Daily Bahai Blog

The Baha’i Faith offers something never before seen in the world. It offers a complete re-architecture of human society starting with its most basic element: the human heart. It then transforms the community, which then transforms the nation, which will eventually transform the entire planet.

Starting with the heart

The Baha’i teachings start by helping individuals understand the spiritual aspects of life such as detachment from material things, accountability for one’s own spiritual life, and a commitment to true and lasting unity. The Baha’i Writings help people align their hearts with values such as universal love, total equality, spiritual awareness, constant moderation, and strong self-discipline.

Building a new world for all

Once the heart is re-forged, it is time to get to work in the world. We start with our families where we apply the teachings of equality, justice, and unconditional love with our loved ones. We then move to our community, where we set up volunteer, consultative-based, and supportive organized bodies we call Local Spiritual Assemblies. These organized bodies help us bring justice and unity to our communities. We then elect delegates who elect our national organized bodies which bring collective unity to our nations’ Baha’i communities. They then elect the International body we call the Universal House of Justice, which resides in Haifa, Israel and which directs the affairs of the entire Baha’i world. There is no politics, no agendas, no campaigning, and no manipulation. We just elect people who we think are qualified to fill these roles. The actual people we choose do not get any special spiritual rights or privileges above any other Baha’i, they just get more work to do.

Not perfect, but working on it

Finally, I should note that we Baha’is have a long way to go. We are not perfect people. We are not saints or angels. We bring all of our own faults and imperfections to this enterprise. The work before us is vast and nearly immeasurable. Building a completely new world civilization founded on the process of spiritual values transforming the hearts of humanity is not an easy task.

What other solution is there?

While I do want things like political peace in the world, universal healthcare for all people, and economic prosperity for everyone, I don’t think these things will really bring lasting changes for the world. I think it will take something deeper. It will take this re-architecture of the human experience. It requires us all to generate true love for humanity. This love must then be systematically taught, encouraged, and cultivated to all mankind, from birth to death, and take its ultimate form in a new world civilization. This, to me, seems like the only real and lasting solution to the problems of human society.

I believe that God has given us this framework to build this new world civilization. I believe this is what humanity has been evolving towards and waiting for since time began. I believe this is the culmination of the human experience in the world. This is the New Jerusalem inside which all the peoples of the world will at last come home to find the justice, peace, and hope that we all crave.

There is something funny about human nature. It seems that to achieve greatness in this world, to do something really outstanding or beneficial for the rest of humanity, we need a cause to believe in, to motivate us, to inspire us. We need a purpose to wake us up in the morning. We need something bigger than ourselves that gives meaning to our lives and a direction for our paths. Some find their place in the concepts of politics and democracy, others find it in the thrill of competition and challenge in business, others find it in the pursuit of excellence and perfection in sports, still others find it in the mission to build a strong and loving family. We all need something to drive us to give more of ourselves, to achieve more than others think is possible, to sacrifice more than what is asked of us.

Many experts have recognized this fact over the years.

For example, one of the earliest psychologists, Carl Jung believed that spiritual experiences were the acme of human achievement.  As Wikipedia put it, “Jung’s work on himself and his patients convinced him that life has a spiritual purpose beyond material goals. Our main task, he believed, is to discover and fulfill our deep innate potential, much as the acorn contains the potential to become the oak, or the caterpillar to become the butterfly. Based on his study of Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Gnosticism, Taoism, and other traditions, Jung perceived that this journey of transformation is at the mystical heart of all religions. It is a journey to meet the self and at the same time to meet the Divine.”

For those who are less spiritually inclined, the famous psychologist Abraham Maslow studied people who had achieved greatness in the world against those who suffered from mental breakdowns, and came to believe in the Hierarchy of Needs. He concluded that the highest state of awareness was the state of self-actualization, where people reach their full potential by doing their best in whatever they do.  “In Maslow’s scheme, the final stage of psychological development comes when the individual feels assured that his physiological, security, affiliation and affection, self-respect, and recognition needs have been satisfied. As these become dormant, he becomes filled with a desire to realize all of his potential for being an effective, creative, mature human being. ‘What a man can be, he must be’, is the way Maslow expresses it.”

In my life, the times when I feel most alive are when I am engaged in working for something bigger than myself, something that will outlast me, something where my contribution will matter, and something that I am willing to die for. These include my family, my friends, my country, my duty to do the right thing by my conscious, and yes… my faith. In fact, my faith ties all those pieces together in a balanced and moral continuum. My faith informs my sense of duty to do the right thing in whatever circumstance I find myself. That duty to do the right thing then informs my duty to serve my country, my friends, and most of all, my family. Service to others then informs my desire to work and contribute to humanity my best efforts in my field. To be the best I can at what I do.

