“Reflect upon the perfection of man’s creation, and that all these planes and states are folded up and hidden away within him. ‘Do you think yourself only a puny form, when within you the universe is folded?’” — Bahaullah

People are not perfect. But God is perfect, and God created us in His own image and likeness. This contradiction begs the question: What went wrong?

All religions apprehend the truth that human beings fall far short of our potential. We make mistakes; we “sin.” But we can change for the better. Our natural state is not to be in rebellion against the perfection of our Creator but to live in divine harmony and glory.

God gave humans free will to experiment with the path of pain. The story of Adam and Eve being cast out from the Garden of Eden after eating the Forbidden Fruit is an archetypal myth that tells the tale of how people choose to foresake the paradise of union with God’s will for a different will of their own — even if it leads to great suffering.

But the unpleasant situation of humanity — living in an imperfect world filled with imperfect people — is not wrong, but actually part of God’s perfect plan. For it is only by tasting of the bitter fruit of departure from heaven that we may ever gain the motivation to return to God by finding and creating heaven within ourselves. As Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is within you.” (Luke 17:21).

God has ordained this process for the maturing of human souls. We must want and choose what is good in order for it to be truly meaningful. And we come to do that by experiencing the bad and thus yearning for something better. Our current imperfect state is an essential part of our journey to Divine Perfection.

“‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. “No one is good — except God alone.” (Jesus of Nazareth, Mark 10:18)

“It is He Who hath created for you all things that are on earth; Moreover His design comprehended the heavens, for He gave order and perfection to the seven firmaments; and of all things He hath perfect knowledge.” (Quran 2:29)

THOUGHT: I will not expect myself or anyone else to be perfect, but at the same time I will recognize that God has created everything and everyone according to a perfect plan.

PRAYER: In the name of the Supreme, the Most Glorious! Help me to discover within myself and manifest my potential to perfect myself in Your divine image, in which I was originally created. Let me be humble in the process of growing into Your likeness, O God, for until I can see the face of God in the face of every person I meet, my journey is incomplete.

“The essence of faith is fewness of words and abundance of deeds. As for one whose words exceed his deeds, know truly that his death is better than his life.” — Bahaullah

Words are powerful. They can lift us up or put someone down. They can create understanding or increase confusion. Fighting words can erect insurmountable barriers and wreak unimaginable destruction, and words of love can make the mountains crumble and the valleys be filled.

Words can inspire action, but they themselves are not the action that is needed. For no amount of oratory, poetry or prose, no matter how magnificently crafted and delivered, can feed a hungry child, dispense life-saving medicine to the sick, bring the wicked to justice or bring justice to the persecuted and downtrodden of this world. No, what the world really needs is people whose deeds exceed their words — people who know that the essence of faith is how we live our lives, not how much we talk about our religious identity.

Many religious people seem to feel that it is more important that a person use the right words to describe themselves and their beliefs, than the substance that emanates from that which may remain unspoken, the convictions within our hearts that so often transcend the limitations of language. Is the native son of India, who is verbally identified as a “Hindu” and has never said that “Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior” but who devotes his life to elevating the status and improving the lot of the Untouchable, more or less of a disciple of Christ than the American self-identified Evangelical Christian who worships in an air-conditioned megachurch every Sunday where they believe that billions of human beings who profess the “wrong creed,” such as the aforementioned Hindu, are headed for hell?

Dogmatic linguistic conventions are designed to divide humanity into groups based on whether they talk the talk of a particular religious faith. Have you had your “sins washed away in the blood of the Lamb” and “received the Holy Ghost through the outpouring of signs and wonders”? Are you “walking on the straight path of submission to Allah”? Are you “firm in the Covenant”? If one does not identify with the particular religion or denomination associated with such sayings, one is regarded as not one of us, outside the tribe of God’s chosen people, among the heathens and heretics, so to speak.

Those who believe religion should be about bringing people together rather than splitting and sequestering them in ideological tribes must be careful to avoid religious language that serves only to divide people from their brothers and sisters in the human family.

