Bahai World Faith, Gods Word for our Age Forum - Recent Topics Posted @ AdlandPro Community

I am here

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:09:33 GMT

Dear friends I wish all my diligent readers a happy Midsummereve, hopefully with sweet warm weather and sunshine. Over here there will be dancing and merrying around the midsummerpole and a lot of, I am afraid, too much "drunkery", if one can say so. The last program which the employmentoffice is arranging for me will tale place at an art center in Värmland, the province just above the lake Vänern. I have a couple of Bahai-friends there and I will help them with the art-garden and the vegetables and the kitchen and..... in the evenings we will make art. This is the address :www.Norramon Konstcentrum Charlottenberg, if you want to have a loook at the place where I will spend the next few months, maybe right up to late autumn. I will send you articles from there and tell you various things. Take good care Many sunny greetings from Laila

Re: Bahaullah addresses Iran and the world at large

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:45:50 GMT

Dear Nick Thanks. This is a great day, for you have answered and do not seem despondent although, my tone was perhaps a little harsch at some point, talking about the end of the world. Here are some great Words by Abdu'l-Bah'a "O ye loved ones of God! Know ye that the world is even as a mirage rising over the sands, that the thirsty mistaketh for water. The vine of this world is but a vapour in the desert, its pity and compassion but toil and trouble, the repose it proffereth only weariness and sorrow. Abandon it to those who belong to it, and turn your faces unto the Kingdom of your Lord, the All-Merciful:, that His grace and bounty may cast their dawning splendours over you, and a heavenly table be sent down for you, and your Lord may bless you, and shower His riches upon you to gladden your bosoms and fill your hearts with bliss, to attract your minds, and cleanse your souls, and console your eyes." Varmest greetings from Laila

Re: Bahaullah addresses Iran and the world at large

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:12:14 GMT

Bahaullah addresses Iran and the world at large

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 13:58:46 GMT

Dear readers.

Thanks for taking part of these news about the ultimate sacrifice these valiant women and girls have pursued. Others have followed the same track up to this day.Still others are held prisoners, no trials waiting.

Bahaullah hath said directed towards Persia, Iran:

"In My Name, calling aloud in the Kingdom of utterance

....The Great Announcement proclaimeth: O people of Persia! In former times ye have been the symbols of mercy and the embodiments of affection and kindness. The regions of the world were illumined and embellished by the brightness of the light of your knowledge and by the blaze of your erudition. How is it that you have arisen to destroy yourselves and your friends with your own hands?...."

"The unbelievers and the faithless have set their minds on four things: first, the shedding of blood; the second, the burning of books; third, the shunning of the followers of other religions; fourth, the exterminating of other communities and groups."

"Justice is this day bewailing its plight, and Equity groaneth beneath the yoke of oppression. The thick clouds of tyranny have darkened the face of the earth, and enveloped its peoples.Through the movement of Our Pen of glory We have, at the bidding of the omnipotent Ordainer, breathed a new life into every human frame, and instilled into every word a fresh potency. All created things proclaim the evidences of this world-wide regeneration. This is the most great, the most joyful tidings imparted by the Pen of this Wronged One to mankind. Wherefore fear ye, O My beloved Ones?. Who is it that can dismay you? A touch of moisture sufficeth to dissolve the hardened clay out of which this perverse generation is moulded. The mere act of your gathering together is enough to scatter the forces of these vain and worthless people.

...Referring to the land of Ta (Tihrán)We have revealed in the Kitab-i-Aqdas (The Most Holy Book, the Book of Law) that which will admonish mankind.They that perpetrate tyranny in the world have usurped the rights of the peoples and kindreds of the earth and are sedulously pursuing their selfish inclinations.

O thou who have quaffed from the wine of Mine utterance and hast fixed thy gaze upon the horizon of My revelation! How strange that the people of Persia, who were unrivalled in sciences and arts, should have sunk to the lowest level of degradation among the kindreds of the earth.

