Bahai Studies

This is the final volume I edited before departing Australia in 2000. the papers are "Creativity and Spirituality - are they related?" by Negin Sanaei"; "The Beautiful Flight toward the Light: Reflections on an Artist’s Life", by Robin M. Chandler: "The Creative Inspiration: Symbolism and Seeing" by Karel Fontaine; "Of Paramount Importance - Addressing the Paucity of Music in Bahá’í Devotional Practice" by Michael Knopf; "The Passionate Artist" by Ron Price; "Building Creative Communities: approaching the arts as social & economic development through
professionalizing, training, and networking internationally" by
Robin M. Chandler; "Arts Can Move the Youth" by Mahyar Amjadi; "Letters inscribed upon His sacred scroll : An anthology of poetry by Australian Bahá’ís 1999: by Belinda Belton; "Remembrance of Clara & Hyde Dunn" by Hooshang Eshraq-Khavari; "The Bot.  Series" by Vahid Payman; "Something Regal: Uncle Fred Murray. A compilation of tributes, photographs and stories" by June Perkins; "A lonely road to native title determination" by Walter Waia; "Mr Faizi and Mr Furútan in Australia: the Yerrinbool tapes"; "Women and Religious Change: a case study in the colonial migrant experience", by Miriam Dixson; " The Practice of Taqiyyih (Dissimulation) in the Bábí and Bahá’í Religions", by
Sepehr Manuchehri; "A “Phoenix Schedule” for the Dewey “200s” –
Suggested in particular for Bahá’í Libraries" by Paul Gerard; and "Report on scholarship" by Graham Hassall. by putting this file on academia.edu I am not claiming authorship of these papers, just editorship. those were wonderful years.

This chapter provides an account of the Bahá’í Faith in Oceania, a region that includes Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. The period to 1953 focuses on the efforts of early travellers and pioneers in Hawaii, Australia, and New Zealand and the formation of the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand in 1934. The second period, 1953 to 1963, focuses on the systematic spread of the Bahá’í teachings through the Pacific Islands during the ‘World Crusade’, commencing    with pioneers, early adherents, and the establishment of the Fiji-based regional Spiritual Assembly of the South Pacific in 1959, from which at least ten additional National Assemblies emerged as their communities expanded and matured. Differences in cultural context have shaped the patterns of growth in Bahá’í communities across the region. The Australian and New Zealand communities have experienced slow growth in societies that are becoming increasingly secular and in which religious belief is regarded as a private matter of little concern to society or the state, unless it threatens the liberal order. In the Pacific Islands, in contrast, religious adherence was viewed in the late twentieth century as a matter for the community as much as for the individual. Due to the small size of most island populations, coupled with more communal ways of life, the presence of Bahá’í communities and their activities have high visibility. Where a majority in a village or district have chosen to become Bahá’ís, their ability to integrate Bahá’í consultation and the calendar into community life has moved forward more rapidly than has been possible in Western towns and cities. Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs have been established in Sydney (1961) and Apia (1984) and others are nearing completion in Tanna (Vanuatu) and Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea). Bahá’í social and economic development projects are steadily expanding in the region, notably the Ocean of Light School in Tonga and the annual Race Unity Speech contest in New Zealand.

This chapter describes the significance of the Universal House of Justice for the development of the Bahá’í community as well as for the well-being of humanity as a whole. To understand the singular role of this global institution, the chapter first provides an overview of the Covenant that Bahá’u’lláh made with His followers and the essential place of the House of Justice within this Covenant. The chapter then discusses how the House of Justice was first established in 1963 and the manner in which it is regularly elected. Finally, it considers the unique station of the House of Justice as well as the powers and duties it exercises in guiding the Bahá’ís around the world in their efforts to apply the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh and promote the unity of humankind. Particular emphasis is placed on its mandate to preserve the sacred text, facilitate growth, and enact legislation. It is recommended that this chapter be read along with the chapter ‘The Writings of the Universal House of Justice’ (Smith), which offers further insights into the vast range of its guidance as it relates to advancing social, material, and spiritual development at the individual and collective levels.

Christopher Buck, Review of Moojan Momen, The Phenomenon of Religion. Baha’i Studies Review 9 (1999): 93–99. [Introduces Buck’s “DREAMS Paradigm.” “DREAMS” is a mnemonic acronym for the Doctrinal, Ritual, Ethical, Artistic, Mystical, and Social dimensions of religion. Developed as a classroom tool (for university students) in formally comparing world religions.]

Предлагаемый текст является попыткой научной рефлексии над сакральной компонентой храмовой архитектуры молодой новой мировой религии – Веры Бахаи. Главной целью данного исследования есть указание некоторых основных символических атрибутов, которые, будучи неотъемлемой частью храмового строительства вышеназванной конфессии, одновременно содержат в себе религиозно-догматическую составляющую этой же веры. Попытка ипользования в данном тексте феноменологического подхода позволила разъяснить отношения, которые возникают между индивидом и религиозной философией, в которой архитектура выполняет роль наглядного пособия и помощника. Разъясняется теологическое значение и социально-культурная роль феномена Mashriqu’l-Adhkár в идентичности последователей бахайской религии.

