Thou are the Praiser and the Praised One. O my God, and my Master and my Desire. This, thy servant desireth to sleep in the shelter of Thy Mercy, and to rest under the shadow of the Dome of Thy Favour, assisted by Thy Protection and Thy Guard. O my Lord, I invoke Thee, by Thine Eye which sleepeth not, to protect mine eye from beholding aught beside Thee. Then increase its light by witnessing Thy Signs, and by looking towards the Horizon of Thy Manifestation. Thou art He before whose Appearances of Might, the existence of power is subdued.
There is no God but Thee, the Powerful, the Conqueror, the Chosen One.
O Thou most kind Lord, this reverent assembly is calling on Thy name. These souls are seeking Thy good pleasure. They are seeking the prosperity of the world of humanity. O Lord, confer upon their souls life evermore. O Lord, forgive their sins and keep them in Thy protecting shade in both worlds. O Lord, confer upon them Thy great pleasure. All are servants of international peace, all are servants of humanity. Thou art the Merciful, the Generous, the Forgiver, the Almighty, the Praiseworthy!
Praise be unto Thee, Oh my God, that Thou hast awakened me after my sleep, caused me to appear after my absence, and raised me from my insensibility. I arose facing the Lights of the Dawn of Thine Appearance, by which the horizons of the Heavens of Thy Power and Thy Majesty were enlightened, confessing Thy Signs, assured in Thy Book, and holding to Thy Rope.
I beg of Thee, by the Power of Thy Will, and by the Penetration of Thy Purpose, to ordain that which Thou hast showed me in my vision, as the most solid foundation for the dwelling place of Thy love in the hearts of Thy Friends, and the best cause for the appearance of Thy Favour and Thy Grace.
Oh my Lord, ordain to me, by Thy Supreme Pen, the blessings of the world to come, and the present one. I bear witness, that verily the reins of affairs are in Thy Grasp, and that Thou changest them as Thou desirest. There is no God but Thee, the Powerful and the Faithful.
Thou art the One whose Command changeth lowliness into might; weakness into strength; humility to authority; confusion to tranquility, and doubt to conviction. There is no God but Thee, The Glorious, The Generous. Disappoint not whosoever entreateth Thee, and forbid not whosoever desireth Thee. Ordain that which befitteth the Heaven of Thy Bounty, and the Ocean of Thy Generosity. Verily Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty.
I arise in Thy Shelter, and it behooveth him who seeketh Thy protection to be under the shield of Thy Guard, and in the Fortress of Thy Defence. O my Lord, enlighten me inwardly by the Lights of the Day-break of Thy Manifestation, as Thou hast enlightened me outwardly by the Light of the dawn of Thy Favour.
O my God! O my God! Glory be unto Thee for that Thou hast confirmed me to the confession of Thy Oneness, attracted me unto the word of Thy Singleness, enkindled me by the fire of Thy love, and occupied me with Thy mention and the service of Thy friends and maid-servants.
O Lord, help me to be meek and lowly and strengthen me in severing myself from all things and in holding to the hem of the garment of Thy Glory, so that my heart may be filled with Thy love and leave no space for the love of the world and the attachment to its qualities.
O God! Sanctify me from all else save Thee, purge me from the dross of sins and transgressions and cause me to possess a spiritual heart and conscience.
Verily Thou art merciful and verily Thou art the Generous, the Helper.
O Lord, I have turned my face unto thy Kingdom of Oneness and am drowned in the sea of Thy mercy! O Lord, enlighten my sight by beholding Thy lights in this dark night, and make me happy by the wine of Thy love in this wonderful age! O Lord, make me hear Thy call, and open before my face the doors of Thy heaven, so that I may see the light of Thy glory and become attracted to Thy beauty!
Verily, thou art the Giver, the Generous, the Merciful, the Forgiving!
O my God! O my God!
This, Thy servant, hath advanced toward Thee, is passionately wandering in the desert of Thy love, walking in the path of Thy service, anticipating Thy favors, hoping for Thy bounty, relying upon Thy Kingdom, and being exhilarated with the wine of Thy gift. O my God! Increase his fervor in Thy passion, his constancy in Thy praise and his ardor in Thy love. Verily, Thou art the Beneficent and endowed with great bounty! There is no God but Thee, the Forgiving, the Merciful!
Remember Abdul-Baha’s words: “I encourage everyone to engage in the service of the Kingdom. The foundation of this Cause is pure spiritual democracy and not a theocracy.” —Abdul-Baha.
