How to pray

Truthseeker96 · 11-12-2011, 01:56 PM

I am highly heDing towards becom
Ing a Baha'i whenever i read Baha'u'llah's words i feel warm and great inside;i even get the chills. To me thats my soul and heart telling me that this is real.

So how do you pray to God? Do you read the words from the prayer book aloud or can u say them in your head? I am also thinking about takeing the cour and a half bour drive down to Il house of worship to declare my faith there .

i know i ask ot of questions per thread but i brought up to my mother Bout joining the Baha'is and she flipped. Thats when i found out that she is racist and agaist me dosing this, is it wrong for me still to join even if my mom strongly disagrees and i am 14 still living with her and my dad?

aidan · 11-12-2011, 02:53 PM

You are a truly marvelous young person because you have not allowed your mother's prejudice to make you racist.By all means continue reading about the faith and it does not matter if you pray aloud or quietly,it is a matter of personal preference.Unfortunately noone can declare themself a Baha'i until the age of 15.Continue to pray and remember me in your prayers.

arthra · 11-12-2011, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Truthseeker96

I am highly heDing towards becom
Ing a Baha'i whenever i read Baha'u'llah's words i feel warm and great inside;i even get the chills. To me thats my soul and heart telling me that this is real.

So how do you pray to God? Do you read the words from the prayer book aloud or can u say them in your head? I am also thinking about takeing the cour and a half bour drive down to Il house of worship to declare my faith there .

i know i ask ot of questions per thread but i brought up to my mother Bout joining the Baha'is and she flipped. Thats when i found out that she is racist and agaist me dosing this, is it wrong for me still to join even if my mom strongly disagrees and i am 14 still living with her and my dad?

Thanks for sharing your wonderful words about how inspired you have been from the reading the Writings!... I would encourage you to continue doing that.. Baha'is are encouraged to read the Writings every day.

As to your mother and her reactions I would encourage you for the time being to make efforts to be at peace with her. One of the main principles of the Faith is unity and family unity is important to us. Your mother may indeed have some racist attitudes..but knowing that, I would still urge you to pray for her and seek peace in the home.

In the long run she may come to understand and appreciate the Faith but be patient with her.

LordOfGoblins · 11-12-2011, 10:57 PM

I did not know that the Bahais are a race before this thread...
lol

arthra · 11-13-2011, 04:19 AM

Youi know looking at the title of this thread it occurs to me that maybe something should be said responding to How to Pray:

What guidance can we find?

Immerse yourselves in the ocean of My words, that ye may unravel its secrets, and discover all the pearls of wisdom that lie hid in its depths. Take heed that ye do not vacillate in your determination to embrace the truth of this Cause--a Cause through which the potentialities of the might of God have been revealed, and His sovereignty established. With faces beaming with joy, hasten ye unto Him. This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future. Let him that seeketh, attain it; and as to him that hath refused to seek it -verily, God is Self-Sufficient, above any need of His creatures.

("A Synopsis and Codification of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, the Most Holy Book of Bahá'u'lláh", 1st ed. (Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre, 1973), pp. 27-28) [Ed. note - Now published in The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, par. 182]

Recite ye the verses of God every morning and evening. Whoso reciteth them not hath truly failed to fulfil his pledge to the Covenant of God and His Testament, and whoso in this day turneth away therefrom hath indeed turned away from God since time immemorial. Fear ye God, O concourse of My servants!

Take heed lest excessive reading and too many acts of piety in the daytime and in the night season make you vainglorious.

Should a person recite but a single verse from the Holy Writings in a spirit of joy and radiance, this would be better for him than reciting wearily all the Scriptures of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

Recite ye the verses of God in such measure that ye be not overtaken with fatigue or boredom.

Burden not your souls so as to cause exhaustion and weigh them down, but rather endeavour to lighten them, that they may soar on the wings of revealed Verses unto the dawning-place of His signs. This is conducive to nearer access unto God, were ye to comprehend.

