Correspondence with National

In September I sent a letter to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States requesting guidance on the use and study of talks by individuals at the 19 Day Feast. I had heard that some Local Assemblies may have requested the believers study a transcript of a very enlightening talk by Dr. Peter Khan at Feast and I was a bit concerned that that went against the spirit of Feast and Bahá’u'lláh’s teachings. I have been learning that despite my personal distaste for sermons (not to say I don’t have a preachy side :p ), like anything else there is a place for preaching in the Baha’i community, and it is not so much preaching but a particular improper use of it which the Baha’i teachings are against.

My letter to the National Spiritual Assembly and the reply I received on their behalf are below. Despite the apologies contained within, their reply was very prompt, and my first real experience of communication with the Institutions was fruitful. I share the correspondence here in the hopes it can be useful to others.

God Bless,
Gerald

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My Letter of September 29, 2009:

Alláh-u-abhá!

Recently a transcript of a talk by Dr. Peter Khan has been distributed amongst the friends, largely on the internet and also offline. It deals with the Ridvan letter of the Universal House of Justice for 2009, and addresses themes like the nature of civilization and religion, and the Five Year Plan in context of the larger goals of the Faith. It is of a very high quality and very useful to the community.

I just recently studied it myself – after hearing about it for a few weeks – and I thought it very accurately addresses some misconceptions about the Five Year Plan I have experienced in my local community and elsewhere. However, I then learned that some Local Spiritual Assemblies may have asked that it be studied by the believers at Feast. I have only heard this on hearsay, but it concerned me a lot for a few reasons:

1. It doesn’t appear to be authenticated. It most likely is from Dr. Khan, but it did not come through channels of official publication/communication, nor did it come from the World Center in any other way. As far as I can tell it seems to have first entered the community from a blog at http://reflectionsonteachingbahaifaith.blogspot.com/2009/08/reflections-on-ridvan-2009-message-talk.html which claims to have received it through an email list. While there is no reason to doubt the honesty of the distributers, this definitely doesn’t meet the high standards of authentication set for us by the Beloved Guardian and the Universal House of Justice.
2. Bahá’u’láh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá both discouraged the giving of sermons, and the Guardian emphasized that only the Holy Writings of the Bahá’í Faith and guidance from the Institutions should be read at Feast. Encouraging the friends to use the 19 Day Feast as a venue to study a talk by an individual (however edifying) seems inappropriate as it elevates it to a level like a sermon, and sets it alongside authoritative guidance and sacred scripture.

While I loved the talk, and I think it would be useful for the friends to study, I don’t feel like Feast is the appropriate time, especially not for an LSA to formally ask that it be read. Is the National Assembly aware of the source of this transcript? Did it come through more official channels than I am aware of, or can it be authenticated? Is there any guidance from the Institutions of the Faith on the issue of talks/articles by individuals being studied during feast? I know Hands of the Cause used to send out letter/talks for Feasts, but that was in their role as an Institution, a talk by a House member has no similar role, nor does it seem that Dr. Khan intended it be used that way.

I would appreciate any guidance, advice or elucidation than can be provided.

God Bless,
Gerald Fernandez-Mayfield

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The Reply of November 3, 2009:

Dear Baháʹí Friend,

The National Spiritual Assembly has asked us to respond on its behalf to your email of September 29, 2009, requesting guidance on whether it is appropriate to read talks by Universal House of Justice members and others at the Nineteen Day Feast, and whether such talks have been, and should be, authenticated. Please accept our apologies for the delay you have experienced. This office must handle a large volume of correspondence on behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly, and, regrettably, it is not always possible to reply to each letter and email as promptly as we would like.

The talk which you refer to in your email is indeed by Dr. Peter Khan, and it is an example of many similar addresses, the content of which the friends are free to distribute in the variety of ways that are available to them. Although it is not possible or desirable to authenticate every such address, the friends are trusted to ensure that their accounts are accurate and presented in a dignified manner, much in the way of Pilgrim’s Notes in the early days of the Faith in North America.

While it is true that only “prayers and readings from the Holy Texts” may be read during the devotional portion of the Feast, `Abduʹl‐Bahá encouraged the Baháʹís to “deliver eloquent speeches” during the administrative and social portions. To this end, a Local Assembly may decide to include talks such as the one by Dr. Khan as part of the Nineteen Day Feast. This issue is addressed in a number of references, one of which is included below for your convenience, in Chapter 8, pages 4‐5, of Guidelines for Local Spiritual Assemblies, which can be accessed online on the Baháʹí administrative website at www.usbnc.org.

