Ken and Loree

An Open Letter from God

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The following message is brought to you by Ken and Loree Foroughi-Gross of the Kansas City, Kansas Bahai community.

Note: August 2002 has us saying "Goodbye" to Ken and Loree as they embark on a journey of living and teaching in China. We send good wishes for their success on this new adventure - and will miss close access to their spiritual guidance. In the Universal Light, there are no distances or time limitations, and we pray that these spiritual connections will continue to bless us.

Why a page for Ken and Loree?

Through Vince and Lynne's invitations to unity feasts throughout the past 4 or 5 years, we have met many wonderful people from many backgrounds and learned to enjoy multiple levels of sharing that Vince and Lynne make possible. These experiences have enriched our lives immensely. They have been generous in now offering us the opportunity to contribute to others through this page.

To Universal Light, we bring our personal perspective as members of the Baha'i Faith. Such as: There is but one Light – the Light of God reflected in all major religions revealed throughout the history of mankind. As in other fields of endeavor, the latest developments shed light on the significance of earlier understandings; so in the progression of the revelation of the Word of God (one Word in different chapters) the latest Revelation delivered by Baha'u'llah, deserves study and application in today's world.

This is our belief, determined through continual search; we welcome questions and discussion. Our direct email is: kandel@quixnet.net.

The following statement by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States was run as a full-page ad in the New York Times, Sunday, December 23, 2001, and is now being distributed throughout the U.S. The statement speaks to conditions needed to fulfill the passage stated by Baha'u'llah in the late 1800's: "The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established."

The Destiny of America and

The Promise of World Peace

At this time of world turmoil, the United States Bahá’í community offers a perspective on the destiny of America as the promoter of world peace. More than a hundred years ago, Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, addressing heads of state, proclaimed that the age of maturity for the entire human race had come. The unity of humankind was now to be established as the foundation of the great peace that would mark the highest stage in humanity’s spiritual and social evolution. Revolutionary and world-shaking changes were therefore inevitable.

The Bahá’í writings state:

The world is moving on. Its events are unfolding ominously and with bewildering rapidity. The whirlwind of its passions is swift and alarmingly violent. The New World is insensibly drawn into its vortex.… Dangers, undreamt of and unpredictable, threaten it both from within and from without. Its governments and peoples are being gradually

enmeshed in the coils of the world’s recurrent crises and fierce controversies…. The world is contracting into a neighborhood. America, willingly or unwillingly, must face and grapple with this new situation. For purposes of national security, let alone any humanitarian motive, she must assume the obligations imposed by this newly created neighborhood. Paradoxical as it may seem, her only hope of extricating herself from the perils gathering around her is to become entangled in that very web of international association which the Hand of an inscrutable Providence is weaving.

The American nation, Bahá’ís believe, will evolve, through tests and trials to become a land of spiritual distinction and leadership, a champion of justice and unity among all peoples and nations, and a powerful servant of the cause of everlasting peace. This is the peace promised by God in the sacred texts of the world’s religions.

Establishing peace is not simply a matter of signing treaties and protocols; it is a complex task requiring a new level of commitment to resolving issues not customarily associated with the pursuit of peace. Universal acceptance of the spiritual principle of the oneness of humankind is essential to any successful attempt to establish world peace.

Racism, one of the most baneful and persistent evils, is a major barrier to peace.

The emancipation of women, the achievement of full equality of the sexes, is one of the most important, though less acknowledged, prerequisites of peace.

The inordinate disparity between rich and poor keeps the world in a state of instability, preventing the achievement of peace.

Unbridled nationalism, as distinguished from a sane and legitimate patriotism, must give way to a wider loyalty, to the love of humanity as a whole.

Religious strife, the cause of innumerable wars and conflicts throughout history, is a major obstacle to progress. The challenge facing the world’s religious leaders is to contemplate, with hearts filled with compassion and the desire for truth, the plight of humanity, and to ask themselves whether they cannot, in humility before their God, submerge their theological differences in a great spirit of mutual forbearance that will enable them to work together for the advancement of human understanding and peace. Bahá’ís pray, "May this American Democracy be the first nation to establish the foundation of international agreement. May it be the first nation to proclaim the unity of mankind. May it be the first to unfurl the standard of the Most Great Peace."

During this hour of crisis, we affirm our abiding faith in the destiny of America. We know that the road to its destiny is long, thorny and tortuous, but we are confident that America will emerge from her trials undivided and undefeatable.

—National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States

For a free copy of the booklet The Promise of World Peace, visit the US Bahai Web site at www.us.bahai.org or call them toll free at 1-800-22-UNITE.

Universal Light Institute