Baha'is of Austin
Baha'is of Austin
  • 70
  • 38 138
Steven Phelps: "Are We One, or Many?"
Presentation given to the Bahá’í community of Austin, Texas via Zoom on Friday, 7 July 2023.
Dr. Steven Phelps discusses the problem of the “many” and the “one” from its roots in ancient Greek philosophy, to modern physics, to the political divide, to the Baha’i teachings.
Переглядів: 3 240

Відео

Zabine Van Ness: From a Survivor of WWII to a Global Citizen Filled with Vision and Hope
Переглядів 109Рік тому
Fireside given to the Bahá’í community of Austin, Texas via Zoom on Friday, 3 February 2023.
Building of the Lotus Temple - Fariborz Sahba
Переглядів 1,2 тис.3 роки тому
Building of the Lotus Temple - Fariborz Sahba
Advances in Sciences and Global Development
Переглядів 764 роки тому
Advances in Sciences and Global Development
Farnaz Masumian, The Secrets of True Happiness - Part 1
Переглядів 3634 роки тому
Farnaz Masumian, The Secrets of True Happiness - Part 1

КОМЕНТАРІ

  • @ramzee374
    @ramzee374 3 місяці тому

    Fantastic talk.

  • @rowshanshams6813
    @rowshanshams6813 4 місяці тому

    Dr. David Simith

  • @farrahmarasco4815
    @farrahmarasco4815 5 місяців тому

    I am trying to get in touch with Dr. Fananapazir . Please connect here with me and I can pass my phone number. It is for one of the Yaran.

  • @victormariogarciacastillo8173
    @victormariogarciacastillo8173 5 місяців тому

    Yes, the slides... Thanks

  • @slrobbins3415
    @slrobbins3415 8 місяців тому

    DEAR SIR. I HAVE BEEN A BAHA'I SINCE 1979 SEPT 9TH. FOR MY CHOSEN HIGHWAY WAS & IS, & ALWAYS WILL BE IN SEEKING THE PRESENCE OF ABDUL'BAHA ! MY DEAR FRIEND IN BAHA , IN MY JOURNEY IN WORLD I HAVE FOUND THE CONNECTORS WHICH TIES ALL YHE RELIGIONS OF MAN INTO ONE EMBRASSING FAITH ! THIS MUST BE PROVEN ACCORDING TO THE LAWS OF GOD AS IT WAS WITH THE OLD TESTEMENT PROPHETS ! NAME, DATE, ADDRESS , & PURPOSE ! JESUS & BAHA'U'LLAH ARE THE TWO ANOINTED "SONS" THAT STAND BY THE LORD OF THE WHOLE EARTH. ZACH. AS OTHERS ! IF I CAN SHOW THESE THINGS WITH CLARITY, WOULD YOU CONSIDER THE IDEA , THAT IS JUST 2 OF 9 FRUITS OF THE TREE OF LIFE ! I AM HOPING , WE CAN CORRESPOND CONCERNING THESE MATTERS ! IN EL'ABHA STEVEN.

  • @melanyblove
    @melanyblove 9 місяців тому

    The both/and concept is missing in this lecture and inhibits the learners from understanding Biblical science & historic accuracy. For example: in the beginning was the word = vibration/energy moving at a certain rate creates all things. Einstien wrote a simple equation, e=mc² to explain this. Another example : you reap what you sow = a law of nature. When you plant corn your get corn when you plant envy you also get that back. Another example the Biblical laws concerning money lending and not to lend at interest = multiplying by a fraction lessons the whole number. Historic elements outlined in the accounting of family linage in Genesis = the plethora of begats. The Pythagorian and originally Khemetic theory, a² + b² = c² is outlining the Mother + Father begat or equal a child. That child will become the hypotheses or hypotenuse of their parenting. There are geometric proofs called the 10 commandments or If this than that logics as well as therapeutic advice and sociological understandings like the stories of Cain & Able, Joseph & the coat of many colors, King Solomons' wisdom. The list of scientific and historically provable consepts is lengthy and often misinterpreted because of the -isms held. Which is why Je'sus warned against judging one another in a negative way. Biblical instruction clarifies all things are working towards the good of those that love the Lord. In other words, you can learn from everything in creation.

