor of love
I Know I’ve Been Changed
Phillipe Copeland in blogcritics writes about the twenty-fifth anniversary of what has become known throughout the world as the Baha’i Black Men’s Gathering. “the Gathering…addresses itself to a special situation faced by a minority that has suffered severe social and spiritual afflictions imposed upon it by the majority. The program of the Black Men’s Gatherings [...]
Getting Involved
Getting Involved The Bahá’í International Community has worked for more than two decades to contribute to discourses on the environment. This is done in a framework that promotes the spiritual development of the individual and channels collective action towards service to humanity. Core activities in diverse communities are training the Baha’is to engage in the [...]
Dalai Lama, Baha’is agree
As the Dalai Lama comes to Chicago this weekend for a visit, Robert Stockman, Director of The Wilmette Institute, shares in the Chicago Tribune blog, The Seeker, what the Baha’i perspective is on the relationship of religion to important issues of the day. “… a major issue to consider would be combating religious fanaticism worldwide.” [...]
Summer schools help young people build capacity to lead
Every youth has the potential to be a “spearhead” and “driving force” in building spiritual communities through the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, the Universal House of Justice assures us. But many need encouragement and training to build their capacity to be “potent instruments” for these efforts. With this vision in mind, permanent and seasonal Bahá’í schools [...]
Bahá’ís near Bosch take opportunity to connect souls far from home
Six cars stuffed with children, parents, grandparents and children’s class teachers set off June 26 from Alameda, California, for a rendezvous at Bosch Bahá’í School in Santa Cruz. There they met a few more cars filled with friends from Sunnyvale, California. Their connection: They were all Nepalese and Bhutanese friends of the Faith attending study [...]
Obligatory prayer and reciting the Greatest Name
“Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have been received by thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of thy melody may kindle thine own soul, and attract the hearts of all men.” — Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 295 Q: What are [...]
Sayyarih Kharazmi supported Faith in Iran for many years
Sayyarih N. S. Kharazmi, along with her husband, served the Faith and the Baha’i community in the Azerbaijan region of Iran and supported teaching of the Faith there for many years. She later lived in the Atlanta, Georgia, area for a quarter-century. She passed away March 26, 2011, a few years after having returned to [...]
John Jensen didn’t let blindness become barrier to service
John N. Jensen worked and traveled much of his life to bring the spiritual light of the Baha’i teachings to humanity, even as he developed his five-decade practice in chiropractic — all without letting his physical blindness keep him from serving. With his wife, Lillian, and their younger children, he pioneered to southern Africa, contributed [...]
Arlene Jennrich was steadfast teacher on road, at home
Arlene A. Jennrich was a consummate Baha’i teacher, whether traveling for the Faith throughout the Midwest and into Europe or hosting one of her innumerable, often youth-centered fireside gatherings in Wilmette, Illinois. She was an elected member of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Wilmette for close to 40 years, many as secretary. She [...]
Journal article spotlights Baha’i writings on breastfeeding
Who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to write an article for a widely circulated medical journal? Especially when you’re a Baha’i and the article would place the Baha’i writings in many people’s hands for the first time. Haig Setrakian would, certainly. The Indianapolis, Indiana, resident physician in emergency medicine and pediatrics was sharing with a [...]
Passing of Peter J. Khan
It is with sorrow-laden hearts that the National Spiritual Assembly shares news of the passing of Peter J. Khan, retired member of the Universal House of Justice. Distinguished in his service and beloved to generations of Bahá’ís the world over, we attach a letter sent to all National Spiritual Assemblies by the House of Justice [...]
BNASAA gathering aims at healing, learning through consultation
The Baha’i Network on AIDS, Sexuality, Addictions and Abuse (BNASAA) is holding its 2011 annual conference at Bosch Baha’i School from Thursday evening, Sept. 8, to Sunday noon, Sept. 11. The objective of BNASAA conferences is to promote healing and growth related to personally sensitive issues in an atmosphere of love, trust, respect and confidentiality. [...]
Lorraine Wright was children’s educator, served on reservation for 20 years
Lorraine Wright served with distinction as a pioneer for the Baha’i Faith on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota for two decades, and worked steadfastly and lovingly as a spiritual educator of children in her nearly 70 years as a Baha’i. She passed away April 16, 2011, in Castle Valley, Utah. She was 92. [...]
Baha’is join faith groups taking action on Int’l Justice Day
In response to calls by the Faith and Ethics Network for the International Criminal Court asking faith-based organizations to encourage their members to observe International Justice Day, Baha’is in the U.S. are turning to their teachings on justice and their neighborhood activities for meaningful opportunities to get involved. “Our children’s class curriculum has lessons on [...]
Feast of Words
The Baha’i year consists of 19 months of 19 days each. The months are named after the attributes of God. Each Baha’i community holds a Nineteen Day Feast on the first day of each Baha’i month. The Feast has spiritual, administrative and social functions and is the primary locus of fellowship and community decision-making in [...]
Lessons in Faith, Family and Encouragement
Gil Tyree, from Georgia Public Broadcasting, interviews the Hutcherson Family from Decatur, Ga. – Nwandi, Vincent and daughters Aziza and Zarina – and invites them to share reflections on the value of Baha’i children’s classes.
On July 9, members of the Baha’i Faith commemorate the anniversary of the Martyrdom of the Bab ("the gate" in Arabic), one of nine holy days on which members of the Faith suspend work and school.
Media Boot Camp at the Association for Baha’i Studies conference – Aug 2011
Calling all media producers, photographers, radio and podcasters or anyone who might be interested in participating in a Media Boot Camp. U.S. Baha’i Media Services and the Office of Communications invite you to participate in a special program being held in conjunction with the Association for Bahá’í Studies (ABS) conference in San Francisco, Calif. on August [...]
The Little Religion that Persists: The Baha’i in Israel
In Time magazine’s online edition, Karl Vick highlights the Shrine of the Bab in Haifa, Israel as well as some of the rich history of the Baha’i Faith and Teachings of Baha’u’llah, its Prophet Founder. Read the full story
A Baha’i Perspective 07.02.2011
In this latest podcast Warren Odess-Gillett interviews Esther Bradley-Detally, author of Without A Net: A Sojourn in Russia and You Carry the Heavy Stuff.
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