Baha'i, what is it?

[TrevorKamal]

When it Comes to Evolution I Believe the Baha'is Accept It. In Fact I think Bahaullah Said Numerous Times that Religion should Accept Science or Something along Those Lines.

It makes sense, doesn't it? If God created the universe then any scientific discoveries we make are discoveries of His work. Where did we invent the notion that science and religion are at odds with each other?

 

[thatsmrjason2u]

Lol That is Definetely a Great Point.

I Really Admire the Baha'i Faith and it Makes More Sense then Most other Religions but I am Still a Jew Because Judaism Makes the Most Sense to Me. Although If I wasn't a Jew I would Be Baha'i.

 

[czach8]

I deeply respect the Bahai faith, and their approach of making everyone an equal child of our Creator. However, I am unsure of what their form of worship is. It is easy to talk about God and religions, but if one lacks faith in worship, then how do we trully connect with It.

God bless all souls.

 

[TrevorKamal]

I deeply respect the Bahai faith, and their approach of making everyone an equal child of our Creator. However, I am unsure of what their form of worship is. It is easy to talk about God and religions, but if one lacks faith in worship, then how do we trully connect with It.

God bless all souls.

What do you mean by "form of worship"?

 

[9Harmony]

I deeply respect the Bahai faith, and their approach of making everyone an equal child of our Creator. However, I am unsure of what their form of worship is. It is easy to talk about God and religions, but if one lacks faith in worship, then how do we trully connect with It.

God bless all souls.

We have lots and lots of prayers.

http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/c/BP/

but one thing i love about the Baha'i Faith, is that if we live our life with the right attitude then our whole life can be a living prayer. Work done in a spirit of service is equivalent to prayer.

 

[thatsmrjason2u]

Baha'is Meet and Have Home Servies Together. And there Are some Temples I believe that Have Services.

My Baha'i Friend meets Every Thursday with About 40 Baha'is and They Eat Dinner first Then Pray and They Read and do All Kinds of Awesome Things. It's Like a Home Church.

EDIT: I was Looking at The Canada Baha'i Site and They call Their Servies "Devotional Gatherings." http://www.ca.bahai.org/index.en.cfm - Check Out To the Left Under New Videos and There's a Video You can Watch That Shows their Gatherings. Its Long But Good.

 

[czach8]

What do you mean by "form of worship"?

Who do you worship? Is it God the Creator? Is it a particular prophet? Angels? Saints?

What kind of worship activity is it? Do you chant meaninglessly or with full heart? Do you speak in tongues? Do you prophesy? Do you perform miracles? Do you engage in repititious rituals that are the same every week? Do you get on your knees with all the followers and cry out to God? Do you laugh with unrestrained joy? Do you meditate Buddhist style? Do you meditate Hindu style? Do you sing songs without premeditation?

I would really like to know. Peace.

 

[9Harmony]

Baha'is Meet and Have Home Servies Together. And there Are some Temples I believe that Have Services.

My Baha'i Friend meets Every Thursday with About 40 Baha'is and They Eat Dinner first Then Pray and They Read and do All Kinds of Awesome Things. It's Like a Home Church.

EDIT: I was Looking at The Canada Baha'i Site and They call Their Servies "Devotional Gatherings." http://www.ca.bahai.org/index.en.cfm - Check Out To the Left Under New Videos and There's a Video You can Watch That Shows their Gatherings. Its Long But Good.

hi there,

yes, actually we have several different gatherings.

Devotional gatherings are open to all people, to get together and say prayers.

We also hold study circles which are open to all people in which we go through a prepared curriculum.

There are also what are known as firesides. Which are informal gatherings to discuss some aspect of the Faith with people who would like to learn about the Faith.

We also celebrate the 19 day feast. These are open to Baha'i's only, but on the occasion someone who is not Baha'i would attend we would hold a unity feast instead, which would be similar except we would elimate the community consultation aspect of the feast. Feast is referring to a spiritual feast, i.e. food for the soul. although most feasts also provide refreshments for the social portion.

