Wilmette Institute: Recent Episodes
Wilmette Institute
The Wilmette Institute was founded in 1995 to provide basic and advanced courses on the Bahá’í Faith. In 1998, the Wilmette Institute moved to a largely online study approach in order to provide educational classes to a broader student body. It now offers more than 50 unique courses on the web to an average of 30 students per course.
Join us for a series of dynamic presentations by authors whose work takes us through the history of the Qiblih, encounters with Bahá’u’lláh and the Holy Family, and the life of a Hand of the Cause. Participants are invited to learn about these fascinating histories, and to reflect deeply on their significance and applicability to our present-day lives and the goals of the Nine Year Plan.
Historian Michael V. Day takes us through the last years of Bahá’u’lláh’s life—in ‘Akká, Mazra‘ih, and Bahjí— highlighting pivotal moments and texts associated with the establishment of His shrine. Drawing upon a wide range of sources, including eyewitness accounts, Michael paints vivid pictures of the daily life of the Manifestation and of those in His orbit, of His final days and illness, of His ascension and funeral, and of the period of mourning that followed. (Moderator: Bahhaj Taherzadeh)
Join us for a series of dynamic presentations by authors whose work takes us through the history of the Qiblih, encounters with Bahá’u’lláh and the Holy Family, and the life of a Hand of the Cause. Participants are invited to learn about these fascinating histories, and to reflect deeply on their significance and applicability to our present-day lives and the goals of the Nine Year Plan.
Speakers Joel Nizin, Gary Hogenson, and Kathryn Jewett Hogenson discuss Roy Wilhelm’s life story; a rich and varied one that takes the reader from the coffee farms of Costa Rica to Wall Street to the picturesque environs of the properties that remain associated with his life and the Faith he held so dearly. Shouldering massive responsibility for the well-being and functioning of the early American Bahá’í community throughout the years of the first World War and the Great Depression, Wilhelm played a pivotal role in thxae establishment of the Administrative Order of the Faith. (Moderator: Chris Martin)
The second panel in this 2-part webinar series focuses on different issues within the domains of natural and social sciences. It is based on the articles by the participants, including “How Can We All Get Along?—A Bahá’í Perspective on Globalization” by Harold Rosen, “Plato, Modern Physics, and Bahá’u’lláh” by Vahid Ranjbar and “Iterative Theology: Progressive Revelation as the String Theory of Religious Studies” by Andres Elvira Espinoza. The Host for both panels is Mikhail Sergeev.
“In the history of the Bahá’í Faith, Russia played a remarkable role.
In 1852, the Russian government, the only one in the world, petitioned for the release of Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Faith, when he was imprisoned on false charges, and offered him asylum.
In the 1880s, a Russian court recognized for the first time in history the independent character of the Bahá’í Faith and championed the rights of its followers.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Russian scholars and writers contributed with their writings to the spread of knowledge of the new religion not only in Russia but also in the West.
At the same time, one of the first and most famous Bahá’í communities outside Persia emerged and successfully developed in Turkestan, then part of the Russian Empire, and the world’s first House of Worship was built in Ashgabat.
The importance of these historical facts makes it possible to place Russia on a par with those lands that, in many respects, determined the destiny of the new religion – with Iran, its homeland, with North America, the cradle of its Administrative Order, and with the Holy Land (Israel), where the ashes of its founders rest and its supreme body, the Universal House of Justice, is situated.”
Source: Nancy Ackerman, Graham Hassal, “The Bahá’í Faith in Russia: A Historical Essay.”
Our guest speaker will be faculty member of the Wilmette Institute, Mikhail Sergeev.
The first panel in this 2-part webinar series is devoted to Bahá’í approaches to various aspects of globalization as discussed in the articles “Globalization — The Tangible Expression of Humanity’s Journey Towards Unity” by Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing; “Building a Just and Sustainable Global Food System: Some Guiding Principles” by Paul Hanley; and “Globalization Requires a Bahá’í Foundation” by Hooshmand Badee. The Host for both panels is Mikhail Sergeev.
This powerpoint presentation starts from the Declaration of Baháu’lláh in the Garden of Ridvan. The Order issued by the Ottoman government for the banishment of Baháu’lláh from Baghdad to Constantinople, the Capital of The Ottoman Empire, was communicated to Baháu’lláh by Ali Pasha, the Prime Minister of the Ottoman Sultan. In courteous language, the letter invited Baháu’lláh to proceed to Constantinople as the guest of the Ottoman government. Thus, the time for the departure of Baháu’lláh from The Garden of Ridvan had come. The departure of Baháu’lláh from the garden of Ridvan was on May 3, 1863. The journey of Baháu’lláh from Baghdad to Constantinople started from Firayjat, three miles away on the bank of the Tigris.
Our guest speaker Jena Khadem Khodadad is a fourth generation Iranian Bahá’í. Her book “Scientific Principles at Work in the Worldwide Advancement of Bahá’í Faith” (George Ronald, Publishers) explores scientific principles in respect to the growth of the Bahá’í Faith and the dynamism and vitality of the Bahá’í community. Jena continues to contribute to public discourse and dialogues on some of the challenges of our times. Furthermore, Jena is committed to enhancement of interfaith understanding and has organized, presented, and contributed to numerous interfaith forums.
This webinar situates the girl child (and her rights) within the global gender equality issue area and, more broadly, that of human rights. It treats the key factors that hem in girls’ progress across the world, limiting their life chances–among them, early marriage, domestic and sexual abuse, trafficking, and access to education. It weighs progress to address the tall challenges, even as it celebrates the achievements in light of UN conventions and Sustainable Goals. Given the Bahá’í auspices of the Series, the webinar brings to bear the Faith’s teachings on the equality of women and men and strong emphasis on the education of girls. Participants leave with the tools to analyze the daily challenges girls face in many parts of our world and with a heightened sense of how urgent safeguarding their well-being is to forging a more equal, just, and unified world. The call to action involves our individual and collective moral duty to assist in this enterprise, as we approach the eleventh year of the International Day of the Girl. Our guest speaker for this webinar is Dr. Trevor McMorris Tate, a Bahá’í, whose current research focuses on global governance, international norms, and the girl child.
The appointment of Shoghi Effendi as Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith in the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá came as a surprise to most Bahá’ís, including Shoghi Effendi himself. The general expectation was that after the ascension of Abdu’l-Bahá, the Universal House of Justice, whichAbdu’l-Bahá had referred to in a number of tablets and talks, would be elected to lead the community. At the time, however, it would have been impossible to elect the Universal House of Justice in accordance with instructions given in `Abdu’l-Bahá’s will. Consequently, both the community and Shoghi Effendi had to adapt to a period of leadership by the Guardian alone.
The early Guardianship can be seen as a transitional period in which Shoghi Effendi only gradually unveiled and utilized his full authority, which was almost immediately challenged by Covenant-breakers and tested by outside opponents of the Faith. In the early months of his ministry, Shoghi Effendi took a number of measures to assess the size and condition of Bahá’í communities around the world and to manage the affairs of the Bahá’í World Centre. He also identified the three areas of activity that would become the focus of his ministry: establishing the Bahá’í Administrative Order; developing the properties of the Bahá’í World Centre; and spreading the Faith around the world. He began or encouraged initiatives in each of these areas in the first few months of his ministry. This presentation will examine the evolution of the Guardianship until the late 1930s, by which time his guidance to and leadership of the Bahá’í community had solidified a foundation on which he could begin teaching plans that would eventually spread the Faith around the world and create the conditions for the election of the Universal House of Justice.
Contributor
Richard Hollinger
Richard Hollinger was born in California, where he became a Bahá’í in the 1970s. He holds M.A. degrees in Middle Eastern History from UCLA and in Public History/Historic Preservation from California State College at Dominguez Hills, and has recently retired from a career as an archivist. He has conducted research and published on American and Middle Eastern Bahá’í History, and wrote the chapter on Shoghi Effendi for the recently-published "World of the Bahá’í Faith."
Bahá’íyyih Khánum, known as the Greatest Holy Leaf, is a unique figure in the annals of the Bahá’í Faith. Her lifelong heroic services to Bahá’u’lláh’s Cause pinnacled after Abdu’l-Bahá’s ascension. The vital role she played at that crucial juncture ensured the smooth running of the affairs of the worldwide Bahá’í community until Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Cause of God, appointed by the Centre of Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant arrived in Haifa a month afterAbdu’l-Bahá’s passing. She was the staunchest supporter and confidant of Shoghi Effendi, ever ready, despite advanced age, to accomplish the formidable tasks she was required to undertake. This webinar is about her services during the crucial first decade of the second Age of the Bahá’í Era.
A unique and revolutionary spiritual principle stated in the Bahá’í Writings for the purpose of redistribution of income and wealth is the law of Huqúqu’lláh. The traditional way of redistribution of income and wealth which is practiced even today is the material means, mainly through all kinds of taxes and subsidies and different kinds of national insurances. The redistribution of income and wealth through the Law of Huqúqu’lláh includes both material and spiritual aspects and the effect is astonishing.
The law allows Bahá’ís to learn and apply moral virtues as the basis of true redistribution of income and wealth. This presentation is about some of the astounding economic significance of the Law of Huqúqu’lláh that is contributing to the well-being of the generality of the population, as well as to potential economic growth and reducing the gap between the rich and the poor.
Mona Khademi will discuss Laura Clifford Dreyfus-Barney’s accounts of Shoghi Effendi. Laura Barney first encountered Shoghi Effendi in the early 1900s when he was five or six years of age and then throughout his teenage years and early adulthood, including in Paris in 1920. Laura Barney also met and corresponded with Shoghi Effendi after the passing of his beloved grandfather, Abdu’l-Baha, when he was appointed as the Guardian of the Faith, until his passing in 1957. She visited the Holy Land at least nine times, each time staying from a few days to several months. Laura Barney had watched Shoghi Effendi move through the different stages of life, and she always had special admiration for him.
The admiration of Shoghi Effendi for Laura Barney whom he addressed as ‘Laura Khanom,’ was mutual. The speaker will discuss Shoghi Effendi’s appreciation for Laura Barney for all her accomplishments, especially her greatest achievement, the compilation Some Answered Questions. When Shoghi Effendi recorded the names of those persons who had been instrumental in the West for the rise of the Faith, he called Laura Barney’s work imperishable service because her book, entitled “Some Answered Questions,” gave Abdu’l-Baha’s priceless explanations covering a wide variety of subjects.
After the passing of Shoghi Effendi, Laura Barney stayed in touch with his wife. He had married Mary Maxwell, the daughter of Laura’s spiritual mother May Bolles Maxwell, in 1937. She was given the title of Amatu’l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum by Shoghi Effendi. Laura Barney continued her correspondence with Ruhiyyih Khanum until the end of her life in 1974.
You can purchase The Life of Laura Barney by Mona Khademi online at the Bahá’í Bookstore. https://www.bahaibookstore.com/Life-of-Laura-Barney-P10477.aspx
Three Bahá’ís who do research on psychology will explore the nature of human identity and the development of the individual, especially early in life.
MICHAEL PENN “What Might it Mean for a Human Life to Matter? Some Reflections on the Psychological Lives of Young People” This contribution to the discourse on identity and development seeks to engage emerging bodies of research in philosophy and psychology on the phenomenon of existential mattering (EM). At the heart of this inquiry is the question: What might it mean for a human life to matter and how might one come to believe that they matter? While previous empirical studies of mattering have tended to focus on the role of interpersonal relationships in the development and maintenance of the sense that one’s life matters, the current project, which will be described briefly during this session, seeks to identify a variety of additional factors that might both contribute to, and also corrode, the felt or phenomenological sense, that one’s life matters.
RHETT DIESSNER “The Inner Beauty of Human Being” This presentation focuses on ontology — the philosophy of being — and thus the fundamental nature of the human being. However, it will concentrate on one aspect of human being and that is the beauty of the human soul.
JENNI MENON MARIANO “Purpose in Life During Youth” Jenni will share from her own research journey about what she’s learned about purpose among youth (what is it, what do they say about it when asked to define it, how does it develop).
Can we talk about an incipient field of Bahá’í education? This webinar will expand on the chapter on Education from the collective volume “The World of the Bahá’í Faith” (2022) edited by Robert Stockman.
The first part will highlight different current expectations about what should fall under the topic of “Bahá’í education”.
The second part will explore the three types of curricula mentioned in the article (FUNDAEC, Anisa Model, BIHE) and their theoretical sources.
The third part will propose that elements of a Bahá’í field of education can be discerned, however inchoately, but that serious effort must be undertaken for these to be drawn together and configured into a field of study. A general tendency for amnesia about previous contributions must make way for a wider and more inclusive process of gathering and ordering such contributions in a way that is mindful of their historical context and their significant achievements.
Finally, if time allows, the importance of universities as key elements of a global architecture of knowledge, and the essential role of such global architectures of knowledge in the 21st century, might also receive some treatment.
Webinar Resource Education in Pedagogy and Practice – chapter in “THE WORLD OF THE BAHÁ’Í FAITH” (ROUTLEDGE 2022) https://www.academia.edu/61077875/Education_in_Pedagogy_and_Practice_chapter_in_THE_WORLD_OF_THE_BAHA_I_FAITH_ROUTLEDGE_2022_
Contributors Filip Boicu Filip Boicu holds a PhD in education from the University of Nottingham and is a reviewer for the International Journal of Educational Development. He works in the field of higher education and is concerned with how digitalization, financialization, the Sustainable Development Goals, and curriculum building can be re-directed to respond to issues of world order. He is also currently exploring notions of a conceptual framework for Bahá’í education.
This webinar will help advance our understanding of the harmony between science and religion. Four panel members from the Wilmette Institute course on Science, Religion, and the Bahá’í Faith will speak on how insights from the Bahá’í Writings together with insights from the sciences–physics, cosmology, evolutionary theory and the social sciences–relate to the need for spiritual development and help contribute to discourses on various topics or issues facing humanity. The panelists will address the importance of diversity, learning about learning, social values, the scientific method, and consultation within the realm of science. They will conclude that studying topics from both scientific and religious perspectives contributes to more effective discourse, better decision-making, and social justice.
The discussion facilitators will be Charlotte Wenninger and Andres Elvira, both currently serving as teaching assistants for the Science, Religion, and the Bahá’í Faith course. Learn more: https://wilmetteinstitute.org/science-religion-and-bahai-faith-a-panel-discussion/
Robert Sarracino’s Slide Show: Physics, Cosmology, and the World of the Spirit: The Unity of Reality
Stephen Friberg’s Slide Show: Scientific Method, Diversity, and Baha’i Consultation
“Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.”
-Bahá’u’lláh This webinar covers how to concretely apply spiritual principles of social and environmental justice to personal banking and investing (asset management) choices. Attendees will be introduced to the concepts of ‘ESG’ (environmental, social and governance metrics) as they apply to finance and the economy and the ways by which personal banking deposits and asset management investments are leveraged for social and environmental harm and good. Spiritual texts such as those from the Bahá’í Faith will be used. There will also be a practical discussion of available resources to support aligning one’s own banking and investing with faith-based principles of justice.
Check out Marilyn Waite’s article on sustainable banking on BahaiTeachings. https://bahaiteachings.org/how-community-banking-brings-prosperity-to-everyone/
Contributors: Marilyn Waite Emily Chew Jenna Nicholas
The oneness of humanity is a biological fact, affirmed by more than a century of study in the natural sciences; it is an existential truth upon which all claims to human rights ultimately rest, and it is a feature of social reality that the integrative forces of history will no longer permit us to avoid. As an ontological truth, the oneness of humanity is embodied in those universal moral and intellectual capacities that define the nature and needs of the human spirit. In these remarks, which provide an overview of the themes that animate his most recent book, Our Common Humanity: Reflections on the Reclamation of the Human Spirit (2021), Professor Penn provides a rational Bahá’í-inspired account of what might be meant by the human spirit and links the development and refinement of the human spirit to the realization of that which is most noble in each of us.
Contributor Michael L. Penn
This webinar, based largely on the recently published book Struggling to Learn: An Intimate History of School Desegregation in South Carolina (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2022) and on related research, will explore the classic civil rights era and its legacy. That era was a heroic period of social resistance that accomplished much but nonetheless left much work still not done. This presentation will summarize several key reforms brought about by the civil rights era as described in the book and then compare these steps forward with the more complete Bahá’í vision of true social reform, as described during that era and as conceptualized at the present.
You can order a copy of this book online at the University of South Carolina Press. It is also available on Kindle from Amazon. For more books by this author, visit June Thomas’s website. https://junemanningthomas.com/
Symposium on Local Bahá’í History This symposium about local Bahá’í history will highlight the study of the Nashville and Lansing Bahá’í communities and will explore ways to collect oral history. Dr. Robert Stockman, Wilmette Institute Director, will serve as host and moderator. Each 20-minute presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.
