In the very first Star Wars movie, released in 1977, Princess Leia, being held captive by Grand Moff Tarkin, tells him:
That certainly seems to be true of individuals in the real world and the oppressive religions trying to control them. I myself am an example of this. And here is another. And now I find two more examples:
http://www.theatlantic.com/notes/all/2016/03/choosing-your-religion/475164/#note-477660
As one who has been highly critical of the Baha’i Faith (and most other religions) for many years, I am usually more than happy to share my words with others for the sake of enlightenment and seeking the truth. So I was dismayed to discover today that a statement falsely attributed to me is being spread around by other critics of the Baha’i Faith.
http://bahaism.blogspot.com/2016/03/bahai-women-are-conditioned-to-flirt.html
http://bahaiculture.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/the-13th-principle-of-bahai-faith.html
https://thebahaiinsider.com/2016/04/02/the-13th-bahai-principle/
The statement is:
“I got sick of seeing how women are conditioned to flirt with any possible potential convert around. For the Baha’i administration, most worthy of women values are their bodies – which are conditioned to attract new followers to Baha’i faith”.
Usually when I quote statements by others and they have been publicly made, I include a link leading back to the original statement so others can see that the object of my blog entry has been referred to accurately. As an Honorable Skeptic, I expect everyone to do no less. In each case above, this was not done.
Nowhere on my blog did I make the above statement and I do not remember making it anywhere else. Indeed, when I was a Baha’i, I do not recall seeing any women or girls flirting with potential converts to the Baha’i Faith.
Therefore, I am calling upon my fellow critics of the Baha’i Faith to retract the statement. If I did not make it, it is unethical to say that I did. We need to be better than our bigoted and dogmatic opponents, or we have no business opposing them.
This blog has been a forum for a lot of negativity over the years, but not tonight. Tonight, I want to share my adoration for a couple who I consider to have the ideal marriage, and express their love for each other and the world with the most incredible music: Pamela and Randy Copus of the new age group 2002, now including their daughter Sarah!
The award-winning, progressive new age band 2002 has placed 11 albums on the Billboard Charts and made the list of top new age artists in a Billboard Magazine “Year in Review” issue alongside Yanni, Mannheim Steamroller, Jim Brickman, George Winston and Enya. Over their 22 year career, their ever-evolving sound has encompassed a wide range of genres – from wistful ambient soundscapes all the way to light progressive rock. This daring blend of musical styles has given them an undeniable “signature sound” that sets them apart from other recording artists.
Entering the music scene in 1992, their first album Wings was a lush, ambient tapestry garnering massive sales and critical acclaim. Sound Mind Magazine lamented that the “only regret is that our grading system goes no higher than 5.” 2002’s album, Land of Forever (1998) spent 54 weeks on the Billboard new age chart and an additional 39 weeks on the Billboard catalog chart. It was also nominated for an INDIE award by the AFIM. River of Stars (2000) spent 74 weeks on the Billboard new age chart. Billboard Magazine compared it favorably to Vangelis, James Horner and Enya, remarking, “What a way to begin the new millennium!” This Moment Now (2003) won the COVR Award for Best New Age Album of the Year. Trail of Dreams (2014) won “Best Vocal Album” from Zone Music Reporter. 2002 won “Best New Age Music Artist 2014” from BT Fasmer’s The New Age Music Guide.
Founding members, multi-instrumentalists Pamela and Randy Copus met in high school in the theater department. Their musical paths diverged throughout college as both explored a wide variety of musical styles, instruments, and bands – everything from jazz to industrial rock. Coming back together after college, they ultimately left their respective bands to form the progressive new age band they dubbed “2002”. The zeros in the middle were originally an infinity sign and the “twos” on either side represented them on either side of infinity. However, since it was not the easiest name to type on a computer keyboard, or to pronounce, they became known as “Two Thousand Two.”
On their most recent albums, 2002 has been steadily increasing their use of vocals and percussion, infusing elements from pop, folk and progressive rock into their ambient/neo-classical roots. Also during that time, Sarah Copus, daughter of Pamela and Randy, has been taking on an ever-increasing role in the group. With the release of Trail of Dreams, Sarah, just 10 years old at the time, is one of the harpists and the primary lead vocalist in the band. Her soaring, angelic voice is featured prominently on Trail of Dreams, with many of the harmonies and vocal arrangements having been created by her. The synergy that Sarah brings to 2002’s signature sound has created something entirely new, by a band that believes in following the musical adventure wherever it leads, ever onward.
Check out their blog here:
http://2002music.wordpress.com/
Here is their official Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/2002music/
Here are the Facebook profiles of the parents as individuals:
https://www.facebook.com/randy.copus
https://www.facebook.com/pamela.copus
Here they are on Twitter:
Explore and enjoy! It is because of wonderful people like these that I still have some faith in humanity.
This blog entry is a direct sequel to this earlier one: A Lost History of the Baha’i Faith
The book was put up for sale on Amazon.com, and just as I and Eric Stetson expected, Haifan Baha’is took notice of it and proceeded to attack it, even without bothering to read its contents.
on July 13, 2015This is NOT a good history of the Baha’i Faith. It is a very biased history. This would be comparable of the history of the message of Jesus Christ written by Judas Iscariot or by Caiaphas, the Jewish priest who organized His death sentence.
If you REALLY want a good and well authenticated history of the Baha’i Faith, you should try “Baha’u’llah & the New Era” by John Esslemont, a British citizen, or “God Passes By” by Shoghi Effendi, the grandson of the founder, who was educated
at Oxford with a particular interest in history.
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