Waver, mei/Frans Kuipers

Toentertijd

Follower/Seamus Heaney

musical poetry/ words by Primo Levi/ music by Avishai Cohen

For Adolf Eichmann/Primo Levi/Remembering/Avishai Cohen

John Hatcher's web talk on Jan. 18, 2015, is entitled "The Face of God Among Us," which is based upon his book of the same title (see http://bit.ly/fogau for more). This talk, given as part of the Wilmette Institute's 20th Anniversary web talk series, focuses on the Manifestation (or messenger) of God, their nature and powers, to what extent their revelation has a human component, and what their experience as revelators is. Dr. Hatcher is the author of numerous books about the Baha'i Faith, many of which you can find here: http://bit.ly/jshatcherbooks.

The moderator for the web talk is Dr. Robert Stockman, Director of the Wilmette Institute. He is the author of numerous books and articles. You can find a listing of some of those here: http://bit.ly/robstockman.

Baha'i Web Talks: The Face Of God Among Us, with John Hatcher


Invictus

By William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
      Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
      For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
      I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
      My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
      Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
      Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
      How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
      I am the captain of my soul. 

Invictus /Ernest William Henley

God's Action

Live in Brussels

Giacomo Carissimi - Historia di Jephte

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson.

In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick.

This is a special episode called "Physics and Mysticism", which we filmed on July 7, 2019 in front of a live audience at Foundation Hall at the Baha'i House of Worship in Chicago. It's a conversation with physicist, data scientist, philosopher and translator, Dr. Steven Phelps, who's also been on the Baha'i Blogcast before. We covered a wide range of topics and there were also some great questions from the audience at the end, which I've also included. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did!

Watch the video of this event here: https://bit.ly/2Y3hOkK

Find out more about some of the things we covered in this episode using the following links:

* Listen to this talk by Steven called Science, Religion & the Coming Spiritual Revolution: https://bit.ly/2JVyhyT

* Check out my previous Baha'i Blogcast episode with Dr. Steven Phelps here: https://bit.ly/32OmMAF

* Read about Baha'i Houses of Worship here: https://bit.ly/2Gy3gP8

* We mention the Baha'i World Centre: https://bit.ly/2OjFZa8

* We mention Yuval Noah Harari's book 'Sapiens'': https://amzn.to/2YmFHzb

* We mention writer Reza Aslan: http://rezaaslan.com/

* 'The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys'are mentioned: https://bit.ly/2YoZ36p

* We mention 'Flatland' by Edwin A. Abbott: https://amzn.to/2JTR25D

* Steven mentions Baha'u'llah has "recast the whole conception of religion as the principal force impelling the development of consciousness." This statement is from 'One Common Faith' written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice called : https://bit.ly/2LIJPr7aith/

* The following quote by Abdu'l-Baha is referred to: 

"Know thou of a certainty that Love is the secret of God’s holy Dispensation, the manifestation of the All-Merciful, the fountain of spiritual outpourings. Love is heaven’s kindly light, the Holy Spirit’s eternal breath that vivifieth the human soul. Love is the cause of God’s revelation unto man, the vital bond inherent, in accordance with the divine creation, in the realities of things. Love is the one means that ensureth true felicity both in this world and the next. Love is the light that guideth in darkness, the living link that uniteth God with man, that assureth the progress of every illumined soul. Love is the most great law that ruleth this mighty and heavenly cycle, the unique power that bindeth together the divers elements of this material world, the supreme magnetic force that directeth the movements of the spheres in the celestial realms. Love revealeth with unfailing and limitless power the mysteries latent in the universe. Love is the spirit of life unto the adorned body of mankind, the establisher of true civilization in this mortal world, and the shedder of imperishable glory upon every high-aiming race and nation."

* Frank Wilczek's book 'A Beautiful Question' is mentioned: https://amzn.to/2YhZPSP

* We talk about 'Progressive Revelation': https://bit.ly/2OldlWg

Be sure to subscribe to the Baha’i Blogcast for more episodes on: 

* YouTube: http://bit.ly/2JTNmBO 
* iTunes: http://apple.co/2leHPHL 
* Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bahaiblogcast 
* Spotify: http://spoti.fi/2IXRAnb 

If you would like to find out more about the Baha'i Faith visit BAHAI.ORG, and for more great Baha'i-inspired content check out BAHAIBLOG.NET: http://bahaiblog.net/

Thanks for listening!

-Rainn Wilson

Episode 37: Physics and Mysticism with Steven Phelps

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson.

In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick.

In our 40th episode of the Baha'i Blogcast, we thought we'd do something a little different by sharing an audio version of an animation called 'An Introduction to the Baha'i Faith'. I worked on this animation with Baha'i Blog and our friends at BahaiTeachings.org and SwissVBS, and we published it about a month ago – just in time for the 200th anniversary of the Birth of the Bab celebrations happening around the world. It's been really well received with over a million views so far, and seeing as so many of us are consuming content in audio format nowadays, we thought it would be useful to create an audio version for the Baha'i Blogcast with a little personal commentary from yours truly, at the beginning and at the end. I hope you find this episode both interesting and useful!

