The Baha'i Temple in Chicago

[This blog focuses on the The Baha'i temple in Chicago]. What an absolutely gorgeous temple! The pictures on the website show it's extensive beauty. Looking through the pictures makes me want to go and witness for myself it's overwhelming splendor. I love all of the assets that is part of the website; there is so much to learn . If someone was to ask me what the Baha'i religion is, I would send them here.

I love that they have a page titled "What we believe"; this is great for anyone unaware of this faith. Since the Baha'i faith is newer than most other religions that people come upon, it's really helpful to have this kind of page to look at. There are even subsections to this page such as "Symbols" which shows and defines the symbols that belong to the Baha'i s. Another pages goes into how to "Be a Baha'i". In this part they explain such areas as moral principles, personal behaviors, and teachings that one must live under to be a Baha'i. Another part that is really cool about this website is the search engine: if you put in anything that you'd like to know about the religion into this engine, it finds it either within the website or through others which is a great addition!

I am presently listening to the "audio tour". This is really interesting because it doesn't start right off the bat talking about the religious structure it's self but instead about beautiful Chicago area surrounding it. My Dad is an architect and has told me about this magnificent work before. I didn't know that it was voted one of the "7 wonders on Illinois" which is quite fitting in my opinion. I love that in this tour they explain that visiting this temple isn't just for members of the Baha'i religion but for everyone to come and "experience a jolt of spiritual energy or lift a burden for the moment" (awesome way they phrased that!)This audio tour is also a great "draw" for tourists because it explains all of the options you have once you get there: there are videos to watch, free literature, or a guided tour. They even give a little background for those who are looking into coming so that they know a little about what they will see before they arrive at the temple. This temple is "not just for the Baha'i s".. This statement to me is very telling of the religion, they seem to be very open to all people and they don't believe in pushing some out but instead accepting and education many of their beliefs. The main purpose the Baha'i temple in Chicago is striving to provide an "oasis of serenity for all of the world. I also loved that the audio tour finished with a choir singing which was gorgeous.

I just talked to my mom and she told me that her trip with my dad to the Baha'i Temple was absolutely gorgeous. This summer, possibly with my parents and brother, I really hope to go to the Baha'i temple and gaze up at the intricate ceilings, witness the elaborate architecture, and observe the vibrant colors of the gardens too.

http://www.bahai.us/bahai-temple

Church signs

So this was originally going to be my final blog but I'm cooking up something better. :)

I started to look at church signs (you know, the changeable ones) on my drive home a couple of weeks back and noticed that there are some interesting ones... So pretty much -- for this blog, I just Googled funny church signs and felt the need to bring the numerous hilarious church signs I found to you fine folks... Enjoy this little slide show!! :)

STARTING WITH THE ONE'S I'VE SEEN:

This one is actually my favorite and I think pretty clever:


This sign was in Monroe WI when I drove past one day:

This was the front and back on a sign near my house from a drive home:



This one should look familular since it's right off campus -- love that they quote Gandi:



AND NOW FOR THE RIDICULOUS ONES OFF GOOGLE:

Appropriate to start off this group:










I hope everyone enjoyed this ridiculous little tour through the church signs I've seen and the one's that are so awful and ridiculous that one has to question their existence ... I hope this does not offend anyone if the sign refers to your specific religious beliefs, this is all in good fun.
:)

From Babi to Baha'i .... an interesting journey.

