Several have asked for our final ethnography on the Baha'i adherents - here it is! This was a joint effort by Nate Thompson, Octavia Moore and me. Email me with any questions.
FYI - the table of contents probably only works in the document, but it gives you a flow of the blog.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I.
Introduction
2
A. Target Group
2
B. Demographics
3
C. Methodology
4
II.
History of the Baha’i Faith
5
A. The Birth of a Religion
5
B. Links to the Past
6
C. Baha’i Solidarity
7
D. Baha’i in the United States
7
III. Ethnographic Findings: Social Structures 8
A. Family Structures
8
B. Social Institutions
9
IV. Ethnographic Findings: Ontology – Origin,
Power and Destiny 12
A. Who is God? 12
B. How did He
create? 14
C. Humanity’s Purpose 15
D. Our Problem 19
E. Destiny 20
V. Ethnographic Findings: Epistemology –
What is true? 21
A. Sorting Systems 21
B. Systems of
Logic 24
VI. Ethnographic Findings: Axiology 27
A. Authority Structures 27
B. Guilt and Shame 30
VII. Conclusion 32
VIII. Resources, Contact Persons and Bibliography 34
A. Baha’i Resources 34
B.
Contact Persons and Interviewees 34
C.
Interview Questions 35
D.
Bibliography 36
E. Supplemental
Bibliography 36
I.
Introduction
A. Target Group
The
target group of this study is the people of the Baha’i faith in North America,
with a focus on residents of South Carolina. The research team discovered the
Baha’i through a process of investigation which sought to understand the
worldview perspectives of people in South Carolina that would agree a supreme
and divine presence exists but who are not exclusively Christian. Often times
referred to as “post-modern” or “new age” faith adherents, this group believes
divine revelations vary based on time, place and people group. Therefore they
would also agree that many, and equally valid, paths exist to connect
emotionally and spiritually with “God.”
The
investigation led to the realization that the Baha’i faith is the second
largest religion in South Carolina based on 2010 US Religion Census data! South Carolina is the only one that can make this claim; Islam is
the second largest religion in the states surrounding South Carolina, as well
as most other states. Analysis of data from this census shows that 171,449
Baha’i adherents live in the United States, with 17,559 of them in South
Carolina. Exact numbers of Baha’i faith adherents worldwide are difficult to
obtain but estimates of “six to eight million” are easy to validate from
multiple sources. Attention was appropriately shifted to this little known
monotheistic religion because it had prevalence in the region and fit the other
criteria well.
Officially, one is considered a Baha’i
member once they have expressed their allegiance to the teachings of its
founder, Baha’u’llah, as well as his appointed interpreters and protectors of
the faith, Abdu’l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi. The people of the Baha’i faith focus on equality and unity and
therefore are very welcoming to all who wish to learn about it. As a result
“seekers” are commonly encountered; a seeker is someone who learning and
worshipping with the Baha’i, but has not yet made the full commitment. Two seekers
have been included in the study but the vast majority are active Baha’i
members.
B. Demographics
A total of twenty-seven interviews
were conducted during February, March and April of 2015. Most were within the
Columbia and Greenville communities of South Carolina, however the field was
expanded to include Baha’is in other cities within North America due to the
small number of available participants locally. The majority, or 74% of the
interviews, were South Carolinians with the remaining from places like Chicago,
Boston, Toronto and greater New York City. The gender ratio was closely even,
fourteen men and thirteen women were interviewed. The ages ranged from the mid-thirties to the mid-eighties with 74%
being below retirement age. The Baha’i pride themselves on advancement of
knowledge and it showed with 60% having an advanced degree. Many doctors,
lawyers, artisans, and college professors participated.
The most interesting demographic of
the study is ethnicity. The observations of the team show that the South
Carolina based communities are ethnically diverse. The largest ethnic group in
these communities are self-described Persians, meaning of Iranian descent;
non-Hispanic White was the next largest group followed by Black members.
Through observation, we were able to estimate the population as 50% Persian,
35% Non-Hispanic White and 15% Black. However, the results of our interviews reveal a different dynamic
where 70% of the participants were Non-Hispanic White, 19% Black and only 11%
Persian. Unfortunately, most of the Persian members of the community were
reluctant to participate in an interview. The team speculates that their
comfort with the English language may have played a role in their decision.
C. Methodology
The authors of this paper were also
the researchers; they immersed themselves into as many aspects of the Baha’i
public community as possible. Upon initial contact, the team was transparent
about who they are and their intentions: they are all graduate level Christian theology
students who seek to understand the worldview of people who are “Baha’i
friendly.” This approach was appreciated by the local Spiritual Assemblies
given the Baha’is propensity for unity and advancement of knowledge and therefore
the team was warmly welcomed. Community involvement time included group venues such as
devotional gatherings, study circles, social media gatherings, feasts and
social justice awareness events. The researchers participated in Baha’i
worship, celebrations and activism which allowed them to establish credibility
resulting in relationships with willing interview participants.
The South Carolina based interviews
were conducted individually, face to face; the others were done via phone
conversations. The interviews generally ranged between ninety minutes and two
hours in length. Some interviews were recorded, but most were not. All interviews
are confidential; pseudonyms are used when applying quotes for emphasis. Journals
were kept for every interview which were quickly converted into an electronic
form for sharing with other team members. The team initially asked questions
about origins, power, destiny, truth and good vs evil. Baha’is educate their membership well therefore many
standardized answers were received albeit some offered an individual flair. More
personal questions about interaction with God and with other Baha’is were added
to later interviews in response. The sum of the
interviews plus notes from participant observations in the group settings
provided the data presented in this ethnographic study.
II.
History of the Baha’i Faith
A. The Birth of a Religion
Every major religion can trace its
lineage to a human originator and the Baha’i faith is no exception. The central
figure for the Baha’is is Baha’u’llah, which is an Arabic term meaning “the
Glory of God.” This man, first known as Mirza Husayn-Ali’, was born in Tehran,
Iran on November 12, 1817 into a prominent family. Baha’u’llah is as much a
name as it is a title for the religious leader. This man traces his ancestry to
famous religious figures such as Abraham through his wives Sarah and Keturah as
well as to Zoroaster, the founder of the faith by the same name. In addition to
genetically staking a claim to King David’s throne, Baha’u’llah is identified
as God’s specially anointed representative for the modern era. One man
explained it this way:
“Christ was born again in
Baha’u’llah – this is evidenced by the announcement of the Bab and by the Holy
Spirit living in Baha’u’llah. Christ returned at this point because of man’s
expanded capacity to understand God and grow spiritually. That is why
Baha’u’llah had so many writings – it is said he wrote over 2 million verses.” –
Gates
Similar to the New Testament
announcements of Jesus by John the Baptist in Matthew 3:11, Baha’u’llah had his
own herald making way for the Baha’i faith. Mirza ‘Ali-Muhammed, born 1819 in Shiraz, Iran was the announcer
for Baha’u’llah according to the Baha’i teachings. Known as “the Bab”, which is
Arabic for Gate or Door, the Baha’is trace his lineage to Abraham through Ishmael
and Muhammed. The Bab is credited with starting the idea that God will bring in
a new age of unity among all people through the teachings of one to come – that
one being Baha’u’llah. Keep in mind that this is a modern interpretation of a
far more complicated history which goes beyond the scope of this research.