Even though the observance of the Feast requires strict adherence to the threefold aspects in the sequence in which they have been defined, there is much room for variety in the total experience. For example, music may be introduced at various stages, including the devotional portion; `Abduʹl‐Bahá recommends that eloquent, uplifting talks be given (emphasis added); originality and variety in expressions of hospitality are possible; the quality and range of the consultation are critical to the spirit of the occasion. (Letter from the Universal House of Justice, dated August 27, 1989, to the followers of Baháʹuʹlláh, in Stirring of the Spirit, Celebrating the Institution of the Nineteen Day Feast, p. 2)

We appreciate your questions as well as the spirit which prompted them. If you have other questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

With warm Baháʹí regards,
Office of Community Administration

Baháí’, the reasonable religion . . .

Baha’is believe in the harmony of science and religion, we believe that the rational faculties are ordained by God, we have social principles which are almost universally in line with the progressive vogue, and we pride ourselves on being accepting of others, even attempting to discard the concept of “otherness” all together. All of this is wonderful, but sometimes allows us to slip into a sense of patronizing superiority.

Living in Idaho I am surrounded by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Idaho Baha’is seem overall to be nothing but warm towards our Mormon neighbors, and we all seem to recognize the great deal we have in common. Coming to the east coast of the United States, I haven’t heard the end of Baha’is asking about that western ‘cult’ and their ridiculous beliefs, and even on the west coast Baha’is seem to feel justified ridiculing Scientologists. And ‘creationist’ and ‘fundamentalist’ seem to be epithets of choice in intellectual discussions among Baha’is. None of this is done with malice, normally just a lighthearted teasing and an assumption that all “religious silliness” is destined to be erased by Baha’u'llah’s healing remedy of intellectual consistency and reason in religion.

Inspired by a sermon I once heard a Seventh Day Adventist pastor give, I would like to enlighten Baha’is on just how ridiculous our own religion is, that maybe we can learn to appreciate the intense faith members of other religions have in upholding their beliefs:

— — —

Firstly, as a former atheist I am required to point out that we believe in an ancient being who has existed before the dawn of time, chosen to remain hidden from all observation, yet demands recognition and universal worship. Even better, this power claims that it’s very elusive nature is proof of it’s existence *, and we buy that wholeheartedly.

Next, we believe that around 6000 years ago (Lights of Guidance, p. 500) a man with neither father nor mother (Abdu’l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 88) incarnated the attributes of the hidden God, and led mankind to a new level of consciousness, as well as beginning to prepare them for the birth of a minor Persian nobleman.

We believe that somewhere in between that time and now, God chose a murderer (SAQ 14) with a stutter (Exodus 4:10) to lead a nation out of slavery, the same God who in His hidden wisdom forbid the taking of another human life. That God later encouraged the freed people to take on slaves of their own.

Then we believe that a young unmarried mother, when accused of harlotry and claiming to be bearing the miracle child of God, was telling the truth and really had violated all the laws of nature in becoming pregnant as a virgin. (LG 489) And we believe her baby could speak as an infant. (Qur’an 19:30)

Then we believe that an illiterate man (SAQ 22) with symptoms of epilepsy was more likely a Prophet of God than a lunatic when He was visited by an angel and started reciting apparently off-topic poetry which lacked any appreciation for the proper rules of grammar. And when He encouraged husbands to beat disobedient wives, He did it to upraise the role of women in society.

Next we believe that a young Persian merchant had Magneto’s ability to control the movement of bullets, avoiding near death.

A polygamist convict will renew the power of religion, establish universal justice, and usher in the equality of men and women.

Human beings have the ability to manifest otherworldly magics, otherwise known as psychic powers, but we shouldn’t because Daddy says the stove is hot. (LG 153)

— — —

And somehow we think we are justified in making fun of Scientologists for believing in aliens and liking sci-fi, and that the Mormons have really gone crazy for disagreeing with the prevailing theory of the settlement of the Americas?

People believe in a lot of crazy things that I don’t understand, and we have a lot in common.

Scriptures of the past

Guys! (Baha’is in particular) When you are discussing the Faith with non-Baha’is, and when you are examining our beliefs yourself, please try to separate your own prejudices from the teachings of the Faith. I often hear Baha’is saying things like this:

“The reason we need a new religion is that people have changed the scriptures of the past a lot, and they are no longer accurate.”

. . . or this . . .

“We Baha’is only use our own scriptures, because all of them are accurate, and all written by the original authors.”

