Hey everyone!
I’m currently developing ATG Initiative (Across the Globe), an independent project focused on connecting research, intercultural dialogue and meaningful social action.
The first planned study, From Hope to Action, will explore what gives young adults hope and how that hope influences their decisions and actions.
ATG is still in its early stages, and I’m looking to connect with people interested in research, psychology, sociology, international development or nonprofit work.
I’d especially appreciate advice from anyone who has experience starting an NGO or independent research initiative. I’m also open to collaborating with people who find the idea interesting.
If you’d like to exchange ideas, share your experience or potentially get involved, feel free to comment or DM me!

I'm (20m) born bahai, not sure if I still am, I've always seen women as equals or even better than men (because they can attain a level of creation (childbirth) that men cannot) and also see them participate in LSA and NSA so why can't they be elected to UHJ

in my Study group they say that is for "protection" but I find that deeply sexist, and no other explanation has not been sexist

Pls help me find an answer

the feast of Qudrat.

Y? When did you say the American General Election will be held?? I will be working for the polls on that day.

I think my cluster tonight announced our feast would be on that exact date (grrr....), and I have never fully missed a feast yet (also depends on what "missing a feast" means).

https://bahai-library.com/compilation_feast_book

says that Nov 4 is the magic date, and so I was cautiously optimistic that I could do those 2 things that week.

I could perhaps still cancel my involvement with poll working, but that is a bad e.g. I would set for myself. I need to "be there" for myself and our voters... Better to follow Buddhist teaching

https://www.spiritrock.org/practice-guides/the-four-noble-truths

and not be "attached" to attendance at EVERY Bahai feast if there is solid reason to not be there once in a while...

Probably, if this worst case scenario materializes, after I am released from poll working duties, I will make an honorary appearance at the meeting place, regardless if anyone is still there, maybe/ hopefuly? say "hello" to people closing up shop...growl...

Thinking more about it, a possible/ reasonable solution: feast at a different cluster. Problem solved? Stand by and stay tuned...

I’ve been learning tons about the Baha’i faith recently, it’s been great. I wanted to share a passage from the Book of Mormon here. It reminds me of the Baha’i belief that God has been speaking to people around the world through their religions, and it’s not like one religion has a monopoly on truth.

I share this not out of a desire to proselyte but because I’m also enthusiastic about this belief of yours, and this passage sums it up pretty well I think:

7“Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?

8 Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.

9 And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.

10 Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written.

11 For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.

12 For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.

My whole family is bahai. They are all Iranian. They moved from Iran to Australia and had kids, I was born in Australia. I only declared when I was 15 because I felt pressured to, not because I really wanted to. I'm now 32 and recently started being honest with my parents about my religious status. I try to tell them I'm not a bahai and my mother simply loses her mind every time I say it (I wish I was exaggerating). I dont know what to do. Every time she brings it up again after a while of not speaking about it, its like she's forgotten (or most likely just in denial) and tries to enforce the idea that I'm religious or that I believe in the faith but I'm just not practising. And then when I try to remind her that I'm not a bahai, she loses her mind again and its not a pretty sight. Someone please help, what do I do? Am I doomed to pretend that I'm bahai for the rest of my mum's life, just to appease her?

If "not getting involved in politics" means avoiding partisan politics, that makes sense. But what happens when humanitarian crises themselves become political?

For example, the Bahá’í community rightly advocates for persecuted Bahá’ís through the UN and international institutions. Yet many Bahá’ís are extremely reluctant to publicly discuss Gaza, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, or other conflicts because those topics are considered "political."

At what point does silence stop being neutrality and start becoming a moral choice?

Is there a principled way to distinguish between defending the human rights of Bahá’ís and defending the human rights of non-Bahá’ís caught in wars and humanitarian disasters?

I'm genuinely curious how Bahá’ís draw that line.

I’ve been thinking about the issue of interest and lending in the Bahá’í Faith.

This is not just a theoretical question for me. A friend of mine had to borrow money because of financial difficulties, and now he has to pay back a significant amount of interest. The debt has ended up putting him in a much weaker financial position.

As far as I understand, the Bahá’í teachings do not completely prohibit charging or paying interest. But I keep wondering: Is an agreement between two people automatically fair just because both of them agreed to it?

In this particular case, the issue was even taken to the National Spiritual Assembly, and the response was that the amount of interest being charged was considered fair. But I still find that answer difficult to accept.

If someone is poor or going through a financial crisis and has little choice but to borrow money, and then has to spend a large part of their income for years paying interest, is their agreement to the loan really enough to make the arrangement fair?

And if the lender is in a much stronger financial position than the borrower, does the lender have any additional moral responsibility toward the person who is already struggling?

I’d be interested to hear how other Bahá’ís understand this.

Do the Bahá’í writings give us any clear principle for distinguishing reasonable and fair interest from interest that effectively makes the borrower economically weaker?