B. Links to the Past
Taking his place as the faith’s
leader in 1848, at thirty years of age, the Baha’i teaching claims Baha’u’llah
is the fulfillment of prophecies from all major monotheistic religions: he
ushered in the Day of Resurrection according to the New Testament and Qur’an;
his is the King of Glory in the Psalms; the tenth Avatar of Hinduism; the
Buddha of universal fellowship; and the Shah Bahram of Zoroastrianism. Baha’is
teach that these religions are also authoritative and represent God’s teachings
for that time and place of the world. As such, Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster,
Krishna, Jesus, Buddha, and Muhammed are considered on the same level as
Baha’u’llah along with the associated sacred texts for those faiths.
The most authoritative of the peer
manifestations is Baha’u’llah since he is identified as the most current
representative of God. Deandra expressed her understanding in this way:
“It has been said that Jesus brought
brotherhood, Mohammed brought nationhood, but Baha’u’llah brought unity.”
Baha’u’llah’s
teachings are recorded in the texts that Baha’is follow, many of which came
while he was imprisoned for blaspheming against the Islamic faith. The most
commonly mentioned texts are the Kitab-I-Aqdas which is Arabic for The
Most Holy Book, Kitab-I-Iqan as the Book of Certitude, Gleanings, and
Gems of Divine Mysteries.
C. Baha’i Solidarity
The teachings of the faith will be
explained more in later sections, but it is worth mentioning the leaders who succeeded
Baha’u’llah. The founder of the Baha’i faith was concerned for the integrity of
his teachings and therefore appointed successors to avoid the divisions that
had occurred in the Christianity and Islam. He appointed his first born son as
the only authorized interpreter and model for the faith; accordingly he took
the title Abdu’l-Baha’ which means perfect exemplar. Under his leadership, the
Baha’i faith came to be known throughout Egypt, Europe and the United States. Additional teachings were added to the list considered critical to
the faith. Abdu’l-Baha’ promoted unity until his death in 1921.
Subsequently, Abdu’l-Baha’ appointed
his oldest grandson, Shoghi Effendi, as the guardian of the faith and left him
with the responsibility of ensuring the establishment of the Universal House of
Justice. Shoghi Effendi’s role was to protect the idea of world unity and
continue expansion of the faith through his global travels. Shortly after his
death in 1957, the administrative council appointed by Shoghi Effendi brought
the Universal House of Justice into existence. They are the legislative arm of
the faith today, which consists of nine men appointed through an election
process.
D. Baha’i in
the United States
Louis Gregory is
credited with propagating throughout the United States. Born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1874, this son of former
slaves met Abdu’l-Baha’ and Shoghi Effendi after a journey that led him to
embrace the Baha’i teachings. Their message of equality and unity resonated took
with him in light of the turmoil he and other African Americans faced from the
Ku Klux Klan and similar racist attitudes. Dr. Gregory spent the rest of his
life promoting the faith in the United States and Canada. His role in the
expansion of the faith in North America earned him a prestigious honor where he
was appointed the first ever “Hand of the Cause of God.” Today, there are Local
Spiritual Assemblies overseeing congregations in every state, most states have
several. Prevalence in South Carolina is such that the Baha’i faith is the
second largest after Christianity. This research included input from three of
the larger groups in South Carolina: Columbia, Charleston, and Greenville.
III. Ethnographic Findings: Social Structures
A. Family Structures
The Baha’i family structures are
often based on their family of origin. It is important to remember that the
Baha’i faith is made up of individuals who have come from various ethnic and
religious backgrounds. Speaking from a religious sense, someone who converted
from a Jewish background may still observe Jewish familial structures. From an
ethnic structure, someone from a Persian background will exhibit the Persian
family structure. During devotional gatherings, it was observed that families
still sat together and would even occasionally hold hands. The family is still
upheld as a viable institution within the Baha’i faith.
The typical Baha’i family may value
the extended family or the nuclear family. This is the case due to the
background a Baha’i family originates from before their conversion. The Baha’i
family system usually imitates the structure of the family from which a Baha’i
adherent came. If a value was placed on the extended family prior to conversion
to Baha’i, they would continue to value extended family after conversion. There
is an exception to this rule. If someone valued their extended family or
nuclear family prior to conversion but then upon conversion to Baha’i was
ostracized by their family of origin, they would begin to take upon themselves
the operate even more in line with their Baha’i community.
Still, there are some certainties
that the Baha’i hold to about family structure. A prime example is the value
placed on the authority of parents. Some Baha’is would proudly share that they
would never marry someone their parents didn’t approve of even if their parents
were not themselves Baha’is. This belief is founded upon a teaching which was
given by Baha’u’llah to ask one’s parents for permission concerning a marriage
partner. One heartbreaking story was shared where the parents did not approve
of a potential marriage partner for what most people would consider a mature and
independent adult; the result: they never married. Clearly, some Baha’is take
this directive seriously. They prize parental authority over personal marital
selection.
B. Social Institutions
Nevertheless the Baha’i
believe that the primary social institution is the community of Baha’is: no
other organization is more crucial. The reason the Baha’i
community is so important is that it is part of the beginning expression of the
unified human race. The unified human race is the ultimate and final social
structure for which mankind is destined to attain. When the human race is
unified, it will part of the completed state of heaven on earth.
A phenomenon which occurs within the
Baha’i community is an experience with a former faith. Among many Baha’i who
shared for this research, there was often a story where difficulty was
experienced in a prior faith setting. Leena, for example, said,
“The common theme [in the church] was
divisiveness which I found to be distasteful. [I] became introduced to the Baha’i faith when living in [a nearby town]. I
noticed how kind and polite they were to everybody, including people of
different ethnicities.”
Leena had a sour taste in her mouth from
Christianity and found the Baha’i faith to meet some of the needs which Christianity
was not meeting for her. This is the way that they progress from one faith
which was started from a former manifestation to the faith started by the most
recent manifestation, Baha’u’llah.
Amidst the Baha’i, leadership is a
mantle shared by all. Though there is a nine-member assembly of leaders for
various levels of Baha’i groups (from the small community gatherings up to
national and international authorities), Baha’i still value the principle that
leadership is shared by all within the faith. It was observed in their
devotional gatherings that all members contributed to the planning and
leadership of the gatherings. Further, even the questions of small children
were valued with equal status as the questions of adults.
As a culture, the Baha’i value
equally productivity and relationship. Though for some cultures this is an
impossibility, the Baha’i are able to strike this balance with precision. On
the productivity side, Baha’is diligently pursuit truth for their own personal
investigation. They strongly believe that the more truth a person is able to
understand, the more they have understood about God’s essence. In that personal
investigation, the Baha’i believe that as their knowledge increases they will
also strive for unity. In striving for unity, relationships are born across
various social lines which often times are not traditionally crossed. It is
difficult to say which a Baha’i believer values more: personal investigation of
truth or unification: both are paramount to their faith.
The Baha’i also consider the
spiritual world as so woven into the fabric of the natural world that the two
are inseparable. Nevertheless, a Baha’i
adherent would never consider the natural world to ultimately take precedence
over the spiritual world. The Baha’i do
believe that what happens in the natural world intimately effects the spiritual
world. Nadeen shares her views of the supernatural when she shares that
“God is still active in the lives of his
people, but not necessarily in the form of miracles. Miracles do happen, so the
supernatural is possible. However, most interaction between God and his people
is through his confirmations, or assurances of their actions, and through
messages that can come through dreams or other means.”