This paper examines the process by which the Bahāʻī Faith has become merged with the culture of the Nalik people of Madina Village, New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea since its introduction in 1957. In this process indigenous beliefs and practises have been reinterpreted through the Bahāʻī system and Bahāʻī beliefs introduced from the Middle East via Australia and New Zealand have become modified by the Nalik culture environment into which it was brought. The paper contrasts this easy merging of the two belief systems with the antagonistic view that early Christian missionaries had towards indigenous culture.

This is an essay in comparative modernisms. It is observed that these two works follow certain "literary laws": Joyce's Ulysses, based on the Odyssey and the Báb's  Qayyúm al-asmá, based on the Qur'an, pose questions to the reader about the relationship between tradition and innovation, text and commentary, the notion of the hero and the father-son relation. Surprising and instructive structural and thematic similarities between these two otherwise incomparable literary works emerge.

In Islamic mysticism and theurgy, the Seven Seals represent in graphic form the Greatest Name of God; in Jewish Kabbalah, the Seals bear individual Divine Names which collectively form a “Great Name.” We review and compare the primary interpretations and secondary associations for each Seal in Islam and Judaism, from which it is clear that the two traditions have developed largely independent understandings of the individual symbols. Nevertheless, points of convergence – such as the interpretation of the fourth Seal as a ladder and an ascent to/of goodness – do exist. Conversely, the attributes of the third Islamic and seventh Jewish Seals have a surprising amount in common. Collectively, the Seals have been linked via word- and letter-counting to key affirmations of each religion: the Islamic ones to the Shahāda, the Jewish ones to Psalm 46:7,11. In contrast to the Islamic Seals, individual correspondences are rarely given for the Jewish Seals and are inconsistent across sources. Kabbalistic amulets are more likely to employ the Names of the Seals than their symbols, and when present the latter are often much degraded; in contrast, Islamic talismans make frequent use of the symbol series. In Islamic magic, the Seven Seals are associated with the seven Ṭahaṭīl Names, which exhibit possible similarities to the Names of the Seals in Kabbalah. Intriguing overlaps of the Jewish Seal Names with Egyptian mythology and Vedic Sanskrit are explored, but ultimately it is thought more likely that the  seven Names derive from the Names of God’s fingers and eyes (five plus two, respectively) in the Shīʿūr Qōmah of the Hekhalot literature. Fittingly, exegesis of the Seals in both Judaism and Islam contains general themes of hands/fingers and sight/blindness.

This is my PhD thesis, submitted in October 1989. Since ANU made it available online in 2011 at https://digitalcollections.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/10663 it has had, by August 2016,  387 views and 1920 downloads (between 1990 and 2000 it may have had 20 reads; by 2016 it is averaging 2 downloads per day!)

The intent of the thesis was to explore the concept of state promoted by Christian missions in post-war Melanesia. their goal was to establish "Christian nations" free of the secularism and materialism that was sweeping the West.  I found surprisingly little evidence of conceptions of state, but did find a strong desire to be influential in it. The Baha'i Communities that emerged in the Melanesian states during this period are only considered in brief in this thesis.

Christopher Buck, “The Mystery of the Sworded Warrior in Hindu Apocalypse: Was Kalki Visnuyasas Baha’u’llah?” (1980).

Early, unpublished manuscript. Although apologetic, this paper was written at a stage when I was an autodidact, just beginning to review the relevant scholarly literature. I've written more recently on this topic in a popular, online venue:

ON BAHA'U'LLAH AS THE "TENTH AVATAR" (HINDU MESSIAH)

Is Baha’u’llah the spiritual advent of the Kalki Avatar, the Hindu messiah?

The answer to that question ultimately becomes a matter of faith. Yet faith can be based on reason, and evidence—so this question invites some investigation.

The Baha’i principle of the harmony of science and religion—which is a universal principle made sacred in the Baha’i teachings—may be brought to bear on this question, through the use of history, a kind of scientific inquiry in its own right.

So these questions naturally arise: How and when did Baha’u’llah come to be identified with the Kalki avatar? Who was Kalki? How did his tradition originate? More importantly, do the descriptions of Kalki favorably compare with Baha’u’llah’s life and mission? The short answer is no—not unless the Kalki traditions are radically reinterpreted.

This is all the more important because the identification of Baha’u’llah with Kalki requires some careful nuancing. It is not a claim that should be taken at face value, upon further investigation.

First, how did Baha’u’llah come to be associated with the messianic figure of Kalki? In 1915, George O. Latimer’s “The Call Of God” was published as the featured article in a prominent American Baha’i publication: Star Of The West, Vol. 6, No. 15 (December 12, 1915), pp. 114–120. The footnote on p. 114 reads: “*Note – Compiled in Stuttgart, Germany, during August, 1914. This manuscript was presented to Abdul-Baha personally by Mr. Latimer while in Akka in October of the same year. Abdul-Baha gave consent to its publication. — The Editors.”

