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From: [e-mail] (Michael H Kalantar)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.bahai,soc.answers,news.answers
Subject: Baha'i Resources on the Internet
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Date: 4 Aug 1995 14:04:00 -0400
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Summary: Baha'i Faith, List of Internet Resources
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Archive-name: bahai-faith/resources
Last-Modified: 3-August-1995


                        INTRODUCTION

"Baha'i Resources on the Internet" is a summary of Baha'i related resources
available to those connected to the Internet.  Included in this listing are
locations of Introdutory material, the Baha'i Writings, information about
interactive "IRC firesides", various Baha'i mailing lists and newsgroups, and
information about Baha'i Organizations connected to the Internet.

Suggestions, corrections, pointers to additional information, or questions
should all be addressed to:  Michael Kalantar <[e-mail]>

                           OUTLINE

                    Changes from the last version
               I.   Introductory Material
               II.  Sacred Scriptures and Other Texts
               III. Baha'i Related Images
               IV.  Regular Net Events
               V.   Newsgroups/Mailing Lists
               VI.  Baha'i Organizations
               VII. Anonymous "FTP" and "FTPMAIL"

Note:  Throughout, locations of resources are supplied as Universal Resource
       Locators, or "URL"s.  For those already familiar with the "World Wide
       Web" or "WWW" (using programs like Mosaic or Netscape), they will be
       understandable.  For those unfamiliar with WWW, some of the resources
       may still be available by "FTP" or by "FTPMAIL".  For more information
       about these see the last section of this document.

Finally, a copy of this resource guide is archived at:
  ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/soc.religion.bahai/Baha_i_Resources_on_the_Internet

And an HTML version of this resource guide can be found at:
  http://www.cs.cornell.edu/Info/People/kalantar/Bahai/resources.html


                       CHANGES FROM LAST VERSION

-- A page with information about the upcoming Baha'i International Peace
   Relay and on the Baha'i Faith's ideas on peace can be found at:
      http://jms09.jeton.or.jp/users/bruce/relay1j.html

-- An Internet based search engine for the Baha'i Writings can be found
   at (see Section II):
      http://sunsite.unc.edu/Bahai/TrueSeeker

-- A new introduction to the Baha'i Faith, including a Web version of
   "The Baha'i Faith -- Basic Facts", an introductory pamphlet is available
    at (see Section I):
      http://www.ibmpcug.co.uk/~jherbert/bahai/bahahome.html

-- A new collection of the daily readings, Reciting the Verses of God:
   Spiritual Virtues and Practices editted by  Dwight Allen and Shahin
   Vafai has been made available on the Web at (see Section II):
      http://www.infi.net/~brianf/verses/titlep.html

-- The location of the home page for the Baha'i community of Danville, CA
   has moved to (see Section VI):
      http://www.ccnet.com/~nep/bahai/danville/

-- The maintainer of the home page of the Baha'i community of Danville, CA
   is providing space for other Baha'i communities to set up their own home
   pages.  For information see (Section VI):
      http://www.ccnet.com/~nep/bahai/services/



I. Introductory Material
------------------------

An introduction to the Baha'i Faith, appropriately titled "Baha'i Faith
Introduction" is a part of the monthly postings in the USENET newgroup
soc.religion.bahai.  It can also be obtained from:
  ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/soc.religion.bahai/Baha_i_Faith_Introduction

The Baha'i entry in the "Virtual Library" can be found at:
  http://www.biologie.uni-freiburg.de/~amueller/religion/bahaifaith.html

The magazine _The Baha'is_, by the Baha'i International Community, presents
both an overview and brief history of the Baha'i Faith.
An electronic version can be found at:
  http://oneworld.wa.com/bahai/magazine/cover.html

The pamplet _The Baha'i Faith -- Basic Facts provides a short (9 page) overview
of the Baha'i Faith.  At:
  http://www.ibmpcug.co.uk/~jherbert/bahai/basic1.html

Glen Little's Baha'i page contains a list of Baha'i resources that is
organized differently than this one.  It can be found at:
  http://www.bcca.org/glittle/

A number of individuals have set up WWW introductions to the Baha'i Faith.
Some of these are:
  http://www.usask.ca/~maton/bahai.html
  http://oneworld.wa.com/bahai/
  http://sunsite.unc.edu/Bahai
  http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/con/com/fac/bahai.html
  http://www.biologie.uni-freiburg.de/~amueller/bahai/ (German)
  http://www.infi.net/~brianf/baha'i.html
  http://aloha.net/hol/home/lizhm/bahaiyou.htm
  http://www.juxta.com/juxta/docs/bahai.html
  http://www.ibmpcug.co.uk/~jherbert/bahai/bahahome.html

