Did any of you ever notice how #capitalism breaks systems that are supposed to help us? Rather like, we want to pay for useful things, but payment structures for many daily things make it unattractive to use them.

I think the biggest red flag that something is not in your favor is when people shit on taxes. That said, I do think that taxation is theft has some merit. I don't think we should have anything that would put you in prison if you don't do it, because the poor and disabled will be the victims. Also something that #communism #class #warfare people kinda ignore is that many rich people want to contribute but they are not allowed to pay more taxes than is allocated for them.

The right solution here is simplifying taxes to the point that you just have a bank account number and a coin box to leave taxes in. You can calculate a reference, but in the end everyone should be responsible themselves to pay taxes the way that works best for them. This way we have true community buy-in with community contributions. This can also fix issues with multi-country taxation and the very reason we have so many tax loopholes. If you are called on your morals instead of your shareholders, tax loopholes become completely nonsensical.

Also my favorite part of my religion, the Bahá'í faith, is that any and all kind of taxation is not just only done when you are really convinced about doing it, but also only over the part that is more than what you need to survive. I think taxation over the base amount of money you survive on is just criminal. But also, we shouldn't frame taxation as having rich people paying their fair share, but instead incorporating the rich as part of the community tasking to do what they do best, which can often involve putting their money to work.

Any kind of division creates war, and war kills people. Class warfare is never going to fix capitalism, only making sure that we are all part of the same community and society will.

#bahai #cohesivism #voluntary #taxation

@cohesivism

Im #Jemen wurden 17 #Bahai-Glaubensangehörige im Mai Opfer von #Verschwindenlassen. Auf internationalen Druck hin wurden sechs Personen mittlerweile freigelassen. Setz Dich ein für die, die noch "verschwunden" sind! ✍️📧
https://www.amnesty.de/mitmachen/urgent-action/jemen-elf-bahai-nach-wie-vor-verschwunden-2023-08-09

Die Diskriminierung der #Bahai-Glaubensgemeinschaft im #Iran geht mit unveränderter Härte weiter. Zwei Frauen erhielten jeweils 20 Jahre Haftstrafe - nur wegen friedlicher Ausübung ihres Glaubens. #Religionsfreiheit
https://www.en-hrana.org/sentences-of-20-years-upheld-for-two-bahai-women/

Just installing a new Arch based system and as Arch keeps everything up to date and Noto Sans Symbols 2 got updated with the 🟙 Nine Pointed Star this means the #bahai star now works by default on any #ArchLinux system that has a proper Noto fallback chain.

I just merged in Arabic, Greek and Vietnamese characters for my Courier Prime fork: https://github.com/LaPingvino/courier-badi

The foundation is #CourierPrime with the #Cyrillic additions on the official download page, made for #screenwriting

It adds additionally support for #Bahai specific characters and monospace Arabic. Please go test and help me figure out where it needs further tweaking!

#bahai #inequality #economy #anarchism #cohesivism

Feliĉan naskiĝtagon, BEL (Bahaa #Esperanto-ligo) #Bahai

@ReimanSaara @theautisticcoach @actuallyautistic I grew up Christian and am a #bahai now :)

Unglaubliche 16 Jahre Haftstrafe für den #Bahai Payam Vali bloß für friedliche Ausübung der #Religionsfreiheit im #Iran.
https://www.en-hrana.org/bahai-citizen-payam-vali-sentenced-to-16-years/

"Each of the divine religions has two aspects. The first is essential. It concerns morality and development of the virtues of the human world. This aspect is common to all. It is fundamental; it is one; there is no difference, no variation in it. As regards the inculcation of morality and the development of human virtues, there is no difference whatsoever between the teachings of Zoroaster, Jesus and Bahá’u’lláh. In this they agree; they are one. The second aspect of the divine religions is nonessential. It concerns human needs and undergoes change in every cycle according to the exigency of the time. For example, in the time of Moses divorce was conformable to the needs and conditions; Moses, therefore, established it. But in the time of Christ, divorces were numerous and the cause of corruption; as they were not suitable for the time, he made divorce unlawful and likewise changed other laws. These are needs and conditions which have to do with the conduct of society; therefore, they undergo change according to the exigency of the time. Moses dwelt in the desert. As there were no penitentiaries, no means of restitution in the desert and wilderness, the laws of God were an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.... This punishment was just and right in the law of Moses, but it was applicable to the desert, where there were no prisons and reformatory institutions of later and higher forms of government. Today you have government and organization, a police system, a judge and trial by jury. The punishment and penalty is now different. Therefore, the nonessentials which deal with details of community are changed according to the exigency of the time and conditions. But the essential foundation of the teachings of Moses, Zoroaster, Jesus and Bahá’u’lláh is identical, is one; there is no difference whatsoever."

