Agama Baha'i Yang Kontroversial

Agama Baha’i menjadi topik yang paling banyak dicari akhir-akhir ini. Ini terjadi setelah Menteri Agama RI, Lukman H. Sarifuddin melontarkannya dalam kicauannya di akun Twitternya. Kicauan beliau itu menanggapi permintaan Menteri Dalam Negeri, yang meminta kejelasan status dari agama Baha’i di Indonesia. Terkait hal itu, kami telah membahasnya di sini: Apakah agama Baha’i itu?

Dalam kesempatan kali ini, akan kami paparkan gambaran ajaran dan ritual-ritual ibadah yang dilakukan oleh agama Baha’i. Berikut ini beberapa ajaran/ritual agama Baha’i sebagaimana kami rangkumkan dari berbaai sumber:
1.    Kaum Baha’i melakukan puasa selama 19 hari sebelum merayakan Hari Raya Naurus yang jatuh setiap 21 Maret. Puasa dipandang sebagai periode persiapan spiritual dan regenerasi untuk tahun baru di depan. Dalam kalender Barat, periode ini terjadi antara tanggal 2 dan 21 Maret.
2.    Bahaullah merekomendasikan bahwa umat Baha’i harus bermeditasi setiap hari, berpikir tentang apa yang mereka lakukan pada siang hari dan pada apa tindakan mereka yang layak. Baha’i percaya, bahwa melalui meditasi pintu pengetahuan yang lebih dalam dan inspirasi dapat dibuka, tetapi mereka menghindari takhayul dalam meditasi.
3.    Baha’i tidak menerima syariat zakat, yang menurut penilaian mereka sebagai perbuatan boros. Karenanya, dalam setiap acara kegiatan sosial, kendurian misalnya, mereka memilih mengundang sedikit orang, dengan alasan tidak melakukan pemborosan.
4.    Dalam Baha’i ada ketentuan sembahyang wajib. Bahá’u’lláh membuat doa sehari-hari pribadi kewajiban agama bagi semua Baha’i dari usia 15 ke atas. Setiap hari, salah satu dari tiga sembahyang wajib harus dikatakan:Doa pendek dibacakan sekali setiap 24 jam antara siang dan matahari terbenam;
Doa menengah diucapkan tiga kali sehari, di pagi hari, pada siang hari dan di malam hari;
Doa panjang yang harus dibacakan sekali dalam setiap 24 jam setiap saat – idealnya ketika dalam keadaan kagum dan hormat.
5.    Wudhu harus dilakukan sebelum sembahyang wajib. Doa dilakukan di tempat yang bersih, dan menghadap ke arah kuil Bahaullah. Hanya mereka yang sakit atau tua (lebih dari 70) dibebaskan dan mereka mungkin malah membacakan ayat tertentu dari kitab suci mereka 95 kali selama periode 24-jam
6.    Dalam sembahyangnya, Baha’i berkiblat ke Gunung Karmel atau Karamel di Israel.
7.    Baha’i tidak mengenal adanya sembayang wajib yang harus dilakukan secara berjamaah. Pengecualiannya adalah sembayang wajib yang dilakukan secara berjamaah untuk jenazah. Jadi, hanya jenazah saja yang wajib disembahyangkan secara berjamaah.
8.    Iman Baha’i tidak memiliki pendeta atau sakramen, dan hampir tidak ada ritual. Hanya ada tiga ritual Baha’i:- Doa harian wajib
– Membaca doa untuk orang mati di pemakaman
– Ritus pernikahan sederhana
9.    Ada dua alasan Baha’i menghindari ritual:- Ritual mudah berubah dan menjadi tidak berarti, sehingga orang membawa mereka keluar demi ritual dan melupakan tujuan spiritual di belakang mereka.- Ritual dapat menjadi bentuk imperialism budaya, memaksakan ritual yang sama pada budaya yang berbeda dan menghancurkan keragaman mereka.
10. Hari-hari Suci Baha’i:Hari raya Sembilan belas
Naw-Ruz
Deklarasi dari Bab
Hari Raya Ridwan
Lahirnya Bab
Hari Lahir Bahaullah
Kenaikan Bab
Wafatnya Bahaullah
11. Tahun Baha’i terdiri dari 19 bulan yang masing-masing 19 hari (361 hari), dengan penambahan “hari-hari kabisat” antara bulan kedelapan belas dan kesembilan belas untuk menyesuaikan kalender dengan tahun matahari. Bulan yang bernama setelah sifat-sifat Allah.