A paper entitled "Baha'i Pilgrimage to Israel" by G.M. Viswanathan reviews
the concept of pilgrimage in the Baha'i Faith and briefly introduces the
holy sites visited on a Baha'i pilgrimage.  As well it contains some
beautiful pictures of the Baha'i Holy Places taken by Ron and Liz Hahn-Morin.
It is available at:
  http://sunsite.unc.edu:80/Bahai/Pilgrimage/pilgrimage.html

Finally, an annotated bibliography of books about the Baha'i Faith is
posted monthly in soc.religion.bahai.  It is also available at:
  ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/soc.religion.bahai/Baha_i_Faith_Annotated_Bibliography



II. Sacred Scripture and Other Texts
------------------------------------

The Baha'i World Centre has a large set of the Baha'i Writings in a plain
text format.  Within the limits of the copyright notice
(ftp://ftp.bwc.org/bahai/README.COPYRIGHT), these files are available
to everyone.  They are available at:
  ftp://ftp.bwc.org/bahai

This collection is mirrored at:
  ftp://oneworld.wa.com/pub/bwc

A subset of this collection has been converted to "HTML" format.  It is
available at:
  http://www.cs.cornell.edu/Info/People/kalantar/Writings/Bahai_INDEX.html

Other formated versions of the Baha'i Writings include:
  _The Hidden Words_ at: http://www.bcca.org/glittle/docs/hidden.htm
  _Baha'i Prayers_ at: http://www.bcca.org/glittle/pb/prayers.html

The True Seeker home page allows you to do key word searches of the Baha'i
Writings.  You can either search all texts or a specific subset.  Found at:
  http://sunsite.unc.edu/Bahai/TrueSeeker

Compilations of the Baha'i Writings developed by Bill Huitt on character
development, perseverance, courage, patience, and confidence can be found at:
  http://www.valdosta.peachnet.edu/~whuitt/religion/bahai.html

A new collection of the daily readings, Reciting the Verses of God: Spiritual
Virtues and Practices editted by Dwight Allen and Shahin Vafai will soon be
published by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of India.  It has
been made available on the Web at:
  http://www.infi.net/~brianf/verses/titlep.html

Other available texts are:

   _The Vision of Race Unity_ a statement by the National Spiritual Assembly
   of the Baha'is of the United States.  Available at:
     http://oneworld.wa.com/bahai/tvru.html
     http://sunsite.unc.edu/Bahai/Texts/The-Vision-Of-Race-Unity.html

A page of Resources of Baha'i Librarians can be found at:
   http://www.uwm.edu/People/mrowe/bahailib.html



III. Baha'i Related Images
--------------------------

The magazine _The Baha'is_ (see Sections 1 and 6) contains a number of pictures.
Available at:
  http://oneworld.wa.com/bahai/magazine/cover.html

The paper _Baha'i Pilgrimage to Israel_ (see Section 1) contains some beautiful
pictures of the Baha'i Holy Places taken by Ron and Liz Hahn-Morin.  It is
available at:
  http://sunsite.unc.edu:80/Bahai/Pilgrimage/pilgrimage.html

Several Baha'i related GIFs can be found at:
  http://aloha.net/hol/home/lizhm/bahaiyou.htm

Some pictures taken by Laurence Lundblade of Baha'i Holy Sites in `Akka
are at:
  http://www.bcca.org/akka


IV. Regular Net Events
----------------------

  IRC Firesides
  -------------

  "In just over 100 years, the Baha'i Faith [Founded by Baha'u'llah (1817 -
  1892)] has grown from an obscure movement in the Middle East to the
  second-most widespread of the independent world religions. Embracing
  people from more than 2,100 ethnic, racial and tribal groups, it is quite
  likely the most diverse organized body of people on the planet. Its unity
  challenges prevailing theories about human nature and the prospects for
  our common future.
      The main theme of Baha'u'llah's message is unity. He taught that
  there is only one God, that all the world's religions represent one
  changeless and eternal Faith of God, and that all humanity is one race,
  destined to live in peace and harmony."
      --- Excerpted from _The Baha'is_, a publication of the Baha'i
              International Community.

  Who: Anyone interested in the Baha'i Faith.

  What: A fireside is a Baha'i term for when Baha'is invite their friends
        into their homes to ask questions and learn more about the Baha'i
        Faith. We try to follow this definition as well as we can on IRC.

  Where: On Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channel '#bahai'.