  • @Scott_works
    @Scott_works 9 місяців тому

    If you haven't noticed. over the past ten or twenty years there has become a growing movement among well educated authors and professors (many who have left Christianity) who are digging deep into the roots of the Abrahamic religions. They are linguists, historians, and language specialists who are now able to collaborate and work with others outside of the highly controlled literary circles of the Christian Church. In the not so distant past, even suggesting that there may be errors in the scriptures could get one ostracized, tortured, or killed. Remarkably, they are able to piece together the religions of the various empires of the Mediterranean (Egyptian, Sumerian/Accadian, Assyrian, Hittite, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman) and comparatively analyze the Torah and the teachings of Judaism. What they find is credible evidence as to when certain portions were written and added to the Torah. This illustrates how the Torah was written and broken down into two periods of time: 1) The First Temple, and 2)The Second Temple. They find that various elements of Jewish cosmology were added from the surrounding empires and religions. For example, the story of Noah was "borrowed" from Sumerian legend and re-tooled for the Torah. The battle between good and evil, the Garden of Eden, the Adam and Eve story, and other elements of the Zoroastrian religion were added after the Jews were released from Babylonian captivity and King Cyrus of the Achaemenid Persian empire funded the rebuilding of King Solomon's temple, destroyed by Babylon. As these books are unraveled, other stories, even the story of Moses and Exodus show little or no corroboration among surrounding cultures, and books like the Book of Daniel are believed to have been written such that it appears to have been written 500 years earlier, with its prophecies being 100 percent accurate up to the time it was actually written, but failing after that. It is very evident that the Old Testament contains a lot of mythology and contrived stories designed to motivate the Jewish people in their faith in Yahweh. It is religious propaganda, common among all the religions of the time. They borrow from one another and actually compete with each other over who has the correct knowledge of the true God. The Jews insist that Hebrew Torah and books are the Word of God. The New Testament of the Bible bases a lot of its eschatology on the Old Testament and it is clear that the same type casts of Old Testament heroes were used when writing the story of Jesus. This is done so that readers, already familiar with the Old Testament stories, find familiarity in the story of Jesus. The New Testament stories found in the Gospels were all written after the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in 70AD, and Matthew and Luke are exact copies of the Greek stories of Mark, with additional information and sayings of Jesus attributed to another lost text, nearly identical to the Gospel of Thomas which the Romans did not include in the New Testament Canon. If the stories of the Old Testament are borrowed, fabricated, and backdated, and then the stories and proof of the authenticity of Jesus are based upon them, how authentic can they be? The Nag Hammadi cache, discovered in the mid twentieth century, contains the books forbidden after the canonization of the Bible by Rome. These are all of the forbidden books contained in the Catholic Church's records of the canonization. Under review, it is clear that much of this information was written on the fly to answer common questions about the new Christian religion, but some of the books are so over the top that they are not believable. And it is undeniable that the Christian religion, and the Bible were both put together by Rome for the express purpose of consolidating the empire to one religion, with Christendom replacing paganism. The conversion was not optional. It was mandatory, and at the edge of the sword. Christians insist that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. Finally, the religion of Islam and the Koran, written some time after Muhammad's "ascension" was not written by Muhammad, who was illiterate. It was written by scribes who knew the Toran and the Bible. Their chief concern was that the Jews had skewed their religion and then the Christians had further skewed the religion, leaving the Koran with the forbidden stories of the prophets, Mary, and Jesus. The Christians had created a Triune God and translated the Greek into Larin. All of this was offensive to the Arabs. Muslims insist that the Koran is the exact Word of God. After looking into Manichaeism, an early offshoot of Christianity that blends it with Zoroastrianism, it becomes evident that a lot of Islam is borrowed from it. Mani claimed to be the Seal of the Prophets, and the Last Prophet. The Muslims now attribute these monikers to Muhammad. All three of these religions have been at war over God and Jerusalem for more than a thousand years. Along comes the Bahai religion, attempting to mediate between the three religions for the purpose of creating a forum where they may all come together in peace and stop fighting. They claim to be the one true religion, explaining that Baha'u'llah is the promised one, the Most Great Name, etc. But they are also giving more credibility to the Abrahamic religions based upon naive understandings of their accuracy and true historical origins than they deserve. Baha'u'llah was very eloquent. I have read a lot of his writings and they convinced me of their authenticity. I became frustrated with the Bahai's after attending and hearing things taught to me that I had found direct contrast to in the scriptures. They seem to want to focus on "how holy Baha'u'llah was" and "how mysterious they say his eyes were". I accused them of building a white elephant and filling it with red herrings, because they have to compete with the supposed miracles of Moses, Jesus and other fabulous heroes of the Abrahamic religions. I was rejected by the Bahai's of Las Vegas and told that I was barred at the national level. Of course, the Unity of the Religion is paramount, a unity that ignores the independent investigation of the truth which Bahai's claim to support. Is it by casting out anyone who doesn't fall in line, even when they don't really know Baha'u'llah's writings and have not read them all? The time has never been more eminent to mediate between Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Christian Nationalists in America believe that America was created to be a Christian nation, and support Israel against the Muslims though they don't know history, the Bible, or the Constitution. They are leading us to Armageddon because they believe Jesus will rapture them and they will avoid the consequences of their ignorance. They refer to the Jews as "God's Chosen People" which is a slap in the face to all the other religions and decent people of the world. It the Bahai's are to have any success in the negotiation of the peace process, they need to enlist the help of the many authors and professors who are now deconstructing the Abrahamic religions. Their scriptures cannot remain in tact unless they are very specifically reframed by Bahai scriptures in a way that reveals the greater truth. And the Bahai's need to be honest about the fact that Zoroaster also referred to prophets as messengers, and the true unity of all religions long before Baha'u'llah. Be honest. Religion is politics. And it is largely propaganda. Baha'u'llah forbid military service or affiliation with political parties, but that is not going to solve the issues. "Because God told me" is no authentication. Because God said so in the Bible, the Torah, or the Koran is also not valid, provable authentication. Be for real. The framework of the religion has to be based on verifiable fact, history, and linguistic accuracy. Before that, it is unproven faith, suspicion, belief, or conspiracy theory. Not truth. The truth continues to unfold before our very eyes, and the pieces of the jig saw puzzle are coming together rapidly. The Bahai's need to wise up and stay on top of things lest they quickly become irrelevant and out of touch..

