Purpose of the story of Job

Those who declare a wish to suffer much …  must prove their sincerity; those who proclaim their longing to make great sacrifices can only prove their truth by their deeds. Job proved the fidelity of his love for God by being faithful through his great adversity, as well as during the prosperity of his life. – Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 51.

So the story of Job focuses not on justifying God’s ways to man, but on proclaiming forcefully that inasmuch as this life has the essential purpose of causing us to develop spiritually, even the righteous are tested. The Baha’i teachings explain the meaning of Job’s life in just such a context:

What trials, calamities and perplexities did he not endure! But these tests were like unto the fire and his holiness Job as like unto pure gold. Assuredly gold is purified by being submitted to the fire and if it contain any alloy or imperfection, it will disappear. That is the reason why violent tests become the cause of the everlasting glory of the righteous and are conducive to the destruction and disappearance of the unrighteous. – Abdu’l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu’l-Baha, Volume 3, p. 655.

After Job’s passage through the fire of tests, he no longer acts blindly or unconsciously. His understanding, and therefore his faith as well, become firmly grounded in the lessons he has learned from his tests. He may not have a complete vision of God’s plan for himself or for humankind, but he does realize profoundly that the suffering he has endured has resulted in his own spiritual development. John S. Hatcher


http://bahaiteachings.org/deep-meaning-story-job

3 New Spiritual Truths that Rock the World

http://bahaiteachings.org/new-spiritual-truths-rock-world?mc_cid=a69746b2ea&mc_eid=a5e50159ab

Once a physical truth is discovered, it unavoidably spreads throughout the world. Different people are inspired by it and enabled to advance it to the next level; to use it to innovate new things that did not exist in the world before. In other words, the discovery of new truths always results in new inventions based on that discovery.

That discovery of new physical truths, and the innovations based on them, have been the source of the accelerating processes of technological change during the last two centuries, enabling us to turn silicon, which is elemental sand, into a means of communication with distant planets.

In the same way, the 19th century saw the discovery of three major spiritual truths that humanity was previously oblivious to:

• The earth is one country and humankind its citizens.
• Women and men have been created equal.
• There is only one race; that is the human race.

Please read the article.

Who are the Baha'is and why are they so persecuted?

http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Who-are-the-Baha-is-and-why-are-they-so-12396724.php


(THE CONVERSATION) 
The Baha'is are among the most persecuted religious minorities in the world.

On the 200th anniversary of the birth of Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'i faith, the question remains: What is the reason for their persecution?

A primary theme of Baha'u'llah’s teachings is achieving world peace through the establishment of unity, justice and equality. Therefore, Baha'u'llah’s teachings specifically advocate for racial unity, gender equality, universal education, and harmony of science and religion.

Please read the article.

Mentally Strong Kids Have Parents Who Refuse to Do These 13 Things

Give up the bad habits that rob your kids of mental strength.

by 
• Amy Morin
• https://www.thriveglobal.com/stories/15688-mentally-strong-kids-have-parents-who-refuse-to-do-these-13-things

raising a mentally strong kid requires parents to avoid the common--yet unhealthy--parenting practices that rob kids of mental strength. In my book, 13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don't Do, I identify 13 things to avoid if you want to raise a mentally strong kid who is equipped to tackle life's toughest challenges.