Do you see it as absolutely true?

Do you see it as scientifically inaccurate?

Do you see it as metaphorical?

Can someone please explain the meaning of these terms in Persian Hidden Word #1? "O messenger of the Solomon of love! Seek thou no shelter except in the Sheba of the well-beloved..." Does the story of Solomon and Sheba appear in the Qur'an as well as the Bible?

Hello!

I recently learned about your religion after I researched into Islam and found it so hard to justify some of the beliefs. Then, I found this religion! I absolutely love and adore the message and connect with it deeply. It seems like everything I've been looking for. I know next to nothing and want to learn more. I have a very hard time reading so I don't normally read, I like to listen to podcasts or conversations from scholars while I work as my main form of research. Can anyone share with me good videos that I can listen to to learn more about Bahaism? Thanks you all so much

I'm only learning about the Baha'i faith recently and would like to know what your understanding of the concept of God is. Is God a person, like Jesus? Or is God energy/frequency like portrayed in New Age belief. Are we all One and therefore are we all God? Any explanations from a Baha'i understanding will be greatly appreciated!

Hi, I was studying Baha’i faith for a bit and I was intrigued at some of the doctrines that it holds. One particular thing does not make much sense to me and that is all religions, and holy books, like the Holy Bible, Quran, the vedas are all related and from the same source. That makes no sense to me because they teach vastly different things to be from the same source and convey different messages from God. Like the Quran, speaks about the complete oneness of God and you cannot take partners to God and that is the largest sin, while the Vedas speak on there being 33 Gods. And in the Bible, Jesus clearly identifies himself as God in the flesh, and he was crucified and died for our sins and the only way to the father is through him and believing he is the son of God and his sacrifice. So my question outlined once more is, how are these holy books from the same God if they teach completely contradicting doctrines, Gods, and beliefs entirely?

I notice when Baha'u'llah talks about unity, it seems to always mean believing in God, like being a monotheist. Does Baha'u'llah discuss unity in the same way Baha'is today speak of unity? Meaning... everyone does the same things and is peaceful... or when He talks about peace and unity, it actually means everyone is fully monotheistic, that is everyone believes entirely in God and Baha'u'llah and obeys God and Baha'u'llah?

I hope I wasn't too confusing.

I texted my boyfriend of nearly 5 years this: "You know I've never asked you, but why have you never posted us on socials?"

And he replied with this: "There are a couple of reasons. Because if I do that, we would have to get married in the next 90 days. It's a bahai thing. My mom's cousin got kicked out of the religion because of that when we lived in ---. My personal relationship is not of other people business. People close to me know already."

We are both of the same ethnicity, however I am agnostic and he is VERY loosely Baha'i. Actually he's stated that he's probably agnostic, too. We've split our time in 5 years as mostly a long distance relationship because he goes to school out of town. For me, I've posted him and eventually deleted all my post because of how fervently he ignores me on social media. I even waited a whole year + to meet his mother/family, and that's only because I finally pushed him to ask.

I came from a Muslim background which is very backwards in my opinion. I escaped that mentality, and now this. I feel my bond and the time I've spent with him are deeper than some "90 day rule". It seems so backwards, almost Islam-like.

I told him, "In my culture, not posting the person you're with means you have intentions to hide them." He is sticking steadfast to this 90 day rule.

Is it true? Or am I being bs-ed?

I hope that title doesn't come off as too forward, but I'm very interested in your religion but dont know much about it. I was wondering what convinces you guys that it is the correct intepritation of God? and to that end, how you came to believe Baháʼu'lláh was a true prophet. Also where would you fellas recomend to start learning about bahai?

Thanks in advance

Just wondering what your stance is on justice. If we are all souls experiencing a brief human experience, and we will all continue on in our spiritual journey towards God, what about those who committed evil on this planet - rape, murder, torture etc which destroyed the lives of innocent souls. Many such people don't pay for their evil crimes here. So how is it fair they will continue on their spiritual journey afterwards, like they get a free pass anyway?....