For a growing number of people, the Baha’i Faith offers a Cause that they can give themselves over to without sacrificing their conscious, their past, their sense of logic and reason, and their knowledge and experiences in the world.

Baha’is do not sacrifice their conscious because they can clearly see that the Baha’i Cause seeks just and moral ends in the world by using only just and moral methods. We don’t have to overlook a long history of injustice, division, persecution, ignorance, and conflict. Our faith is a new and refreshing religious experience for people. Bahais like the idea of building a new world religion on the foundations of the world’s great faiths but without all the baggage that went along with them. It is a young faith that offers us unlimited potential to strive for.

Baha’is do not sacrifice their past because they do not give up their past religions, their cultures, or their families. The Baha’i Faith fulfills the world’s religions. Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, and others find the fulfillment of prophesies and the spiritual heart of the message of their Faith to be renewed and fulfilled.  People do not give up their culture and accept a Latin, Arab, or American culture. Instead, Baha’is integrate and celebrate the cultures of all peoples and all backgrounds. Finally, people do not abandon their families and isolate themselves from their loved ones. The Baha’i Faith demands the unity of the family over nearly all else in our lives.

Baha’is do not give up their sense of logic and reason because they do not need to believe in dogmatic, outmoded, man-made interpretations of ancient holy texts. They are free to interpret the teachings and messages of world’s Great Religions through a unifying theology that offers a refreshing, invigorating, and inspiring message of continuity and clarity to all the peoples’ of the world’s religious experiences. Additionally, Baha’is do not believe in illogical, irrational, and unfeeling principles that puts one at odds with our sense of reason as a condition of faith and belief. Our personal faith is supposed to be the product of a logical, rational, and heartfelt investigation of truth.

Finally, Baha’is do not give up their knowledge and experiences in the world in order to accept some all-encompassing model that claims to explain all the mysteries of life with some clean little model of the universe and our existence. Baha’is are not asked to close their minds and blindly follow one path to belief or unbelief. Baha’is are not asked to blindly explain away the differences, inequalities, and injustices in the world. Instead, Baha’is accept a Cause devoted to overcoming the differences, ending the vast inequalities, and delivering all mankind to true justice and peace. Our Cause is the Cause of action and of sacrifice. We work every day to further this Cause in both big and small ways. Our contribution to this Faith is our contribution to the regeneration, unification, and spiritualization of the whole world.

In the end, being a Baha’i offers a person a liberating and empowering Cause to believe in where one can fulfill his own potential while striving to realize an ever expanding experience of spiritual awareness. Our community is not perfect. We are not angels, saints, or better than anyone else. We are just normal people who have adopted this Cause as our Cause. We have accepted this path as our path. We have accepted this purpose for our purpose. By accepting this Cause, and working to further the Baha’i Faith in some small way with our contribution of service and sacrifice, our journey in this world is now tied to something that we know will outlast us. This is what gives our lives meaning, purpose, and hope.

To those of you who are new to this site and who may not know much about the Baha’i Faith, let me ask you a few questions.

If I told you there was a religion that preached peace, unity, and the fellowship of all mankind, would you want to know more?

If I told you there was a religion that brought modern and logical teachings on spirituality, detachment, and the purpose of life, would you want to know more?

If I told you there was a religion that had been cleansed of the manmade traditions, interpretations, and divisions that have broken so many of the worlds great Faiths into endless conflicts, would you want to know more?

If I told you there was a religion that had a simple, logical, and clearly articulated theology that weaves together all the major religions of the world into one common foundation, would you want to know more?

If I told you there was a religion that brought teachings of personal responsibility, accountability, and restraint that ennobles us and makes us more effective in our daily lives, would you want to know more?

If I told you there was a religion that demands justice for all mankind, no matter what their nationality, race, creed or Faith, would you want to know more?

If I told you there was a new world religion for which thousands of people had lost their jobs, their possessions, and their very lives, and continued to be persecuted up to this very day; people who did not resist violently but who peacefully and willingly gave up everything they possess rather than give up their belief in this new world religion; would you want to know more?

If I told you there was a religion that claimed to fulfill the collective prophesies of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam; a religion with a Mission to unite the world and bring about the New Jerusalem in the Glory of the Father for all mankind, would you want to know more?