The Nashville Bahá’í Community: A Legacy of Unity Panelist: Joyce Jackson
Slide Show: The Nashville Bahá’í Community: A Legacy of Unity (PDF)
We’ll take a brief look at the Bahá’í community of Nashville Tennessee, focusing on its formative years and its legacy of race unity.
Moments in Bahá’í History of Lansing, MI Panelist: Burton Smith
Slide Show: Moments in History of Bahá’í Faith in Lansing, Michigan (PDF)
This presentation will cover the moments of Bahá’í History found through Archival documents, letters, and photos in Archives and Newspapers. Some personal accounts are included.
The Oklahoma Bahá’í Oral History Project Panelist: Mark Vaccaro
Slide Show: The Oklahoma Bahá’í Oral History Project (PDF)
The Oklahoma Bahá’í Oral History Project began in 2004 as a collaborative initiative of Mark Vaccaro and Alex Resnick. Its purpose is to record on video the stories of service of Bahá’ís who currently live in Oklahoma or who previously lived in Oklahoma. This presentation explores the origins of the project and the techniques that were developed to interview the Bahá’ís, record the videos, edit them and present them in an acceptable format to the National Bahá’í Archives for the benefit of future Bahá’í historians. The focus of the presentation is not on the actual history of the Bahá’í Faith in Oklahoma. Rather it is on how we do what we do so that others will see how relatively easy it is to do the same thing to document the growth and development of the Faith in their own communities.
The Sacred Feminine at the Heart of the Bahá’í Faith: An Indigenous Feminine Perspective This presentation is dedicated to the Holy Maiden, who appeared before Bahá’u’lláh as detailed in the Bahá’í publication entitled, I Beheld a Maiden by Terry Culhane. The premise of this publication is that the Sacred Feminine or Feminine Divine is at the heart of the Bahá’í Faith.
This multimedia presentation augmented with visual art images will be an introduction to the Feminine Divine of Native America including Earth Mother as Corn Mother Selu, Tonantzin as Eagle Woman, the Aztec Virgin Mother named Guadalupe and others within the context of an Indigenous world view where Mother Nature and Creator are the same.
Contributors Nadema Agard Winyan Luta
Ptehíŋčala Ska Wiŋ (White Buffalo Calf Woman) Divine Messenger to the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (People of the Seven Council Fires) Kevin Locke will explore the life of Ptehíŋčala Ska Wiŋ, a Divine Messenger to the heart of North America, and Her relationship to the people to whom She appeared.
Kevin Locke, MEd Storyteller, Cultural Ambassador, Performing Artist
I have had a lifelong drive to explore and create. In 1972 Richard Fool Bull the foremost exemplar and practitioner of the Indigenous North American flute urged me to take up and perpetuate this unique and precious heritage that has evolved and developed here in this continent from time immemorial. It was through him and many other elders that I caught a glimpse of the dreams, hopes and visions that have propelled our ancestors. Those elders have departed but their spirit lives through the traditions they have passed on to us and comes alive when we actively engage younger generations in their perpetuation. We can realize the fulfillment of those dreams on their behalf. When I first started with the flute I wanted to develop a repertoire. Fortunately when I started in the mid 1970’s many of the older generation had a great knowledge of the unique vocal genre from which the flute melodies are derived and I was able to obtain a vast reservoir of this special genre. The current popularized “Native American flute” was invented in 1980 for commercial purposes in that it uses the well-known “melodic” or minor pentatonic scale and lends itself to improvisation. I differentiate that from the original Indigenous North American flute, which is much more versatile and has a wider range of notes and is perfectly adapted to play not only chromatic, diatonic and pentatonic scales but its note progression is able to capture the authentic Indigenous North American musical esthetic.
Navigating the Urgent Transition Toward Sustainability The Wilmette Institute, in collaboration with the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) Sustainability 360 Program, is pleased to present this free Spring 2022 lecture for students of GTU and, UC Berkeley, as well as the Wilmette Institute.
The science says that the affluent are the most responsible for the existential challenges of climate change, the biodiversity crisis and pollution threats and that we must turn the corner in this decade before these crises lead to catastrophe. Governments have already, in the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement and other texts, mapped out a plan forward. The failure is in implementation due to the power of vested interests, corruption, materialist ideologies and the lack of political will faced with the necessary material sacrifices. Only a just transition motivated by ethical and spiritual values at the grass roots can lay the foundations for a more meaningful and sustainable social order offering a positive way forward through the turmoil of the inevitably difficult transition.
Responding to Injustice with Constructive Agency The Wilmette Institute, in collaboration with the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) is pleased to present two free Spring 2022 lectures for students of GTU and UC Berkley, as well as the Wilmette Institute.
Intro to book chapter: “The past century has given rise to a searching global conversation regarding nonviolent approaches to social change. Bahá’ís are increasingly contributing to this conversation in ways that draw on an accumulating body of experience. In this regard, the Bahá’í community comprises a growing movement of people across the planet, representing a microcosm of humanity, working to translate commonly held spiritual principles into a new social reality through an evolving framework of action. This chapter examines salient elements of this framework in relation to insights from the theory and practice of nonviolent social change. It begins by considering how Bahá’ís understand the root causes of oppression. The dual problems of complacency and contentiousness in the face of oppression are then discussed, followed by an examination of the constructive and resilient means by which Bahá’ís work for social transformation and justice. The chapter concludes by examining those means through the lens of movement building.”
From “Responding to Injustice with Constructive Agency” by Michael Karlberg and Derik Smith, published in The World of the Bahá’í Faith, Robert Stockman (ed.) London: Routledge, 2022.
Symposium: Studies in Bahá’í Epistemology Contributors: Jean-Marc Lepain Jack McLean Peter Terry
In Modern times and, more specifically, since the appearance in 1781 of Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason, epistemological issues acquired a special significance in philosophical studies. With the rise of Biblical criticism, Christian scriptural philosophy had lost its momentum, and nineteenth and twentieth-century thinkers focused on sense perception and reason as the two primary sources of human cognition.
A recently conceived and developed religious movement, the Bahá’í faith reintroduces the scriptural mode of thinking into philosophical inquiries. Its scriptural texts are well preserved and authenticated. Many of the writings by the founding figures of the faith explicitly address critical philosophical problems. They also employ the Aristotelian technical vocabulary with occasional addition of neo-Platonic terms.
In the West, epistemological studies from a Bahá’í perspective started in 1978 with the publication of Jack McLean’s essay “The Knowledge of God: An Essay on Bahá’í Epistemology.” Since then, Bahá’í thinkers have addressed different aspects of epistemological research. More specifically, in this program the participants will discuss the independent search for truth, the standards of knowledge, the problems of certainty and relativity, infallibility, and interpretation, as well as mystical experience. All those topics were explored in-depth in the book Studies in Bahá’í Epistemology, which is forthcoming this year in the Boston publishing company M-Graphics.
God Tests the Sincerity of an Emperor: Bahá’u’lláh’s first Tablet to Napoleon III
This webinar will be the first of four webinars for the course: God Summons Europe (Part I). It will include:
The first full English translation of Bahá’u’lláh’s first Tablet to Napoleon III. Line by line reading and analysis of the Tablet including the circumstance of its revelation and its reception by the French Emperor.
Shahrokh Monjazeb, BSc Independent Scholar
I am an independent scholar of the Bahá’í history and sacred scripture. I began my scholarly endeavours in Bahá’í history around 1989, after I completed my undergraduate degree in Applied Physics and Electro-Acoustics with a minor in Religious Studies and Middle Eastern History. Two years later in 1991, I was invited to present at the annual conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies North America on one of Bahá’u’lláh major works. Since then I have been involved with Bahá’í academic research as well as the work of translating into English the writings of the Central Figures of the Bahá’í Faith. I am a published author and lecturer whose writings and presentations focus on Bahá’í Sacred Text and their literary and historical significance in the context of socio-spiritual condition of human society. I have authored more than couple of dozen articles on Bahá’í history and Sacred Text as well as a monograph on Bahá’u’lláh entitled “Bahá’u’lláh: A Brief Survey of His Life & Works”
Ideas, Approaches, and Social Change: Emerging insights from the Bahá’í Community's 75-year engagement with the United Nations
In her talk, Dr. Berger traces the experience of a community whose ideas about social order and the mechanisms of social change are refashioning familiar notions of politics as well as religion. Focusing on the Bahá’í International Community (BIC), an international non-governmental organization (NGO) which represents the worldwide Bahá’í community in global fora—most notably, at the United Nations.
Dr. Berger explores a unique and timely example of an approach to social change that goes beyond the divisive, antagonistic modes that tend to characterize political processes–one that lays the foundations for new patterns of relationships among individuals, communities, and governing institutions—patterns attuned to the needs of an evolving, interdependent global community. The lecture focuses on several elements of a framework that shapes the Bahá’í approach to politics, including a developmental view of history, and the principle of the oneness of humanity, and further, examines the role of the Administrative Order in shaping the BIC’s engagement with the international community.
The lecture outlines an effort, echoed in wider scholarship, to enlarge the moral imagination about the vision, values, structures, and protagonists needed to forge a social order to meet the needs of the age in which we live.
Part 2 The Public Reading of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu'l-Baha: Perspective of some Western believers. This webinar will take the participant back to Haifa on the day in which the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was read publicly one hundred years ago. The webinar will also explore the significance of the last one hundred years of institution-building that has resulted from the implementation of the Master’s Will.
This two-part webinar series will take the participant back to Haifa on two auspicious moments one hundred years ago: the night of the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, and the day in which the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was read publicly.
This webinar will take the participant back to Haifa on the night of the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, one hundred years ago, through the eye-witness accounts of the six Western believers who were present at that time. The webinar will include the story of who these believers were, what brought them to Haifa at that time, and how were their lives were changed by the experience.
Shoghi Effendi is sometimes alluded to as the architect of the Bahá’í administrative order, and most certainly he is worthy of this appellation. Yet, from another perspective he was carrying out the necessary steps to implement the Bahá’í administration as it had been shaped and refined by his beloved grandfather, In this presentation I will briefly explain why, among his other roles and responsibilities, and accomplishments, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is designated as the Center of the Covenant.
SHARE Contributors John S. Hatcher
The “ADJ process” is the vision of Vonita McGee, who understood Shoghi Effendi’s book, The Advent of Divine Justice, to be an instruction manual. This manual delineates a spiritual process and provides practical instructions to aid us in eradicating racial prejudice, “the most vital and challenging issue” with which humanity is still grappling.
Vonita McGee and Jeanais Brodie will provide an overview of the ADJ process, inviting those who wish to learn in-depth to an introductory series offered in three parts. Through the series, like-minded individuals of all backgrounds develop the practice of using the ADJ process in their daily lives. They come together weekly, sharing reflections, questions, and their challenges in a humble learning posture.
“Working Towards Race Unity” website: https://www.adj-wtru.org/
Laura Clifford Dreyfus-Barney, at a very tender age of twenty-one, heard about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, a spiritual leader from the East, visited Him in Palestine, accepted the faith that He was promoting, and followed its teachings for the rest of her life. Many know of her greatest achievement: compiling Some Answered Questions, which is based on the questions that she posed to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and His responses to her.
Laura Dreyfus-Barney visited ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at least seven times, each time staying from a few days up to several months. She had the honor of being in His presence in the West also. She was with Him in Thonon-les-Bains, London, Paris and Washington, D.C. She received many Tablets and letters from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
The talk focuses on developments hastening the implementation of the principle of equality of men and women about two decades after Bahá’u’lláh’s ascension. It also highlights the station of the Greatest Holy Leaf, the uniqueness of the role she played in religious history, and the significance of the Arc, the focal center of her resting place and those of her mother and martyred brother.
For many observers, the prevailing order of modernity appears utterly incapable of creating peace, justice, and well-being for significant segments of humanity. Rather than provide amelioration, our dominant political and economic systems often appear to extend and recapitulate forces of oppression. Arguably, anti-black racism constitutes one of the most virulent forms of oppression that the organizing systems of modernity seem to produce and abet. But what alternatives to liberalism can we imagine?
This webinar is a summary and commentary on the soul of man. It documents a potential way to achieve spiritual growth and transformation. The presenter will reference Bahá’í passages regarding the soul and the capacity of the soul. Beginning with the knowledge of God and His Manifestations, the presentation will then focus on the relationships between God’s Manifestations and Man which is established through the Holy Spirit, The Spirit of Faith and the Soul.
This webinar provides an introduction to the writings and utterances of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (1844–1921), the son and successor of Bahá’u’lláh (1817–1892), the founder of the Bahá’í religion. Following a general discussion of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s sixty years of literary and oratory activity in the form of books, treatises, letters, prayers, poems, and speeches written or delivered in three languages, this chapter categorizes His work chronologically into four periods.
Illumining and Strengthening the Work of Bahá’í Writers Part 5 Baháʼí Publishers Panel Discussion with U.S. Baháʼí Publishing Trust, U.S. Review Office and George Ronald Publisher
PRESENTERS: May Hofman and Erica Leith of George Ronald, Martha Schweitz of U.S. Review Office, and Bahhaj Taherzadeh from U.S. Baháʼí Publishing Trust MODERATOR: Dr. Robert Stockman, Wilmette Institute Director DESCRIPTION: Join us for a moderated discussion between staff of George Ronald, U.S. Review office and the U.S. Baháʼí Publishing Trust. Panelists will discuss the current state of Baháʼí literature, the goals, aims, and editorial approaches of the respective publishers, and answer questions and share insights regarding manuscript evaluation and review. It will be an informal discussion and a unique opportunity for participants to hear from and engage with the two publishers.
Illumining and Strengthening the Work of Bahá’í Writers Part 4
PRESENTERS: Authors Michael Day and Angelina Allen
DESCRIPTION: The history of the Baháʼí Faith is dense and complex. Those wishing to explore aspects of the Faith's history must find the stories they wish to tell, identify the sources at their disposal, and make a multitude of decisions regarding the audience, the context in which to frame their material, and the stylistic choices that will inform their work. Panelists will discuss the processes involved, from the germination of an idea to the research, development, and completion of a project.
Illumining and Strengthening the Work of Bahá’í Writers Part 2 Writing for Junior Youth and Youth
PRESENTERS: Authors Amy Renshaw and Susan Engle
DESCRIPTION: With so much content competing for their attention, how can we engage the minds and hearts of junior youth and youth? What are some useful approaches to creating materials for this age group that inspire action and reflection? How can we educate and inspire while also engaging and entertaining readers? Panelists will share their learnings and the insights they have gained through years of developing material for this age group
Illumining and Strengthening the Work of Bahá’í Writers Part 3
Dr. DeGruy’s research focuses on the intersection of racism, trauma, violence and American chattel slavery. She has over thirty years of practical experience as a professional in the field of social work. She conducts seminars, lectures, and trainings in the areas of Intergenerational/Historical trauma, mental health, social justice, improvement strategies and evidence-based model development. Dr. DeGruy travels across the globe to share her message and has held lectures and seminars almost everywhere. She has presented her work at Morehouse School of Medicine, Smith College, Spelman College, Harvard University, Tulane University, Princeton University, Fisk University, Yale University, M.I.T, the United Nations Educational, Science and Cultural Organization, Oxford University, the New York City African Burial Ground, the Essence Music Festival, the County of LA Department of Mental Health and many others. She has also been featured on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network. In addition to her pioneering work in the explanatory theory and book, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, she has developed evidence-based models for working with children, youth, and adults of color and their communities.
Illumining and Strengthening the Work of Bahá’í Writers Part 1 Creating Engaging Stories and Devotional Content for Young Children and Their Families
PRESENTERS: Authors Elaheh Bos and Linda Ahdieh Grant
DESCRIPTION: How can we craft material that will inspire the youngest members of our communities and nurture devotional habits and meaningful conversations in the home? As young families strive to live lives coherent with the broad framework of the Plans of the Universal House of Justice, and build strong spiritual foundations for their children, the need for vibrant children's literature is stronger than ever. Panelists will discuss their creative processes, the sources from which they draw inspiration, and the methods by which they see their projects through to completion.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a friend, guide and confidant to all humanity. Those who encountered Him recognized a character of matchless virtue, an all-embracing love and altruism, extraordinary spiritual acuity, and super-human knowledge.
In this conversation to mark the centenary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s passing, Robert Stockman talks to writer Rob Weinberg – compiler of the new book, Ambassador to Humanity – about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s character, life and mission as it was described by those who encountered Him.
About the Presenter:
Robert Weinberg Robert Weinberg holds a BA Honors degree in visual art and music from the University of Brighton, and a Master’s in Art History from the University of Buckingham. He has worked for three decades as a radio journalist and producer. He is the author of nine books including major biographies of early British Bahá’ís such as Lady Blomfield and Ethel Rosenberg. He served as Director of the Bahá’í International Community’s Office of Public Information in Haifa, Israel from 2009–13. He is currently Chair of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United Kingdom.
