From: "dialogue on secular society, religion, and the common good" Vancouver

".... the importance of giving greater space in society to 

the positive influence 

which the concepts and principles of religious thinking can provide,

 that freedom to believe is a necessary condition in secular societies 

even as we safeguard the gains in social harmony and

 the richness of culture which pluralism brings to modern societies."

"In the final analysis, it is the love and fellowship and 

an attitude that others matter to each of us 

which will create the foundations of a society 

in which all members of the human family 

will be able to participate in the discourses that shape society," 

Gerald Filson, Director of Public Affairs of the Baha'i Community of Canada

========

 "Society needs criteria to assess the role of religion in public life: 

"Does this religion contribute to the common good? 

Does it serve the well-being of all? 

If so, then it should be admitted into public discourse" 

Alia Hogben, director of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women

=========

"We need to move beyond the binary of 

religious versus secular, 

public versus private, 

faith versus reason, 

and concentrate instead on working together for the good of our whole society," 

stated the Reverend Karen Hamilton, 

the General Secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches

=====

Hop to observe and witness such a dialogue in our beloved 

EGYPT

Fasting from Mar 2nd to March 20th

Fasting

Fasting has been a significant practice of religion throughout human history. Many of the Manifestations of God Themselves went through a period of meditation and fasting at some point in Their lives during which, in intense communion with God, They contemplated the mysteries of the universe and the nature of Their mission.

Fasting, said ‘Abdu’l-Bahá “is the cause of awakening man. The heart becomes tender and the spirituality of man increases. This is produced by the fact that man’s thoughts will be confined to the commemoration of God, and through this awakening and stimulation surely ideal advancements follow”.1

However, it is important to note that fasting should not be viewed as a practice of asceticism, nor is it to be used as a means of penance: “[T]his material fast is an outer token of the spiritual fast; it is a symbol of self-restraint, the withholding of oneself from all appetites of the self, taking on the characteristics of the spirit, being carried away by the breathings of heaven and catching fire from the love of God.”2

Bahá’u’lláh designated a nineteen-day period each year during which adult Bahá’ís fast from sunrise to sunset each day. This period coincides with the Bahá’í month of Alá—meaning Loftiness—from 2 to 20 March, which immediately precedes the Bahá’í new year. It is a time of prayer, meditation, and spiritual rejuvenation.

A number of special prayers have been revealed specifically for the period of the fast. One, for example, begins with these words:

“This is, O my God, the first of the days on which Thou hast bidden Thy loved ones to observe the Fast. I ask of Thee by Thy Self and by him who hath fasted out of love for Thee and for Thy good-pleasure—and not out of self and desire, nor out of fear of Thy wrath—and by Thy most excellent names and august attributes, to purify Thy servants from the love of aught except Thee and to draw them nigh unto the Dawning-Place of the lights of Thy countenance and the Seat of the throne of Thy oneness. Illumine their hearts, O my God, with the light of Thy knowledge and brighten their faces with the rays of the Daystar that shineth from the horizon of Thy Will.”3

http://www.bahai.org/beliefs/life-spirit/devotion/fasting

What is the purpose of this talk?

وزير الأوقاف: الفكر البهائي شديد الخطورة على أمن الوطن وسلامته Feb 2015

هذا الكلام قديم جدا أكثر من 100 سنة

 نسأل دائما، ما هو الغرض من هذا الكلام ؟ لماذا يخلق الكراهية و الشقاق ؟

Egypt’s Al-Azhar stops short of declaring ISIS apostates.....................................Dec 2014

Egypt’s al-Azhar denies it called ISIS infidels.........

Notes from Egyptian History;

في عام 1868 توقفت في ميناء الإسكندرية السفينة التي كانت تقل حضرة بهاء الله إلى منفاه الأخير في مدينة عكاء. و في سبتمبر 1910 قام حضرة عبد البهاء بزيارة مدينة بورسعيد و أقام فيها شهراً عزم بعده على الإبحار من بورسعيد إلى أوروبا، إلا أن توعك صحته اضطره لتأجيل رحلته فتوقف في الإسكندرية وأقام فيها عاماً كاملاً للاستشفاء زار خلاله القاهرة و ضاحية الزيتون و عدة ضواحي أخرى. و عاد حضرته إلى مصر مرة أخرى في ديسمبر 1911 و قضى فصل الشتاء في الإسكندرية ثم غادرها إلى نيويورك في مارس 1912 . و بعد جولته في أوروبا وصل إلى بورسعيد مرة أخرى في يونيو 1913 حيث انتقل بعدها إلى الإسكندرية و بقي في ضاحية الرملة حتى الثاني من ديسمبر 1913.