This is quite an endorsement, because it appears that Abdul-Baha approved the article for publication, presumably having reviewed its contents. As Abdul-Baha did not read English, one can only speculate if a translator read Latimer’s article to Abdul-Baha in Persian translation.

In this article, Latimer states that “the Hindoos await the appearance of the tenth incarnation of truth, called Kalki” (p. 117) and, further:
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These three divine men (the Bab, Baha’u’llah and Abdul-Baha) have not only fulfilled the spiritual prophecies of all the former religions, but they have manifested by their words and deeds of the true qualities and requisites necessary to the divine and perfect educator. – p. 119.
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Here, Baha’u’llah is proclaimed as “the promised one of all religions” (p. 118), a common Baha’i declaration of faith:

… the Promised One of all the world’s peoples hath now been made manifest. For each and every people, and every religion, await a Promised One, and Baha’u’llah is that One Who is awaited by all; and therefore the Cause of Baha’u’llah will bring about the oneness of mankind, and the tabernacle of unity will be upraised on the heights of the world, and the banners of the universality of all humankind will be unfurled on the peaks of the earth. – Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 101.

These statements, when read together, lead to the conclusion that the author, George Latimer (claiming Abdu’l-Baha’s approval), explicitly associated messianic traditions of the Kalki avatar with Baha’u’llah’s advent.

Did this messianic association of Baha’u’llah and Kalki gain traction among Hindu Baha’is? In India, songs, called “bhajans,” were composed by Baha’is for teaching purposes. One of the “Baha’i bhajans” joyously proclaims:
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The Kalki Avatar

Arise! O children of India, the Kalki avatar has come.
Vishnu’s avatar has come with the name Baha’u’llah.

Nowhere in the entire world can the influence of religion be seen.
The wicked have obtained everything; the truthful have lost all;
According to the Gita, the time of Vishnu’s avatar has come.

The Gita has said when circumstances are such,
religion is again established just as it has happened today.
In order to save the righteous, the Kalki avatar has come.

Foolish people have not realized that Vishnu’s avatar has come again.
Radha and Arjuna knew that the Lord had taken a new abode.
The eternal has once again manifested himself, the avatar of God.

– quoted by Daniel E. Bassuk, Incarnation in Hinduism and Christianity: The Myth of the God-Man, p. 147.
______________
Baha’i scholar Moojan Momen, in his book, Hinduism and the Baha’i Faith, writes the following about Baha’u’llah’s messianic association with Kalki:
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Hindus are awaiting the coming of the Kalki Avatar at the end of this present age, Kali Yuga. Baha’is believe that we are already at this time. We are at the end of the Kali Yuga and Baha’u’llah is the Kalki Avatar. … All the Hindu scriptures are agreed that when conditions have reached this point, when things have deteriorated and mankind has sunk to the lowest depths of moral degradation, then the Lord will again manifest Himself as the Kalki Avatar. … Therefore Baha’is believe that, faithful to the promises and prophesies recorded in the Hindu holy books, the Lord has now manifested Himself again in the form of the Kalki Avatar. Baha’is believe that this is Baha’u’llah. – Chapter 4, “Hindu Prophecies.”
______________
For those who are familiar with the Kalki traditions, or for those who decide to explore them, readers may wonder: Does the bold (if not bald) claim that Baha’u’llah is the Kalki avatar withstand scrutiny?

On a popular level, when Baha’i bhajans announcing the advent of Kalki as Baha’u’llah are joyfully sung, then yes. On a textual and historical grounds, however, problems arise. These problems therefore invite a nuanced analysis.

Wendy Doniger, in her controversial book, The Hindus: An Alternative History, refers to Kalki as one of the “interreligious avatars” (p. 674), who makes his first appearance (in Sanskrit literature) in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata, the (the world’s longest poem):
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Kalki appears first in the Mahabharata, after a long description of the horrors of the Kali Age. Then: “A Brahmin by the name of Kalki Vishnuyashas will be born, impelled by Time, in the village of Shambhala.” He will be a king, and he will annihilate all the barbarians and destroy the robbers and make the earth over to the twice born at a great horse sacrifice. (Mahabharata 3.188.86–93, 189.1–13.) Nothing is said here about his being an avatar of Vishnu, except that he is named Fame of Vishnu (Vishnu-yashas), and nothing is said about a horse, except for his horse sacrifice. – p. 308.
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Here, we see that the name of this Savior-King, whether mythical, legendary or quasi-historical, means the “fame of Vishnu,” which was one of the names of Kalki, i.e. Kalki Vishnu-yashas. In the Kalki Purana (Chapter 30, “Lord Kalki and Visnuyasa Perform Sacrifices Instructions by Narada Muni”), “Vishnu-yashas” is the name of Kalki’s father:

Visnuyasa could understand from the words of the great sage, Narada, that his son, Kalki, was truly the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Hari. After some time, he gave up his family life and left home to reside within the forest. – Kalki Purana 30:42.