Regarding the Temples: Currently there is a Temple on each continent, except the one for South America is just beginning construction in Chile.

Here is the one in North America.

http://www.bahai.us/bahai-temple

Many larger communities have Baha'i Centers where they hold gatherings, but as we are still relatively small, most communities still hold gatherings in homes. Personally, i am the only Baha'i in my county, so i travel to neighboring counties to meet with other Baha'i's and study and pray together. But i love every minute of it.

 

[thatsmrjason2u]

9Harmony I Bet you could Get People to Convert if You Tried Lol.

Czach I have Been to a Gathering with my Baha'i Friend once and They Pray a Ton and Have Silent Prayers and all Kinds of the Like and They are Really Serious but at The Same Time Have lots of Fun.

 

[9Harmony]

Who do you worship? Is it God the Creator? Is it a particular prophet? Angels? Saints?

What kind of worship activity is it? Do you chant meaninglessly or with full heart? Do you speak in tongues? Do you prophesy? Do you perform miracles? Do you pray meaninglessly like the Catholics or with full heart like Pentecostals. Do you engage in repititious rituals that are the same every week? Do you get on your knees with all the followers and cry out to God? Do you laugh with unrestrained joy? Do you meditate Buddhist style? Do you meditate Hindu style? Do you sing songs without premeditation?

I would really like to know. Peace.

God alone is worthy of worship.

But we revere all of the prophets and saints, and we are allowed to pray to God directly or through any means which feels comfortable to us. This is as individual as there are individuals.

"The most acceptable prayer is the one offered with the utmost spirituality and radiance; its prolongation hath not been and is not beloved by God. The more detached and the purer the prayer, the more acceptable is it in the presence of God." (Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 455)

we are warned to not succumb to ritualistic observances.

Methods of meditation are also left open to the individual.

We do not prophesy, nor chant in tongues, nor perform miracles.

In the Baha'i Faith there is no clergy, therefore each individual is responsible for their own spiritual growth. Though we do celebrate and worship together. We are not constrained to the same program time after time. Different individuals plan different events, and as such, there are a diversity of approachs utilized. We celebrate the diversity of the human family and cultural differences are also respected and cherished.

 

[9Harmony]

9Harmony I Bet you could Get People to Convert if You Tried Lol.

lol! easier said than done my friend.


Since proselytizing is forbidden in the Baha'i Faith. I can only truly teach those who express an interest. Which is difficult to say the least. In the 13 years i've been a Baha'i, my oldest daughter is the only person I've had contact with who has wholeheartedly embraced the Faith. But i'm optimistic nonetheless.

Yet, I can teach noone, i can only hope to be a pure channel for His grace to flow through. God touches the hearts, not I.

 

[Arthra]

Who do you worship? Is it God the Creator? Is it a particular prophet? Angels? Saints?

What kind of worship activity is it? Do you chant meaninglessly or with full heart? Do you speak in tongues? Do you prophesy? Do you perform miracles? Do you engage in repititious rituals that are the same every week? Do you get on your knees with all the followers and cry out to God? Do you laugh with unrestrained joy? Do you meditate Buddhist style? Do you meditate Hindu style? Do you sing songs without premeditation?

I would really like to know. Peace.

Czach, Thanks for your post... Here is my response to your questions:

Worship:

Baha'is don't have any priests.... and so rituals are not a part of worship. "Speaking in tongues" is not a Baha'i practise.

Basically the Baha'is meet together and recite or read prayers... Some programs can have prayers as selected by the host/hostess. We meet in each others homes in smaller communities and use Baha'i Center where there is one in our larger communities.

The House of Worship (There are Houses of Worship in Australia, Germany, Uganda, India, Samoa, Panama and one to built in Santiago, Chile) in Wilmette, Illinois is open to anyone to enter and say prayers.

The Devotional Meetings are open to anyone and prayers can be said from the scriptures.

Everyday Baha'is have certain special prayers that are recited...one of them goes like this:

"I bear witness O my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee.. I testify at this moment to my powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth...There is none other God but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting."

