daniel

Were you born a Baha'i or did you become a Baha'i? What year?

BruceDLimber

Sunday September 12, 1971, about 4-5 pm in Roosevelt Park, Minot, ND. :-) :-)

Bruce

Essence of GOD

2004
but i was ashamed, didn't feel like i was good enough.
it still don't feel like i am as a true bahai should be.
but this fool is trying.

LarryK32

Late 2009

tonyfish58

1984 - But that is when I declared my Belief in Baha'u'llah

Unfortunately I am still trying to be a Baha'i

In the West we have a lot of bad materialistic hurdles to jump over Most of the world has picked up on our bad habbits

tonyfish58

A lot of water under the bridge Bruce

Still amazes me after all these years of teaching, people will still say - I have not heard of that religions

Unfortunately I think the world will need the impending awakening, that is a tribulation to remind us we have to put God in our lives.

Stay well stay happy be full of Joy Cheers Tony

Livindesert

July 2010

bwb

Hello Daniel,
The thing that I find a bit strange about this question is that you aren't answering it about yourself. I think that everyone in this forum has a logical right and curiosity to know if the forum moderators (Daniel and Jafar) are Baha'is in good standing or not and to have some general idea of what their personal spiritual history is.
I have always been a Baha'i in good standing myself and I am a child of Baha'i parents.
Although Baha'i teachings strongly advocate that parents should teach the Baha'i Faith to their children, in the Baha'i Faith there is no such thing as being "born a Baha'i" because we have the principle of independent investigation of truth.

dwlehning

Greetings Friends,

I declared in February of 1983, right before the Intercalary days and the Fast! But, I resigned in 1996. Than it seems that Baha'u'llah called me back and I have come home again just recently. I too fee that I fall far, far short of the calling to be a true Baha'i. I am striving, praying, and meditating on the Writings each day, to further deepen in the teachings, that I might, even in a small way, be an instrument for the Cause of Baha'u'llah.

David

Boethiah

2009, around this time of the year.

Helen

Message to Daniel who asked what year did you become a Baha'i.

The answer is 1952

Helen

1952

earthling155

Ayyami Ha 2000
Bob

Clex19

I officially became a Baha'i last year, but I was born into the Faith.

MarkoPo

Around June 23, 1970 the 100th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Purest Branch.

Turn towards God, and seek always to do that which is right and noble. Enrich the poor, raise the fallen, comfort the sorrowful, bring healing to the sick, reassure the fearful, rescue the oppressed, bring hope to the hopeless, shelter the destitute!

This is the work of a true Bahá'í, and this is what is expected of him. If we strive to do all this, then are we true Bahá'ís, but if we neglect it, we are not followers of the Light, and we have no right to the name. (Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 80)

"It makes no difference whether you have ever heard of Bahá'u'lláh or not," was the answer, "the man who lives the life according to the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh is already a Bahá'í. On the other hand a man may call himself a Bahá'í for fifty years and if he does not live the life he is not a Bahá'í. An ugly man may call himself handsome, but he deceives no one, and a black man may call himself white yet he deceives no one: not even himself!"
(Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 106)

arthra

Summer of '65 is when I became a Baha'i..

whine of astonsihment

I enrolled in the summer of 1996.

When I finally worked up the courage to tell my mother a few weeks later, she looked at me a moment before she said "This is the first time I have seen you 'happy with God' my child. You must have found some great truth."

She was so very right!

Noisy Nova

6 Aug 1975

whine of astonsihment

I hate to be so nosy Noisy but what part of Ontario are you from neighbor?

Noisy Nova

Norfolk County.
The South Coast of Ontario.

whine of astonsihment

Lovely! I lived and worked in Simcoe at Norfolk General Hospital for a short while after I graduated from Fanshawe College in London - many years ago!

Penny

Emilia

First day of Ridvan, 1980.

I think the Assembly Members were a little taken aback, as they didn't know who I was and weren't aware how much reading I'd been doing on my own. I'd been to community events three times -- long enough to check out the community.

