Steps to find a refreshing Religion

Jan 15, 2010

La Fe Bahai una video-introducion Espanol

Fa Fe Bahai


La fe Bahai: Latinos en la Fe Bahai parte 1.




La fe Bahai: Latinos en la Fe Bahai parte 2.




La fe Bahai: Latinos en la Fe Bahai parte 3.





Jan 9, 2010

Que es la Fe Bahai? (Espanol)

www.bahai.org

La Fe Bahá'í es la más joven de las religiones independientes del mundo. Su fundador, Bahá'u'lláh

(1817-1892), es considerado por los bahá'ís como el más reciente en la cadena de Mensajeros de Dios que se extiende mucho más allá de lo que recuerda la historia y que incluye a Abraham, Moisés, Buda, Zoroastro, Cristo y Mahoma.

La idea central del mensaje de Bahá'u'lláh es que la humanidad es una sola raza y que ha llegado el día de su unificación en una sociedad global. Bahá'u'lláh dijo que Dios ha puesto en marcha fuerzas históricas que estan derribando barreras tradicionales de raza, clase, credo y nación y que con el tiempo crearán una civilización universal. El principal desafío al que se enfrentan los pueblos de la tierra es el de aceptar el hecho de su unidad y de ayudar a los procesos de unificación.

Uno de los propósitos de la Fe Bahá'í es ayudar a hacer posible esta respuesta. Una comunidad mundial de unos cinco millones de Bahá'ís, representativos de la mayoría de las naciones, razas y culturas de la tierra, trabaja para llevar las enseñanzas de Bahá'u'lláh a la práctica. Su experiencia será una fuente de estimulo para todos los que comparten su visión de la humanidad como una familia global y de la tierra como un solo hogar.


Enseñanzas Básicas de Bahá'u'lláh

Bahá'u'lláh enseñó que hay un solo Dios cuyas revelaciones sucesivas de Su voluntad a la humanidad han constituido la principal fuerza civilizadora de la historia. Los agentes de este proceso han sido los Mensajeros Divinos, a quienes los hombres ven básicamente como fundadores de sistemas religiosos distintos, pero cuyo propósito común ha sido el de conducir a la raza humana a la madurez espiritual y moral.

Actualmente la humanidad está llegando a su madurez. Esto es lo que hace posible la unificación de la familia humana y la construcción de una sociedad pacífica global. Entre los principios que promueve la Fe Bahá'í como vitales para alcanzar esta meta figuran:


Enseñanzas básicas

El principio de la unidad de la humanidad es la base fundamental de todas las enseñanzas de la Fe bahá'í. Bahá'u'lláh, el fundador y profeta de la Fe bahá’í, enseñó que la humanidad, tras una adolescencia larga y turbulenta, por fin está alcanzando una etapa de madurez en la que finalmente se podrá conseguir la unidad en una sociedad global y justa.

Por lo tanto, con el fin de establecer la unidad de la humanidad, la Fe bahá’í formula leyes de moralidad y comportamiento personales, como también leyes y principios sociales.

Los bahá'ís creen que:

  • el propósito de la vida consiste en conocer y adorar a Dios, adquirir virtudes, promover la unidad de la humanidad y una civilización en constante progreso
  • la humanidad fue creada por un solo Dios y los hombres pertenecen a una sola raza
  • el trabajo realizado con espíritu de servicio es considerado un acto de adoración
  • Dios ha destinado para el alma, que es creada en el momento de la concepción, la vida después de la muerte, donde seguirá progresando hasta lograr la presencia de Dios

Los bahá'ís practican:

  • oración diaria y la comunión con Dios
  • exaltados principios morales, entre ellos la honradez, la castidad y la honestidad
  • búsqueda independiente de la verdad
  • una vida dedicada al servicio de la humanidad
  • confraternidad con los seguidores de toda religión
  • rechazo del materialismo excesivo, a la afiliación a partidos políticos, a la murmuración, el alcohol, las sustancias adictivas y los juegos de azar

Los principios sociales incluyen:

