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The people vs. the government of Iran

Randolph Dobbs writes about the denial of access to higher education in Iran in this editorial on Examiner.com.  Also included with the editorial is a video produced by Baha’is in Canada titled, “Our Education is Under Fire”. “Access to higher education has become a weapon of the state turned against the people; a means of [...]

Black, White, East, West

In Blogcritics Phillipe Copeland speaks about the call of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, the son of the Founder of the Baha’i Faith, for us to direct “our efforts toward the unification of the human race. We must use these powers in establishing the oneness of the world of humanity.” “Racism is the beating heart of any number of contemporary conflicts [...]

Documenting A “Luminous Journey”

Visit the blog 239 Days in America to read an interview with Anne and Tim Perry, who have been working for the past five years on a feature-length documentary film chronicling ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s 1912 journey through the United States and Canada. Read the full interview.  

“I Don’t See Race.”

Phillipe Copeland shares in Baha’i Thought his perspective on being “color-blind” verses “race-conscious”. “…even the virtue of closing one’s eyes to racial differences can go too far. “Not seeing” risks missing things that might actually matter. This includes real historical and contemporary differences in the degree to which power is shared and how it is [...]

Sports and the Baha’i Faith

Matt Giani offers a perspective in Baha’i Blog about our attitude towards sports and games and shares some Writings on this topic from the Baha’i Faith. Read the full blog entry  

Brown Like Her

As a follow-up to his blog entry Brown Like Me, Phillipe Copeland writes in Brown Like Her about “another day in the life of parenting in the face of the politics of race.” “”More,” said my son as I listed as many “brown” people as I could think of. Grammy, Pappa, Aunties (including one adopted from India), [...]

How Do Bahá’ís Worship?

Cheryll Schuette in Bella Online shares how “Prayer, study of the sacred texts and meditation upon ways to apply the Word to one’s life are daily requirements at morn and evening” for members of the Baha’i Faith. “The Founder, Baha’u’llah, wrote numerous prayers and meditations to assist His followers in understanding and achieving a prayerful attitude. [...]

The Lady or the Tiger — Sacrifice Trumps Self-Interest or Does it?

Randolph Dobbs explores the nature of sacrifice in this perspective piece posted to Examiner.com. “It might seem paradoxical at first, but it’s in our own best interest to sacrifice for the sake of someone else because it helps us to grow spiritually. Serving others and making personal sacrifices in order to do so is at the core of [...]

Iran’s greatest concern is weapons of mass repression

In this perspective piece posted to Examiner.com, Randolph Dobbs notes that “while the rest of the world speculates about Iran’s potential nuclear weapons program, of greater concern to the Iranian people are the Islamic regime’s weapons of mass repression.” “According to Amnesty International, the Iranian government has an arsenal of repressive weapons at its disposal including broad [...]

Brown Like Me

Phillipe Copeland writes in Blogcritics how he and his wife work together to share their family heritage with their son in the face of the politics of race. “For us as Baha’is, parenting in the face of the politics of race is not a secular enterprise. Our religion teaches us that social conditions are a [...]

Reversing Aging-Related Decline with Religion

Cheryll Schuette shares information in BellaOnline about a new study of bees that produced some results that support one of the main tenets of religion in general and the Bahá’í Faith in particular: the importance of community. These findings suggest that “…social interventions — changing how you deal with your surroundings — is something we can [...]

Engaging the Spirituality of a Teenager

In this latest entry on In Culture Parent, a Baha’i mother shares the spiritual transformation she witnessed in her daughter after a weekend retreat at Green Acre Baha’i School. “I remembered a conversation I had overheard at a youth gathering my daughter had participated in some weeks before. “I don’t want to talk about things. I want to do [...]

The Concept of Evil in the Bahá’í Faith

Cheryll Schuette in Bella Online shares the Baha’i perspective on evil. “Baha’is believe in only one Creator, by whatever name is used, and therefore do not have an equal but opposite destroyer deity. An “…evil spirit, Satan or whatever is interpreted as evil, refers to the lower nature of man. … God has never created an evil [...]

Some Baha’i-inspired principles for social studies education and responsible citizenship

In his blog The Clarken Chronicles, Dr. Rod Clarken presents some Baha’i-inspired principles and ideals related to responsible citizenship for each of the seven strands of the Michigan Framework for Social Studies Education. An example of aims, objectives, topics and concepts for responsible citizenship are also given. “Responsible citizenship is the means for individual and collective [...]

Faith and Race: A Dialogue Worth Having

In the blog State of Formation, Phillipe Copeland emphasizes the importance of engaging in interreligious dialogue and being attentive to including the intersections of faith and race into these conversations. “According to the Abrahamic traditions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Baha’i Faith, the universe itself was spoken into being. This offers a fitting metaphor for [...]

Ridvan: April 21 – May 2

Sandra Lynn Hutchison explains the significance of the Festival of Ridvan in this entry on In Culture Parent.  

What are the Ridvan Baha’i Elections?

Morris, in Baha’i Blog, shares about the Baha’i election process on April 21st, the first day of the Festival of Ridvan. Read the full blog entry  

A Baha’i reflection for World Malaria Day

Dr. Katharine Kripke, a Baha’i living in Washington, DC, who has been working on HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis for 20 years, shares information in One blog on how you can get involved in Faith at ONE’s “Shine a Light on Malaria”. Read the full blog entry  

Education Under Fire: The Plight of the Baha’i in Iran

Gary Fouse writes, in the blog Monkey in the Middle, about his experience attending an Education Under Fire screening at UC Irvine. Read the full entry    

The Waiting Game

In this IFYC blog entry, Erin Elisabeth Smith shares how the traits we develop during fasting, such as patience and conviction, are indispensable qualities for those striving to become interfaith leaders. Read full blog entry  

Nineteen Days

Follow Nineteen Days as they share beautiful quotations and photos every day during the nineteen day Baha’i Fast.  

The Fast and Sacrifice

In Baha’i Blog, Morris discusses the concept of sacrifice during the Baha’i Fasting Period, Mar 2-20. Read the full blog entry

Love Cannot Be Legislated

In this latest Baha’i Thought blog entry, Phillipe Copeland discusses the controversial topic of affirmative action. “It’s important to acknowledge that opposition to such policies is not necessarily animated by racial animus or a belief in racial superiority. For most people it is a question of fairness.” Read the full blog entry

Vision of Our Resources

The creators of Enable Me To Grow, share their vision for Family Virtue Time, the first in a series of resources they plan to develop over the next few years, all aimed at either mothers or young children. “The goal of each is to provide inspiration or a practical tool in order to nurture the spirit. In [...]

Green Faith: A Baha’i Perspective

In this post by the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Don Quintenz, a Baha’i and the Director of Education and Land Management at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center in Milwaukee, shares his perspective on the world’s environmental condition, leading him to begin the Spiritual World of Nature Series. “After 45 years of teaching environmental education, I [...]