But religious language can also be used to move people to look beyond their present limitations to new horizons, growing and maturing as spiritual beings, and acting accordingly:

“In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ … They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD.” (Isaiah 2:2-5)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be heirs of your Father in heaven.” (Jesus of Nazareth, Matthew 5:43-45)

“The earth is but one country and humankind its citizens.” (Bahaullah)

THOUGHT: Words are powerful! Religious language can be used for good or for ill, so we must use it with great care, and focus on doing what is right moreso than talking about our beliefs.

PRAYER: O Pen in the hands of humanity, whose visible ink we are, held within Itself and dispensed therefrom, and with whose invisible ink of the spirit we write the story of our world: — Let my hand hesitate and tremble before I write with the ink of hatred, malice, or even the slightest lack of respect for any of my fellow human beings, Your beloved children. Let my hand be firm and confidently moving across the page of reality when I write with the ink of love, beneficence, compassion, hope, and faith in a better tomorrow. Let the divine ink flowing through me be manifested not only in my words, but in heroic and holy deeds that will be engraved as with a pen of diamond on tablets of chrysolite, recorded eternally in Your book of life.

“We would hope that the people of Baha may be guided by the blessed words: ‘Say: All things are of God.’ This exalted utterance is like water for quenching the fire of hate and enmity that smolders within people’s hearts. By this single utterance contending peoples and kindreds will attain the light of true unity.” — Bahaullah

One of the biggest obstacles to peace is the perception that God is on some people’s side and not others. This erroneous human judgment is incompatible with the higher consciousness of love and unity that enables the reign of the divine to be manifested on earth.

Human beings are incredibly diverse in a number of different ways. Each one of us is unique and special. And God has birthed Her Spirit into us all.

The ability to forgive each other of our faults, mistaken attitudes and actions, first requires an awareness that we are all the beloved children of God, and therefore inherently worthy of unlimited mercy and grace. Though we certainly do reap what we so — for all actions, whether good or ill, have their consequences — there is nothing one could ever do to earn God’s permanent wrath. Therefore, since God doesn’t give up on us, how could we willfully turn a blind eye to the divine within another being, a thing, an occurrence or situation, and see only the bad?

God has created everything for a reason, and this means that even outwardly negative things have a hidden positive purpose, if only we are willing to look for it or choose to learn from it. As Bahaullah says, if we say “All things are of God,” the fire of negativity within our hearts can be extinguished and replaced with a profound peace — peace of mind, peace in one’s own life, and peace on earth.

Last night at the 49th annual Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly, singer-songwriter Peter Mayer sang a song called “Holy Now,” about moving beyond the narrow and judgmental mindset found in many traditional churches. Several thousand people in attendance listened to his inspired words:

“Everything is holy now / Everything, everything / Everything is holy now.”

“See another new morning come / And say it’s not a sacrament / I tell you it can’t be done.”

“This morning, outside I stood / And saw a little red-winged bird / Shining like a burning bush / Singing like a scripture verse / It made me want to bow my head / … Everything is holy now.”

Seeing the sacred in everything requires that we look past the aspects of someone or something that we don’t like. Embracing the heretic and the unbeliever with fraternal love; accepting the gay, lesbian or transgendered person as fully equal despite any unease this may cause; seeing the potential benefit in something that happens that initially causes us to feel angry or afraid — all of these things and more may be difficult to do, but must be done by a person who seeks to live according to the path of mercy, love, justice and peace.

“O you who are beloved of the Lord! Commit not anything that defiles the pure stream of love or destroys the sweet fragrance of friendship. … Let your adorning be forgiveness and mercy and that which cheers the hearts of the well-favored of God.” (Bahaullah, Tablet of Wisdom)

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’” (Matthew 18:21-22)

THOUGHT: There is nothing at all that does not contain something divine.

