Like a Thief in the Night

I'm BACK! Life got away from me for a little bit there, but now I'm back and I hope everyone out there is doing well! I am recommitting myself to this blog and I hope that I can start getting some good old "cyber-conversations" going. Therefore, my posts may start having a little bit more of an "edge" so that more people may be interested in taking the time to share their thoughts.

I think Harold Camping is as good a place to start as any. A couple of months ago, Mr. Camping worked many people into a frenzy over his prediction that Judgment Day would occur on May 21st, 2011. It is extremely disheartening to me that so many people got caught up in such fear mongering. I believe that God wants us to think for ourselves, to search, to question, to believe and have faith in Him thru conscious knowledge, not through blind imitation and attachment to antiquated dogma.

If you read this passage from the Bible for yourself...

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"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."(King James Bible, 2 Peter 3:10)

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Let's leave all the melting elements and burning up for another discussion and focus on the first phrase - "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night."

What does that mean to you? To me, it means exactly what it says - that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. And thieves come quietly, they sneak. In fact, they could very well come and go before you even know they were there, right? Then the next morning you wake up and think, "HEY! Where did my stereo go?". That's a joke - the Promised One would have no need for your stereo. ;-)

So in my mind, the vision of Christ, or anyone else for that matter, floating down out of the sky and levitating the chosen up into heaven, just does not seem quiet or subtle enough enough to be like a "thief in the night". In fact, it seems so grandiose as to leave no room left over for true Faith, which doesn't require such ostentatious spectacles.

But Justin, you say, Jesus does say he will "come in the clouds". Ah yes, you are absolutely correct, and he also mostly spoke in parables. So, if we were to assume that the cloud concept was a parable, what do you think it could mean? What do clouds do? They obscure the sun so that it is more difficult to receive the warmth and light it provides. Taken symbolically then, what could it all mean? Maybe that when He returns there will be "clouds" that inhibit our ability to receive and recognize the warmth and light of His Word? What could those clouds be? The preoccupations and materialism of society? The prejudices or egoism within ourselves? The dogma of our traditions? What do you think?


All religions speak of a great "Promised One" that is to come. To Judaism He is "Lord of Hosts"; to Christianity, the Return of Christ in the glory of the Father; to Islam, the "Great Announcement"; to Buddhism, the Maitreya Buddha; to Hinduism, the new incarnation of Krishna; to Zoroastrianism, the advent of "Shah-Bahram".

Sometimes the Prophets speak as if They Themselves will return. Other times, They speak as if Someone other than Themselves will bring the new heaven and the new earth. This contradiction makes sense only if you ponder their dual nature as an Individual AND as the Mouthpiece for the Word of God.

As a Bahá'i, I believe that the Promised One of all religions, the "Desire of all Nations", the "King of Glory" has already come and gone in the Personage of Bahá'u'lláh. To me, His Writings are clearly from God and are the "Divine Prescription" for this ailing world. There have been many "clouds" throughout my life that successfully limited my vision at times and my ability to appropriately recognizing His station and the impact it should create in my life.

When I look back, I recognize how "asleep" I had been, letting "clouds" obscure my vision - caught up in materialism, popular thought and false preconceptions that weren't truly my own. I am so grateful and humbled that nowadays, thanks to His guidance, I feel much more "awake" and "clear" about who I am, where I fit in this world and what I believe to be true.

Below I have gathered some passages from numerous world religions on their prophecies concerning the "Promised One of All Ages". Are you certain that He has not yet arrived? Are there any "clouds" in your life that may be obscuring your vision and keeping you "asleep" and heedless to His Call? Are your beliefs truly your own or are you blindly following the same thinking of those around you? Food for thought.

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"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." - King James Bible, John 16:7-14

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"Who shall teach us when Thou art gone?" Buddha replied in these clear terms: "I am not the first Buddha who came upon earth, nor shall I be the last. In due time another Buddha will arise .... He shall reveal to you the same eternal truths which I have taught you. He will preach to you His religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at the climax and glorious at the goal, in the spirit and in the letter." - Sermon of the Great Passing.