("Kitab-i-Aqdas" provisional translation from the Arabic) [Ed. note - Newer translation published in The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, par. 149

Truthseeker96 · 11-13-2011, 02:06 PM

Okay, geart!

i am really starting to get feelings for this reilgion ! The more and more i read the more i feel inspired to dive in deep and immerse myself in all the glory of God and his love. When reciteing the greatest name 95 times can you say the english translation of it , i read this passage and wanted to make sure i understood it correctly. "Concerning your question regarding the 'Greatest Name': The Greatest Name is an invocation which means 'O Thou of Glories'! The word Baha', or "Glory", is a reference to Bahá'u'lláh. The Greatest Name is a distinctive mark of the Cause and a symbol of our Faith. The term of 'Allah-u-Abha, on the other hand, is a form of Bahá'í greeting, and means 'God the All Glorious.'"

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, December 8, 1941).
(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 266).

arthra · 11-13-2011, 07:51 PM

i feel inspired to dive in deep and immerse myself in all the glory of God and his love.

You've got it my friend... I'm attaching some material on the Greatest Name:

"Revile ye not one another. We, verily, have come to unite and weld together all that dwell on earth. Unto this beareth witness what the ocean of Mine utterance hath revealed amongst men, and yet most of the people have gone astray.

If anyone revile you, or trouble touch you, in the path of God, be patient, and put your trust in Him Who heareth, Who seeth. He, in truth, witnesseth, and perceiveth, and doeth what He pleaseth, through the power of His sovereignty. He, verily, is the Lord of strength, and of might.

In the Book of God, the Mighty, the Great, ye have been forbidden to engage in contention and conflict. Lay fast hold on whatever will profit you, and profit the peoples of the world. Thus commandeth you the King of Eternity, Who is manifest in His Most Great Name. He, verily, is the Ordainer, the All-Wise."

~ Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 23

Glorified art Thou, O my God! I invoke Thee by Thy Most Great Name through which the hidden secrets of God, the Most Exalted, were divulged and the kindreds of all nations converged toward the focal centre of faith and certitude, through which Thy luminous Words streamed forth for the quickening of mankind and the essence of all knowledge was revealed from that Embodiment of bounty. May my life, my inmost being, my soul and my body be offered up as a sacrifice for the dust ennobled by His footsteps.

(The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 199)

See:

Conqueror of Hearts: Chapter 9: "Explanation of the Symbol of the Greatest Name"

11-12-2011, 01:56 PM	#1
Truthseeker96 Female Member Joined: Nov 2011 From: United States of America Posts: 52	How to pray I am highly heDing towards becom Ing a Baha'i whenever i read Baha'u'llah's words i feel warm and great inside;i even get the chills. To me thats my soul and heart telling me that this is real. So how do you pray to God? Do you read the words from the prayer book aloud or can u say them in your head? I am also thinking about takeing the cour and a half bour drive down to Il house of worship to declare my faith there . i know i ask ot of questions per thread but i brought up to my mother Bout joining the Baha'is and she flipped. Thats when i found out that she is racist and agaist me dosing this, is it wrong for me still to join even if my mom strongly disagrees and i am 14 still living with her and my dad?

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11-12-2011, 02:53 PM	#2
aidan Senior Member Joined: Jul 2011 From: n ireland Posts: 413	You are a truly marvelous young person because you have not allowed your mother's prejudice to make you racist.By all means continue reading about the faith and it does not matter if you pray aloud or quietly,it is a matter of personal preference.Unfortunately noone can declare themself a Baha'i until the age of 15.Continue to pray and remember me in your prayers.