I have never in my life hated anybody until a recent incident at work that caused me to recognize hatredness. The situation went out of control and caused a lot of hurt and bitterness in me towards this person that i can no longer see him in the eye nor ever consider reconciling especially when my work no longer depends on interacting with this person. But since i still have to face him from time to time, whenever this happens, i feel very mad again and it has been the biggest spiritual test for me to overcome so far. Its been several months since this situation has occurred but the hatredness is still very strong. Any advice on how to deal with it?

The term misogonistic is defined as "feeling, showing, or characterized by hatred of or prejudice against and contempt for women and girls. Wikipedia delineates it "as a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practised for thousands of years. It is reflected in art, literature, human societal structure, historical events, mythology, philosophy, and religion worldwide. An example of misogyny is violence against women, which includes domestic violence and, in its most extreme forms, misogynist terrorism and femicide. Misogyny also often operates through sexual harassment, coercion, and psychological techniques aimed at controlling women, and by legally or socially excluding women from full citizenship. In some cases, misogyny rewards women for accepting an inferior status."

It occurred to me to address this claim since it is often derived from the fact that membership of the Universal House of Justice is restricted to men. This institution is the international governing council of the Bahá'í Faith. Its creation was ordained by Bahá'u'lláh. Abdu'l-Bahá wrote: According to the ordinances of the Faith of God, women are the equals of men in all rights save only that of membership on the Universal House of Justice, for as hath been stated in the text of the Book, both the head and the members of the House of Justice are men." This can convey a misleading impression to those who are unfamiliar with the role of women in the Faith. "As regards the membership of the International House of Justice, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá states in a Tablet that it is confined to men, and that the wisdom of it will be revealed as manifest as the sun in the future. In any case the believers should know that, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself has explicitly stated that sexes are equal except in some cases, the exclusion of women from the International House of Justice should not be surprising. From the fact that there is no equality of functions between the sexes one should not, however, infer that either sex is inherently superior or inferior to the other, or that they are unequal in their rights."(Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance)

We have a tendency to equate equality with old-world hierarchies of power and leadership, which don't apply to the Bahá'í model of administration. Serving on the Universal House of Justice is not a position of power or leadership a Bahá'í aspires to, like someone might aspire to become President of the United States or some other country—in fact, such an aspiration for power would automatically be a disqualifying character flaw. It's a sacrificial duty some are called to through a universal democratic process. It might therefore be helpful to step back a little and look at the issue of the equality of women as it relates to membership of the House of Justice from a broader perspective, and consider the following points although I realize there are many more that I have not included.

