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[For possible editing ref use... (to hold copy of current online article I'm working on -- in case it's chngd by someone while I'm working on it!)]


For working on drafts of Comm-bldg social-action subsection -- perhaps under "Socioeconomic development and the Baháʼí Faith" (??) -- to add to main Baha'i Faith article ... & also maybe for "Socioeconomic development and the Baháʼí Faith" article @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socioeconomic_development_and_the_Bah%C3%A1%CA%BC%C3%AD_Faith

Working on it ...

==> 2022/7/17 @ 21:00


Society-building efforts

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Main article: Socioeconomic development and the Baháʼí Faith

According to Baháʼu'lláh, earth's people were created by God to live together in “harmony and union”[1] and to “work for the betterment of the world”.[2] He states humanity has reached a critical juncture in its social evolution when all must decide whether to maturely embrace the reality of our interdependence and common humanity in order to build a united civilization on this planet, or otherwise suffer the increasingly dire consequences that come from clinging to historically entrenched childish prejudices that have already inflicted so much destruction and suffering upon countless lives around the world.[3] Wherever Baháʼu'lláh's followers reside they aspire to collaborate with like-minded individuals and groups to foster global inclusiveness for the greater good and unity of the world[4]—a responsibility they understand this generation, and many to come, will need to continuously learn about and labor for as humanity is propelled through turbulent crises and developmental stages of integration towards its ultimate peaceful unification, and “the emergence of a global civilization that will embody the truth of the oneness of humanity”,[5][6] as all earth's citizens realize their collective destiny.[7]

Bahá’ís view community development processes as being concerned with transforming individuals and the social structures that members of a given society create, thus the emergence of progressive peaceful modes of living on earth requires both internal and external reordering which they believe occur only when human hearts are transformed.[8] “Hence, to be effective, development activity must directly address the inner life and character of human beings as well as the organization of society. Its purpose must be to promote a process of social change that engenders cooperation, compassion, rectitude of conduct, and justice”[9]—from this perspective, “material advancement is properly understood not as an end in itself, but rather as a vehicle for moral, intellectual and social progress.”[9][a] Bahá’ís hold that several factors particularly prepare and inspire those seeking to participate in the great goal of bringing about spiritual and material transformation in societies around the world, these include: Comprehending life's purposes;[10] understanding how religion should benefit humanity;[11][12] developing a service ethic[b] that taps into the spiritual roots of human motivation;[15][16] and willingness to engage with anyone interested in striving to implement consensus-based actions to improve individual lives and the commonweal.[17][18][19] Each of these factors is educative in nature, therefore Bahá’ís consider educational processes related to them fundamental to every effort to foster greater good, efforts they believe will in turn lead to new processes and learnings that help develop and release human potentials[c] which empower growing numbers to unitedly work together around the planet in novel ways as they “participate in the generation and application of knowledge necessary for [civilization's] spiritual and social progress”.[20]

As individual Bahá’ís and their communities gain experience in collaborative projects with many thousands of similar individuals and groups of goodwill, they have found participants in such efforts tend to benefit from and help advance a range of thought-provoking, meaningful conversations—“discourses on issues of contemporary concern”[21][22] that give rise to “a shared understanding of the exigencies of this period in human history and the means for addressing them.”[23] Bahá’ís feel participating in such discourses is an expression of “oneness with humanity in the common search for answers” to deal with the urgent demands of this age; they indicate their goal is never to press others to accept specific Bahá’í proposals, nor simply part of a public relations exercise. Rather, as they connect with those involved in any given society-building endeavor, Bahá’ís see themselves in a position to learn by “standing shoulder to shoulder with others” even as they may offer “insights drawn from the Bahá’í writings and from the community's growing experience in applying them.”[24]

Gathering of youngsters on 13 August 1933 at Tehran's Tarbiyat Baháʼí school for girls. At least 47 such Baháʼí-operated schools were forcibly closed in 1934 as part of Iran's government persecution of Baháʼís.

In response to Bahá’u'lláh's urging to “Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and centre your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements”[25]—and inspired by the exemplary[d] actions, guidance, and encouragement of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá to strive to translate one's good thoughts and words into deeds[27]—among individual Bahá’ís and in Bahá’í communities there has been a tendency, extending back well over a century, to engage in local social projects to benefit any[e] needing them. The earliest undertakings encouraged greater freedom and education for females through the creation of schools for girls[f] where none existed,[31][32] beginning in Russia in 1897[33] and then in Iran in 1909.[34][28][35] In addition to establishing numerous schools in both rural and urban areas in Iran,[36][g] other early projects there and in other countries included agricultural co-ops[37] and medical clinics.[28][38] Among a range of initiatives in later decades, more common ones included various types of schools and educational projects,[39] basic healthcare clinics and public health programs (e.g., those in Uganda assisted by government agencies and the Canadian Public Health Association, to support efforts to improve rural hygiene and immunization rates[40]), land for community cultivation, programs to protect the environment, microenterprise projects,[41] and various projects to uplift, advance and empower women.[42]