O, people! In this blessed, this glorious Day, deprive not yourselves pf the liberal effusions of bounty which the Lord of abounding grace hath vouchsafed unto you. In this Day showers of wisdom and utterance are pouring down from the clouds of divine mercy. Well is it with them who judge His Cause with fairness, and woe betide the unjust.

Every man of insight will , in this Day readily admit that the counsels which the Pen of this Wronged One hath revealed constitute the supreme animating power for the advancement of the world and the exultation of its peoples. Arise, O people, and, by the power of God's might resolve to gain the victory over your own selves, that haply the whole earth may be freed and sanctified from its servitude of its gods of idle fancies - gods that have inflicted such loss upon, and are responsible for the misery of their wrethched worshippers. These idols form the obstacle that impedeth man in his efforts to advance in the path of perfection...

In one of the Tablets these words have been revealed: 'O people of God! Do not busy yourselves in your own concerns'; let your thoughts be fixed on that which will rehabilitate the fortunes of mankind and sanctify the hearts and souls of men. This can best be achieved through pure and holy deeds, through a virtuous life and a goodly behaviour. Valiant acts will ensure the triumph of this Cause, and a saintly character will reinforce its power. Cleave unto righteousness , O people of Bahá! this verily, is the commandment which this Wronged One hath given unto you, and the first choice of His unrestrained Will for every one of you.

O friends! It behooveth you to refresh and revive your souls through the gracious favours which in this Divine, this soul-stirring Springtime are being shed upon you. The Day-Star of His great glory hath shed its radiance upon you, and the clouds of His limitless grace hath over-shadowed you. How high the reward of him that hath not deprived himself of so great a bounty, nor failed to recognize the beauty of his Best-Beloved in this, His new attire. ...Let your vision be world-embracing, rather than confined to your own self..."

The authorities of Iran think they kill sionists and muslim heretics when they kill Bahais, moreover they think the Bahais seek to undermine Islam and the regime and state of Iran but the truth is that the Bahais keep these truths in mind, their vision universal:

"It is incumbent upon every man, in this Day, to hold fast unto whatsoever will promote the interests, and exalt the station of all nations and just governments.Through each and every one of the verses which the Pen of the Most High hath revealed, the doors of love and unity have been unlocked and flung open to the face of men. we have erewhile declared - and Our Word is the Truth -: 'Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship.' Whatsoever hath led the children of men to shun another, and hath caused dissensions and divisions amongst them, hath, through the revelation of these words been nullified and abolished.

What this means is that,for example, they, in any part of the globe who uphold rigid nationalism , discrimination of any groups and their sticking to old outworn institutions, be they clergical or secular, and which do not meet the requirements of a global world in transition will be brought to naught. Monarchies will vanish, kaisers and thousand year old dynasties have already been shorn of their might. We see the downfall of the old world. and this is the "end of the world" nothing else, as Christ foretold. The crowned heads of the world will, in due time, go to Mount Carmel, the heart of the world, and in reverence of the Revelation of Bahaullah, humbly lay down their crowns at the threashold of this holy place. So:

" From the heaven of God's Will, and for the ennobling the world of being and of elevating the minds and souls of men, hath been sent down that which is the most effective instrument for the education of the whole human race. ... Of old it hath been revealed:'Love of one's country is an element of the Faith of God.' The Tounge of Grandeur hath, however, in the day of His manifestation proclaimed:'It is not his to boast who loveth his country, but it is his who loveth the world.' Through the power released by these words He hath lent a fresh impulse and set a new directions to the birds of men's hearts, and hath obliterated every trace of restriction and limitation from God's Holy Book."

Surely the world hath been educated by now to better but not fully ,understand, as decreed by Bahaullah, that 'Earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens'.Innumerable things have been and will be invented in a spirit of global enterprize everywhere and on top of that so many problems have gathered in the face of our little host in space , that we are forced to realize our oneness and our common fate, even without the knowledge of the Faith of the global Era. Therefore The Spirit of Unity is helped on the way towards accelerating growth each minute. But we must remember the unifying Cause behind this universal regeneration, lest we be overpowered by the problems and lose hope about surviving.

