Seventy and Two: Musings on Meaning

He that wisheth to promote the Cause of the one true God, let him promote it through his pen and tongue, rather than have recourse to sword or violence. [ . . .] If any man were to arise to defend, in his writings, the Cause of God against its assailants, such a man, however inconsiderable his share, shall be so honored in the world to come that the Concourse on high would envy his glory. No pen can depict the loftiness of his station, neither can any tongue describe its splendor. For whosoever standeth firm and steadfast in this holy, this glorious, and exalted Revelation, such power shall be given him as to enable him to face and withstand all that is in heaven and on earth. Of this God is Himself a witness.
(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 329)

Alláh-u-abhá Reader/Friend,
I am a Bahá’í, or at least I am a member of the Bahá’í Faith (Bahá’í is an unattainable goal, not a label). Bahá’u'lláh, the Prophet/Founder of my Faith outlawed violence as a means to defend His Faith. Every faithful Bahá’í however, has an urge to defend His Faith somehow. As a very active web-surfer (Passive-ist!) I have found a thousand and one instances of His Faith being under attack, intentionally and unintentionally. So, at Bahá’u'lláh’s call, and Jonah’s behest I am “Unsheath[ing] the sword of [my] tongue from the scabbard of utterance, for therewith [I] can conquer the citadels of men’s hearts.” (Baha’u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 23)

Defending your Faith in writing or speech is generally called apologetics, but I am going to turn away from that term. Defending the Faith can mean so many things, fighting misinformation, countering written attacks, rebutting criticism, answering questions, speaking out against injustice, proposing improvements, sharing observations, venting frustrations, reflecting on important issues, and a lot more; so little of that falls under the small spectrum of activities encapsulated by the word apologetics, yet all of it can fall under the umbrella of “defense of the Faith”.

I don’t know how useful any of that was, but perhaps it gives some glimpse into my purpose and goal for this blog.

God Bless,
Gerald