  • igualdad del hombre y la mujer
  • armonía de la ciencia y la religión como dos sistemas de conocimiento complementarios que deben trabajar juntos para contribuir al bienestar y progreso de la humanidad
  • abandono de todo prejuicio
  • establecimiento de una mancomunidad mundial de naciones
  • reconocimiento del origen común y la unidad de propósito fundamental de todas las religiones
  • soluciones espirituales a los problemas económicos y eliminación de obstáculos y restricciones al comercio
  • eliminación de los extremos de pobreza y riqueza
  • adopción de un idioma auxiliar mundial, un alfabeto mundial y un sistema universal de moneda y de pesas y medidas

Preguntas Frecuentes:




La Fe bahá'í en América Latina

Las primeras asambleas bahá'ís se formaron en casi todos los países de América Latina entre 1930 y 1950. Hoy en día existen comunidades bahá'ís dinámicas y bien establecidas en todos los países del continente.

La Casa de Adoración Bahá'í para Centroamérica se encuentra en la Ciudad de Panamá.

La Casa de Adoración Bahá'í para Sudamérica actualmente está bajo construcción en las cercanías de Santiago, Chile.

También existen dos emisoras de radio bahá'í, una en la región Guaymí de Panamá y la otra en Otavalo, Ecuador. Ambas sirven poblaciónes mayormente indígenas en sus lenguas autóctonas.

Para mayor información, favor visite los sitios web de los bahá'ís en los siguientes países:


Jan 8, 2010

Heaven and Hell Bahai view.

Heaven and Hell:
Bahai view of life after death.

As in the world's other religions, the Bahá'í concept of life after death is deeply integrated into teachings about the nature of the soul and the purpose of this earthly life.

Bahá'u'lláh confirmed the existence of a separate, rational soul for every human. In this life, He said, the soul is related to the physical body. It provides the underlying animation for the body and is our real self.

Although undetectable by physical instruments, the soul shows itself through the qualities of character that we associate with each person. The soul is the focal point for love and compassion, for faith and courage, and for other such "human" qualities that cannot be explained solely by thinking of a human being as an animal or as a sophisticated organic machine.

The soul does not die; it endures everlastingly. When the human body dies, the soul is freed from ties with the physical body and the surrounding physical world and begins its progress through the spiritual world. Bahá'ís understand the spiritual world to be a timeless and placeless extension of our own universe--and not some physically remote or removed place.

Entry into the next life has the potential to bring great joy. Bahá'u'lláh likened death to the process of birth. He explains: "The world beyond is as different from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the womb of its mother."

The analogy to the womb in many ways summarizes the Bahá'í view of earthly existence. Just as the womb constitutes an important place for a person's initial physical development, the physical world provides the matrix for the development of the individual soul. Accordingly, Bahá'ís view life as a sort of workshop, where one can develop and perfect those qualities which will be needed in the next life.

"Know thou, of a truth, that if the soul of man hath walked in the ways of God, it will, assuredly return and be gathered to the glory of the Beloved," Bahá'u'lláh wrote. "By the righteousness of God! It shall attain a station such as no pen can depict, or tongue can describe."

In the final analysis, heaven can be seen partly as a state of nearness to God; hell is a state of remoteness from God. Each state follows as a natural consequence of individual efforts, or the lack thereof, to develop spiritually. The key to spiritual progress is to follow the path outlined by the Manifestations of God.




Beyond this, the exact nature of the afterlife remains a mystery. "The nature of the soul after death can never be described," Bahá'u'lláh writes.

Quoted from:
http://info.bahai.org/article-1-4-5-2.html




In Short:

Do Bahais Believe in Heaven and Hell?

For Bahá’ís, the concepts of Heaven and Hell are allegories for nearness and remoteness from God. When we die, the condition of our souls determines our experience of the afterlife. Heaven and Hell are not physical places, but spiritual realities.

World Religions Unite for Prayer!


60 Religious Leaders to Meet at Elijah Interfaith Convention at the Bahai Gardens and Shrine in Haifa, Israel.













Priests and a Buddhist religious leader take their shoes off before entering a shrine during the Elijah Interfaith Convention in Bahai Gardens and Shrine in Haifa, northern Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009. About 50 religious leaders representing Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and Sikhism visited the Bahai center as part of a 5-day conference where the results of a survey showing how members of different religions view their religious leadership will be released.



