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Religion in Thomaston GA | Bahai Faith | Also Serving Griffin, Barnesville, and Pike

The Baha'i Faith--the overriding message of the Baha'i Faith is that of unity. We believe in one God, the oneness of humanity, and the oneness of religion. From the distant past, all the world's major religions represent stages in the revealing of God's will to humanity, much as we progress in school from one grade to a higher grade, building on the past teachings.

Now there is a new religion in the world. The world has changed to a point where new teachings are necessary to prevent political and economic disaster, and to re-invigorate those spiritual truths and virtues that are the basis of civilization. In this new era, not only are we to follow Jesus' revolutionary and sublime teachings to love and serve one another individual to individual, we have been called to an even higher level, to love and serve humanity as a whole.

Some principles of the Baha'i Faith: Religion must be the cause of unity, religion must be in accord with science and reason, each person must investigate truth for himself or herself, the abolition of all forms of prejudice, the equality of men and women. There are many other principles and teachings, prayers and meditations.

All the major religions were founded upon great Prophets (also called great Educators or Messengers) who served as intermediaries between God and humanity. The founder of the Baha'i Faith is Baha'u'llah (translated The Glory of God, pronounced bah ha oo lah, with accent on ha) who suffered for many, many years to bring this message to us. The Baha'i Faith began in 1844 in Persia, was rejected by the clergy, and like the early Christians, the followers were severely persecuted; it is estimated approximately 20,000 were killed for refusing to recant their faith. Baha'u'llah was exiled four times, the last one to the prison-city of Akka (today this area is in Israel) and He passed away in 1892.

Today there are 6 million Baha'is and there are Baha'is in nearly every country in the world. There is no clergy in the Baha'i Faith and there is an entirely new type of administrative organization, based on spiritual principles and democratic procedures. The head of the Baha'i Faith is the Universal House of Justice, at the World Center on Mt. Carmel in Israel, near the resting place of its founder. To learn more see bahai.us, bahai.org, Wikipedia, call 1-800-22UNITE, blog me on this website, or e-mail me directly at dkoplan@gmail.com (to avoid trying to copy the distorted letters in the e-mail contact at the bottom of this page)

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Business Type: Religious Organizations

A Typical Local Spiritual Assembly

Baha'i community life

This is a new era in human religious history. People are better educated today and more independent than in the past. Baha'u'llah has stated that people can now investigate religion for themselves. They no longer need the clergy to educate them or to tell them what to believe. And many people the world over are not satisfied with the forms and rituals that have been prescribed for them to follow.

There is no clergy in the Baha'i Faith, but it is an organized religion (an organization of individuals can do many things an individual cannot). There is much to do in the Baha'i community if one wishes to participate. Some of the activities are the same as in previous religions, such as gatherings to study the sacred scriptures, Holy Day activities, committee work and meetings, social gatherings, teaching children's or youth or adult classes, etc. But some are new. For example, the Baha'i year is divided into 19 months, each named after an attribute of God, and at the beginning of each month the community gathers for the Baha'i Feast; this is not a food feast, but a spiritual one, and it is divided into 3 parts: the spiritual (saying or singing of prayers), the consultative (reports, announcements, discussion among all present), and the socializing part.

If there are at least 9 adult Baha'is in a town or city, a "Baha'i Spiritual Assembly" is formed and this body oversees the affairs of the Baha'i community; if one is elected to this body, there are activities connected with being a member.

There are activities concerning teaching the principles of the Baha'i Faith to the general community, such as race relations, religious harmony, overcoming various problems in the general community, overcoming obstacles to world peace, equality of men and women, etc.

And like all religions, there are conferences one can attend all through the year, week-long schools that have sessions all year, on-line courses, short-term or one-year service opportunities for the youth, opportunities for adult Baha'is to live overseas to help build a Baha'i community. There are also thousands of Baha'i social/economic projects in this country and around the world, such as schools (especially for girls in areas where there is no education for them), agricultural coops, and medical clinics.

Community life also consists of one's own spiritual development in the form of daily prayer and meditation, including prayer for one's own spiritual development and the spiritual upliftment of one's general community. Prayer is supremely important and is the basis for everything else in life, including the relationship between the individual and the community.

Who are the Prophets?
Return of Christ Thomaston Georgia

Baha'is use the phrase "Manifestations of God" to describe the major Prophets of God, who have had an overwhelmingly powerful effect on human development and human history. Abraham, Moses, Jesus Christ, Muhammed, Buddha, Krishna were Manifestations, and most recently, Baha'u'llah. Baha'u'llah has explained in detail why these awesome and mysterious figures have had so much influence upon humanity.