PRAYER: O God, it is easy for me to see the good in people and things that I like, but difficult when it’s someone or something I don’t like. Though I may try not to judge, I often find myself deciding where You are present and where You are absent. Help me to look beyond my biases and see things from a perspective closer to Your own. Make me a more merciful and compassionate person. Let me truly believe and always remember that You have poured out Your Holy Spirit in all, and that all things work together for the good as part of Your incomprehensible plan.

“O Lord, my God! I know not what the water is with which You have created me, nor the fire You have kindled within me, or the clay with which You have kneaded me. The restlessness of every sea has been stilled, but not the restlessness of this Ocean which moves at the bidding of the winds of Your will. The flame of every fire has been extinguished except the Flame which the hands of Your omnipotence have kindled, and whose radiance You have, by the power of Your name, shed upon all that are in Your heaven and all that are on Your earth.” — Bahaullah

Is something missing? You can’t quite put your finger on it, but money, success, and honor… is it enough? Have you felt an inner yearning for something more?

What more can there be?

Bahaullah speaks of “restlessness.” For most of us, when it comes to life, restlessness is par for the course in this haphazard, demanding, multi-tasking world.

But this is another restlessness. It comes from inside us. Could it be from God?

Bahaullah says, “the flame of every fire has been extinguished except the Flame which the hands of Your omnipotence have kindled…” In life, we burn bridges, but God has lit a flame within us that we can’t resist.

That flame is God’s spirit in our hearts. When we were created, He gave that spirit to us. Think of it as a cell phone that keeps ringing. It is persistent. Are we going to answer it or not?

God’s spirit is not about religion. It’s not about beliefs, meetings or rituals. It’s accepting a part of yourself. You accept your worth and value as a person; now accept yourself as a person of God. How do you do it? You accept it. You don’t have to join anything, or give any money. You accept the truth that the spirit of God is in me.

That’s it. You simply have to be what you already are, which is a person lovingly created in God’s image.

Religions make spirituality very complicated. You have to believe the right things. You have to join the right church or religion. The plain truth is, in you, God expressed love, promise, wholeness, worth, value, and grace, and God gave you a part of Himself, which is the spirit.

The spirit, like a loving parent, reminds you to call home.

“With the hands of power I made you and with the fingers of strength I created you; and within you I have placed the essence of My light…” (Bahaullah, The Hidden Words)

“God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5)

“The Light of God is my light. In this light, I see clearly.” (Unity, Daily Word).

THOUGHT: To find God and receive clarity amidst chaos, I need look no further than my own heart.

PRAYER: Lord, Your Spirit calls to me from deep within. That Spirit gave me life. No matter how successful I may be, I will never find genuine, lasting peace until I accept Your Spirit in my life. Where can I go but to You, Lord? You are my Source and my fulfillment. Help me, O God, to live according to this knowledge, that everything I do may be inspired by the eternal fire of your Spirit, not the fires of this world that shall ultimately be extinguished.

“You are believers in God, assured by the words of God and turning to the Kingdom of God. You have heard the divine call. Your hearts are moved by the breezes of the paradise of Abha. … Let your eyes be directed toward the kingdom of truth and not toward the world of creation. … There are imperfections in every human being, and you will always become unhappy if you look toward the people themselves. But if you look toward God, you will love them and be kind to them, for the world of God is the world of perfection and complete mercy.” — Abdul-Baha

A primary theme of Azamat (Grandeur) is the greatness of God and the smallness of man. In a prayer, Bahaullah wrote that “nothing else except You can ever express You, nor can You be described by anyone but Yourself.” This makes God sound very lofty, totally beyond our reach! Yet even in God’s grandeur, He speaks to His people.

Have you heard God’s call? What does it sound like? How do we know it when we hear it? How do we know that it’s not just wishful thinking? Quakers speak of the “inner light,” or “that of God in everyone.” In their meetings, they sit and wait upon that “light.” As they are moved, they speak. In this atmosphere, what they say is often profound.