Learn more: https://wilmetteinstitute.org/ambassador-to-humanity-abdul-baha-through-the-eyes-of-others/
Topic Comparative Visions of the Afterlife: Heaven, Hell, and Divine Judgment
Description The concept of an afterlife that there is an immortal future, which might either be a lamentable half-existence or a place that includes physical survival, rewards, and punishments, has been central in Western thought. By understanding different conceptions of what happens to us after we die, we explore how the culture engages in continuous conscious reflection upon ethics, identity, the nature of good and evil, repentance, and forgiveness.
In this presentation, we will explore various visions of the afterlife, starting with Ancient Egypt, India, and Greece. From there, we will move onto classical Christianity and will examine Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant doctrines about life after death. In the final part of the presentation, we will discuss modern religious movements – Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Bahá’í Faith – in light of their reinterpretation of the notions of the apocalypse and posthumous existence.
In the twentieth century, the field of religious studies underwent a profound and striking transformation. Such terms as “comparative approach,” “ecumenical studies,” and “interreligious dialogue” have become commonplace in scholarly research, discussion, and literature on the subject. The twenty-first century has added another innovating concept to these rapidly changing viewpoints – trans-religious experience and theology.
Ecumenism aims at reconciling differences among various branches or denominations of the Christian religion, and interreligious dialogue extends this confessional attitude to other religious traditions. Trans-religious theology, more specifically, directs its focus to the analysis and comparison of the ideas about Ultimate Reality in various religious systems of the world. The founder of the trans-religious theological project is a former professor and chairman of the philosophy department at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Jerry L. Martin. As Dr. Martin notes, trans-religious theology “grows out of philosophizing about the aim of theology.” He explains further:
Often theology is defined as the articulation of the beliefs about the divine reality within one’s tradition. In light of the widespread experience of finding spiritual insight in other traditions as well, that definition seems inappropriately limited. Surely, the aim of theology should be to learn all we can about ultimate reality, regardless of the source of the insights. Even comparative theology, when it is regarded as finally confessional, limited to asking what light other traditions throw on my own, stops short. What is needed is a Theology Without Walls, without confessional boundaries, without blinders, as it were. That does not mean that we do not stand somewhere, but that our sense of our goal is not limited to where we stand at the outset.
Contributors
Jerry L. Martin He became a philosophy professor and served as head of the philosophy department at the University of Colorado at Boulder and of the National Endowment for the Humanities. In addition to scholarly articles on epistemology, the philosophy of mind, and public policy, he wrote reports on education that received national attention and was invited to testify before Congress. Martin's life took a different turn when he had a remarkable religious experience, which is reported in God: An Autobiography. In 2014, he started the Theology Without Walls project, in cooperation with the American Academy of Religion. Those annual discussions led to the landmark publication, Theology Without Walls: The Transreligious Imperative, in which twenty-one theologians from diverse backgrounds and orientations explore the search for spiritual truth beyond the boundaries of creed and scriptural canon.
Mikhail Yu. Sergeev, PhD WI Department Co-Chair (Religion, Theology, and Philosophy)
Mikhail Sergeev was born and raised in Moscow, Russia, where he received his bachelor’s degree in international journalism from Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) in 1982. In 1990 he moved to the United States to pursue his doctoral studies. In 1993 he received his master’s degree in religious studies and in 1997 his doctorate in philosophy of religion from Temple University, Philadelphia. Sergeev works as an adjunct professor of religion and philosophy at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he received The President’s Distinguished Teaching Award (2010). He also co-chairs and serves on the faculty of the Department of Religion, Philosophy, and Theology at the Wilmette Institute as well as on the faculty of Temple University in Philadelphia.
The Great Law of Peace and the Most Holy Book - Dr. Lee Brown
Summary: This talk is a comparative study of the Great Law of Peace articulated by the Peacemaker and founder of the Iroquois Confederacy and Kitab-i- Aqdas promulgated by Baha'u'llah. Bio: Dr. Lee Brown is the former Director of the Institute of Aboriginal Health in the College of Health Disciplines at the University of British Columbia. He was also the Director of the Indigenous Doctoral Program in the Department of Educational Studies at UBC. Lee’s Doctoral Thesis is entitled: Making the Classroom a Healthy Place: The Develop of Affective Competency in Aboriginal Pedagogy. He is the Co-author of The Sacred Tree, an educational curriculum based in the Aboriginal values and epistemology of the Medicine Wheel. Lee has contributed to the Round Lake Native Healing Centre in Vernon, BC during the last Forty years in a number of capacities including clinical supervisor, counselor and currently as a cultural resource to the centre.
Interfaith Devotional And Climate Conversation Workshop 11.29.2021
More information: https://wilmetteinstitute.org/climate-conversation-series/
The Bahá’í-inspired Interfaith Climate Group hosts a series of writing and conversation workshops to facilitate participation in the discourses of society on the social and environmental challenges of our time. Participants:
*Reflect on spiritual teachings from the world’s religions
*Consider unity of thought and possible actions for the United Nations’ Global Goals
*Learn about a faith-based community-wide climate conversation to action program.
The Interfaith Devotional supports a pilot Florida Climate “Conversation to Action” program with the University of Florida Extension and We, the World.
Jan Jasion, 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the Other
This presentation is based on reflections on Bahá’u’lláh’s Tablet of the Land of Bá and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s statement published in Paris Talks and His activities in America. ʻAbdu’l-Bahá met with people of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds and He delighted in doing so. The Bahá’ís are very proud of this, and justly so. Many scholars have investigated the travels of ʻAbdu’l-Bahá in America: Alan Ward, Hassan Balyuzi, Robert Stockman, Earl Redman, Steven Kolins, Amín Egea. The latter two concentrated their efforts on newspaper coverage. Yet despite their efforts and the efforts of more localized research there appears a void which in a real sense undermines the intentions of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s efforts toward establishing the unity and dignity of all peoples. This void concerns the hundreds of non-English newspapers which existed at that time.
More resources: https://wilmetteinstitute.org/abdul-baha-and-the-other/ Firstly there are no articles from the newspapers of the groups whom He met in their venues: the Armenians, the Jews and the Japanese. Secondly there are very few articles, less than a score, from all the other diverse ethnic groups represented in the American Bahá’í community of that time: Syrian, French, Turkish, Norwegian, Polish, German, Swedish, Russian, Hungarian, Italian, etc. The importance of these other newspaper articles is based on the statement from Bahá’u’lláh, and their demise is a reflection of the perniciousness of the virus attacking the body politic.
This presentation will attempt to explore the causes of this situation and its consequences and possible restoration and utilization of these articles.
Contributors Jan Jasion
Jan Teofil Jasion is a retired librarian. He was born in Canada of Polish parents. His varied career included working as a roofer in housing construction and as a labourer at an iron-ore smelter, as a librarian in a remote Labrador town, a library technician at the National Library of Canada, at the Library of the University of New Brunswick and later at a college in Cardiff, Wales; as an economic journalist and translator in Warsaw, Poland, as an acquisitions and periodicals librarian at the Bahá’í World Centre Library, as an editor at the Department of Philosophy, Warsaw University; and as a cataloguer for a library vendor in England. He was educated at universities in Ontario, Newfoundland, England and Poland. His Bahá’í activities include pioneering to Labrador (1967-70) and Poland (1970-72; 1992-1999), and service on numerous national committees and local assemblies and lately as an editor at Librarie bahá’íe, Paris, France. He currently lives with his wife Annie-Joëlle in a southern suburb of Paris. Jan has published over 35 articles in journals in Canada, USA, UK, France, Poland and Pakistan in the field of library studies, economics, human rights, biography, corporate structures and bio-bibliography. He has authored and edited a dozen monographs including An International Guide to Legal Deposit (2nd ed. 2019); Never Be Afraid to Dare (George Ronald, 2001), ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in France (English 2016 and French 2017); ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the West (English 2012 and French 2015); Táhirih In History (2004). His latest article was a bio-bibliography of John E. Esslemont for The Book Collector (2020).
Climate Change is about survival, one world...and our future. with Gary Reusche
Climate change is already adversely affecting people in many parts of the world and seriously threatens the survival of human civilization. The present-day world order is disintegrating before our eyes, and increasing climate change impacts are compounding social problems. At the same time, we can see the integrative forces in youth climate action, interfaith collaboration, and constructive high-level discourse at the United Nations. Discourse starting at the family level, to neighborhoods, to groups, to friends, even at work will catalyze the groundswell needed to initiate change, and mitigate the catastrophic events that we see on the horizon. We’ll consult together about how we can change the trend, from disintegrative to integrative!
This webinar is part of the Wilmette Institute’s activities for Global Climate Change Week 2020.
The following video, created by Gary, was included in the Association for Bahá’í Studies 2020 Poster Presentation: Global Governance, Climate Crisis, and Youth. https://vimeo.com/429353350
Gary Reusche, PhD As a trained Climate Reality Leader in the Climate Reality Project of former Vice-President Al Gore, Gary will present climate change information to participants with the hope of inspiring future local action. The presentation will focus on the local impacts and solutions of the climate crisis, especially as they relate to the youth movement. Gary is a social and economic development worker living in Ukraine. Combining a Ph.D. in agricultural science with an MBA in management, he managed projects in Central America, Africa, South Asia and the ex-Soviet Union. His passion is to work for a sustainable future in a united world. As a social activist, he lives on a small farm and runs a residential vacation school for groups of children, youth, and adults striving to build a culture based on universal moral principles. The following video was included in the Association for Bahá’í Studies 2020 Poster Presentation: Global Governance, Climate Crisis, and Youth.
Mikhail Sergeev, "The Issue of Self-Identity in Transhumanism and Bahá’í Writings"
Transhumanism or H+ is an intellectual and cultural movement whose ultimate goal is to achieve “singularity” – the merging of human biology and computer technology in order to enhance human capabilities and, in the long run, to make humanity immortal. The concept of singularity applies first and foremost to the brain, which is the conduit for human mind, consciousness and self-identity. As a result, transhumanists find themselves at the center of millennia-old polemics about the origin of life and the nature of human soul. What happens if a person’s brain is irreversibly damaged and replaced by its artificial duplicate? Will it be the same human being or a different one? Where exactly can the seed of human identity be found? In this web presentation we will examine, from a Bahá’í perspective, these and similar questions arising in contemporary technological discourse that involve various competing theories of the human self.
Presenter: Mikhail Yu. Sergeev, PhD WI Department Co-Chair (Religion, Theology, and Philosophy)
Mikhail Sergeev was born and raised in Moscow, Russia, where he received his bachelor’s degree in international journalism from Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) in 1982. In 1990 he moved to the United States to pursue his doctoral studies. In 1993 he received his master’s degree in religious studies and in 1997 his doctorate in philosophy of religion from Temple University, Philadelphia. Sergeev works as an adjunct professor of religion and philosophy at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he received The President’s Distinguished Teaching Award (2010). He also co-chairs and serves on the faculty of the Department of Religion, Philosophy, and Theology at the Wilmette Institute as well as on the faculty of Temple University in Philadelphia. The author of more than two hundred scholarly, journalistic, and creative works, Sergeev published and presented them in Canada, Europe—the Czech Republic, Greece, the Netherlands, and Poland—Russia, and the United States. Some of his articles were translated into Polish, and his books were reviewed in Germany, Japan, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, and the United States. He has authored and edited twelve books, including the monograph, Theory of Religious Cycles: Tradition, Modernity, and the Bahá’í Faith, (Brill, 2015) and his latest, Russia Abroad: The Anthology of Contemporary Philosophical Thought (M-Graphics, 2019). In 2017 at the International Festival “Visit to Muses,” in Greece, he was awarded the Nodar Dzhin Literary Prize for the best work in philosophy: Grand Prix in the category “journalism/scholarship.”
Divine Wisdom Revealed: Beyond Bahá’u’lláh’s Reprimand of the Two Powerful Ottoman Officials
This is the first of four webinars hosted by Shahrokh Monjazeb for the course “Bahá’u’lláh’s Summons to Two Ottoman Prime Ministers” which begins on October 22, 2020.
The course will closely examine the three Tablets, Súriy-i-Ra’ís, Law h-i-Ra’ís, and Lawh-i-Fu’ád, addressed by Bahá’u’lláh to the two powerful and highly influential 19th century Turkish Prime Ministers ‘Álí Páshá (1815-1871) and Fu’ád Páshá (1814-1869).
Súriy-i-Ra’ís This Tablet was revealed in Arabic in honour of Hájí Muhammad Ismá‘íl-i-Káshání, entitled Dhabíh (Sacrifice) and Anís (Companion) by Bahá’u’lláh, and addresses ‘Álí Páshá, the Ottoman Prime Minister, referred to here as Ra’ís (Chief or Ruler).
Sultán ‘Abdu’l-‘Azíz lost both his throne and his life in 1876. During the subsequent war with Russia (1877–1878), Adrianople was occupied by the enemy and the Turks experienced a violent bloodbath.
SHARE member-img Shahrokh Monjazeb, BSc Independent Scholar
I am an independent scholar of the Bahá’í history and sacred scripture. I began my scholarly endeavours in Bahá’í history around 1989, after I completed my undergraduate degree in Applied Physics and Electro-Acoustics with a minor in Religious Studies and Middle Eastern History. Two years later in 1991, I was invited to present at the annual conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies North America on one of Bahá’u’lláh major works. Since then I have been involved with Bahá’í academic research as well as the work of translating into English the writings of the Central Figures of the Bahá’í Faith. I am a published author and lecturer whose writings and presentations focus on Bahá’í Sacred Text and their literary and historical significance in the context of socio-spiritual condition of human society. I have authored more than couple of dozen articles on Bahá’í history and Sacred Text as well as a monograph on Bahá’u’lláh entitled “Bahá’u’lláh: A Brief Survey of His Life & Works”.
Interfaith Devotional and Climate Conversation Workshop Sep 20, 2020
Host: Sue Blythe
Sponsors: Bahá’ís of Alachua County, FL, Bahá’í-inspired Interfaith Climate Group, Wilmette Institute
In this workshop, participants were invited to: Explore sacred writings and climate statements from the world’s religions. Write and share Reflections on what they saw and heard.
Readers for the devotional program were (in reading order): Kian Bahin-Aein Mateen Kashef Ceridwen Anghaie Niki Daniels
In The Advent of Divine Justice, Shoghi Effendi calls upon white people to contribute to the solution of racial prejudice by abandoning “their usually inherent and at times subconscious sense of superiority.” The challenge is clear. Even with the best of intentions, how can one excise or even identify one’s own inherent and subconscious tendencies?
In this presentation, JoAnn Borovicka will share a selection of things that white people can do to increase their awareness and to contribute to the solution of racial prejudice in a conscious and proactive manner. These suggestions are gleaned from the work of social scientists, educators, and others who have studied systemic racism and the culture of white supremacy, as well as from her own learnings from co-authoring the book Crossing the Line—A Memoir of Race, Religion, and Change.
Contributors JoAnn Borovicka
JoAnn Borovicka recently retired from a career in the Arts and Education where she worked primarily in the South Carolina Coastal Region with some activity overseas. Her work was rich and varied and included curriculum design, professional storytelling, creative writing, dance performance and instruction, costume design, art instruction, studio art, and work in object conservation. Post-retirement she has maintained her studio art activities and also turned her energies to research and writing. She is the author of Light of the Kingdom—Biblical Topics in the Baha’i Writings (2016) and other works (see bahai-library.com) and co-author of Crossing the Line—A Memoir of Race, Religion, and Change (2019). She and her husband, Mike, live in Greenville, South Carolina.
For a half-century now, the US has undertaken an historically unprecedented experiment with human incarceration. Our society has organized itself around a system of punishment that now locks away millions of people. As most know, the members of the human family that we imprison usually come from the least resourced communities, and from Black and Hispanic communities. This panel discussion will consider contemporary incarceration practices in the US, and how these practices might be supplanted by those who believe in the oneness of humanity, and the need to establish just relationships between all people.
See also Dr. Smith’s May 2018 talk Racial Justice: Mass Incarceration in America (BahaiTeachings.org) and his June 2020 WI webinar “Centering the Pupil of the Eye.”
