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“In these days,” writes the renowned Bahá’í scholar, Mírzá Abu’l-Fadl, “which are the latter days of 1911, A. D. and the early days of 1330 A. H., I have seen a curious article which astonished me. What did I see? I find that one of the missionaries of the Protestant sect, who accounts himself among the learned men of the twentieth century, a helper of the pure religion of Christ and one of the civilized and cultured occidentals, by name, Peter Z. Easton, has been so provoked by jealousy at the universal spread of the heavenly word of His Holiness Abdul-Baha throughout vast expanses of Europe that he has trespassed the limit of courtesy and humanity and published an article replete with execration and calumny in the magazine “Evangelical Christendom.” …Briefly, as this servant [Mírzá Abu’l-Fadl] carefully perused and weighed the above mentioned article, it was found that Peter Z. Easton, in his own supposition, has clung to “four proofs” in opposing the great Bahai Cause. We will therefore mention these four points and show the falsity of his fanciful ideas in each instance.” A number of works were written in the 19th century to def...

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Religion, Philosophy, Essay/Short nonfiction

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The Epistle of Paul to the Romans , often shortened to Romans , is the sixth book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by the Apostle Paul, to explain that Salvation is offered through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is by far the longest of the Pauline epistles, and is considered his most important theological legacy....

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Religion

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The Epistle to the Romans is one of the letters of the New Testament canon of the Christian Bible. In the words of N.T. Wright, the Book of Romans is neither a systematic theology nor a summary of Paul's lifework, but it is by common consent his masterpiece. It dwarfs most of his other writings, an Alpine peak towering over hills and villages. Not all onlookers have viewed it in the same light or from the same angle, and their snapshots and paintings of it are sometimes remarkably unalike. Not all climbers have taken the same route up its sheer sides, and there is frequent disagreement on the best approach. What nobody doubts is that we are here dealing with a work of massive substance, presenting a formidable intellectual challenge while offering a breathtaking theological and spiritual vision. (Summary from Wikipedia)....

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Religion

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The Pope receives a vision that includes the names of four men: a U.S. Senator, a covert military intelligence agent, a priest from a small parish, and the head of the Italian mafia. These men form an alliance to eliminate the drug cartels of the world to save the children of the future against the backdrop of political power struggle. ...

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Pope Francis lithely entered into the small chapel next to his private quarters. The dark chapel was dimly lit by a row of flickering votive candles that cast a soothing splay of shadows across the ancient altar. The Pope knelt his thin, angular body before it; his white cassock cascaded across the red, soft cushion. He gently entwined the ebony rosary beads between his fingers, crossed himself in the supplicant tradition, and kissed the crucifix as he closed his eyes and began to recite out-loud the Five Holy Mysteries of the Rosary. His nightly reverie, before bed, calmed him and connected his soul to the sublime obedience of God. During these moments of prayer, he put the chaos of his Office into perspective: the business of running the Vatican, the spiritual responsibility of guiding over one-billion Catholics in the area of faith and morals. This was his time to commune with his own spirituality, to harmonize his soul with the peace of his Father in Heaven. He rolled the rosary beads, one by one, through his fingers as he chanted the Ave Maria. His voice rose into a cadence of a Gregorian chant, the beauty of the allit...

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In our present era, it is most disturbing for many Muslims and non- Muslims alike to witness the escalating rise in sectarian violence between the Shia and Sunni followers of Islam, particularly in places such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Some people, including Muslims, ask why the Shia and Sunni are violently murdering each other; is there something in the history of the Muslims that continues to spark such hatred and violence today; why does one sect accuse the other of heresy; and why is one sect of the Muslims considered as “mainstream,” while the other wing is branded unconventional and literally pacified? Unquestionably, seeded in the history of Islam is the answer - in particular, the political course that was taken following the death of the Prologue ii Holy Prophet and the way in which the early history of Islam was written. They say that history is bound to repeat itself and this is much more apparent today because the remnants and unconsciousness of Muslims in regards to their own history is affecting Muslims today. The account of the Muslims is not the classical historical case of not knowing th...

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Understanding that the historical and political aspects covered throughout this book may be delicate for some; nonetheless, never is it meant to be as a means to jostle sectarian division - this is far from my intention. I have maintained judicious care in the manner of presenting this work, but it is my belief that in order for Islam and Muslims to go forward in harmony and solidarity, we have to have the courage to recognize the truth of our past and rationally discuss the matter in a dignified and scholarly fashion. When an injustice is done in the past against others, then it becomes incumbent upon the people of the present to acknowledge it and make amends. This needs to happen so that the Muslims can truly practice what Allah has intended for them - a religion of brotherhood, peace, and justice. Until the end of time, even the most sincere Muslims will disagree upon what they truly believe is the most correct path. However, while accepting that there will be disagreement, it is important to represent each school of thought accurately - as it represents itself, and as reliable and mutually agreed-upon historical...

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Contents PROLOGUE ........................................................................................................................... I DEDICATION ..................................................................................................................... XI CHAPTER 1 SMASHING THE IDOLS OF TRIBALISM ............................................ 1 CHAPTER 2 QURAYSH GROUP ................................................................................... 5 Development of the Quraysh Group............................................................................................................... 5 Objective of the Quraysh Group ....................................................................................................................... 6 Emergence of the Quraysh Group .................................................................................................................... 7 Quraysh Group Appears on the Scene .........................................................................................................10 “Calamity of Thursday” ......................................................