1. There are very few religious organizations in the world in which women can serve in leadership positions. Apart from the sole exception of the Universal House of Justice, women are eligible for and have been elected or appointed to serve in the highest international, national, and local leadership positions of the Faith. These include Hands of the Cause (there is a viable argument that their rank is higher than that of House of Justice members, as Hands are lauded in the Writings and prayers of Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Bahá and are assigned a lofty and important role in the latter's Will and Testament, and are described by Shoghi Effendi, as the “Chief Stewards of Baha’u’llah’s embryonic World Commonwealth.”), Counsellor members of the International Teaching Centre (the institution which has taken over the role of the Hands of the Cause) at the Baha'i World Centre, (four of the current nine members are women), Continental Boards of Counselors, Auxiliary Board members, Assistants to the Auxiliary Board members, National Spiritual Assemblies and Local Spiritual Assemblies in more than 180 countries, the Bahá'í International Community’s United Nations Offices in New York, Geneva, Brussels, Addis Ababa, Jakarta and Cairo (four of the five Representatives in these Offices are women), Baha’i International Development Organization (five members - three of whom are women). It should be noted that several National Spiritual Assemblies and Local Spiritual Assemblies have had a majority of women as members (e.g. there were eight female members of the NSA of Belize casting votes at the 13th International Convention at the Baha'i World Centre in April 20223). A Native American woman, Jacqueline Left Hand Bull, has been both Chair and Vice Chair of the US National Spiritual Assembly and others such as Judge Dorothy Nelson have also served as Chair in the past. A woman, Judge Shrin Milani, is the Chair of our NSA here in the Netherlands, and another woman, Debbie Keijner, is the Secretary (chief administrative officer).
2. There are several Baha'i-inspired organizations (e.g. EBBF) that have several women on the Board of Directors. Dr Wendi Momen, a well-known Bahai, is the current EBBF Chair. One of these, the Tahirih Justice Center, was founded by the distinguished Baha'i lawyer Layli Miller-Muro and has so far helped more than 31,000 women and girls who have been victimsof gender-based violence. The current CEO is another woman, Archi Pyati, who is also an outstanding lawyer. The Tahirih Justice Center is a well-known and very highly regarded US national non-profit dedicated to protecting women from human rights abuses such as rape, female genital mutilation/cutting, domestic violence, human trafficking, and forced marriage There are many other examples of Baha'i inspired empowerment of women, and women in leadership roles directly because of the Faith. This includes Professor Hoda Mahmoudi who is the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace at the University of Maryland."
3. Women have played crucial roles at critical periods in Bahai history: Táhirih an influential poet, women's rights activist and theologian of the Bábí faith in Iran. Bahíyyih Khánum ("Greatest Holy Leaf") who was given the position of acting head of the religion repeatedly including during ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's journeys to the West between 1910 and 1913 when she was in her 60s, and then again when Shoghi Effendi was away on several trips between 1922 and 1924 when she was in her 70s. This role of leadership is a rare position for a woman to be in, historically. In 1910 she was appointed head of the faith by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá whilst on his protracted travels to the West. During this period Bahíyyih Khánum dealt with the affairs of the Bahá'í World Centre and outside. These included meeting dignitaries,making speeches on ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's behalf, meeting officials of both sexes and offering medical help for the sick and poor. She also dealt with the spiritual and administrative guidance of the worldwide Baháʼí community which entailed writing letters of encouragement to communities around the world. She kept in constant correspondence with her brother,ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, during this period. Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum the widow of Shoghi Effendi, after his passing in 1957 with her fellow Hands of the Cause of God as Custodians of the Faith and "Chief Stewards of Baha’u’llah’s embryonic World Commonwealth" until the election of the Universal House of Justice in 1963.
4. Some of the most prominent Bahais have been women. These include Hands of the Cause Rúhíyyih Khánum, Martha Root, Keith Ransom-Kehler, Agnes Baldwin Alexander, Dorothy Baker, Clara Dunn, Corinne Knight True and Amelia Collins (the gate leading to the Shrine of Baháʼu'lláh at Bahjí was named in her honor by Shoghi Effendi) as well as May Maxwell (mother-in-law of Shoghi Effendi), Queen Marie of Romania, Lua Getsinger, Helen S. Goodall, Sarah J. Farmer, Dr.Susan Moody, Marion Jack, and many others. Queen Marie wrote several tributes to the Faith including this: "“The ultimate dream which we shall realize is that the Bahá’í channel of thought has such strength, it will serve little by little to become a light to all those searching for the real expression of Truth.”
5. There are very few religions on the planet in which women have played or currently play such a prominent role. Indeed, almost 100% of leadership position sin Christianity, Islam, Judaism and other religions are occupied by men. I would add that this is also true in comparison to many contemporary secular international and national organizations which have been historically (and continue to be in our time) predominantly led by men.
6. In my view, one of the great ironies of the criticism of the one institution on which women cannot serve in the Faith, is that any impartial and objective observer will realize that it is the Faith itself that first provided the global impetus for the march towards the equality of women when Tahirih appeared unveiled in 1848 before an assemblage of men at the Conference of Badasht and pursued her extraordinarily heroic quest for the emancipation of humanity within a staunchly oppressive patriarchal society and under the harshest of circumstances. Her heroism can be appreciated by the fact that women in Iran are forced to wear the Hijab when it became the mandatory dress code for all Iranian women after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Various styles of head coverings, most notably the khimar, hijab, chador, niqab, paranja, yashmak, tudong, shayla, safseri, carşaf, haik, dupatta, boshiya and burqa, are worn by Muslim women around the world, where the practice varies from mandatory to optional or restricted whereas Baha'i women have discarded head coverings, "While Táhirih cannot be regarded as the "first suffragette", she is described by Shoghi Effendi as the "first woman suffrage martyr" in "God Passes By", p. 75. From the context, it appears that though Táhirih was not actively and directly involved in advocating women's suffrage, by proclaiming the advent of the New Day with its values of peace and unity, by transcending cultural constraints, by active involvement in the dramatic Conference at Badasht, she was participating in the initiation of a process that was to bring about a revolutionary transformation in human society, a transformation which, given further impetus by the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, would, among other things, lead to the emancipation of women and include the right of women to vote and to participate in social decision-making. Her martyrdom served to underline the importance of the new Revelation and to stimulate interest in the situation of women." “The world of humanity has two wings—one is women and the other men,” wrote ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible.”
7. The Faith has indisputably advanced the best interests of women since its inception in 1844 in an Islamic country in which women still struggle to achieve equality. Membership of the House of Justice is just one exception to be taken in a much broader context of all the teachings and achievements of the Faith in playing an immensely important and seminal role in fostering the worldwide empowerment and equality of women.
8. `Abdu'l-Bahá has repeatedly stated that "the education of women is of greater importance than the education of men" (`Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp. 174-175) and "the education of girls is of far greater consequence than that of boys. This fact is extremely important, and the matter must be seen to with the greatest energy and dedication." ('Abdu'l-Bahá, from a Tablet - translated from the Persian and Arabic; in Bahá'í Education (compilation), no. 84. The Bahá'í International Community has stated: "...while the overall goal of any society must be to educate all its members, at this stage in human history the greatest need is to educate women and girls..." (Bahá'í International Community, Turning Point for All Nations) Women are more equal than men in the Faith regarding education. While I would not suggest that this is an apples to apples comparison with membership of the House of Justice, it does demonstrate some of the nuances regarding the evaluation of the very important position of women in the Faith. If one compares the foregoing with Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and other religions in which men have historically had and continue to have 99.9% leadership roles, it seems to me that the comparison is a highly favorable one (indeed - even with many secular Western institutions).
9. In summary, it cannot be fair to conclude that the Baha'i Faith is misogynistic as it does not permit any attitudes of superiority, hatred of or prejudice against and contempt for women and girls. Contrary to any form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy, the Faith has played a crucial role since its inception in 1844 in empowering women and girls through education and in providing them with ample opportunities to serve at international, national and local levels throughout the worldwide Baha'i community.
10. Last, as with any religion Baha'is have certain teachings which they believe in as an article of faith. Those who are not Baha'is are not expected to hold our beliefs.

