My Questions Answered
John: 5
“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
Qur’an 21:18
“Nay, we will hurl the truth at falsehood, and it shall smite it, and lo! It shall vanish.”
Quote from Koran Surah 7 verse 34
“For each community there is an appointed term. When their time arrives, they can neither delay it for a moment, nor could they advance it. ”
Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran
Micah Chapter 4
In the last days the mountain(B) of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, (C) and peoples will stream to it. (D)
This chapter tells of the beginning of my realization of a new religious revelation. “The worlds equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order. Mankind’s ordered way of life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous system-the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed”.
Baha’u’llah, from the Writings of Baha’u’llah.
The ‘Return’ The Movie-Part 1 of 3
Since 1982, I kept a diary up to and after the 11th. Of September 1988 which was the day that I entered the Baha’i Centre in Accra Ghana. It is of interest to me now because it has given me a reflection of my mind and emotions up to that time. Reading back over these records I am amazed of the amount of times that I spoke to God, in spite of the fact that I did not attend church on a regular basis.
The group of Ghanaians that I met at the Baha’i Centre were like most Ghanaians that I knew, very welcoming. Beattie Casely Hayford a Ghanaian whose mother was Ghanaian and father from the UK, invited me to visit his place of work whenever I was close by. He also gave me a Baha’i prayer book and the book “Thief in the night” by William Sears, reading that book was the key for me, to understanding that there is only one religion! That divine revelation is a continuous and progressive process.
William Sears’s investigations over seven years was to find out why the Holy Spirit had not appeared as prophesied in the Holy Bible and the Holy Quran. The astounding discovery he made was that the Holy Spirit had returned but not in the way that religious leaders had expected.
William Sears proclaimed that Baha’u’llah was The Spirit for the age in which we live. His book and teachings are now worldwide.
After all the years of religion not making sense! At the age of fifty-four I had found the answer as to why it didn’t.
My understanding is that each of the past religions were waiting for the return of a new spirit or being, who would interpret the Holy text and to inaugurate The Kingdom of God on earth. The people now have the means to unite the whole world, the technology is here now, and we just have to have the will. “The teachings of Baha’u’llah’s Faith says plainly; “Whatever the intelligence of man cannot understand, religion ought not to accept. Religion and science walk hand in hand, and any religion contrary to science is not the truth, that Religious truth is not absolute but relative. That all great religions are divine in origin. That their basic principles are in complete harmony.
That their aims and purposes are one and the same. That their teachings are facets of but one truth. That their functions are complimentary. That they differ only in non-essential aspects of their doctrines, and their missions represent successive stages in the spiritual evolution of human society ” One of the first basic things that warmed me to the Baha’i Faith was learning. The belief that the past recorded Religious leaders were prophets / messengers of God. The importance of equality of men and women, being one of the corner stones of the Baha’i Faith. In my experience has yet to be established even the most advanced societies.
The in-equality of the sexes in Ghanaian society was noticeable. Many Baha’is recognize the role of The Iranian Poetess Tahiri, as being in the forefront of women’s liberation. The removal of her veil at a meeting in a Muslim society led to a man being so distressed at this act that he went outside and cut his own throat. See the unveiling of Babi Poetess Quarrat Al-Ayn Tahirih in the Gardens of Badasht by Negar Mottahedeh.
The question of mixed race marriages that is still a contentious issue in many societies has been given clear guidelines by the son of the founder of the Baha’i Faith Abdu’l Baha, “Eldest son and appointed successor of Baha’u’llah, Centre of His Covenant, and the Head of the Baha’i Faith from 1892 to 1921; regarded along with the Bab and Baha’u’llah, as one of the Central Figures of the Baha’i Faith, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá encouraged the marriage of Louis George Gregory and a white English Bahá’í, Louisa (Louise) A. M. Mathew’ see the life of Louis George Gregory 1874-1951.