Abdul-Baha tells us, “You have heard the divine call.” We have heard it from the teachings of Bahaullah, as well as from Jesus and from all of God’s messengers. He advises, “Let your eyes be directed toward the kingdom of truth and not toward the world of creation.” Look to God, not outward appearances. The world, even life itself, may seem a total confused mess, but the way of God is whole and complete. In the world, there are headaches and setbacks, but in God, there is peace. To find that peace, go apart (as best you can!), relax, and talk to God.

Sometimes people are hard to take. They get on our nerves and sorely try our patience. Abdul-Baha says, “If you look toward God, you will love them and be kind to them.” Is that possible? Faith sees the world — and everybody in it — through God’s eyes. God does not see crass, irritable, selfish people, who never keep still, who always complain. What God sees is a reflection of Himself. God sees every person — even the most annoying — in the image of love, promise, and wholeness. By faith, we see the world as He sees it. God has a way of changing our attitude.

Abdul-Baha says, “The world of God is the world of perfection and complete mercy.” God does not create conflict, though there is conflict in the world. God does not create sadness or loss, yet it can mercilessly tear us apart. Faith is the antidote to life’s maladies. It is not wishful thinking; it is not keeping your fingers crossed. Faith is the power and potency of change, in us and in the world.

“After journeying through the planes of pure contentment, the traveler comes to the Valley of Wonderment and is tossed in the oceans of grandeur, and at every moment his wonder grows. … For in this Valley the traveler is flung into confusion, albeit, in the eye of one who has attained, such marvels are esteemed and well beloved. At every moment he beholds a wondrous world, a new creation, and goes from astonishment to astonishment, and is lost in awe at the works of the Lord of Oneness.” (Bahaullah, The Seven Valleys)

“Everywhere I look, I see the goodness of God. I see it in all people and in all experiences.” (Unity, Daily Word).

THOUGHT: Faith is not just about believing in God; it’s about believing in ourselves and each other. The grandeur and greatness of God may be found within seemingly ordinary vessels.

PRAYER: God, I have heard Your call. I hear it in the midst of the busy, hectic, work-a-day world, in quiet moments, in the smile and laughter of a child. I hear it when hanging out with friends. I hear it in acts of caring, in the touch of love. As I have heard Your voice, help me to share Your love, Your compassion, with others. Let me become Your voice to them.

“The faith of the Blessed Beauty [Bahaullah] is summoning humankind to safety and love, to amity and peace; it has raised up its tabernacle on the heights of the earth, and directs its call to all nations. Therefore, O lovers of God, know the value of this precious faith, obey its teachings, walk in this straight road, and show this way to the people.” — Abdul-Baha

The Festival of Ridvan celebrates the proclamation of Bahaullah. It was in a garden called Ridvan that he announced his mission. It is called “The Most Holy Festival” and contains within it the Feast of Jamal.

Faith, however one perceives it, is not just a declaration; it is a life decision. It is not merely saying, “I believe (such and such),” but it is a choice to live according to that truth. Belief, to be real, requires action. It concerns our families, relationships, jobs, and our self-image. A prayer of Abdul-Baha states, “O my God… This, Your servant has advanced toward You, is passionately wandering in the desert of Your love, walking in the path of Your service, anticipating Your favors, hoping for Your bounty, relying upon Your kingdom, and intoxicated by the wine of Your gift.” Faith fulfills our most fervent hopes. It is no-nonsense business. It tackles tragedy and misfortune head-on and wrestles them to the ground. It is about healing, peace of mind, and vision.

It is an ageless, burning question — why is there conflict, sadness, and heartache in the world? If we want a resolution to life’s maladies, God has provided the answer. It is in every sacred scripture. Tragedy is never the final verdict. Abdul-Baha gives a prayer of encouragement: “Refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in Your hand. You are my Guide and my Refuge. I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being. … I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life. O God! You are more friend to me than I am to myself. …”

Faith is not just a declaration. It is a decision. Say: Today I will follow God.

