The assurance of an afterlife is by itself hardly a sufficient reason to relinquish a fear of death, since few of us can be absolutely certain how well we have… The post... Read more »
I don’t know when I became curious about the purpose of suffering. Most likely a slow process eased its way into my awareness as I aged, and I started to question why... Read more »
Number four on the list of 5 Astounding Hellacious Things: Hell is a real place. You can visit. Well, at least hell used to be a real place. Okay, maybe several places.... Read more »
If you haven’t already gotten to know Baha’u’llah’s short book “The Hidden Words,” then you might want to get a copy. And if you’re already familiar with it but haven’t given it... Read more »
Question: Do Baha’is have an idea of an afterlife? If so what does it consist of? The answer to this question – a very definite and emphatic yes – flows… The post... Read more »
Imagine this: you’re a physicist struggling with a major new theory of how the universe works, and you find the answer in a dream. You’re a novelist looking for a big, original... Read more »
Today, one of the holiest and happiest days in the entire year for Baha’is, the followers and friends of Baha’u’llah will gather with smiles, laughter, and great joy – please join us!... Read more »
When my husband and I first saw the results of the tests on our new baby growing in my womb, we both cried. But after all the excellent advice from friends and... Read more »
A colleague sent me an email today lamenting, “I have two lists — one immediate (which grows ever longer) and the regular list which stays the same.” I enjoyed his wit, and… The post... Read more »
In his travels through Europe and North America just over a century ago, Abdu’l-Baha spoke continuously of the future society that the practice of Baha’u’llah’s teachings would make possible. He said that... Read more »
Do science and the inner spiritual life ever collide or cohere? Can they work together? The Baha’i teachings answer those questions with a resounding yes. Although most of my more naturalistic colleagues... Read more »
Do you dream? Yes, you certainly do, the sleep researchers all tell us. Whether you remember what you dreamed when you wake up or not, every human being dreams. Even newborn babies... Read more »
In every life we have some trouble,When you worry you make it doubleDon’t worry, be happy! ~Bobby McFerrin, 1988 song lyrics Don’t worry, be happy. You may recognize these four words as... Read more »
“There’s so much hate right now,” bewailed a friend recently. Usually one of the most positive and upbeat women I know, she sounded dejected. Deeply concerned about the state of society, especially... Read more »
A self-identifying atheist acquaintance — I’ll call him Maynard — posted questions about God on his blog encouraging any believers hanging out there to please answer. How could I resist? Maynard asked... Read more »
Clothe thyself with the essence of righteousness, and let thine heart be afraid of none except God. – Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 323. Try this for a minute:... Read more »
In the first part of the near-death experience, those who have died and come back to life describe the dissociation of the mind or conscious self from the body. Many… The post... Read more »
So many BahaiTeachings.org readers responded to and liked and forwarded and commended and recommended and tweeted and re-tweeted our New Year’s Day article on spiritual New Year’s resolutions that we… The post... Read more »
Enthused about an idea for a project, I mentioned it to an acquaintance at an out-of-town event. She liked the idea and had some suggestions for follow-up — which meant we needed… The post... Read more »
Have you ever experienced a sudden conviction, a determination, that there is something you must do—that it isn’t even a choice? Did you ever think that maybe this was God… The post... Read more »
We’ve all felt our own anger, and we’ve probably all wondered, after the rage subsides, what to do about it. How can we control it, and move past it? “Where… The post... Read more »
Empathy and compassion are precious human values – but they can be diminished or even disappear because of cultural, racial, political, and religious pressure or through materialistic manipulation. In such… The post... Read more »
If ever there was a universal language in this world, it could be that of love. Regardless of age, race, nationality, gender or social status, we all want to be… The post... Read more »
Sanctify your ears from the idle talk of them that are the symbols of denial and the exponents of violence and anger. – Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 72.... Read more »
As a graduate student, I had a series of vivid, hyper-real dreams—so I decided to see if I could determine what they meant. How did I do it? I read voraciously about... Read more »
