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In my previous blog post, I put up my translation of Arabic hidden word 45: “Awakened child, articulate your truth about me as you see it, satisfied with me and thankful for what I have done, that you may rely on me and rest easy in the retreats of greatness behind the canopy of might.”…

“Awakened child, articulate your truth about me as you see it, satisfied with me and thankful for what I have done, that you may rely on me and rest easy in the retreats of greatness behind the canopy of might.” Arabic hidden word 45 This is my translation of Arabic hidden word 45. I love…

This is the latest installment in my ongoing slow-read of Baha’u’llah’s Tablet of the Son, paragraph 12. To read the full commentary so far, click here. In paragraph 10 of Tablet of the Son, I discussed the fact that Baha’u’llah is not impressed by fancy mystical talk. Baha’u’llah argued that the words of a new…

An interesting question is: how does divine judgement actually occur on the Day of Judgement? For a long time, I thought the answer was that a person needed to believe in Baha’u’llah. But now I have revised that to a person needs to sincerely love Baha’u’llah. It doesn’t matter what ideas you hold in your…

In the following hidden word, Baha’u’llah stresses the importance of having a heart that is characterised by serene happiness, so that a person can unite with him.  “O human child, exult in the joyful serenity of your heart, so that you are ready to meet me and be a mirror for my beauty.” Arabic hidden…

A narrative of identity is a story that we tell ourselves repeatedly, which is so fundamental that it defines who we are. Nations, cultures, genders, peoples all have narratives of identity. I have given much thought to the narratives of identity that are used by the Baha’i community. They appear in the places where Baha’is…

Baha’u’llah says that God created human beings because God loves them. Having done that, God asks to be loved in return. God sends Baha’u’llah to deliver this message. In doing this, Baha’u’llah has two purposes. First, to teach each person how to make good on God’s offer and thereby achieve salvation, which is an eternal…

I was born in 1959. When I grew up, I was socialised by romance narratives. Pretty much every popular song was a love song. Romance stories filled the movies. Romance stories filled television. I believed in romance. I believed I would fall in love with someone and marry him. I was aware that the romance…

Paragraph 11 – Scripture tailored to the divine purpose and human condition In this blog post, I continue with my commentary on Baha’u’llah’s Tablet of the Son. In paragraph 11, Baha’u’llah cites an example of how God rearranges words and meaning at the time of a new revelation. He gives a challenging example. He asks…

I have argued that the physical world has two roles: one, to be the object of science; and two, to be the symbolic representation of the spiritual worlds. Baha’i scripture is chock full of gorgeous symbolic language. Why? In order to transport the reader to the spiritual worlds. The Baha’i World Centre has released a…