The name of Kalki’s father, Visnuyasa (or the alternative spelling, Vishnu-yashas), is a spiritual epithet that means the “fame of Visnu.” It can likewise be translated as the “Glory of God”—which is the exact meaning of Baha’u’llah’s name!

Let’s now consider the term “interreligious” in connection with Kalki and, later on, with Baha’u’llah. “Interreligious” relations can be for good or for ill. If for unity, then good. If for conquest, then bad.

Baha’u’llah as the Hindu Kalki Avatar
Christopher Buck • Jan 16, 2018
https://bahaiteachings.org/bahaullah-hindu-kalki-avatar/

The Graphic Battles in the Holy Books
Christopher Buck • Jan 17, 2018
https://bahaiteachings.org/graphic-battles-holy-books/

Awaiting the Hindu Messiah
Christopher Buck • Jan 19, 2018
https://bahaiteachings.org/awaiting-hindu-messiah/

The Tenth Avatar
Christopher Buck • Jan 21, 2018
https://bahaiteachings.org/tenth-avatar/

Baha’u’llah and the Return of Krishna
Christopher Buck • Jan 22, 2018
https://bahaiteachings.org/bahaullah-return-krishna/

Who Was Krishna—and Has He Returned?
Christopher Buck • Jan 23, 2018
https://bahaiteachings.org/who-was-krishna-and-has-he-retu…/

The Prophecies of the Bhagavad-Gita
Christopher Buck • Jan 24, 2018
https://bahaiteachings.org/prophecies-bhagavad-gita/

How to Beware of False Prophecies
Christopher Buck • Feb 8, 2018
https://bahaiteachings.org/beware-false-prophecies/

The Mystery of the Sworded Warrior in Hindu Apocalypse: Was Kalki Visnuyasas Bahā’u’llāh? Christopher Buck. American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature, Pacific Northwest Region, Annual Meeting. Vancouver School of Theology, Vancouver, British Columbia. (May 8, 1981.) (Abstract published in “Abstracts: AAR/SBL—Pacific Northwest Region, Annual Meeting, 7–9 May 1981, Abstract #16.)
https://bahai-library.com/buck_mystery_sworded_warrior

The Mystery of the Sworded Warrior in Hindu Apocalypse: Was Kalki Visnuyasas Bahā’u’llāh? Vancouver Regional Conference. Canadian Association for the Studies on the Bahá’í Faith. Presented, in absentia, by Jane Nishi Goldstone. (December 30, 1980.)
https://bahai-library.com/buck_mystery_sworded_warrior

In 1994 the Australian Association for Baha'i Studies convened a conference in Sydney on the Kitab-i-Aqdas. The papers were published in two slim volumes, of which this is the second. "Huququ'llah: the Socio-Economic and Spiritual Law of the Kltab-1-Aqdas" by Hand of the Cause of God Dr. Ali-Muhammad Varqa is an add in. Papers presented were by
Dr. Sirus Naraqi; "The concept of liberty In the Baha'i Faith" and "The concept of Justice In the Baha'i Faith" by Dr. Houshang Khazrai; and "Reflections on the Baha'i parallels to the Sunnah and ljtlhad In Islam" by Afshin A-Khavari. I think I edited the book - I can't remember. am not claiming authorship of this work, only editorship, which academia.edu doesn't offer as a category

This chapter reviews how ‘governance’ is conceived in Bahá’í thought and articulates the Bahá’í critique of current conceptions and practices as well as Bahá’í perspectives on transformation. These views are expressed in assessments of how such concepts as leadership, ethics, power, authority, agency, and justice have been expressed from the nineteenth century to the present in the operation of empires, national governments, and such international bodies as the United Nations and the World Bank. Bahá’í scripture is optimistic about future governance arrangements from local to global levels and offers precise innovations for transformation.

The Extraordinary Life and Work of Alice Mary Buckton- Baha’i Mystic
Abstract for ABS Seminar Newcastle Weekend 25th, 26th & 27th July 2014
This is the third of three papers dealing with people who both self identified and were recognised by others as Baha’is, whilst simultaneously being involved with esoteric orders and occult practices. The two earlier papers dealt with Robert Felkin and Wellesley Tudor Pole, this paper examines the life and work of Alice Mary Buckton (1867 – 1944).
Buckton was, truly a polymath, writer, poet, film maker, educationalist, feminist and above all a mystic. She was a central figure in the re-establishment of Glastonbury as the premier spiritual centre of England, as well as an important figure in the Baha’i Movement. She visited Abdul Baha in Egypt and received him at her home in Surrey; she addressed a number of public meetings on behalf of the Baha’is. She travelled to the United States and met with Baha’is there. Unlike either Felkin or Pole she and her partner Anett Schepel both appear on the list of voters for the earliest Baha’i elections, suggesting they made a conscious choice to be Baha’is at that time.
The purpose of this paper is to examine Buckton’s understanding of the Baha’i teachings in the context of her wider belief system which incorporated Christian mysticism, as well as ideas which would underpin the re emergence of Paganism. Indeed, as well as Baha’is, Buckton was well acquainted with important figures in a wide spectrum of movements which sought spiritual revival. Her neighbours in Glastonbury were Dion Fortune and Katherine Maltwood, her guests included Margaret Murray.