RECOMMENDED BOOKS AND RESOURCES FROM PANELISTS Books Prison Race, by Dr. Renford Reese The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander Makes me Wanna Holler, by Nathan McCall Before the Mayflower, by Lerone Bennett Jr. Wacquant, Loic. Punishing the Poor Walden, by Henry David Thoreau
Websites untilfreedom.com grassrootslaw.org The Abolitionist Toolkit: criticalresistance.org/resources/the-abolitionist-toolkit/
Quote “We cannot segregate the human heart from the environment outside us and say that once one of these is reformed everything will be improved. Man is organic with the world. His inner life moulds the environment and is itself also deeply affected by it. The one acts upon the other and every abiding change in the life of man is the result of these mutual reactions.” –Shoghi Effendi See also: bahai.org/action/response-call-bahaullah/
RECOMMENDED BOOKS AND RESOURCES FROM ATTENDEES Books Becoming Ms. Burton, by Susan Burton The Will to Change, by bell hooks Blood In My Eye, by George Jackson Howard Zehr: Changing Lenses: Restorative Justice for Our Times
Miscellaneous Resources Documentary Film: 13th (Ava Duvernay) Every work by Bryan Stevenson (Book, TedTalk, everything) PBS – College Behind Bars, a four-part documentary film series directed by filmmaker Lynn Novic
Online Learning for Constructive Engagement (ABS Poster Presentation)
Abstract The Wilmette Institute is working towards constructive engagement by raising the capacity of participants to meaningfully contribute to social discourse and social action. This presentation will explore how Bahá’í online learning can lead towards personal and collective transformation with participants applying spiritual principles and academic knowledge to grassroots efforts. Learn how learners, faculty and administrators create a learning community in courses such as Anti-Black Racism in the U.S., Climate Change, and Sustainable Development that nurture constructive engagement.
Note: The backbone of this webinar is a poster presentation submitted to the Association for Bahá’í Studies’ 2020 online conference. The Wilmette Institute’s Executive Team will be joined by selected Faculty and students. All are welcome to explore the WI’s pedagogy, and its plans and hopes for the coming years.
Part 7 Whites and Race Unity: A New Normal
Dr. Randie Gottlieb (UnityWorks founder, educator, diversity trainer, author, poet) and Dave Grammer, LMFT, WI Adjunct Lecturer, join Rainn Wilson for conversations about White people and race unity.
Resources: https://wilmetteinstitute.org/series/conversations-rainn-wilson/#part_7
Why Bahá’í? In this live webinar series, we invite you to have a conversation with Rainn. What are your questions about the Bahá’í Faith? What is your hope for the world in these tumultuous times? How can we help make the planet a more livable and breathable place? Bring a friend and tune in live.
How Humanitarian Organizations Navigate New Global Realities in 2020
More resources: https://wilmetteinstitute.org/series/ebbf-building-the-future/#part_14
Specialized agencies of the United Nations together with international NGOs recognize the need to change what some have labelled paternalistic and outdated approaches to aid and humanitarian assistance. New approaches reflect an evolution in thinking about locally led response, the need for external experts, people as protagonists in the recovery of their communities and recognition of the capacities and resilience inherent in every person to respond in crisis. Working in various emergency response situations, Rhonda brings knowledge of how this aspect of the UN is driving new ways of working.
In this series, we examine the underlying assumptions that brought us to this current global crisis. Together, we explore potential solutions to the vital issues that have gained new urgency at this time. We also discuss our roles and the actions we can take to address these critical challenges and build better systems for the future of humankind. ABOUT EBBF: ebbf, Ethical Business Building the Future, is a Bahá’í inspired organization dedicated to building a prosperous, peaceful and sustainable global society. ebbf members are people of all faiths who are striving to apply Bahá’í principles in their businesses and workplaces.
Hussein Ahdieh, 'The Life and Martyrdom of Vahíd, the Báb’s Best Known Follower'
The great Muslim cleric Siyyid Yahyá-i-Dárábí (known as Vahíd, which means ‘unique’ or ‘peerless’) converted to the Bábí Faith in 1846. He spent years traveling and teaching around Persia, and arrived in Nayriz in 1850 to bring the news of the new faith. In Nayriz he led an upheaval at Fort Khajih and gave his life for the Cause on the streets of the town.
Presenter: Hussein Ahdieh Dr. Hussein Ahdieh was born and raised in Nayriz, Iran, He is a sixth generation Bahá'í, his ancestors figuring among the first in Nayriz to accept the Bábi and later Bahá'í Faith. Hussein immigrated to the United States as a young man of 19. Like many immigrants seeking a better life in America, he worked and attended college in the New York area. Hussein eventually completed a Masters Degree in European Intellectual History and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Massachusetts. Dr.Ahdieh has had a distinguished career in education in New York. His proudest achievement is to have been one of the founders and Assistant Headmaster of the Harlem Preparatory School--a world renowned charter high school for disadvantaged students. The school is credited with helping numerous disadvantage young people to rise from poverty to a better life. Dr. Ahdieh also served as Director of Educational Programs at Fordham University. Hussein has been a resident of New York City for all of his adult life. He served as Treasurer of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the City of New York for many years and several times has represented his area at the U.S. Bahá'í National Convention. In addition to “Awakening. History of the Babi and Baha’i Faiths in Nayriz”, which has been translated into 6 languages, Dr. Ahdieh is the author of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in New York (translated into three languages), a concise, informative history of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's activities during his visits to the area; “A Way out of No Way: Harlem Prep –Transforming Dropouts into Scholars-1967-1977, a Baha’i inspired institute. His other book “The Calling” is comprehensive study about the life of Tahirih and her American contemporaries in English and Persian languages. His newest book: Foreigner: From an Iranian village to New York City tells the story of an Iranian Baha’i immigrant to the United States in a series of moving and humorous episodes set against the backdrop of a changing Iran, the plight of Baha’is there, the tumult of the 60’s and 70’s in the U.S. The book has been released by George Ronald Publisher. For more info visit: HusseinAhdieh.com
Part 13 Transforming Companies Into Communities
More resources: https://wilmetteinstitute.org/series/ebbf-building-the-future/#part_13
How can we foster unity in diversity, collective action, social justice and liberating structures? What are the Teachings that can guide our present and future? What is the evolution of companies and human-centered leadership? Sharing the fundamental concepts of Learning organizations, organizations where people continually expand their capacities, new thinking is nurtured, collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning how to learn together.
In this series, we examine the underlying assumptions that brought us to this current global crisis. Together, we explore potential solutions to the vital issues that have gained new urgency at this time. We also discuss our roles and the actions we can take to address these critical challenges and build better systems for the future of humankind. ABOUT EBBF: ebbf, Ethical Business Building the Future, is a Bahá’í inspired organization dedicated to building a prosperous, peaceful and sustainable global society. ebbf members are people of all faiths who are striving to apply Bahá’í principles in their businesses and workplaces.
Bahá’u’lláh’s “Long Healing Prayer” in light of a Metaphysics of Unity with Daniel Pschaida
Designated as having “a special potency and significance,” Bahá’u’lláh’s Long Healing Prayer or “Anta al-Káfí” engages deeply the Islamic tradition’s prayers, enumeration and meanings of God’s ninety-nine names, the ideal of dhikr, letter-to-number symbolism, and talismanic practices, while creating an original work that calls on one-hundred-and-nineteen names of God in second-person invocations characterized by rhymes, frequent alliterations, and structures of nineteen. While the prayer supplicates spiritual forces for healing, protection, and guidance, the author argues that just as important is that the prayer invites a meditation on God’s names and attributes which not only define humans’ capacity to recognize God but also define for the Bahá’í the underlying significance of spiritual and physical reality. Health is nurtured as one continually grows in perceiving and experiencing the single organism of existence as a whole—self, others, unseen spiritual realities, and one’s natural and social ecology—fashioned, defined, and cared for by that Whole who is Creator and Lord of all.
Presenter: Daniel Pschaida Desiring to promote inter-religious understanding, critical engagement, and respect, I left the field of early childhood education and entered graduate school for religious studies in 2006 and in 2015 earned my PhD from the University of California Riverside in Religious Studies with a focus on Islamic Studies and Religion in America. My dissertation is called "American Islam, the Next Generation: Young Adult Muslim Americans on Campus— Faith, Identities, Citizenship, Gender, and Pluralism." I have taught Comparative Religion and Humanities at North Arizona University and currently teach at Eastern Washington University and Gonzaga University. Currently, I'm working on a review of the book American Messiahs, revising a research paper on Baha'i pilgrimage to submit for publication, and completing a research project on the 99 Beautiful Names of God in Islam's links with Baha'u'llah's Long Healing Praye
Douglas Henck shares and compares his decades of experience in the corporate world with the ideas and principles of his position as CFO at the Bahá’í World Center. When bringing together the Principles of the Faith and Corporate reality, what would he suggest shape the successful global organizations of the future – a future where corporations fulfill their inherent responsibility to contribute to a more just society? What is the kind of leadership that allows such a values-drive organization to prosper? What did he discover to be the obstacles with doing business ethically in different countries around the world? What is the best approach to create a global unified culture of values in a multinational organization? In this series, we examine the underlying assumptions that brought us to this current global crisis. Together, we explore potential solutions to the vital issues that have gained new urgency at this time. We also discuss our roles and the actions we can take to address these critical challenges and build better systems for the future of humankind.
ABOUT EBBF: ebbf, Ethical Business Building the Future, is a Baha'i inspired organization dedicated to building a prosperous, peaceful and sustainable global society. ebbf members are people of all faiths who are striving to apply Baha'i principles in their businesses and workplaces.
This Episode: Successfully Bridging the Intergenerational Gap with Avah Darling and Mary Darling
What are the views of a 16 year old and of her mother on how we can achieve it together? How can we progress from a dualistic and often conflicting vision of whose responsibility it is to create a better future, Avah will share her insights into a new way to integrate experience, passion, joy and effectiveness to create new models of exploration, learning and action. Moving from divided and divisive assignment of blames and responsibility to a new model of integrated action and reflection.
In this series, we examine the underlying assumptions that brought us to this current global crisis. Together, we explore potential solutions to the vital issues that have gained new urgency at this time. We also discuss our roles and the actions we can take to address these critical challenges and build better systems for the future of humankind.
ABOUT EBBF: ebbf, Ethical Business Building the Future, is a Baha'i inspired organization dedicated to building a prosperous, peaceful and sustainable global society. ebbf members are people of all faiths who are striving to apply Baha'i principles in their businesses and workplaces.
Drs. June and Richard Thomas continue the conversation with Rainn about constructive resilience.
More resources: https://wilmetteinstitute.org/series/conversations-rainn-wilson/#part_6
Why Bahá’í? In this live webinar series, we invite you to have a conversation with Rainn. What are your questions about the Bahá’í Faith? What is your hope for the world in these tumultuous times? How can we help make the planet a more livable and breathable place? Bring a friend and tune in live.
With inequality plaguing communities around the globe, there’s fierce urgency to invest in change from the ground up. How can we build bridges and deep relationships between impact investors, foundations, entrepreneurs, artists and local leaders to co-create solutions with marginalized communities? How can you tap into the expertise of each individual in minority areas to generate innovative solutions that accelerate a community’s transformation and create concrete action plans that get partnership commitments? Impact Investments is a fresh new way to create a more just, racially balanced flow of finance towards projects and companies that are good for the environment and for the people. But how can these elements be embedded in a much wider sense in the financial systems of today and tomorrow? What are the key elements of successful impact investing? What can wealth create and what can it destroy?
In this Episode: "Destroying a Thought of Hatred" with Vasu Mohan. As societies around the world grapple with polarization around identities and the rise of hate speech, what tools are in the Baha’i Writings that can be applied to broader contexts? This talk explores some examples of efforts in building social cohesion and countering hate. More resources and slides: https://wilmetteinstitute.org/global-challenges-and-opportunities/
Wilmette Institute Webinar Series: Creating An Effective System of Global Governance: Indispensable Mindsets, Habits, and Institutions . with Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing.
In This Episode: COLLECTIVE THREATS REQUIRE A NEW SYSTEM OF GLOBAL GOVERNANCE. The current crisis is highlighting the degree to which we are interdependent and connected. While many of our greatest threats (like the corona virus pandemic) are collective, we lack the necessary global institutions to make authoritative and binding decisions and to enforce them. Together we will explore the kinds of institutions we need to create, to ensure humanity’s collective well-being.
We cannot forget the times we are living in. This is a special moment in the history of humankind whose consequences were impossible to predict. No one could have imagined how coronavirus could change the daily lives of people, force a rethink of business activities nor for how long we will have to cohabit with this pandemic. But this and other unforeseen events surrounding us now, also offer us an important moment for us to redefine our way of living both at the individual and at the collective level.
In this series, we examine the underlying assumptions that brought us to this current global crisis. Together, we explore potential solutions to the vital issues that have gained new urgency at this time. We also discuss our roles and the actions we can take to address these critical challenges and build better systems for the future of humankind. ABOUT EBBF: ebbf, Ethical Business Building the Future, is a Bahá’í inspired organization dedicated to building a prosperous, peaceful and sustainable global society. ebbf members are people of all faiths who are striving to apply Bahá’í principles in their businesses and workplaces.
more resources:https://wilmetteinstitute.org/series/ebbf-building-the-future/#part_9
The Bahá’í teachings provide the spiritual foundation for humans to live in harmony with each other and with the Earth, but how can we apply specific Bahá’í teachings to climate change? Among the teachings that will be discussed are justice, truthfulness, the roles of science and religion, gender equality, the elimination of the extremes of wealth and poverty, moderation, the oneness of humankind, and the importance of spiritual development.
More: https://wilmetteinstitute.org/series/climate-conversations-christine-muller/#part_4
In this 5-part webinar series, presenter Christine Muller addresses the following questions: What are the major risks for humankind today? What are the conclusions of the Global Risk Report 2020 by the World Economic Forum? What do the Baha’i teachings say about potential future risks What does this mean for us living in these critical times?
Christine Muller, Piano Teacher Board Secretary, International Environment Forum
I was interested in environmental issues already at a young age and became a Bahá’í when I was 17, which was the beginning of a life-long study of the Bahá’í Faith. As the environmental crisis was worsening, I began to systematically study climate change at a time when not much information was easily available. I also searched the Bahá’í teachings for a spiritual solution to the climate crisis. At that time, climate change was not known to most people and there were no educational materials available. That’s why I wrote Scientific and Spiritual Dimensions of Climate Change – an Interfaith Study Course, which the International Environment Forum posted in 2009. I joined the Wilmette Institute as support faculty for its Sustainable Development course in 2011 and created its Climate Change course the following year. I served on the board of RI Interfaith Power&Light for nine years and currently serve on the board of the Bahá’í-inspired International Environment Forum (iefworld.org). My academic background is in music and I enjoy part-time piano teaching and playing music. I would have done more in the area of music were it not for the urgency of climate action, but my musical training has helped me to better understand the complexity of the climate crisis. Christine’s articles on BahaiTeachings.org
The talk will start with a brief examination of the major sources used in researching the book "A Seed in Your Heart: The Life of Louise Mathew Gregory" by Janet Fleming . This will be followed by an overview of the life story of Louise Mathew Gregory, an English woman born in the Victorian era, whose marriage to Louis Gregory, an African American lawyer, is considered the first Bahá’í interracial marriage. Unusually for the time, she was an educated woman and worked as a teacher in Luxembourg and Paris before her marriage. Her later travels, over a 14-year period, took her to Hungary where she was the first to teach the Faith, and to Bulgaria and Yugoslavia where she acquired the distinction of being the first Bahá’í pioneer to those countries. Janet will expand and explore some features of the book including:
some aspects of Louise’s personality – was she shy? She was a modern independent woman – how did this affect her marriage? some of the difficulties Louise and Louis had to face in their marriage Louise’s husband Louis was an outstanding Bahá’í and later appointed a Hand of the Cause. Was she overshadowed by her brilliant husband and has she now begun to emerge from obscurity?
More resources: https://wilmetteinstitute.org/louise-mathew-gregory-sowing-the-seeds-of-racial-harmony/
Special Guests for our June conversation were Drs. June and Richard Thomas, and Dave Grammer, LMFT/WI Adjunct Lecturer.
More resources: https://wilmetteinstitute.org/series/conversations-rainn-wilson/#part_5
Why Bahá’í? In this live webinar series, we invite you to have a conversation with Rainn. What are your questions about the Bahá’í Faith? What is your hope for the world in these tumultuous times? How can we help make the planet a more livable and breathable place? Bring a friend and tune in live.
The Bahá’í teachings provide the spiritual foundation for humans to live in harmony with each other and with the Earth, but how can we apply specific Bahá’í teachings to climate change? Among the teachings that will be discussed are justice, truthfulness, the roles of science and religion, gender equality, the elimination of the extremes of wealth and poverty, moderation, the oneness of humankind, and the importance of spiritual development.
More: https://wilmetteinstitute.org/series/climate-conversations-christine-muller/#part_4
In this 5-part webinar series, presenter Christine Muller addresses the following questions: What are the major risks for humankind today? What are the conclusions of the Global Risk Report 2020 by the World Economic Forum? What do the Baha’i teachings say about potential future risks What does this mean for us living in these critical times?
