svanneck Posted February 12, 2010 Report Share Posted February 12, 2010 Hi all! I noticed there's one or two other Baha'is on this forum, and mention has already been made of the many things Baha'is and Latter-day Saints have in common. I've been married to my wonderful wife, who's a devout and active Church member, for over 14 years, and I've been a Baha'i for most of that time. I appreciate the teachings of the Church and have read the BoM, D&C, PGP as well as much of the rich collection of historical church publications. I'm good friends with many people in my wife's ward and enjoy going to church whenever I can -- although my own activities in my faith have prevented me of late. I'm always looking to learn more about the LDS faith, and if anyone wants to ask me about some of the things I've discovered we have in common, feel free. I'm not interested in converting anyone, and I'm not interested in being converted. My only goal as a Baha'i is to learn from people of different religions, to find common ground, and to do my small part in promoting the cause of religious harmony. Warm regards, S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazed-and-confused Posted February 12, 2010 Report Share Posted February 12, 2010 hi, S..and most welcome. I recently responded to another baha'i new comer to the site. My own pre-lDS history was Jainism, from India. have you heard of it?. many of my friends at the ashram were baha'i, but all i seem to remember is the saying.....don't push the river. are you familiar with that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moksha Posted February 12, 2010 Report Share Posted February 12, 2010 Welcome. One of the posters whom I have enjoyed for years at Beliefnet is Baha'i. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svanneck Posted February 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2010 hi, S..and most welcome. I recently responded to another baha'i new comer to the site. My own pre-lDS history was Jainism, from India. have you heard of it?. many of my friends at the ashram were baha'i, but all i seem to remember is the saying.....don't push the river. are you familiar with that?Hmm. No, I'm not familiar with that phrase. Do you know what it was in reference to? My initial impression is that it has to do with letting things happen organically, not to force the process. But it is not a "Baha'i" phrase to the best of my knowledge.I've heard about Jainism but I know virtually nothing about it. It would be interesting some time to learn a little about your former religion and specifically about the path from Jain to Mormon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volgadon Posted February 12, 2010 Report Share Posted February 12, 2010 Welcome! I lived for a couple of years just up the road from the Baha'i gardens in Haifa. One of the most gorgeous places in the world, and increidbly serene. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svanneck Posted February 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2010 I had the bounty of taking my family to Haifa on a Baha'i pilgrimage in the summer of '07. It was an indescribably beautiful experience for me. Thank you for reminding me of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volgadon Posted February 12, 2010 Report Share Posted February 12, 2010 Did you also visit the gardens in Acre? Summer of '07 I was on a mission in Russia, a former investigator and member of our English classes was a Baha'i. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
begood2 Posted February 12, 2010 Report Share Posted February 12, 2010 Welcome to LDS.net! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maya Posted February 12, 2010 Report Share Posted February 12, 2010 Welcome and enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeuroTypical Posted February 12, 2010 Report Share Posted February 12, 2010 Hi svannek, welcome! I think I've only spent a total of 5 minutes in a parking lot with a Baha'i, but if I remember correctly, he was a very friendly fellow. Do I remember right that you folks actually have a living prophet in your faith as well? LM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svanneck Posted February 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2010 Did you also visit the gardens in Acre?Summer of '07 I was on a mission in Russia, a former investigator and member of our English classes was a Baha'i.Yes, I did the full 9-day pilgrimage, and I got to spend time at the mansions of Bahji and Mazra'ih near Acre, and also the Garden of Ridvan. Every one of those places is beautiful. The terraces on Mt. Carmel as well as the Shrine of the Bab are open to the public, by the way.Where in Russia did you serve your mission? I've never been there nor do I speak Russian but I love the language, it's beautiful to listen to. And it's a very diverse country both geographically and demographically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svanneck Posted February 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2010 Hi svannek, welcome!I think I've only spent a total of 5 minutes in a parking lot with a Baha'i, but if I remember correctly, he was a very friendly fellow.Do I remember right that you folks actually have a living prophet in your faith as well?LMThanks for the welcome!To answer your question, there are some differences in how Mormons and Baha'is understand the concept of prophethood that prevent me from answering in the affirmative. But what I can tell you is that the spiritual and administrative head of the Baha'i Faith is the Universal House of Justice, a body of nine people who individually have no authority but who collectively are promised divine guidance (infallibility) by the founder of the Faith, Baha'u'llah. One of the purposes of the UHJ is to provide continuous guidance to mankind, commensurate to the needs of the time. So in that sense, the way Baha'is see their supreme institution, the Universal House of Justice, is similar to how Mormons view their living prophet.I hope that answers the question... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rren Posted February 20, 2010 Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 Where can I go to learn more about your faith? Welcome to the site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svanneck Posted February 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 Where can I go to learn more about your faith? Welcome to the site.Thanks, rren! A good source of information is the web site of the Baha'is of the United States at bahai.us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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