The annoying fact that I had to keep renewing my Visa whilst staying in Ghana made the concept of World Citizenship very practical, along with the Baha’i principle of a world language, so that a person who enters any country in the world can communicate with the indigenous population. Living in a country where many different dialects are spoken can be a huge disadvantage. The widespread acceptance of people having to beg as a living, has to be addressed by society so that people are not in this situation and so would be eventually outlawed.
When I returned to London and resumed my cab driving, I understood what is meant when someone was described or referred to as being ‘ Born again’ any reason was snatched upon to mention the new faith I had found, if someone showed interest a leaflet was on hand to give. It was surprising to me how often people wanted to know more.
On occasions a passenger, in my cab has said ‘Bless you’ on some occasions after I had sneezed, my reply was always Thank you but I am Blessed! Giving me the opportunity to mention the Baha’i Faith.
The editor of Taxi News David Barnes who in the past had published a number of letters in the papers Letters Page concerning my views on social issues. It was important to me to get my fellow cabdrivers to be aware of this fairly new phenomenon. It was difficult to get the editor to see my point of view, often saying that religion and politics were a taboo.
It took me almost seven months to persuade him, and that was only after The LTDA council of management had agreed, though prior to that they had, through leaflets and books given by me, some knowledge of this new religious phenomenon. The result was a two-part serial in the Taxi Newspaper in 1991 which was the largest free Taxi national newspaper at the time. The same two-part serial was also repeated almost ten years later by the new editor Stuart Pessok in 1999.
To me, the most significant, the most impressive, the most needed culture changes begin at the grass roots. Ironically enough that is where culture change begins. The academics the leaders ruling sections of society who are averse to change tend to resist but are powerless to halt. In 1992 was one of the highlights in my life, though it started with financial worries, due to my wife being made redundant, just as dramatically our fortunes changed and we were able to visit New York to attend the second Baha’i Congress, the first Baha’i Congress was held in London in 1963.
A special concession was given for non-Baha’i spouses to attend, “May 29, 1992 marks the centenary of the passing of Baha’u’llah His vision of humanity as one people and of the earth as a common homeland, dismissed out of hand by the world leaders to whom it was first enunciated over one hundred years ago, has today become the focus of human hope.
Equally inescapable is the collapse of moral and social order, which this same declaration foresaw with awesome clarity ” Taken from the 1991 edition “Baha’u’llah” The Baha’i Publishing Trust.
In 1994, I was able to make my Baha’i Pilgrimage to The Holy Land and visit the shrines of the central figures of the Baha’i Faith. The experience, even though I kept a journal, I found my words were not able to describe my experience.
The ‘Return’ The Movie-Part 2 of 3
My fellow taxi drivers
In 1993, The Brent Baha’is were hopeful that my fellow taxi drivers would embrace this new Revelation and arranged for a stall display representing the World Baha’i Community at The Dunlop London Taxi-driver of the Year Competition held at Battersea Park. A large Marquee, with books and leaflets informed lots of interested people.
In 1994 at The Dunlop Taxi Driver of the year Charity Fund, The Brent Baha’is hired a stall in the Business Design Centre in Islington. In 1995 The London transport Exhibition Taxi Trade Fair with the Dunlop Taxi Driver of the Year Competition was held at the Royal London Victoria Dock.
The Baha’is who participated were convinced that Taxi drivers would help to spread this new message.
Sadly, to date it has not happened yet! A System for Global Governance The Baha’i Administrative Order Following a framework set down by Baha’u’llah, Baha’i communities conduct their business through a distinctive system of freely elected governing councils that challenge commonly accepted ideas about the inherent limitations of democracy ” In every country where any of this people reside, they must behave towards the government of that country with loyalty, honesty and truthfulness”
Baha’u’llah.
A profile of the Baha’i faith and its worldwide community
The above paragraphs indicate that the Baha’i faith is evolutionary rather that revolutionary, Each individual shall make his own independent search after truth”.
Baha’u’llah