Christine Muller, Piano Teacher Board Secretary, International Environment Forum
I was interested in environmental issues already at a young age and became a Bahá’í when I was 17, which was the beginning of a life-long study of the Bahá’í Faith. As the environmental crisis was worsening, I began to systematically study climate change at a time when not much information was easily available. I also searched the Bahá’í teachings for a spiritual solution to the climate crisis. At that time, climate change was not known to most people and there were no educational materials available. That’s why I wrote Scientific and Spiritual Dimensions of Climate Change – an Interfaith Study Course, which the International Environment Forum posted in 2009. I joined the Wilmette Institute as support faculty for its Sustainable Development course in 2011 and created its Climate Change course the following year. I served on the board of RI Interfaith Power&Light for nine years and currently serve on the board of the Bahá’í-inspired International Environment Forum (iefworld.org). My academic background is in music and I enjoy part-time piano teaching and playing music. I would have done more in the area of music were it not for the urgency of climate action, but my musical training has helped me to better understand the complexity of the climate crisis. Christine’s articles on BahaiTeachings.org
In the late nineteenth century, Bahá’u’lláh likened people of African descent to the “pupil of the eye” through which the “light of the spirit shineth forth.” In this talk I’ll suggest that the “pupil of the eye” metaphor is a deeply consequential, distinguishing feature of the transformative social and spiritual system laid out in Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation. Discussing the nexus of capitalism, race, and intellectual history, I’ll summarize the arguments of an essay written for the Journal of Bahá’í Studies, in which I historicize Bahá’u’lláh’s elevating metaphor, and argue that it amounts to a forceful refutation of anti-blackness and thus a dismantling of one of modernity’s pivotal ideologies. I’ll finally talk about the way in which the unique integrity and coherence of Bahá’u’lláh’s system for the creation of universal unity and justice is especially manifest through analytical contemplation of the “pupil of the eye” metaphor.
More: https://wilmetteinstitute.org/centering-the-pupil-of-the-eye/
Contributor Derik Jalal Smith, PhD
Derik Smith is a professor in the Department of Literature at Claremont McKenna College. His work focuses on African American literary culture, with a particular interest in poetry. He also teaches and writes about representations of blackness in American filmic and musical culture. His 2018 monograph, Robert Hayden In Verse: New Histories of African American Poetry and the Black Arts Era, recently won the College Language Association’s annual book award. His current scholarship focuses on the poetics of rap, and the rise of the genre during the final decades of the twentieth century, as well as the connection between critical race studies and the Bahá’í Faith. Smith regularly teaches courses in American prisons and nurtures activist interests in prison studies and pedagog
Even before the devastating effects of the coronavirus on human daily life, the emergence of a global civilization has been characterized by the twin processes of integration and disintegration. Interwoven global threats such as ecological degradation, uneconomic growth that overshoots the Earth’s biocapacity, income and wealth inequality, consumerism, and the rapid erosion of agri-food resources contribute to the breakdown of the world’s social and ecological order. This session will explore how to reduce anxieties about the future through discourse by individuals and communities. Technical solutions that mitigate such problems exist but must be administered within a new world order animated by the spirit of unity that reflects the vision of Bahá’u’lláh. This session aims at understanding the current issues and their cultural roots so that individuals and humanity as a whole may gain greater capacity to contribute in effective ways to social discourse and social action leading to transformation on an unprecedented scale.
More resources: https://wilmetteinstitute.org/series/ebbf-building-the-future/#part_8
In this series, we examine the underlying assumptions that brought us to this current global crisis. Together, we explore potential solutions to the vital issues that have gained new urgency at this time. We also discuss our roles and the actions we can take to address these critical challenges and build better systems for the future of humankind. ABOUT EBBF: ebbf, Ethical Business Building the Future, is a Bahá’í inspired organization dedicated to building a prosperous, peaceful and sustainable global society. ebbf members are people of all faiths who are striving to apply Bahá’í principles in their businesses and workplaces.
At this time of uncertainty, humanity is experiencing both horror and opportunity. At the center of it all, are pre-existing economic disparities which are being amplified by current deficits in leadership and planning, and newly created economic inequalities that are expanding due to current questionable institutional responses. This session will highlight the ways communities are building cohesion through their response to the crisis with ingenuity, creativity, mutualism and solidarity. We will briefly discuss the economic factors that threaten community cohesion then explore significant current trends that are enabling communities to innovate and transform economic vulnerability into economic cohesion. There will be plenty of time for discussion.
In this series, we examine the underlying assumptions that brought us to this current global crisis. Together, we explore potential solutions to the vital issues that have gained new urgency at this time. We also discuss our roles and the actions we can take to address these critical challenges and build better systems for the future of humankind. ABOUT EBBF: ebbf, Ethical Business Building the Future, is a Bahá’í inspired organization dedicated to building a prosperous, peaceful and sustainable global society. ebbf members are people of all faiths who are striving to apply Bahá’í principles in their businesses and workplaces.
more resources: https://wilmetteinstitute.org/series/ebbf-building-the-future/#part_8
Can business become the solution instead of being the problem? Many companies are addressing current crises, trying to mitigate risks to the business and to its reputation. What could be another way and attitude that allows companies to go from being the problem to becoming the solution that we expect from them? We will share the extraordinary success that the best companies in the world are achieving during these weeks of economic crises. We will see how they manage to motivate, engage their staff and connect with their communities in a sincere spirit of service, by marshaling innovation and moral values required to lead the necessary change without limiting themselves to just “managing risks”.
More resources: https://wilmetteinstitute.org/series/ebbf-building-the-future/#part_8
In this series, we examine the underlying assumptions that brought us to this current global crisis. Together, we explore potential solutions to the vital issues that have gained new urgency at this time. We also discuss our roles and the actions we can take to address these critical challenges and build better systems for the future of humankind. ABOUT EBBF: ebbf, Ethical Business Building the Future, is a Bahá’í inspired organization dedicated to building a prosperous, peaceful and sustainable global society. ebbf members are people of all faiths who are striving to apply Bahá’í principles in their businesses and workplaces.
In this series, we examine the underlying assumptions that brought us to this current global crisis. Together, we explore potential solutions to the vital issues that have gained new urgency at this time. We also discuss our roles and the actions we can take to address these critical challenges and build better systems for the future of humankind. ABOUT EBBF: ebbf, Ethical Business Building the Future, is a Bahá’í inspired organization dedicated to building a prosperous, peaceful and sustainable global society. ebbf members are people of all faiths who are striving to apply Bahá’í principles in their businesses and workplaces.
As the world goes through an unprecedented new phase of economic upheaval, a deeper analysis of materialism as the root cause of the extremes of wealth and poverty has taken on new urgency. Such an analysis involves two fundamental questions. First, what is the difference between “materialism,” which is hazardous, and “material prosperity,” which is a worthy individual and social goal? And, second, what is the most effective mode of leadership for moving society beyond materialism and facilitating the achievement of true material prosperity? It may be argued that the best mode of leadership in pursuit of shared material prosperity would be one that reflects compassion, caring, nurturing, communal behavior, and effective communication, all of which have traditionally been associated with the feminine aspects of the human society. The participants are invited to reimagine new leadership models in the context of the emerging consciousness of the need to balance the feminine and the masculine in all areas of human endeavor, including the creation of a more equitable economic system.
More resources: https://wilmetteinstitute.org/series/ebbf-building-the-future/#part_9
In this webinar, Sovaida Ma'ani Ewing will talk about the themes in her book The Alchemy of Peace: 6 Essential Shifts in Mindsets and Habits to Achieve World Peace available at Amazon.com Services LLC Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QZZZVYK
Book Description: "Humanity stands at a critical crossroads. Social, political, religious, economic, and environmental systems are unraveling with bewildering rapidity all around us. In the face of such disintegration many of us feel helpless, despondent, angry, and anxious. Such feelings pose the greatest danger of all, as they lead to a loss of hope and a paralysis of will at a time in our collective evolution when inaction can be catastrophic.
"The Alchemy of Peace" offers the gift of hope and a viable path out of the current chaos. It identifies a set of dysfunctional habits borne of tired old perspectives, false assumptions, limiting beliefs, and interpretations on the basis of which we make choices about how to behave. It posits that replacing these mindsets and habits with more constructive and empowering ones will open our eyes to new opportunities growing out of the ferment of our troubled times.
Sovaida Ma'ani Ewing is an author, speaker, international lawyer, life mastery coach, and founding director of The Center for Peace and Global Governance (cogg.org). a virtual think tank and online forum that pools and proposes principled solutions to pressing global challenges. Her latest book, available on Amazon, is "The Alchemy of Peace: 6 Essential Shifts in Mindsets and Habits to Achieve World Peace." She also hosts a live video podcast "Re Imagining Our World" on facebook and the CPGG YouTube channel. The program weekly program is dedicated to creating a vision of the world we want and infusing hope that we can make the choices necessary to attain it.
“History is a powerful instrument. At its best, it provides a perspective on the past and casts a light on the future. It populates human consciousness with heroes, saints and martyrs whose example awakens in everyone touched by it capacities they had not imagined they possessed.”
Century of Light (pages 65-83) This presentation highlights the teaching experiences of early African American Bahá’is with a special focus on the contributions of African American women. Drawing on oral histories and archival documents, this talk highlights African Americans’ courageous efforts and sacrifices in advancing the Cause of God in the U.S. and abroad. What can we learn from the relatively unknown history of black Baha’is to assist us in exploiting this “moment of historic portent”** for the good of mankind and the establishment of race unity?
Based on The Secret of Divine Civilization, his Treatise on Politics (Risalih-yi Siyasiyyih) and unpublished letters of ‛Abdu’l-Bahá written in Ottoman Turkish, this talk discusses the contributions of ‛Abdu’l-Bahá to the reform discourse in Iran and the Ottoman Empire. His discourse will be dealt within the framework of Bahá’u’lláh’s own claim as “World Reformer” which He expounds in various Writings, especially those revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas.
All this Bahá’í perspective will be presented against the historical background of the development of reforms in the Ottoman Empire and Iran where generations of forward looking intellectuals and statesmen have discussed and applied their progressive ideas for the betterment and transformation of society. Within this context especially the relationship between ‛Abdu’l-Bahá and Ottoman reformers and His attempt to infuse Bahá’í thoughts into the Ottoman and Iranian reform movement shall be described.
Dr. Richard St. Barbe Baker OBE (1889-1982) was arguably the first global conservationist, blazing a trail for contemporary environmental leaders such as Jane Goodall. He began his mission to save the world’s forests in 1922, when he started the first international NGO, Men of the Trees, in Kenya.
Baker was a visionary pioneer of concepts/practices such as sustainable development, agroforestry, agroecology, desert reclamation, fair trade, and ecotourism. Starting in 1931, he wrote thirty books about these ideas. A great adventurer, he travelled the world continuously from 1929-1982, networking with conservationists and lecturing on the need to plant trees to save the planet. In addition to kings and presidents, his extraordinary networks of contacts included leaders of thought, visionaries, and eminent scientists and artists. Starting in 1929, he worked with the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, Shoghi Effendi, to promote public discourse and social action on conservation.
He has been recognized as one of the outstanding figures of the conservation movement by environmental leaders such as Prince Charles, Jane Goodall, Wanjira Maathai (Green Belt Movement), Philippe Cousteau (EarthEcho International), Richard Leaky (International Centre for Research in Agroforestry), Sir Ghillian Prance (International Tree Foundation), Elizabeth Dowdeswell (Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, UN Under Secretary General, UNEP), and Peter Wohlleben (forester, author The Hidden Life of Trees). In 1969, The World Wildlife Fund appointed Baker its first Member of Honour.
There is a lot of printed material in the Faith on our collective efforts to teach American Indians. We can still use much of it in our efforts today. The importance of documenting our activities comes to light when we realize that what we have is only some of the story. More writing needs to be encouraged and reports of activities need to be filed. We will celebrate what has made it to print and give ease to those who would like to know where to begin to tell the story more fully.
“Restorative justice promotes values and principles that use inclusive, collaborative approaches for being in community. These approaches validate the experiences and needs of everyone within the community, particularly those who have been marginalized, oppressed, or harmed. These approaches allow us to act and respond in ways that are healing rather than alienating or coercive.” –Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz and Judy H. Mullet, (2015)
In this panel discussion students, educators and a psychiatric social worker come together to explore the principles and practice of restorative justice. The discussion will move from the realities of the school to prison pipeline, contrasting views of “justice,” and the need for restorative justice and better accountability in schools, to the vision of a holistic approach including long term goals to transform how conflict is addressed in schools and in the broader community. Finally, opportunities for involvement in the restorative justice movement will be offered.
In the words of three of our panelists:
“We’re here to talk about a paradigm shift that needs to happen in our schools and communities in order to make sure that all of our students, especially the most vulnerable and historically marginalized, have what they need in order to thrive.”
–Ariane White “We’ll be discussing the impact that mental health has in the school system and the impact that it has on student outcome as well.”
–Grethel Vega “We will be sharing a continuum of strategies of informal and formal practices that you can utilize both in schools, in your homes, and in your communities to help support our students in making sure they are able to thrive.”
–Shadi Seyedyousef
In the annals of human history the twentieth century could well be remembered as the “death of God,” foreseen in the writings of a German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900), and manifested in world wars, totalitarian ideologies, concentration camps, and mass murder. At the center of cultural debates and political maneuverings of that century stood the Soviet Union – the unique atheist empire in world history. It may have seemed back then that organized religion will fade away and vanish altogether. However, it was the communist block that declined and collapsed, and on its ruins, humanity witnessed the resurgence of traditional religions.
In this program the Russian American philosopher of culture Mikhail Epstein discusses our “post-secular” age, including the concept of “minimal religion,” as the transition from atheism to post–atheist spirituality. Prof Epstein introduced his idea of “minimal religion” in his books Religion after Atheism: New Possibilities for Theology (AST–press, 2013); and The Phoenix of Philosophy: Russian Thought of the Late Soviet Period (1953-1991) (Bloomsbury, 2019).
The interview with Prof. Mikhail Epstein is conducted by Dr. Mikhail Sergeev, co-chair of the Department of Religion, Theology, and Philosophy at the Wilmette Institute.
As the lead researcher for the Bahá’í component of FACT, Mike has helped collect Bahá’í data on trends related to: community worship, social service programs, community mission and identity, programs for youth, demographic information about the members, community leadership, conflict in the community, and finances. These questions were asked in surveys in 2000, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2015 and 2020. The result is a one-of-a-kind Bahá’í dataset describing its members, growth, and community characteristics. He has just compiled the data for the FACT 2020 survey, and his Wilmette Institute talk will give an overview of these findings. The Bahá’í community provided FACT data in late January and early February 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.
In this series, we examine the underlying assumptions that brought us to this current global crisis. Together, we explore potential solutions to the vital issues that have gained new urgency at this time. We also discuss our roles and the actions we can take to address these critical challenges and build better systems for the future of humankind. ABOUT EBBF: ebbf, Ethical Business Building the Future, is a Bahá’í inspired organization dedicated to building a prosperous, peaceful and sustainable global society. ebbf members are people of all faiths who are striving to apply Bahá’í principles in their businesses and workplaces.
Many corporations have adopted corporate social responsibility (CSR) to reconcile the profit motive with “doing good”. They saw CSR as an application of enlightened self-interest. However, many CSR applications tend to be stand-alone programs tangential to core business activities that themselves may not be socially responsible. Some have lamented the failure of CSR incrementalism. We will explore an alternative based on elevating organizations to higher moral ground such that all their core activities are motivated by spiritual values. We will contrast assumptions underlying the current business model with those drawn from the Bahá’í Revelation and invite discussion of what each of us can do to support this emerging new paradigm in business.
Why Bahá’í? In this live webinar series, we invite you to have a conversation with Rainn. What are your questions about the Bahá’í Faith? What is your hope for the world in these tumultuous times? How can we help make the planet a more livable and breathable place? Bring a friend and tune in live
Special guests Nika, Nura, Nava and Vadi Esmailizadeh, and Luke Pereira, joined Rainn Wilson and Chitra Golestani to share their experiences with the Bahá’í-inspired Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment movement.
In this 5-part webinar series, presenter Christine Muller addresses the following questions: What are the major risks for humankind today? What are the conclusions of the Global Risk Report 2020 by the World Economic Forum? What do the Baha’i teachings say about potential future risks What does this mean for us living in these critical times?
Why does climate change matter? How does it affect us? What are its impacts on human health and well-being? The presentation will take us on a journey around the world and explain the impacts of climate change on people and nature. Increasing our knowledge about the impacts of climate change makes our belief in the oneness of humankind relevant on a deeper level. The concern and love for humankind will motivate us for meaningful action. “O SON OF SPIRIT! The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.” (The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, #2)
080 EBBF Part 3 -Climate Change, Coronavirus, And One World; The Choice Is Clear by Wilmette Institute
Guest Panelists Matteen Kashef and Savannah Roemhild, students of sustainability and members of the Bahá’í Association at the University of Florida (Gainesville), and Farhang Darabi, an environmental engineer and founder of Darabi and Associates, join hosts Sue Blythe and Chitra Golestani.