When it comes to religions as spiritual orders, as opposed to complete spiritual freedom (and thus, chaos as well), they seek to order mankind under a common cause, to create harmony and peace.

This very act holds exactly what it's trying to prevent.

When you make a determination of what others should and shouldn't do, subject humanity to it, and judge them by these specific standards, you are committing a breach against collective free will.

And, as pure intended as a Baha'i may be, like every other person in the world, their actions will heal some, and harm some.

Baha'is still do things that harm or infringe on someone's free will. I'll give some examples:
-If they feel like it's the right thing to do, they call law enforcement, an incomplete and flawed system, and have someone locked away when in fact, the person may be misunderstood or had been forced to do something they didn't even want to do.
-They fight in self defense, doing actual physical damage to someone. This is to illustrate that they must resort to physical harm when their capacity for peaceful resolution is imperfect, and it always will be.
-They tell others that they're wrong, either directly or indirectly (indirectly being more dubious), when there are no grounds to say who is wrong or right.

Like any religious order, it proposes compliance from everyone.

We all have affinities and aversions, but here are some examples of common things that draw people to Baha'i Faith, as well as some of the things that repel people from Baha'i Faith:

+A vision of peace
+An emphasis on equality
+A hope for universal safety and stability

-The claim that it will conquer humanity's heart. That's not a nice thing to hear to a lot of people.
-The noticeable vibe of a hive mind where you can see the hypnotic spell in their eyes, laced with deeply suppressed hostility to what they don't agree with. Susses the music videos.
-The danger of humanity, or just yourself really, going soft. Being round up like sheep, easy for the slaughtering.

