Bahai Faith
Bahai Faith
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How One Playwright Is Honoring Black Girlhood Stories
Decades ago, at a time when there was a lot of violence in Washington, D.C., my mother’s friend asked an elementary school-aged Black girl what she wanted to be when…
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Building a Justice System in the Palestinian Territories
When I became a Baha’i in 1974, I began to discover a treasure trove of guidance in the Baha’i teachings on how to address a myriad of challenging societal issues…
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The Spiritual Meaning and Symbolism of Clouds
As I write this article, I see nothing but clouds blanketing the horizon. I see neither a blue sky nor a radiant sun, just a sheet of whiteness obscuring them…
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Does Anyone Have Any Good News? 5 Examples of Positive Progress
I’ve had trouble watching the news lately. I find the focus negative for the most part – negativity sells airtime. Because humanity is still in its formative years, there’s plenty…
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We’re All Made of Stars. What Does This Mean Spiritually?
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve appreciated the beauty of starlight. My parents even put stickers of shooting stars and the moon on my ceiling to watch as…
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Juneteenth: America’s Real Independence Day?
Harriet Tubman, abolitionist, politician, and Union Army intelligence operative once said, “I had crossed the line. I was free; but there was no one to welcome me to the land…
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Girl Dad: How Fathers Confront Sexism Spiritually
“When I became a father, the first sign of sexism that I noticed straight away was how certain toys, dresses, and colors were picked up by our daughter,” says Denis…
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Over 90,000 Black Women and Girls Are Missing and Forgotten
On May 3, 2002, Alexis Patterson, a 7-year-old Black girl from Milwaukee, didn’t come home from school. “I’m looking out the window because I normally…watch my baby come home every…
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Invisible No Longer: Robert Turner as a Doorway to the Kingdom
When I was a boy, I attended a Lutheran Bible Sunday school in Miami, Florida where my family had relocated after living in Long Island, New York. In that school, I…
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5 Prayers to Give Thanks to God
There is always something to be thankful for. Whether it is the clothes on our backs, the food in our fridges, the roof over our heads, or the loved ones…
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Belief in God – A Relic of the Past?
I enjoy talking with friends and acquaintances, and I find it particularly exciting when, in the course of the conversation, we come across fundamental questions about life. In every philosophy……
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Yamamoto and Fujita: The First Japanese Baha’is
Learn about the first Japanese Baha’is — Kanichi Yamamoto and Saichiro Fujita. Kanichi Yamamoto: The First Japanese Baha’i Born in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan in 1879, Kanichi Yamamoto became the first…
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How to Reduce Black Maternal Mortality in the U.S.
The 2021 maternal mortality rate in the United States was more than 10 times the estimated rates of many other high-income countries, including Australia, Austria, Israel, and Japan. The U.S.…
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Black Maternal Mortality: How Racism Affects Childbirth
Every childbirth should end with peace and joy as the mother finally gets to hold her newborn in her arms. Unfortunately, for many Black women, the period during and after…
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The Baha’i King – Malietoa Tanumafili II
The only reigning Baha’i monarch to live in modern times, the Samoan head of state called the Malietoa, led his nation from colonialism to freedom and independence. Known as His…
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The 9th Day of Ridvan: the Unity of the Human Family
Baha’is follow the teachings of Baha’u’llah, the prophet and founder of the Baha’i Faith, and every year Baha’i communities around the world joyously commemorate their Faith’s teachings of love and…
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We Are on the Planet for Basically Two Reasons
In many religious traditions, we are on the planet for basically two reasons. Our mission/purpose/raison d’être has two components, two paths. In the Baha’i Faith (and I just love this…
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Celebrating the Twelfth Day of Ridvan
Every new Faith traces its beginnings back to the moment when its prophet and founder first recognized, revealed, and began to proclaim its holy mission. Christians trace their Faith’s origins…
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Rainn Wilson’s New Soul Boom – Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution
I believe exploring “Life’s Big Questions” is an exciting and important part of our fragile and exhilarating human journey. I have seen this again and again — in my study…
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How to Survive Being an Empath: 9 Spiritual Tips
Do you feel the emotions of the characters you watch on television? Can time with high-strung people leave you feeling agitated and overwhelmed? Do you absorb the feelings of those…
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The Baha’i Definition of Paradise: The First Day of Ridvan
Starting today, and for the next twelve days, Baha’is all around the world will celebrate Ridvan, which means “paradise,” the holiest and most joyous time of the Baha’i year. Pronounced…
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Reflections on the Healing Power of Poetry
I don’t know who I’d be — or if I’d still even be here — without poetry. When I was in high school, I experienced depression, and writing poetry became my…
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Tech, Touch, and Nomophobia: Are We Over-Connected?
If you’ve taken any trips lately, you’ve faced the two travel-related challenges we all have to deal with: packing and disconnecting. Packing always challenges me, but it’s one task I……
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Why a Baha’i Goes to Christmas Eve Mass
During the holiday season we just went through, like most holiday seasons, more people think about religion and spirituality perhaps than they might usually do. Did a spiritual thought cross…
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Does the Arc of the Moral Universe Really Bend Toward Justice?
This powerful quote – “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice” – attributed to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. actually comes from the 19th…