Tehran Iran releasing American pastor Saeed Abedini and 4 others!

[Armoured]

We aren't giving them 100 billion dollars, they are getting back their property that was seized.

Stop putting facts in the story!

 

[ArmenianJohn]

I've known Bahai in personal one on one relationships and they were gloriously happy and peaceful people.

I've encountered those on forums who claim they are Bahai and not one can be compared to those others.

The passive-aggressive one's were always the on-line variety and it wasn't hard to tell they had no clue as to what it meant to be Bahai.

I suspected they were posers and especially when they'd attack those who were Jewish or Christian personally. Or, they'd make nasty remarks about those faiths in their posts. It didn't take long to realize they'd never read a single writing of Bahá'u'lláh.

“O ye that dwell on earth! The religion of God is for love and unity; make it not the cause of enmity or dissension.”
Bahá'u'lláh

“All peoples and nations are of one family, the children of one Father, and should be to one another as brothers and sisters.” Bahá'u'lláh

I wish I could say I share your experience but I don't. The ones I knew and know personally are friendly and nice enough people. What they have in common with the ones I meet online is that they want to interject their religion very often and do so with kind of an expectation that people will be, I don't know, impressed? sympathetic? surprised? It feels like they are looking for reactions, almost as if to have an opportunity to talk more about it. A couple of times I did get lured into asking questions but quickly learned not to do that again. I wouldn't say they are nasty or make nasty remarks about me or Christians (or others), but they want to talk about themselves and their religion PLUS they seem to desire a positive reaction and if they don't get one, even if they get a neutral reaction, they seem put off. Not nasty, but put off, upset, disappointed... That has been my experience.

I don't think it's necessarily so much about being Bahai as it is being part of a minority group that people know little to nothing about. I've seen Mormons behave like this about their religion and I've seen my fellow Armenians behave like this when talking about the genocide and not getting favorable reaction. But that has definitely been my experience with pretty much all the Baha'is I've known.

 

[Tiny Bible]

That's a shame. I'm sorry to read that you've had those type encounters with those claiming Bahai.

My experiences were first at the Bahai center in Clearwater Florida. I was visiting friends in Tampa and we went to the beach and then visited about in Clearwater itself.

Then a few years ago I moved to the city I live in now as part of a work transfer and found I was work mates with a lady who is Bahai. And there is quite a community here also that I've encountered through knowing her and when we take breaks together during lunch.

The experiences I had was that I wasn't aware of those who were Bahai outside of the Clearwater experience. Here they aren't very open as far as making it public. But there is an air about them that lets them stand out just as they stay to themselves. And that typically invites inquiry when one gets to know them. Or at least I'm the inquisitive type.

I wish I could say I share your experience but I don't. The ones I knew and know personally are friendly and nice enough people. What they have in common with the ones I meet online is that they want to interject their religion very often and do so with kind of an expectation that people will be, I don't know, impressed? sympathetic? surprised? It feels like they are looking for reactions, almost as if to have an opportunity to talk more about it. A couple of times I did get lured into asking questions but quickly learned not to do that again. I wouldn't say they are nasty or make nasty remarks about me or Christians (or others), but they want to talk about themselves and their religion PLUS they seem to desire a positive reaction and if they don't get one, even if they get a neutral reaction, they seem put off. Not nasty, but put off, upset, disappointed... That has been my experience.

I don't think it's necessarily so much about being Bahai as it is being part of a minority group that people know little to nothing about. I've seen Mormons behave like this about their religion and I've seen my fellow Armenians behave like this when talking about the genocide and not getting favorable reaction. But that has definitely been my experience with pretty much all the Baha'is I've known.

 

[ArmenianJohn]

That's a shame. I'm sorry to read that you've had those type encounters with those claiming Bahai.

Thanks, I'm replying on your personal wall since we are derailing this thread.

 

[smaneck]

Stop putting facts in the story!

I know, I know. That apparently makes Baha'is passive-aggressive.

 

[Armoured]

I know, I know. That apparently makes Baha'is passive-aggressive.

Some of the people involved in this discussion got quite outraged at me for asking for citations and examples, once. I feel your pain.

 

[smaneck]

Here is a very full article on the pastor:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ill-be-released-with-other-iranian-prisoners/

 

[TLK Valentine]

I, for one, am grateful for the release, and kudos to the State Department for getting things done.

 

[Tiny Bible]

CNN (Includes Video)
Americans in Iran prisoner swap arrive in Germany

(CNN)Three Americans freed in a prisoner swap with Iran are one step closer to reuniting with their families.

Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, Marine veteran Amir Hekmati and Christian pastor Saeed Abedini arrived in Germany Sunday and will meet with their families soon, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Twitter.......

The three arrived on a flight at Ramstein Air Base and were scheduled to undergo medical checkups at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a U.S. military hospital.