It must be said that beyond a God concept,
the idea of an afterlife (not heaven or hell), and spiritual leadings (i.e.
dreams, promptings, providence), very little exists supernaturally. Kenneth
confirmed that the Baha’i do not believe in angels, demons, and other matters
of the like which Christianity sometimes describes as the spiritual middle.
Speaking finally of the progression
of social structures, the Baha’i believe in a fascinating change which is
taking place through human social structures. During some of the interviews
with Baha’i, it was noted that there is a paradigm shift occurring from
traditional social structures to a different social structure of global
unification. Gerry espoused this view in the following quote:
“We’re going through an age of
tremendous transition which brings about confusion… I think what’s going on in the world is a dynamic process … we’re in the age of transition where institutions and structures
are being shaken at their bones and disintegrating: there is a process of
disintegration at every level. [Even] the family is disintegrating: all the
systems are being looked at and challenged. Even the church is disintegrating
and being shaken by other forms of marriage. On every level the transition is
going on. Baha’i see it as a twofold process: disintegration and
integration. The process of integration is where I choose as an individual to
put my time and prayer. … I’m talking about the
integration of the human spirit…The work that I do and the choices I make about
how to spend my time and the relationships I work at are directed in the same
way. There’s also a natural process: communities and nations are
screaming out for a different way of modeling unity and integration in our
homes, faith-based communities, and the institutions we serve.”
Gerry believes that all the traditional institutions
such as marriage, the family, and the church are disintegrating. He believes
that the disintegration of those more traditional means of community is leading
larger communities such as nations to look for a new way to express unity. He
believes that this is a critical step in the unification of humanity, the
idealized social structure that Baha’i. Unified humanity will occur once all
the other institutions which divide us have ceased.
IV. Ethnographic Findings: Ontology – Origin,
Power and Destiny
A. Who is God?
The
Baha’i concept of God can be summed up in two words: “unknowable essence.” God
is a spirit, he has created all things and is involved in this world. The
Baha’i God can be learned about, but he can never be fully known. Albert says,
“Our goal and the goal of our hearts and our spirits is nearness to God.” He and other Baha’i believe that closeness to
God is directly correlated to knowing truth, especially spiritual truth. This
closeness allows Baha’is to partner with Gods mission of unity and receive a
greater purpose for their life on earth.
Symbols and Aesthetics
Though
the Baha’i never depict their God, they do have some visually aesthetic
depictions about their faith. They depict the means of approaching God. One of
the primary symbols of the Baha’i faith is the temple. There is at least one
major temple on every continent, and each temple has nine doors. Each door
represents the manifestations who have come to humankind throughout history and
who remain as viable means for approaching God. There are other symbols such as
the Baha’i wheel which depict the same idea: nine doors to God. Further, many Baha’is
have come to recognize middle-eastern style calligraphy as a pleasing
aesthetic. Seeing the name of the Baha’i God written in Arabic style is a
common thing in many places of worship and in much of the literature published
by the Baha’i. These are some of the visual aesthetic methods Baha’is use in
their faith practice.
Another aesthetic category in the Baha’i
faith is not visual but auditory. The Baha’i prayers can be spoken with beauty
and delicacy. They can be spoken with power and poise. They can be humble and
beseeching. The style of prayer is dependent upon the one who is actually
praying; furthermore, due to the format of devotional gatherings where each
participant may contribute, the assembly is able to enjoy these various styles
prayer from their fellow believers. It is an auditory depiction of unity.
The spoken analogies used to explain
spiritual principles are also auditory aesthetic. An example of one of these
analogies comes up when a Baha’i answers the question, “Is a manifestation God
or human?” The Baha’i answer is that the manifestation is like a very polished
mirror reflecting a very bright light such as the sun. If one looks directly at
the sun or directly at the sun in the mirror the brightness is too bright to
bear in either case. This is the answer to the question about manifestations
being God. There are analogies used to answer other questions in beautiful and
mysterious ways. They are a clear auditory aesthetic important to the Baha’i
faith for beauty, eloquence, and personal spiritual growth.
Worship Rituals
In Baha’i worship, there is a great
deal of emphasis placed on diversity. A worship service that reflects the
Baha’i community will be comprised of people from various ethnic backgrounds
and various religious backgrounds. During these worship times, prayers and
readings are welcome from other religions. The capstone of prayer and religious
readings would come from Baha’u’llah’s teachings and prayers since he is the
most recent revelation. During devotional gathers, prayers and spiritual songs
are acceptable ways of worshipping God.
B. How did He create?
The
Baha’i believe that God was indeed the creator of all mankind. They believe
that he created all men and imbued them with his spiritual essence so that we
might be able to connect with him. Some, like Trevor, believe that “God is the
Creator [that] He created through the Big Bang.” Most, but not all would agree
with Trevor’s assessment of life. Trevor, like other Baha’i, also believed that
mankind was the product of evolution. To the Baha’i, man was not created in sin, but in a noble, spiritual state. Albert
says that “We’re created from God physically in terms of our manifestation on
earth.” In this he is affirming that we are all physical beings, but that we
are not primarily physical. Most Baha’i would say that we are spiritual beings
on a journey which has taken a physical state for the time being. We are all
created by God in a noble, spiritual essence which is different than animals.
Albert explains that point in this way:
“I
think we are differentiated from other aspects of his creation in terms of
other living things. God has mercifully endowed us with a soul or spirit which
is connected to his soul or spirit allowing us to be distinguished from other
parts of his creation … ‘Created in the image of God’ means that we’re endowed with the spirit.”
Gerry
definitely agreed in this quote:
“… I
think the origin of man is spiritual, I think the creation of God, Deity,
Allah, and whatever is in essence one reality: that of the creator is one. He
created his creation based on that central reality of oneness: that man as a
creation and species is in essence one regardless of our diversity and
evolution. In essence we are one. Baha’i believe that humanity is a spiritual
race of temporarily physical beings, created by a loving God.”
The Baha’i believe that God created them without sin. They were
created to be noble, spiritual people who must seek to attain to live up to
that spiritual nobility each day. When I
asked Gerry about origins of man, this was his response:
“My
understanding of that creation is that man/woman is, … in the holism of
creation itself in the physical world, man is the highest expression of that
creation. … All the levels [and] parts of creation each express one aspect of
God, but man has the potential to express all those levels of God. What
separates us [from the rest of creation] is that we have a mind or soul. Man
alone is choosing good and bad.”
He felt that
mankind was created as the crown jewel of creation. All other aspects of
creation could depict parts of God, but mankind was the closest rendering of
Gods image that God chose to craft in the physical realm. The mind and soul are
the key pieces which point to man’s exalted status over creation. I went on to
ask Sam whether he believed in original sin and he said,
“…there
is not original sin. … There is not like an evil source, it’s an absence of God. It doesn’t have a reality of its own. Human
beings, when they’re created, I believe also they don’t have sin or evil but they have potential. They are created in God’s spiritual image, and then throughout life as we gain
consciousness, we can choose to change these realities good or bad.”