Demikkian beberapa ajaran/ritual agama Bahai yang berhasil kami kumpulkan dari beberapa sumber.


(Sumber: news.okezone.com, agamaminorr.wordpress.com, chrispoerba.wordpress.com)


3 Easy Ways To Lose Weight Fast


While the best weight loss plans include an overall diet and fitness regime that you maintain over a long period of time, the truth is, most people want to learn how to lose weight fast. If you have an upcoming special event or vacation, and want to lose weight fast, the key is to find a diet that suits your body type and lifestyle.
Contrary to the belief that drastically reducing your caloric intake (by dramatically minimizing how much you eat) will help you lose weight fast, this is not only incredibly unhealthy and potentially dangerous, it’s actually counter-productive. When you severely limit your daily caloric intake, it can actually force your body to go into ‘survival mode’. This means your body thinks it’s going to starve, so instead of burning fat, it ends up holding on to it longer.
Instead of eating just celery all day long, considering trying a diet that not only helps you lose weight fast, it is also easy and enjoyable to live with. With that said, featured here are three popular diets that help you lose weight fast.


the south beach diet
When people think of South Beach (Miami), they often envision a population of svelte, in-shape people walking around in bikinis all day long. While this is not completely accurate, there is truth to it. Developed by renowned cardiologist, Dr. Arthur Agatston, The South Beach Diet is founded on the premise of understanding the glycemic index values of foods, while presenting a weight-loss program that includes meal plans and recipes.
Touted for being a “foolproof plan for fast and healthy weight loss”, The South Beach Diet first started as a New York Times Bestselling book (which quickly gained popularity due to its effectiveness), and has since expanded into a product line filled with tasty snack bars and smoothies.
The diet has various phases, and restricts certain types of foods (such as sugar, alcohol, bread, rice, etc.). The diet focuses primarily on lean protein sources (like grilled chicken, eggs, nuts) and lots of low-carb vegetables. “The South Beach Diet teaches you to rely on the right carbs and the right fats… and enables you to live quite happily without the bad carbs and bad fats. As a result you’re going to get healthy and lose weight – somewhere between 8 and 13 pounds in the next 2 weeks alone.”
the alkaline diet
Have you ever had a case of heart burn after eating certain foods? While your first reaction might be to pop some antacids, you might consider eating a handful of almonds instead. (This works for me everytime!) The reason has to do with the higher alkaline level contained within almonds.