If I told you there was a religion that did not ask its follower to abandon reason, science, or logic; but instead exalted the process of rational inquiry to a state of spiritual fulfillment, would you want to know more?

If I told you there was a religion that answers the deepest questions of your heart, that can fill the ever-empty void in your heart, that has been calling to your innermost soul all your life, that has been drawing you to it silently all these years, that has been waiting patiently for you to come home and rest your weary spirit, that is filled with like-minded souls who have been praying every day that you would find the acceptance you crave in every inch of your being, would you want to know more?

If I told you there was a religion that did all these things, would you be interested? Would you demand to know more? Would you not wait another moment to learn about it? Would you not run to discover its secrets? Would you not feel compelled to investigate this new religion with every waking moment?   

My friend, the Baha’i Faith is waiting for you to discover it. The choice is yours.

We Baha’is have recently been working hard to have all our community members learn a standard way of presenting the Baha’i Faith to others. It is called ‘Anna’s Presentation.’ It has many good qualities that can be appreciated. It lays out what we call the fundamental verities of our Faith in a very structured, comprehensive, and methodical manner. It helps us remember the ‘ABC’s of our Faith and present them in a systematic presentation to someone who is interested in hearing it. Additionally, Baha’is are encouraged to take the presentation and then ‘make it their own’ by outlining it and memorizing it.

A disciplined approach

A lot of Baha’is are really enjoying learning this method of teaching and it seems to be having some anecdotal success in some areas. Personally, any tools that we can develop to help us better present our Faith to those who are interested in hearing about it is a good thing. A presentation like this can help those Baha’i teachers who tend to go off on tangents to be more disciplined and comprehensive in their approach. Additionally, by having the presentation ready to go it presents an opportunity for a Baha’is to get heard by someone who has willingly offered to listen.

Common starting points are good

Anna’s Presentation is another item from one of the popular Ruhe courses that Baha’is use to lay the foundation for Baha’i knowledge and capacity in our communities. These classes help create a groundwork that we can build upon and perfect in the future.

Moving on from the starting point

I think Anna’s Presentation is a solid starting point. But if we want to develop more adaptability and customizability in our approach, I believe we can also look to other tools for help. In a past post called Can sales training help in teaching?, DailyBahai.com suggested a number of methods we could use to help Baha’is improve their teaching efforts. These included using some sales techniques that have been proven successful over and over in the business world, and adapting them to Baha’i teaching.

The wise and tactful solution

One of these tools was SPIN Selling , by Neil Rackham. This method basically says that a person should share their knowledge in the form of questions and needs probing in order to find the points of influence that may inspire action by the listener. The olden days of selling relied heavily on a single ‘pitch’ over and over hoping for a ‘hit’ after countless tries. While this old ‘one-size-fits-all’ method may still work on unsophisticated listeners in things like tele-sales and cell phone stores; this archaic method has been proven defective and left behind by most sophisticated and modern organizations. Most organizations have learned to sell with tact and wisdom to be lastingly effective. In today’s world, a wise and tactful SPIN user will ask questions in a way that drills down to the experience of the listener in order to present the solution offered in a way that most directly attracts the listener.

SPIN Solution

SPIN stands for the types of questions that a SPIN user has as tools to understand a listener’s experience and then offer a compelling solution. These question types include Situational questions, Problem questions, Implication questions, and Need-Payoff questions.

Using SPIN

Much like a doctor diagnosing a disease, a SPIN user starts with situational questions, finding out about the listener’s life, background, experiences, and interests. From here, the SPIN user asks about problems, difficulties, or dissatisfactions that the listener may have with the status quo. Next, the SPIN user explores the implications of these problems. How do these problems affect their lives. What are the costs in emotional, spiritual, cultural, and societal effects. Finally, the SPIN user offers needs-payoff questions where they ask if the listener would be interested in a new and better solution.

Shifting the focus

The SPIN method is good because it gives power to the listener. The listener is doing the sharing and opening up about his or her life and offering an opportunity for the SPIN user to bring in something new and compelling and relevant to their lives. It also helps the teacher focus on the life and experience of the listener in a caring, thoughtful, and unique approach that creates a bond of trust and honesty between the participants.

A question of why

A lot of Baha’is have wondered why our community has not grown. Some Baha’is think it is because we are not bold enough. Some think it is because we do not hit our listeners over the head with the most astounding claims that our Faith makes and then see what happens. Some think that we have become timid and fearful to share the full details of our Baha’i Faith with listeners.