"We must love each other or we'll die".U Thant, former general secretary of the U.N.

Is the person better equipped or not better equpped to deal with problems ahead when he is informed in advance of them? Is he or is he not a better student if he studies diligently well before the exams.

And: Our hearts will be examined, since the "Kingdom is God's", that's my understanding.

As for myself, I wouldn't dare, for sure, to live in the dangerous confusion that covers the earth, if I had not been informed about the remedy for it. I'd just see the upheavals and the dangers, and not discern the unifying forces behind them. And now I am here to inform men about it, with a sense of hurry. Yes! how God hath indeed remembered us, to say the least, how men's hearts and minds can change completely, how they can receive a new sight and tranquility inwardly, how behaviours can change for the better, how the dire situation we all are in, can change through the power of unity which lies at the core of the Faith of Bahaullah.

Take care of the "birds of your hearts", dear friends. Inform yourself fully, did you get "Bahaullah and the New Era by Esslemenot ???see: www.Bahai.org, read Bahaullahs Tablets of the world, (like "Tablets of Bahaullah")His counsels, His laws, ("Kitab-i-Aqdas", the Most Holy Book in english))use His prayers meant for us humans, in which God teaches us how we should approach God, teach your heart the secret lessons of heaven (like "Hidden Words") and the remedies God hath given in this transforming age of "Divine Springtime."

Quotes above are from "Tablets of Bahaullah", (but not presented all the way in the order they com.)

Greetings from Laila

Re: See these heroins

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 11:01:45 GMT

Dear friend, thanks

and may also you enjoy spiritually sunny days. Today I will let Bahaullah speak about Persia.

My bronze works are now finished for the time being. I feel I have come a bit on the way,having done a new kind of art without knowing anything about the selling of it. That's how it should be,because that's a kind of rest. Bye for now

Varmest regards from sister Laila

Re: See these heroins

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:50:06 GMT

See these heroins

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:58:36 GMT

Dear friends

I just received from an old friend this site: www.monasdream.com about some of the many Bahai heroines, victims of the fury of the government and clergy of Iran.

This for your contemplating what is a real , sacrifice and what is sheer foolishness. There are others in this world who claim that they are "martyrs," seeking only the pleasures of heaven. I believe it is up to you to judge.

You see, I think that a deeper meaning of there being martyrs and "martyrs" is that we shall learn from example what is true spiritual sacrifice out of love for God and men of earth and... what is pure error.

I will try always to maintain prefering the love of God before all the pleasures of heaven.

Go to

www.monasdream.com

Bye for now

Enjoy summer has come! Both spiritually and earthly.

Greetings from Laila

Re: About art and religion

Sun, 17 May 2009 09:16:04 GMT

Dear Nick

Thanks for your reply, which I didn't get in time to have a look at. Sadly, it was removed, when I ,today sunday, checked the postbox here.. Did you send me a peace of modern art? As an exemple of what is now going on in the so called avant garde art? .....Yesterday evening there was the Eurovision song contest, from Moscow. I enjoyed three hrs of nice hits from both Europe and the Middle East + former republiques of the (former)Sovjet Union ...25 countries. This contest is a real great event over here.The Russians had made a fantastic and great show costing about three hundred billions crowns, all fantastic, with colors, dances, humour , transparent waterbasins hanging in the ceiling !containing swimming and playing and jumping swimmers from Argentina, Russian coirs singing folksongs ect. The basins were then sunk all the way down to the audience! You could watch and touch (like)the playing acrobats, what an effect!
All the countries with a few exceptions presented, sweet songs, folksongs, poetic songs, romantic songs, elegant songs (Sweden, with lovely opera singer Malena Ernman)humorous...all that other artforms are lacking, mostly. Norway won by far this year's contest with an unusual type of romantic song,with folktype insertions on the violin and acrobatic dances, written sung and played on a violin by the young sweet Alexander Ryback (Rybak). This is a song that makes you happy!!!! And That's what art is for!!!!!Maybe Alexander is on Youtube. Alexander's winning shows the taste of commoners. All the countries ...Everybody voted for him, mostly the highest points .Yea , music brings people together in unity, really. What a night. And Malena Ernman, try to find her, somewhere. The Swedish song 's name is La Voix, (the Voice). I love it, it is also a very happy song, keeping the spirits high.