What? These just aren’t true statements of Baha’i belief or scriptural history. I will take the two separately to prove it.

— — —

“The reason we need a new religion is that people have changed the scriptures of the past a lot, and they are no longer accurate.”

I am not sure where this comes from, but, Baha’u'llah certainly didn’t teach this, and this statement is blatantly disrespectful and offensive to members of the other divine religions. Baha’u'llah in His Iqan argues against a prevalent Muslims idea known as Taḥrīf or “corruption”. This idea posits that the scriptures revealed by Moses and Jesus no longer exist due to changes introduced into the texts by the members of the respective religions. Baha’u'llah says:

We have also heard a number of the foolish of the earth assert that the genuine text of the heavenly Gospel doth not exist amongst the Christians, that it hath ascended unto heaven. How grievously they have erred! How oblivious of the fact that such a statement imputeth the gravest injustice and tyranny to a gracious and loving Providence! How could God, when once the Day-star of the beauty of Jesus had disappeared from the sight of His people, and ascended unto the fourth heaven, cause His holy Book, His most great testimony amongst His creatures, to disappear also? What would be left to that people to cling to from the setting of the day-star of Jesus until the rise of the sun of the Muḥammadan Dispensation? What law could be their stay and guide? How could such people be made the victims of the avenging wrath of God, the omnipotent Avenger? How could they be afflicted with the scourge of chastisement by the heavenly King? Above all, how could the flow of the grace of the All-Bountiful be stayed? How could the ocean of His tender mercies be stilled? We take refuge with God, from that which His creatures have fancied about Him! Exalted is He above their comprehension!”

Baha’u'llah, in another paragraph of this passage does acknowledge that in select instances scriptural changes which irreparably remove pieces of revelation from the scriptures have happened. However, He then makes is clear that the scriptures are protected by God and still accurately record divine revelation; this is a sign of the justice of God, the means of salvation are never removed from the people. Baha’u'llah explains that the main form of corruption in the past revelations is not in fact scriptural inaccuracy, but the layering of false and deviant interpretations over the truths God’s Messengers have delivered:

“In yet another instance, He saith: “A part of them heard the Word of God, and then, after they had understood it, distorted it, and knew that they did so.” 3 This verse, too, doth indicate that the meaning of the Word of God hath been perverted, not that the actual words have been effaced. To the truth of this testify they that are sound of mind.”

So no, the reason we have a new religion is certainly not because the past scriptures are patchy, and such a claim is an impeachment of the justice of God and a denial of a central truth of all divine revelation: the recognition of ALL past revelations as divine, beautiful, eternal and salvific.

Tahrif is a fallacy that is very prevalent within the Baha’i Faith, and I don’t quite understand why. Baha’u'llah clearly seems to deny that textual changes are the main cause of religious change, and actually denounces the idea that God would allow a revealed book to be removed from the population by this process.

Baha’u'llah makes this very clear in paragraphs 92-99 of the Kitab-i-Iqan. While admitting that scriptural change has happened in specific instances, He is very clear that the books of God have remained intact (although we can interpret Book to mean revelation or the words, or a bit of both). As Krishna didn’t write the Gita, Jesus didn’t write the Gospels, yet Baha’u'llah affirms with Divine Authority the Divine Origin and Nature of the Book of Jesus Christ.

—

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Quote:
While we have no problem with each scripture’s being perfect AS REVEALED, we don’t posit (and don’t believe) that they have been unerringly transmitted! MANY errors and changes have been introduced over the millenia, in most of the scriptures of the past.
Actually this is a fallacy that is very prevalent within the Baha’i Faith, and I don’t quite understand why. Baha’u'llah seems to deny that textual changes are the main cause of religious change, and actually denounces the idea that God would allow a revealed book to be removed from the population by this process.

Baha’u'llah makes this very clear in paragraphs 92-99 of the Kitab-i-Iqan. While admitting that scriptural change has happened in specific instances, He is very clear that the books of God have remained intact (although we can interpret Book to mean revelation or the words, or a bit of both). Krishna didn’t write the Gita, Jesus didn’t write the Gospels, yet Baha’u'llah affirms with Divine Authority the Divine Origin and Nature of the Book of Jesus Christ.

“In yet another instance, He saith: “A part of them heard the Word of God, and then, after they had understood it, distorted it, and knew that they did so.” 3 This verse, too, doth indicate that the meaning of the Word of God hath been perverted, not that the actual words have been effaced. To the truth of this testify they that are sound of mind.”