  • @cath.lamontagne5357
    @cath.lamontagne5357 9 місяців тому

    ❤Loved this presentation;I learned so much. I was so close to all this that I was unable to recognize the hand of God guiding us.

  • @roohiehafnan4016
    @roohiehafnan4016 10 місяців тому

    Brilliant speech 🙏🙏

  • @jameshopkins7507
    @jameshopkins7507 10 місяців тому

    Yet all atoms seek to bind with others in forming molecules.

  • @aaronpoage597
    @aaronpoage597 11 місяців тому

    In the deep stillness of your soul's embrace, Unveil the universe within, a sacred space. For love, the highest form of wisdom's flight, Transcends all bounds, ignites our inner light. Consciousness, a canvas vast and wide, Where life's brushstrokes dance in joyful stride, Creating a masterpiece, our existence's grace, A journey within, a timeless, boundless place. True evolution's song, a melody so fine, Resides not in changing, but in the divine, Awakening the infinite, within our hearts' call, Love's universal language, uniting one and all. The journey of self-discovery's brave start, Begins with the courage, to search within our heart, Ending with the wisdom, to embrace all that is, A tapestry of existence, where unity and diversity kiss. Every moment, an opportunity to elevate and shine, Contributing to the awakening, in this grand design, The power of intention, a force to behold, Align with love, and miracles unfold. In this tapestry of life, each thread so rare, A unique expression of the divine, we share, Honor the diversity, cherish the unity, For in this grand creation, we find our community.

  • @keithhopkins691
    @keithhopkins691 11 місяців тому

    Great to feel the connection with my beloved Baha’i brothers and sisters. Thank you so much for your presentation.

  • @katherenewedic8076
    @katherenewedic8076 Рік тому

    Radical reconceptualization

  • @sukumarannair6471
    @sukumarannair6471 Рік тому

    That the eternal Truth,here in Malaysia with the aborigines say: “Kebenaran adalah Satu! Sudah Masuk Masuk saperti paku dlm terus dlm hati saya dan tidak dapat cabut keluar !” Like that of nail gone deep into my heart and no way out this eternal Truth can ever be denied from my heart!”

  • @RiazMotlagh
    @RiazMotlagh Рік тому

    Breaths of the holy spirit

  • @lynnecartwright8644
    @lynnecartwright8644 Рік тому

    Thank you for offering these priceless glimpses making accessible and clear the workings of an otherwise complex universe . Nga mihi aroha from Aotearoa New Zealand 🌹

  • @franciscopereira8986
    @franciscopereira8986 Рік тому

    bahai faith is cult

  • @mansoursadigi443
    @mansoursadigi443 Рік тому

    Amazimg incredible talk Thank You so very much for the bounty you gave us all by taking the time to speak your heart, ❤️🙏🏿🌹

  • @mansoursadigi443
    @mansoursadigi443 Рік тому

    ❤️🙏🏿🌹

  • @timothyflynn1927
    @timothyflynn1927 Рік тому

    If u think that the "trinity" is found in the bible u obviously havent read it. The trinity doctrine in "christianity" has to do with the nature of God and that God is three petsons comprising one God. Its actually unbiblical. I thought bahais were believers in one God like jews or muslums???