“In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.” (Psalm 31:1).

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” (Psalm 34:8).

THOUGHT: God’s way is a blessing.

PRAYER: God, I declare my faith in You. You are my Creator. You have given me a free mind and endowed me with gifts and abilities. Apart from what people may say or do, or from what events I may encounter, I will trust in You. I will listen for Your inner voice.

Ridvan (which means “Paradise”) is the 12-day festival each year commemorating Bahaullah’s open declaration of his prophetic mission. This Ridvan season, let us reflect on the significance of the fact that Bahaullah chose to frame and promote his message to humanity as a message from God.

Many people throughout history have claimed to be prophets or channels for divine truth — not just human wisdom, but the teachings and commandments of a Higher Power. But most of these claimants have been forgotten, their message not surviving their own death. Why has Bahaullah been remembered, and why is his message the substance of a living and growing world religion?

Bahaullah knew that human civilization was entering a pivotal period of rapid progress and globalization. He instinctively understood that such dramatic changes would bring both great opportunities and great risks and challenges. The society in which he was raised was a fundamentalist religious culture unsuited to the rise of modernity — but it was a culture in which many people sincerely believed that God spoke through the religious leaders of the time and invested them with worldly authority. In the context of such a culture, perhaps the only way for people to come to accept new ideas and new ways of living and organizing their society was for a great religious leader to arise and boldly proclaim that God had a new message, a message emanating from the Kingdom of Heaven but fully compatible with the changing needs of the kingdoms of this world.

It is therefore no surprise that Bahaullah chose to interpret his visions, inspired ideas and words as divine revelation, and that he decided to make the claim that he was a human channel for the Manifestation of God. In his own cultural context of millennarian Shiite Islam, Sufism, and Babism, this was a rational thing to do for someone who had the intense mystical experiences he did and whose ideas were so far ahead of his time.

Is Bahaullah’s claim of a divine revelatory station still relevant today, beyond his own time and culture? Its relevance is not because of who Bahaullah may or may not have been, but because of the quality of what he taught and its continuing importance. Even the greatest ideas rarely gain significant power in people’s hearts and translate into bold actions that produce meaningful and lasting changes in the world, unless they are imbued with or perceived as having a divine character. People must believe that a Higher Power has inspired their cause — that it is in some sense “the Will of Heaven” — in order for it attain sufficient motivational energy, drive, passion, and therefore results.

Changing the world is not easy. It doesn’t happen because a bunch of people happen to have good ideas. It only happens because people who have those ideas are moved to promulgate them, suffer and sacrifice for them, fight for them or die for them. And this usually only occurs when people believe the cause is something beyond themselves, beyond the level of the human mind — something truly divine. History is replete with evidence of this. Examples from the recent past include the fight to abolish slavery in the American Civil War, the struggle for civil rights for African Americans, and the women’s suffrage movement. All of these causes were largely motivated by people’s belief that God was on the side of progressive change.

Today, there are many people in the world who believe fervently in the causes of fundamentalist religion: holy wars against other faiths and cultures, repression of gay people, restriction of the rights of women, the mixing of religion with secular government, and curtailments of freedom of speech to prevent what they regard as blasphemy. People who believe in such causes are not going to stop fighting for them — and they will fight hard, as always. This is because they believe God is on their side.

Progressive people also have a prophetic voice to inspire us and move us to fight just as hard for what the modern world really needs: interfaith reconciliation, racial and ethnic harmony, civil rights for all, limitation of the power and influence of clergy, equal rights for women, respect for science, international peacemaking institutions, and more. That voice is Bahaullah — a man who claimed that such teachings were not just his own good ideas, but were actually the will and command of God.

That’s powerful. For the next 12 days during the Festival of Ridvan, let us consider how faith that Bahaullah’s mission was truly a divine one can propel our spirits to new heights of inspired action, and how such action could be the very thing that the world so desperately needs in a time when it so often seems, in the words of poet William Butler Yeats, that “the best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.”