Baha’ullah’s journey was nothing close to a short process. It all began with his following for Babi which was very loyal and he became well known through that. Babi greatly relied on Baha’ullah and when Babi passed away, Baha’ullah continued to spread his beliefs and ideas. “Baha’ullah social position made it very dangerous for him if the government realized what a key role he was playing in the Babi community” (pg: 22). Baha’ullah journeyed from place to place (in part because of excile) and made a name for himself. Baha’ullah was also arrested numerous times (like any great change leader [Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Gandhi,etc]) and during his time in the “Black Pit” he had an experience which he himself designates as the birth of his mission. This time arouse a “flood of spiritual power from within him” which he used to revive the fortunes of the Babi community and urge them to turn away from revenge and look to manifesting their lives. He established a small group of followers which prospered and flourished as time went on and as his word spread more and more (even though he had not yet advanced any claims of his own. When Qazvini tried to convince the governor to arrest Baha’ullah saying that he was an enemy to religion the governor refuted with the fact that he just followed a different religion. On Baha’ullah’s first day in the garden before his departure to Istanbul, he first proclaimed that he was ‘He whom God shall make manifest.’ At the beginning of Baha’ullah’s trip to Istanbul, it could be said that Baha’ullah was a strong leader of the Babi but by the end of this journey, he was the founder and leader of an independent religion (pg: 69). Soon enough, Baha’ullah’s followers started referring to themselves as the Baha’is and only a very small number did not fully commit to Baha’ullah.

As read, the journey to finding this new religion in no way happened over night, this trek was a long process that took a lot of blood to come to be known and accepted as a religion. The Baha’i is just a addition to the original Babi religion, many of the views were the same because the leader originally was part of this earlier religion. There are many religious elements that can be seen from the Baha’i religion. Community is a major one as has already been elaborated on. Service and following of this community is also seen (pg: 86) when citizen’s would voluntarily pay to go into banishment and imprisonment with Baha’ullah. Social hierarchy is a large part obviously as well. There is also strong meaning behind the Baha’i with stories and history that blossom out of it.

A Time to Dance

So the Melee show is this weekend (and all I have been doing these last two weeks is dancing) and since we were talking about the system of symbols with the Rastafarian religion, I thought I would blog about the combination of dance and religion.

Dance is globally present in most religious settings. For ceremonies, rituals, celebrations, and social life, dance has certainly played a large part since the days of early civilization. Dance has been traced back by archaeologists to pre-historic cave drawings and Egyptian tombs paintings. Used to portray stories, dance was around before written language so that important tales could be passed to subsequent generations. Dance has also been used as a “healing ritual” for many religions as well. Many contemporary dance forms can be traced back to historical, traditional, ceremonial, and ethnic dances.

Dance is seen in many religious texts including the Bible, Torah, Psalms, and many more. My favorite is from the Old Testament. It is called A Time to Dance (Ecclesiastes 3:4). I have actually done a modern solo to this poem that was put to music my senior year of high school.

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.


I just really enjoy this passage and thought it really complemented my last two weeks and the connection it made with religion.

[Anyone who is on campus this weekend should really come to the Melee show in Stansbury Theater this Saturday night (5/23/09) at 8 p. m. It’s a free show, you just have to get a ticket from the box office prior to! ]

Rastafarian System of Symbols

According the system of symbols, this youtube video represents many such symbols. The video opens with the lion which symbolizes Haile Selassie. Jesus Christ is described as "the lion of Judah" in the Bible, and for this reason, Haile Selassie is seen as the reincarnation of Jesus the messiah of the Christians. Also the main symbol I realized right away was the Rastafarian colors; green, red, and gold. It is clear to see that the Rastafarians are very proud of their religion and colors because they raise their flag everywhere as well as have house in those same colors. Many people also dressed in red, green, or gold to emphasis this close connection. Language is also a main symbol which is clearly heard in this video. Anyone who heard this video could clearly connect their way of speaking with the Rasta or Jamaicans. The use of Scripture is also brought out in this video to show that the Rastas have religious “rules” to follow like any other religion. We also got to see that hand painted signs were put out to remind people of the bible, equality and justice for all, and the goodness over evil.

Music is also a large part for the Rastafarians. Reggae music was a huge way of expressing their ideas and as those like Bob Marley did, they successfully spread what they had to say across many parts of the world. When I hear Marley’s music, I think of very chill, calming music that doesn't speak directly about religious ideas unless you really sit there and listen to it. This video on the other hand, shows the way the Rastas and their actual way of life. The Bobo shanti shows the closeness of community and expression of religion.

