Tacoma Baha’i

Know verily that Knowledge is of two kinds: Divine and Satanic. The one welleth out from the fountain of divine inspiration; the other is but a reflection of vain and obscure thoughts. The source of the former is God Himself; the motive-force of the latter the whisperings of selfish desire. The one is guided by the principle: “Fear ye God; God will teach you;” the other is but a confirmation of the truth: “Knowledge is the most grievous veil between man and his Creator.” The former bringeth forth the fruit of patience, of longing desire, of true understanding, and love; whilst the latter can yield naught but arrogance, vainglory and conceit. From the sayings of those Masters of holy utterance, Who have expounded the meaning of true knowledge, the odour of these dark teachings, which have obscured the world, can in no wise be detected. The tree of such teachings can yield no result except iniquity and rebellion, and beareth no fruit but hatred and envy. Its fruit is deadly poison; its shadow a consuming fire. How well hath it been said: “Cling unto the robe of the Desire of thy heart, and put thou away all shame; bid the worldlywise be gone, however great their name.”

Consider, how can he that faileth in the day of God’s Revelation to attain unto the grace of the “Divine Presence” and to recognize His Manifestation, be justly called learned, though he may have spent aeons in the pursuit of knowledge, and acquired all the limited and material learning of men? It is surely evident that he can in no wise be regarded as possessed of true knowledge. Whereas,  the most unlettered of all men, if he be honoured with this supreme distinction, he verily is accounted as one of those divinely-learned men whose knowledge is of God; for such a man hath attained the acme of knowledge, and hath reached the furthermost summit of learning. 

This station is also one of the signs of the Day of Revelation; even as it is said: “The abased amongst you, He shall exalt; and they that are exalted, He shall abase.” And likewise, He hath revealed in the Qur’án: “And We desire to show favour to those who were brought low in the land, and to make them spiritual leaders among men, and to make of them Our heirs.”

 Bahá’u’lláh

The Kitáb-i-Íqán (Book of Certitude)

Images courtesy of Médiathèque baha’ie at www.bahai-biblio.org.

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Two representatives of the Baha’i International Community addressed a High-Level Roundtable on “Financing for Gender Equality” at the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women on 25 February 2008. Reproduced courtesy of the Bahá’í International Community at http://media.bahai.org.

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The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy. Every age hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspiration. The remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require. Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.

We can well perceive how the whole human race is encompassed with great, with incalculable afflictions. We see it languishing on its bed of sickness, sore-tried and disillusioned. They that are intoxicated by self-conceit have interposed themselves between it and the Divine and infallible Physician. Witness how they have entangled all men, themselves included, in the mesh of their devices. They can neither discover the cause of the disease, nor have they any knowledge of the remedy. They have conceived the straight to be crooked, and have imagined their friend an enemy.

Incline your ears to the sweet melody of this Prisoner. Arise, and lift up your voices, that haply they that are fast asleep may be awakened. Say: O ye who are as dead! The Hand of Divine bounty proffereth unto you the Water of Life. Hasten and drink your fill. Whoso hath been re-born in this Day, shall never die; whoso remaineth dead, shall never live.  

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 Bahá’u’lláh

Take heed that ye dispute not idly concerning the Almighty and His Cause, for lo! He hath appeared amongst you invested with a Revelation so great as to encompass all things, whether of the past or of the future. Were We to address Our theme by speaking in the language of the inmates of the Kingdom, We would say: “In truth, God created that School ere He created heaven and earth, and We entered it before the letters B and E were joined and knit together.” Such is the language of Our servants in Our Kingdom; consider what the tongue of the dwellers of Our exalted Dominion would utter, for We have taught them Our knowledge and have revealed to them whatever had lain hidden in God’s wisdom. Imagine then what the Tongue of Might and Grandeur would utter in His All-Glorious Abode!

This is not a Cause which may be made a plaything for your idle fancies, nor is it a field for the foolish and faint of heart. By God, this is the arena of insight and detachment, of vision and upliftment, where none may spur on their chargers save the valiant horsemen of the Merciful, who have severed all attachment to the world of being. These, truly, are they that render God victorious on earth, and are the dawning-places of His sovereign might amidst mankind.

 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas

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Be thou assured in thyself that verily, he who turns away from this Beauty hath also turned away from the Messengers of the past and showeth pride towards God from all eternity to all eternity.

 From The Tablet of Ahmad by Bahá’u’lláh

Photo by John K. Slone of Lipizzaners performing in Fairbanks, Alaska.

The children of Mom village in Papua New Guinea, photographed here, will be among the main beneficiaries of the establishment of the medical aid post they are standing in front of.  Reproduced with permission of the Bahá’í International Community at http://media.bahai.org/.

The Bahá’ís of the United States, through their National Spiritual Assembly, have for many years supported the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, and our support continues this year. The Trick-or Treat for UNICEF initiative, along with others, contributes to the realization of UNICEF’s mission to ensure that all children lead a healthy, humane, and dignified life.

Each day, over 24,000 children die in the developing world of preventable causes. We believe that number could, and should, be zero. With your support, we are confident that this day will become a reality.

UNICEF has different tools available to help save a child:

Online Volunteer Center. Find activities, training sessions and materials for UNICEF education, advocacy and fundraising. http://volunteers.unicefusa.org.

TeachUNICEF helps educators engage students as active global citizens in learning about UNICEF’s efforts worldwide.Visit www.teachunicef.org.

UNICEF’s Tap Project is an advocacy and engagement program that needs volunteers to secure the support of restaurants to help raise funds for providing safe drinking water. Restaurants invite their customers to contribute $1 or more. Visit www.tapproject.org.

Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF raises funds during Halloween. Materials can be ordered online in advance and participants will receive stickers, posters, and other resources including orange collection boxes. Visit www.unicefusa.org/trickortreat.

The goal of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF is to work for that day when zero lives of children are lost due to preventable causes.