Watch the animation, and check out other related links below:

*Here's the animation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLSaDVG4yBE

* Here's a link to the article I wrote explaining the project and the thought process behind the script: https://bit.ly/2LYFvmm

* And here's Naysan Naraqi's article about some of the behind-the-scenes as well: https://bit.ly/35pVqSf

*Find out more about SwissVBS here: https://swissvbs.com/

* Find out more about the Bab and the bicentenary celebrations of His Birth happening around the world here: https://bicentenary.bahai.org/the-bab/

Be sure to subscribe to the Baha’i Blogcast for more episodes on:

* YouTube: bit.ly/2JTNmBO
* iTunes: apple.co/2leHPHL
* Soundcloud: @bahaiblogcast
* Spotify: spoti.fi/2IXRAnb

If you would like to find out more about the Baha'i Faith visit BAHAI.ORG, and for more great Baha'i-inspired content check out BAHAIBLOG.NET: bahaiblog.net/

Thanks for listening!

-Rainn Wilson

Baha'i Blogcast with Rainn Wilson - Episode 40: An Introduction to the Baha'i Faith

Episode 40: An Introduction to the Baha'i Faith

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson.

In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick.

In this episode, I'm joined via zoom by Dr. William H. Smith, or “Smitty” as he's affectionately known. Smitty is the Founding Executive Director of the National Center for Race Amity, and he's truly lived an exceptional life. He talks to me about growing up during segregation, and shares how he became a Baha'i. We talk about the challenges of balancing social activism while trying to obey the law, and he stresses the importance and serious impact genuine friendships can have on creating justice and lasting social change. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did!

To find out more about some of the things we covered in this episode, check out the following links:

* Smitty is the Founding Executive Director of the 'National Center for Race Amity': https://raceamity.org/

* Smitty is the Creator and Executive Producer/Co-Producer of 'An American Story: Race Amity and The Other Tradition': https://raceamityfilm.org/

* Smitty is the Executive Producer/Producer/Co-Writer 'The Invisible Soldiers: Unheard Voices': https://bit.ly/3l87YFt

* Smitty talks about his love as a Baha'i for Jesus Christ. You may find this article interesting 'The Station of Jesus Christ in the Baha’i Faith': https://bit.ly/30xkeYf

* Smitty shares the following quote from the Bible: "And I have other sheep which are not of this fold. It behooves Me to bring those also, and they will hear My voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd." (Berean Literal Bible)

* Smitty mentions: 

- Baha'i Firesides: https://bit.ly/31SILYP
- Baha'i World Congress in London, 1963: https://bit.ly/33aTpL9
- Fort Tabarsi: https://bit.ly/3kQc5pa
- The Dawnbreakers: https://bit.ly/3mU2nUR
- The National Spiritual Assembly: https://bit.ly/2S6Bv5F
- Glenford Mitchel: https://bit.ly/3kZo1VZ
- Agnes Parson: https://bit.ly/3jfq9se
- Louis Gregory: https://bit.ly/33aTONF
- Alain Locke: https://bit.ly/3407wlm
- Nat Rudstein: https://bit.ly/2Ghr4to
- The 1919 Red Summer: https://bit.ly/3jcTOSD
- The Orangeburg Massacre: https://bit.ly/2FYYb5G

* Smitty shares the following quote by Baha'u'llah: "So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth."

* I share the following quote from the Universal House of Justice:  

"Ultimately, the power to transform the world is effected by love, love originating from the relationship with the divine, love ablaze among members of a community, love extended without restriction to every human being. This divine love, ignited by the Word of God, is disseminated by enkindled souls through intimate conversations that create new susceptibilities in human hearts, open minds to moral persuasion, and loosen the hold of biased norms and social systems so that they can gradually take on a new form in keeping with the requirements of humanity’s age of maturity. You are channels for this divine love; let it flow through you to all who cross your path. Infuse it into every neighborhood and social space in which you move to build capacity to canalize the society-building power of Baha’u’llah’s Revelation. There can be no rest until the destined outcome is achieved."

* Read the above letter here ( https://bit.ly/3jEvsAZ ) and listen to an audio version here: https://bit.ly/2S7ZBNG


Be sure to subscribe to the Baha’i Blogcast for more episodes on: 

* YouTube: http://bit.ly/2JTNmBO
* iTunes: http://apple.co/2leHPHL 
* Soundcloud: https://bit.ly/30dX0G4
* Spotify: http://spoti.fi/2IXRAnb 

If you would like to find out more about the Baha'i Faith visit BAHAI.ORG, and for more great Baha'i-inspired content, check out BAHAIBLOG.NET: http://bahaiblog.net/

Thanks for listening! 

-Rainn Wilson

Invictus /Ernest William Henley

Henk Jonker

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