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"Whose name will be the victorious SAOSHYANT and whose name
will be Astvat-ereta. He will be SAOSHYANT (the Beneficent One),
because he will benefit the whole bodily world; he will be ASTVAT-ERETA (he who makes the bodily creatures rise up), because as a bodily creature and as a living creature he will stand against the destruction of the bodily creatures, to withstand the Druj of the two-footed brood, to withstand the evil done by the faithful." - The Zend-Avesta, Khorda Avesta

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"I come, and go, and come. When Righteousness
Declines, O Bharata! when Wickedness
Is strong, I rise, from age to age, and take
Visible shape, and move a man with men,
Succouring the good, thrusting the evil back,
And setting Virtue on her seat again.
Who knows the truth touching my births on earth
And my divine work, when he quits the flesh
Puts on its load no more, falls no more down
To earthly birth: to Me he comes, dear Prince!" - Hindu, Bhagavad Gita

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"The same religion has He established for you as that which He enjoined on Noah-the which We have sent by inspiration to thee-and that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: Namely, that ye should remain steadfast in Religion, and make no divisions therein: to those who worship other things than Allah, hard is the (way) to which thou callest them. Allah chooses to Himself those whom He pleases, and guides to Himself those who turn (to Him)." - The Qur'an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah 42

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"O peoples of the earth! By the righteousness of God! Whatever ye have been promised in the Books of your Lord, the Ruler of the Day of Return, hath appeared and been made manifest. Beware lest the changes and chances of the world hold you back from Him Who is the Sovereign Truth." - Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 231

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Seeds of the Sower

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Well, its been over a year and a half since I first started this blog and three weeks since I last posted. I really love it when I get the opportunity to sit and do the research and the writing necessary to create these blog posts. Sometimes its easy, sometimes its hard, but it is always gratifying. Even though many times there is very little if any discussion generated, the process of sifting through the writings of the world religions gives me new "Aha" moments every time.

And that is magical.

However, I thought it might be valuable to re-state the purpose of the blog. Because I strongly believe that the essence of all religions is one and the same, I hope that people from diverse backgrounds and different spiritual traditions can use this space as a forum to have valuable discourse on important topics, free from hostile "flaming" and condemnation.

I love listening to diverse thoughts and am very open and passionate about studying and discussing spiritual writings with others. That's why I take the time to write this blog. And of course I hope that some of my friends take the time out of their busy lives to share their thoughts, opinions, and especially any quotes or religious writings that they really like or believe in.

The quote at the top of this page sums up my whole thought process for this blog...

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"Divine things are too deep to be expressed by common words. The heavenly teachings are expressed in parable in order to be understood and preserved for ages to come. When the spiritually minded dive deeply into the ocean of their meaning they bring to the surface the pearls of their inner significance. There is no greater pleasure than to study God's Word with a spiritual mind." (Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 79)

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If you read thru the below quotes about parables and symbolism in the various spiritual traditions it talks about how important it is to delve deeply into them and try to uncover their meaning. That the seeds fall on the receptive and the denier alike, but only those willing to strive to understand and embrace the "seed" of the Word of God will ultimately be able to understand it. The quotes also seem to explain that you have to be in the right place of receptivity to understand what they truly symbolize.

Please share your thoughts on the quotes below and add your own! Happy Sunday everyone!

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"And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.

And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.

And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.

And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God." (King James Bible, Luke 8:4-11)

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"To see the essence in the unessential and to see the essence as unessential means one can never get to the essence,
wandering as one is in the road of wrong intentions.

But to see the essence in the essential and the unessential as the unessential it is means one does get to the essence, being
on the road of right intentions." (Buddhist, Dhammapada - Sayings of the Buddha 1 (tr. J. Richards))

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"He it is who has revealed to thee the Book, of which there are some verses that are decisive, they are the mother of the Book; and others ambiguous; but as for those in whose hearts is perversity, they follow what is ambiguous, and do crave for sedition, craving for (their own) interpretation of it; but none know the interpretation of it except God. But those who are well grounded in knowledge say, 'We believe in it; it is all from our Lord; but none will remember save those who possess minds." (The Qur'an (E.H. Palmer tr), Sura 3 - Imran's Family)

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"Scholars of the highest class, when they hear about the Tao,
earnestly carry it into practice. Scholars of the middle class, when
they have heard about it, seem now to keep it and now to lose it.
Scholars of the lowest class, when they have heard about it, laugh
greatly at it. If it were not (thus) laughed at, it would not be fit
to be the Tao." (Tao, Tao Te Ching (J. Legge tr))

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"Consider how the parable makes attainment dependent upon capacity. Unless capacity is developed, the summons of the Kingdom cannot reach the ear, the light of the Sun of Truth will not be observed, and the fragrances of the rose garden of inner significance will be lost. Let us endeavor to attain capacity, susceptibility and worthiness that we may hear the call of the glad tidings of the Kingdom, become revivified by the breaths of the Holy Spirit, hoist the standard of the oneness of humanity, establish human brotherhood, and under the protection of divine grace attain the everlasting and eternal life." (Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 149)

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"Wert thou to cleanse the mirror of thy heart from the dust of malice, thou wouldst apprehend the meaning of the symbolic terms revealed by the all-embracing Word of God made manifest in every Dispensation, and wouldst discover the mysteries of divine knowledge. Not, however, until thou consumest with the flame of utter detachment those veils of 69 idle learning, that are current amongst men, canst thou behold the resplendent morn of true knowledge." (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 68)

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"I'm only human"...really?