(IsraelNN.com) About 60 religious leaders are scheduled to meet Tuesday in the Bahai gardens in Haifa as part of the fourth biennial assembly of the World Council of Religious Leaders which is taking part in the northern port city. The theme of this year's assembly is "the future of religious leadership".


Speakers who have confirmed their appearance at the event include former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron and the current Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal.


Dec 10, 2009

Be generous in prosperity and thankful in adversity.

A beautiful Bahai Quote!
That refreshes and gladdens the spirit.

"Be generous in prosperity and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answer to the cry of the needy, a preserver of sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgement and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meeknes to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of right eousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility, We pray God to protect thee from the heat of jealousy and the cold of hatred. He verily is nigh, ready to answer."
Bahá'u'lláh
(www.bahai.org)

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us!



"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are we not to be? You are a child of God- your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
Marianne Williamson



Dec 9, 2009

Human Rights Day in Germany puts spotlight on Iran.




Human Rights Day in Germany puts spotlight on Iran

LANGENHAIN, Germany, 9 December (BWNS) – Youth from a drama troupe joined with local dignitaries this week to address themes of exclusion and prejudice as they commemorated Human Rights Day with the Baha'i community of Germany.

The program took place at the National Baha'i Center on the grounds of the European Baha'i House of Worship, with more than 200 people in attendance.

The performance by the People's Theater, a youth project in the city of Offenbach, took a look at relationships between native Germans and immigrants, while other parts of the program focused on the situation of the Baha'is in Iran, especially a group of some 50 young people in Shiraz who are being punished for organizing activities for underprivileged children. Three of the Shiraz group are serving four-year prison sentences.
http://www.peoplestheater.de/

"I find it deeply shocking that the Baha'i youth in Shiraz engage in social activities in the same way as we do in Offenbach, but with one difference – whereas here in Germany our efforts are rewarded with prizes, the Baha'i youth in Shiraz must pay for their services to Iranian society with prison sentences and other coercive measures," said Peggy Habermann, coordinator of the People's Theater.



Kamal Sido, head of the Near East division of the Society for Threatened Peoples, attended the gathering and offered words of support for those persecuted in Iran.

The chairwoman of the Green Party in the German Federal State of Hesse, Kordula Schulze-Asche, expressed indignation over the human rights violations perpetrated in Iran, as did Gisela Stang, mayor of Hofheim, which encompasses Langenhain.

Messages were read from two members of the German Federal Parliament, Erika Steinbach of the Christian Democratic Union and Omid Nouripour of the Green Party.

Ingo Hofmann, representing the Baha'i community of Germany, presented an overview of the current situation of the Baha'is in Iran. In Shiraz, he said, Haleh Rouhi, Raha Sabet, and Sasan Taqva, had organized, with permission from authorities, an educational program for underprivileged children. They were later accused of having propagated the Baha'i Faith, even though a report commissioned by the government concluded that their activities were strictly humanitarian. The three were sentenced to prison terms.

Before performing "Souls of Shiraz," a piece composed for the occasion, musician Anke Keitel spoke of the invisible ties she feels with those imprisoned in Iran.

"Haleh, Raha, and Sasan believe just like me in the universality of human rights. They strive to foster the well-being of humanity, just as I do. And they are just as young as I am," she said.

Human Rights Day is celebrated annually around the world and marks the anniversary of the adoption – on 10 December 1948 – by the United Nations General Assembly of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.



To read the article with photographs, go to:
http://news.bahai.org/story/740

For the Baha’i World News Service home page, go to:
http://news.bahai.org



Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow them. Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible.





Anke Keitel, before performing her song “Souls of Shiraz,” composed especially for the Human Rights program, musician Anke Keitel explains the ties she feels with the young people of Iran.

http://www.myspace.com/ankekeitel

Over 200 people attended the Human Rights Day program at the Baha'i National Center in Germany on 6 December 2009. The building is near the European Baha’i House of Worship.



“The Baha'i House of Worship is itself an architectural monument to human rights, since different religions come into contact here,” she said.