This paper focuses on the historical, political, and philosophical relation between Shi’i and Baha’ism in terms of teachings as well as movement. Likewise, the paper will furthermore analyze the political and religious narrative in the late nineteenth century, in Persia as the root of Shi’ite dynasty that has begun new history of the birth of new world religion, the Baha’i faith. Many political circumstances discouraged this faith not only in Iran but also in some Muslim countries including Indonesia. Although, the Baha’i movement started a new movement of difficulties as well as rejection from Shi’ite communities, it is important to perceive these two opposite groups (Shi’i and Baha’i) as the same line from Qajar dynasty. The phenomena of Baha’i and Shi’a might be defined as the conflict between inter-elite groups within the dynasty itself. When the Baha’i appeared under the authoritarian as well as dominance of Shi’ites, the conflict between aristocratic families of the Qajar dynasty has began.

Christopher Buck, “Bahāʾīs.” Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān: Supplement. Ed. Jane McAuliffe. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. (Published December 1, 2016.)

Having arisen out of Islamic historical context and milieu, the Bahāʾī religion has certain Islamicate elements, yet the Bahāʾī Faith exhibits certain other features that phenomenologically are supra-Islamicate and socially and institutionally distinctive in character. For instance, Islamic doctrine adheres to a belief in successive revelations, beginning with Adam, and culminating with the Prophet Muḥammad as the “Seal of the Prophets.” In Bahāʾī teachings, the idea of successive revelations is invested with a teleology that transforms it into “progressive revelation” where the succession of Messengers throughout the history of religions is not only sequential but cumulative, coefficient with the social evolution of humanity. As humankind advances socially, so does the corresponding need for guidance and laws suited to the exigencies of the day and age. Here, “progressive” conveys the notion of a “fuller” and “more advanced” repository of divine guidance (by way of revelatory sacred texts), without making a claim of intrinsic superiority.

A Bahāʾī theology of pluralism, with special reference to Islam, may be based on a statement by Shoghi Effendi, “Guardian” of the Bahāʾī Faith (1921–57): “Unequivocally and without the least reservation it proclaims all established religions to be divine in origin, identical in their aims, complementary in their functions, continuous in their purpose, indispensable in their value to mankind.” (S. Effendi, World Order, p. 58). This, of course, applies as much to Islam as to other religions.

Islamic prophetology is anchored in the received interpretation of Q. 33:40, which is widely believed to establish Muḥammad as the final prophet (see prophets and prophethood). In what is perhaps his most significant exegetical maneuver, Bahā’u’llāh relativizes that claim in order to supersede it, refocusing the reader’s attention a mere four verses later (Q. 33:44) on the eschatological attainment to the presence of God (liqāʾ Allāh) on the last day (see eschatology):

*** Even as the Lord of being hath in His unerring Book (Qurʾān), after (baʿd az) speaking of the “Seal” in His exalted utterance: “Muḥammad is the Apostle of God and the Seal of the Prophets” (Q. 33:40), hath revealed unto all people the promise (vaʾda) of “attainment unto the divine Presence (liqāʾyi khudā).” To this attainment to the presence of the immortal King testify the verses of the Book, some of which We have already mentioned (vide par. 148: Q. 29:23, 2:46, 2:249, 18:111, 13:2). The one true God is My witness! Nothing more exalted or more explicit than “attainment unto the divine Presence” hath been revealed in the Qurʾān. (va khudā-yi vāḥid shāhid-i maqāl ast kih hīch amrī a’ẓam az liqā’ va asraḥ-ī az ān dar furqān zikr nayāftih.) Well is it with him that hath attained thereunto, in the day wherein most of the people, even as ye witness, have turned away therefrom. ***

*** And yet, through the mystery of the former (avval) verse, they have turned away from the grace promised by the latter (thānī), despite the fact that “attainment unto the divine Presence” in the “Day of Resurrection” (liqāʾ dar yawm-i qiyām) is explicitly stated in the Book (Qurʾān). (Bahā’u’llāh, the Kitāb-i-Īqān, trans. Shoghi Effendi, Pars. 181–182; parenthetical references added; id. Īqān, Pars. 181–182). ***

In this pivotal passage, when Bahā’u’llāh relates back to “verses of the Book, some of which We have already mentioned,” a quick search of the Īqān shows that, in par. 148, Bahā’u’llāh cites Q. 29:23, 2:46, 2:249, 18:111, 13:2. Yet in this passage, Bahā’u’llāh also alludes to a Qurʾānic announcement of the “attainment unto the divine Presence” in the “Day of Resurrection” (liqāʾ dar yawm-i qiyām) that comes “after” (baʿd az) the “Seal” verse.

