[To try out formatting, source editing, wording, etc., and keeps some samples ot the same ... ]
...
Example of sfn citation with URL link in it -- method per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Sfn#Adding_a_URL_for_the_page_or_location --
Bahá’í scriptures aver manmade notions have been root causes of the sectarian divisions and violence,[α] dogmas and superstitious beliefs,[4] and meaningless rituals that have until now plagued most religions.
Test of image caption that is CENTERED & with note having a ref citation (to work, wikitext must specify at least "image1" & "caption1"). Without using the "multiple image" wikitext, seems no way to CENTER the caption text when note is added to it -- as shown in 3rd image example below. 1st wikitext below is taking out all parameters that leave it working; 2nd is leaving those parameters in while they don't affect outcome:
Test of block layout of images, and formating & header+footer captions:
Junior youth programs feature common elements to empower participants, indicated in these website descriptions of a few geographically diverse examples in Estonia; Lucknow, India; and the Triangle Region, NC (USA).
==> Below is example of ref. with 2 url links -- one for chapter & one for book:
> Ref. test4: The Guardian re importance of emphasizing that Bábí and Bahá'í form one complete religious entity,[j] and the reason...
> Ref. test4a: NOTE--in the preceding efn, since it quotes 2 paragraphs from the Guardian, I previously used " // " to indicate the 2nd para., (which traditionally, as in the Bible or othr archaic text, used a pilcrow [¶] at the beginning of the new para.) but found Wikitext will actually start a new indented line using these parameters — a single <br /> or <br> tag & a {spaces|N|} tag combined together as a proper {br>spaces|5} placed just before the 2nd paragraph [for "proper" systax, see preceding efn]. See the ff for more details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Line-break_handling#%3Cbr_/%3E_or_%3Cbr%3E re "Line-break handling" & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Spaces for "Spaces".
> Ref. test5: 2nd sfn here is sfnref linking with Aqdas ¶ cited:[25][24]
> Ref. test5a: To target an HTML link to a specific page in a PDF file, add #page=[page number] to the end of the link's URL, as in this example: ...facilitate the discovery and implementation of practical measures that can provide solutions for every social problem facing the planet's peoples.[26]
> Sample of reason for template removal: "Removed "Third-party|section|date=February 2021" template message from "Bahá'í response" section after resolving issue by adding numerous citations from verifiable & neutral sources to that section. Also added more neutral citations elsewhere in article."
> Ref. test5b: Per Template:Citation, the parameter access-date is ONLY used IF publication date unknown; it is NOT needed for published researh, books, or news articles with dates -- it is used to indicate when a link was last found working to support article text.
> Ref. test6: Soon after declaring his spiritual mission to Mullá Husayn,[k] the Báb sent him to Tehran to deliver a special tablet[l] to one whom God would guide him to. After learning about Baháʼu'lláh through an acquaintance, Mullá Husayn felt compelled to arrange for Baháʼu'lláh to receive the tablet—this news brought great joy to the Báb when Mullá Husayn wrote him about it.[28] Bahá’u’lláh received the tablet when he was 27, he immediately acknowledged the truth of the Báb’s message and arose to share it with others.
> Ref. test7: samples of citing page(s) from a chapter & author in Stockman's book as 'sfn':[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43]. *Note for a hyphenated surname, alphabetize using the 1st-part of the surname treating it as one word without a hyphen:[44][45] & [46] **Note that with this Todd Smith citation, since his last name is like Peter Smith's for work in the same year, then some disambigulation must be done to identifiy the different sources so the citation code works--this is done by adding a letter to the date[47]--see these articles for more on this: Template:Sfn & Category:Harv and Sfn template errors. As of 2022 the Baháʼí World Centre estimates "about eight million" Bahá'ís reside in "well over 100,000 localities" worldwide.[17][18] ***Note re how to cite Stockman as a chapter author in book he is also editor for!! I thought problem was citation doesn't see ref. source the way it's setup, but it was actually that I didn't realize I had a 2nd instance of Stockman's book in the reference sources; when I removed it this worked as it should, no need disambigulation of the year which I kept trying and it didn't work for just this first one reference & citation!! But after adding 2nd Stockman reference from book then disambigulation was needed, and works as usual!![48][17]
> Ref. test7a: Sample of an inline citation in a note using the 'harvnb' (all info outside brackets) or 'harvtxt' (only author outside brackets) template (note: use of this template without 'ref' parameters is deprecated as of Sept. 5, 2020:[m]
> Ref. test8: Use of the 'authors' parameter. Per xxx, "authors: Free-form list of author names; use of this parameter is discouraged because it does not contribute to a citation's metadata; not an alias of last."[51]
> Ref. test9: Citation form for Britannica article:[52] & another similar: ... persecution there.[53] & for the Báb[54]
> Ref. test11: Example of citation which has multiple authors:[56][57]
> Ref. test12: Info Matt asked be put i/o A.Marshall's ftnt#28 in the Baháʼí literature article; I created this note for it:[n] -- but couldn't use it as article is too messed up, so to do this in timely manner need to just make it text with couple of citations, so this will be it (using existing lousey ref-formats): Considering the great scope and volume of Baháʼu'lláh's writings which Bahá'ís possess, it is interesting Baháʼu'lláh's amanuensis Mírzá Áqá Ján reported that on numerous occasions (especially while in Baghdad) Baháʼu'lláh expressly ordered that hundreds of thousands of his recorded verses be "obliterated and cast into the river"[61] as Baháʼu'lláh felt people at that time were not yet ready for them.[60] (Preceding ref. looks fine, but the ref. I had to actually use for this pg. was a lousey one per existing style on the 'Bahá'í literature' page because it was too much trouble to fix all kinds of stuff to use a good ref. format!)
