Jim
Nets of Wonder
Note: To clarify my intentions for the topic of this thread, in case anyone would like to know, what I want to discuss in this thread is only about what the Baha'i Universal House of Justice is calling a culture of growth, which it has been promoting for Baha'i communities for 20 years or more. It is not about economic and social development projects, interfaith initiatives, or any other activities that Baha'i communities or their members might be involved in, other than the culture of growth. What I want to discuss in this thread is only about the culture of growth, which will be explained below in another post. There is another thread for other Baha'i activities here:
What Baha'is do on the local, national, and international level
I'm posting this for Baha'is, but I'm posting it here in the interfaith forum instead of in the Baha'i DIR forum because I don't want to be a member of any DIR forum. Besides, I disagree with other Baha'is about God and religion as much as I do with anyone else, so my discussions with them are interfaith discussions as much as my discussions with anyone else. If anyone else besides Baha'is has any interest in this, and wants to comment or ask questions, that's okay with me. I'm posting it in a non-debate forum because I don't want there to be any debating in this thread.
The message to Baha'is, "One Common Faith," was commissioned and supervised by the House of Justice, and commended by it to Baha'is for thoughtful study. In its introduction to the message, the House of Justice says that "the disease of sectarian hatreds, if not decisively checked, threatens harrowing consequences that will leave few areas of the world unaffected." It says that in general its 2002 message delivered personally to many of the world's religious leaders was warmly welcomed; that a significant number of them reproduced it and distributed it to others, and that it feels hopeful that the message helped open the way to new understanding of religion's purpose. Then it says that however that may be, the concern of Baha'is must be with our own responsibility in the matter.
It says that "the accelerating breakdown in social order calls out desperately for the religious spirit to be freed from the shackles that have so far prevented it from bringing to bear the healing influence of which it is capable," and that "If they are to respond to the need, Bahá’ís must draw on a deep understanding of the process by which humanity’s spiritual life evolves." It says that it commissioned and supervised the message for that purpose, and that it commends it to our thoughtful study.
The message itself discusses the challenge that needs to be addressed, then it says "The culture of systematic growth taking root in the Bahá’í community would seem, therefore, by far the most effective response the friends can make to the challenge discussed in these pages." Then it reviews that culture of systematic growth in some detail.
According to that message--commissioned and supervised by the House of Justice for us to study thoughtfully, to deepen our own understanding, the understanding of Baha'is, of the process by which humanity's spiritual life evolves--according to that message, the culture of systematic growth that the House of Justice has been promoting for 20 years or more, is not only the most effective response for Baha'is to help free the religious spirit to exert its healing influence, it is also part of what the whole world needs to see, as evidence that all the people of the world, in all their diversity, can live and work peacefully and happily together.
I repeat, according to that message, commissioned and supervised by the House of Justice, the culture of systematic growth that the House of Justice has been promoting for 20 years or more, is not only the most effective response for Baha'is to help free the religious spirit to exert its healing influence on the ills afflicting humanity, it is also part of what the whole world needs to see, as evidence that all the people of the world, in all their diversity, can live and work peacefully and happily together.
In this thread I'm planning to discuss that culture of systematic growth, and how anyone who wants to can be part of it, regardless of their circumstances and capacities.
What Baha'is do on the local, national, and international level
I'm posting this for Baha'is, but I'm posting it here in the interfaith forum instead of in the Baha'i DIR forum because I don't want to be a member of any DIR forum. Besides, I disagree with other Baha'is about God and religion as much as I do with anyone else, so my discussions with them are interfaith discussions as much as my discussions with anyone else. If anyone else besides Baha'is has any interest in this, and wants to comment or ask questions, that's okay with me. I'm posting it in a non-debate forum because I don't want there to be any debating in this thread.
The message to Baha'is, "One Common Faith," was commissioned and supervised by the House of Justice, and commended by it to Baha'is for thoughtful study. In its introduction to the message, the House of Justice says that "the disease of sectarian hatreds, if not decisively checked, threatens harrowing consequences that will leave few areas of the world unaffected." It says that in general its 2002 message delivered personally to many of the world's religious leaders was warmly welcomed; that a significant number of them reproduced it and distributed it to others, and that it feels hopeful that the message helped open the way to new understanding of religion's purpose. Then it says that however that may be, the concern of Baha'is must be with our own responsibility in the matter.
It says that "the accelerating breakdown in social order calls out desperately for the religious spirit to be freed from the shackles that have so far prevented it from bringing to bear the healing influence of which it is capable," and that "If they are to respond to the need, Bahá’ís must draw on a deep understanding of the process by which humanity’s spiritual life evolves." It says that it commissioned and supervised the message for that purpose, and that it commends it to our thoughtful study.
The message itself discusses the challenge that needs to be addressed, then it says "The culture of systematic growth taking root in the Bahá’í community would seem, therefore, by far the most effective response the friends can make to the challenge discussed in these pages." Then it reviews that culture of systematic growth in some detail.
According to that message--commissioned and supervised by the House of Justice for us to study thoughtfully, to deepen our own understanding, the understanding of Baha'is, of the process by which humanity's spiritual life evolves--according to that message, the culture of systematic growth that the House of Justice has been promoting for 20 years or more, is not only the most effective response for Baha'is to help free the religious spirit to exert its healing influence, it is also part of what the whole world needs to see, as evidence that all the people of the world, in all their diversity, can live and work peacefully and happily together.
I repeat, according to that message, commissioned and supervised by the House of Justice, the culture of systematic growth that the House of Justice has been promoting for 20 years or more, is not only the most effective response for Baha'is to help free the religious spirit to exert its healing influence on the ills afflicting humanity, it is also part of what the whole world needs to see, as evidence that all the people of the world, in all their diversity, can live and work peacefully and happily together.
In this thread I'm planning to discuss that culture of systematic growth, and how anyone who wants to can be part of it, regardless of their circumstances and capacities.
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