و من الجدير بالذكر أن مصر كانت أول دولة في العالم تعلن إستقلال الدين البهائي قانونياً، وقد بدأت القصة بهجوم حرض عليه مأذون قرية كوم الصعايدة، مركز ببا في محافظة بنى سويف على ثلاثة أشخاص بهائيين وانتهت بحكم قضائي في العاشر من شهر مايو سنة 1925 تم فيه الإعلان أن البهائية عقيدة قائمة بذاتها ومستقلة عن الإسلام كإستقلال الإسلام عن المسيحية واستقلال المسيحية عن اليهودية.

و قد تم تشكيل المحفل الروحاني المركزي لمصر و السودان عام 1924 وتم الاعتراف به من قبل الحكومة المصرية في عام 1934.

Time with your Children

Changing the World, One Word at a Time!

Changing the World, One Word at a Time!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YshUDa10JYY

Examples of building-community

The Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program

Often also referred as the junior youth empowerment program or simply junior youth groups. This educational program typically engages older youth as animators of younger peers aged 11 to 15 to help them develop their powers of expression, capacities for moral reasoning, and an ethic of service to others. The program combines study, mentorship and social action.

http://www.building-community.ca/junior-youth-groups

Examples of Youth building their community:

Coming together as one

A life of service

Progress of civilization

Center of our lives

Positive and negative forces

http://www.building-community.ca/community

A beautiful and powerful music video - help feed a child

We are one humankind https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=331844593607374&fref=nf

Human Being and Maturity

   


تقول حكمة صينية

  سنة واحدة ضرورية لكي تنمو بذرة قمح

, وعشر ضرورية لكي تنمو شجرة,

 ومائة ضرورية لكي ينمو إنسان,

Unprecedented symbolic act calls for religious co-existence in Iran

Ayatollah Tehrani presents this exquisite gift to the Baha'is of the world, particularly to the Baha'is of Iran, who he says "have suffered in manifold ways as a result of blind religious prejudice." He further states that this act is "an expression of sympathy and care from me and on behalf of all my open-minded fellow citizens."

In response, Ms. Dugal stated: "The Baha'i International Community is deeply touched by this act of high-mindedness and the sentiments of religious tolerance and respect for human dignity that prompted it."http://news.bahai.org/story/987

The text reads:1. Consort with all religions with amity and concord2. that they may inhale from you the sweet fragrance of God. Beware lest.....

Ayatollah Tehrani's hope is that this gift "which will be kept by the Universal House of Justice [the international governing body of the Baha'i Faith] will serve as a reminder of the rich and ancient Iranian tradition of friendship and of its culture of coexistence."

Come and join us in our Quest for Unity, it is a way of life between you and me

New Film Explores Community-Building Activities throughout the World.

http://news.bahai.org/multimedia/slideshow.php?storyid=952

Age 15 in the Baha'i Faith

In the Kitab-i-Aqdas, Baha’u’llah refers to this significant milestone as the age of attaining spiritual maturity.

‘Abdu’l-Baha states that when one arrives at the age of maturity, one acquires “the capacity to manifest spiritual and intellectual perfections,” “the lights of comprehension, intelligence and knowledge become perceptible” and “the powers of [the] soul unfold.” (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha)

With this maturity come responsibilities, which the Universal House of Justice describes: 

“Fifteen is the age at which a child attains spiritual maturity, and thus it is at the age of fifteen that a Baha’i child assumes the responsibility for obeying such laws as those of fasting and prayer, and of affirming of his own volition his faith in Baha’u’llah.” (Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963 to 1986)

New Ideas ??? Pecha Kucha

Pecha Kucha is an event that was founded in Tokyo in 2003 by Klein Dytham Architecture firm and started out as a night of local culture, entertainment, and mingling. 10 featured speakers have a shot at sharing what they are passionate about to present their ideas and inspire the audience. The rules? They can only show 20 images in which they have 20 seconds to talk about each, with a cap off at six minutes and 40 seconds.http://www.pechakucha.org


We attended one event where we listened to 10 speakers in 90 min total, 7 minutes each and 20 slides per presenter. The presenters were from all ages and back ground.... topics were: 
helping homeless in the city, 
Benefit of travel, 
Finding one's self, 
Marketing, community building, 
Education of Girls
Helping others would help your business
Healthy Living