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Text of famous inspirational lecture and biography of Russell Conwell, a Baptist minister and Temple University Founder (Summary by Scott Dahlem)

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Biography, Religion

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A wealthy London business man takes a room in a poor part of the city. He is depressed and has decided to take his life by going the next day to purchase a hand gun he had seen in a pawnshop window. The morning comes with one of those 'memorable fogs' and the adventure he has in it alters his decisions and ultimately his life. (Summary by Linda Andrus)...

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Fiction, Religion, Philosophy

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Wopsy is the story of a very young Guardian Angel, sent to watch over a pagan baby in Africa. Wopsy desperately wants his baby's soul to become white and clean in baptism, but what is a small guardian angel to do when there is no missionary priest in the village? The author was a member of the missionary order of priests known as the White Fathers (So named because of the white habits they wore). He wrote the Wopsy series of books in order to encourage missionary vocations in young children. (Summary by Maria Therese)...

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Children, Religion

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This Novel has been written in the context of present day fast changing political scenario of the world. Most important international burning issues have been touched in this novel in the most skilful and careful manner. Shall this peace seeking world ever reach the lasting peace..? There is destruction of all anti peace world forces in attempt to convert this world into peaceful world. All nations live peacefully in the long run. People respect each other’s religious, territorial limits and social taboo. This Novel is an action and adventure based fiction and an attempt to make this world as joint peaceful global village free of discriminations of caste and racial and Islamic and non Islamic likes and dislikes. Author seems to stress upon the fact that discriminations of this sort are very fatal for the restoration of world peace. Unless this discrimination is not completely finished it is almost impossible to convert this world into one peaceful global Village. From the time this universe came into being to this time the world face perils of different hues everywhere and every time. A few super powers have divided co...

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The July-August-September, 2011 edition of Hinduism's flagship spiritual magazine, Hinduism Today, has been released in digital form and is now available for free on your desktop. This issue takes you on a wondrous adventure through time as well as culture showcasing nine historic sites of ancient India. Get ready for an awe inspiring and thought provoking journey! We start with true our feature article with a magnificence recognizable by all of humanity. These nine ancient Hindu related sites demonstrate craftsmanship and artwork so awe-inspiring that the United Nations’s body for education, science and culture, (UNESCO) has deemed them as worthy of protection and care for the benefit of all of humanity. Our writers and photographers explore these temples and caves, dating back as early as 200 bce, introducing us to a depth and breadth of the rich Hindu landscape. You will be charmed by the historical accounts from western explorers. On a heart warming note, the middle section of this issue introduces our newly published "Hindu Children's Modern Stories, Books One and Two." These books bring the wisdom of the traditional yama...

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Edward Granville Browne (1862 – 1926), born in Stouts Hill, Uley, Gloucestershire, England, was a British orientalist who published numerous articles and books of academic value, mainly in the areas of history and literature. His works are respected for their scholarship, uniqueness, and style. He published in areas which few other Western scholars had explored to any sufficient degree. He used a language and style that showed high respect for everybody, even toward those he personally did not view in positive light. In A Year Amongst the Persians (1893) he wrote a sympathetic portrayal of a Persian society which few Westerners had ever seen, including a frank account of the effects of opium. It did not attract the attention it deserved at the time of its initial publication, but after his death in 1926 it was reprinted and became a classic in English travel literature. A Year Amongst the Persians includes moving accounts of the Bahá’í community in Iran. Concerning his meetings with the Bahá’ís of Iran, Browne writes: “The memory of those assemblies can never fade from my mind; the recollection of those faces and those tones no time...

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Travel, Religion, Philosophy

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Kalimát-i-Maknúnih or The Hidden Words is a book written in Baghdad around 1857 by Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. This work is written partly in Arabic and partly in Persian. The Hidden Words is written in the form of a collection of short utterances, 71 in Arabic and 82 in Persian, in which Bahá'u'lláh claims to have taken the basic essence of certain spiritual truths and written them in brief form. Bahá'ís are advised by `Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of Bahá'u'lláh to read them every day and every night and to implement its latent wisdom into their daily lives. He also said that The Hidden Words is a treasury of divine mysteries and that when one ponders its contents, the doors of the mysteries will open. The text of the Hidden Words is divided up into two sections: one from Arabic, and another from Persian. Each consist of several short, numbered passages. The Arabic has 71 passages, and the Persian has 82. This audiobook only contains the Arabic section. Each passage begins with an invocation, many of which repeat. Some common invocations include O Son of Spirit, O Son of Man, and O Son of Being. Bahá'í prayers are writte...

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Religion, Philosophy, Advice

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Pantheisticon: or, the Form Of Celebrating the Socratic-Society. Divided into Three Parts. Which Contain, I. The Morals and Axioms of the Pantheists; or the Brotherhood. II. Their Deity and Philosophy. III. Their Liberty, and a Law, neither deceiving, nor to be deceived. To which is prefix'd a Discourse upon the Antient and Modern Societies of the Learned, as also upon the Infinite and Eternal Universe. And subjoined, a short dissertation upon a Two-fold Philosophy of the Pantheists, that is to be followed; together with an Idea of the best and most accomplished Man. Written Originally in Latin, by the Ingenious Mr. John Toland. And now, for the first Time, faithfully rendered into English. (Summary from frontispiece.)...

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Philosophy, Religion