In conclusion, every light casts a shadow, and every person is equally healing as they are harmful, and equally creator as they are destroyer. Do your thing, navigate the mystery of love and war as you see fit. But we must realize that there are no right or wrong people, and no good or bad people. Opposites blend into one another and create a whole new experience when you notice.

Allahu Abha.

Hello all, I hope everyone is well. This issue has been weighing on my heart for a while now but I'll try to keep this post short:

Basically my whole life as far back as I can remember, I have wanted to help people. Not just that I enjoy being able to help, of course we all do. But I've feel desperately a desire to help people when I see them suffering and always hate when I'm unable to. I don't suspect I'm the only one who feels this way by any means, but in my experience it seems like too often people who feel similarly simply burn out from the difficulties of helping people or become content with just playing a nice part one time (which of course is also great) and then not being open to potentially being of service in othet areas later in their life. These are of course very understandable, but as someone who myself has been thankfully able to bounce back from certain burnout and disappointments, I'm trying really hard to find how I can be of true service.

Being in my 20's now I can see that a lot of times in my youth I had some fantasy idea of being some sort of hero. As a kid it makes sense, I wanted to be a superhero, and then when I realized those don't exist then I turned to what I was told were heroes, police officers, military, doctors, etc. And as I grew older than perhaps like many of us here I began to also understand how these professions aren't generally what we imagine them to be. Unfortunately a lot of positions either require lots of money and available time (such as the process of becoming a doctor) or are positions that are prone to becoming political tools to increase the power of one group by taking power away from others (such as military). I even for a time considered a more vigilante approach to things, but of course would come to realize that life doesn't work like the movies and that path just ends with some poor kid bleeding out in a hospital in spandex. And so in my teens and early 20's I had considered what seemed to be more realistic approaches. At this time I was a Christian and was pretty involved in my Church and faith and so I believed what I was told, which is that spreading the Gospel of Jesus to others will help them beyond material means, and I really took it to heart. I didn't go trying to convert people, but instead began heavily studying the Bible and any material from Pastors and pastoral trainings I could find, with an expectation that one day I might preach myself or lead a Church or missions and serve that way. As I'm currently a Bahá'í, I'm sure you can already suspect that I eventually began disagreeing with some things my Church taught compared to what Jesus actually taught and one part of this was seeing the faulty logic in thinking that having everybody believe in my beliefs doesn't produce the benefit I had initially thought. This disillusionment later led me to politics and for years I began volunteering for local community councils, attending city meetings, interning for local politicians and campaigns, and worked towards getting a degree in Political Science. But in time I was also shown that politics is also not so clear cut and often becomes a game of deception and doing whatever to become re-elected (even if that means not addressing serious issues in your community just because it's not a popular subject to be a platform for re-election) and so eventually I also became disillusioned with this path. While all of them technically provide some help and are necessary services, they didn't seem like genuine ways to provide actionable change in the world. And in part this taught me that any idea of me "changing the world" is just fantasy and even a bit selfish of me. But I felt and still feel at very least I that while I can't change the world, I can be help create a change in the world. It wouldn't be alone, it doesn't have to be huge, my name doesn't need to be known, I don't need to change a billion lives, but I can still provide a real change. Figures like Cesar Chavez and Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela were also just human and always worked within a group, but still their passion and determination lead them to helo create such a genuine impact in their communities. While I doubt I would ever do something as large as they did, I still feel a need to do something.

At this point I'm truly convinced that the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh are the path to create a golden age of peace and a new world for us all. And so I do recognize the massive importance with participating in the faith and my local assemblies and communities as much as I can. And in the spirit of service we are taught, I also recognize it's important to be of service to others even outside of Bahá'í circles, whether than means simply doing my own job in a spirit of loving service, or volunteering some time or money to a local food bank or something. However, while these are fantastic and highly needed, I still have a nagging feeling that more can be done. That today the tools, manpower, and knowledge is available to already have a better world than we have today. Perhaps not to the extent of the Lesser Peace (yet) but still genuine helpful change. But I don't see how to do it. Every time I search for ways how to actually help in an impactful way, I am told to either do things I've already found not helpful to the extent that I'm hoping (run for office, serve in military, etc), some of these things even being directly advised against in our faith; or I'm told to start small and just stick to donating a little time and money here and there where I can. And perhaps I'm being too rash or too short-sided here, perhaps I'm still looking at this in a young mindset, but I feel that while the things listed above are absolutely needed before anything else, I feel like people are already doing those things and we are all wondering when some movement or leader will say "Now's the time to serve in the big ways." And it feels like we need that level of change right now, and that we all want it. Now I don't by any means thing I am some leader of that sort, nor do I want to be. But I kind of feel lost here in the current state of the world where the foundations are being layed and while the world is getting worse we as a world aren't taking further steps to help as much as we actually can.

