The Baha’i teachings advise everyone to seek competent physicians when they’re ill — yet another reflection of the primary Baha’i principle of the agreement of science and religion. Seeking the… The post... Read more »
Every religion asks us an important question: what’s our spiritual responsibility? In other words, does each person have a personal duty to God? In our modern, individualistic, materialistic, largely ego-centered… The post... Read more »
We can only understand the afterlife by analogy – because we can’t describe the soul in absolute terms like the physical phenomena of this world, or explain it in conditional… The post... Read more »
Why are we here? What’s our purpose? What is it that we’re supposed to do in this life? Have you ever asked yourself these perplexing questions? You’re not alone –… The post... Read more »
Spring, that joy-drenched season when the heart feels that all things are once again imaginable, renews our inner and outer worlds. Everything grows, blooms and begins to bear fruit. Rain… The post... Read more »
Who remembers “the Thumperian Principle,” also known as “Thumper’s Rule?” If you ever saw the Disney film Bambi, you already know the answer. In the movie, Thumper the young rabbit… The post... Read more »
We can seek guidance from prayer and meditation, but even when we get inspiration, we can’t be guided if we don’t take action. Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha’i… The post... Read more »
Our words can create a mini-reality for us. How do our lives change if we wake up in the morning and say, “Today is going to be so wonderful” versus… The post... Read more »
Lately I’ve tried to think more intentionally and carefully about how I expend my energy—almost like conducting an energy inventory of sorts. This reflection has made me pay more attention… The post... Read more »
Baha’i consultation – an essential tool for reaching an agreement or consensus and deciding a course of action – asks every participant to master a set of communication skills based… The post... Read more »
You’ve definitely heard the term “politically correct” a lot lately—but what do you think it means? To get a clear, unbiased definition, let’s look at the roots of the phrase…. The post... Read more »
In this installment of our extensive series of BahaiTeachings.org articles on Indigenous messengers of God, Chris Buck and Kevin Locke consult together on why those messengers matter to the modern… The post... Read more »
In his book Some Answered Questions, Abdu’l-Baha offers a stunning explanation of the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis – one that makes the myth meaningful and relevant at… The post... Read more »
To say that Buddhism is atheistic may be an overstatement, a generalization, and a misunderstanding of the Buddha’s purpose, so let’s look at that subject in a different way. RELATED:… The post... Read more »
When I’m fearful, when I’m not so sure of things, my simple daily mantra comes from a Baha’i prayer that says; “Be calm, be strong, be grateful.” That brief, reassuring… The post... Read more »
As an actor and a writer, I present workshops related to art and spirituality. Invariably, at least one participant admits to suppressing their artistic urges to give more time to… The post... Read more »
Looking out over the Great Plains of North America from an airplane, I’m always struck by the way a rigid grid pattern has been superimposed on the vast prairie biome…. The post... Read more »
If a single sentence can summarize an entire Faith, these thirteen words from the Baha’i teachings do it quite nicely: The religion of God is one religion, but it must… The post... Read more »
The arts, according to the Universal House of Justice, the democratically-elected leadership body of the Baha’i Faith, are an “integral … part of the development of a community.” What does… The post... Read more »
Have you ever tried to fix something, and in the process ended up destroying it even more? I think the irritation we feel at that moment can be likened to… The post... Read more »
You’ve probably heard of the Protestant work ethic from the renowned sociologist Max Weber’s classic treatise, “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism,” which links Puritanism to modern capitalism. … The post... Read more »
My neo-atheist acquaintance, “Maynard”, asked believers in general a series of questions about God. Here’s question #3: Is God a sentient being like us, with thoughts and feelings? The scriptural… The post... Read more »
March is Women’s History month — which makes it a perfect time to become more familiar with some of the trailblazing American Baha’i women who broke down barriers wherever they… The post... Read more »
The nature of Christ’s return — “in”, “on”, and “with” the clouds of heaven – has become so widely known that even non-Christians recognize the prophecies about how Christ will… The post... Read more »