A friend of mine who is a devout Christian once wrote to me and asked the following questions. He wanted me to answer them based on the Baha’i Writings. Below… The post... Read more »
On a music streaming service this morning, I happened to hear one of the many recorded versions of the song “No Man Is an Island,” which I remembered singing it at summer… The post... Read more »
Having grown up in the tradition of the Baha’i Faith, regular daily devotions were always part of our household practice – including my parents saying prayers with me from a… The post... Read more »
I was intrigued by a profound statement from Abdu’l-Baha: The reality of man is his thought, not his material body. The thought force and the animal force are partners. Although… The post... Read more »
The Baha’i teachings say that until the era when we achieve gender equality and universal education, we cannot even imagine the full spiritual powers an intergenerational family will reveal. In… The post... Read more »
Achieving our true spiritual station and practicing justice is a tall order, and will be extremely difficult to achieve without prayer. Prayer has the power not only to transform our… The post... Read more »
Have you ever wondered why you exist? Of course you have – that question occurs, at some point, to all of us. Science asks it, too, usually in this macro… The post... Read more »
These days, more and more people are identifying with the term “feminist” to show their support for women. While there is an increased popularity in being a feminist and proclaiming the equality... Read more »
On August 26th, the day in 1920 when the United States certified the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which granted women the right to vote, Americans observe Women’s Equality Day. In other... Read more »
Baha’is belong to the world’s newest major Faith, founded by Baha’u’llah, a 19th Century Persian mystic, prophet and prisoner who taught the unity of all nations, races and religions. The Baha’i Faith... Read more »
My friend is a materialist—that is to say, he accepts as reality only that which can be perceived by the senses. Are you a materialist, too? If so, along with my friend... Read more »
The sacred writings of Baha’u’llah, who lived from 1817 to 1892, extend from 1852, the year of the inception of the Baha’i Faith, to 1892, the year of his ascension – 40... Read more »
The recent pandemic has highlighted the glaring disparities in the economic system between the rich and the poor. On the one hand, we have the plight of poor people living under the... Read more »
I’ve tried to strengthen my faith through earnest seeking, through more or less constant reflection and prayer, and in trying to do right. Isn’t that the essence of all religious teachings? Scripture... Read more »
I am a white American woman who has, for most of my life, been oblivious to my white privilege — those benefits that accrue to me simply because of my pale skin. ... Read more »
Do natural disasters mean that God is mad at humanity? This subject is too big for a text conversation, yet a friend and I began sharing some random thoughts via… The post... Read more »
How do we move towards a more inclusive reality beyond the trappings of adversarial partisan politics? We might want to try these six unity-building principles from the Baha’i teachings. They aren’t answers... Read more »
Streaking across the heavens in 1843, a great comet alarmed many and served to validate the belief of others that the Second Coming of Christ was imminent. In that same year, poet... Read more »
We spend nearly one-third of our lives sleeping and we can’t function physically without it. But I’ve often wondered if there is also a spiritual reason we need to sleep — and... Read more »
The principal teaching of the Baha’i Faith is the oneness of humanity. Baha’u’llah wrote, “The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens” over 100 years ago. By now, we can... Read more »
During this unprecedented time in history, I find myself reflecting on my life’s purpose and my mortality. More than ever, I feel the need to focus on preparing myself for the next... Read more »
When a baby is born into this world, she “dies” with respect to the warm comfortable mother’s womb where she has happily lived for nine months. She leaves that life forever as... Read more »
Night descended on Yosemite National Park, the beginning of a twilight adventure for our family. We groped in the backpack for a flashlight, quickly shined it on the paved path, and then... Read more »
If you’re like me, you’ve spent some time in recent months and years feeling ineffective – because of the seemingly intractable problems we humans face as a result of endemic injustice and... Read more »
Our families are the building blocks of society, and where we can start to build uncompromising unity — it’s where we have the opportunity to model and live out our faith in... Read more »