The mantle of life

 The last post referred to dust around a new planetary system and the development of life. This post relates to the wider issue of life throughout the universe.

Bahá’u’lláh said the following:

“All-praise and glory be to God Who, through the power of His might, hath delivered His creation from the nakedness of nonexistence, and clothed it with the mantle of life.”
Gleanings p77-78

And in the longer morning prayer:

“Keep us safe, then, through Thine unfailing protection, O Thou the Beloved of the entire creation and the Desire of the whole universe…”

So an article in “Universe Today” caught my interest when it reported the discovery of a complex ring-shaped sulfur-bearing molecule (thiepine) apparently being formed in interstellar space far from any star.

This molecule is another which is believed to be important in the origin of life. It is a surprise to find that it can form in the cold of interstellar space!

The detailed article concludes with the comment:

“These and other findings indicate that the origins of life reside in space, and are far more plentiful than previously thought!”

Food for thought.

Dust

 In many religious texts it is stated that man was created from dust. In the Hidden Words Baha'u'llah wrote, for example:

"Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust?" HW Arabic 68

Recent research has now illuminated the role of dust in space in the formation of prebiotic organic compounds. This gives us another perspective on 'dust'. 

Prebiotic compounds are complex organic compounds  believed to be formed during an early stage of the development of life.

These compounds have been seen for the first time in space, in a protoplanetary disk. Such disks of dust surround young stars while planets are forming. See this article on "Universe Today". The article comments:

"This was the first time this sort of chemistry has been examined under these conditions, and it’s clear that without cosmic dust, the chemical reactions required for life would be too inefficient to form in great quantities."

E-books - free ebooks for now til Jan 2026

 Downloads will again be available free from Kindle over the next week or so. Please see the previous post for details. 

There is one more book in the pipeline on the life of 'Abdu'l-Baha.

Ebooks - free downloads for March 2025

 These downloads will be available from Kindle over the next week or so. The fifteen ebooks can be found on my author page here.

Most of these books will be free for a few days. The most recent book is the short history on the Life of Baha'u'llah.

List of books:

1. The Bahá'í Faith - A Short Introduction 

2. The Bahá'í Faith - A Short Introduction for Christians

3. The Bahá'í Faith - A Short Introduction for Muslims

4. The Bahá'í Faith - A Short Introduction for Hindus 

5. The Bahá'í Faith - A Short Introduction for the Seeker 

6. The Bahá'í Faith - A Short Introduction for Women

7. Bahá'í Books - A Short Introduction

8. The Bahá'í Faith and the Cosmos – A Short Introduction

9. The Bahá'í Faith and Life After Death

10. A Bahá'í Faith FAQ

11. Bahá’u’lláh: Manifestation of God?

12. Memoirs of Ivan Fraser: The early development of the Bahá’í Faith in British Guiana.

13. Jesus - in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh 

14. The Bahá'í Faith - A Short History I - The Life of the Bab

15. The Bahá'í Faith - A Short History II - The Life of the Baha'u'llah

Another ebook published

As promised the second volume on the history of the Baha'i Faith (The life of Baha'u'llah) has now been published. The ebook is $0.99 as usual. The paperback is $6.99. The printing costs are higher as this is the largest book so far - some 21,000 words.

The book describes the main events in the life of Baha'u'llah. There are many dramatic stories of individuals which had to be omitted but can be found in the more comprehensive histories listed in "Further Reading".

The maps for these books need further editing and will be updated later.

Link to book.

New ebook - The Life of the Bab

 

This new book (ebook and paperback) is called 'The Baha'i Faith - A Short History I' and is about the life of the Bab. The Bab was the forerunner of Baha'u'llah and Himself a Manifestation of God. He lived a short but dramatic life in Iran (Persia) in the 1800's.

Link to book.

Note that the next volume of the history is almost ready and the third volume is being written.

Artificial General Intelligence - when?

 According to the Register, Gartner, a respected technological research and consulting firm, has warned about AGI expectations:

"Gartner is warning that any prospect of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is at least 10 years away and perhaps not certain to ever arrive. It might not even be a worthwhile pursuit, the analyst says."

Ebooks update

Total orders to-date have exceeded 1000!

The book on the time of the Bab has gone for review. Am making slow progress with the next book.

The most recent ebook is shown on the right. Paperback also now available.

Ebook progress

 The ebook I mentioned in my last post has now been sent for review - which may take a while.

Meanwhile I am working on the next part of the history - the dispensation of Baha'u'llah, 1850 to 1892. This ebook is even more challenging as the amount of detail available is greater making it difficult to decide what to include and how to summarise. 

If my health permits me to work on the third part that will also be a big challenge. How to summarise the amazing travels of Abdu'l-Baha? I depend upon God's help to make progress...

Recent work

A quick update. I have completed a draft of a short history of the Faith for the period up to 1850, the dispensation of the Bab. It has grown bigger than expected - some 10,000 words. I made much use of Balyusi's great book on the Bab to guide me as to what to include - without quoting from it. 

I include in this post a version of the map I include in the book. I tried to ensure the date of various events was clear so that the stories of those involved can be related to each other. 

Another ebook which relates the Bahá’í Faith to Christianity

 This ebook, "Jesus - in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh", reviews what Bahá’u’lláh has written about Jesus. Both Bahá’ís and Christians may get new insights from the forty or so quotations. He is very clear about the Divine nature of Jesus.