Shoghi Effendi, in his dual role as authorized translator and interpreter of Bahāʾī scriptures, provides a word-for-word, literal translation in rendering the Persian so: “And yet, through the mystery of the former.” Then Shoghi Effendi inserts one word for amplification: “verse” (not in the original Persian). This subtle, yet highly significant, gloss disambiguates the text, narrowing the reading from an episodic sequence of prophetic/eschatological events (“Seal of the Prophets” followed by “Divine Presence”) to a textual, qurʾānic sequence, i.e. of a pair verses descriptive of this same sequence. This makes perfect sense since the preposition “after” (baʿd az) can also mean “next.”

An attractive hypothesis (with strong evidence shy of conclusive proof) is that Bahā’u’llāh intended this pair of verses, Q. 33:40 and Q. 33:44, to be read together. Indeed, the very next verse after the “Seal” verse that refers to the eschatological encounter with God is Q. 33:44, which reads: “Their greeting the Day they meet Him will be, “Peace.” And He has prepared for them a noble reward” (Sahih International). A Shīʿī rendering is: “On the day when they will be brought into the presence of their Lord, their greeting to each other will be, ‘Peace be with you.’ God has prepared an honorable reward them” (Muḥammad Sarwar).

for ABS Seminar Newcastle Weekend 27/28 th July 2013 This paper seeks to evaluate the role of Wellesley Tudor Pole in the Baha'i Movement and examine the place of Baha'ism in the wider context of The Quest which dominated Pole's spiritual life for several decades. Recent research has brought to light further information surrounding Pole's beliefs about the bowl he discovered in Glastonbury and its links to a lost library in Constantinople, his spirit guides and their role in conflicts in different spheres.

Vindicating the mission of the Persian reformer known as the Báb (d. 1850) Bahá’u’lláh’s Book of Certitude (1862) focused on spiritual authority from an Islamic perspective. In this work, a subtext may be discerned, in which Bahá’u’lláh intimates his own mission in the same terms of reference. Later, in his epistles to the monarchs of Europe and West Asia (1866–1869), Bahá’u’lláh exercised that authority and spoke of world reform. This article places Bahá’u’lláh in the context of Islamic reform, with particular reference to the advocacy of constitutional democracy by prominent Iranian secularists. In an ideological ether pervaded by “Westoxication,” Bahá’u’lláh sought to reverse the direction of Western influence. Bahá’u’lláh prosecuted his own reforms in three stages: Bábí reform; Persian reform; and world reform. In the centrifugal sequence, Bahá’u’lláh is shown to have bypassed Islamic reform altogether in his professed role as “World Reformer.”

This paper provides an outline of the importance of dreams and their interpretation in the Bahá‟í Religion. After some general remarks on dreams, dreams and dream interpretation in Islam will be discussed, since they provide an archetype for the Bahá‟í context. Statements on dreams by Bahá‟u‟lláh and „Abdu‟l-Bahá will be examined. Finally, a dream interpretation by „Abdu‟l-Bahá in Ottoman Turkish that contains significant Islamic elements, will be commented on and a provisional translation of it appended.

Киселев О.С. Семья как «страна в миниатюре» в вере бахаи / Семья: феноменология повседневности: коллектив. моногр./ под общ. ред. Е. С. Элбакян, Г. С. Широкаловой. — Н. Новгород: НГСХА, 2016. — С. 254-265

В главе представлено систематическое описание понимания института семьи в религии Бахаи. Автор, основываясь на текстах Бахауллы, Абдул-Баха, Шоги Эффеди и Всемирного Дома Справедливости показывает, что брак и семья с точки зрения Веры Бахаи относятся к фундаментальным ценностям, общим для всех религий. В этом контексте автор раскрывает и принцип бахаи о равенстве мужчины и женщины, правила помолвки и бракосочетания, отношение к сексу и деторождению. Отдельно в статье затрагиваются вопросы взаимоотношений между мужем и женой, а также правила расторжения брака.

This is a political theology for the Bahai Faith, and a philosophy for personal orientation in our globalising, postmodern society.

The functional differentiation of society means that government, religion, commerce, art, education and science are increasingly independent, have different social functions, relate differently to one another, and that their lived meanings for us are different. Functional differentiation also drives the pluralism and relativism, global scope and individualisation that characterise postmodern society. In a society in which religious ritual is the mirror of individual distinctiveness, not of collective identity, in which permanent pluralism means that no one religion can provide common norms and values (and no ideology should try), and in which the norms of one sphere of life are not transferred to other spheres, religion must find a new understanding of itself, and a new job description for its role in society. The 20th century has taught us that economic affairs cannot be governed by political ideologies, that science must be free of doctrine and political agendas, that church and state must be separated. But it has not provided us with a new world view that explains the postmodern world that we actually experience. This book draws on the Bahai scriptures, and the Bible and Quran, to show that the differentiation and globalisation of postmodern society are signs that the Kingdom of God is growing in the world.