“We have also heard a number of the foolish of the earth assert that the genuine text of the heavenly Gospel doth not exist amongst the Christians, that it hath ascended unto heaven. How grievously they have erred! How oblivious of the fact that such a statement imputeth the gravest injustice and tyranny to a gracious and loving Providence! How could God, when once the Day-star of the beauty of Jesus had disappeared from the sight of His people, and ascended unto the fourth heaven, cause His holy Book, His most great testimony amongst His creatures, to disappear also? What would be left to that people to cling to from the setting of the day-star of Jesus until the rise of the sun of the Muḥammadan Dispensation? What law could be their stay and guide? How could such people be made the victims of the avenging wrath of God, 90 the omnipotent Avenger? How could they be afflicted with the scourge of chastisement by the heavenly King? Above all, how could the flow of the grace of the All-Bountiful be stayed? How could the ocean of His tender mercies be stilled? We take refuge with God, from that which His creatures have fancied about Him! Exalted is He above their comprehension!”

This clearly establishes a principle of inviolability. While Revelation is not cut and paste clear, rather being organic and messy, the power of man and society is absolutely unable to make the slightest change in the presence of the Books of God, and the Books of God are inviolably protected.

— — —

“We Baha’is only use our own scriptures, because all of them are accurate, and all written by the original authors.”

Let’s please avoid projecting our personal prejudices onto the central figures. While Shoghi Effendi affirms that the Baha’i writings (Of which we absolutely do not have the original manuscript for every volume!) and the Quran are unique in that the were transmitted from the mouths of the Manifestations directly, this is no excuse to impose scriptural exclusivity on the Baha’i Faith. The Bible is affirmed as unimpeachably divine, and Shoghi Effendi even makes such a belief one of the central articles of Faith required for admittance into the Baha’i Faith. To impeach in any way the divinity, accuracy and importance of the Bible is tantamount to a dismissal of the Immamate, which would be a statement of disbelief in Baha’u'llah, the Return of the Holy Imam Husayn.

“Indeed, the essential prerequisites of admittance into the Bahá’í fold of Jews, Zoroastrians, Hindus, Buddhists, and the followers of other ancient faiths, as well as of agnostics and even atheists, is the wholehearted and unqualified acceptance by them all of the divine origin of both Islám and Christianity, of the Prophetic functions of both Muḥammad and Jesus Christ, of the legitimacy of the institution of the Imamate, and of the primacy of St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles. Such are the central, the solid, the incontrovertible principles that constitute the bedrock of Bahá’í belief, which the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh is proud to acknowledge, which its teachers proclaim, which its apologists defend, which its literature disseminates, which its summer schools expound, and which the rank and file of its followers attest by both word and deed.”

“As to the position of Christianity, let it be stated without any hesitation or equivocation that its divine origin is unconditionally acknowledged, that the Sonship and Divinity of Jesus Christ are fearlessly asserted, that the divine inspiration of the Gospel is fully recognized, that the reality of the mystery of the Immaculacy of the Virgin Mary is confessed, and the primacy of Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, is upheld and defended. The Founder of the Christian Faith is designated by Bahá’u’lláh as the “Spirit of God,” is proclaimed as the One Who “appeared out of the breath of the Holy Ghost,” and is even extolled as the “Essence of the Spirit.” His mother is described as “that veiled and immortal, that most beauteous, countenance,” and the station of her Son eulogized as a “station which hath been exalted above the imaginings 110 of all that dwell on earth,” whilst Peter is recognized as one whom God has caused “the mysteries of wisdom and of utterance to flow out of his mouth.

We all bring our former beliefs into our lives as Baha’is. I am no exception as a former atheist, but I am always shocked when I hear people effacing the centrality of the Holy Bible, or particularly the incredible and mysterious nature of the Holy Mother of Jesus. Baha’is needn’t regard the Bible as “Baha’i Scripture” so to speak, but it is most certainly an eternal and effective record of the Revelation of God to Man, and Holy Book.

So yeah.

Web of Wyrd Each Day

In order that it might not be lost, I am reposting a favorite old post from the old now dead blog here. Of all the different religions in the world, outside of my own I draw the most inspiration from Ásatrú or Norse Heathenry (the revived worship of the Norse God via Norse mythology). The concept from Ásatrú I find most fascinating is one that I think is uniquely useful to Bahá’ís. That is, wyrd. It is the origin of our word weird, and similar to western fate or eastern karma, but better. For me it is the central gem of Ásatrú, the piece of wisdom no other religious tradition possesses so fully, and that feels to me it ought to be embraced by everyone because of it’s sheer usefulness and common sense (For Hinduism this is <I>maya</i>, the oneness of reality beneath the illusion of seperation, in Islam it is <i>tawhid<i>, a simple but uniquely functional take on monotheism). Or course, others are free to disagree, just my gem.