It is hoped that those investigating the Faith will find it useful. Further reading suggestions are provided for those interested, along with other information about the Faith.

Please ebooks will be free to download during the Ridvan period (from April 21 to early May).

This blog

 A glance or two at this blog shows that the writer's interests have changed in recent years. The focus is now mostly on the writing and publishing I find myself doing despite not being a great writer.

Currently I am having another book reviewed. This one looks at what the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh say about Jesus. 

I have also started another book - a short history of the Faith. This is very presumtious of me though it does seem to fill a space. This will keep me busy for the rest of the year probably. God willing I will have the energy and capacity to finish it. I hope to add to it colour pictures, a map, a timeline, links and so on - easier with an ebook than a printed book.

Ivan Fraser's Memoirs updated

 A selection from unpublished parts of the memoir have been added. These are from the period 1965-1978. If you have the ebook just download it again.

The series of ebooks will be freely downloadable late in February.

The photo on the right is a rather blurry images of Ivan Fraser cut from a larger photo.

Ooops! Just found another photo which should be included. Next update probably. I have posted it below. It is from August 1965 and shows the community with Hand of the Cause Khazeh.

Iranian thought leaders call for an end to Bahá’í persecution

 An article at BIC notes an important development for Bahá’ís:

 "A group of more than 150 Iranian human rights advocates and social and political activists have signed a powerful public statement (in Persian with English translation) condemning the “new wave of arrests against Bahá’ís and their deprivation of basic human and civil rights.”"

Let us pray that positive change results from this!

An end to war?

 Surely mankind is reaching the point when war is something we cannot afford anymore. All our resources are needed to counter climate change and its associated troubles and to restructure our civilisation accordingly.

Bahá’u’lláh foresaw this time:

"The time must come when the imperative necessity for the holding of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will be universally realized. The rulers and kings of the earth must needs attend it, and, participating in its deliberations, must consider such ways and means as will lay the foundations of the world’s Great Peace amongst men. Such a peace demandeth that the Great Powers should resolve, for the sake of the tranquillity of the peoples of the earth, to be fully reconciled among themselves. Should any king take up arms against another, all should unitedly arise and prevent him. If this be done, the nations of the world will no longer require any armaments, except for the purpose of preserving the security of their realms and of maintaining internal order within their territories. This will ensure the peace and composure of every people, government and nation." 

(Gleanings CXVII)

Climate update

 According to a report by the BBC:

"It's now "virtually certain" that 2023 will be the hottest year on record. That's something that no major climate science body expected at the start of the year."

We will be looking to COP28 to lead to some serious action...

Ebooks free for Baha'i Holy Days

 The various ebooks from the series of books about the Baha'i Faith will be available without charge for several days from October 16th for a week or so. The books (11) are as follows:

The Bahá'í Faith - A Short Introduction 

The Bahá'í Faith - A Short Introduction for Christians

The Bahá'í Faith - A Short Introduction for Muslims

The Bahá'í Faith - A Short Introduction for Hindus 

The Bahá'í Faith - A Short Introduction for the Seeker 

The Bahá'í Faith - A Short Introduction for Women

A Bahá'í Faith FAQ

Bahá’u’lláh: Manifestation of God?

And the related books:

The Bahá'í Faith and the Cosmos – A Short Introduction

The Bahá'í Faith and Life After Death

Bahá'í Books - A Short Introduction

The two most recent are not yet available as paperbacks.

Link to free books.

Link to series.

Warmest greetings to all who celebrate the Holy Days! 😀

Another new book on Kindle - an FAQ

 "A Bahá'í Faith FAQ" (Frequently asked questions) - this booklet intends to provide brief answers to commonly asked questions (some 60+ in total) about the Bahá’í Faith. It is hoped that those investigating the Faith will find it useful. Further reading suggestions are provided for those interested, along with other information about the Faith.

New book on kindle - Bahá’u’lláh: Manifestation of God?

This booklet seeks to present evidence for the authenticity of Bahá’u’lláh's claim to be God's Messenger for today!

Here is an extract from the booklet:

"Who was Bahá’u’lláh? He claimed to have been sent by God with teachings for mankind in this day, like Christ and Muhammad in times past. He founded a new world religion, the Bahá'í Faith, which has spread around the world, to almost every country, in about one hundred years. That He could do this based on lies and deception is not credible. Yet if His claims are true then civilisation as we know it will be transformed and greatly advanced. He has said as much.

Why does this matter so much today? Bahá’u’lláh faced severe persecution as a result of His claims. The rich and the powerful rejected this announcement. Only a few accepted Him and worked to spread these teachings. Such has always been mankind’s reaction to God’s Messengers. 

Mankind continues trying to solve its problems using outdated concepts and teachings or by dismissing God completely - with tragic results. Bahá’u’lláh warned mankind that rejecting God’s Message would lead to dire consequences. His predictions have been accurate. Man really needs these new teachings. This is why it is so important to investigate Bahá’u’lláh’s claim. This is why this booklet was written."

 The booklet is on Kindle as usual for $0.99. The link is here. 

The booklet will be free to download on September 18 and 19.

Some great science fiction

 

"The Sundering" series by D Rae Price is a really good read. It achieves the difficult goal of being very engaging, scientifically interesting and ethically satisfying. 

It can be found on Amazon/Kindle here.