The Baha’i attitude towards tests and suffering

[Trailblazer]

Sadly, I have found that the Baha’is I know care more about their dogma than people’s feelings. I am not saying that all Baha’is are like this because that would not be fair, since I do not know all Baha’is. I am referring to Baha’is I know from forums. Occasionally I run into Baha’is who is sensitive to my feelings but even then they try to use their Baha’i Writings to rationalize and justify everything.

For weeks, I have been going through sheer hell and I have been barely holding it together. Granted, I do not share with any Baha’is what I am going through, why would I? All the Baha’is will say is “suffering is good for you because it makes you grow stronger” or “you should thank God for sending you the tests.” Who are they to say what makes me stronger or what I should thank God for? But of course they have their Baha’i Writings telling them that so they have to believe it.

Mind you, this is not about who is right or wrong. I believe that the Baha’i Writings are right in what they say about tests and suffering, although I do not believe God sends tests directly to individuals.

This thread is not about who is right and who is wrong; it is about people being kind and compassionate and sensitive to people’s feelings. Sure, I might be stronger because I have suffered so much, but so what? What if I don’t want to be stronger? What if I want to be happy like everyone else for a change? No, I do not believe God sent me tests so I can grow stronger. God is not that cruel. Tests are just part of life, and some people get more of them than other people. It is the luck of the draw, mostly determined by heredity and the parents we got, not some free will decision we made because we like to suffer. Moreover, I cannot just waft away my feelings because I have a religion and I believe in God. I am a human being with feelings as well as thoughts.

Maybe I am not being fair. I am always willing to admit I am wrong if there is any evidence of that, but all I can know is what I have experienced, what people have said to me.

 

[Quintessence]

It's funny, because I almost created a thread yesterday about emotions. The muse wasn't quite with me, but the general thrust of the thread was going to be about how many of us in English-speaking cultures have problematic relationships with emotions. In short, I don't think this issue stems from Baha'i religion in particular, but an overall tendency in Western culture to devalue emotions and have poor "emotional IQ" so to speak. Reason and rationality are put on a pedestal at the expense of sensuality and emotion. We are bad at talking about feelings or taking them seriously.

 

[SigurdReginson]

Meh... I'm sorry you are going through hardships right now. It sucks, and feeling alone in your struggles can make it suck more.

Is there anyone you can talk to this about in your day to day life? Being able to get things off your chest helps.

 

[ppp]

This thread is not about who is right and who is wrong; it is about people being kind and compassionate and sensitive to people’s feelings. Sure, I might be stronger because I have suffered so much, but so what?

Kinda reminds me of some of my medical friends who gush over the mechanism and effect of some disorder or disease in front of the person going through the experience. Jerks. :-/

 

[Trailblazer]

It's funny, because I almost created a thread yesterday about emotions. The muse wasn't quite with me, but the general thrust of the thread was going to be about how many of us in English-speaking cultures have problematic relationships with emotions. In short, I don't think this issue stems from Baha'i religion in particular, but an overall tendency in Western culture to devalue emotions and have poor "emotional IQ" so to speak. Reason and rationality are put on a pedestal at the expense of sensuality and emotion. We are bad at talking about feelings or taking them seriously.

You raise a very good point. Many people do not deal very well with emotions, what I refer to as feelings. Especially if they have not endured that many tests and difficulties in their lives and have not suffered a lot it is difficult for them to relate to people who have. I have a MA in Counseling Psychology and many years dealing with my own feelings in counseling and 12 step programs so it is old hat to me.

It is really a shame that in this information age people are still ashamed if they have depression or anxiety so many people hide their feelings. Although I tend to operate from a rational thought basis, I am not ashamed of my feelings and I will wear my feelings on my sleeve. I think it is unhealthy to deny one's feelings and push them down. Sometimes we have to do that in order to function in life but I think there needs to be a place where we can share our feelings.

 

[Trailblazer]

Meh... I'm sorry you are going through hardships right now. It sucks, and feeling alone in your struggles can make it suck more.