Sam believed
that humankind was created in a good essence and that there is a choice to live
up to the goodness of one’s potential each day. The most interesting thing
about studying the Judeo-Christian creation accounts is that some Baha’i see
them as strictly metaphorical. Kenneth explained that he thought that
“The Bible from Moses is allegorical. It is no
different than the techniques that Jesus used – which was to tell stories or
allegories. So, the story of Adam and Eve gives credit to God as Creator but
does not give the full picture of creation.”
Baha’i do not
hold to original sin but instead hold a view of original spiritual good, which
seems to be an allegorical or metaphorical understanding of creation. At the
very core though, they believe that because man was made in God’s image, man is
in essence good.
C. Humanity’s Purpose
Moving on from the beginning, how
does the Baha’i believer explain humanity today? Humanity is on a spiritual
journey where God sends manifestations around about every 1,000 years. Each
manifestation is almost a mile marker of mankind’s evolution as a race. Each
time we grow together in greater unity and knowledge, forging a better likeness
of the oneness and unity represented by God. Humankind has the freewill to
partner in this journey or not as mentioned previously in the discussion on
original sin. Furthermore, Baha’i have a theology of predestination and how it
works in this socio-evolutionary journey. Each person has an opportunity to
partner with mankind and with God to live up to their noble, spiritual essence.
Sam explains predestination like this:
“Baha’i faith believes that humans have
free will, unique to all of creation. Other things do not. … The will of God is
manifest in nature in plants animals and ecosystems. Humans have a free will,
meaning that they can align themselves with the will of God or choose not
to. Predestination, faith vs. choice, we
are like captains of a ship sailing from one place to the next. Where we start
and end up are predestined. The wind is also predestined. We can go with or
against the wind, but steering the boat with or against the wind is up to us.
The boat can’t go
off the world, it’s bound
by an ocean. It can’t go on forever. There are boundaries.”
Sam is essentially upholding the view that humans have a choice to
do good things along with God or not; but he is also saying that God’s purpose
is greater than any individual or group who temporarily reject him. Gerry also
concurred that,
“Good or bad goes back to choice. The innate
quality in man goes back to choices. Based on circumstances or whatever. We may
make choices that go toward disconnectedness or unity.”
His statement so eloquently weds the idea of making good choices
leading to unity. So on this journey, humans have the opportunity to reject God
or partner with his efforts to unify the human race with himself and with each
other.
Independent Investigation of Truth
As far as religious beliefs and
practices are concerned, the major belief that Baha’i adhere to is personal
investigation of truth (discussed previously in the epistemological section).
Gerry affirms that, “One of the core principles Baha’i try to pursuit is the independent
investigation of truth.” Kenneth called it “the 11th commandment of
Baha’u’llah,” then added “to study about God, to praise God, to teach
others about God.” It is
perhaps one of the most practical beliefs and practices of any Baha’i adherent.
The Baha’i seek to find truth on their own, believing that it produces greater
ownership and certainty of that truth.
In line with the
tenant of personal investigation of truth, the Baha’i seek to learn as much as
possible about the manifestations who have come. Of course the most attention
for study is given to Baha’u’llah’s teachings since they are most relevant to
the current era of humanity. Baha’i also give study to past manifestations in
order to broaden their view of the ways God has related to mankind throughout
history. The reason they seek to learn so much about manifestations is that, in
Albert’s words, “How humans relate to God is through the
manifestations.” Baha’is believe that the manifestations are humanity’s
connection to God, which makes the importance of understanding those people and
their words paramount. Gerry explains the function of manifestations
well when he says,
“Baha’is believe that that spiritual capacity
in us comes through the manifestations of God to different parts of history and
culture. If you were born to a time of Zoroaster or Moses, they … brought an
additional message the same as all other manifestations, but to a different
group of people who were able to understand that.”
In essence he is saying that all the manifestations were sent to
different cultures and time periods, but were all weaving together the same
narrative of God connecting mankind to himself and to each other.
Finally, this discussion about
manifestations would not be complete without including an analogy used by so
many Baha’is to explain the manifestation progression. Billy’s version is the
one we will use here:
“Sometimes I use the analogy: in 1st
grade you have a teacher who teaches mathematics. The next class up I needed
what I learned from 1st grade still. Each teacher is a lineage and a
connection.”
The Baha’is have an analogy which uses the ideas of grade school
teachers who teach the same subject all building on the teaching of the
previous teacher. They liken the manifestations and their teaching to this
model of the grade school teacher.
Oneness of Humanity
Another important religious practice
is forging the bonds for unity. Albert himself was involved in an
organization which sought to unify races. Lilly gave a teaching
presentation at the Baha’i center about turning thoughts of division into
thoughts which created unity. One of the greatest goods a Baha’i may
do is interacting with those who are different than oneself. Gerry shared
a story about one of his daily errands to the store:
“I’m going to go to the store today, in the community I live in, and
there’s an invisible barrier between me
and the Indian woman in the 7-11. I have to find a way to break down the
barrier. I must find a way to make a connection with that human being standing
across from me even if it’s
just hello. The work that I do and the choices I make about how to spend my
time and the relationships I work at are directed in the same way. … each of us
as individuals. [need] to recognize in ourselves … that we can be agents of
change … My role must start with the recognition of who I am [as] being
spiritual. We can play a positive role in the integrative process. Recognizing
the essence of the relative of man is one human.”
He was
essentially sharing that the way Baha’is practice their faith is practically
creating unity, even if that means getting an ethnically different person while
on a trip to the local store. Gerry also understood this unification
process on a macro level which encompassed all of society. He said,
“…As
we have progressed we have learned through many sources of God’s unfolding plan for mankind throughout the years. … Tribes began
to unify… [then eventually] we created nationhood. The next big leap to come is
the unification of all mankind. We don’t know what that will look politically. In essence the age we’re living in today is the age of unity in a sense. We haven’t expressed it socially, politically, economically, but there has
been a great deal of unification (i.e. United Nations) has occurred. The idea
of mankind is coming together and thinking collectively for the prosperity of
the planet. I think that’s
the next stage of our development. Eliminating prejudice and finding ways to
bridge the gaps is our duty today. If we’re going to serve the age we’re living in, we must be talking about the issues of race. We’re
not about breaking down the old frameworks, but it starts by changing hearts
and organizational structures. We must start with a clear understanding in our
hearts/souls of the oneness. In each one of us stands an individual as a whole.
We are one unified family. We must begin laying the groundwork. How does that
reflect itself within our family, kids, spouses, neighborhood, and community
life?”
Though this
quote is lengthy, it illustrates the deep conviction of the Baha’i to craft
unity in a climate where disunity has been so prevalent. Gerry sees this
conviction to craft unity rooted in the transitions which have occurred through
history to greater unity. He sees this task as an ongoing evolution of society
which he gets to personally play a part.
Leena is persuaded that the power behind the cause for unity is “The way we
continue to move forward toward unity and quality is to look for the light” –
she encourages it by propagating it in her own life. Examples of this are
social discourse on items like climate change. The
belief that Baha’is must practice their faith by forging unity amongst mankind
is a core belief inseparable from those who call themselves Baha’i.