“It is not human nature we should accuse but the despicable conventions that pervert it.” - Denis Diderot

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I got in trouble with my mom once when I was a teenager for the weirdest thing. I can't recall exactly how it went down, but I think it involved the song "Human" by The Human League. In case you've never heard that song or don't remember the lyrics, here's a sample: "I’m only human, Of flesh and blood I’m made, Human, Born to make mistakes"

I was singing it or she heard it playing on my boombox (back then that's what we used to listen to music) or maybe I just quoted it and said "I'm only human". I don't really remember. All I remember was how mad my mom got. She said something to the effect, (really paraphrasing here) "What do you mean you're only human? Do you know how special it is to be human? Do you know how much you have been blessed by God? Do you have any idea?"

Obviously, I didn't. At least not back then. Nowadays, because of that incident so long ago and because I am older and wiser (wink), I am always struck when someone else uses the phrase, "I'm only human" or "It's just human nature". Is it? Really? Or is it an excuse? Why do we even say that? The whole concept of "What exactly is human nature?" has been a prevailing theme in my life lately. Friday night on Jeopardy there was a quote from the movie The African Queen with Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart:

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Charlie Allnut: A man takes a drop too much once in a while, it's only human nature.
Rose Sayer: Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we are put in this world to rise above.

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That quote completely encapsulates my thoughts on the subject. Too often I feel that what society currently labels as "normal" and "acceptable" and/or "just human" are actually just mainstream conventions of thought and practice that I personally don't adhere to. What is so great about modern conventions anyway? It seems like everywhere around me all people care about discussing or spending time on are things that pertain to this world and everything within it - politics, celebrities, new technologies, entertainment, latest gossip, etc. Sorry, but something tells me that just because a large percentage of society believes certain things to be true, or acceptable or "human", doesn't make it so. For example:

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"It's perfectly normal to have a glass of beer or wine with dinner every night, in fact, it's good for you!"

"By your third date, it is completely ok to have sex. You gotta test the merchandise, right? Besides, you're only human."

"It's understandable if you yell and scream at your significant other every once in a while. You have to let off steam. It's natural."

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Hogwash, I say! I strongly believe that we were made to "rise above" our baser, more animalstic nature and that is because our truer, more relevant nature is "divine". There is a light within us that we can tap into, a light that is our true spirit and our divine essence and more truly human than any other aspect that typically gets labeled as "who we are". Maybe that makes me a "fuddy-duddy" or a "goody two shoes" to the rest of the world. So be it. All I know is that I've been there, done that other junk and focusing on my divine self feels way better.

Don't forget to check out some spiritual writings on this topic below and as always, please share your thoughts and quotes from your spiritual traditions. I'll end with a quote from Katy Perry's song Firework since I think it is relevant to the topic, reminding us all to let our divine light shine:

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"Do you know that theres still a chance for you, cause there's a spark in you? You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine! Just own the night like the Fourth of July, 'Cause baby you're a firework, c'mon show 'em what you're worth!"

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"Divine civilization is like the spirit, and the body gets its life from the spirit, otherwise it becomes a corpse. It has thus been made evident that the world of mankind is in need of the breaths of the Holy Spirit. Without the spirit the world of mankind is lifeless, and without this light the world of mankind is in utter darkness. For the world of nature is an animal world. Until man is born again from the world of nature, that is to say, becomes detached from the world of nature, he is essentially an animal, and it is the teachings of God which converts this animal into a human soul." - Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 289

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"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." - King James Bible, John 1:12-13

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"Lift up your self by yourself;
examine your self by yourself.
Thus self-protected and attentive
you will live joyfully, mendicant.
For self is the master of self;
self is the refuge of self.
therefore tame yourself,
like a merchant tames a noble horse." - Buddhist, Dhammapada - Sayings of the Buddha 2 (tr. J. Richards)

