
Baha'u'llah @ MindSay 
Mr. Bean makes waves with
spirituality on the radio
November 11, 2008 - 7:16pmBack in the ‘80s, James Bean was frustrated at how few religious
voices there were on the radio.
“If the religion section in a bookstore looked like religion on the
radio, there would have been only one book,” says Mr. Bean,
producer and host of Spiritual Awakening Radio, which he
launched in the late 1980s to put at least a second book on that
imaginary shelf.
Spiritual Awakening Radio explores the world of spirituality,
comparative religion, meditation, mysticism, and spiritual websites
and books -- all lifelong interests of Mr. Bean’s.
For the last three weeks, he has been featuring Baha'is talking
about their Faith. His first guest, William Johns, has a special
interest in the mystical writings of Baha'u'llah. Druzelle Cederquist,
author of The Story of Baha'u'llah, was his second guest and
John Hatcher, author of The Purpose of Physical Reality,
Close Connections and the soon-to-be-released Adam's Wish,
was his guest for the final two programs.
The fourth and last in the Baha'i series is to be broadcast on Friday
through HealthyLife.net, an online talk radio station, at 1 p.m. EST.
(See the full broacast schedule for other air times.) Past programs
can be heard on the archive section through January 2009.
“I especially enjoyed listening to Baha'is talking about the mystical
aspects of the Faith,” Mr. Bean says, referring to their mention of
The Hidden Words and The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys,
both by Baha'u'llah.
Mr. Bean, who operates out of Maine, says he has noticed a surge
in spirituality in the last five years, particularly by people in their 20s
and 30s.
“There are more spiritual seekers and openness to spiritual things
than at any time in the last 50 years,” he says, “and that includes
the ‘60s. People want more than material things.
“My listeners come from everywhere in the world -- well, every-
where except Antarctica,” Mr. Bean says, and you can bet he’s
working on that one.
SOURCE: http://www.bahai.us/spirituality-on-the-radio
"...In this, the Baha'i dispensation, God's Cause is spirit unalloyed. His Cause belongeth not to the material world. It cometh neither for strife nor war, nor for acts of mischief or of shame; it is neither for quarreling with other Faiths, nor for conflicts with the nations. Its only army is the love of God, its only joy the clear wine of His knowledge, its only battle the expounding of the Truth; it's one crusade is against the insistent self, the evil promptings of the human heart. Its victory is to submit and yield, and to be selfless is its everlasting glory. In brief, it is spirit upon spirit. ..." --'Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha. p. 256
(I came upon the passage today at the end of Creating A New Mind by Paul Lample).
The sentiment was so very pure and true and simple;
"Ye are the flowers of one garden,
the fruits of one tree,
the leaves of one branch..."
-Baha'ullah
Baha'ullah is the founder of the Baha'i faith and many of his writings are thought provoking. And of course, this does mention a garden so it has special meaning to me!
I'm not personally Baha'i but one thing I have liked about the faith, based on what I experienced with Bahia's I have known is the way the ones I knew seemed to love to see unity among peoples of all faiths, one of the few religions that suggest this is even desirable.
Given the Pope's current predicament I begin to wonder when these poor examples in communication can end? When can we move beyond these separating and divisive attitudes - regardless of where they're coming from - on all sides of the argument - and start dealing with each other like the sensible and creative and flexible people we are? All of us - every single human being - are responsible to get that wave of nurturing and gratitude growing - for the better of all!
In a world where people are sincerely encouraged and empowered to participate together, to co-operate, to co-create, there would naturally be far less discord among people, neighbors, government or business if we could operate with that in mind. It would only be natural for people to get along, it seems to me!
wow! It's almost a scary thought when one starts to see where the discord comes from in the first place!


