Identifying as a Baha’i

[an anarchist]

Hello, I wanted to thank the Baha’is on this site in particular. I still have a lot to learn about the Baha’i faith, but I feel I know enough about it now to comfortably identify as a member of the Baha’i faith.
The essential worth of all religions is something I have felt in my heart before I discovered the Baha’i faith. I came across the Baha’i faith only shortly before joining this site. While on this site, Baha’i practitioners have been very helpful and informative in explaining the faith. Other than RF, I’ve been exploring the faith more online. Just everything that the faith teaches is things that I felt before I discovered the faith.
So thank you! Maybe this is a little preemptive as I have yet read the gleanings or any other Baha’i text really, but that’s because I’m still reading the sacred texts of all other religions too, I’m still young.
The teaching that each manifestation of God has provided salvation for their people is utterly beautiful. The idea of a working towards a moral world order, such a goal is ideal.
God bless!

 

[Truthseeker]

Welcome to the Baha'i Faith! I recommend you read the Hidden Words. This is what Baha'u'llah said in the preample to the Hidden Words:

He Is the Glory of Glories.

This is that which hath descended from the realm of glory, uttered by the tongue of power and might, and revealed unto the Prophets of old. We have taken the inner essence thereof and clothed it in the garment of brevity, as a token of grace unto the righteous, that they may stand faithful unto the Covenant of God, may fulfill in their lives His trust, and in the realm of spirit obtain the gem of divine virtue.
Bahá’u’lláh, "The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh"

As the preamble implies, the sayings are brief, but there is a lot there if you ponder them. It is also the most universal book of Baha'u'llah. No need to know the Muslim background in this book.

 

[Trailblazer]

Welcome to the Baha'i Faith! I recommend you read the Hidden Words. This is what Baha'u'llah said in the preample to the Hidden Words:

I like the Hidden Words but I think Gleanings is a must, and it covers everything that is most important for a new Baha'i to know in a comprehensive fashion. Of course, it is also every inspiring.

Below are some excerpts from the Introduction to Gleanings (which is not in the online version, only in the book):

“Gleanings is excerpts from various Tablets. In the introduction to Gleanings it explains how it is organized into five parts. Part one, pages 1-46, proclaims this as the “Day of God.” Part two, pages 46-136, concerns the Manifestation of God and His significance. Part three, pages 136-200, deals with basic questions concerning the soul and its immortality. Part four, pages 200-259, concerns the spiritual aspects of the World Order and the Most Great Peace. Part five, pages 259-346, deals with the duties of the individual and the spiritual meaning of life.”

“Gleanings is a book for meditative study. It is not a book of history and facts, but of love and spiritual power. No one can understand the faith of the thousands of martyred followers of the Bab, unless he catches the spirit of this book. No one can appreciate why thousands of Baha’is give up the comfort of settled homes and move into strange countries to tell the people about Baha’u’llah, unless he clearly glimpses the spirit of this book.”

 

[Truthseeker]

I like the Hidden Words but I think Gleanings is a must, and it covers everything that is most important for a new Baha'i to know in a comprehensive fashion. Of course, it is also every inspiring.

Below are some excerpts from the Introduction to Gleanings (which is not in the online version, only in the book):

“Gleanings is excerpts from various Tablets. In the introduction to Gleanings it explains how it is organized into five parts. Part one, pages 1-46, proclaims this as the “Day of God.” Part two, pages 46-136, concerns the Manifestation of God and His significance. Part three, pages 136-200, deals with basic questions concerning the soul and its immortality. Part four, pages 200-259, concerns the spiritual aspects of the World Order and the Most Great Peace. Part five, pages 259-346, deals with the duties of the individual and the spiritual meaning of life.”

“Gleanings is a book for meditative study. It is not a book of history and facts, but of love and spiritual power. No one can understand the faith of the thousands of martyred followers of the Bab, unless he catches the spirit of this book. No one can appreciate why thousands of Baha’is give up the comfort of settled homes and move into strange countries to tell the people about Baha’u’llah, unless he clearly glimpses the spirit of this book.”