Inspired by the Wilmette Institute’s Climate Change course, Sue and Farhang have been facilitating climate conversations in Gainesville, Florida.
Why Bahá’í? In this live webinar series, we invite you to have a conversation with Rainn. What are your questions about the Bahá’í Faith? What is your hope for the world in these tumultuous times? How can we help make the planet a more livable and breathable place? Bring a friend and tune in live.
This audience asks some tough questions! Like "How does being a Bahá’í affect your relationships with coworkers..." and "In what ways does the Bahá’í Faith address political corruption and economic disparity in the U.S.?"
ansformative Leadership empowers young people to respond positively to the forces of disintegration, such as prejudice, racism, and bullying, that they face in their daily lives. It presents a framework for social action that promotes ethical principles motivated by the search for truth, attraction to beauty, and thirst for knowledge.
In the first program of TL for Youth, dozens of young people acquired a conceptual framework and capabilities that enable them to practice an active morality focused on social transformation. Together we built and strengthened friendships, developed our appreciation of the beauty of diversity through art and cultivated a culture in which we contribute to personal and collective change through learning and action.
Youth panelists for this webinar include Kian Bahin-Aein (Arizona), Olivia Bell (Georgia), Oliver Mavaddat-Rhys (UK), and Ophelia Winslett (Florida).
Climate change is a complex issue, and it is often misinterpreted. The presentation provides a basic introduction to the causes of global warming and what we can do to bring the Earth’s climate system back into balance. Knowledge of the causes of climate change will also make us think more deeply about the meaning of justice, the “best beloved of all things”. The discussion will focus on the many ways we can all become part of the solution.
Rainn Wilson is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, producer and a member of the Baha'i Faith. He is best known for his role as Dwight Schrute on the Emmy Award winning sitcom, The Office. What many people may not know is Rainn's love for the Baha'i Faith and humanitarian work.
Let's have a conversation with Rainn. What are your questions about the Baha'i Faith? What is your hope for the world in these tumultuous times? How can we help make the planet a more livable and breathable place? Bring a friend and tune in live.
While our experience with the coronavirus pandemic is extremely painful, it also provides us a rich opportunity to build a more peaceful and secure world. Together, we will explore a few of these opportunities. Presented by special guest Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the son of the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, Bahá'u'lláh. Before His passing, Bahá'u'lláh wrote a document telling the Bahá'ís to turn to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and that He would inspire His son with whatever He needed to know.
Today we can’t meet ’Abdu’l-Bahá, but we can get to know more about Him through the words of those who did meet Him. These stories are about the interactions of the pilgrims and visitors who met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, both in America and the Holy land, and the emotions of those encounters. They illustrate dramatically the spiritual powers and prescience of ’Abdu’l-Bahá. He would answer questions before they were asked, convert atheists into believers, know the thoughts of His visitors and read the reality of their hearts. For those with receptive hearts, He would guide and educate with profound and uplifting talks. The stories attempt to show a little of what it had been like to be in His Presence.
Presenters: Earl Redman and Sharon O'Toole have been traveling and telling stories from their books. They have done their story-telling in the United Kingdom, Israel, Ireland, Iceland, Poland, Germany, Finland, Tunisia, Hawaii, Fiji, Samoa, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the US and Alaska.
Steven Zepeda, an MA student at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU), presented his research paper, “Disney, Brer Rabbit, and Me,” in the final seminar to an audience including his instructors (Drs. Gwendolyn Etter-Lewis and Chitra Golestani) as well as other Wilmette Institute faculty and learners from the community learning course “Anti-Black Racism in the U.S. and Building a Unified Society.” This is Steven’s final project for the Wilmette Institute’s university level course of the same name, being run with its partner institution, the GTU.
In his final paper, Steven wrote: “…what I have learned through this course is how to approach religions as “wellsprings” of knowledge, from which insights into academic quandaries emerge. My engagement with Bahá’í leaders, writers, and artists (through their texts and videos) has made me realize that principles of humanity’s oneness, constructive resilience, and consultation are crucial components of the multimodal solutions for racism. Before this course, I had perhaps relied too much on principles of individualism and competition to construct my activism—thinking, for instance, that “power” is something fought for, successfully or not, and is a limited commodity. However, Bahá’í perspectives reveal that lasting power is forged through unity, which benefits all.”
This first symposium sponsored by the Wilmette Institute focuses on the early Bahá’í history of three states. Duane L Herrmann explores the beginnings of the Faith in Kansas, which had the second local Bahá’í community in the United States, in the town of Enterprise starting in 1897. While that community did not endure, members of it moved to other cities and remained active Bahá’ís. Behrad Majidi has explored the founding of the Faith in Missouri, beginning with the relocation of an Enterprise Bahá’í and Thornton Chase’s visit to a Bahá’í group in St. Louis in 1905. Newspapers in both states, however, published articles about the Faith in Persia as far back as 1846. Finally, Steve Kolins will describe the early history of the Faith in North Carolina, beginning with newspaper articles in the 1850s, Bahá’ís visiting the state by 1902-03, and the gradual building of a community that elected its first local Spiritual Assembly in 1943.
Theater as Tool for Moral Reasoning: How to intentionally create inclusive communities through the power of theater with a focus on capacity building and spiritual empowerment.
With the objective to bridge the divide, to raise consciousness, and break down the roots of racism and bigotry we will discuss opportunities for using theater as tool for healing within a spiritual perspective. Exploring the power of theater as a tool for moral reasoning, we will discuss the Children's Theater Company's approach to creating a theatrical experience that not only bears witness to humanities’ past, but that through an authentic interaction with audiences, we can create a profound community of listeners and change agents. We will review audience engagement tools and how audience-driven post-show workshops, within safe spaces, can reveal how dialogue and empathy are inextricably linked.
The Children’s Theater Company has a social-justice imperative at its core. By developing musicals that cultivate an understanding of the personal, cultural and spiritual forces that shape society, CTC’s original musicals explore the theater’s power to impact diversity, to develop empathy and compassion for the human condition, and to allow us to learn from lives we’ve never lived. The Children’s Theater Company is rooted in the belief that through the magic of theater youth can become the voices of positive change and agents of healing in their communities.
Is there any hope for those who despair at the state of the world and the powerlessness of governments to find a way forward? Global Governance and the Emergence of Global Institutions for the 21st Century provides ambitious but reasonable proposals to give our globalized world the institutions of international governance necessary to address effectively the catastrophic risks facing humanity that are beyond national control. The solution, the authors suggest, is to extend to the international level the same principles of sensible governance that exist in well-governed national systems: rule of law, legislation in the common interest, an executive branch to implement such legislation, and courts to enforce it. The best protection is unified collective action, based on shared values and respect for diversity, applying widely accepted international principles to advance universal human prosperity and well-being
Topic Mírzá Mihdí: The Purest Branch Description This presentation familiarizes participants with the short life of Mírzá Mihdí whose sacrifice was raised by Bahá’u’lláh to the same station as the great sacrifices of humanity's religious history. He was the youngest son of Bahá’u’lláh and Asíyih Khánum. Born in Tehran in 1848, Mírzá Mihdí was separated from his parents when they were exiled to Baghdad in 1852. He joined his parents in Baghdad in 1860 and then suffered three successive exiles with his Father over the next ten years to finally be imprisoned in the city-prison of ‘Akká in 1868.
When Mírzá Mihdí fell from a skylight in the roof of the prison where he, his family and many Bahá'ís were imprisoned with the Manifestation of God, he was severely injured and likely to die from his injuries. When offered his life by his father, he chose instead to sacrifice it so that the doors of the prison might open and those who longed to see Bahá'u'lláh attain their desire.
Presenter: Dr Boris Handal is a Professor of Education at the University of Notre Dame Australia. His publications comprises over 100 conference and journal papers, books and book chapters published in Australia, the United States of America, Europe, Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia. Dr Handal has also published several books in the field of 19th Century Persian history and culture.
As COVID-19 sweeps the world, fear and panic are natural responses. The world was already in a mess, and now mass suffering is impacting everyone. For young people, their future already overshadowed by the climate catastrophe, hope may seem impossible. Yet this cloud does have a silver lining giving hope, which we can explore together. My recent book "In Pursuit of Hope", suggests ways to arm ourselves for the environmental, social and economic challenges we are now facing and those still to come. At the individual level, all the great spiritual traditions speak of trial and suffering as paths to spiritual growth and refinement of character as we fight our inner battles. From the perspective of systems science, in a globalized world in which human organization has to adapt to a new scale of functioning, a process of rapid and often chaotic change is necessary to sweep away old institutions no longer adapted to the new reality, allowing a new and better system to emerge bringing justice and sustainability. Join us to see if you leave this discussion with more hope in the future.
Dealing with the coronavirus pandemic is one thing, what comes next another. What do we need to be able to rebuild? Humanity is facing an incredible challenge of collaboration and coordination at all levels and among diverse populations. Consultation is an essential tool for this effort. By aiming to understand the truth of an issue, consultation enables participants to transcend their own points of view and, together, chart a wise course of action. Come join us and learn the basics of this vital approach to problem-solving.
Speaker: Sara DeHoff Host: Daniel Truran Co-Host: Vahid Masrour
Sara DeHoff Speaker Sara DeHoff is a freelance writer and author of Collaboration through Consultation: A Powerful Tool for Building Community. Drawing on 30 years of working in groups of various kinds, Sara writes about community building, working together and developing a learning mindset. She earned an M.Ed. from Harvard and has lived, worked and studied in China, Japan, Taiwan and the Czech Republic. An unwavering believer in the human spirit, Sara is always seeking ways to bring people together.
Daniel Truran Host @Strategist, impact innovator, speaker and enabler Daniel Truran has dedicated the last 20 years to explore and harness the connection between Baha'i values, the purpose and the actions or people and companies, inspiring and creating communities and movements that are building the future, a better, more prosperous, sustainable and just future. He is currently director general at ebbf - ethical business building the future, B Corp ambassador at B Lab Europe, teaches at various masters in business schools, and offers talks and sessions to spark the transition that people and the world want and need. He was the co-founder of the Impact Hub Madrid. LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/dtruran
Vahid Masrour Co-Host Having resided in 6 countries (so far!), and being a polyglot, I consider myself a world citizen. Originally trained as a psychologist, I’ve dedicated much of my time to creating and facilitating training activities both in the for-profit and non-profit worlds. I am now keenly interested in participating in the inquiry about what educational systems could and should look like in the 21st century. As a Bahá’í, I am particularly interested in topics related to Bahá’u’lláh’s New World Order, and the transition of humanity towards it. In the core activities, serving as a tutor has been my favorite activity.
Presented as a partnership with
Wilmette Institute www.wilmetteinstitute.org and Ethical Business Building the Future http://ebbf.org/
A person participating in this webinar will not only learn many of the central features of the Bahá’í Faith, but, more importantly, a person participating in the webinar will be inspired by the extraordinary things that can happen to an ordinary person, once they embrace the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh
This webinar will cover the remarkable events in the life of John David Bosch. Those events include John Bosch’s presence at the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, his participation in hoisting the Master’s coffin to His temporary resting place on Mount Carmel, and his presence at the public reading of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Will and Testament. Most striking in the story of John Bosch is the moment when the Guardian entrusted a portion of the Will and Testament into the hands of John Bosch so that he deliver it to the National Bahá’í Convention in April of 1922. The webinar will also touch on John and Louise Bosch’s establishment of a permanent Bahá’í school with race unity as its focus. In addition to these extraordinary experiences, this webinar will also tell of John and Louise’s encounters with so many Bahá’ís who later would be regarded as heroes, martyrs, and saints.
Angelina Diliberto Allen Angelina completed her undergraduate degree in English and she earned a bilingual teaching credential. She has a graduate degree in Writing in Rhetoric from UC San Diego. In the late 1980’s, Angelina and her husband co-directed the Bosch Bahá’í School Youth Academy with Edward Diliberto, Margie and Gary Bulkin, and Traci Rucker and Larry Gholar. The program ran until 2011, serving hundreds of youth every summer, guiding them through a program that included intensive study of the Bahá’í Writings, as well as participation in the early stages of a long-term forestry management program of the 68 acres of Redwood Forest at the Bosch Bahá’í school campus. Angelina has recently retired from 33 years of teaching high school, teaching a course called “Advanced Placement English Literature” to high school seniors. Writing this biography had been a long-held wish for her, as she believes the story of his life is a lesson in the extraordinary things that can happen to an ordinary person.
Why Bahá’í? In this live webinar series, we invite you to have a conversation with Rainn. What are your questions about the Bahá’í Faith? What is your hope for the world in these tumultuous times? How can we help make the planet a more livable and breathable place? Rainn responds to the audience: "What's the Bahá’í 'Bible'?" "Are there any ceremonies, like Mass?" and more. And we ask the audience: "What do you usually do when you feel annoyed by the actions of others?"
What are the major risks for humankind today? What are the conclusions of the Global Risk Report 2020 by the World Economic Forum? What do the Baha'i teachings say about potential future risks? What does this mean for us living in these critical times?
This is the first in a series of interactive "Bahá'í Conversations on Climate Change."
Other talks in the series are to be scheduled, and will include:
How Will Climate Change Affect All of Us? Many people all over the world are already suffering or even dying because of the impacts of climate change such as heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, more extreme storms, floods, and sea-level rise. How does this affect our belief in the oneness of humankind, and how can this spiritual principle guide us in our actions to mitigate climate change?
Why is the Earth Warming and What Can We Do about it? Knowing more about the causes of global warming and what can be done to slow it down empowers us for meaningful actions. It will also make us think more deeply about the meaning of justice, the “best beloved of all things”.
What Do Scientists Say Needs to Be Done to Avoid a Climate Catastrophe? - The Spiritual Challenge of Climate Change What are the projections for the future? How urgent is the issue of climate change really? How quickly do we need to act? It is now a widely accepted view that knowledge about climate change is not sufficient for human behavioral change. How can the Baha'i teachings motivate and guide our actions?
The Interconnectedness of Climate Change with other Environmental and Social Problems Climate Change cannot be solved in isolation. How can we alleviate poverty, feed increasing numbers of people, and bring the Earth's climate system back into balance? What can we Baha'is and other people of faith do to bring healing to the Earth and its peoples?
Christine Muller I was interested in environmental issues already at a young age and became a Bahá’í when I was 17, which was the beginning of a life-long study of the Bahá’í Faith. As the environmental crisis was worsening, I began to systematically study climate change at a time when not much information was easily available. I also searched the Bahá’í teachings for a spiritual solution to the climate crisis. At that time, climate change was not known to most people and there were no educational materials available. That’s why I wrote Scientific and Spiritual Dimensions of Climate Change – an Interfaith Study Course, which the International Environment Forum posted in 2009. I served on the board of RI Interfaith Power&Light for nine years and currently serve on the board of the Bahá’í-inspired International Environment Forum (iefworld.org).
As a modern religion for the global age of humanity, the Bahá’í Faith is striving to achieve what Bahá’ís call the Lesser Peace or the unity of humankind and the cessation of war and conflict. The collapse of the Soviet Union that was followed by dramatic political changes in the countries of the former Soviet bloc at the turn of the 21st century, along with the development and wide proliferation of the Internet and digital technology, noticeably increased the speed and outreach of the forces of globalization.
In this program the leading Russian specialist in and spokesman for globalization and globalism from a secular perspective, Prof. Alexander Chumakov, shares his knowledge and experiences in the field of Global Studies. Chumakov’s approach centers on the conceptual triad of culture, civilization, and globalization; he argues that real and productive dialogue among different nations is possible because the universal character of civilization serves as the unifying factor for humanity, while cultural diversity is the basis of differentiation of various countries and nations.
The interview with Prof. Alexander Chumakov is conducted by Dr. Mikhail Sergeev, co-chair of the Department of Religion, Theology, and Philosophy at the Wilmette Institute.
Professor Alexander ChumakovAlexander N. Chumakov (b. 1950) is a Russian philosopher, theoretician of science, scientific community organizer, and specialist in the fields of philosophy and the theory of globalisation. Since 1990, Chumakov has been the leading research fellow and head of the group “Global Studies” at the Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences. He became a full professor in 1993, and since 2008, has worked as a professor of the Department of Global Processes at Moscow State University. He currently teaches several specialized courses at the university, including a course entitled “Global Studies.” Chumakov authored more than 600 scholarly publications and more than 20 monographs and textbooks that have been published in Russian, English, German, French, Chinese, Polish and Czech. He has also devoted a great deal of time to administrative and organizational activities in the fields of philosophy, culture, and education. Since 1991 Prof. Chumakov has served as the first vice-president of the Russian Philosophical Society. He has also been a member of the Executive Committee of the International Association of Professors of Philosophy since 2012, as well as an acting member of the Presidium of Russian Ecological Academy since 2013. In 2015, Chumakov became Doctor Emeritus of the Bashkir State University and a recipient of the International Gusi Peace Prize.