  When: Every Monday at 8:30pm EST (equivalently, 5:30pm PST, 6:30pm
        MST, 7:30pm CST, 9:30pm AST, and 1:30am Tuesday GMT/UTC).

  For more information please contact the Baha'i IRC Fireside coordinator
  Justin I. Nevill at:  [e-mail]
  An up-to-date schedule can be obtained at:
    http://www.cybernetics.net/users/jinevill/bircfa.txt



V. Newsgroups/Mailing Lists
---------------------------

SOC.RELIGION.BAHAI   usenet newsgroup on the Baha'i Faith
  A non-threatening forum for discussing and sharing information about
  the tenets, history, and texts of the Baha'i Faith.  Examples of posts
  that fall within the group's scope are:

    * The Baha'i Faith's relation to other religions
    * Relevance of Baha'i principles to current world events/problems
    * Analysis of particular scriptural passages or themes
    * General Q & A

  For more information see the monthly posting "Welcome to soc.religion.bahai"
  available at:
    ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/soc.religion.bahai/Welcome_to_soc.religion.bahai

  An archive of all past postings to the newsgroup is now available on the
  soc.religion.bahai homepage at:
    http://www.bcca.org/srb

BAHAI-FAITH         Baha'i Faith Mailing list
  [e-mail] is a mirror of the newsgroup soc.religion.bahai
  for those unable to read the newsgroup directly.  Send subscription (and
  unsubscription) requests to:  "[e-mail]"
  Note that it is preferable to read the newsgroup directly; Bahai-Faith is
  provided for those without direct access to newsgroups.

NOBLE-CREATION      Baha'i Development Forum Mailing list
  The Development Forum ([e-mail]) focuses on social and
  economic development issues, ideas and projects.  It is open to all and
  especially oriented for professionals working in the field.  Send subscription
  (and unsubscription) requests to: "[e-mail]".  The
  name, "noble-creation" was chosen to set the tone of the discussion, where
  the basic noble and spiritual nature of humanity will be recognized.

BAHAI-READINGS      Daily readings from the Baha'i Writings
  Subscribers to this mailing list receive a "quote of the day" roughly once
  a day.  Send subscription (or unsubscription) requests to:
  "[e-mail]"



VI. Baha'i Organizations
------------------------


  Baha'i World Centre
  -------------------

  The Baha'i World Centre is the international spiritual and administrative
  center of the Baha'i Community.  Located at Haifa, Israel, it is comprised
  of Holy Places in the Haifa-`Akka area and of administrative institutions
  located on Mount Carmel.

  Baha'i Writings FTP site
    The Baha'i World Centre maintains a large collection of Baha'i Writings
    in a plain text format.  Within the limits of the copyright notice
    (ftp://ftp.bwc.org/bahai/README.COPYRIGHT), these files are available
    to everyone.  They are available at: ftp://ftp.bwc.org/bahai and are
    mirrored at: ftp://oneworld.wa.com/pub/bwc


  Baha'i International Community
  ------------------------------

  The Baha'i International Community is an international non-governmental
  organization that represents and encompasses the worldwide Baha'i community.

  _The Baha'is_
    An overview and history of the Baha'i Faith.  Available at:
      http://oneworld.wa.com/bahai/magazine/cover.html

  _The Prosperity of Humankind_
    A statement of the Baha'i International Community.  Available at:
      http://sunsite.unc.edu/Bahai/Texts/The-Prosperity-Of-Humankind.html


  Local Baha'i Communities
  ------------------------

  _Space for Baha'i Community Home Pages_
    The maintainer of the home page of the Baha'i community of Danville, CA
    is providing space for other Baha'i communities to set up their own home
    pages. For information see:
      http://www.ccnet.com/~nep/bahai/services/

  _Baha'i Community of Danville, California_
    Information about the Danville, California Baha'i community.
    Includes community service projects, classes, religious observances, and
    bookstores. Available at:
      http://www.ccnet.com/~nep/bahai/danville/


  University Baha'i Clubs
  -----------------------

  _Association for Baha'i Studies at McGill University_
      http://www.facl.mcgill.ca/VUB/clubs/bahais

  _Baha'i Club at University of Virginia_
      http://poe.acc.Virginia.EDU:80/~jll9w/

  _Baha'i Club at Yale University_
    A site to "complement" material elsewhere; specifically (though not
    exclusively) devoted to the themes "Youth Can Move the World" and "the
    persecution of the Baha'is of Iran".  Available at:
      http://www.cis.yale.edu/~sobhani

  Baha'i Schools
  --------------

  _Maxwell Baha'i School_
    Contains information about the school and examples of some of the
    work of the students. Available at:
      http://www.islandnet.com/~ianvink/maxwell.html



VII.  Anonymous "FTP" and "FTPMAIL"
-----------------------------------

Resources listed above at addreses that start with "ftp://" may be available
to you via a program called "FTP", an acronym for "File Transfer Protocol."
FTP allows you to transfer files between your computer (called the "local"
host) and another one on the Internet (called the "remote" host).  If you
don't have access to FTP, you may be able to obtain files using "FTPMAIL".
See below for information about FTPMAIL.