  • @bahaievents
    @bahaievents Рік тому

    Thank you, Dr. Phelps, for your enlightening and thought-provoking presentation as always, and gratitude to the Bahá’ís of Austin for organizing the event. Firstly, a fitting parable might be the "Parable of the Pebbles." In this Sufi story, a man journeys through the desert with his horse when he hears a voice instructing him to gather some pebbles from a nearby riverbank. The voice guarantees that the following day, he will experience both happiness and sorrow. (After complying with the voice's command and collecting a handful of pebbles in a pouch, the man discovers they have transformed into precious stones the next day. This revelation brings him immense joy yet profound sadness, as he realizes he should have gathered more pebbles while he had the opportunity.) Secondly, as you so articulately explained, singularity and multiplicity are distinct concepts that can intersect in specific situations. In mathematics, singularity refers to points or regions with unusual or undefined behavior, while multiplicity describes the number of times a particular feature or property occurs. When viewed within such singular context, singularity and multiplicity meld into an entity that is simultaneously one and many - potentially rendering it unknowable (?) Thus Explaining why it remains unexplained to this day... Thank you once more, Eric Michot.

  • @thoibameiteilongjam-iv4yf

    How can I get that document?

  • @mansoursadigi443
    @mansoursadigi443 Рік тому

    ❤️🙏🏿🌹

  • @spanac100
    @spanac100 Рік тому

    This seems to be one of the more interesting presentations out there. Nice quotes on the theme of religion.

  • @joansutch3109
    @joansutch3109 Рік тому

    Just what I needed to hear ❤ I am set ablaze ☮️

  • @ajeyraj7189
    @ajeyraj7189 Рік тому

    allah'u ' abha friend ! Noble have i createt thee !

  • @ajeyraj7189
    @ajeyraj7189 Рік тому

    love to be bahai and wish to learn more about the faith !

  • @ajeyraj7189
    @ajeyraj7189 Рік тому

    every answer i found in bahai faith NOBLE HAVE I CREATET THEE !

  • @nafeezkhaursar3467
    @nafeezkhaursar3467 Рік тому

    "All of it" 👍

  • @jonathanray4598
    @jonathanray4598 Рік тому

    As a fellow Bahai myself, "I HOPE THAT YOU ARE ALL PREPARING WHAT IS COMING WITH THE CONFLICT INVOLVING UKRAINE...GET EMERGENCY FOOD SUPPLIES NOW AND SUPPLIES FOR YOUR FAMILIES. THERE WILL COME A POINT IN TIME REAL SOON WHEN WHAT YOU CAN GET NOW WILL BE HARD TO GET. "

  • @iansdigby
    @iansdigby Рік тому

    This for me is an absolutely brilliant discussion, especially around the responsibility of religious leaders for essentially being hoisted on their own petard of materialism and in effect being the authors of their own decline in relevance.

  • @Highlight64
    @Highlight64 Рік тому

    Thank you for sharing these beautiful talks. Love from OZ

  • @gayldeboer167
    @gayldeboer167 Рік тому

    The soul is thete at conception

  • @iansdigby
    @iansdigby Рік тому

    I learned so much from this, so thank you.

  • @nafeezkhaursar3467
    @nafeezkhaursar3467 Рік тому

  • @ifeanyiforchu4403
    @ifeanyiforchu4403 Рік тому

    Thank you for the thoughtful presentation. I think biological organisms are inherently superior to any system composed or will ever be composed of silicon or other minerals, as far as being a channel for the manifestation of the human consciousness is concerned. In future, It may be possible for AI to be integrated into biological entities. In the writings of Abdul Baha, the hierarchy and superiority of biological organisms is affirmed

    • @TheONE10X
      @TheONE10X Рік тому

      My thoughts exactly! Along with how these concepts would make for fantastic sci-fi.

  • @vanhoudtshoorn
    @vanhoudtshoorn Рік тому

    Yes his Tablet of Ahmed chanting is very very touching and sooooo beautiful❤. Received it many years ago on a cd from my sister.