The history and use of the flaming chalice symbol in the Unitarian Universalist church

The Unitarian Universalist’s symbol is a flame within a chalice (a wide-lipped stemmed cup). The picture above shows multiple versions of this beautiful symbol.

Hans Deutsch, an Austrian artist, first brought together the chalice and the flame as a Unitarian symbol during his work with the Unitarian Service Committee during World War II. To Deutsch, the image had connotations of sacrifice and love. Unitarian Universalists today have many different interpretations of the image. To many, the cup represents religious community, while the flame represents ideas including the sacrificial flame, the flame of the spirit, and more.

The flaming chalice image has changed many times over the past 65 years. There is no single interpretation of today's flaming chalice symbol. Modern chalice designs often incorporate two overlapping circles which, for many people, represent our Unitarian and Universalist heritages. Other images include additional elements, some of which are merely decorative and others which are very meaningful. (http://www.uua.org)

"At the opening of Unitarian Universalist worship services, many congregations light a flame inside a chalice. This flaming chalice has become a well-known symbol of our denomination. It unites our members in worship and symbolizes the spirit of our work." -Dan Hotchkiss

Our opening prayer (depending on the church) goes something like this
“We light this chalice
to remind ourselves
to treat all people kindly
because they are our brothers and sisters
to take good care of the earth,
because it is our home
and to try to live lives,
filled with goodness and love
because that is how we will become,
the best men and women we can be”

The chalice is later extinguished at the end of worship service with:
"We extinguish this flame,
but not the light of truth,
the warmth of community,
or the fire of commitment.
These we keep in our hearts
until we are together again."

A story that represents how women kick ass :)

Couldn't help but name it this -- I mean, the Queen of Sheba ruled for 6 years with no man by her side, made a man promise not to "take her by force" and then changes the line of Kings from Solomonic line to her blood line starting with their child (Menelik). One word ... awesome.

Stories, such as the one of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, help to relay the past culture and beliefs of an area.

Summing up this story into a paragraph:

The Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord and the wisdom she was told he possessed. She became very wishful and most desirous to go that she could hear his wisdom for herself. The queen decided to go to his kingdom and see Solomon himself to see if what she was hearing was in fact true. They made many trips back and forth to be in each other’s presence. Solomon convinced the Queen to stay during one of her visits and she said as long as you “Swear to me, that thou wilt not take me by force” (aka take her virginity) which he swore as long as she as well did not take anything from his house. Solomon had previously planned a feast so that the Queen would wake up very thirsty in the middle of the night. She searched for water and when Solomon “caught her stealing” water from him, there deal was broken and the Queen went to bed with him. This event was the result of Menelik I (son of Solomon and Queen of Sheba). Menelik tells his mother that he wants to who his father is and so he travels to the kingdom of King Solomon to meet him. In the country in Ethiopia it was said that a woman who “knew men” (aka has lost their virginity) could no longer rule and the Queen said fine but no “only seed of thine shall reign and his seed after him from generation to generation.” (keep it in her family; her blood line).

This story is viewed as the final authority on the early history of Ethiopia, and its origin in the lines of kings following Solomon’s reign, which descends from the dynasty of Menelik I, [son of Queen of Ethiopia, Queen of Sheba and King Solomon of Jerusalem] and continued on from generation to generation.

The reason this story is so important to Ethiopia is because it establishes its history. The birth of this bastard child set up a new beginning in Ethiopian history; it was a switch from the early power of King Solomon to a new line of kings from which the Queen of Sheba’s child began. The story of kings is always an important part of any cultures history, this story especially plays a strong part because it makes people of today look at Ethiopia slightly differently; the story marks a significant event that all people of Ethiopia could (I guessing) easily be able to relay. Background tales such as this classifies a culture by seeing what a place was like and how it functioned in its time in contrast to how it does today.

it's okay guys ... women will always kick ass, don't be too upset about it! ;)