Former Baha'i, Michael Zargarov, finds TRUE celebration of Diversity in U.U.
Carol Phillips
from: Michael Zargarov (new U.Universalist
3310 Aberdeen Way
Houston, Texas 77025-l9l2
Tel:713-664-4667
With a joy unfelt in many years, I have joined the First U.U.
Church in Houston, Texas, having found a spiritual community which
genuinely celebrates diversity rather than merely paying lip-service to
it. I come to U.Universalism after a struggle of more than l6 years to
shape myself into the accepted mold of the Baha'i Faith as it is being
administered in these United States. While the Baha'i message of Unity
and Diversity as means to the establishment of World Peace still attracts
me, the way in which the Baha'i Administration in the United States and
elsewhere is manipulating the sacred writ and the community of believers
to achieve its idea of that goal was too much to stomach.
Several years ago, when the _Center_for_the_Healing_of_Racism_ was
first being started its directors, mostly Baha'is, attempted its
formation first in the Houston Baha'i Center. They quickly found that the
Baha'is themselves were so unwilling to face up to thier own racism that
the Center was forced out by a zealous "Spiritual" Assembly intent on
preserving the status quo. Blessedly, the Center chose the UU church for
its meetings...and here I am.
Being Gay, as well, brought hardship within the Baha'i community;
again unable or unwilling to face the fact that not everyone is
heterosexual. In UU, I find a true commUNITY which not only "allows"
homosexual attendance, rather CELEBRATES the diversity of a religious
body made up of so many truly different persons.
The Rev. Heather Lynn Hanson, at First UU Houston, told me that she
knew little of Baha'i, but was interested in the incorporation of the
teachings of an other Faiths into her resources of sacred literature from
which to draw quotes. I feel doubly blest to be a Universalist of Baha'i
background. I am no traitor to the earlier, rather a welcome partner in
the present. Thanks for the opportunity to share. I welcome inquiry from
parties interested in the truths of Baha'i, based upon the experience of
one whose been there. Most sincerely--- Michael Zargarov
MAllen6866
In article <51cfc6$7...@news.ghgcorp.com>, Carol Phillips
<Redf...@ghgcorp.com> writes:
> Several years ago, when the _Center_for_the_Healing_of_Racism_ was
>first being started its directors, mostly Baha'is, attempted its
>formation first in the Houston Baha'i Center. They quickly found that the
>Baha'is themselves were so unwilling to face up to thier own racism that
>the Center was forced out by a zealous "Spiritual" Assembly intent on
>preserving the status quo. Blessedly, the Center chose the UU church for
>its meetings...and here I am.
> Being Gay, as well, brought hardship within the Baha'i community;
>again unable or unwilling to face the fact that not everyone is
>heterosexual. In UU, I find a true commUNITY which not only "allows"
>homosexual attendance, rather CELEBRATES the diversity of a religious
>body made up of so many truly different persons.
A heartfelt welcome, Michael. I joined the UU Church in 1987 after
hearing Starhawk quoted in a sermon. It is an incredible homecoming to
find a church which embraces one's own core beliefs and values AND exposes
one to other paths and the joyful and struggling people who walk them. I
have found a place in my welcoming congregation as a lesbian wiccan, and I
salute my fellow UUs for their sincere and ongoing effort to "walk the
talk." To do this consistently in a world where sameness=safety is a
supreme challenge.
margie
Kellie Snider
Welcome to UUsim, Michael.
I am quite interested in the basic precepts of Baha'i. Can you give a
synopsis?
--
Signed - Kellie
____________________________________________________
My Karma ran over my Dogma. It was a Catastrophe.
Now my Dogma's Dead and my Karma's out of alignment.
____________________________________________________
Robert Phillips
In article <51cfc6$7...@news.ghgcorp.com>, Carol Phillips
<Redf...@ghgcorp.com> wrote:
> from: Michael Zargarov (new U.Universalist
> 3310 Aberdeen Way
> Houston, Texas 77025-l9l2
> Tel:713-664-4667
>
>
> With a joy unfelt in many years, I have joined the First U.U.
> Church in Houston, Texas, having found a spiritual community which
> genuinely celebrates diversity rather than merely paying lip-service to
> it. I come to U.Universalism after a struggle of more than l6 years to
> shape myself into the accepted mold of the Baha'i Faith as it is being
> administered in these United States. While the Baha'i message of Unity
> and Diversity as means to the establishment of World Peace still attracts
> me, the way in which the Baha'i Administration in the United States and
> elsewhere is manipulating the sacred writ and the community of believers
> to achieve its idea of that goal was too much to stomach.
> Several years ago, when the _Center_for_the_Healing_of_Racism_ was
> first being started its directors, mostly Baha'is, attempted its
> formation first in the Houston Baha'i Center. They quickly found that the
> Baha'is themselves were so unwilling to face up to thier own racism that
> the Center was forced out by a zealous "Spiritual" Assembly intent on
> preserving the status quo. Blessedly, the Center chose the UU church for
> its meetings...and here I am.
> Being Gay, as well, brought hardship within the Baha'i community;
> again unable or unwilling to face the fact that not everyone is
> heterosexual. In UU, I find a true commUNITY which not only "allows"
> homosexual attendance, rather CELEBRATES the diversity of a religious
> body made up of so many truly different persons.
> The Rev. Heather Lynn Hanson, at First UU Houston, told me that she
> knew little of Baha'i, but was interested in the incorporation of the
> teachings of an other Faiths into her resources of sacred literature from
> which to draw quotes. I feel doubly blest to be a Universalist of Baha'i
> background. I am no traitor to the earlier, rather a welcome partner in
> the present. Thanks for the opportunity to share. I welcome inquiry from
> parties interested in the truths of Baha'i, based upon the experience of
> one whose been there. Most sincerely--- Michael Zargarov
To All, I too am a former Bahia. Strangely enough my beer brewing hobby
forced me to rethink what it means to be Bahia. I still have every
respect for the Bahia Faith and feel it is a good religion as religions
go, but the contradictions and antiintellectualisms were too much for my
logic sense. I could not believe in the end that God(powers of nature)
intervenes in our life so completely and dramatically. Micheal, Unitarian
Universalists are much more understanding of "homosexuality" than the
Bahia's could ever be.Good Luck Bob. (phil...@minn.net)
--
Robert W. Phillips (phil...@minn.net)