“Glorified You are, O Lord my God! Every person of insight confesses Your sovereignty and Your dominion, and every discerning eye perceives the greatness of Your majesty and the compelling power of Your might. The winds of tests are powerless to hold back those who enjoy near access to You from setting their faces toward the horizon of Your glory, and the storms of trials fail to draw away and hinder those who are wholly devoted to Your will from approaching Your court.” — Bahaullah

We live in an awesome world. Looking into the sky at night, there is a vast panorama of stars and planets. It is magnificent in its magnitude. If we look at our bodies, we see its amazing ability to heal itself, and the intricate complexity, yet astounding wonder, of the structures of the brain. It causes us to ask: What are we to make of this? How did it happen? What accounts for it?

Our magnanimous world points to an ever-more remarkable power, which is God. As a Divine Power, God is at work in the universe and in us. God is more than an intellectual concept. The inner Divine motivates our sense of conscience and righteousness. Bahaullah wrote, “Every person of insight confesses Your sovereignty and Your dominion, and every discerning eye perceives the greatness of Your majesty and the compelling power of Your might.”

Songwriter Andrae Crouch wrote, “I’ve got confidence that God will see me through.” If we look about us, we see evidence of God’s glorious plan. We can bank on God! If that Power can create universes and planets, how can it be oblivious to our needs?

The Psalmist declared, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him… You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” (Psalm 8, NIV)

The glory, the power and potency, of God, reminds us of the glory to which we are heir. Think of it — you are “crowned with glory and honor.” You are not meant to beg and grovel. Faith is about seeing life at its fullest.

Too often, faith has been self-deprecating — I am lowly, I am unworthy. On the contrary, God desires that we stand firm and choose wisely. If we turn our faces toward God, nothing can stop us.

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs… For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues though all generations.” (Psalm 100).

“Veiled in My immemorial being and in the ancient eternity of My essence, I knew My love for you; therefore I created you, have engraved in you My image and revealed to you My beauty.” (Bahaullah, Hidden Words)

THOUGHT: This is an awesome world, an awesome life. I am awesome.

PRAYER: God, You are the Creator of all life. Each part of it is the product of Your handiwork. Like a loving Father, You desire the best for Your people. In the midst of weakness, guide me with Your insight, so that instead of hopelessness, I will see strength; instead of lack, I will see promise; instead of abasement, I will see glory. Open my eyes to the fullness of life.

“I know not, O my God, what the fire is which You kindled in Your land. Earth can never cloud its splendor, nor water quench its flame. All the peoples of the world are powerless to resist its force. Great is the blessedness of him that has approached it and heard its roaring. … I beseech You… by this fire that blazes and rages in the world of creation, to tear asunder the veils that have hindered me from appearing before the throne of Your majesty and from standing at the door of Your gate. Ordain for me… every good thing You have sent down in Your Book, and let me never be far removed from the shelter of Your mercy.” — Bahaullah

Amidst the stresses, strains, anxieties, and frustrations of the world, there is a voice that is an assurance of hope. Have you heard it? Or do you hear the dire, confusing reports of the government and news media? Take heart. A sure word of promise has been given.

Bahaullah says to God, “You are kindling a fire in the land.” This fire is not destructive, but generates power and energy. Neither earth nor water can stop this fire. Nothing can put it out! People who recognize this fire, the power of the Spirit, are blessed if they reside in it.

Naw Ruz is a time to draw near to God, to take refuge in Divine promises. Bahaullah says, “Take away the veils that have kept me from You.” Write down, show me, how I can receive Your blessings. I don’t want to miss out on them.

God makes good on His promises. “All the peoples of the earth are powerless to resist its force.” Now, that’s power!

A popular book entitled The Secret says that “we all work with one infinite power.” That is true no matter who we are, where we live, our health or material means. The power of God applies to everyone. Bahaullah says “Ordain (elect, prescribe) every good thing that You have revealed.” God’s Plan for us is good. Take courage. Have hope.