> Ref. test14c: Example of an 'sfnRef' note with that allows assigning any shortened name to a reference, as in the following: ‘For anyone working as a homemaker it is worth nothing Bahá’ís consider homemaking a “highly honorable and responsible work of fundamental importance to society.”’[68]
> Ref. test16: Bahá’ís believe Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant is the distinguishing feature of his Faith that preserves its unity and protects it from breaking into sects,[71][72][73][q] as happened in older world religions after the passing of their founders. To this day the Bahá’í Faith remains undivided.[76]
> Ref. test17: Nested refs examples... A subnote may appear in the same list as the footnote in which it is nested, although the subnote will appear above the main note referring to it. A worikaround so the doubly nested subnote within the footnote will display correctly is to use the parameter efn-lg (lg=lower greek) and get the nested item to display in a "subnote" area under notes using the notelist-lg parameter -- as I've now setup on this page under "Notes". Here is an example showing this: [r]
> Ref. test18: Reference citing from "The Bahá’ís" magazine: Bahá’í Houses of Worship[s]
> Ref. test19: More nested refs examples... Bahá’ís hold that several factors particularly inspire and prepare those who desire to contribute to the great goal of positive societal transformation, these include: Comprehending life’s purposes;[81] understanding how religion should benefit humanity;[82] developing a service ethic;[83][84] and engaging with like-minded souls[85][86] to implement consensus-based actions to improve individual lives and the commonweal.[87][88][89]
In Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings God is seen as having created human souls as noble entities capable of both knowing their Creator exists and being able to reflect Its[t] virtues.[92] Humans are understood to pass through this material plane of existence for two fundamental purposes. The first is so each soul develops its God-given potential qualities in preparation for the next stage of its existence in eternal spiritual realms hereafter[93]—Bahá’ís believe such development occurs in this life through experiences and interactions with others which challenge a person to grow spiritually.[94][95][u] The second purpose relates to every person’s responsibility, as a member of the human race, to collectively participate in carrying forward “an ever-advancing civilization”[96][97] in harmony with God’s will.[98]
In considering life’s purposes the topic of religion commonly arises. No scholarly consensus exists regarding what constitutes a religion; and personal notions of what it encompasses vary widely by culture, and differ considerably amongst individuals based on their own traditions, sectarian beliefs, or religious upbringing or lack thereof.[99] Yet, whatever an individual understands religion to be, Bahá’ís hold that understanding it in relation to the Bahá’í Faith requires thinking “differently about religion”—for its scope encompasses much more than what is normally understood by the term.[100] In the scriptures, theology, and personal ethics of the Bahá’í Faith teachings exist on subjects such as social ethics, race issues, feminist matters, economics, global government and legal affairs. “Indeed it could be said that there are few areas of human life, at the individual, social or global levels, about which the Bahá’í Faith does not have something to say.”[101] Generally, Bahá’í teachings in these topics are not specific policies or detailed rules, but spiritual principles intended as guides for followers to use in related situations.[101] Bahá’í writings also speak to numerous facets of religion’s purpose, its relationship to individuals and society, and “its role in personal spiritual development and in the creation of justice, peace, unity, and order among people”.[102][103]
Bahá’ís view pure religion[104][v] as loving guidance from the Creator to assist every aspect of a person’s life, and believe teachings of any manifestation of God are always in tune with exigencies of the period for which they were revealed.[108][109] For Bahá’ís religious ‘faith’ is specifically comprised of two inseparable components: “conscious knowledge” of the spiritual foundations of what one believes (in contrast to ‘blindly imitating’ ancestors or religious leaders), and then living those beliefs through “the practice of good deeds”[110]—“Let deeds, not words, be your adorning”, Bahá’u'lláh urges.[111] Bahá’u’lláh further states no person’s faith can be conditioned by anyone else,[110] and that religious beliefs must be the fruit of personal investigation of spiritual realities related to awareness of God’s existence.[112][113] He also teaches the importance of recognizing the most recent manifestation sent by God to this world,[114] and finding ways to meaningfully live by his teachings while on earth.[115]
Bahá’ís consider ʻAbdu'l-Bahá the perfect exemplar of one whose life fully integrated serving God and serving humanity.[7]
^Baháʼu'lláh (/bəˈhɑːʊˌlɑː/, Arabic: بَهاءُالله) means "Glory of God". The apostrophe-like mark after "Bahá" is for the Arabic letter hamza which represents the glottal stop (pronounced like a catch in the throat, as in the first part of the English phrase "uh-oh"). The apostrophe before "lláh" indicates the first vowel of "Alláh" was omitted to form a contraction. Common transliterations of the name, with or without diacritical marks, include Baha'u'llah, Bahaullah, and Baháʼ Alláh.