The Seven Valleys of Baha’u’llah | Reformation of Mysticism and Outline of Baha’i Theology with Sohrab Kourosh
http://www.wilmetteinstitute.org
The Seven Valleys characterized by Shoghi Effendi as Bahá’u’lláh’s greatest mystical composition is generally considered a complex mystical treatise guiding the wayfarers in treading the path of spirituality. However, in The Seven Valleys Bahá’u’lláh while employing mystical language reformed mysticism by redefining the goal and path of mystical wayfaring and describing many theological concepts and fundamental principles of the Bahá’í theology, some of which were unprecedented in the history of the religious discourse.
In this presentation several principles outlined in mystical language in The Seven Valleys and subsequently developed in The Kitáb-i-Íqán and other writings of Bahá’u’lláh are discussed and a methodology for facilitating the study of The Seven Valleys is provided.
Dr. Kourosh’s Self Study Notes for the Seven Valleys of Bahá’u’lláh is available online from the Bahá’í Distribution Service, here:
http://www.bahaibookstore.com/Self-Study-Notes-for-The-Seven-Valleys-of-Bahaullah-P8186.aspx.
The Seven Valleys of Baha’u’llah Reformation of Mysticism and Outline of Baha’i Theology. Download PDF of Slide Show here: http://wilmetteinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/TheSevenValleysofBahaullah.pdf
https://youtu.be/HRmbyLa-GCk
Professor Hatcher’s work The Face of God Among Us (2010) is a highly structured analysis of the Manifestations of God, based entirely on passages from the authoritative Bahá’í texts. Divided in the four major parts, this work attempts to assay the purpose, the nature, the powers, and the methodology of these Divine Emissaries. This brief presentation will focus on several enigmatic questions related to the nature and powers of the Manifestations, focusing most particularly on what seems to be the epiphany They experience (ostensibly as a signal to begin Their ministry) and on the extent to which They are the authors of Their Own revelation (as opposed to being merely conduits through which God communicates with humankind).
John S. Hatcher received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Vanderbilt University and his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. He is Professor Emeritus in English literature at the University of South Florida in Tampa where he served as Director of Graduate Studies in English and where he specialized in teaching medieval literature and creative writing. Professor Hatcher taught English literature at the university level for forty-three years, thirty-nine of which were at the University of South Florida. He has published some thirty books, plus numerous articles, chapters, and poems. He is currently the editor of the Journal of Baha’i Studies.
The increasing instability and turbulence of our times is shaking many of us to the core. Our aim in this talk is to understand the forces of our times in light of the teachings of the Faith and thereby avoid the fear, despondency and paralysis of will that might otherwise result. We will focus in particular on the twin processes of integration and disintegration. We will examine the collective journey of humanity towards maturity and unity and contemplate the exigencies and implications of its current developmental stage. We will learn that much of what is happening is not random but part of a greater divine plan that is designed to lead us to a a glorious collective destiny. We will learn to read the signs of labor that the world is experiencing and remind ourselves of the ultimate outcome of this messy and difficult process, namely the birth of a New World Order. In doing so we will bolster our confidence and ignite hope in our collective future.
Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing is an international lawyer, independent scholar, and the founding director of CPGG — the Center for Peace and Global Governance (http://cpgg.org). CPGG is a virtual think tank and online forum that pools and proposes principled solutions to pressing global problems through publications, podcasts, lectures, workshops, webinars, and targeted consulting. CPGG has just published Sovaida’s latest book entitled Bridge to Global Governance: Tackling Climate Change, Energy Distribution and Nuclear Proliferation. The book posits that while humanity’s unprecedented interdependence has made it prone to systemic aliments like climate change and growing threats of nuclear terrorism and war, yet it lacks the institutions for collective decision-making and enforcement needed to tackle these challenges effectively. There is a huge chasm between the institutions we have and those we need. The book engenders hope by proposing a first step across this gap — a step that is inspired by a highly successful institutional model used to rebuild Europe in the aftermath of the Second World War. It recommends adapting this model to address our current challenges while also building confidence to create broader global governance institutions to solve our myriad other collective problems.
Sovaida has also written Building a World Federation: The Key to Solving Our Global Crises. The book posits that humanity has been passing through stages of collective growth towards integration and unity. Our current collective crises–including climate change, financial upheavals, proliferation of nuclear weapons, gross human rights atrocities, and mismanagement of critical natural resources–are simply manifestations of our passage through a turbulent adolescence. The only way to a peaceful world is for humanity to take the next step towards maturity by establishing collective decision-making institutions that can evolve into a world federation of nation-states.
Sovaida is also the author of Collective Security Within Reach published by George Ronald in 2008 with a foreword written by an Under-Secretary General of the United Nations. It offers concrete recommendations for action by world leaders, national and international, to solve some of the pressing global problems of our time including the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the equitable distribution of energy resources and the international use of force. Ms. Ma’ani Ewing is currently working on her next book focussing on issues of energy and nuclear proliferation.
Ms. Ma’ani Ewing is a barrister-at-law of England and Wales, an LLM graduate in International Law and European Union Law from Cambridge University and an attorney-at-law in the United States. Her eighteen year legal career has included private practice with respected law firms in Washington, DC, including her own, teaching as an adjunct professor of law and most recently service as an Attorney-Advisor in the Legal Advisor’s Office of the US State Department.
We all carry with us ways of thinking about and interacting with laws and legal orders – our constructed legal imaginations. These patterns are the accretions of many things – cultures passed down to us, discourses that surround us, observations of those around us, and social realities amongst us.
Bahá’u’lláh, in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, in his concept of law, and throughout his Writings, presents and encourages the cultivation of a radically new and transformative legal imagination. He challenges humanity collectively, and each of us individuals, to re-shape our own relationship with law in a manner that rejects the dynamics of fear, force, guilt, power, and politics to one rooted in the emanations of love and consciousness as the foundation for conceiving of, responding to, and implementing law.
Dr. Danesh completed his doctoral degree at the Harvard Law School and works, researches, and teaches in the areas of law and religion, constitutional law, indigenous rights, and conflict resolution and peace-building. He has taught at several universities worldwide and published articles on Bahá’í law in a number of academic journals and publications including the Journal of Law and Religion, Religious Studies and Theology, Bahá’í Studies Review, Journal of Bahá’í Studies, World Order, and The Bahá’í World. His book Dimensions of Bahá’í Law was published in 2019.
Full title of talk: “Building a ‘System the Like of Which Mortal Eyes Have Never Witnessed’: Some Reflections on the Nature and Application of Bahá’í Law”
In this web talk Professor Brian Lepard of the University of Nebraska College of Law will reflect on key elements of the system of law brought by Bahá’u’lláh, the Prophet-Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, and elaborated by Abdu’l-Baha, Shoghi Effendi, and the Universal House of Justice. He will explore how and why Bahá’í law is a “system the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed,” in the words of Bahá’u’lláh, and cannot be equated to any existing human system of law. At the same time, Bahá’í law is very sophisticated and nuanced, with many “layers,” and certain elements of it can at least be partially understood in light of existing legal concepts developed by various cultures.
Accordingly, in his talk Professor Lepard will investigate, with the participation of viewers, such questions as: How do and should we think about Bahá’í law? In what ways is Bahá’í law a “system the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed”? What are the many interrelated layers of Bahá’í law, ranging from laws governing the individual, to laws governing society, and from laws governing the Bahá’í community, to laws governing society at large, including nations and the global community? What are some similarities and differences between Bahá’í law and current legal traditions of the world? How can understanding the nature and layers of Bahá’í law, and these similarities and differences, be helpful to Bahá’ís from all walks of life, including but not limited to those practicing in the legal profession?
Brian Lepard
Brian D. Lepard is Harold W. Conroy Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Nebraska College of Law, where he teaches courses on international law, international human rights law, and comparative law, among other subjects. He worked for three years as a human rights specialist at the United Nations Office of the Bahá’í International Community in New York. Professor Lepard has written numerous books and articles on international law, comparative law, human rights, comparative religious law, Bahá’í law, and ethics, among other subjects. He is the author of two books published by Bahá’í Publishing, Hope for a Global Ethic: Shared Principles in Religious Scriptures, and In the Glory of the Father: The Bahá’í Faith and Christianity. He is currently working on an edited book entitled Transforming the Global Legal Order: Bahá’í Principles and Contemporary Social Issues. In 2016 he won an award for excellence from the University of Nebraska College of Law in part for his scholarship on “Baha’i principles and the law.” Additional information about him can be found at https://law.unl.edu/brian-d-lepard/.
In this webinar we will take a lightning tour of the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh. We will briefly survey the state of knowledge of the primary manuscript sources in the original Arabic and Persian, take stock of the existing English translations, and present a high-level subject categorization. The goal will be to provide serious students with an orientating framework and to point the way to resources that invite deeper independent study.
The resources mentioned in this webinar: Here is the latest version of the “Inventory” — an unofficial, academic tool for the identification of Bahá’í texts in Arabic/Persian and in English translation: Also: Powerpoint slides from an introductory presentation on the Inventory can be found here:
http://blog.loomofreality.org
and http://loom.loomofreality.org
Steven Phelps received dual bachelors degrees in physics and philosophy from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in physics from Princeton University, specializing in cosmology. He served at the Bahá’í World Center in Haifa, Israel for 13 years in its Research Department, where he coordinated the indexing and collation of the Bahá’í Sacred Writings and their translation from Persian and Arabic into English. During that period he concurrently held a research position in the Physics Department at the Technion University in Haifa and published original research on the masses of nearby galaxies. He currently resides in the Portland area with his wife and three daughters.
Transformative Leadership is an approach to leadership that serves as a framework for personal and social transformation. It is especially useful for those concerned with social justice, involved in projects or programs of social action, or who participate in the discourse of society. More broadly, anyone who participates in a family, team, or organization and wishes to better the quality of its interactions will find it helpful.
Since its development by Nur University in Santa Cruz Bolivia, 25 years ago, Transformative Leadership has been used in approximately 60 projects or workshops in more than 30 countries, demonstrating its applicability in different cultures, professions, and age groups. Based on the fundamental premise that all can exercise leadership, without the need of having a formal position of authority, Transformative Leadership is founded on a conceptual framework with the following elements.
●Service-Oriented Leadership ● Personal and Social Transformation ● The Investigation and Application of Truth ● A Conviction of the Essential Nobility of the Human Being ● Transcendence ● The Development of Capabilities
With Joan Hernandez, Vahid Masrour, and Jessica Kerr of http://transformativeleadershipeducation.org/
In this panel discussion facilitated by Nicola Daniels, Wilmette Institute Registrar, we will share examples of how people apply Transformative Leadership in their lives, its impact, and some of the fundamental concepts. On February 13, the Wilmette Institute will launch a 6-week online course that will delve much more deeply into these and other fundamental aspects of Transformative Leadership.
Leadership, as well as the author of many other books related to education and leadership. She has given dozens of workshops related to Transformative Leadership and its capabilities in numerous countries in four continents of the world. She especially enjoys working with educators.
Vahid Masrour was the coordinator of a 2-year project for youth in Bolivia, focused on Transformative Leadership and nine of its capabilities. He also incorporated the concepts of Transformative Leadership in a program of vocational training. Approximately 1000 youth participated in these two programs. More recently, in the US he has facilitated an online study group of Transformative Leadership.
Jessica KerrJessica Kerr is dedicated to sharing Transformative Leadership with youth. She has integrated Transformative Leadership into the activities of her Junior Youth group and, in coordination with a Northern Colorado school, gives weekly seminars on Transformative Leadership to dozens of middle and high school students, combining the contents with photography and art.
Womanism is a worldview that emerged from African American women’s culture-based belief systems and historical experiences spanning Africa and the global African diaspora. Within the last 40 years, womanist scholars have documented the manifold dimensions of this worldview and also articulated its social / environmental / spiritual movement implications for all humanity. Understanding this worldview has the potential to illuminate dimensions of the Black experience – inside and outside the Bahá’í community – that shape the contours of community life, teaching, interpersonal relations, and even our ability to make progress on the Most Challenging Issue. In this web talk, major contours of womanism will be outlined and brought into dialogue with Bahá’í themes and issues.
Layli Maparyan
Layli Maparyan, PhD, is the Katherine Stone Kaufmann ’67 Executive Director of the Wellesley Centers for Women and Professor of Africana Studies at Wellesley College. She is best known for her scholarship in the area of womanism and is the author of two groundbreaking texts in the field of womanist studies, The Womanist Reader (Routledge, 2006) and The Womanist Idea (Routledge, 2012); a third book is forthcoming. Maparyan has also published significantly in the areas of adolescent development, social identities, (including biracial/biethnic identity and the intersections of racial/ethnic, sexual, spiritual/religious, and gender identities), Black LGBTQ studies, Hip Hop studies, and history of psychology.
Maparyan’s scholar-activist work interweaves threads from the social sciences and the critical disciplines, incorporating basic and applied platforms around a common theme of integrating identities and communities in peaceable, ecologically sound, and self-actualizing ways.
A special version of the ebbf podcast for the Wilmette Institute course Promoting Moral Excellence in Business, January 2020.
A special version of the ebbf podcast for the Wilmette Institute course Promoting Moral Excellence in Business, January 2020.
A special version of the ebbf podcast for the Wilmette Institute course Promoting Moral Excellence in Business, January 2020.
A special version of the ebbf podcast for the Wilmette Institute course Promoting Moral Excellence in Business, January 2020.
A special version of the ebbf podcast Discovering How for the Wilmette Institute course Promoting Moral Excellence in Business, January 2020.
A special version of the ebbf podcast for the Wilmette Institute course Promoting Moral Excellence in Business, January 2020.
A great granddaughter of Pauline and Joseph Hannen, Judy Hannen Moe has written a book which tells of the unique and various contributions these early Washington DC believers made to the Bahá’í world, as they grew in their devotion to Bahá’u’lláh. She writes about their frequent encounters with ’Abdu’l-Bahá and how that shaped their lives, as well as the many ways they served the Faith both locally and nationally. She also shares much about the work they did teaching in the African American Community at a time when that was a great challenge to do in our country. They are given credit for teaching the Faith to Louis Gregory, who was a Nationally known speaker and promoter of the Faith and the first African American to serve on the National Baha’i Assembly. Stories of their close relationship are throughout the book.
Judy also writes about other people Pauline and Joseph taught about Bahá’u’lláh, including their parents and Pauline’s famous sisters, Alma Knobloch—who helped to open the Faith to Germany—and Fanny Knobloch who brought the Faith to South Africa and who taught the Message of Bahá’u’lláh in many states. Judy uses mostly first source manuscripts and personal letters, which she researched in the National Bahá’í Archives and the Bahá’í Archives of Washington DC. She also had the unique opportunity to interview five of Pauline and Joseph’s six grandchildren before they passed on to the spirit world.
The book, Aflame with Devotion: the Hannen and Knobloch families and the early days of the Bahá’í Faith in America is thoroughly reviewed by the Bahá’í World Center and the National Baha’i Review Committee, and is edited and published by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust in Wilmette, IL. Judy has put together a power point presentation which summarizes the book and tells about the various areas of service in which the Hannens and Knoblochs were key players. It also explains how she went about doing the research for the book.
Judy Hannen Moe has been active in the Baha’i Faith her whole life and in her community of Rockford, IL for 45 years where she lives with her husband Bruce. She is very involved in various community activities involving social justice and interfaith work. She brings this experience to the discussion of the early believers as well as current issues in our world. Judy is a retired teacher of English as a second language.
During research that led to an historical trilogy, author Michael V. Day looked for answers to his own questions about the story of the Shrine of the Báb. Among the topics of his interest were the: -concealment of the Báb’s casket and its transfer to the Holy Land; -building design; -storage and interment of the casket; -funeral of the Master; -role of the Guardian with respect to the Shrine; -design of the superstructure and -construction preparation; -building of the dome; -decision to build the Terraces; -architect’s inspiration; -construction and completion details.
Michael V. Day is the author of a trilogy that tells the story of the Shrine of the Báb. In 2017, UK publisher George Ronald released the first volume, Journey to a Mountain, which covers the period 1850-1921. The second volume, Coronation on Carmel (1922 to 1963), appeared in 2018, and the final volume Sacred Stairway (1963-2011) in 2019. Michael was editor of the Bahá’í World News Service in Haifa from 2003-2006. Prior to that, he was a journalist with various newspapers in New Zealand and Australia, the last being The West Australian newspaper in Perth where he specialised in reporting from Indonesia.