D. Our Problem
Almost every Baha’i would identify
that humanity’s greatest problem is disunity. Baha’i believe that focus of
socio-economic, geo-political, religion-cultural and racial dividing lines are
essentially what destroy the fabric of good, human society. Now they would not
say that being a particular race, political persuasion, etc. is inherently bad;
instead, they would say the evil is division from those who are different than
yourself. Albert explains this point:
“every
manifestation of God brings a specific purpose to advance humanity.
…Baha’u’llah teaches …[that] he central need and central principle of the Baha’i faith is establishing the unity and oneness of the human family.”
Baha’is believe
that humanity’s main problem is disunity. It is unclear where the problem
developed along the course of human history, but Baha’i tend to be more
future-oriented hoping to solve that problem rather than focus on its origin.
How do the Baha’i believe that
humanity’s greatest problem of disunity might be solved? The answer is through
greater understanding of our oneness in God. Albert believes that
“…our
greatest need globally is the establishment and understanding of this principle
that we are one human family. The solution, in my thinking, is for us for
humanity to examine this proposition and investigate the idea that we are one
human family. That God is one, that mankind is one, and that religion is in
fact one. That we are essentially one human family. We have no doubt, we have
tremendous optimism that this will come about even though we are in the early
days, the Baha’i revelation is not but 200 years
old.”
It is clear
that Baha’i believe that unity is the answer to humanity’s greatest problems of
division, racism, distrust, and hate.
E. Destiny
Success in life seems to hinge upon how dedicated someone is to
personal pursuit of truth. Remembering that to Baha’i, the more one pursues
truth the closer one has grown to God. Success is measured by how close one is
to God, which is perhaps qualified by how much they pursue unity. What is the end result for an
ever-evolving human race which is growing better and better throughout history
since they are simultaneously growing closer to God? The end result is heaven
on earth. Baha’i believe that human society will advance so far in unity and
peace with one another that it will be practically perfect. The wars will cease
along with racism, classism, and any other practice which causes disunity,
mistrust, and hate-filled separatism.
If someone doesn’t
live on to this state of earthy bliss, what happens when they die? For man,
death is like a final exit from the physical realm to the purely spiritual
realm. Kenneth describes the afterlife as the place “where we will
learn more about God because we will have an increased capacity to understand.”
Death is when a man comes into the
full presence of God, and the amount they have known God on earth has
determined how close they will be in the afterlife with God. Trevor confirms
this when he says, “Our
spirit goes to the other side at the end of life. Your station on the other
side is determined by how well you grew spiritually according to your faith.“ When the Baha’i are with God in the
afterlife, they believe that they will continue to grow ever-closer to God while
still never fully knowing him. After all, God can never be fully known and
understood. Here’s how Sam explains the afterlife,
“After our body dies, our soul continues in
what they call… the spiritual world, no longer bound by time and space. It’s the same as the physical world but without
time and space. We can’t imagine it because our minds are
bound by time and space. Then our soul progresses infinitely toward God, and
because God is infinitely transcendent we know him more, but not fully. The
unknowable essence we progress toward infinitely.”
This is the extent of the afterlife of the Baha’i, but many will
claim that they do not know all there is to know about the afterlife. This is
just the limited information available to them so far. So the afterlife is a
place of knowing God, approaching him, and being in his presence.
V. Ethnographic Findings: Epistemology –
What is true?
A. Sorting Systems
The
Baha’i place a high value on discovering the truth, but how do they sort truth
from non-truth? In their striving to discover truth, the Baha’i believe that
truth is what ultimately brings an individual closer to God. The Baha’i believe
that God is the definition of all truth and coming to discover more truth will
bring one closer to God. The question still remains, how does one decide what
is actually true and separate it from what is actually false? The answer in the
Baha’i view begins with an emphasis on a personal search for truth. The
key is that an individual came to find a particular truth on their own rather
than being taught or told. The question remains, how does a Baha’i sort out
truth from non-truth in a model where the individual is the highest authority
for doing the task of sorting and the truth which is being sorted is a changing
matter? The basis for deciding what is true and what is untrue ultimately boils
down to what impacts a Baha’i individual internally (i.e. mentally, emotionally, spiritually).
A Baha’i adherent explains the concept well:
“Truth
finding is an internal process. One of the greatest gifts we have as a species
is our mind to understand. That requires us to investigate truth. It requires
us to do [investigation] devoid of assumption, certain traditions, with a pure
eye, through a clear prism. I think the way we get there is through sincere
study of all the faiths of history of the world we live in today and what the
realities are. We must be responsible to know for ourselves, not just from what
we know from our parents or clergy but from our own research and struggle.”
An added
perspective which makes the notion of truth a more intricate concept in the
Baha’i view is that there is an ever-evolving phenomenon demonstrated in this
quote:
“When I begin to investigate something for truth I must call upon
those qualities for truth. Truth is often evolving. It’s constantly evolving.
It’s growing in capacity and clarity. I can’t get to a point in my life when I
get to the bottom line. It’s a lifetime of work.”
So a Baha’i
must find truth on their own in a scenario of ever-evolving truth. Thankfully,
the Baha’i do have an ultimate truth which is founded on Baha’u’llah’s
prophetic work as well as a limited set of interpreters who lived for about one
century after his death. The writings and words of these men created a system
of absolute truth to serve as a guidepost to approaching god. This helps
somewhat with the evolution of truth, however it is important that someone
seeking in the Baha’i faith come to see these prophetic writings as true on
their own accord.
Sorting Systems of Axiology - Universalist vs. Particular
The axiological
system of sorting pertains to the question of universal versus particular.
Baha’i adherents believe in a truth view which leads from the particulars to
the ultimate and universal truths. For instance, an individual who is
personally pursuing truth about nuclear fission is doing so to know god more
fully. Because god is all truth including truth about nuclear fission, the
scientist who studies nuclear fission is growing closer to knowing god more
fully. Baha’i believe that some come to know god through the study of the
particulars. A fascinating twist about that move from the particular to the
universal is that when someone comes to believe in the Baha’i god, they then
discover more and more universal truth as well. Nevertheless, the particulars
are certainly the starting point from which a Baha’i begins their spiritual
journey. Albert comments on this issue:
“Spiritual truth encompasses all. God [in] his
mercy and kindness to us, has given every individual the ability to access
truth. We all have a little key that will fit and unlock some that truth for
us. Your key is different than mine. My key is different than [another person’s
key]. Every individual has access, based on our personal disposition, habits,
learning style, prayer, etc. … but truth is all encompassing and God in his
mercy has allowed us in our own unique ways to access that truth.”
Each person has a unique way of accessing God’s truth through
particulars; however, that truth will lead to a view of the ultimate. Best
summarized, the Baha’i arrive at highly esteemed universal truth through means
of personal study of particular truths.
Sorting Systems of Social Structures - Time vs. Event Orientation
Baha’i have areas where events are
more important and areas where time seems more important. The manifestation
calendar is a particularly useful item for determining the sorting systems in
the Baha’i paradigm. The Baha’i believe that every 1,000 years a manifestation
comes to speak to mankind on behalf of God. Baha’u’llah came alongside of a
twin manifestation (known as the Bab) c. A.D. 1850 The previous manifestation
who came was Muhammad who lived c. A.D. 600, and of course Jesus was the
manifestation prior to him who lived at A.D. 0. Clearly these numbers are not
exactly 1,000 years apart, so it is to be seen that the event of the coming of
a manifestation is more important than the counting by of 1,000 years. The
actual time is held more loosely than the event of a manifestation’s appearing;
therefore, this demonstrates that Baha’i are more event oriented in their view
to historical revelation.
