{"id":7744,"date":"2005-04-17T16:47:12","date_gmt":"2005-04-17T20:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wtb.org\/?p=7744"},"modified":"2018-12-27T16:11:21","modified_gmt":"2018-12-27T20:11:21","slug":"bahai-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/?p=7744","title":{"rendered":"Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed Women"},"content":{"rendered":"\n


History of Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed\u2014Sabra Reichardt<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sabra began her talk with a quote from Bah\u00e1\u2019 u \u2018ll\u00e1h, the\nprophet founder of the faith: \u201cThe fundamental purpose\nanimating the faith of God and his religion is to safeguard the interests and\npromote the unity of the human race and to foster a spirit of love and\nfellowship amongst men. Suffer it not to become a source of dissension and\ndiscord, hate or enmity.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The faith began in 1844 when a young man they call the B\u00e1b,\nmeaning the gate, began to teach in Persia (now Iran). He said that his task\nwas to make the world ready for a new prophet of God, who would appear within\n19 years. The B\u00e1b\u2019s teachings stirred much controversy in the country, and\nsystematic massacres took place. A follower of the B\u00e1b removed her veil at a\nmeeting to symbolize one of the principles that the B\u00e1b taught: the equality\nbetween women and men. Because of the B\u00e1b\u2019s teachings, he was imprisoned in a\ndistant fortress. There was such interest in the faith, however, that the\nauthorities realized they would have to execute him. The B\u00e1b was taken to the\npublic square, where 750 riflemen raised their rifles, aimed at him, and fired.\nBut when the smoke cleared, the B\u00e1b was nowhere to be seen! Later found\nconversing with his secretary, the B\u00e1b was taken to the public square a second\ntime, and the execution was completed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the B\u00e1b\u2019s execution and the killings and\npersecutions that ensued, most of his followers, known as B\u00e1bis, went\nunderground. One of his disciples who did not go into hiding and continued to\npreach the message of the B\u00e1b was a young man who came from an eminent Persian\nfamily that could trace its lineage back to Abraham. This young man was soon\nimprisoned because of his preaching. While in prison, he saw a figure above his\nhead, a figure that he called the \u201cMaid of Heaven,\u201d a symbol for the\nrevelations of God. You can think of this, Sabra said, as something similar to\nthe burning bush that Moses saw, or the tree that the Buddha sat under, or the\ndove that appeared at Jesus\u2019s baptism, or the angel Gabriel that appeared to\nMuhammad. This young man took the name Bah\u00e1\u0384u\u0384ll\u00e1h, which means \u201cglory of God.\u201d\nHe was released from prison four months later and exiled immediately to\nBaghdad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Baghdad, Bah\u00e1\u0384u\u0384ll\u00e1h found a very dispirited community of\nB\u00e1bis. He rejuvenated them, and they became well known in the city for their\nhonesty and fairness, and their community grew. Many people in Baghdad came to\nspeak with Bah\u00e1\u0384u\u0384ll\u00e1h and to bask in his presence. Eventually this kind of\nattention became too much for the authorities of the Ottoman Empire, and Bah\u00e1\u0384u\u0384ll\u00e1h\nwas exiled yet again, this time to Constantinople. Before leaving Baghdad, he\ncalled together his followers and told them that he was the one that the B\u00e1b\nhad foretold would come. This was in 1863, 19 years after the B\u00e1b had started\nto preach in 1844. Bah\u00e1\u0384u\u0384ll\u00e1h\u2019s final place of exile was Haifa, where he spent\nthe rest of his life writing letters, tablets, and books that are part of the Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed\nscripture. He ascended in 1892, having given specific instructions that his\noldest son was the person the Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00eds should turn to for guidance in interpreting\nhis words. His son\u2019s name was `Abdu\u0384l-Bah\u00e1, meaning \u201cservant of the glory.\u201d The\nwritings of the B\u00e1b, Bah\u00e1\u0384u\u0384ll\u00e1h, and `Abdu\u0384l-Bah\u00e1 constitute Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed scripture.\nSabra ended her presentation with a quote from `Abdu\u0384l-Bah\u00e1 that stresses the\nunity of all peoples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Progressive Revelation\u2014Robin Tait <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robin led WTB in a rousing rendition of the African-American\nspiritual, \u201cWade in the Water,\u201d<\/em> calling\nparticular attention to the words \u201cThere ain\u2019t but one God made us all.\u201d The\ntheme of \u201coneness\u201d permeates all Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed writings. Progressive revelation is an\naspect of this theme of oneness. Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00eds believe that God\u2019s messengers, the\nprophet founders of the world\u2019s different religions, all came from the same\nsource and had the same light. Bah\u00e1\u0384u\u0384ll\u00e1h contemplated with that inward eye\nthe chain of successive revelations that have linked the manifestation of Adam\nwith that of the B\u00e1b. Each one of these divine manifestations has been sent\ndown through the operation of the Divine Will and Purpose, and each one has\nbeen the bearer of a specific message. We are familiar with many of these, such\nas the Jewish prophets, Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and others, but even before written\nhistory there were manifestations. Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00eds believe that Bah\u00e1\u0384u\u0384ll\u00e1h is the\nmanifestation for our time. If there is one revelation progressively revealed\nto humanity, then there must be a unity of religion, each building on the past.\nEach manifestation befitted the age in which it was sent down. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bah\u00e1\u0384u\u0384ll\u00e1h\u2019s purpose in sharing his revelation was two-fold:\nfirst, to liberate humans from the darkness of ignorance and guide them to true\nunderstanding; and second, to foster peace and tranquility and provide humans\nwith the means for establishing such peace and tranquility. Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00eds believe\nthat because this message is for all people, there must be a oneness of\nhumanity; it is this oneness that is a real focal point for their activities. Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00eds\nfeel called to expand their kinship to all people on earth. Some of the points of\nguidance aiding in the establishment of peace and tranquility are (1) gossip\nand backbiting are grievous errors; (2) each person has a soul and is a\nspiritual being; (3) women and men are equal; (4) science and religion should\nagree; (5) some day there should be an auxiliary language that all people will\nspeak. These are but a few among the thousands of points of guidance that Bah\u00e1\u0384u\u0384ll\u00e1h\nrevealed and that are contained on tablets held in the Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed World Centre in\nHaifa. Many other points of guidance have not been revealed yet, however, because\nhumanity is not ready to receive them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Equality of Women and Men\u2014Martha Rohani<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martha stated that the Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed notion of peace and unity\ncannot be achieved if there is inequality between women and men or among races.\nNor can it be achieved if there are gross inequalities in socioeconomic\nconditions. Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00eds strive to create a world in which women and men are given\nthe same privileges. Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed writings emphasize that we are all created in the\nimage of God. It is the soul that is important, and as the soul moves on to the\nnext world without a body, gender is unimportant because the soul has no\ngender. Our world is not functioning this way, however, so there is a struggle\nto gain equality. Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed writings emphasize giving women opportunities for\neducation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed faith values many of the classic feminine qualities, such as caregiving, joy-creating, and helping others. While it emphasizes that men and women should reflect these qualities, the Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed paradigm is redefining the characteristics that we associate with being powerful. Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00eds define power in terms of service to humanity, and many of the feminine characteristics are geared toward service. Martha characterizes the Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed position as being a search for redefining masculinity and femininity in terms of the qualities that are favorable in God\u2019s eyes, because \u201cwe seek to please Him rather than being tied to man-made notions of what is of value and what is not.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More Information<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the presentations, our panelists showed a short video\nof several Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed houses of worship. The Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed House of Worship in Wilmette,\nIllinois, is a gift from Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00eds to the continent and is always open for people\nto walk into and to use for reflection. Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00eds have no clergy. They meet\ntogether in small communities; the Syracuse community has 30 to 40 members. The\nBah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed calendar has 19 months of 19 days each. At the beginning of each month, Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00eds\nhave a spiritual feast, getting together for prayers, readings, discussions and\nsocializing. Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00eds believe that there will be no new revelation for 1000\nyears after the B\u00e1b began teaching in 1844. Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed forbids the use of alcohol\nand strives for chastity outside of marriage. Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed rules are made by the\nUniversal House of Justice; these rules can be changed, although the basic Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed\nscripture cannot.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed women talked about their faith and its history and practices. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7873,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[30],"class_list":["post-7744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-programs","tag-bahai",""],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7744"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7744\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8502,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7744\/revisions\/8502"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}