^As an aristocrat, the title Mírzá signifed Bahá'u'lláh was the son of a nobleman.
^Through her descendant Jesse, the father of King David.[10]
^The World Religion Database estimated as of 2010 there were 7.3 million Bahá’ís globally, stating: “The Baha’i Faith is the only religion to have grown faster in every United Nations region over the past 100 years than the general population; Baháʼí…was thus the fasting-growing religion between 1910 and 2010, growing at least twice as fast as the population of almost every UN region.”[16] In 2020 the Baháʼí World Centre estimated "about eight million" Baháʼís reside in "well over 100,000 localities" worldwide.[17][18]
^Outside Iran the Baháʼí Faith has become one of the world's fasting growing religions—according to estimates of the World Religion Database, as of 2010 there were 7.3 million Baháʼís globally, and “The Baháʼí Faith is the only religion to have grown faster in every United Nations region over the past 100 years than the general population; Baháʼí…was thus the fasting-growing religion between 1910 and 2010, growing at least twice as fast as the population of almost every UN region.”[16] In 2020 the Baháʼí World Centre estimated "about eight million" Baháʼís reside in "well over 100,000 localities" worldwide.[17][18]
^“Shoghi Effendi feels that the unity of the Baháʼí Revelation as one complete whole embracing the Faith of the Báb should be emphasized... The Faith of the Báb should not be divorced from that of Baháʼu'lláh. Though the teachings of the Bayan have been abrogated and superseded by the laws of the Aqdas, yet due to the fact that the Báb considered Himself as the Forerunner of Baháʼu'lláh, we would regard His Dispensation together with that of Baháʼu'lláh as forming one entity, the former being introductory to the advent of the latter. “The Báb states that His laws are provisional and depend upon the acceptance of the future Manifestation. This is why in the Book of Aqdas Baháʼu'lláh sanctions some of the laws found in the Bayan, modifies others and sets aside many.”[24]
^A Muslim cleric who was the first person to believe in the Báb.[27]
^Since the establishment of Baháʼu'lláh's Covenant, a few individuals have rejected the appointment and authority of the head of the Baháʼí Faith, and sought to promote their own leadership; all have failed.[49] Some describe those involved in such attempts (known as covenant-breakers by Baháʼís) as “sects” of the Baháʼí Faith. However, a distinguished legal scholar explains they cannot be correctly described as Bahá’í “sects” or “schisms” since none have ever successfully established a genuine “rival community”. Udo Schaefer points out, “One cannot speak of a ‘schism’ when a division is of merely ephemeral significance since it did not result in the formation of a rival community. (Just as one does not speak of an ecclesiastical schism every time an individual member of a church performs an action constituting the ecclesiastical offence of ‘schism’.)”[50] For further consideration of these and related points, see Heller (2022, pp. 414–421).