First of all, He states that there is absolute equality among Them, that no one of Them is superior to another, and that the differences which exist between the teachings of the various Manifestations are not due to any differences in stature or level of importance, but only to the widely varying needs and capacities of the civilizations to which They appeared; each One had to adapt His teachings to the type of culture and the varying requirements of that culture and civilization at that time in history.
Tomb Of Baha'u'llah, Akka, Israel

This does not mean that the same individual soul is born again in different physical bodies. They were all different personalities, but the spirit of God which dwelled within any one of Them was the same which dwelled in all of Them. Baha'u'llah uses an analogy: The sun in the sky is God, the Holy Spirit carries the attributes and qualities of God like the rays of the sun, and the Manifestation is a perfectly polished mirror Who is able to reflect all the attributes and qualities of God carried by the rays of the sun. If there are several mirrors all turned toward the sun, that sun is reflected in each mirror, yet the individual mirrors are different, each having been made in its own form and distinct from any other. God is unknowable; a finite human being cannot know or encompass the infinite, but God does wish to be known through the Manifestations that are sent to us.

Baha'u'llah explains that the Second Coming of Christ is the return of the attributes and the Holy Spirit in the mirror of another Manifestation, not the return of the same human personality: "It is clear and evident...that all the Prophets are the Temples of the Cause of God, Who have appeared in diverse attire. If thou wilt observe with discriminating eyes, thou wilt behold Them all abiding in the same tabernacle, soaring in the same heaven, seated upon the same throne, uttering the same speech, and proclaiming the same Faith...Wherefore, should one of these Manifestations of Holiness proclaim saying: 'I am the return of all the Prophets', He, verily, speaketh the truth." Baha'is believe Baha'u'llah fulfills the promise of the return of Christ even though Baha'u'llah and Jesus have distinct individual souls and therefore distinct human personalities. (Baha'u'llah also fulfills dozens of prophecies in the Old and New Testament concerning the Second Coming. Read Thief in the Night by William Sears, available on Amazon or Baha'i Publishing Trust)

The Manifestation is not simply an ordinary person whom God chooses at some point to be His messenger. Rather, the Manifestation is a special Being, having a unique relationship to God and sent by Him from the spiritual world as an instrument of divine revelation. Baha'u'llah explains the Manifestation is aware of His reality and identity even in childhood, though He may not begin His mission of openly teaching and instructing others until later in life. Because They are the direct recipients of revelation from God, the Manifestations possess absolute knowledge of the realities of life and this innate knowledge enables Them to formulate teachings and laws that correspond to human needs and conditions at a given time in history.

Excerpts from Baha'i Writings

There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God.

Know thou assuredly that the essence of all the Prophets of God is one and the same. Their unity is absolute. God, the Creator, saith: There is no distinction whatsoever among the Bearers of My Message.

The message of the holy, divine Manifestations (Prophets) is love; the phenomena of creation are based upon love; the radiance of the world is due to love; the well-being and happiness of the world depend upon it. Therefore, I admonish you that you must strive throughout the human world to diffuse the light of love. The people of this world are thinking of warfare; you must be peacemakers. The nations are self-centered; you must be thoughtful of others rather than yourselves. They are neglectful; you must be mindful.

Humanity is not perfect. There are imperfections in every human being, and you will always become unhappy if you look toward the people themselves.
But if you look toward God, you will love them and be kind to them, for the world of God is the world of perfection and complete mercy.

Between scientists and the followers of religion there had always been controversy and strife for the reason that the latter have proclaimed religion superior in authority to science and considered scientific announcement opposed to the teachings of religion. Baha'u'llah declared that religion is in complete harmony with science and reason. If religious belief and doctrine is at variance with reason, it proceeds from the limited mind of man and not from God; therefore, it is unworthy of belief and not deserving of attention; the heart finds no rest in it, and real faith is impossible. How can man believe that which he knows to be opposed to reason? ...Reason is the first faculty of man, and the religion of God is in harmony with it. Baha'u'llah has removed this form of dissension and discord from among mankind and reconciled science with religion by revealing the pure teachings of the divine reality.

Arts, crafts, and sciences uplift the world of being, and are conducive to its exaltation. Knowledge is as wings to man's life, and a ladder for his ascent. Its acquisition is incumbent upon everyone.

In accordance with the divine teachings the acquisition of sciences and the perfections of arts are considered acts of worship. If a man engages with all his power in the acquisition of a science or in the perfection of an art, it is as if he has been worshipping God in churches and temples.

It is enjoined upon every one of you to engage in some form of occupation, such as crafts, trades and the like. We have graciously exalted your engagement in such work to the rank of worship of God, the True One.

Business Types:	Religious Organization
Service Area:	Thomaston, GA

Religion in Thomaston GA | Bahai Faith | Also Serving Griffin, Barnesville, and Pike

Religion in Thomaston GA | Bahai Faith | Also Serving Griffin, Barnesville, and Pike — Services