  FTP
  ---
  In general you execute the "ftp" command to connect to the remote host of
  interest.  The remote host's file system is a hierarchy (a tree structure).
  It can be "navigated" to find the files you are interested in.  Once they
  have been located the files you are interested in, you can retrieve them
  (transfer them to your computer).  The following is an example on a UNIX
  based computer.  Your local ftp program may behave differently.  If what
  is here doesn't work, check with a computer "system administrator".)
  Comments are enclosed in square brackets.  The "%" is the prompt on my
  computer.

  A whole document of additional information about FTP can be found at:
    ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/ftp-list/faq

  To obtain it, I need to identify the remote machine.  It is immediately
  following the "ftp://" part of the location.  In this case, it is
  "rtfm.mit.edu"

  So I would go:
      % ftp rtfm.mit.edu    [I type "ftp rtfm.mit.edu"]
      Connected to rtfm.mit.edu. [this is the response]
      Name (leo:kalantar): [I would type "anonymous" here]
      Password: [I would type in my email address here]

      ftp> cd pub
        [cd stands for "change directory".  A directory is a collection of
         files and/or other directories.  The "pub" part is the first part
         of the address after the machine.]
      ftp> cd usenet/news.answers/ftp-list
        [Here I change several directories at once.  They are separated by "/".
         Notice that I am following the order of the directories in the
         "address".  I can go up to the previous directory by going "cd .."]
      ftp> dir
        ["dir" lists the files in the "current" directory.  "ls" produces a
         less detailed list]
      ftp> get faq
        ["get" retrieves the file (transfers it to my computer)
         If the file is "compressed" it may have a ".Z", ".gz", or ".zip"
         on the end of the filename (like faq.Z).  Executing "get faq" retrieves
         an uncompressed version.  Executing "get faq.Z" retrieves the
         compressed version.  (In this case, since the file is NOT a text file;
         you would have to tell ftp so before executing the get command.  You
         do this by using the "binary" command, as below]
      ftp> binary
      200 Type set to I.
         [just showing how to use the binary command; the second line is the
          response you may see; it may not be the same.]
      ftp> quit
      % [the file "faq" is now on my own computer]

  NOTE:  In this case, the address pointed to a specific document.  In many
  cases it will only point to a directory.  You must look at the directory
  (using "dir" or "ls") to find out what is there and what you might be
  interested in retrieving.


  FTPMAIL
  -------

  FTPMAIL is a way of using email to retrieve documents.  You put FTP commands
  into a piece of email.  The results (the files) are then emailed back to you.
  You must send your mail to a "FTPMAIL server".  Some are:

       [e-mail]         [e-mail]
       [e-mail]     [e-mail]
       bitftp@dearn                  [e-mail] (Europe only)
       [e-mail]    [e-mail]
       [e-mail]          bitftp@plearn (Europe)
       [e-mail]          [e-mail]
       [e-mail]  [e-mail]

  You can get help from any of them by sending a piece of mail with just the
  word "help" in the body of the message.

  Example #1 [gets a list of the images available at
  ----------  ftp://oneworld.wa.com/pub/graphics]

To:[e-mail]
Subject:
------------
reply [e-mail]  <----- [put your email address here...]
connect oneworld.wa.com anonymous [e-mail] <----[ tells
           which machine to connect to and the login name and password]
cd /pub/graphics   <----[ tells it to change directories to /pub/graphics]
ls                    <---- [gets a listing of that directory ]
quit                  <---- [quits the script]


  Example #2 [gets a list of the root directory of the FTP server at the
  ----------  Baha'i World Centre (ftp://ftp.bwc.org)]

To: [e-mail]
subject:
-----------------
reply [e-mail]  <--- [put your OWN email address here]
connect ftp.bwc.org  anonymous   [e-mail] [use your own email
                                                          address here]
ls
quit

  Example #3 [gets the FTP faq described above]
  ----------

To: [e-mail]
subject:
-----------------
reply [e-mail]  <--- [put your OWN email address here]
connect rtfm.mit.edu  anonymous   [e-mail] [use your own email
                                                          address here]
cd pub/usenet/news.answers/ftp-list
get faq
quit