This article outlines the spread of the Bahá'í religion (known in Chinese as Datong jiao 大同教) in Republican China (1912-1949), as a form of religious cosmopolitanism that originated in Iran, whose spread to China can be traced to links with the Ottoman Empire, British Palestine, the United States and Japan. By tracking the individuals, connections and events through which knowledge of the Bahá'í movement spread in China, our study reveals an overlapping nexus of networks that shared cosmopolitan ideals: intellectual reformers, liberal Christians, Esperantists, Confucian modernizers, redemptive society activists, and socialists. The Bahá'í connections serve as a thread that sheds light on a unique 'cosmopolitan moment' in Republican China, hitherto largely ignored in the scholarly literature on this period, which has focused primarily on the growth of modern Chinese nationalism. Leading nationalist figures endorsed these movements, showing that nationalism and cosmopolitanism were seen as expressions of the same ideal of world community, at a specific juncture of Asian colonial modernity. Through this case, we argue that the sociology of cosmopolitanism should attend to non-secular and non-state movements advocating utopian visions of cosmopolitanism, map the circulations that form a nexus of such groups, and identify the contextual dynamics that produce 'cosmopolitan moments' at specific historical junctures and locations.

This article has as objective to discuss how the peace concept evolved along with the history, and subsequently, to examine how this concept dialogue with the perspective provided by Bahá'í Faith according to authoritative texts and experts. Aiming to provide an overview for a discussion of a term in flux, this exploratory analysis was conducted aiming to respond to the following question: which are the interfaces between the discussion on peace developed by Peace Studies and the conceptual framework provided also on peace by Bahá'í Faith? The research shows that there are intersections both in concepts of peace and violence. Moreover, Bahá'í Faith brings an additional contribution to Peace Studies, which is a unique discussion on human nature and the principle of the oneness of mankind.

هذا كتاب مِن عند الباء لِلثّاء إلى الواوْ الّذي الهم مِن الغيب على نوره بِالحقّ وإنّه كتابًا قصيرًا حيث تحتوي على أربعة شأنٍ مِن شؤون الخمسة وتلك شهادة على العالمين وعدد البسملة لها هي بِالعددين حيات وبِهاهوت وأنّها مكونة مِن الأسماء ٣۱٥ و ٩۲ مِن كتاب الأسماء الكلّشيء وبِهذه العظة الافتتاحية والخطبة الختامية منصوصًا عليها في ٦٣ صفحة بِعدد البيان وبِدون العظة الافتتاحية منصوصًا عليها في ٦۲ صفحة بِعدد إسم الله الباطن والكتاب يتكون مِن ۱٩ سُوَر عزيّة محبوبية بِعدد الهُدى لعلّ يصبح هدىً واحدًا لِمَن في سماوات الأمر والخلق وما بينهمّا كلّ عباد له وكلّشيء في يوم القيامة إلى ربّهم يرجعون

On ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Prophecy: “These Indians will enlighten the whole world.” By Christopher Buck and Kevin Locke [Lakota], Version #4 (April 26, 2020).

•  This is a work-in-progress.
•  “The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Bahá’í Faith.”
•  (Photos are linked: Click on each photo to view source.)
•  Feedback invited.

When Weber identified the synergy (wahlverwandtschaft) between Protestantism and the rationalisation of social control and production in “modern” societies, both processes could be analysed in retrospect. This paper will attempt, more tentatively, to draw attention to the potential “fit” between the dynamics of globalisation and the Baha’i Faith.

This chapter provides an account of the Bahá’í Faith in the countries of Northeast Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia, Sakhalin Island, and Taiwan). Against a backdrop of warfare, revolution, and intense ideological and territorial contest, the histories of the Bahá’í communities in most of these countries have slowly but surely progressed through at least three distinct phases: the first comprising the arrival of individual Bahá’ís in the nineteenth century; the second comprising systematic efforts under the Ten Year Plan (1953–63), during which the Tokyo-based regional Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of North East Asia was established in 1957; and the third comprising the emergence from this regional body of separate national Spiritual Assemblies in Japan and Korea (1964), Taiwan (1967), and Hong Kong (1974). Political circumstances in China, Mongolia, and Sakhalin resulted in slower emergence, with organized Bahá’í activities in China halted since 1949. The first entry by Bahá’ís to the Russian territory of Sakhalin Island occurred in the 1990s, and the national Assembly of Mongolia was first elected in 1994.

GOD & Apple Pie
Religious Myths and Visions of America

Two sample chapters (by publisher's permission):
1.  Native American Myths and Visions of America (Chapter 2)
2.  Black Muslim Myths and Visions of America (Chapter 9)

Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/God-Apple-Pie-Religious-Visions/dp/1891928155/

From the Inside Flap;

GOD & Apple Pie
Religious Myths and Visions of America

Christopher Buck

Introduction by J. Gordon Melton,
Distinguished Professor of American Religious History, Baylor University

This book is about an unusual religious topic: the United States of America ("America").
"America" is, at once, nation and notion, country and creed, republic and rhetoric. This book is about Providence and principle--the relationship of the supernatural world to the world's superpower. "America" is not in the Bible, nor in the Qur'an. Yet "America" today pulsates with religious significance. "America" is a word that has taken on mythic proportions.