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing, and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2, NIV).

“Develop the love of God so that I can see in your eyes that you are drunk with God and not asking, ‘When will I have God?’ When you ask that, you are not a devotee. The devotee says, ‘I have Him, He is listening to me; my Beloved is always with me. He is moving my hands; He is digesting my food; He is gazing at me through the stars.’” (Paramahansa Yogananda, Spiritual Diary).

THOUGHT: What voices are rattling our brains? God, speak to me!

PRAYER: God, I will listen to You. Clear the clutter that has robbed me of peace, that has left me frustrated and anxious. In the power of Your Spirit, I am an overcomer.

Over the past several decades, the religion of Bahaism has been led by men who have refused to allow it to evolve to reflect the greater knowledge and changing needs of humanity. Women remain banned from serving on the highest Bahai leadership institution. Gay and lesbian Bahais are forced to hide their sexuality and live without loving companionship or else face rejection by the Bahai community. Bahais are prohibited by their leaders from participating in politics and are discouraged from devoting their energies to secular causes, preventing them from making the impact they might have in free and democratic societies if they could apply Bahai principles in these important arenas of action.

Moreover, in the age of unfettered and decentralized communication on the internet, Bahais still rely on overly bureaucratic forms and still suffer their religious scholars to be censored by committees of doctrinal watchdogs, facing expulsion from organized Bahaism if they dare to disagree on any point. Individual initiatives and personal expressions of opinion are stifled, and the interpretations and plans of the supposedly “infallible” international council of nine men ruling the Baha’i Faith organization based in Haifa, Israel, are asserted as perfect and unchallengeable.

Can such a religion — purportedly based on progressive teachings for a new era of modern civilization — attract the hearts and minds of today’s world if it cloaks its original innovative spirit in the garb of old-fashioned conservative attitudes, assumptions, policies and forms that belong to a bygone era?

The Unitarian Bahai Association is founded this Naw Ruz with the vision of bringing the Bahai faith into the 21st century; offering an alternative to the degraded, stagnant, and largely useless sectarian tradition it has become; restoring it to be a great cause of continual progress for humanity as the Prophet Bahaullah originally envisioned.

The UBA has emerged from a grassroots movement of liberal and freethinking Bahais — many of whom are involved in Unitarian Universalist churches, some of whom renounced their Bahai faith and have now returned to it outside the confines of their former organizational affiliation — who believe the Haifan Baha’i Faith tradition and organization has lost its way. Instead of harping on the flaws of the mainstream conservative Baha’i Faith, however, we present to the Bahais of the world — and indeed to all the people of the world — a better alternative. We seek to form communities of liberal Bahais in UU congregations, in much the same way that liberal Christians, Buddhists, and followers of other religions have done who value the open-minded interfaith spiritual community that is found there.

Bahaism and Unitarian Universalism naturally complement each other. Bahaism is a progressive new religious movement that emerged from Islam in the East, and Unitarianism and its close cousin Universalism similarly emerged from Christianity in the West. The social principles of both the Bahai and the UU traditions overlap considerably; the spiritual emphasis on accepting all the great religions as containing truth and wisdom is very similar; and they share a world-embracing vision of a more humane, united, and peaceful planet.

The Unitarian Bahai movement offers the hope of rebirth for the Bahai cause. It represents and embodies a new springtime for a faith that displayed so much promise but, like the falling of the leaves in autumn, was left barren and bereft of the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. The winter of a cold religion without vital energy and growth has ended! A season of transformation is here!

O God, we pray on this special Naw Ruz that You will enliven our faith, empower our efforts, and make the vision of a more liberal, relevant, rational, mystical, intellectually diverse, lovingly tolerant, and truly beneficial Bahaism a growing reality this year and in the years to come. Let this faith bear remarkable fruit and not wither on the vine.

In the name of all the prophets and saints and exalted souls we pray. Amen.