Is there anyone you can talk to this about in your day to day life? Being able to get things off your chest helps.

That is one reason I posted this thread, so I would not feel alone in my struggles. I have my husband I can talk to any time and he will listen, but he does not understand how I feel about certain things, because he related to them very differently.

I hope all is well with you and I hope you are enjoying the last few days (or weeks) of summer in the great Northwest, not too hot and not too cold. With this crisis I have been going through I have not been able to get outside to walk or ride my bike as I normally do but at least I can view the animals and birds on my deck.

 

[Nakosis]

Sadly, I have found that the Baha’is I know care more about their dogma than people’s feelings. I am not saying that all Baha’is are like this because that would not be fair, since I do not know all Baha’is. I am referring to Baha’is I know from forums. Occasionally I run into Baha’is who is sensitive to my feelings but even then they try to use their Baha’i Writings to rationalize and justify everything.

For weeks, I have been going through sheer hell and I have been barely holding it together. Granted, I do not share with any Baha’is what I am going through, why would I? All the Baha’is will say is “suffering is good for you because it makes you grow stronger” or “you should thank God for sending you the tests.” Who are they to say what makes me stronger or what I should thank God for? But of course they have their Baha’i Writings telling them that so they have to believe it.

Mind you, this is not about who is right or wrong. I believe that the Baha’i Writings are right in what they say about tests and suffering, although I do not believe God sends tests directly to individuals.

This thread is not about who is right and who is wrong; it is about people being kind and compassionate and sensitive to people’s feelings. Sure, I might be stronger because I have suffered so much, but so what? What if I don’t want to be stronger? What if I want to be happy like everyone else for a change? No, I do not believe God sent me tests so I can grow stronger. God is not that cruel. Tests are just part of life, and some people get more of them than other people. It is the luck of the draw, mostly determined by heredity and the parents we got, not some free will decision we made because we like to suffer. Moreover, I cannot just waft away my feelings because I have a religion and I believe in God. I am a human being with feelings as well as thoughts.

Maybe I am not being fair. I am always willing to admit I am wrong if there is any evidence of that, but all I can know is what I have experienced, what people have said to me.

I think most people upon hearing your problems want to be helpful. They want to solve your problem. Baha'is of course are going to turn to Baha'i doctrine for a solution. Unfortunately what this usually ends up doing is invalidating the problem and the person with the problem.

Honestly, I find most people just want someone to share their problem with, not solve it. They really just want someone to listen to them. A lot of times people feel better by just talking about their problems with someone. Often they come up with a solution themselves just by talking through it and having a good listener at hand.

 

[Dawnofhope]

Sadly, I have found that the Baha’is I know care more about their dogma than people’s feelings. I am not saying that all Baha’is are like this because that would not be fair, since I do not know all Baha’is. I am referring to Baha’is I know from forums. Occasionally I run into Baha’is who is sensitive to my feelings but even then they try to use their Baha’i Writings to rationalize and justify everything.

For weeks, I have been going through sheer hell and I have been barely holding it together. Granted, I do not share with any Baha’is what I am going through, why would I? All the Baha’is will say is “suffering is good for you because it makes you grow stronger” or “you should thank God for sending you the tests.” Who are they to say what makes me stronger or what I should thank God for? But of course they have their Baha’i Writings telling them that so they have to believe it.

Mind you, this is not about who is right or wrong. I believe that the Baha’i Writings are right in what they say about tests and suffering, although I do not believe God sends tests directly to individuals.

This thread is not about who is right and who is wrong; it is about people being kind and compassionate and sensitive to people’s feelings. Sure, I might be stronger because I have suffered so much, but so what? What if I don’t want to be stronger? What if I want to be happy like everyone else for a change? No, I do not believe God sent me tests so I can grow stronger. God is not that cruel. Tests are just part of life, and some people get more of them than other people. It is the luck of the draw, mostly determined by heredity and the parents we got, not some free will decision we made because we like to suffer. Moreover, I cannot just waft away my feelings because I have a religion and I believe in God. I am a human being with feelings as well as thoughts.