- `Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace

https://www.bahai.org/r/087788382

#Bahai #Religion #ProgressiveRevelation #UnityofReligions

"By the righteousness of God! The world and its vanities, and its glory, and whatever delights it can offer, are all, in the sight of God, as worthless as, nay, even more contemptible than, dust and ashes. Would that the hearts of men could comprehend it! Cleanse yourselves thoroughly, O people of Bahá, from the defilement of the world, and of all that pertaineth unto it. God Himself beareth Me witness. The things of the earth ill beseem you. Cast them away unto such as may desire them, and fasten your eyes upon this most holy and effulgent Vision."

"That which beseemeth you is the love of God, and the love of Him Who is the Manifestation of His Essence, and the observance of whatsoever He chooseth to prescribe unto you, did ye but know it.

"Say: Let truthfulness and courtesy be your adorning. Suffer not yourselves to be deprived of the robe of forbearance and justice, that the sweet savors of holiness may be wafted from your hearts upon all created things. Say: Beware, O people of Bahá, lest ye walk in the ways of them whose words differ from their deeds. Strive that ye may be enabled to manifest to the peoples of the earth the signs of God, and to mirror forth His commandments. Let your acts be a guide unto all mankind, for the professions of most men, be they high or low, differ from their conduct. It is through your deeds that ye can distinguish yourselves from others. Through them the brightness of your light can be shed upon the whole earth. Happy is the man that heedeth My counsel, and keepeth the precepts prescribed by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise."

- Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh

https://www.bahai.org/r/493057304

#Religion #Bahai

"Know thou that We have annulled the rule of the sword, as an aid to Our Cause, and substituted for it the power born of the utterance of men. Thus have We irrevocably decreed, by virtue of Our grace. Say: O people! Sow not the seeds of discord among men, and refrain from contending with your neighbor, for your Lord hath committed the world and the cities thereof to the care of the kings of the earth, and made them the emblems of His own power, by virtue of the sovereignty He hath chosen to bestow upon them. He hath refused to reserve for Himself any share whatever of this world’s dominion. To this He Who is Himself the Eternal Truth will testify. The things He hath reserved for Himself are the cities of men’s hearts, that He may cleanse them from all earthly defilements, and enable them to draw nigh unto the hallowed Spot which the hands of the infidel can never profane. Open, O people, the city of the human heart with the key of your utterance. Thus have We, according to a pre-ordained measure, prescribed unto you your duty."

- Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh

https://www.bahai.org/r/715034234

#Religion #Bahai #Peace #War

https://www.bahai.org/r/113426875

#Religion #Bahai #Science

"Since there can be no tie of direct intercourse to bind the one true God with His creation, and no resemblance whatever can exist between the transient and the Eternal... He hath ordained that in every age and dispensation a pure and stainless Soul be made manifest in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. Unto this subtle, this mysterious and ethereal Being He hath assigned a twofold nature; the physical, pertaining to the world of matter, and the spiritual, which is born of the substance of God Himself. He hath, moreover, conferred upon Him a double station. The first station, which is related to His innermost reality, representeth Him as One Whose voice is the voice of God Himself. To this testifieth the tradition: 'Manifold and mysterious is My relationship with God. I am He, Himself, and He is I, Myself, except that I am that I am, and He is that He is.' And in like manner, the words: 'Arise, O Muḥammad, for lo, the Lover and the Beloved are joined together and made one in Thee.' He similarly saith: 'There is no distinction whatsoever between Thee and Them, except that They are Thy Servants.' The second station is the human station, exemplified by the following verses: 'I am but a man like you.' 'Say, praise be to my Lord! Am I more than a man, an apostle?' These Essences of Detachment, these resplendent Realities are the channels of God’s all-pervasive grace.... They are commissioned to use the inspiration of Their words, the effusions of Their infallible grace and the sanctifying breeze of Their Revelation for the cleansing of every longing heart and receptive spirit from the dross and dust of earthly cares and limitations. Then, and only then, will the Trust of God, latent in the reality of man, emerge, as resplendent as the rising Orb of Divine Revelation, from behind the veil of concealment, and implant the ensign of its revealed glory upon the summits of men’s hearts."

- Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh

https://www.bahai.org/r/602570067

#Religion #Bahai

"Having created the world and all that liveth and moveth therein, He, through the direct operation of His unconstrained and sovereign Will, chose to confer upon man the unique distinction and capacity to know Him and to love Him — a capacity that must needs be regarded as the generating impulse and the primary purpose underlying the whole of creation... Upon the inmost reality of each and every created thing He hath shed the light of one of His names, and made it a recipient of the glory of one of His attributes. Upon the reality of man, however, He hath focused the radiance of all of His names and attributes, and made it a mirror of His own Self. Alone of all created things man hath been singled out for so great a favor, so enduring a bounty.

"These energies with which the Day Star of Divine bounty and Source of heavenly guidance hath endowed the reality of man lie, however, latent within him, even as the flame is hidden within the candle and the rays of light are potentially present in the lamp. The radiance of these energies may be obscured by worldly desires even as the light of the sun can be concealed beneath the dust and dross which cover the mirror. Neither the candle nor the lamp can be lighted through their own unaided efforts, nor can it ever be possible for the mirror to free itself from its dross. It is clear and evident that until a fire is kindled the lamp will never be ignited, and unless the dross is blotted out from the face of the mirror it can never represent the image of the sun nor reflect its light and glory."

- Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh

https://www.bahai.org/r/441185340

#Religion #Spirituality #Bahai

https://www.bahai.org/r/207876061

#Religion #Bahai #Education #Science #Philosophy

Two Parts of the Religion of God https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMibhLjc0-w (video length 1:33:38) #Religion #Bahai

"Question: What is your belief about reincarnation?

"Answer: The subject of reincarnation has two aspects. One is that which the Hindustani people believe, and even that is subdivided into two: reincarnation and metempsychosis. According to one belief the soul goes and then returns in certain reincarnations; therefore, they say that a sick person is sick because of actions in a previous incarnation and that this is retribution. The other school of Hinduism believes that man sometimes appears as an animal — a donkey, for instance — and that this is retribution for past acts. I am referring to the beliefs in that country, the beliefs of the schools. There is a reincarnation of the prophetic mission. Jesus Christ, speaking of John the Baptist, declared he was Elias. When John the Baptist was questioned, 'Art thou Elias?' he said, 'I am not.' These two statements are apparently contradictory, but in reality they do not contradict. The light is one light. The light which illumined this lamp last night is illuminating it tonight. This does not mean that the identical rays of light have reappeared but the virtues of illumination. The light which revealed itself through the glass reveals itself again so that we can say the light of this evening is the light of last evening relighted. This is as regards its virtues and not as regards its former identity. This is our view of reincarnation. We believe in that which Jesus Christ and all the Prophets have believed. For example, the Báb states, 'I am the return of all the Prophets.' This is significant of the oneness of the prophetic virtues, the oneness of power, the oneness of bestowal, the oneness of radiation, the oneness of expression, the oneness of revelation."

- The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by `Abdu'l-Bahá During His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912

https://www.bahai.org/r/824068434

#Religion #Bahai #Reincarnation

"O thou handmaid aflame with the fire of God’s love! Grieve thou not over the troubles and hardships of this nether world, nor be thou glad in times of ease and comfort, for both shall pass away. This present life is even as a swelling wave, or a mirage, or drifting shadows. Could ever a distorted image on the desert serve as refreshing waters? No, by the Lord of Lords! Never can reality and the mere semblance of reality be one, and wide is the difference between fancy and fact, between truth and the phantom thereof.

"Know thou that the Kingdom is the real world, and this nether place is only its shadow stretching out. A shadow hath no life of its own; its existence is only a fantasy, and nothing more; it is but images reflected in water, and seeming as pictures to the eye.

"Rely upon God. Trust in Him. Praise Him, and call Him continually to mind. He verily turneth trouble into ease, and sorrow into solace, and toil into utter peace. He verily hath dominion over all things.

"If thou wouldst hearken to my words, release thyself from the fetters of whatsoever cometh to pass. Nay rather, under all conditions thank thou thy loving Lord, and yield up thine affairs unto His Will that worketh as He pleaseth. This verily is better for thee than all else, in either world."

- Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá

#Religion #Spirituality #Bahai

Session 12 - Home Study of Kitáb-i-Íqán (Book of Certitude) by Baháʼu’lláh https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSydIYbPLV4 (video length 1:45:01)

#Religion #Bahai