11-12-2011, 10:57 PM	#4
LordOfGoblins Senior Member Joined: Dec 2010 From: Australia Posts: 1,317	I did not know that the Bahais are a race before this thread... lol

11-13-2011, 04:19 AM	#5
arthra Senior Member Joined: Jun 2006 From: California Posts: 3,058	Youi know looking at the title of this thread it occurs to me that maybe something should be said responding to How to Pray: What guidance can we find? *Immerse yourselves in the ocean of My words,* that ye may unravel its secrets, and discover all the pearls of wisdom that lie hid in its depths. *Take heed that ye do not vacillate in your determination* to embrace the truth of this Cause--a Cause through which the potentialities of the might of God have been revealed, and His sovereignty established. With faces beaming with joy, hasten ye unto Him. This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future. Let him that seeketh, attain it; and as to him that hath refused to seek it -verily, God is Self-Sufficient, above any need of His creatures. ("A Synopsis and Codification of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, the Most Holy Book of Bahá'u'lláh", 1st ed. (Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre, 1973), pp. 27-28) [Ed. note - Now published in The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, par. 182] *Recite ye the verses of God every morning and evening.* Whoso reciteth them not hath truly failed to fulfil his pledge to the Covenant of God and His Testament, and whoso in this day turneth away therefrom hath indeed turned away from God since time immemorial. Fear ye God, O concourse of My servants! *Take heed lest excessive reading and too many acts of piety in the daytime and in the night season make you vainglorious.* *Should a person recite but a single verse from the Holy Writings in a spirit of joy and radiance, this would be better for him than reciting wearily all the Scriptures of God,* the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. *Recite ye the verses of God in such measure that ye be not overtaken with fatigue or boredom.* *Burden not your souls so as to cause exhaustion and weigh them down, but rather endeavour to lighten them*, that they may soar on the wings of revealed Verses unto the dawning-place of His signs. This is conducive to nearer access unto God, were ye to comprehend. ("Kitab-i-Aqdas" provisional translation from the Arabic) [Ed. note - Newer translation published in The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, par. 149

11-13-2011, 02:06 PM	#6
Truthseeker96 Female Member Joined: Nov 2011 From: United States of America Posts: 52	Okay, geart! i am really starting to get feelings for this reilgion ! The more and more i read the more i feel inspired to dive in deep and immerse myself in all the glory of God and his love. When reciteing the greatest name 95 times can you say the english translation of it , i read this passage and wanted to make sure i understood it correctly. "Concerning your question regarding the 'Greatest Name': The Greatest Name is an invocation which means 'O Thou of Glories'! The word Baha', or "Glory", is a reference to Bahá'u'lláh. The Greatest Name is a distinctive mark of the Cause and a symbol of our Faith. The term of 'Allah-u-Abha, on the other hand, is a form of Bahá'í greeting, and means 'God the All Glorious.'" (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, December 8, 1941). (Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 266).

11-13-2011, 07:51 PM	#7
arthra Senior Member Joined: Jun 2006 From: California Posts: 3,058	i feel inspired to dive in deep and immerse myself in all the glory of God and his love. You've got it my friend... I'm attaching some material on the Greatest Name: "Revile ye not one another. We, verily, have come to unite and weld together all that dwell on earth. Unto this beareth witness what the ocean of Mine utterance hath revealed amongst men, and yet most of the people have gone astray. If anyone revile you, or trouble touch you, in the path of God, be patient, and put your trust in Him Who heareth, Who seeth. He, in truth, witnesseth, and perceiveth, and doeth what He pleaseth, through the power of His sovereignty. He, verily, is the Lord of strength, and of might. In the Book of God, the Mighty, the Great, ye have been forbidden to engage in contention and conflict. Lay fast hold on whatever will profit you, and profit the peoples of the world. Thus commandeth you the King of Eternity, Who is manifest in His Most Great Name. He, verily, is the Ordainer, the All-Wise." ~ Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 23 Glorified art Thou, O my God! I invoke Thee by Thy Most Great Name through which the hidden secrets of God, the Most Exalted, were divulged and the kindreds of all nations converged toward the focal centre of faith and certitude, through which Thy luminous Words streamed forth for the quickening of mankind and the essence of all knowledge was revealed from that Embodiment of bounty. May my life, my inmost being, my soul and my body be offered up as a sacrifice for the dust ennobled by His footsteps. (The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 199) See: Conqueror of Hearts: Chapter 9: "Explanation of the Symbol of the Greatest Name"