Maybe I am not being fair. I am always willing to admit I am wrong if there is any evidence of that, but all I can know is what I have experienced, what people have said to me.

Really sorry to hear you’re going through such a tough time @Trailblazer . I haven’t been on the forum much recently but have been thinking about the Baha’is here, especially those I’ve had contact with. There’s quite a few others on the forum I think about too. Regardless of our religious and ideological views, we’re all part of the same humanity and life is often difficult for many of us.

I had a long chat with one of my regular patients yesterday who has had a tough life, chronically struggles with day to day life and finds few people really know and understand her. I didn’t have much to offer other than listening. However, I thought she was going really well in her life though she couldn’t see it.

Ultimately we are the only ones who can read the reality of our lives and discover what works best for us. I find the Sacred writings and reflecting on the lives of the Prophets comforting and helpful in times of difficulty. That’s an important part of what keeps me walking the path of faith.

Hope you can better connect with what works best for you and thanks for sharing from the heart.

 

[Trailblazer]

I think most people upon hearing your problems want to be helpful. They want to solve your problem. Baha'is of course are going to turn to Baha'i doctrine for a solution. Unfortunately what this usually ends up doing is invalidating the problem and the person with the problem.

That is true, most people want to help, some more than others, but some people might make me feel even worse, which is why i do not share exactly what is going on with everyone.

Yes, quoting scripture or doctrine is hardly helpful, it only makes me feel worse since I cannot always live up to the "religious expectations."

Honestly, I find most people just want someone to share their problem with, not solve it. They really just want someone to listen to them. A lot of times people feel better by just talking about their problems with someone. Often they come up with a solution themselves just by talking through it and having a good listener at hand.

That's true too. Most people feel better sharing their problems with someone, not that anyone can fix the problems, but caring and understanding goes a long way, especially if those people have had similar experiences. In the end we have to work out our own solutions as best we can.

 

[Trailblazer]

“Thou hast written concerning the tests that have come upon thee. To the sincere ones, tests are as a gift from God, the Exalted, for a heroic person hasteneth, with the utmost joy and gladness, to the tests of a violent battlefield, but the coward is afraid and trembles and utters moaning and lamentation. Likewise, an expert student prepareth and memorizeth his lessons and exercises with the utmost effort, and in the day of examination he appeareth with infinite joy before the master. Likewise, the pure gold shineth radiantly in the fire of test. Consequently, it is made clear that for holy souls, trials are as the gift of God, the Exalted; but for weak souls they are an unexpected calamity. This test is just as thou hast written: it removeth the rust of egotism from the mirror of the heart until the Sun of Truth may shine therein. For, no veil is greater than egotism and no matter how thin that covering may be, yet it will finally veil man entirely and prevent him from receiving a portion from the eternal bounty.”
Abdu'l-Baha, Bahá’í World Faith, pp. 371-372

I do not know what test he was referring to in this quote. The word “test” is just too general, and it could apply to anything that tests a person. I will assume he means any test, since I have no way of knowing otherwise.

So can someone, preferably a Baha’i, please explain how a test such as a loss of a loved one removes the rust of egotism from the mirror of the heart until the Sun of Truth may shine therein? Why the assumption of egotism and how does the test remove egotism?

Baha’is have an obsession with what they refer to as “tests and difficulties” and how they are good for us. I am tired of listening to it. No other religion has such as obsession. It would not be as bad if they had some compassion for people who are going through tests, but they cannot have compassion because that goes against the belief that we are supposed to consider our tests as a gift from God, and anyone who views tests as a gift of God is a holy soul whereas anyone who views their test as a calamity is a weak soul. In my opinion this is judgmental and devoid of compassion, yet my best Baha’i friend tells me that Abdu’l-Baha was just stating the facts…The question then becomes who is Abdu'l-Baha to make such a pronouncement, but that is an entirely different subject.