Sorting Systems of Ontology - Supernatural vs. Natural
How
do Baha’is view the world: is it simply an unreal illusion (zero-ist), natural
only (one-ist), or is there indeed a supernatural (two-ist)? The Baha’i believe
and often express that the natural world is essentially an overlay of the
spiritual. Their frequent use of analogies are the way they connect the natural
world to the spiritual world. Furthermore, they believe that every human is a
spiritual being and is connected with God in some way. There is not a very
prolific view of other spiritual characters besides mankind and God in the
Baha’i narrative: angels, demons, and other spiritual forces are typically not
a topic. When interviewing Sam, I commented on the Baha’i way of using
analogies so often. He responded by saying that “Nature is the embodiment of
God’s will. Spiritual and physical realities are mirror images of each
other.” Sam was expressing that the Baha’i are a supernatural, or two-ist, group.
B. Systems of Logic
Most
Baha’i use varying systems which esteem graduated levels of authority.
Baha’u’llah and his writings are of the highest authority. Anything Baha’u’llah
has said and anything his interpreters have made judgements about would be
considered ultimate truth. Reason is authoritative after Baha’u’llah’s
teachings. Rationalism leads to general truth which is highly regarded by large
groups of Baha’is as a means of growing closer to god. Many Baha’is pursuit
higher education even to the doctorate level with an end benefit being a closer
and more fuller knowledge of the essence of god. It is sometimes unclear where
other religious revelation falls in this hierarchy of truth, nevertheless
previous writings from Christianity, Islam, and other religious associated with
earlier manifestations are recognized as valid and useful in the Baha’i
interpretation. Albert shares a pivotal experience in his life where the
rationalism exhibited in a textbook persuaded him to explore other beliefs:
“I had a wonderful experience in 10th
grade when I went to a segregated high school… we would get our textbooks from
Greenville senior high school. … the kids at Greenville high would have gotten
new books. There was one year when I was in 10th grade in world
history when we got new textbooks… It was a profound experience getting a world
history textbook with a section on the Middle East on Saudi Arabia. There was a
short passage… that said the people of Saudi Arabia were Muslims and they believe
in the prophet Mohammed and their holy book is called the Qur’an. And the Qur’an is to Muslims as the bible is to Christians.
That turned a light on in my head: … that someone would state that this
religion was valid and joined the analogy between their holy book and the bible
to Christians the Quran to Muslims. I said, so these guys are legitimate!’ Because the textbook said so. Other people have
an opportunity for spiritual guidance.”
Albert is communicating that rationalism trumped what he had always
been taught: the reason-based view espoused by the new textbook had spoken
authoritatively over and above those religious beliefs which he had learned
previously in the church.
Types of Persuasion
When considering the types of
persuasion which the Baha’i use, they strongly emphasize the personal pursuit
of truth. This idea has been expressed clearly fur the purposes of this paper,
however it was observed that there is certainly a level of indoctrination
apparent in Baha’is. Though each follower of the Baha’i faith is personally
seeking truth on their own, they do come to agree with most of the systemized
Baha’i beliefs. So many of them start at a beginning place but come to rest on
shared belief systems, analogical perspectives, and cultural norms and perspectives.
If they did not come to these conclusions they would perhaps cease to be Baha’i
and would become something else.
Types of Argumentation
Many Baha’i would
use an argumentation technique to attempt to simultaneously verify the Baha’i
worldview and undermine various other religious worldviews. The technique was
to argue from the scriptures of other religions. One typical scripture many
Baha’i would quote was John 10:16. They would focus on the phrase, “I have
other sheep, which are not of this fold” (Jn. 10:16a) and would exegete it by
arguing that Jesus was referring to individuals who come from other religious
backgrounds which had yet to develop (i.e. those who would one day follow
Mohammed, those who would one day follow Baha’u’llah). Much to their credit,
Baha’i are capable of tracking in argumentation over a wide variety of holy
books and other sources; nevertheless, it seemed like something was missed
after reading the end of John 10:16 which says, “I must bring them also, and
they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd” (Jn.
10:16b). The second half of that verse
makes it plain that Jesus did intend to bring in sheep from other folds to
come, but he intended to bring them by only one shepherd, Himself. The Baha’i are
highly educated and well-versed in other religious material; however, spanning
such a broad spectrum of religious material may possibly be a difficulty in
full exegesis of the other holy books.
Sorting System of Truth: Truth Claim Extent
Truth
lies on a spectrum between most assuredly false and undeniably true. For Baha’i,
deciding where something falls on this continuum is a matter of its source and
its reaction to one’s own self and community. In regards to source, Baha’i
believe that the greatest revelation to all mankind is that of Baha’u’llah the
current manifestation and God’s most recent and thus historically relevant
prophet. Gates explains it by saying, [summarized]
“Truth is found in the sacred texts of the
manifestations. However the writings of Baha’u’llah have a
higher value because they are directly from the manifestation of this age.”
Prophets who
lie further back in the historical account retain their truth claims, but some
of their truths which were absolute at the time of utterance have been
categorized as antiquated social truth in today’s era. Truth claim extent is
based on source and timing of that source in relation to today’s culture.
Baha’i also believe that a truth
claim’s extent is credible in how it holds in one’s spirit and community. If a
Baha’i can sense in their spirit and soul that something is true, then it must
be true. The veracity of this “sensed truth” is heightened if that feeling is
corroborated by fellow believers of the Baha’i faith. This a working back and forth of community
and individual in this notion. For instance if a Baha’i thought they should
murder all Hispanics, no other Baha’i would uphold that. The community would
help shape the so-called truth of that errant Baha’i believer. So the Baha’i believers
really measure truth by its historically current, divine source and its
personal and communal impact.
VI. Ethnographic Findings: Axiology
A. Authority Structures
In many ways, the Baha’i have a
rather deep hierarchy of leadership. However in one very important way, they
have none. In the Christian context, churches take on many forms of
administration with elders and deacons and similar roles, but nearly all have
one thing in common: the senior pastor. The Baha’i communities have no such
equivalent. As Nadeen explains: “nobody is clergy in the Baha’i so everyone is
responsible for their own spiritual growth.” No one is responsible for
teaching; likewise, no one is ultimately accountable for ensuring accuracy of
doctrine at the local level. Each person is left to investigate independently
to understand God and life. However, they do have a structure of authority as
prescribed by Baha’u’llah.
Decision Making and Leadership
The deep hierarchy of leadership
comes in through the “Spiritual Assemblies.” There are local assemblies and
national assemblies which roll up to the final authority in the Baha’i faith:
the Universal House of Justice. These teams of people are responsible to the
administrative affairs of the community within their sphere of influence.
However, through observation, they appear to be responsible for more. While
they do not promote themselves as leadership, the other members of the
community see them as such. For example, we noticed through our interview
process that the members of the Local Spiritual Assembly communicated
frequently and compared notes on who in the community was speaking with whom in
the research team.