Before moving to Australia in 1988, Michael served on the New Zealand Bahá’í Public Relations Committee, and from 2007-2018 was a staff member of the Office of External Affairs of the Australian Bahá’í Community. Michael also has a legal background, and is currently a full-time author and researcher of Bahá’í history. Michael resides in Queensland, Australia, with his wife, Dr. Chris Day, the author of 52 Secrets of Psychology. They have two sons, Tom and George, and a yellow Labrador, Jazz.
In this talk Mikhail Sergeev offers a new interpretation of the Soviet period of Russian history as a phase within the religious evolution of humankind by developing a theory of religious cycles, which he applies to modernity and to all the major world faiths of Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. Sergeev argues that in the course of its evolution religion passes through six common phases – formative, orthodox, classical, reformist, critical, and post-critical. Modernity, which was started by the European Enlightenment, represents the critical phase of Christianity, a systemic crisis that could be overcome with the appearance of a new religious movement such as the Bahá’í Faith, which offers a spiritual extension of the modern worldview.
Slide presentation: http://wilmetteinstitute.org/religious-cycles-tradition-modernity-and-the-bahai-faith/
The numerically largest Bahá’í community in the world resides in India, and most of those Bahá’ís come from a Hindu background. Bahá’ís readily acknowledge Hinduism as one of the great religions, and identify Krishna as one of the “Manifestations of God”. Yet, generally speaking, Bahá’ís outside of India know little about this religion, and very little about Krishna. They are not alone. Most non-Hindus may be able to evoke a few common perceptions, such as Hindus believe in many gods; cows sacred for Hindus; they believe in reincarnation and are vegetarians, right?, yet otherwise have little knowledge of this religion.
This talk aims to “decode” elements of what constitutes “Hinduism”, an ancient and vastly complex religion, to address these perceptions, and to examine points of convergence and divergence between Hinduism and the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith.
More specifically, I will examine the following questions:
What do Bahá’í authoritative texts say about Hinduism and Krishna? Who was Krishna and how is He understood in the history of Hinduism? What are some of the areas of doctrinal difference and convergence between Hinduism and the Bahá’í Faith? What are the basics of Hindu ethics and practice, including ritual and worship, and what might be some fruitful points of interfaith discussion from a Bahá’í perspective? The talk will end with an overview of the history of the Bahá’í Faith in South Asia, including the Bahá’í House of Worship in New Delhi, now one of the most visited sites in India.
Anne M. Pearson holds a Ph.D. in religious studies, specializing in South Asian religions. She taught for many years in the Department of Religious Studies at McMaster University, Hamilton, as well as the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo, teaching courses on world religions, Hinduism, gender and religion, Gandhi and nonviolence, among others. She has authored a book (“Because it gives me peace of mind—Ritual Fasts in the Religious Lives of Hindu Women”), articles and book chapters on various topics including on Hinduism in Canada. She has been a faculty member of the Wilmette Institute since the 1990s, involved with courses on Hinduism and Buddhism for deepening and dialogue, and preparing for interfaith dialogue, among other courses. She lived in India for a number of years, and continues to visit and be involved with organizations that promote women’s empowerment and peace-building. She has also been an active participant in the Baha’i community since embracing the Faith as a student in the late 1970s.
Explore more webtalks and courses on the Baha'i Faith here: https://wilmetteinstitute.org
In this online presentation we will take a lightning tour of the Writings of the Bab. We will briefly survey the state of knowledge of the manuscript sources, summarize the existing available translations, and introduce some of the secondary literature. We will look at the fascinating interplay between form and content in His Writings, address some recurring themes, and examine one possible periodization of His short ministry. The goal will be to provide serious students with an orientating framework and to point the way to resources that invite deeper independent study.
Steven Phelps received dual bachelors degrees in physics and philosophy from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in physics from Princeton University, specializing in cosmology. He served at the Bahá’í World Center in Haifa, Israel for 13 years in its Research Department, where he coordinated the indexing and collation of the Bahá’í Sacred Writings and their translation from Persian and Arabic into English. During that period he concurrently held a research position in the Physics Department at the Technion University in Haifa and published original research on the masses of nearby galaxies. He currently resides in the Portland area with his wife and three daughters.
Part 3 of "Todd Lawson Web Talk Series on the Báb, His Artistry, His Audience, and His Commentary on the Súrih of Joseph"
In the Kitáb-i-Íqán Mulla Husayn is referred to by Bahá’u’lláh thus: But for him, God would not have been established upon the seat of His mercy, nor ascended the throne of eternal glory. This suggests, among other things, that had Mulla Husayn not recognized the Báb’s station and accepted His claims the new era would not have begun. We know from Bahá’í history that what enabled Mulla Husayn to acknowledge the truth of the Báb’s claims was in fact the first chapter of the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’, also known as the Commentary on the Súrih of Joseph. In this web-talk we will enumerate in detail the various features of this brief composition, features that we may assume were of such striking originality and obvious divine authority (another way to translate the Arabic word mulk) that Mulla Husayn had no choice but to become the Báb’s first follower or, as he is sometimes referred to, the gate of the Gate.
Part 2 of "Todd Lawson Web Talk Series on the Báb, His Artistry, His Audience, and His Commentary on the Súrih of Joseph"
In this session: The Islamic philosophic or mystical tradition, frequently indistinguishable from the Islamic tradition in general, has long been distinguished by the intensity with which it venerates and celebrates certain specific divine teachings from the Qur’án or the Hadith on the spiritual value of beauty. “God is beautiful and loves beauty” is just one such teaching. There are countless others. The purpose of this web talk is to link the Islamic veneration of beauty with the coming of the new revelation of the Báb and, later, Bahá’u’lláh, who is widely known and referred to by Bahá’ís as the Blessed Beauty.
The study of “beauty” as such is, of course, impossibly broad. In the course of the web talk we will focus on two aspects, revelation and manifestation as “messengers” of divine beauty. First, there will be a summary and elucidation of the aesthetic dimension of the Qur’anic revelation. Secondly, we will present the Islamic belief that Joseph, the subject of the Báb’s proclamatory Commentary introduced in web talk #1, was a unique embodiment of both spiritual and physical divine or blessed beauty. Muhammad, prophet and divine manifestation (and founder of Islam) is seen by the Islamic tradition as a reappearance of such spiritual and moral beauty.
As we know, the Bahá’í Faith emphasizes the quality of beauty as elements of both the revelation and person of the divine manifestations, the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh. The role of beauty as religious or spiritual value, then, may be seen to be inherited, enriched and universalized by the Bahá’í revelation.
See Also: Part 1: https://youtu.be/JAUzFdDHAfs The Báb’s Artistry in His Commentary on the Súrih of Joseph Todd Lawson
Part 1 of "Todd Lawson Web Talk Series on the Báb, His Artistry, His Audience, and His Commentary on the Súrih of Joseph"
The new dispensation announced by the Báb challenged existing notions of religion and revelation. The Báb’s commentary on the Súrih of Joseph is a highly intricate and complex composition which betrays the authorial presence of the young messiah at every word. Yet, almost every word is Qur’anic, however rearranged and ordered to conform to the new message. Thus revelation is seen in a different light. While it is certainly divine in origin, the creativity and the boldness it represents should be seen as coming directly from the Báb Himself. Thus revelation emerges as a cooperative activity, one shared by God and the manifestation. Details and examples of such artistry and creativity will be illustrated through provisional translation.
This presentation traces the development of Louis Gregory, an African American lawyer, and outstanding early adherent of the Bahá’í Faith, from his early years through his role in the black community in Washington, D.C. prior to his becoming a Baha’i and his subsequent work promoting the Bahá’í Faith and race unity, as inspired by his interactions in Egypt and the United States with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the head of the Faith. The talk also places the role of Mr. Gregory in the context of race relations, the development and contributions of African American lawyers from 1844 to the present, including in the raising of the Bahá’í administrative order, and their contributions towards social justice in the larger society.
Anthony Vance is Director of the U.S. Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs (OPA) based in Washington, D.C. He joined the office in 2010 after spending four years at the Bahá’í World Center in Haifa, Israel, representing it to the diplomatic community, civil society, and parts of the host government. A lawyer by training, he spent twenty-one years in the U.S. Agency for International Development in legal and managerial positions in Washington, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Botswana, and Egypt. Anthony holds a B.A. in Economics, an MBA, and a J.D., all from Harvard University.
Jena Khodadad, “Biotechnology, Benefits and Perils: The Need for Spiritual Perspective in Achieving Harmony of Science and Religion”
Momentous advancement in the past century and a half in molecular biology of the gene has spurred a scientific and medical revolution, accompanied at once with undreamt of possibilities as well as considerable moral and ethical implications. Such developments include: breakthrough in the structure of the DNA molecule, the carrier of the genetic information in all living things; the mapping and decoding of the entire human genome; and the technology for editing and modifying the gene. The rapidly advancing technology of gene editing, bearing the acronym CRISPER, is acquiring increasing refinements, enhanced possibilities and wider applications.
Other biotechnologies, such as recombinant DNA, gene cloning, and stem cell research, are among numerous other advances which hold prospects for the welfare of humankind, but can also portend harmful outcomes. Among the significant benefits are: identification of the genetic base of disease, eradication of deadly diseases, development of drugs and therapies, prolongation of human life and much more. Among the adverse implications are: c, human cloning, generation of biohazards and their release into the environment.
Such technological advances bring to the forefront the benefits but also the perils of biotechnology, recalling the dystopian predictions in the “Brave New World” of Aldous Huxley.
Followers of traditional religions may adopt a stance against such technologies, which they believe tamper with the gene and trespass into the realm of God’s creation. The sacred writings of the Bahá’í Faith, however, inculcate the importance of scientific investigation and knowledge. Hence Bahá’í scientists will likely choose to promote progress in scientific learning toward “the extermination of disease, to the extension of scientific research, to the raising of the standard of physical health, to the sharpening and refinement of the human brain, … to the prolongation of human life, and to the furtherance of any other agency that can stimulate the intellectual, the moral, and spiritual life of the entire human race.” (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 204) while at the same time remaining vigilant of their harmful implications.
Jena Khadem Khodadad, holds a Ph.D from Northwestern University in biological sciences (cell and molecular biology). Her academic career as professor on the medical and graduate college faculties has entailed teaching of cell and molecular biology and neuroscience and research on the molecular organization of biological membranes. The results of her work were presented before national and international scientific forums and published in scientific journals and books. Jena has served on institutions and agencies of the Bahá’í Faith. As an advocate of human rights, Jena has presented before human rights organizations including Amnesty International and the American Jewish Committee on the denial of higher education to Bahá’ís in Iran. As an active member of an interfaith organization, she is dedicated to interfaith understanding and dialogue.
Jena is the daughter of Hand of the Cause of God, Zikrullah Khadem and Javidukht Khadem and was raised in a household infused with love and passion of the Bahá’í Faith. She has attained the presence of Shoghi Effendi and presented at numerous conferences, seminars and classes on “Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith”– a theme which is integral to the focus of this web talk. Jena’s most recent writing, The Dynamics of Growth: Scientific Principles at Work in the Worldwide Advancement of the Bahá’í Faith, is published by George Ronald. This book applies insights from science to the question of growth of the Bahá’í Faith in particular and to growth of religions in general. Jena and her husband, Manuchehr, live in the United States in the Chicago area.
Technology, tourism, politics, and law have connected human beings around the world more closely than ever before, but this closeness has, paradoxically, given rise to fear, distrust, and misunderstanding between nation-states and religions. In light of the tensions and conflicts that arise from these complex relationships, many search for ways to find peace and understanding through a “global public sphere.”
Contributors to the book “Religion and Public Discourse in an Age of Transition: Reflections on Bahá’í Practice and Thought” address various aspects of this challenge within the context of Bahá’í thought and practice, whose goal is to lay the foundations for a new world civilization that harmonizes the spiritual and material aspects of human existence. Bahá’í teachings view religion as a source of enduring insight that can enable humanity to repair and transcend patterns of disunity, to foster justice within the structures of society, and to advance the cause of peace. Accordingly, religion can and ought to play a role in the broader project of creating a pattern of public discourse capable of supporting humanity’s transition to the next stage in its collective development.
In this webinar, co-editor Benjamin Schewel talks about the content of the book, as well as the process of collective inquiry that led to its creation.
Ben SchewelBenjamin Schewel is a Fellow in the Centre for Religion, Conflict and the Public Domain at the University of Groningen and an Affiliate Scholar at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia. He is also a Research and Policy Officer at the Bahá’í International Community’s European Office. He received a Ph.D. in philosophy from KU Leuven and has also held visiting positions at the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Utrecht, and Addis Ababa. His research concentrates on questions concerning religion and history. His book, entitled, Seven Ways of Looking At Religion, was published by Yale University Press in 2017. He is currently working on another book for Yale University Press, entitled Encountering the Axial Age.
This talk will describe the progressive evolution of the Bahá’í community into an emerging instrument of spiritual and social change on a global scale as we approach 100 years from the birth of its Administrative Order.
It will review the new vocabulary that has emerged, the new approaches to coordinated community learning in action, and share illustrative real life stories. It will outline how the various elements (core activities, clusters, cycles, milestones, institutions, communities of interest, social action, etc) coalesce into a coherent approach applicable at all stages of our individual and community capacity.
It will finally estimate where we are at collectively, what the quantitative and spiritual impact has been, where the frontiers of learning are, how all our myriad efforts aggregate into remarkable global impact. In this context it will also address how we fit across the entire spectrum of experience, from those of us discovering how to affect entire societies, to those of us discovering how to simply have a meaningful conversation with a neighbor.
Ismael Velasco has been a Bahá’í for 30 years, involved in community building processes inside and outside the Bahá’í community in over 20 countries, gaining the opportunity to see many of these processes across a wide diversity of contexts. Academically, he has published in the fields of Bahá’í scholarship and social action, and professionally focused in community development around the world.
Why is gender inequality so pervasive? Where does it come from and what causes it to arise from time to time? Does it have cultural and religious roots? What values are needed to confront its resurgence worldwide and what policies will enable us to create societies in which being born a boy or a girl is no longer a reason for whether or not or for how long or to what a degree we can develop our human potential?
We will take a look at some of these difficult questions and measures their cost on the security of individuals and society as a whole. We focus on how various restrictions against women have a direct impact on the economy of countries and the world. We evaluate the ways in which they undermine the talent pool available to the private sector, distort family relationships, and lead to inefficiencies in the use of resources. We analyze how gender bias contributes to an environment in which women, de facto, are second-class citizens, with fewer options than men, lower quality jobs, and lower pay. And we look at the devastating consequences of such inequality in terms of health, life expectancy and violence against girls and women, from the cradle to the grave.
Women are not yet fully politically empowered to change laws and implement new legal instruments to ensure gender equality worldwide. We have still scant presence in the corridors of power, whether as finance ministers, central bank governors, prime ministers or on the boards of leading corporations. Most importantly, in many parts of the world, including countries which consider themselves “advanced” many girls still receive less educational opportunities and less encouragement to pursue the development of their highest potential. This alone creates a vicious cycle of inequality that persists generation after generation. But perhaps if we include an economic perspective in our arsenal to promote gender equality, the penny might finally drop. The bottom line is, we simply cannot afford gender discrimination any longer.
Recorded on 10/5/2017. Chris Buck talks about some of the resources available to assist those interested in studying Baha'u'llah's proclamatory tablets published in The Summons of The Lord of Hosts. In this brief interview he defines teleology; introduces us to the teleology of the Baha'i Faith; describes Progressive Revelation and the 'paradigm shift' of the current age; touches on the 'Rapture', little-known letters Baha'u'llah wrote to statesmen (politicians)and the immense scope of Baha'u'llah's vision being rapidly unveiled in this bicentenary year; and talks about the Kitab-i-Aqdas, Baha'u'llah's 'Most Holy Book' of Laws, reminding us that the Aqdas is like 'choice wine' and also contains many principles of the Faith, and is not just a book of rules.
Chris Buck is Lead Faculty of the Wilmette Institute course "The Summons of The Lord of Hosts" - http://www.cvent.com/d/mfqthk
Links to the articles mentioned in the interview: 1. “The Eschatology of Globalization: Baha’u’llah’s Multiple-Messiahship Revisited” (2004) https://www.academia.edu/30670228/_The_Eschatology_of_Globalization_Baha_u_llah_s_Multiple-Messiahship_Revisited_2004_
- “Baha’u’llah’s Bishārāt (Glad-Tidings): A Proclamation to Scholars and Statesmen” (2010) by Christopher Buck and Youli Ioannesyan https://www.academia.edu/4332824/_Baha_u_llah_s_Bisharat_Glad-Tidings_A_Proclamation_to_Scholars_and_Statesmen_2010_
Article about the First Christian Baha'is on BahaiTeachings.org: http://bahaiteachings.org/bahaullahs-welcome-first-christian-bahai