Frederick Glaysher, Introduction to the Reform Bahai Faith. A Talk Presented to the Troy Interfaith Group, Troy, Michigan. March 5, 2012. 26 minutes.
NOTE: Mr. Glaysher misspoke in terms of the date in which Dr. C. Ainsworth Mitchell judged the purported will and testament of Abdul-Baha fraudulent. The correct date was in 1929. Dr. C. (Charles) Ainsworth Mitchell’s “Report on the Writing Shown on the Photographs of the Alleged Will of Abdul-Baha,” may be found at the following link: http://www.reformbahai.org/CAMitchell_Report.html
More than thirty-four people of all religious persuasions in attendance.
“To be a Bahai simply means to love all the world; to love humanity and try to serve it; to work for universal peace and universal brotherhood.” –Abdul-Baha
“O people of the world, ye are all the fruit of one tree, and the leaves of one branch.” –Baha’u'llah
“Consort ye, O people, with the followers of all religions with joy and fragrance.” –Baha’u'llah
“‘Glory is not his who loves his native land; but glory is his who loves his kind.’ By these exalted Words He taught the birds of souls a new flight and effaced restriction and blind imitation from the Book.” –Abdul-Baha quoting Baha’u'llah
“The Bahai Movement is not an organization. You cannot organize the Bahai Movement. The Bahai Movement is the spirit of the age. It is the essence of all the highest ideals of this century. The Bahai Cause is an inclusive movement. The teachings of all religions and societies are found here.” –Abdul-Baha
“This movement is not an organization—it is the realization of a new spirit. The foundation of that spirit is the love of God; and its method, the love and service of mankind. Many who have never heard of this revelation teach its laws and spiritual truths.” –Abdul-Baha
“It is the wish of Abdul-Baha that the friends may establish general unity and not a particular meeting of unity. You must have great consideration for this fact, for during the past cycles though such events (founding of particular, i. e., exclusive unity meetings) were, in the beginning, a means for harmony, they became in the end the cause of trouble.” –Abdul-Baha
“There are no officers in this Cause. I do not and have not ‘Appointed’ anyone to perform any special service, but I encourage everyone to engage in the service of the Kingdom. The foundation of this Cause is pure spiritual democracy and not a theocracy.” –Abdul-Baha
“People think religion is confined in an edifice, to be worshiped at an altar. In reality it is an attitude toward divinity which is reflected through life.” –Abdul-Baha
“You can be a Bahai-Christian, a Bahai-Freemason, a Bahai-Jew, a Bahai-Muhammadan.” –Abdul-Baha
“These are effectual and sufficient proofs that the conscience of man is sacred and to be respected; and that liberty thereof produces widening of ideas, amendment of morals, improvement of conduct, disclosure of the secrets of creation, and manifestation of the hidden verities of the contingent world.” –Abdul-Baha
1893, “Treatise on Leadership,” Abdul-Baha. Separation of church and state.
1912, “Address Upon the Covenant,” Abdul-Baha. Facsimile at http://reformbahai.org/Covenant.html
Early Reform Bahais:
Ruth White, author of several books.
Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, Abdul-Baha’s secretary for eight years, author of several books.
Julia Chandler, Bahai from a prominent American family.
Jenabe Fazel Mazandarani, Bahai scholar on universal religion.
Dr. C. Ainsworth Mitchell, in 1929, a British Museum document expert, judges the will and testament of 1921 fraudulent.
“Associate with the followers of all religions with spirituality and fragrance.” —Baha’u'llah
“The oneness of the world of humanity is a Teaching of Baha’u’llah, for Baha’u’llah addresses Himself to mankind, saying: ‘Ye are all the leaves of one tree and the drops of one ocean.’” -Abdul-Baha
The Reform Bahai Faith will hold a brief five to ten-minute introductory talk, followed by an ecumenical prayer meeting on Tuesday, March 27, 2012, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm, in downtown Rochester at the
American Legion Hall
234 Walnut Boulevard (corner of 3rd Street and Walnut Boulevard)
Rochester, MI 48307
People of all persuasions and religions are invited to attend. Feel free to bring a prayer or religious reading from your own faith or tradition to share. If one desires suggestions for reading, The Global Testament of Faith, available online on the Reform Bahai website, has many interfaith readings one might also choose from and which convey the spirit of the occasion:http://reformbahai.org/Global_Testament_of_Faith.html
All are welcome! We’d love to meet and pray with you!
