While camping this past weekend I had opportunity to study my prayer book. I discovered the section “Triumph of the Cause.” In the edition I have there is a prayer by Baha’u'llah there, followed by four prayers by the Bab, and two by ‘Abdu’l-Baha. How powerful they are, and so appropriate to the content on this blog. Here are some excerpts from these prayers. -gw

http://www.bahaiprayers.org/triumph1.htm

They that are shut out as by a veil from Thee have imagined that they have the power to put out Thy light, and to quench Thy fire, and to still the winds of Thy grace.  Nay, and to this Thy might beareth me witness!  Had not every tribulation been made the bearer of Thy wisdom, and every ordeal the vehicle of Thy providence, no one would have dared oppose us, though the powers of earth and heaven were to be leagued against us. - Baha’u'llah

http://www.bahaiprayers.org/triumph3.htm

O Lord!  Provide for the speedy growth of the Tree of Thy divine Unity; water it then, O Lord, with the flowing waters of Thy good-pleasure, and cause it, before the revelations of Thy divine assurance, to yield such fruits as Thou desirest for Thy glorification and exaltation, Thy praise and thanksgiving, and to magnify Thy Name, to laud the oneness of Thine Essence and to offer adoration unto Thee, inasmuch as all this lieth within Thy grasp and in that of none other. - The Bab

http://www.bahaiprayers.org/triumph5.ht

O Lord!  Enable all the peoples of the earth to gain admittance into the Paradise of Thy Faith, so that no created being may remain beyond the bounds of Thy good-pleasure. - The Bab

http://www.bahaiprayers.org/triumph7.htm

Lord!  Do Thou kindle in their hearts the flame of Thy divine attraction and grant that the bird of love and understanding may sing within their hearts.  Grant that [Thy servants] may be even as potent signs, resplendent standards, and perfect as Thy Word.  Exalt by them Thy Cause, unfurl Thy banners and publish far and wide Thy wonders.  Make by them Thy Word triumphant, and strengthen the loins of Thy loved ones.  Unloose their tongues to laud Thy Name, and inspire them to do Thy holy will and pleasure.  Illumine their faces in Thy kingdom of holiness, and perfect their joy by aiding them to arise for the triumph of Thy Cause. - ‘Abdu’l-Baha

Over recent days on another blog important content has been shared. This other blog also deals with the triumph of the Cause, as it addresses “How the Covenant in the Baha’i Faith creates and maintains a unified religious community.” Triumph for Baha’is means striving for and staying in unity. Questions are posed and answers given through presentation of excerpts from Baha’i texts on this remarkable blog. A recent question addressed is… -gw

What are some of the challenges the Covenant has faced in recent years?

1. Challenges to the Divine Authority and Infallibility invested in the Institutions
2. Attempts to create a dissident group within the community

What kinds of challenges will the Covenant face in the future?

Somehow, I think not. When Shoghi Effendi says to show forbearance towards those that aren’t of your faith, do you think we intend to transgress that piece of advice anytime soon? Adherence to the Baha’i Faith is voluntary and will remain as such; it won’t be forced down anyone’s throat, nor will they be shunned from society for rejecting it. That scenario alone is at variance with countless teachings of the Baha’i Faith. We are not and never will be elitist, not as long as we contend our beliefs in the unity of humanity and showing love towards all:

 Its quite annoying (time and time again) coming across the repetitive, outdated & poorly-planned propaganda against the Bahai Faith, which is why I have pasted a short paragraph from an amazing book:

 Please copy & paste this paragraph into a Word document + save it onto your computer. Refer back to it when necessary.    

[Source for the paragraph below: Islam and the Bahai Faith (by Moojan Momen), paragraph, page 234.]

The nature of some of these accusations and forgeries is no better demonstrated that the assertion in many works (for example in English: “Bahaism: its origins and its role”, published by the Revolutionary Government of Iran in the early 1980s) that the Babi and Bahai Faiths were started by both the British and Russian governments. The authors of such works are apparently unaware that the British and Russian governments were deadly enemies in Iran throughout the whole of the 19th century. They were vying with each other to prevent the spread of the other’s influence into areas that they each considered vital to their national interests. The British wanted to prevent Russia from spreading its influence southward and thus threatening British India, while the Russians were wary of any extension of British influence northwards into the areas of Caucasia and Central Asia which they were conquering and subjugating. Throughout the Middle East, Britain and Russia kept up this enmity during the whole of the 19th century, coming to a head in the Crimean War of 1853-6. The idea that two such bitter rivals and enemies would join together to create the Babi and Bahai Faiths could only have been the creation of people who knew nothing of history. 