The assemblies are comprised of nine
individuals who act collectively to make decisions for the community. There is
an election process that is followed locally after a time of prayer and
reflection. Only active Baha’i members may vote or be elected. No one is
permitted to seek office because campaigning is seen as a form of divisiveness
and therefore is against the teaching of Baha’u’llah. A similar election
process is followed for national level assemblies and the Universal House of
Justice. Two distinct differences are evident at this level: both use something
similar to an Electoral College process; and the Universal House of Justice elections
are every five years and may only be occupied by men. This is an interesting discovery
considering the principle of equality of men and women in the Baha’i faith. As
Bridget explained, “Baha’u’llah says we will understand why when we get to the
next station in the afterlife.”
Issues that cannot be resolved at a
one level are referred to the next higher for a decision. The Universal House
of Justice is the final authority in such decisions. Cindy probably said it
best when she explained their role as it relates to a Baha’is process of
learning:
“We’ve been blessed in the Baha’i
faith because when Baha’u’llah died, he asked us to turn to his eldest son Abdu’l-Baha
and to the covenant. He could interpret the teachings of Baha’u’llah. And His
grandson Shoghi Effendi, interpreted the teachings of Baha’u’llah. So, we have
a pretty clear understanding. If you study, you have a pretty clear
understanding. But for things that are not explicitly in Baha’u’llah’s teachings,
we have the Universal House of Justice. They are universally elected every five
years. If there are things that are not in their writings, then it would be up
to your conscience to decide. There are no writings on abortion for an example.
But we do believe that abortion is wrong because there is a soul at conception.
But again, we don’t judge other people.”
This
explanation summarizes the how a Baha’i distinguishes right from wrong. The
teachings of Baha’u’llah and those he personally appointed take precedent but
self-discovery is valued highly also.
Heroes of the Faith
Baha’is are reluctant to discuss
their heroes aside from the manifestations or Abdu’l Baha and Shoghi Effendi.
To do so would be to place higher worth on individuals which contradicts their
teachings on unity and equality. However, we have seen three criteria that
brings the attention of the community more than others. First, as mentioned
above, those who serve on the assemblies are treated with a different level of
respect. Second, people with advanced degrees are revered also; the more
degrees you have, the more you are noticed. While responding to a question
about growing closer to God, Gates explained his perspective:
“We meditate, pray, and learn or
study. Our studies should be of the Baha’i writings, the Bible, and other
sacred texts. Our deeds are to be like Jesus was – love, graciousness, kindness
and so on. We also have to avoid bad deeds because it “hampers” our growth towards
God. We also grow closer to God through our education.”
Baha’is
promote education as a core principle so those who have documented success in
this area get noticed. One who increases their knowledge though education are
worshipping God; they are examples worthy of following.
The last characteristic is the only
one that has an official Baha’i designation of elevated status someone who is
not a manifestation. The Hands of the Cause had the responsibility of
protecting and advising the community as it grew. They were personally appointed by Baha’u’llah, Abdu’l Baha or
Shoghi Effendi in recognition of their contributions to the faith. This title
is no longer given as the role has been succeeded by the Institution of
Counselors who are appointed by the Universal House of Justice. Hands of the
Cause is a lifetime appointment however, the legacy has come to a close as the
last member died in 2007. This elite group is spoken of often to this day.
B.
Guilt and Shame
In the Baha’i faith, the idea of guilt and shame for
wrongdoing is less of a question than what is actually defined as wrongdoing.
Since the Baha’i faith rests within various cultures, the guilt or shame
orientation will often center around the “host” culture in which the Baha’i
faith resides. Returning to the more interesting point within the Baha’i faith
about what is actually sin, Baha’i will often describe sin as “an absence of
light.” Sam described evil in this way, saying that “darkness is not an actual,
physical phenomenon; instead, it is a complete lack of particles and molecules.”
Sam was analogically describing the Baha’i view of sin or evil: the absence of
goodness.
Most Baha’i would consider the absence of good best
defined in the attitudes of ignorance or the actions of disunity. First, the
attitudes of ignorance stand in direct opposition to personal pursuit of truth
and knowledge. Since pursing God via pursuing truth is paramount for the
Baha’i, not doing so flies in the face of humankind’s purpose. Those Baha’i who
doubt Baha’u’llah’s teachings, sometimes called “covenant breakers,” may be
considered as those who have taken a posture of ignorance. Doubting the things
of God and not pursuing knowledge about him is certainly an evil in the Baha’i
view.
Secondly, the actions which sow disunity into the fabric
of society and Baha’i culture are greatly looked down upon. Kenneth, Thomas,
Trevor, and Colleen all shared that backbiting was one of the worst things a
member of the Baha’i Faith community could do. When probed about this assumption,
Kenneth said, “One of the most valuable things the Baha’i community has to
offer is trust.” He said that he could trust that no one was backbiting or
gossiping about him and they could trust that he was doing the same. Anyone who
slandered a fellow Baha’i was essentially destroying this fabric of trust and
unity which the Baha’i community works so diligently to develop. Since
unification is one of the greatest goods in the Baha’i view, anything that
disrupts the process of unification, particularly backbiting, is also seen as
evil.
In order to avoid confusion, rarely do Baha’is operate
off of a system of “don’ts.” They are not concerned with “Don’t backbite!” and
“Don’t understand.” Instead they might say, “Pursue truth and build unity.” Baha’is
are consistently seeking to live up to their “noble spiritual state” as Kenneth
called it. Since they do not have a view of sin or original sin, it causes the
focus to center more on living up to God’s goodness rather than avoiding
particular evil actions. The result is that Baha’is pursuit knowledge and
unification to achieve greater standing with God and in Baha’i society. In
order to pursuit truth, Baha’is excel by studying other revelation from prior
manifestations and study general, rational truth in university settings. This
pursuit of knowledge allows for Baha’is to gain prestige symbols like Ph.D. degrees
and greater memorization of Baha’u’llah’s teachings. In striving for unity, Baha’is
invite friends, coworkers, and neighbors of other religions and races into the
Baha’i fellowships. The prestige symbols gained for acts of unity may be
stories from missionary trips or stories where they were able to make strides
in racial unification work.
VII. Conclusion
An aspect of the Baha’i worldview
that may not have been captured well in previous sections is who they were
before they were Baha’i. The Persian members of the community we met, whether
involved in a formal interview or not, made their decision based on family
transference. This is natural for those of Middle-Eastern descent to gravitate
to a Middle-Eastern religion with pleasant teachings. However, most of the
non-Persian community members had been raised in Christian homes. These people
became disillusioned with the teachings of the church because of the racial
inequality and injustice plus the dictatorial approach to communication truth.
Unfortunately, based on the stories told to the research team, these people
made their decision to become Baha’i because they found more of Christ there
instead of in the church.
The Baha’i have developed around the
framework of various ethnic and religious backdrops. Finding root in
Middle-Eastern culture and having migrated throughout the world, the Baha’i
faith has adapted in family and social structures. Societally, the Baha’i are a
tight-knit, faith-based group, many of whom share a common denominator of
previous religious backgrounds. Looking ahead, the Baha’i see society as a
progression from smaller units such as tribes, marriages, families, and
churches to the larger societal organization of one, unified, human race.
There is much common ground for Baha’i and
Christians that can aid as a bridge to further discussion. We are certainly
aligned on items of social justice and a desire to follow Jesus’ direction to
tackle human suffering (Mark 12:31 and Matt 25:31-40). More importantly, we
agree there is only one God. While our understanding God’s nature differs, we
both acknowledge God as the Creator and LORD over all things. We also can agree
that personal investigation is important to spiritual growth and we should
encourage them to go on a journey of discovery with us using the Holy Bible as
the resource. Through personal investigation of truth, we pray that they may be
set free (John 8:31-36)!