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The sage whose soul
Holds off from outer contacts, in himself
Finds bliss; to Brahma joined by piety,
His spirit tastes eternal peace. The joys
Springing from sense-life are but quickening wombs
Which breed sure griefs: those joys begin and end!
The wise mind takes no pleasure, Kunti's Son!
In such as those! But if a man shall learn,
Even while he lives and bears his body's chain,
To master lust and anger, he is blest!
He is the Yukta; he hath happiness,
Contentment, light, within: his life is merged
In Brahma's life; he doth Nirvana touch!" - Hindu, Bhagavad Gita (Edwin Arnold tr)

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"The rewards of this life are the virtues and perfections which adorn the reality of man. For example, he was dark and becomes luminous, he was ignorant and becomes wise, he was neglectful and becomes vigilant, he was asleep and becomes awakened, he was dead and becomes living, he was blind and becomes a seer, he was deaf and becomes a hearer, he was earthly and becomes heavenly, he was material and becomes spiritual. Through these rewards he gains spiritual birth, and becomes a new creature...this is the meaning of the second birth.

For such people there is no greater torture than being veiled from God, and no more severe punishment than sensual vices, dark qualities, lowness of nature, engrossment in carnal desires. When they are delivered through the light of faith from the darkness of these vices, and become illuminated with the radiance of the Sun of Reality, and ennobled with all the virtues, they esteem this the greatest reward, and they know it to be the true paradise." - Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 324

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A Precious Bounty

I have received my official invitation to go on the 9-Day Baha'i pilgrimage in June of next year! I have fourteen months to prepare, which seems like forever! I am so excited I can hardly stand it!

Most world religions have some sort of pilgrimage that their followers can take in order to pray and worship at their holy places. In the Baha'i Faith, pilgrimage is considered a privilege and a bounty of inestimable value. It is not only a physical journey to the historical and sacred sites of the Faith, but an important inner journey of immense spiritual significance.

Below I have gathered some of the images of various holy sites of pilgrimage from many of the different world religions. Have you ever been on pilgrimage to a site you find sacred? Do you hope to some day? Please share your experiences, thoughts or feelings on pilgrimage from your spiritual tradition.

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The image above is from the Baha'i World Centre on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. The building you see is the Shrine of The Báb (which means "The Gate"). The Báb was the Founder of the Babi religion and the Herald of Baha'u'llah. I will be staying at a hotel on Mount Carmel during my pilgrimage and it will be a short walk for me to visit this Shrine.

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This is the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh located in Bahjí near Acre, Israel. It is the most holy place for Bahá'ís and represents our Qiblih, or direction of prayer. It contains the remains of Bahá'u'lláh and is near the spot where he died in the Mansion of Bahjí. This is the most sacred place I will be visiting during my pilgrimage.

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The Temple in Jerusalem was the center of the Jewish religion, until its destruction in 70 CE. Since then, the western retaining wall of the original temple, known as the Wailing Wall, or Western Wall remains in the Old City of Jerusalem and this has been the most sacred site for religious Jews.

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The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also called the Church of the Resurrection by Eastern Christians, is a church within the walled Old City of Jerusalem. The site is venerated as Golgotha (the Hill of Calvary), where Jesus was crucified and is said to also contain the place where Jesus was buried (the sepulchre). The church has been an important Christian pilgrimage destination since at least the 4th century.

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The Hajj is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest annual pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to God (Allah).

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Gautama Buddha is said to have identified four sites most worthy of pilgrimage for his followers, saying that they would produce a feeling of spiritual urgency. One of them pictured above, is in Kushinagar, where there rests a 1500 year old statue of the Buddha as he attained Parinirvana (Great Nirvana or passing away).

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The Badrinath temple in India is widely considered to be one of the holiest Hindu temples, and is dedicated to the god Vishnu. The temple and town are one of the four Char Dham pilgrimage sites. It was traditionally believed that one who undertakes a pilgrimage to all four sites will attain moksha, the release from samsara (cycle of rebirths), at the time of death.

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Keep Your Head Up!

This weekend I am trying to take it a little easy, so the blog is going to be very brief (normally I spend hours looking up quotes and pictures). I thought a good thing to do would be to just post the coolest Baha'i video I have seen in a long time.

It is actually a music video by Andy Grammer, son of Red Grammer. The version shown below is only one of many versions of this video. The original is filmed like one of those old "Choose Your Own Adventure" books they had back in the 80's. It can be found here - http://www.andygrammer.com/. At that site you can actually make choices throughout the video as to what you would like to see happen. For example, Andy can bump into movers or be dumped by the bikers at the beginning. There are numerous choices like that throughout. Super fun! Not to mention, the song itself is very uplifting and catchy and Rainn Wilson from the Office is in it.

I hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend and enjoy the video!

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