 

[loverofhumanity]

Hi Everyone. I read the OP with interest. Myself I’ve been a member of the Baha’i Faith for 45 years but I’m still trying to become a true Baha’i. I’ve taken up a counselling course at uni because I want to be able to help alleviate those emotionally and mentally suffering of people especially after the wreckage that COVID 19 is leaving in its wake.

But a lot or most of the suffering in the world, I believe, comes from the corrupt systems which only benefit a small handful, with the rest struggling to make ends meet or even survive.

As a Baha’i my prime objective is to provide a refuge for humanity. My own life and difficulties don’t factor into it because in all honesty, I live better than a king upon reflection and being totally honest. I have nourishing food, clean water, comfortable clothing & shelter, 24 hr electricity and good sanitation, free Medicare, subsidised medications, free education, a generous pension, a terrific wife, wonderful friends, all comforts and luxuries. And these are just some of my earthly, worldly gifts. Then, above all, I know Who Baha’u’llah is - a knowledge and joy I could not pay back God in trillions upon trillions of years. I consider myself the luckiest most blest person walking the earth and often ask “why am I so blest’? There are others much more deserving so I’ll never know why.

Now having all these earthly and heavenly gifts how can I complain about anything? My greatest hope and dearest wish in this life is for all to have these comforts and blessings not just myself.

And I believe that this can only happen universally when there is a just and fair system based on love for all humanity that provides and cares for all. Universal free healthcare for all instead of $trillions spent on nuclear weapons, universal free education, universal employment and world brotherhood.

So because we Baha’is are so few in number, trying to bring about such a huge transformation in the world to alleviate suffering, we are focused more on society than ourselves.I would offer this letter of our Guardian to explain what is our work which is definitely not dogma, but very humane and compassionate. It’s not about us Baha’is, it’s about you all and you’re suffering and difficulties. This is what we are focused on not ourselves.


The world with the various calamities that have befallen it, will be completely ravaged and its civilization demolished, if the Bahá'ís do not come to its help and embue it with the spirit that Bahá'u'lláh has brought to the world. The economic factions, political parties, national hatreds, racial prejudices, and religious antagonisms, will continue to bring about devastating wars until the spirit of the Cause permeates the heart of man, and its universal teachings pull down the existing barriers. Let us be reminded of our duty by the misery we see around us, and arise for the prosecution of our noble duty."

(From a letter dated 24 November 1931 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the American National Spiritual Assembly)

 

[oldbadger]

To the sincere ones, tests are as a gift from God, the Exalted, for a heroic person hasteneth, with the utmost joy and gladness, to the tests of a violent battlefield, but the coward is afraid and trembles and utters moaning and lamentation.

Trailblazer, I am sad to read of your unhappinesses of late. I don't know what to suggest....... in fact I think that suggestions from 'all the world' can fall like a constant barrage, and if anything can make 'unhappy conditions' even worse.

I highlighted the above words of Abdul Baha because I think they are dreadful and Bahauallah would not have written anything like that.
Abdul Baha's heroes and cowards, and his violent battlefields make me seriously wonder about what a Bahai World would really be like, but you know me........ I do moan about Bahai.

I really should run a thread on 'Heroes and Cowards'.
I hope you feel much happier soon..... very soon.

 

[loverofhumanity]

Trailblazer, I am sad to read of your unhappinesses of late. I don't know what to suggest....... in fact I think that suggestions from 'all the world' can fall like a constant barrage, and if anything can make 'unhappy conditions' even worse.

I highlighted the above words of Abdul Baha because I think they are dreadful and Bahauallah would not have written anything like that.
Abdul Baha's heroes and cowards, and his violent battlefields make me seriously wonder about what a Bahai World would really be like, but you know me........ I do moan about Bahai.

I really should run a thread on 'Heroes and Cowards'.
I hope you feel much happier soon..... very soon.

My experience is very different. The Baha’is and the Baha’i Faith actually saved my life. I would go through the same suffering a hundred times over to attain this prize! And I am absolutely certain it was sent by God in order to lead me out of a dark selfish self, into a transformed spiritual being, full of happiness, joy, inner peace and contentment. And yes, I was very much a coward then, only thinking of myself. Aptly put, in my case, I believe, by Abdul-Baha.