Some of our regular daily prayers involve kneeling, prostrating and raising hands but these are done in privacy and not in group meetings.

So Baha'is worship God.

- Art

 

[czach8]

God alone is worthy of worship.

But we revere all of the prophets and saints, and we are allowed to pray to God directly or through any means which feels comfortable to us. This is as individual as there are individuals.

"The most acceptable prayer is the one offered with the utmost spirituality and radiance; its prolongation hath not been and is not beloved by God. The more detached and the purer the prayer, the more acceptable is it in the presence of God." (Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 455)

we are warned to not succumb to ritualistic observances.

Methods of meditation are also left open to the individual.

We do not prophesy, nor chant in tongues, nor perform miracles.

In the Baha'i Faith there is no clergy, therefore each individual is responsible for their own spiritual growth. Though we do celebrate and worship together. We are not constrained to the same program time after time. Different individuals plan different events, and as such, there are a diversity of approachs utilized. We celebrate the diversity of the human family and cultural differences are also respected and cherished.

Cool, then I should visit the temple one of these days.

 

[czach8]

Czach, Thanks for your post... Here is my response to your questions:

Worship:

Baha'is don't have any priests.... and so rituals are not a part of worship. "Speaking in tongues" is not a Baha'i practise.

Basically the Baha'is meet together and recite or read prayers... Some programs can have prayers as selected by the host/hostess. We meet in each others homes in smaller communities and use Baha'i Center where there is one in our larger communities.

The House of Worship (There are Houses of Worship in Australia, Germany, Uganda, India, Samoa, Panama and one to built in Santiago, Chile) in Wilmette, Illinois is open to anyone to enter and say prayers.

The Devotional Meetings are open to anyone and prayers can be said from the scriptures.

Everyday Baha'is have certain special prayers that are recited...one of them goes like this:

"I bear witness O my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee.. I testify at this moment to my powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth...There is none other God but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting."

Some of our regular daily prayers involve kneeling, prostrating and raising hands but these are done in privacy and not in group meetings.

So Baha'is worship God.

- Art

Cool, then I should visit the temple one of these days.

 

[I_are_sceptical]

Cool, then I should visit the temple one of these days.

It's at the intersection of Linden Avenue and Sheridan Road in Wilmette, just north of Chicago.

Downstairs, below the prayer hall, is a bookstore, a reading room, and Baha'is who will answer any questions you have.

 

[9Harmony]

Cool, then I should visit the temple one of these days.

That would be wonderful!

 

[BruceDLimber]

So, Baha'u'llah was divine like Jesus?

If Baha'is consider Jesus to be a true "manifestation of god," isn't a problem that the Bible says only false prophets will come after Jesus?! If Jesus was really divine and said the truth, doesn't that undermine the claims of Baha'u'llah?

Greetings!

M>If Baha'is consider Jesus to be a true "manifestation of god," isn't a problem that the Bible says only false prophets will come after Jesus?! If Jesus was really divine and said the truth, doesn't that undermine the claims of Baha'u'llah?

Not in the least!

One of the things Baha'u'llah stressed most is the truth and divinity of Jesus!

And Jesus Himself said He couldn't tell us more then, but promised to send another later on to lead us to All Truth!

And both the Jewish and Christian scriptures state that the Spirit will have a new name. In the Baha'i view, this new name is Baha'u'llah, which means "Glory of God."

Best,

Bruce

 

[BruceDLimber]

So, Baha'u'llah was both the Christ and Mahdi?

Also, there were certain Earth-shattering things that were suppose to happen with the return of Christ that no one could miss. I could be wrong, but I don't think any such thing has happened.

Hi!

>[T]here were certain Earth-shattering things that were suppose to happen with the return of Christ that no one could miss. I could be wrong, but I don't think any such thing has happened.

Such passages aren't literal, but spiritual/symbolic.

And please note that Jesus didn't literally fulfill the prophecies in the Old Testament either, so the Baha'i fulfillment of prophecy is no different from Christianity's in this respecct! (For example, His name wasn't "Emanuel," and He neither reigned as a king nor warred against others.)

Best,

Bruce