^Considering the great scope and volume of Baháʼu'lláh's writings which Bahá'ís possess, it is interesting Baháʼu'lláh's amanuensis Mírzá Áqá Ján reported that on numerous occasions—especially after his return from Kurdistan—Baháʼu'lláh expressly ordered that hundreds of thousands of his recorded verses be "obliterated and cast into the river"[58][59] as Baháʼu'lláh felt people at that time were not yet ready for them.[60]
^Conversely, Bahá’í writings warn that if a group claims to be from God but teaches anything that causes “dislike, hatred and division, it were better to be without it, and to withdraw from such a religion would be a truly religious act. For it is clear that the purpose of a remedy is to cure; but if the remedy should only aggravate the complaint it had better be left alone. Any religion which is not a cause of love and unity is no religion. All the holy prophets were as doctors to the soul; they gave prescriptions for the healing of mankind; thus any remedy that causes disease does not come from the great and supreme Physician.”[65]
^“When considering the manner in which masculine pronouns are used to refer to God, it is important to bear in mind that when Bahá’u’lláh was revealing His Scriptures He had to use language and forms of expression which could be understood by those whom He was addressing. This is the case with every Prophet; He is compelled to use old forms through which He will raise humanity to a new level of understanding. In Arabic and Persian, as in English and most European languages, it has been customary to refer to God as “Lord” and “Father”, rather than “Lady” and “Mother”. While using the conventional wording, Bahá’u’lláh devoted vast numbers of Tablets [letters] to conveying the truth that God is not only neither male nor female, but also is far above all human understanding. If one studies deeply the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh that portray both the transcendence and immanence of God it becomes clear that the entire subject of sex in this context is essentially irrelevant…”.[69][70]
^Since the establishment of Baháʼu'lláh's Covenant, a few individuals have rejected the appointment and authority of the head of the Baháʼí Faith, and sought to promote their own leadership; all have failed.[49] Some describe those involved in such attempts (known as covenant-breakers by Baháʼís) as “sects” of the Baháʼí Faith. However, a distinguished legal scholar explains they cannot be correctly described as Bahá’í “sects” or “schisms” since none have ever successfully established a genuine “rival community”. Udo Schaefer points out, “One cannot speak of a ‘schism’ when a division is of merely ephemeral significance since it did not result in the formation of a rival community. (Just as one does not speak of an ecclesiastical schism every time an individual member of a church performs an action constituting the ecclesiastical offence of ‘schism’.)”[50] Another academic suggests that characterizing such groups as ‘splinters’ of the Bahá'í Faith “is in a sense incorrect” as they “are not developing their own distinctive beliefs and practices”[74]—and because they have “no independent life” and exist only to attack and oppose the main Baha’i community, “it would perhaps be more accurate to call” any such group “an anti-religion.”[75] For further consideration of these and related points, see Heller (2022, pp. 414–421).
^In the context of providing charity, or otherwise sacrificing for those in need, Bahá’u'lláh indicates the altruistic essence of spiritual unity when he declares, “Blessed is he who preferreth his brother[β] before himself.”[78][79]
^Sites for future Bahá’í Houses of Worship already exist in more than 130 countries.[80]
^“When considering the manner in which masculine pronouns are used to refer to God, it is important to bear in mind that when Bahá’u’lláh was revealing His Scriptures He had to use language and forms of expression which could be understood by those whom He was addressing. This is the case with every Prophet; He is compelled to use old forms through which He will raise humanity to a new level of understanding. In Arabic and Persian, as in English and most European languages, it has been customary to refer to God as “Lord” and “Father”, rather than “Lady” and “Mother”. While using the conventional wording, Bahá’u’lláh devoted vast numbers of Tablets [letters] to conveying the truth that God is not only neither male nor female, but also is far above all human understanding. If one studies deeply the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh that portray both the transcendence and immanence of God it becomes clear that the entire subject of sex in this context is essentially irrelevant…”.[90][91]
^Meaning the unadulterated teachings revealed by the divine founders of major religions—wholly uncorrupted by misunderstandings or misinterpretations added to them by their respective clergy over time. Bahá’í scriptures aver such human notions have been the root causes of the sectarian divisions and violence, superstitious beliefs, and meaningless rituals that have until now plagued most religions.[105][106][107]
^Mullá Husayn was met at the gate of Shiraz by the Báb, they knew each other from having met previously in Karbilá.[117]
Subnotes
^Over 135 years ago, Bahá’u'lláh warned that religious “fanaticism and hatred are a world-devouring fire, whose violence none can quench.”[1] Bahá’ís believe fanaticism's “pernicious influence can be found at the root” of far too many “conflicts and other ills undermining peace in the world, including the problem of terrorism.” They also see fanaticism as a “a perversion of religion” that is completely contrary to God's purpose in sending manifestations to “promote unity among all the peoples of the world, and to outlaw war and violence in human affairs.”[2][3]
^While this verse mentions a male, Bahá’ís understand it also applies to a female—this is always the case with Bahá’u'lláh's writings, they apply mutatis mutandis “unless the context makes this impossible.”[77]
Saiedi, Nader (2008). Gate of the Heart: Understanding the Writings of the Báb. Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. ISBN978-1-55458-035-4.
Saiedi, Nader (2000). Logos and Civilization: Spirit, History and Order in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh. Bethesda, MD: University Press of Maryland. ISBN1-88305-363-3.
Sharon, Moshe (13 January 2011). "Jewish Conversion to the Bahā˒ī faith". Chair in Baha'i Studies Publications. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
Smith, Peter (1987). The Bábí & Baháʼí Religions: From Messianic Shí'ism to a World Religion. Cambridge: The University Press. ISBN0-521-30128-9.
ʻAbbás Effendi, known as ʻAbdu'l-Bahá