If it wasn’t for my suffering. 6 suicide attempts due to depression and 6 courses of electric shock treatment I would never have found the Baha’is as my mother would not take me back home at the time and a friend at work put me in touch with his friends who were Baha’is and they looked after me for many months until I became well again, but made NO mention of the Faith to me or the name Baha’i. They showed me the utmost love and compassion and never told me they were Baha’is.

When I finally returned home to live with my mum, there was a couple who lived above our unit and were always friendly, but again, never mentioned what their religion was. One day, out of curiosity, when I bumped into one of them I said ‘I know you are religious people because you are so nice, but you can’t be Christians because you haven’t tried to convert me”. I asked them what religion they were. Then they told me they were Baha’is.The people who took me in earlier, I discovered, were Baha’is too!


Now since that traumatic time, my life has become stable, happy and contented. Since then I have been married to a Burmese Baha’i for 42 years, had a stable job and now am studying at uni thanks again to Baha’u’llah and what Abdul-Baha has said about science and knowledge. From an early age I couldn’t complete high school because my family broke up and I was orphaned. They gave me my life back, a stable home life and work life and now even going to university.

By turning to God I was transformed, I believe, from a coward into a spiritual being, and make no mistake about it, my attempts to run away from my difficulties by turning to suicide, was pure cowardice and selfishness. How many torturous nights I put my mother through wondering if I would live or die!

In time, God gave me the inner strength to face my challenges with courage instead of running away from them, and after my mum saw the transformation and change in me, she too became a Baha’i.

Truth, like medicine, does not always taste good, but it is the best thing for us.

 

[Trailblazer]

If it wasn’t for my suffering. 6 suicide attempts due to depression and 6 courses of electric shock treatment I would never have found the Baha’is as my mother would not take me back home at the time and a friend at work put me in touch with his friends who were Baha’is and they looked after me for many months until I became well again, but made NO mention of the Faith to me or the name Baha’i. They showed me the utmost love and compassion and never told me they were Baha’is.

That was YOUR individual experience with certain Baha’is. I have had been suicidal many more than six times but I never had such experiences with Baha’is, so logically speaking, that does not prove anything about "the Baha’is."

It could just as easily been Christians or atheists who came to your aid. In fact, it has been atheists who have some to MY aid in this forum, as well as a nonreligious believer and a Jewish woman. No Baha'i has ever shown any PERSONAL interest in me. All Baha’is care about is saving humanity, but they cannot even be compassionate towards each other... But why would they be compassionate given what Abdu'l-Baha said about tests and how we are cowards and weak souls if we cannot stand up to the pressure, all the while thanking God for their tests. Who gave him the right to judge souls?

The thing is, I dug my way out of a hole I had been in for 12 years, a hold so deep you could not even imagine it, and I did it without the help of any Baha'is. My dear husband who is also a Baha’i has also had emotional problems but when he reached out to the LSA for help, they told, him to seek help from a counselor, but he had already done that and it never helped. They said some other insensitive things but I care not to repeat them on a public forum.

I am not saying that all Baha’is are insensitive because that would be unfair and illogical, given I do not know all the Baha’is, only those who I have had personal experience with.

 

[Trailblazer]

By turning to God I was transformed, I believe, from a coward into a spiritual being, and make no mistake about it, my attempts to run away from my difficulties by turning to suicide, was pure cowardice and selfishness. How many torturous nights I put my mother through wondering if I would live or die!

In time, God gave me the inner strength to face my challenges with courage instead of running away from them, and after my mum saw the transformation and change in me, she too became a Baha’i.

You think you were a coward and a weak soul because of what Abdu’l-Baha said, but from my perspective you were just a man feeling so hopeless you became suicidal. This is what the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha do to people, and what value does that have to imply that some people are cowards and weak souls? How does that help people who are already suffering, or does it even matter how people feel?