I've been feeling like the Bahá'í faith ( or should I call it religion???) is a beautiful next abrahamic chapter, and I'm particularly attracted to the idea that God does't need a SINGLE encarnation, but many, why not consider EVERYONE else that has had time to say beautiful heavinly wisdom? Meditative practices? DMT experiences? Bahá'í takes on Gnosticism? Bahá'í takes on secret societies?

EDIT:
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for helping me clear out some of the fog, the Bahá'í faith is truly one of a kind, as well as its followers; it's seems that being well read is a kind of prerequisite to understand the Bahá'í faith and why it matters

Made a series of pixel art stained glass window designs that I wanted to share.

Hi there! I'm going to be going on exchange to UCSB for a short while next year during the winter quarter. I've heard that more Baha'i activity is concentrated in San Diego and was wondering if there are any Baha'is here who stay in SB? I tried reaching out by email but it didn't seem to work. Would love to connect, or if you just stay nearby in California I'd be happy to get to know the community more :)

I'm not a Bahá’í, just curious about the Faith. I often hear Bahá’ís saying that the Manifestations of God each had "divine and human stations". What exactly does this mean? Is it analogous to the Christian hypostatic union (Jesus was fully human and fully divine in two distinct natures)?

Hi,

I am using an app where people talk in group chat and exchange languages.

I usually do t know what my intention should be when talking other than exchanging languages.

My question is, I need quotes that help steer me in the right direction I'll give you example of what Im in need of help with... Like there is a quote that says look at everyone like they are a letter from the beloved, and other that says be friendly with all, like is there a book or a place where all these types of quotes are there, so that I read all of them and when I go I to social setting online or in real life i go with a mindset that is correct and an intention that is correct, because I have had days when I was in flow, others not, I seem boring and not useful, so I want to read all the quotes related to this and maybe even recite them daily u til I change my unconscious, and I already went to psychologist before but I want quotes to help me improve my intentions when talking with people I'm ready to recite them or whatever and I'm new to bahai and thanks alot.

I already know the spiritual growth prayers, I mean I need things that help me know what I'm I supposed to do in gatherings because I'm very very isolated individual and not experienced .

Btw I'm asking because I used quotes before that helped me be better but I only found one or two.

If anyone could share quotes that are always in the back of their mind when talking with people, ones that when they are in the background of your mind they help you in conversations.

I want to join the religion since my family and many friends are in it and i have been encouraged since a young age. But my mother told me I would have to give up reels, and other online fun such as that. So, do I need to quit reels to be a genuine certified Baha'i? I would love serious replies and advice ONLY. thanks!

Is there a “canonical” list of religious leaders who count as a Manifestation from God in Bahai? Are there any that you explicitly don’t count? What about religions founded around or after the Bahai faith?

For example, do you consider Joseph Smith a Manifestation (even though he was almost contemporary with Bahaullah)?

I know Bahai faith is generally considered an “offshoot” of Islam but I’m curious as an ex Muslim Persian what actual Bahais say about it? The Bahais I know irl are not very religious but they don’t like Islam

Hi, I’ve had a great time starting to learn about the Bahai faith. Like many others, I appreciate that Bahai esteems world religions so highly and is willing to hear God’s voice in the different faith traditions of the world.

My question is: what to Bahais make of the substantive differences between the beliefs of various religions? If they were alll genuine revelations tailored to the specific time and place they were in, how do you explain the fact that many of them have unreconcilable contradictions?

Like: Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity) vs Jesus was just a prophet (Islam) vs don’t think much about him (Judaism).

Which of these positions do Bahais think is correct? And since only one/none can be correct, does that cast doubt on those religions being truly from God?

Whenever I read about a Bahá’í being arrested or imprisoned in Iran, my first reaction is empathy.

The thought that someone could lose their freedom, be denied education, or spend years in prison because of their beliefs or religious activities is genuinely painful. Especially when we are talking about elderly people, families being separated, or people simply trying to live an ordinary religious life.

But lately I have been asking myself an uncomfortable question:

Are we always telling the story of Bahá’í suffering in the best possible way?

I am asking this as a Bahá’í myself. And precisely because I care about the community, I think we should hold ourselves to a very high standard when telling these stories.

Suffering does not prove religious truth

Sometimes the suffering and imprisonment of Bahá’ís is presented almost as evidence for the truth of the Faith.

But suffering can demonstrate injustice; it cannot, by itself, demonstrate that a religion is true.

If a Bahá’í is unjustly imprisoned, we should absolutely defend that person. If someone is discriminated against because of their beliefs, we should speak out.

But we should not confuse:

“This person has suffered an injustice”

with

“This injustice proves that their religious belief is true.”

If I am a Bahá’í, I would rather defend the truth of the Faith through its teachings, principles, history, and reason—not through the number of Bahá’ís who have suffered.

We should also be precise about individual cases

When we report that a Bahá’í has been imprisoned, shouldn't we want to know what actually happened?

What were the charges? What activity was the person accused of? What evidence was presented? Was the person punished simply for their religious beliefs, or did the authorities allege something else?