And so I'm hoping you all may be able to help me here. Perhaps you have some ideas to recommend. Perhaps you feel I'm being young and impatient. Perhaps I haven't understand some important facts that everyone else have understood already. I'm open to anything you have to say and appreciate it greatly.

Allá'u-abhá

Hi, everyone! I’m 17, American, raised in a Baha’i family with a lovely and vibrant Baha’i Community. Growing up, I’ve always appreciated and loved the teachings and values of the faith. I sincerely believe in the oneness of man, the unity between religions, etc. I’m active in my community, and I love the connections I’ve made with those in it. However, there is a problem. Since what feels like birth, I’ve had a distinct passion for politics. Frankly, the values of the faith only further stirred my ambition. I wish to be a figure which unites people, and improves their lives. When I learned that Baha’is are not allowed to engage in partisan politics, it deeply troubled me. There is really no other subject which calls to me in this way, and there is no way in which I can change course. I was born this way, and that’s not going to change. I love the faith, and I believe in the faith, but if I am to be true to god, then I must be true to myself and persue the field of politics. Please, if you could share your thoughts with me on this and what I must do with my mortal life, I would greatly appreciate it.

As the title suggests, I'm curious about the Bahai community outside of America, what is daily life like where you are, how often does the comm get together where you are

I’ve been exploring the Baha’i Faith as a "seeker" for the past couple of months. Initially, I was deeply impressed - it made such a positive first impression on me that, within the first week, I was convinced I would eventually declare. But now, I’m having second thoughts.

Here’s what troubles me the most:

1. Women are not allowed to serve on the Universal House of Justice.

2. While this subreddit has been respectful, I’ve come across misogynistic, anti-woman posts in other Baha’i subreddits.

As a woman, I’m beginning to notice a pattern of misogyny coming from the Baha’i Faith, and it’s making me feel uneasy and unsafe.

Does anyone remember what tablet of Bahá’u’lláh it was where He talked about something along the lines of if you steal a seed from someone in this world you should pay them back now because if you don’t then in the next life you owe them the seed and all its potential fruits and so on. I remember reading it once but I forgot from where

I’d like to explore this subject from a given perspective: the age of information we’re in is quite incredible where both the good, and the bad, is being shared globally. Unfortunately, one of the bad things is partisan politics. The circumstances are quite remarkable that even my family members who are not even American - and don’t even live in America - are fascinated and vested by American partisan politics.

What I find concerning though is when some take sides by referring that the Master clearly advocated against one side - in this case, the warning against the movement of the Left. In other words, because Abdu’l-Baha shared the movement of the Left is bad, then it can be inferred that the right is good.

It becomes a difficult conversation from there where I explain the Faith is beyond these man-made philosophies, and while some ideas from the “Left” and “Right” may resonate with the Faith, the Faith itself doesn’t align itself with either. But out of sheer curiosity, now I want to know if the other extreme is discussed within the Faith. Is there a good essay covering all these dangerous political philosophies (including the three evils mentioned by the Guardian as Nationalism, Racialism and Communism)?

Greetings and Alláh-u-abhá, friends. To everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving, I hope your holiday is filled with good food, friends and family. To those who don’t, I hope you also have a wonderful Thursday filled with good cheer. This question is geared toward Bahai millennials/gen z, but all input is welcomed and encouraged:

How do we, Bahai youth who have deep desire for marriage and children, navigate the modern dating scene? As I get closer to 30 (I’m 28) the more I worry about never having my own family. It’s especially hard as a woman, because time is not a luxury we have. In the west, we have a high expectation to be overly-independent, and the desire for human interaction and connection (specifically romantic) is seen as “weak” or “desperate”. This goes against our primal programming but I digress.. Social media and dating apps have also made things very transactional, and there’s immense pressure on both ends to be perfect. We also live in a very sexualized society which can be further ostracizing when you’re celibate.