The thing is that I never tried to run away from my tests. As soon as I realized I had a problem, I faced that problem head on and figured out what to do about that problem all by myself. I was married during most of those years but my husband was not much help because he did not know how to help and he had his own emotional problems. But I do not expect everyone to be able to do what I did because that would be arrogant. I have compassion for others who are for whatever reasons not as strong and persistent as I was.

The turning point for me was about six years ago when I finally turned to God for help, and it was Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and compassionate human beings I had found to talk to on forums that pulled me out from under the bus, not any counselors or mental health professionals, who hardly ever helped me at all.

It is true that as Abdu’l-Baha said, tests and difficulties make people stronger, IF they can weather the storm, but what about people who cannot weather the storm? I refuse to think of these people as cowards and weak souls because I consider that cruel and insensitive.

Sadly, this is what religion does to people; it makes them into robots living off a script, a script they are afraid to put down.

Truth, like medicine, does not always taste good, but it is the best thing for us.

Guess what? The Baha’i Faith does not have a corner on the market for Truth. These same spiritual Truths can be found in all the scriptures of past religions.

Part I.—From the Arabic

Preamble

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.

The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 3

 

[Trailblazer]

Trailblazer, I am sad to read of your unhappinesses of late. I don't know what to suggest....... in fact I think that suggestions from 'all the world' can fall like a constant barrage, and if anything can make 'unhappy conditions' even worse.

I highlighted the above words of Abdul Baha because I think they are dreadful and Bahauallah would not have written anything like that.
Abdul Baha's heroes and cowards, and his violent battlefields make me seriously wonder about what a Bahai World would really be like, but you know me........ I do moan about Bahai.

I really should run a thread on 'Heroes and Cowards'.
I hope you feel much happier soon..... very soon.

Thanks Badge. I will get through this just as I have gotten through all my other tests, but I won’t consider myself a “holy soul” because I was able to. Rather, I am just very persistent and I figure things out by analyzing things and finding solutions to my problems.

I am glad someone else besides me can see that what Abdu’l-Baha said is dreadful and that Baha’u’llah would not have written anything like that. Logically speaking, that does not mean that everything Abdu’l-Baha wrote is dreadful, but it means I cannot consider him infallible, as some Baha’is do.

I do not know what the Baha’i world would be like, but it won’t be coming into place any time soon, unless the Baha’is step up to bat with more than their new social teachings.

“Not by the force of numbers, not by the mere exposition of a set of new and noble principles, not by an organized campaign of teaching—no matter how worldwide and elaborate in its character—not even by the staunchness of our faith or the exaltation of our enthusiasm, can we ultimately hope to vindicate in the eyes of a critical and sceptical age the supreme claim of the Abhá Revelation. One thing and only one thing will unfailingly and alone secure the undoubted triumph of this sacred Cause, namely, the extent to which our own inner life and private character mirror forth in their manifold aspects the splendor of those eternal principles proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh.” Shoghi Effendi, Bahá’í Administration, p. 66

Those eternal principles proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh, not by Abdu’l-Baha.

*******************************

Lately I have come close to dropping out of the Baha’i Faith because of this quote about cowards and holy souls as well as other things that Abdu’l-Baha has written; for example, about how Baha’is should “surpass the rest of mankind in all conditions and perfections; that they may be physically and morally superior to others.”

Can you even imagine Baha’u’llah writing something like that? It is a clear contradiction to what Baha’u’llah wrote in the Hidden Words:

68. O Children of Men!
Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of holiness from the tree of wondrous glory.

The Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah

But as a Baha’i I am supposed to be faithful to the Covenant of Baha’u’llah, which means I am supposed to consider everything Abdu’l-Baha wrote as “the very truth.”

I believe that Baha’u’llah a Manifestation of God so I am in between a rock and a hard place, since I cannot reject Baha’u’llah, because to me that would be akin to rejecting God. Baha’u’llah is the ONLY REASON I am still a Baha’i.