You’ve probably heard that “There are many paths to the one true God.” Lots of people have said it, but it may have originally come from the ancient Hindu Rig… The post... Read more »
If you keep up with the news today, you undoubtedly know of the extraordinary perils of our time, from wars and rumors of wars to the deepening divisions and decline… The post... Read more »
“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well, for there is a force of love moving through the universe that holds us… The post... Read more »
For this material fast is an outer token of the spiritual fast; it is a symbol of self-restraint, the withholding of oneself from all appetites of the self, taking on… The post... Read more »
The Baha’i teachings ask humankind to end its incessant wars—but that core Baha’i principle is no mere hope. In fact, the Baha’i teachings go far beyond any other religion in… The post... Read more »
The central purpose and principle of the Baha’i Faith – the promulgation of universal peace – is not just a Baha’i goal. As Abdu’l-Baha said in the U.S. in 1912,… The post... Read more »
As I’ve pondered more deeply about the question of creating a lifelong habit of prayer, I’ve thought about what encourages the development of a habit. Things that tend to become… The post... Read more »
When you gaze up into the starry sky at night, does its vastness humble you? Two trillion galaxies—a recent scientific guestimate—should humble any one of us. If, then, the physical… The post... Read more »
We all need food. An empty stomach sends an urgent message: find nutrition! Eat or starve! So, does a hungry soul send us the same message? Do our souls need… The post... Read more »
Over the last year, I felt as if I had reached an impasse in my life. I likened my life to a sturdy tree, one built on the roots of… The post... Read more »
The Baha’i teachings suggest meditation as one way we can become acquainted with God and our spiritual nature – and recommend developing a daily meditative practice. As we grow closer… The post... Read more »
Like the image we infer from the Qur’an, the concept of God in the Baha’i Faith is likewise a Being beyond exact or complete comprehension, an essentially unknowable Creator of… The post... Read more »
The Baha’i writings explain that each of us has a soul associated with the physical body, and that this soul lives on after our passing. But what wonders await us… The post... Read more »
Because we’ve been good friends since childhood, a dear relative of mine knows he can speak openly and frankly with me about religion. He also knows I’m a Baha’i, and… The post... Read more »
One of my favorite aspects of the Baha’i Faith, ranking alongside its teachings on racial equality, the harmony of science and religion, and a concrete plan for world unity, are… The post... Read more »
William Shakespeare famously asked: What’s in a name? So do certain names have meanings that give them intrinsic or potential power? Do names have the ability to influence, ideally for… The post... Read more »
Time, as we all know, moves in just one direction — forward, always forward. Could it ever stop, or slow down, or even move backwards? Throughout history countless curious writers,… The post... Read more »
Baha’is all around the globe recently celebrated four Baha’i Intercalary Days, also called “Ayyam-i-Ha,” and many dedicated some of the time during those days to serving others. In act, we’ve… The post... Read more »
In his song Ballad in Plain D, Bob Dylan famously asked “Are birds free from the chains of the skyway?” Half a century before, in a talk he gave in… The post... Read more »
The old world of classical or Newtonian physics presented us with a universe that could be described as working like clockwork in its behavior—but the universe turned out to be… The post... Read more »
Do you follow your intuition? We all have it, but many people fail to follow their innermost feelings. The dictionary defines intuition as “The ability to understand something immediately, without… The post... Read more »
I just didn’t get it. (My son often tells me this.) We’d had a good time at the basketball courts, my 13-year-old son and me and a half dozen temporary… The post... Read more »
Sometimes we make mistakes; occasionally we make very serious mistakes. We get angry at ourselves. We kick ourselves for being “so stupid.” We wish we could undo what we’ve done…. The post... Read more »
We all know that contemporary Western culture has largely rejected religion, despite the fact that when not perverted or hollow, religion builds societies and sustains individuals. Of course, religious belief… The post... Read more »
People hurt each other with their words and actions—should we forgive them? If someone hurts us deliberately, how is it possible to forgive? Basically, when we’re hurt, we have two… The post... Read more »
During my practical work as a mental health specialist, I’ve realized that one of the most significant factors of wellbeing is a holistic life vision. What do I mean by… The post... Read more »