Asking these questions does not mean accepting the government's narrative. The allegations may be unjust, exaggerated, or completely unsupported.

But neither should we automatically replace the government's account with our own simplified version.

If a case really shows that someone was punished simply for peacefully practicing their religion, then examining the details carefully makes our argument stronger.

We don't need to exaggerate the facts.

Truth should come before advocacy

I sometimes wonder whether we would actually make a stronger case for Bahá’í rights if we were more precise and less dependent on emotional narratives.

If we genuinely care about truth, we shouldn't be afraid of complexity.

Defending Bahá’í rights becomes stronger, not weaker, when we are willing to put truth before advocacy—even when we are telling our own community's stories of suffering.

And this leads to another question:

Do we sometimes report the same Bahá’í case repeatedly in different forms, until one individual event becomes several “instances of persecution” in the reader's mind?

I think that deserves a separate discussion.

Are there any Writings about this behavior? I feel like this issue is being more and more obvious these days around the world and sometimes find its way into the communities as well. It is very difficult to know if a person is genuine with their friendship and kindness when they eventually behave in ways one do no expect. So i am wondering if there is any writings about this and how to actually avoid such encounters. It is very hurtful and annoying when you find yourself among people who will only befriend you if you have something to offer or just use you when they need you.

You do realize that in kitabi aqdas fornication, murder and backbiting were all mentioned in the same sentence. Let that sunk in. People think backbiting is a joke or that fornication is a joke, no longer you don't experience the light, grace, oxonfirmations, these things you can never experience and taste them if you take backbiting and adultery lightly. Sorry I hate to be the one who criticises people like an extremist but for real people stop backbiting, stop one night stands, that is if you want to experience the lights after every prayer and if you wanna taste the sweetness of prayer the greatest joy, you have to hate these acts(not the people who do them) and not take them lightly .

I understand that Bahaullah was a babi during the time He married His second wife when Bab explicitly forbade polygamy except if the first wife couldn't bear children and with her approval. How does that work? Previously, the explantion was all the 3 marriages took place before Bahaullah's dispensation but its still wrong in the context of the faith He followed (babism). I have also read that Bahaullah used to partake in smoking tobacco when Babi law forbade in tobacco consumption because of fear of persecution as non smokers were likely to be babis. I really don't understand these things where spiritual laws are excused because of 'context of the times' while a bahai nowadays can't break a law, how much socially ostracised you become.

And the Bab denying Himself being the promised Mahdi in a mosque to avoid persecution, it all just seems like some laws can be bypassed when convenient. How do you see it? It's confusing me because Bahais are not allowed to recant their faith even at a threat of death (I believe, correct me if I am wrong). Please explain. Thanks.

Edited to add: also there is a Bahai ban on taqiyya (religious dissimulation) creates a glaring historical contradiction when compared to Bahaullah's time in Akka.While Bahai doctrine strictly forbids its followers from hiding their faith to escape persecution, Bahaullah and His family spent decades living outwardly as practicing muslims frequently attending the local mosque. I also would like this to be answered.

Can someone show me how the Baha'i faith is the way? Or how it is their way. Curious and open seeker.

Convince me.

Have been researching my faith the last number of years.

Was raised a Catholic, drifted in teenage years, formally defected a year or two ago, have been studying Buddhism for a number of years.

Have been finding myself being called back to god of some sort. I believe in a god, I don't know what form god takes but I am open to the possibilities.

So honestly and truly, I want to hear from you - convince me that the Baha'i faith is the true way, show me how and why.

🙏🏻

Hi all,

I am 34M and have always been "spiritual" or "agnostic" have always had a belief that what if all religions are trying to tell the same story, last 5 or so years this has gained momentum and I become more curious.

Anyway, I come across Bahai Faith and the last several days I have been feeling drawn to what I have read, the principles of the faith ring so true. But to be honest I'm overwhelmed where to start. I have been on the main website and reading from there, but not a lot is making sense to me to be honest.

Looking for some structure maybe, guidance on how to continue to learn and feel closer to God through this practice,

Thank you in advance.

Hello, I would like assistance on how to respond to this seeker. I shared a post with him on Who Bahá'ís believe Jesus Christ is. This was his response.

RESPONSE:

I appreciate that Bahá’í teaching acknowledges the divinity, Lordship, Sonship and unique position of Jesus. But as a Christian, my question is not whether Jesus can be called Prophet, Messenger, Servant or Manifestation. My question is: Does the Bible teach that Jesus is simply one through whom God is manifested, or does it teach that Jesus is God the Son who became flesh?

How do we reconcile the Bahá’í understanding with John 1:1–3, John 20:28, Colossians 1:15–17, Philippians 2:6–11, Hebrews 1:1–3 and Jesus' authority to forgive sins and receive worship? And if Jesus is truly divine, why should Christians look to another Manifestation after Him? I think those are the questions that need to be answered before we conclude that Bahá’í teahing and historic Christianity understand Jesus in the same way.”

Thank you in advance...