But like I said, Ásatrú is important to me in my spirituality, I read from the lore of Norse religiosity and find a lot of useful truth in it, primarily wyrd. I think wyrd. I have only the most basic understanding of wyrd, and the post I am reposting below only reflects that. Recently an Ásatrú blogger posted a post about wyrd and other traditional heathen ideas that I think is beautiful and incredibly useful for Bahá’ís. While I talk about similarities between weird and the Bahá’í idea of moral/spiritual accounting from the Hidden Words, Siegfried Goodfellow has a take on wyrd which calls other parts of the Hidden Words of Bahá’u'lláh to mind.

For Siegfried wyrd is about a return to innate truths and knowledge inherent in our creation; sort of a personalized form of covenant theology. This reminds me of Bahá’u'lláh’s emphasis on remembering the allegorical premortal existence, where the Manifestation of God imparts divine grace and knowledge and we enter into a bilateral relationship with divinity. One of the passages that creates this allegory:

O MY FRIENDS!
Have ye forgotten that true and radiant morn, when in those hallowed and blessed surroundings ye were all gathered in My presence beneath the shade of the tree of life, which is planted in the all-glorious paradise? Awe-struck ye listened as I gave utterance to these three most holy words: O friends! Prefer not your will to Mine, never desire that which I have not desired for you, and approach Me not with lifeless hearts, defiled with worldly desires and cravings. Would ye but sanctify your souls, ye would at this present hour recall that place and those surroundings, and the truth of My utterance should be made evident unto all of you. – Persian Hidden Words, Number 19

Now my old post, just to be archived here so it remains on the interwebs:

— — —

As some of the readers here who I know more personally may know, I have become enamoured with Norse Mythology and the reconstructionist heathen tradition of Ásatrú. Recently in my study of Ásatrú I came across a parallel of spiritual concepts that I think can be very useful to the spiritual practice of the Bahá’í Faith.

In the heathen tradition, the central spiritual concept is Wyrd. Wyrd is very similar to the Hindu concept of Karma or the western concept of Fate – wyrd is in fact the origin of the western concept of Fate. Wyrd posits that actions are not independent things, they are limited by previous and future actions, which in turn are limited by the present. Any action a human being can take is directed by all previous and future universal actions as well as our own backlog of actions (Which the heathen tradition calls orlog). This action than plays a part in determining our future actions and those things which will happen to us in the future. A common understanding of wyrd uses the image of a web, in which all things are interconnected across the boundaries of space and time.

In the Bahá’í Faith we are given this bit of spiritual advice:

O SON OF BEING!
Bring thyself to account each day ere thou art summoned to a reckoning; for death, unheralded, shall come upon thee and thou shalt be called to give account for thy deeds. – Arabic Hidden Words, Number 31

I think that an understanding of wyrd can help us in this endeavour. This quote seems to imply that after this life, our consciousness of our actions, flaws and favourable attributes will determine to great extent our spiritual station in the next life (An idea similar to ideas I have heard Ásatrúar proclaim). I would say that one of the most efficient and practical manners of keeping a personal spiritual log of our deeds and orlog is to examine the influence of wyrd on our lives.

So each morning and evening when we sit down to examine our actions in the light of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, let us examine which of our actions in the past played a role in our recent actions. Let us examine how our recent actions will effect our future and the lives of others, and make commitments as to what influence we want to have in the near future. If we do not abandon a concept that my ethnic ancestors understood, and tribal peoples all around the earth have held dear, we can actually improve our lives in the modern day and our own spiritual futures.

A New Addition to my Devotional Life

I keep a ‘Prayer Journal’ of sorts. In it I record whether I have performed each of the obligatory daily devotional activities I feel the Bahá’í Faith requires of me, and record and explain any additional devotional activities. I reflect in writing on the positive and negative actions I perform, and things I need to focus on improving in the future. It is one of the tools that helps me appreciate and experience prayer more fully and effectively as a former atheist and a person who suffers from prayerfulness deficiency disorder. It is pretty rewarding. I enjoy using Arabic terms as much as possible, it pleases my inner esoterophile, and helps me appreciate the background of the devotional activities I engage in.