We need a better solution

Personally, I don’t think it is because we Baha’is don’t want to teach, or don’t know how to teach, or are not confident in our beliefs. I don’t know any Baha’i who does not enjoy sharing this Faith with seeking souls more than anything in their lives. Personally, I think our problem is that we don’t offer a truly compelling alternative, a effectively working model of a new civilization, an utterly life-changing ‘arc’ that others will be drawn to climb aboard.

Teaching with actions

Sometimes the problem is not what we preach, it is what we do. Instead of teaching with words and ideas, I think we should teach with our actions. I think we can develop a well-oiled new world civilization-building machine that is transforming the hearts and souls of its adherents in deep and meaningful ways. I think we can have ongoing initiatives, projects, programs, and collective efforts that offer channels of service to the world of humanity to every single Baha’i in our community. I think that once we learn to become truly detached from materialism, truly spiritually oriented in our approach to life, truly prejudice-free interactions, truly family-oriented communities, and truly world-citizen-minded beings; then we will become the magnet that draws in the masses. When we offer the full gamut of opportunities for Baha’is to get involved and be re-made into a new race of man; then we will have no trouble growing our Faith.

For more ideas from this blog on these subjects, see the following posts:

• Providing New Ways to Serve – a Proposal

• Providing More Possibilities for Deepening – a Proposal

• Do We Build this New Baha’i World Community from Scratch?

Some Baha’i quotes

Here are a few Baha’i quotes that have inspired my thinking in this arena.

“The Great Being saith: Human utterance is an essence which aspireth to exert its influence and needeth moderation. As to its influence, this is conditional upon refinement which in turn is dependent upon hearts which are detached and pure. As to its moderation, this hath to be combined with tact and wisdom as prescribed in the Holy Scriptures and Tablets.” (Baha’u'llah, Tablets of Baha’u'llah, p. 172)

 

“Human utterance is an essence which aspireth to exert its influence and needeth moderation. As to its influence, this is conditional upon refinement, which in turn is dependent upon hearts which are detached and pure. As to its moderation, this hath to be combined with tact and wisdom as prescribed in the Holy Scriptures and Tablets.” (Baha’u'llah, Tablets of Baha’u'llah, p. 198)

 

 

“O SON OF MY HANDMAID! Guidance hath ever been given by words, and now it is given by deeds. Every one must show forth deeds that are pure and holy, for words are the property of all alike, whereas such deeds as these belong only to Our loved ones. Strive then with heart and soul to distinguish yourselves by your deeds. In this wise We counsel you in this holy and resplendent tablet.” (Baha’u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)

 

 

“Follow thou the way of thy Lord, and say not that which the ears cannot bear to hear, for such speech is 269 like luscious food given to small children. However palatable, rare and rich the food may be, it cannot be assimilated by the digestive organs of a suckling child. Therefore unto every one who hath a right, let his settled measure be given.

 

 

“’Not everything that a man knoweth can be disclosed, nor can everything that he can disclose be regarded as timely, nor can every timely utterance be considered as suited to the capacity of those who hear it.’ Such is the consummate wisdom to be observed in thy pursuits. Be not oblivious thereof, if thou wishest to be a man of action under all conditions. First diagnose the disease and identify the malady, then prescribe the remedy, for such is the perfect method of the skilful physician.” (Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 268)

Baha’is primarily follow the Baha’i Fast because of the Love of God. But we can also recognize that many doctors and researchers promote the health benefits of fasting. Now, I am not a doctor, but here are four benefits of fasting I found in an interesting paper put written by a student at Bryn Mawr College.

1. Detoxification as body fats are broken down and stored-up unnatural chemicals are released
2. Energy transferred from digestive system to immune system to repair damaged cells
3. Gives your organs a break and time to cleanse and regenerate themselves
4. Increased release of human growth hormones and anti-aging hormones

My favorite quote from this paper is here:

“A study was performed on earthworms that demonstrated the extension of life due to fasting. The experiment was performed in the 1930s by isolating one worm and putting it on a cycle of fasting and feeding. The isolated worm outlasted its relatives by 19 generations, while still maintaining its youthful physiological traits. The worm was able to survive on its own tissue for months. Once the size of the worm began to decrease, the scientists would resume feeding it at which point it showed great vigor and energy. “The life-span extension of these worms was the equivalent of keeping a man alive for 600 to 700 years.””

Nice!