VIII. Resources, Contact Persons and Bibliography
A. Baha’i Resources
The sacred texts of the Baha’i faith
are numerous. It would take one person a long time to read each one. Some of
those we consulted for clarity and validation of the interview responses are
listed below in bibliography style. Additionally, we consulted the official
Baha’i faith online presence which served a similar role to the sacred texts.
The URL for this site is www.Bahai.org.
Abduʼl-Bahá. Some Answered Questions. United
States: Baha’i Publishing Trust, 1984.
Baha’u'llah. Gems of Divine Mysteries:
Javahiru’l-Asrar. [Haifa]: Baháʼí World Centre, 2002.
Baha’u'llah. Kitab-I-Aqdas: The Most Holy Book.
Australia: Baha’i Distribution Service, 1993.
Baha’u'llah. Kitab-I-Iqan: The Book of Certitude.
Wilmette, Ill: Baha’i Distribution Service, 1983.
B. Contact Persons and Interviewees
The research team is ever grateful
to the members of the Local Spiritual Assembly in Columbia and Greenville South
Carolina. This team of individuals made us feel especially welcome. They went
out of their way to make sure we had the resources we needed. Additionally,
they sacrificed several hours of their personal time to participate in the
process. We could not have succeeded in meeting our interview and information
gather objectives without their support! Our primary contact within this group
is Dr. Carey Murphy, who is responsible for public information within the
Columbia Baha’i community. Her contact information is:
202 Sortwell
Street Mobile
Phone: 803-791-9134
West Columbia,
SC 29169 Email:
careymurphy19@gmail.com
We
spent most of our time within the Baha’i community centers for Columbia and
Greenville. The physical addresses for those buildings is:
2020 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC
29201
132 Greenacre Road, Greenville, SC
29607
Below is a list of the people we
interviewed and their individual demographic information. Note that pseudonyms
have been used to protect their identity.
|
Pseudonym
|
Ethnicity
|
Gender
|
Age
|
Occupation
|
Location
|
|
Albert
|
Black
|
Male
|
60+
|
Professional
|
Massachusetts
|
|
Ariana
|
Persian
|
Female
|
31-60
|
Professional
|
Columbia
|
|
Billy
|
White
|
Male
|
31-60
|
Professional
|
Vancouver
|
|
Blake
|
White
|
Male
|
60+
|
Professional
|
Columbia
|
|
Bridget
|
White
|
Female
|
31-60
|
Professional
|
Columbia
|
|
Cindy
|
White
|
Female
|
31-60
|
Non-Professional
|
Columbia
|
|
Colleen
|
White
|
Female
|
31-60
|
Professional
|
Columbia
|
|
Diandra
|
White
|
Female
|
60+
|
Professional
|
Greenville
|
|
Elsie
|
White
|
Female
|
31-60
|
Professional
|
Toronto
|
|
Fredrick
|
Black
|
Male
|
60+
|
Retired
|
Greenville
|
|
Gates
|
White
|
Male
|
31-60
|
Professional
|
Chicago
|
|
Gerry
|
White
|
Male
|
31-60
|
Professional
|
Illinois
|
|
Holly
|
White
|
Female
|
60+
|
Retired
|
Greenville
|
|
Jordan
|
White
|
Male
|
31-60
|
Professional
|
New York
|
|
Kenneth
|
Persian
|
Male
|
31-60
|
Professional
|
Columbia
|
|
Leena
|
White
|
Female
|
60+
|
Retired
|
Greenville
|
|
Lilly
|
White
|
Female
|
60+
|
Professional
|
Columbia
|
|
Nadeen
|
White
|
Female
|
60+
|
Retired
|
Columbia
|
|
Peter
|
White
|
Male
|
31-60
|
Professional
|
Columbia
|
|
Randall
|
White
|
Male
|
31-60
|
Non-Professional
|
Columbia
|
|
Ronald
|
White
|
Male
|
31-60
|
Professional
|
Columbia
|
|
Ruth
|
Black
|
Female
|
60+
|
Retired
|
Columbia
|
|
Sam
|
Persian
|
Male
|
31-60
|
Professional
|
California
|
|
Sandy
|
White
|
Female
|
31-60
|
Professional
|
Columbia
|
|
Tammy
|
Black
|
Female
|
31-60
|
Non-Professional
|
Columbia
|
|
Thomas
|
White
|
Male
|
31-60
|
Professional
|
Columbia
|
|
Trevor
|
Black
|
Male
|
31-60
|
Student
|
Columbia
|
C. Interview Questions
The
following questions were used as a starting point for discussion. The responses
led to other points of inquiry which are too numerous to mention in this
format.
1) Where do we come from?
2) What is your purpose?
3) Where are we ultimately going and how
do arrive there?
4) Is there truth and how do we know what
it is?
5) What makes someone good or bad?
6) What is the problem of humanity? What
is the solution?
7) How is your life different now that you are a Baha’i?
8) In what ways do you connect with God? Where/when/how do you see/feel him?
9) What social interactions do you have with your fellow community members?
D. Bibliography
Grammich,
Clifford, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E. Jones, Alexei Krindatch,
Richie Stanley, and Richard H. Taylor. 2010
U.S. Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study.
Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, 2012.
Langness,
David. ‘How Many Baha’is?’ Baha’iTeachings.Org...a
Baha’i Perspective, October 2, 2013. Accessed May 2, 2015. http://Baha’iteachings.org/how-many-Baha’is.
Morrison,
Gayle. ‘Gregory, Louis George (1847-1951).’ The
Baha’i Encyclopedia Project, 2009.
The Constitution of the Universal House of Justice, 1972.
Vafai,
Shahin. The Baha’i Faith:
Teachings, History, and Practices. West Palm Beach: Palabra Publications,
2011.
Wilson,
Reid. ‘The Second-Largest Religion in Each State.’ The Washington Post, June 4,
2014. Accessed February 15, 2015. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/06/04/the-second-largest-religion-in-each-state/.
Worthington,
Frances. Abraham: One God,
Three Wives, Five Religions. United States: Baha’i Publishing Trust, U.S.,
2011.
E. Supplemental Bibliography
The
following were consulted but did not warrant individual citations.
Closson,
Rosemary, and Sylvia Kaye. ‘Understanding the Baha’i Ruhi Institute: A Global
Faith-Based Adult Education Process.’ Adult
Learning 18 (May 2007).
Martin,
Glenn Richards. Prevailing
Worldviews of Western Society since 1500. United States: Triangle
Publishing Co, 2006.
Mash,
S. David. ‘An Examination of Baha’i Christology.’ Th.M. Thesis, 1985.
Rhodes,
Ron. The Challenge of the
Cults and New Religions: The Essential Guide to Their History, Their Doctrine,
and Our Response. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2001.
Sears,
William. Thief in the Night.
United Kingdom: George Ronald, 1980.
‘The Life of Baha’u'llah: The Divine
Educator.’ Baha’i.org.
Accessed May 6, 2015. http://www.Baha’i.org/bahaullah/life-bahaullah.