I’ve been intentionally single for a couple of years now to heal myself and cultivate my relationship with Bahá-u-lláh (I joined the Faith about 2.5 years ago), I’ve grown a very strong and steady group of friends, lived abroad on my own a couple of times, been as active as possible with my community, taken up hobbies, worked on my relationship with my family, and the list goes on and on.

So it’s not from lack of trying or not being fulfilled on my own. The “be patient”, “it’ll happen when you least expect it”, “you have to put yourself out there” advices, while they come from a good place, are not particularly helpful or comforting. Especially since they usually come from friends who have been married for 20+ years and didn’t have to navigate dating in 2024 (not saying their opinions are invalid, maybe a bit out of touch). I’ve also been told by numerous Bahai friends (early40s and up) that there used to be more opportunities for Bahai youth to meet and engage with one another. Its hard when you’re constantly the youngest person in your community, and maybe 1 of 5 people under the age of 35 in your local region. Could anyone who’s in the same boat/was in the same boat chime in, please? TYIA and God bless

I have been studying the Bahai writings for a few months now slowly but surely, and have pretty much come to the conclusion that Baha'u'llah was a prophet from God and he is the manifestation for our time.

One thing in the beginning, and things I see newcomers say is "Why is X like this" or "Why can't I do this" etc. A few specifics might be the LGBT issue or the fact that women can't be in the UHJ.

My thought and suggestion would be to say to yourself "Just because I don't quite understand the why or how of something, doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong or incorrect." We need to have the humility to say we are human beings and we cannot understand the how's and why's of everything. If you truly believe that Bahaullah was a manifestation of God, your reason is subservient to his. Have faith that his teachings are there for a reason and be guided by what he, Abdul baha, Shoghi Effendi and the UHJ has to say.

Just some thoughts I've had recently.

I’ve tried hard to quit this addiction but clearly i’m not strong enough it’s ruined my life and what’s worse is was exposed at a very young age. Too young to have a reasonable outlook on life. I’m not giving up the fight but the fact that it’s ruined my life for almost half a decade now is beginning to feel hopeless and heavy on my soul. I’m not sure what i’m asking here maybe just a vent.

"Think not that because these things have come to pass after Husayn's martyrdom, therefore all this glory hath been of no profit unto him. For that holy soul is immortal, liveth the life of God, and abideth within the retreats of celestial glory upon the Sadrih of heavenly reunion. These Essences of being are the shining Exemplars of sacrifice. They have offered, and will continue to offer up their lives, their substance, their souls, their spirit, their all, in the path of the Well-Beloved. By them, no station, however exalted, could be more dearly cherished. For lovers have no desire but the good-pleasure of their Beloved, and have no aim except reunion with Him."

~Bahá'u'lláh, Book of Certitude

Here Baha’u’llah offered some gems on sacrifice

•They offer their all, including life

•They have none other than the Beloved before their eyes

•No station is as high as theirs

•Their sacrifice unite them with the Beloved

Of the purpose of this sacrifice mulla Husayn talks:

"Banish from your mind, O Mulla Mirza Muhammad, these perplexing subtleties and, freed from their trammels, arise and seek with me to quaff the cup of martyrdom. Then will you be able to comprehend, as the year '80 dawns upon the world, the secret of the things which now lie hidden from you."

~Dawn-Breakers These words shine proofing his Eldership:

""And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God…These twenty-four great persons, though they are seated on the thrones of everlasting rule, yet are worshipers of the appearance of the universal Manifestation, and they are humble and submissive,"

~Abdu’l-Baha, SAQ

But most importantly and interestingly, they continue to sacrifice, even the chains of death cannot obstruct them from offering their lives to Him

How do you understand this fact, and how do they do that ?

Shrine of the Báb: Recent work at the Shrine completed | BWNS https://news.bahai.org/story/1764/