Well that's all for today.

Hugs to you and caresses to your cats.

Laila

Re: About art and religion

Mon, 11 May 2009 06:29:13 GMT

About art and religion

Sun, 10 May 2009 16:51:16 GMT

Hello my friends

I have been quite busy lately learning bronze casting. The art of the old Greeks, who are said to have started this extraordinary kind of handicraft. It makes beautiful and lasting peaces of art.The surface of a bronze sculpture can be exquisite, brownish,golden or patinated with coppersulphate which turns it turqouise.

About art we can read in the Bahai-scriptures the following:(My translation from Swedish)

"All art is a gift from the Holy Spirit.When this light penetrates the mind of a musician, it manifests beautiful harmonies. Again, through penetrating the mind of a poet, it manifests fine poetry and poetic prose. When the light of the Sun of Truth inspires the mind of a painter, he produces marvelous pictures. These gifts fulfill their highest goals when they show the praising of God."

About beauty in art:

"It is natural for the heart and the spirit to be gladdened by and to enjoy all things that shows symmetry, harmony and perfection. For example, a beautiful house, a well planned garden, a symmetric line, a movement of beauty" (in a dance)" a well written book, attractive clothes - ..all that has elegance or beauty is attractive for the heart and the spirit...."

Why do we want to make beautiful art. Because we are the children of the Creator, Who has designed this extraordinary work of art, the creation.

Somebody objected to this and said; all creation or nature is not harmonius, so why should we always try to create perfect peaces of art. My thoughts about this is like this. Let us for example look at the japaneeze type of gardening. It is a special form of art, where the contrasts of nature is preserved,thereby ,in the most intricate way showing or enhancing perfection. Think of the rough cliff placed in a smooth field of small pebbles....this is also beautiful and what is rough becomes full of meaning.

This is the way I contemplate this age of confusion in the field of arts. Now the artists as well as others are confused, scared, frustrated, ...they give expressions for this, if you understand what I mean. This will be a great contrast to the art ,to the relieved artists, that again turn to the human form,that is now misrepresented or even missing. I am so convinced that they will again turn to "healed" faces, to the harmony of the human body and express thoughts and ideas with this. Now, this an age of transition,- such is my opinion,- of experimenting, having thrown away all old forms of art, the so called romantic stream,subordinated and rejected as superficial. In a more advanced age, perhaps after another hundred years, we will again see the return of humans in art, and we will see harmony and beauty and THAT will be called the Avant Garde.

This is an age where one can see:

For example, an real oxen cut in half, a glassbox of a million fluttering flies, a rottening pig in a kiosk, a christlike figure sunk in urea, (The US!!)paintings made of animals blood even drawn on humans,(Austrice) and a girl who is faking a psycosis on a bridge (performance art in Stockholm). A book or a peace of poetry consisting of nothing but one single word, meaning rifle.

Is this the result of the Holy Spirit?

But, understand me right -I am just an onlooker and I see that each age has its own way. It must be like this, just now, since about 100 years and it will last for a little longer. I also see the future when harmony and elegance is sought and striven at in the fine arts when other things than cows blood is used "to get nearer to life." Gone will be the frustrations and the wrath of today's artists. I strive at and wish to keep one foot in the field of future art, which I clearly can see. It is said that artists are visionaries, at least they are by some expected to be like that, but it doesn't hold in each case. But I say to you, my friends,everybody can be visionaries by the aid of the Holy Spirit. And by the aid of the Holy Spirit can you see what is "lasting art".

"The body that is bereft of the spirit is not able to produce real results. Even if it is in the best condition regarding beauty and perfections, it is none the less in need of the spirit. The glass of the lamp is, though it be polished and perfect, in need of the light. Without the light the lamp or the candle doesn't shine."

Abdu'l-Bahá, who is also the author of all these quotations

Kind regards from Laila