I wish you would start a thread on 'Heroes and Cowards'.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

No Baha'i has ever shown any PERSONAL interest in me. All Baha’is care about is saving humanity, but they cannot even be compassionate towards each other...

I see that may be an issue for you to come to terms with, as what you offered is not what I see.

I see many try to help, who in the scope of the issue, may not have the ability to help, but it does not mean they did not have an interest in helping you personally.

I can offer that I mostly stay silent, as you have pushed away the only help I can offer, which means I can not help you, in your current frame of reference.

RegardsTony

 

[oldbadger]

My experience is very different. The Baha’is and the Baha’i Faith actually saved my life. I would go through the same suffering a hundred times over to attain this prize! And I am absolutely certain it was sent by God in order to lead me out of a dark selfish self, into a transformed spiritual being, full of happiness, joy, inner peace and contentment. And yes, I was very much a coward then, only thinking of myself. Aptly put, in my case, I believe, by Abdul-Baha.

If it wasn’t for my suffering. 6 suicide attempts due to depression and 6 courses of electric shock treatment I would never have found the Baha’is as my mother would not take me back home at the time and a friend at work put me in touch with his friends who were Baha’is and they looked after me for many months until I became well again, but made NO mention of the Faith to me or the name Baha’i. They showed me the utmost love and compassion and never told me they were Baha’is.

When I finally returned home to live with my mum, there was a couple who lived above our unit and were always friendly, but again, never mentioned what their religion was. One day, out of curiosity, when I bumped into one of them I said ‘I know you are religious people because you are so nice, but you can’t be Christians because you haven’t tried to convert me”. I asked them what religion they were. Then they told me they were Baha’is.The people who took me in earlier, I discovered, were Baha’is too!


Now since that traumatic time, my life has become stable, happy and contented. Since then I have been married to a Burmese Baha’i for 42 years, had a stable job and now am studying at uni thanks again to Baha’u’llah and what Abdul-Baha has said about science and knowledge. From an early age I couldn’t complete high school because my family broke up and I was orphaned. They gave me my life back, a stable home life and work life and now even going to university.

By turning to God I was transformed, I believe, from a coward into a spiritual being, and make no mistake about it, my attempts to run away from my difficulties by turning to suicide, was pure cowardice and selfishness. How many torturous nights I put my mother through wondering if I would live or die!

In time, God gave me the inner strength to face my challenges with courage instead of running away from them, and after my mum saw the transformation and change in me, she too became a Baha’i.

Truth, like medicine, does not always taste good, but it is the best thing for us.

I'm glad to read that you came through.
Could I ask you a question?
Those 6 suicide attempts......... how did you try to kill yourself?
I ask because that is the first question that Samaritans used to ask, maybe they still do.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

Sadly, this is what religion does to people; it makes them into robots living off a script, a script they are afraid to put down.

My offer of help to you, would include the thought, that I see this is a major cause of your internal conflicts.

Baha'u'llah offers that the proof of His Message from God is seen firstly in His own Person and then in His Life.

After that, there is left to prosperity the Word of God uttered by the Messenger in the Life they Lived.

"... Say: The first and foremost testimony establishing His truth is His own Self. Next to this testimony is His Revelation. For whoso faileth to recognize either the one or the other He hath established the words He hath revealed as proof of His reality and truth. This is, verily, an evidence of His tender mercy unto men......"

It is not a robot that tries to find meaning in that script, it is a person that has Faith that script contains our ultimate purpose and uses reason and logic to bring that meaning out from scripture and not out of one's own world based reasoning.

Regards Tony

 

[TransmutingSoul]

Guess what? The Baha’i Faith does not have a corner on the market for Truth. These same spiritual Truths can be found in all the scriptures of past religions.

Part I.—From the Arabic

Preamble

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.

The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 3

I see David did not offer that the Baha'i Faith had the only truth. He did offer it answered His needs in this age, as it also answers all of mine.

Baha'u'llah also said the Message He has given is suited to this age and that this Message is the apex of all that we can achieve as a united humanity, in this age.

Regards Tony