Eleven religions have been selected for their distinctive perspectives on America: (1) Native American religion (Iroquois); (2) Protestant Christianity (the Puritans); (3) the Christian Right; (4) Roman Catholicism; (5) Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist); (6) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons); (7) Christian Identity (White nationalists); (8) Nation of Islam (Black nationalists); (9) Islam (especially Radical Islamists and Progressive Muslims); (10) Buddhism (Tibetan and Soka Gakkai); and (11) the Baha'i Faith.

Over the course of American history, religious myths and visions of America tend to reflect an ever-changing American civil society, whether as a function of its social evolution or as a catalyst of it. The result is: Religions re-mythologize America. And: Religions re-envision America.

God & Apple Pie invites serious reflection on what it means to be an American, particularly from a religious perspective.

Bahá’í Faith, a young world religion, which significantly differs from the other world revealed religions, has its own characteristics also in what concerns the practice of prayer. No institution of the priesthood and dogmatic canon law allow believers this new religion almost by any means to pray to God. Bahá’í doctrine emphasizes the importance of prayer in the life of both individuals, and the whole community. It is
important not mechanical reading of the texts of intentions, but experiencing the state of spiritual development. Basically, prayers of this religion are divided for obligatory and facultative, that is celebrated in private, rarely – in the community of the faithful. The content of the prayer’s texts in a clear base reflects the Bahá’í theology and it could be a good source material for researchers of the phenomenon of new religious movements and the phenomenon of the spread of these movements as well.

This article seeks to provide a religious rationale for embracing the multi-centred post-modern society, and for rejecting monist social models. In particular it provides a theological underpinning for the separation of church and state. Its thesis is that church and state are distinct in the Kingdom of God, and the Kingdom of God is growing on earth where church and state are distinct, but closely related.
The first part explains the Bahá'í teachings regarding civil government and its relationship to institutional religion, on the basis of selections from the Bahá'í scriptures. It concludes with some elements of a Bahá'í political theology. The second part suggests a metaphysical model that justifies the organic model of society, in which the religious and political order are properly distinct organs with differing logics, and no one organ can control the whole or claim a unique relationship to the divine. The argument in this section is presented in a neoplatonic language common to theologies of the Western monotheistic faiths, in the hope that this approach may be of use for theologians of other Faiths.
This paper was written before the discovery of Shoghi Effendi's translation of the 8th Ishraqat, and his presentation of the Bahai Movement at Oxford. In both cases, the discoveries are in line with the reading of essential Bahai teachings in this article.

A collection of essays focusing on interfaith dialogue and some aspects of the Bahai Faith. Raimon Panikkar was kind enough to provide a prologue in which he makes a few insightful remarks about a possible geography of religions and the role the Bahai Faith may play in this regard.

Reisende, die heutzutage die Stadt Haifa in Israel besuchen, werden vom zentralen Ben Gurion Boulevard, der zentralen Achse des früheren Viertels der deutschen Tempelgesellschaft schon von weitem auf der Anhöhe den gewaltigen Anblick eines Schreins mit wunderschönen Gärten erblicken, den Schrein des Bāb und die Gärten des Weltzentrums der Bahai. (Siehe Abb. 1: Blick von den Bahai-Gärten auf Haifa und Abb. 2: Inschrift an einem Templerhaus in der Deutschen Kolonie.) Nun lässt sich zwar keine direkte theologische Verbindung zwischen Bahais und der deutschen Tempelgesellschaft nachweisen, obwohl sie nachweislich in Kontakt standen, aber ihre geographische Nähe in Haifa stellt sich wirklich bemerkenswert dar. Sie siedelten sich dort zu ähnlichen Zeiten an. Die Tempelgesellschaft kam im Jahr 1869 nach Haifa und die Bahai 1868 in das benachbarte Akkon. Beide Strömungen können als Erweckungsbewegungen des 19. Jahrhunderts gelten, die sich im christlichen wie auch im islamischen Kontext finden lassen. Beide beschwören eine nahende Endzeit oder bereits begonnene Endzeit herauf. Sie haben sich auch aus dem traditionellen Kontext ihrer Grund-Religionen gelöst und verkünden neue, modifizierte Glaubensinhalte. Der große Unterschied liegt darin, dass sich die Tempelgesellschaft freiwillig in Haifa niederließ, um dem wiederkehrenden Jesus nahe zu sein, während die Bahais von osmanischen Behörden in Palästina angesiedelt wurden. Dennoch haben sich die Bahais in der Folgezeit entschieden, in Akkon und Haifa zu bleiben und dort den Sitz ihres Weltzentrums anzusiedeln. Die Tempelgesellschaft sollte im Zuge des zweiten Weltkriegs wieder aus Haifa verschwinden, als die Briten sie wegen ihrer offenen Sympathie zu Nazideutschland nach Australien deportierten. Die Bahai aber blieben, schmückten ihre Gärten und Bauten noch weiter aus und stellten das Heilige Land in den Mittelpunkt ihrer Glaubenspraxis.