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Dear friend James S,
I have tried to understand what you are writing, dwelling much upon speaking in tongues, as a spiritual basis for us.
I looked into the 1st letter to the Corinthians 14:5 and 6 to refresh and saw that Paulus prefer that we prophesy, so I will do that for you, below. And I have to tell you new things, so I am not going to dwell on speaking in tongues.Sorry. So, dear James, please, first I want you to look at the title of this letter and of the previous one. "The Blessed Perfection" has come and "and the resurrection came to pass"... The resurrection means for us Bahais to be born again in this new perfect worldwide divinely ordained dispensation of Bahaullah. And I, Laila , was as one dead 40 years ago,but received life through the Holy Spirit that is the reality of Bahaullah. I was resurrected and do not know how to praise this God having looked in my direction. I was a stubborn nosayer to religion in general, like many Swedes.
The Blessed Perfection is one of the titles of Bahaullah (The Glory of God) the founder of the Bahai World Faith. This Manifestation of God, this Messenger from God appeared in the East while the West was deeply involved in the bringing about the industrial revolution, and did miss the Great Spiritual Drama of His Coming, with the exception of a few European orientalists and deputees from various countries at that time, the nineteenth century. The International Bible Society decided that Christ would return in 1844, but alas they were looking at the sky in their western hemisphere, taking those clouds literally. Bahaullah came as is predicted as a "thief in the Night", heralded by a forerunner, the Bab Who appeared in 1844. Now Bahaullahs followers, who are born again are spreading His Faith all over the globe.
When a new Maniferstation of God comes He prescribes new teachings, He gives new "glad tidings" from heaven one could say. He abolishes old prescriptions and as a third step, He releases in the world a spiritual Force that will make mankind accept His new prescriptions.
Thus The Blessed Perfection utters for a new age:
O SON OF SPIRIT!
My first counsel is this: possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting.
Thus we may know in our inmost heart, where the spirit is revealed, that the first thing is love. To be kind is show love.This is the first sign of faith. And God surely knows the silent language of the heart.
With the divine love He teaches man righteousness, and without that love nothing is fruitful.
That mysterious language which is carried by love is the main thing that we should speak to each other.The language which is to God, is to me, as one "born again", a silent language which only God can hear and my main concern is to keep myself thankful for all that I receive from God. He definitely knows how my spirit looks like,in that corner of the soul which is hidden from the world, without me saying strange syllables.
Moreover , we Bahais have received thousands of revealed prayers, for all occasions and mental occasions.Thus we use Gods own revealed words to address Him properly.I am satisfied with that. Our own parents teach us how to address them, they teach us to be thankful and to be helpful. So does God, therefore, if we use these prayers, we please God. Just as we please our parents when we say thanks.
In my forum I have presented many prayers. See them, read them, if you are seeking God, wanting new glad tidings from Gods heaven.
Nowhere does God say to us Bahais that we have to use the ways of old. It is abolished, so to say. Remember how Jesus revolutionized religion. He abolished the sabbath for exemple, which made the pharisees raise an outcry against Him.
The Day is great, because the Spirit that Bahaullah is blessed with, is that same Holy Spirit that God blessed Jesus with.So Bahaullah is the Christ come in the Glory of His Father. That Spirit is eternal.The eternal Voice has decided that for this age the world must adhere to prescriptions covering a whole world.
Today "Gods greatest gift to mankind is the insight of the unity of mankind." "Earth is but one country and mankind its citizens" Bahaullah.
We must accept the Oneness of God
the oneness of religion
the oneness of mankind
Surely this is going to be understood and welcomed by the whole world.
This religion is both mysterious (the divine love is a mysterious force)in origin, as is the world religions, and practical.
Practical or rather social measurements are that the world must form a world government, a world federation, an international policeforce, an international auxiliary language, an international tribune to be applied to in international conflicts, obligatory schooling and education for both girls and boys,equality between men and women., establish harmony between religion and science..and many other fresh and applicable measurements for the one international country we live in.
Surely this will be encouraged and established all over the world.
One of the most important prescriptions concerning spiritual growth is "independent investigation of the truth".Thus Bahaullah says:
O SON OF SPIRIT!
The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbour. Ponder this in thy heart: how it behooveth thee to be. Verily Justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving- kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.
For ages half of mankind has been fettered by ignorance and poverty, that is the women. The Bible and the Qouran and other scriptures have not even been addressed to women. Those scriptures were addressed to men.Have you thought of that?They have been told to listen to their husbands, who decided everything for them and still do in too many places. The Spirit of this age motions that women must come forward and have admittance to all fields of of human enterprise. They must be well educated. Moreover, according to the Bahai Faith girls are to be educated first and foremost, because they are the first teachers of their children.We can se how illsuited the older dispensations is to both man and women. The above mentioned mysterious power, that third step released by Bahaullahs sacrificial life (He was a prisoner for 40 years, tortured and banished from His native country Iran)I ascribe to have helped women of today to free themselves of ageold fetters, and are coming forward in most countries of today. Even if they do not know where that force comes from.Even the most backward corners of the earth have seen some stirrings of emancipation among women and also in Iran, birthplace of the Bahai Faith, that land of the cruellest of persecutions against the Bahais. Noone is prophet in his own country indeed applies to this Faith too.
There is also a world wide administration in the Bahai World Faith. This is the first stirrings of Gods Kingdom on earth as is promised in the one Prayer given by Christ. It consists of Spiritual assemblies, on local and national levels. Already the highest body within this system, The Universal House of Justice is formed. It is situated on Mount Carmel in Haifa.
I hope that you may be one of those who welcomes that Jesus is back and has appeared in the Glory of His Father. Take your time to investigate this Faith. Independently!But do not measure it with all sorts of preconceived ideas, like they did in the 1840ies or among the pharisees. Listen to your heart and your conscience and look into what the world needs.. Listen to what Justice is for us today. That is that we may investigate Gods Faith independently of ageold dogmas designed long ago by theologians. Remember that Jesus turned to the simple people. They did not know all those dogmas that the pharisees preached. Still they believed and became great in spirit, whereas the pharisees lost the grace of God.. I myself was not burdened by Christian dogmas, thank God. I refused to attend even sunday school as a child.God had His finger in that too I am sure. Still my heart was open to Gods New Revelation, these new tidings.It did not look like religion at all, but as a divine philosophy. And I was transformed. I now live in eternity, which is right here in my heart. I do not have to die to come to heaven as the priests say.
Be happy for this letter laden with some of those News. Be happy for the return of the Holy Spirit in a Messenger Who has come as a "thief in the Night", when people were wholly unaware and fast asleep. Or wouldn't you like God to surprise you.? I think He has always come as a surprise with His teachings for mankind. Very few have had forebodings and presentiments, very few, don't you agree?
See www.Bahai.org and www.Bahai.us
I hope you will write to me again
Bye for now
Laila Falck
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