The devotional activities I consider required and try to perform daily are as follows (I call them daily norms):

Salát – One the three obligatory prayers revealed by Bahá’u'lláh, preceded by ablutions, and recited facing the Qibla at Bahji, Israel.
Dhikr – The recitation of the Arabic word Alláh-u-abhá 95 times, preceded by ablutions, and recited facing the Qibla at Bahji, Israel.

As I apply it for myself, these two must be performed once a day with each day starting and ending at 12:00 PM. The Writings don’t really specify if they should be done this way, or by a Bahá’í sunset-sunset day. I chose the easier day.

Dua/Morning and evening prayers – Either from the Bahá’í Writings, or impromptu prayers. Often I just recite the Lord’s Prayer from Christianity, sometimes paired with a few Hail Marys.
Morning and evening readings – Reading a passage from the Writings of Bahá’u'lláh, the Báb, or `Abdu’l-Baha.
Prayer for the Western States – Reciting a prayer revealed by `Abdu’l-Baha specifically for the Bahá’ís in the Western States of America. He enjoins us to recite it daily.
Moral Accounting – Reflecting on my actions of the day, particularly finding three praiseworthy actions, three negative actions, and three areas for moral improvement/further work.

As I apply it these are done once a waking period, not a specific chronological day. If I happen to go to bed at 4:00 AM, I do the nighttime norms at 4:00 AM.

These are the daily duties that a study of the translated Bahá’í writings and guidance from the Guardian and House of Justice has convinced me are the necessary minimum. A while back Sen McGlinn posted about some devotional activities created by the Báb and endorsed by Bahá’u'lláh. These don’t seem to be currently binding, as the House of Justice has not applied them, but I decided they would be a nice addition to my devotional life. One of the things I have found helpful for approaching prayer is a rich ritual aspect. I am easily able to get into prayer I find aesthetically pleasing. These are recited each Friday, and contain symbolism that I appreciate. The devotions mentioned all take place between Thursday sunset and Friday sunset; and fall into two categories: supplicatory prayer, and mantra/dhikr meditation. Because I struggle a lot with the dhikr I do already, I am going to start by just adding the prayers to my devotional life.

So, as I am going to apply them there will be two additions to my regular minimum devotional life:

(1) Preceeded by ablutions, facing Qibla, between sunrise and sunset on friday-say: “Glory from God be upon your rising, O sign of the countenance of God. Bear witness to that to which God himself has borne witness: that there is no God but Him, the adored, the best beloved.”

(2) Preceeded by ablutions, facing Qibla, once between thursday sunset and midnight, and once between friday sunrise and sunset: “Praised be Thou O God, and praised be the substance of the seven letters, and the Letters of the Living, with majesty and splendour.”.

Both are forms of salát, not dhikr. After a few weeks I might add one of the dhikrs.

Ablutions don’t seem to be strictly necessary, and facing the Qibla is only explicitly needed for the first prayer. Ablutions are helpful for me, and facing the Qibla seems to be implied by Bahá’u'lláh to apply to all the Friday devotions from the Bayan – so I am applying these prayers that way. The first one will be tonight, after sunset, hopefully I will find them useful and enriching.

Thanks for bringing these to my attention Sen. Love your blog.

Introducing: Lote Trees

If you have read any of my blogs before, you know the hallmarks of my writing are irregularity and constant relocation. Just to make sure I am consistent with those two things, I have moved again. I am Gerald, and this is Lote Trees, the replacement for my blog Seventy and Two which has lived at WordPress and Aniimora. Circumstances forced me to move from Aniimora, and in an effort to change the tone/role of this blog I decided to start fresh at a new URL and with a new name.

Overall I am aiming for more regular, but shorter posts. I also intend this blog to be a bit more personal than my previous ones; still focused on my experience as a Bahá’í, but with more emphasis on my experience.

I am leaving in August for a Bahá’í Youth Year of Service. There I hope to use close contact with a large number of Bahá’í Youth as a great jumping-off point for college and focused hard work as a tool to work through some of my intense anxiety and motivation issues. I will be blogging about all that here, and in a different form on Facebook.

Just a month or so back I started the Haykal Project. This is a project that aims to help Western Bahá’ís understand the importance and relevance of Shia Islam to Bahá’í scripture, beliefs, and practice. It will study in brief the lives of the 14 Infallibles of Shiism, and I will be posting all sorts of tidbits from that here.

Just to give a sneak peak, here are three posts I am brewing right now:

• Two Sides of Bahá’u'lláh
• Mistress of Heaven and the Shia Qur’án
• Prayer as a Former Atheist