Foods are divided into two primary categories, relative to their pH-levels: Alkaline vs. Acidic. That’s where the foundation of The Alkaline Diet came into play. The book Honestly Healthy (written by nutritionist Vicki Edgson and vegetarian chef Natasha Corrett) discusses the benefits of consuming a diet that is mostly made up of alkaline foods (vegetables predominantly) and avoiding foods that create acidity in your body (such as red meat, dairy, and bread). They claim that this type of diet will not only help you lose weight fast, but it will also result in better skin, improved digestion, and a stronger immune system.
The Alkaline Diet requires you to eat a recommended 80:20 alkaline-acid diet. This diet asks you to mostly consumer foods such as asparagus, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, spinach, grapefruit, lemon, papaya, apples, pears, herbal teas, almonds, wild rice, quinoa, etc. The foods that you have to avoid on this diet are beef, white rice, beer, soft drinks, homogenized milk, chocolate, and coffee. Not only will your overall system be functioning better both short-term and long-term, this is a relatively easy diet to incorporate into your life (to lose weight fast), that doesn’t require drastic changes.
a juice cleanse
Juice cleansing has become a recent diet trend that is not only being endorsed by countless celebrities and supermodels (such as Naomi Campbell), but has quickly become part of our mainstream culture as well. A number of different juice cleanse companies have been popping up on the market. Some juice cleanse lines (such as the BluePrint Cleanse) can be found at your local Whole Foods supermarket, while others can only be ordered online.
The idea behind a juice cleanse is to ‘reset’ your body. A juice cleanse (which is primarily a blended mix of raw fruits and vegetables) is designed to help your body eliminate toxins while getting the vital nutrients it needs to operate efficiently. Not only do juice cleanses claim to help you lose weight fast, you’ll also gain renewed energy and vitality, it also leaves you with clear glowing skin. Juice cleanses are not meant to be a long-term diet. Rather, they are meant to be a short-term (1-21 days) program.

 Source :
http://inspirationsandcelebrations.net/2014/01/lose-weight-fast.html
Top 10 Natural Strategies for Lowering Cholesterol


1. Regular Exercise - With regular exercise you can help your body to reduce stress, lose weight, increase metabolism, burn more calories, and more. Steady and regular exercise has been found to help lower cholesterol and reduce triglyceride levels. With regular exercise you can lower your body mass index and achieve a healthy weight. This helps you to reduce your risk for heart disease and diabetes.

2. Cut Out Trans Fats - Trans fats are found mostly in fried foods, pastries, cookies, and other similar foods. Avoiding these types of foods limits your calories, fat intake, and helps lower your cholesterol. The American Heart Association`s Nutrition Committee recommends limiting trans fat to one percent of your daily calorie intake.

3. Remove Stress From Your Life - Stress and anxiety cause chemicals to be released into your body, raise your blood pressure, and reduce blood flow to your heart. Avoid stressful situations and use techniques such as breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, and other similar techniques. This helps your body to deal with stress and minimize the effects on your body.

4. Lose Weight - Being Overweight changes your metabolism and the way your body deals with fat and cholesterol. Losing weight in a slow and steady manner improves your health and lowers your cholesterol. Natural dieting results in consistent weight loss and reduces your risk of diabetes and high blood pressure.

5. Emphasize Healthy Social Relationships - Focus on stress-free, fun and relaxing family and friendship activities. These should fit with a healthy lifestyle and steer away from unhealthy and stressful social behaviors including arguments, drinking, inactivity, and overeating.

6. Get a Pet - Many studies including have shown that caring for a pet reduces stress. A 10 year study performed at the Stroke Research Center at the University of Minnesota found that owning a pet lowers blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, helps with depression, and reduces risks of dying from a heart attack or other diseases.

7. Avoid Red Meat, Eggs, & Whole Milk - Red meats, whole milk, and egg yolks are concentrated cholesterol foods. They should be avoided and replaced with some of the healthier foods that are low in cholesterol. Some examples can be found below.

8. Omega-3 Fatty Acids - Stock up on foods containing Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids raise HDL and lower LDL cholesterol levels. Some good sources include salmon and herring fish, walnuts and almonds, dried cloves, and flaxseed oil. Many of these foods also contain antioxidants and vitamins.

9. Try Oat Bran & Brown Rice Bran - Both oat bran and brown rice bran contain high levels of soluble fiber. Soluble Fiber binds fats and absorbs cholesterol.

10. Blueberries, Garlic, & Apples - These three foods are tasty and can be easily combined with many other foods in home-made recipes. Garlic and Blueberries lower blood pressure and cholesterol. The fiber pectin in apples decrease the amount of cholesterol produced in the liver. Using these ingredients in your meals can make a healthy impact on your cholesterol.



Sources:
From NaturalNews.com