Shogi Effendi translated both so he must have considered them both as important. We each have our favorites from such. I believe that the Guardian also included those sections of Writings in Gleanings that would be more understandable to those in the West, though a few are puzzlers, as well. The Hidden Words have some passages that can be puzzling also.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

Hello, I wanted to thank the Baha’is on this site in particular. I still have a lot to learn about the Baha’i faith, but I feel I know enough about it now to comfortably identify as a member of the Baha’i faith.
The essential worth of all religions is something I have felt in my heart before I discovered the Baha’i faith. I came across the Baha’i faith only shortly before joining this site. While on this site, Baha’i practitioners have been very helpful and informative in explaining the faith. Other than RF, I’ve been exploring the faith more online. Just everything that the faith teaches is things that I felt before I discovered the faith.
So thank you! Maybe this is a little preemptive as I have yet read the gleanings or any other Baha’i text really, but that’s because I’m still reading the sacred texts of all other religions too, I’m still young.
The teaching that each manifestation of God has provided salvation for their people is utterly beautiful. The idea of a working towards a moral world order, such a goal is ideal.
God bless!

I would offer well done to you and offer an Allah'u'abha, which is the Baha'i greeting. I wish you well in your continued search, it is a life Journey giving sound lessons on our spiritual reality.

I can also offer my journey also identified that some thoughts that I already held were found to be a teaching of the Faith.

I spent a few years as a child in Malaysia on Penang Island, so I had witnessed a large diversity of Faith apart from my mother's faith in Christianity and always considered God was more diverse than a single Name. I was lucky to attend schools in rural Australia that had aboriginal students that became good friends. They gave a different view of life.

So for now, all the best, stay well, stay happy, Regards Tony

 

[Truthseeker]

I spent a few years as a child in Malaysia on Penang Island, so I had witnessed a large diversity of Faith apart from my mother's faith in Christianity and always considered God was more diverse than a single Name.

Another thing I didn't know about you! It has a diverse ethnic population, too:

According to the 2010 Census from the Malaysian federal government, Penang Island had a population of 722,384, or about 46% of Penang's total population.[26] The island has a predominantly Chinese population, which includes the Peranakans; more than 53% of the island's population were of Chinese descent. The Bumiputeras, including ethnic Malays and East Malaysian indigenous tribes such as the Dayaks and Kadazans, collectively comprised nearly 32% of the island's population. Ethnic Indians constituted another 9% of Penang Island's population. These were in addition to small, but prominent, Eurasian and Siamese minorities.[27] In particular, most of the nearly 1,500 Eurasians remain concentrated at the Pulau Tikus suburb.

Penang Island - Wikipedia

Edit:

The constitution grants freedom of religion and makes Malaysia an officially secular state, while establishing Islam as the "religion of the Federation".[264] According to the Population and Housing Census 2010 figures, ethnicity and religious beliefs correlate highly. Approximately 61.3% of the population practice Islam, 19.8% practice Buddhism, 9.2% Christianity, 6.3% Hinduism and 1.3% practice Confucianism, Taoism and other traditional Chinese religions. 0.7% declared no religion and the remaining 1.4% practised other religions or did not provide any information.[9] Sunni Islam of Shafi'i school of jurisprudence is the dominant branch of Islam in Malaysia,[265][266] while 18% are nondenominational Muslims.[267]

The Malaysian constitution strictly defines what makes a "Malay", considering Malays those who are Muslim, speak Malay regularly, practise Malay customs, and lived in or have ancestors from Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore.[161] Statistics from the 2010 Census indicate that 83.6% of the Chinese population identify as Buddhist, with significant numbers of adherents following Taoism (3.4%) and Christianity (11.1%), along with small Muslim populations in areas like Penang. The majority of the Indian population follow Hinduism (86.2%), with a significant minority identifying as Christians (6.0%) or Muslims (4.1%). Christianity is the predominant religion of the non-Malay bumiputera community (46.5%) with an additional 40.4% identifying as Muslims.[9]

Muslims are obliged to follow the decisions of Syariah Courts (i.e. Shariah courts) in matters concerning their religion. The Islamic judges are expected to follow the Shafi'i legal school of Islam, which is the main madh'hab of Malaysia.[265] The jurisdiction of Syariah courts is limited to Muslims in matters such as marriage, inheritance, divorce, apostasy, religious conversion, and custody among others. No other criminal or civil offences are under the jurisdiction of the Syariah courts, which have a similar hierarchy to the Civil Courts. Despite being the supreme courts of the land, the Civil Courts do not hear matters related to Islamic practices.

Malaysia - Wikipedia

Very interesting about "Syariah courts is limited to Muslims". Will there be a similar system when Baha'is are a majority of a country, at least in some countries?