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Introduction to the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’

Introduction to the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’

Published February 2, 2021 by admin

‘Abdu’l-Baha’ is of indescribable importance to the Revelation of Baha’u’llah and one of the most remarkable humans to ever live.  For anyone interested in life’s most important questions, ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ is a friend, a guide, and a loving father. He is beloved by everyone who has taken the opportunity to know him. As part of the Tea House program on Sifter of Dust, we hosted an introduction and orientation to the life and writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’. A video version is available on the Sifter of Dust youtube site. We hope you enjoy the presentation and discussion!

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Human Rights

Human Rights

Published January 22, 2021 by admin

Please join Modern Perspectives for a talk by distinguished scholar of human rights Dr Payam Akhavan entitled “What are Baha’is doing to address human rights violations around the world?” on Saturday at 12 noon.  You can link through the Modern Perspectives page to join the session!

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What Baha’is do.

What Baha’is do.

Published January 5, 2021 by admin

Whenever you are exploring a religion, one of the first questions to ask is- what are these people doing to live their ideals?  Baha’is all over the world do countless different actions to express their faith in action, but communities also share certain “core” activities that you will find in nearly every community.  Most of these are educational in character, but all of them are focused on enlarging people’s spiritual and moral capacity to conquer, throughout their lives, the challenges that face us as individuals and as a world society.

In this week’s Tea House discussion, we will highlight some of the activities nearly all Baha’is are engaged in around the world to improve their local communities. Please join us!

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Sifter of Dust Podcast and Youtube Channel

Sifter of Dust Podcast and Youtube Channel

Published January 3, 2021 by admin

Ever since we started Sifter of Dust, we envisioned a weekly podcast that would explore Baha’i themes through discussion, so that we can all learn from each other how to think about the Baha’i teachings.  That podcast and associated YouTube videos are now live!  Sifter of Dust is for the general public, for everyone, and seeks to make it easy for people to explore the Baha’i teachings.  We recognize that most people know very little about the Baha’i Faith so we continue to focus on presenting the foundational ideas of Baha’u’llah’s teachings in these early podcasts and videos.  Our first two were on the Baha’i concept of the oneness of religion. Part 1 is an informational presentation by Dr Williams and Part 2 is the ensuing discussion and exploration.

The “Tea House” program happens live on most Thursday evenings, and the contents of that are edited as the podcast with the video version posted on the Sifter of Dust YouTube channel.  The audio version are attached to the posts as well as on Apple podcasts and other podcast outlets (search “Sifter of Dust Baha’i). Dr Williams has also been slowly working through a series of presentations on the major texts of the Baha’i Faith called the “Foundations of the Revelation” series. Those are present on the podcast channel as well but are available only in audio format.

We look forward to others joining us in presenting content, joining as discussants, or coming with comments and questions to our Tea House sessions, all of which are open to everyone and anyone.  Enjoy!- and please share it with your friends!

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The Oneness of Religion- Part 2

The Oneness of Religion- Part 2

Published January 3, 2021 by admin

In this second part of our discussion of the Baha’i concept of the oneness of religion, we further outline the concept of progressive revelation and discuss it with assembled guests. We then address the concern raised by Christians that Christ is the only way to God, and the Muslim belief that the Prophet Muhammad is the “Seal of the Prophets” and the last Prophet that will come. How can we understand the scriptural passages that led to those beliefs in light of Baha’u’llah’s claim to be bringing a new Revelation to all humanity? You can watch it on YouTube or listen to it directly below. The Sifter of Dust Podcast may also be found on all your typical podcast outlets. Enjoy!

 

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The Oneness of Religion- Part 1

The Oneness of Religion- Part 1

Published January 3, 2021 by admin

In this first podcast of the weekly “Tea House” discussions hosted on Sifter of Dust, Dr Kendal Williams gives an informational presentation on the Baha’i concept of the Oneness of Religion. A primary theological concept in the Baha’i Faith is “progressive revelation”, that the great religions of the world should be understood as part of one Faith that has unfolded throughout history as part of humanity’s social and spiritual development. In this presentation, Dr Williams looks at the great religions of the world within their historical context and highlights how each built upon the teachings of those that came before. This sets the context to understand the Baha’i Faith as now representing the next step in the unfoldment of what is essentially one religion. The Sifter of Dust podcast may be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google podcasts and other outlets, or directly linked on Sifter of Dust. You can also watch the video version- with the accompanying slides- on YouTube.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:13 — 22.2MB) | Embed

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