I'd already decided I believed Baha'u'llah's claims about who He was. It was only a question of whether I'd be practicing on my own or with a group. I'd had some ehrm...less than salutatory experiences with religious communities before and wasn't too interested in a repeat.

Mdef

Dec 20 2010 - (My 25th birthday!) Months before then I began reading the bahai scriptures, fell in love as if it was destined for me!

Peace and blessings.

catherinerw

I declared in 1979. My four children were raised in the Bahai Faith.

Sam

May 2009, Became a Bahai after attending Yunior youth groups from age of 11.

My best vriend and his family are Bahai's as long is i can remember they asked me for the group.

Being a Bahai from the first moment by trying to be a Baha'i

Now doing a year of service and reading and investigating even more

Livindesert

Great ! Nice to see you on the forum.

Anmr

for me i became a Baha'i in December of 2010

Sen McGlinn

1973, New Zealand time. That's roughly 1966 world time, so I was in time for the summer of '69 take two

kathij

February 14th, 1971, in Moscow Idaho, at the college there. Wow, that makes me 40 as of yesterday. It was the Baha'i club that reached me, but I had been searching for half my life, and when I found them I knew. I knew it was the answer.

kathij

Livindesert, you are a fast learner. You are so new!

kathij

David, you are very courageous and I am praying for you.
In our Faith, we are hardest on ourselves. We are given permission to cover our eyes from the faults of others, and to examine our own selves. This is a blessing, and hard to live up to.--kathij

kathij

Way to go, Sam.

unique75

Hello All, I would like to share my own experiences on this thread, something different...,

In the wanning year of 1999, all to myself in my room and after prayers, I read the Bible and ask the LORD for guidance and enable me to undferstand HIS words and the meaning of Apocalyps or end of the world which is a widespread Christian issues at that time.., For many nights, I kept reading the Bible in hope of finding something relevant, until I remember the book given to me several years before by a cousin(now, deceased).., For many nights after prayers, I read book by J. Ferraby (All things made new), Until I read certain passage from Baha'u'llah (sorry, I forgot which one), when at that suddeness I felt a very unusual warmness, strong vibration and beatings of my heart. My GOD, I said, Please LORD don't let me die yet. I was panicking because I taught I'm having a heart attach and died at that spot at 39 years young. For several minutes, I observed the continuous pounding of my heart, but surprisingly, I didn't felt even a slightest of pain. Several minutes later, I felt it receeding and gone...., By that incident, I realized, something inside me was alive., I experienced it, all to myself in the isolation of my room. All praises be to GOD.

Orthodox

You can't be born in any religion.

tonyfish58

Welcome to the search

Cheers Tony

tonyfish58

You are quite right

You can be born of parents that have a religion and teach it to you all your life. But as in all religion, there comes a time when you have to make that choice yourself.

Cheers Tony

unique75

Yeah! No matter the discouragement from folks around me. Their strictly Catholic adherence failed to influence my conversion. And that was because, as Jesus said; "My flock knew my voice, and they will come to me when they hear them"., Even deaf in the real world, yes, I do hear.............,

tonyfish58

WELL DONE

I hope your journey is full of rewards

You will have ups and you will have downs on this journey, so best of luck & cheers Tony

unique75

Dear Tony,
Thanks for the consolling words. In-deed, I felt that ups and downs but only from the outside, because in dreams, I lived a very different life.

mrjapilz

I am a Bahá'í. At the same time, I am still a seeker. All Bahá'ís are seekers of God. We are all Muslims - those who submit to the Will of God. We are all Christians - believers in the anointed one. As long as I am growing, I am a Bahá'í no matter how long the road may be.

I have been a Bahá'í in name since 2008.

Bahá'ís are not "made" or "converted" into the Bahá'í Faith. Bahá'ís are found.

Nevertheless, Bahá'ís are always transforming from one form to another - "from copper to gold."