  • @vanhoudtshoorn
    @vanhoudtshoorn Рік тому

    So beautiful, thank you❤

  • @mayabrar6745
    @mayabrar6745 Рік тому

    Thank you Ajit to bring him on to cheer and warm our hearts 🙏 My children, Jabin, Pejmon, and Arjang grow with his songs and now enjoy his son, Andy too. By the way, the Tablet of Ahmad chanted by Red Grammer is the best! It has helped me through though times of my life. I gave it to a friend for her healing so I must order another one. Love you all, Mahnaz May Abrar(pour)💞💞💞

  • @hdde-kopp1353
    @hdde-kopp1353 Рік тому

    Great topic, but so slow !

  • @nilisanai1085
    @nilisanai1085 Рік тому

    I wish you would disable the adds! Thank you for sharing this great video! Awesome to watch this before pilgrimage. We were so fortunate and blessed, last year! Mr. Arjomandi, had three sessions for friends around the world, in more details. It was in reality a pilgrimage. Thank you again. 🙏🌿🌷💜👌

  • @johndoee3850
    @johndoee3850 Рік тому

    Very good!Thanks

  • @jenbrown7366
    @jenbrown7366 Рік тому

    This was simply delightful. What a wonderful speaker, and the Heart To Heart website is a powerful resource for the firesides my husband and I give.

  • @johnwatson9812
    @johnwatson9812 Рік тому

    For me, this was marvelous. I may be suffering from confirmation bias, but for a long time I have felt that this literal interpretation of scripture so prevalent in some circles is in fact a materialistic view. Having fallen into this view or being taught it from childhood, far too many have gone further into the wilds of superstition, prejudice and fanatic bigotry. The word mythology comes to mind. Now though, I am faced with what to do, how to rise higher into the realms of both spirit and reason and be both courageous and forthright on the one hand and loving and kind on the other. Thankyou.

  • @alisonhall2349
    @alisonhall2349 Рік тому

    Hopefully this is an encouraging comment for the lady from Beunos Aires. Rainn reminded us, that we are primarily spiritual beings. Your mother's deterioration is purely physical. Her soul is unaffected and will move to the next stage of her true life intact. She will soar with joy when she is freed of her physical frame. I hope this helps. Much love (from Australia) 💕

    • @MyIceShine
      @MyIceShine Рік тому

      Hi Alison♡ Im the lady! Thank you so so much, and it was a gift for me that Rainn talked to me in such a way! He is an inspiration and Im very thankful with him and with this meet, for giving me the chance. About mum, is a daily battle! Not only to help her but to go on life with happiness, my dad helps so Im not alone, thank God she is a very good and Pacific person ♡ thank you for your words, God bless you!

  • @bellarose6509
    @bellarose6509 2 роки тому

    I love this history of world religion. I learn something new every time. I did not know how many ‘messiahs’ there were at Christ’s time, and that He only had 120 followers at the time of his ascension.

  • @MyIceShine
    @MyIceShine 2 роки тому

    On worship of God I wanna share this idea, If God created us, and a part of him it's on us, why we would forget about worship him? it's like forgetting worship ourselves... We worship many things in this life, and all that things came from God, so It feels like a reminder to honor the whole totally, Like a call to honor our mirror, a necesity of feedback between creator and its creation-

  • @MyIceShine
    @MyIceShine 2 роки тому

    And I MUST say that with Rainn's art, there is a lot of people being touched, Im a prove of that, cause I discovered him in pandemic times, watching the office with family, that was certainly a rough time for the whole humanity, Could someone ever has been predict than watching a humor serie I could feel very bounded to Rainn's career, podcasts, and his person, I didnt know about his existance before it, and now Im learning so much, even about Bahais. ♥ Love the passion in Rainn about this knowledge, he can feel it, and we can felt trought him ... Thank you for this, and please make the other zoom about Life Hacks :D

  • @MyIceShine
    @MyIceShine 2 роки тому

    I know that I known God since I opened my eyes to this life, and I had parents loving me , teaching me and taking care of my life, they mentioned God, and all took sense, I known God for my wonderful health, by my body and his capacities, all the human emotions, the possibility of feel, also for having what we call " memories" those are treasures, for the world itself in wich we live with animals, and nature, the gift of laugh, of touch, of cryng, and as Rainn says of " love" cause when you care someone else, when you connect, when you do things inspired in others or for others, everything shows a little God's hands trail...

  • @OskarHope
    @OskarHope 2 роки тому

    Will the worlds people be led to spirituality -via/transfer by real disasters on a world scale ?