 To which Adib responds… -gw

Great paragraph, thanks. I created a Wikipedia article the other day about alleged Baha’i ties to foreign powers, like Russia, Britain, Zionism, and the Shah’s secret police. Use what you will from it if you like; I tried to cite as many English sources as possible but as you can see, almost all of the sources for the final paragraph are in Farsi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baha’i_tie … her_powers

http://bahai-library.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9393#p9393

Bahá’í ties to other powers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Opponents of the Bahá’í Faith have claimed that the religion has had ties to other powers. During it’s early years, the Bahá’í Faith and its predecessor, the Bábí religion, experienced growth in Persia. This growth caught the attention of the government and the ecclesiastical leaders in the country,[1] who began searching for ways to stop the growth of the religion, which they saw as a threat to their power and authority.[2] The resistance stems from a variety of Bahá’í teachings which challenge traditional Islamic belief, including principles that call into question the need for a priesthood, and the entire Shí‘i ecclesiastical structure.[3] In addition to government and clergy-led persecution of the Bahá’ís, Iranian government officials have claimed that Bahá’ís have had ties to foreign powers, and were agents of Russian imperialism, British colonialism, American expansionism, Zionism, as well as being responsible for the policies of the previous Shah of Iran.[4] These statements toward the Bahá’ís are based on misconceptions,[5] and have had no basis in historical fact.[6][7] …  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baha’i_ties_to_other_powers 

If you were asked to identify the source of this tag cloud, could you identify it? It’s Christian apogetics site, and it speaks of the Faith. What is so intriguing to me is how little there is to add to their postings in terms of clarification. No need for defense. Like the comments of the Mullah in Iran recently who denounced the Baha’is is such a flattering way, no need to response whatsoever. If you have the eyes to see (and the ears to hear),  you can see the truth (and hear the call). -gw

Tag cloud source: http://onetruegod.wordpress.com/?s=ecumenism

Creating a New Mind

By Paul Lample Pages: 153 Availability: Electronic License: Juxta Publishing Electronic Book License. Electronic Version Download Now (PDF, 735KB) In this creative book, Paul Lample discusses the influence of the human mind in shaping human reality. He identifies three vehicles for changing reality: the individual, the institutions and the community at large. He highlights the need for study and learning and places the Bahá’í Writings as the pivot around which learning and change can happen. This book was originally published by Palabra Publications . This electronic edition is made available through the generous support and efforts of Palabra Publications. Copies of the print version of this title are available from Palabra Publications or from the Bahá’í Distribution Service.

http://juxta.com/content/view/33/31/

Must read!, March 19, 2007 By   Jason Oak Ritchie - See all my reviews This book is remarkably ahead of it’s time. When one is considering how to approach the advancement of a diverse group of people into adopting one common direction, all manner of roadblocks can appear. The thoughts in this book offer some perspectives and solutions to these potentially troubling challenges.

See also: http://www.onecountry.org/e122/e12220as_NewMindReview.htm and “A History of Growth”- Notes from a Talk Paul Lample 17 May 2002

in the mean-time, i’ve been going through a bit of a spiritual crisis.  i think the crisis part comes from wanting to control. i’m working on that. … i think i deeply believe.  and i think/hope/pray that i can have strength to believe without illusions.  not all baha’is are baha’i, not all muslims are muslim, not all jews are.. well, you get the idea.  (not all jews are יראי השם?  i dunno what the equivalency is. or even the spelling.)  it really hurts my heart.  but that’s how muscles grow.

http://melimeli.livejournal.com/687.html

“After all this climbing I’ve been doing recently I thought I might have grown some muscles but I don’t think I am.” Uploaded on June 17, 2007 by JasonRogers on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

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Lisa’s meditation can be read on many different levels, as it has multiple meanings, each quite fascinating and worthy of a blog post. -gw