Within the ambit of Bahá’í community-building activities a few stand out for their closely inter-related nature, and for the numerous participants from all beliefs and backgrounds who have supported them for over twenty years. These “core activities” involve educating, inspiring, and empowering individuals young and old to develop themselves and to serve their communities in ways “suited to cultural conditions in diverse settings across the planet”.[43] Bahá’í core activities include “classes for the spiritual education of children, a programme for the spiritual empowerment of adolescent youth, study circles to develop capacities in older youth and adults to serve a wide range of community-building processes, and devotional gatherings that foster and sustain the motivation for sacrificial service.”[43] Over successive quarterly cycles, these four activities multiply as expanding circles of participants are invited “into collective processes of education and capacity building characterized by learning in action.”[43] Bahá’ís share that as more children, youth, and adults from “all ethnic, national, religious, economic, and educational backgrounds”[43] increasingly develop capacities and gain experience to function in a “systematic learning mode”[21] through participation in core activities, they in turn contribute to and initiate society-building processes as they become new protagonists within the distinctive culture of learning which Bahá’ís consider vital for sustainable and healing social action to take place.[44]



Notes

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  1. ^ Because Bahá’ís recognize an “inseparable connection” between life's material and spiritual aspects, they believe “any meaningful enhancement of material well-being flows only from the concrete application of spiritual precepts such as equity, trustworthiness, and altruism.”[9]
  2. ^ Bahá’ís believe one important quality that “distinguishes those who are truly developing their human and spiritual characteristics, is their willingness and ability to serve others.” Bahá’u'lláh indicates that trait is part of being human: “That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race”;[13] while ʻAbdu'l-Bahá says “the honor and distinction of the individual consist in this, that he among all the world's multitudes should become a source of social good.”[14]
  3. ^ Bahá’ís recognize in women and men of every race and ethnicity “profound spiritual and rational capabilities and the purpose of education is the actualization of their potentiality.”[20]
  4. ^ Bahá’ís consider ʻAbdu'l-Bahá the perfect exemplar of one whose life fully integrated serving God and serving humanity.[26]
  5. ^ Bahá’í or otherwise.[28][29]
  6. ^ In a period when prevalent cultural attitudes “devalued or opposed female education”.[30]
  7. ^ In 1933, prior to being forcibly closed due to Iran's government persecution against the Baháʼí Faith, Baháʼís operated “at least 47 primary schools...of which at least eight also had secondary level classes.... By one scholar's count, these schools had a combined enrollment of more than 4,700 students.” The schools were in every region of Iran, including major cities like Hamadan, Kashan, Mashhad, Saysan, Tehran, Qazvin, and Yazd. (See the article "Baháʼí Emphasis on the Education of Girls in Iran"; and pp. 13–18 of the Baháʼí International Community 2005 booklet "Closed Doors: Iran's Campaign to Deny Higher Education to Baháʼís".)

Citations

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  1. ^ Adamson 2007, p. 281.
  2. ^ Smith 2000, p. 186.
  3. ^ Karlberg 2009, p. 29.
  4. ^ Karlberg & Smith 2022a, pp. 463, 466, 473–474.
  5. ^ Karlberg & Smith 2022a, p. 469.
  6. ^ Mahmoudi 2022, pp. 386–387, 389, 390–393.
  7. ^ Dugal, Mahmoudi & Gollmer 2016, p. 18.
  8. ^ Adamson 2007, p. 449.
  9. ^ a b c ISGP 2008, p. 2.
  10. ^ Hatcher & Martin 1984, pp. 99–115.
  11. ^ Dugal, Mahmoudi & Gollmer 2016, p. 17.
  12. ^ Hartz 2009, p. 22.
  13. ^ Momen 2008, p. 19.
  14. ^ Heller & Mahmoudi 1992, p. 422.
  15. ^ Hartz 2009, pp. 16, 21–22, 88, 90.
  16. ^ Momen 2008, pp. 19–20.
  17. ^ Warburg 2006, pp. 110, 519–520.
  18. ^ Hartz 2009, pp. 128–131.
  19. ^ BIC 1993.
  20. ^ a b Boicu & Zabihi-Moghaddam 2022, p. 319.
  21. ^ a b Karlberg & Smith 2022a, p. 466.
  22. ^ Karlberg 2012, pp. 17–20.
  23. ^ Universal House of Justice 2010, ¶2.
  24. ^ Berger 2018, p. 159.
  25. ^ Momen 2008, p. 72.
  26. ^ Smith 2000, p. 19.
  27. ^ Hartz 2009, p. 65.
  28. ^ a b c Momen 1994, §9. Social and economic development..
  29. ^ Fazel & Foadi 2007, p. 125.
  30. ^ Zabihi-Moghaddam 2013, p. 305.
  31. ^ Karlberg & Smith 2022a, p. 472.
  32. ^ Boicu & Zabihi-Moghaddam 2022, p. 326.
  33. ^ Shahvar 2009, p. 70.
  34. ^ Shahvar 2009, pp. 57–58, 60–65.
  35. ^ Kingdon 1997.
  36. ^ Boicu & Zabihi-Moghaddam 2022, pp. 324–327.
  37. ^ Akhtarkhavari 2022, pp. 523–524.
  38. ^ Fazel & Foadi 2007, p. 123.
  39. ^ Hassall 2022, pp. 598, 600.
  40. ^ Warburg 2006, pp. 479–480.
  41. ^ Warburg 2006, p. 478.
  42. ^ Buck 2007, p. 212.
  43. ^ a b c d Karlberg & Smith 2022a, p. 468.
  44. ^ Karlberg & Smith 2022a, pp. 463, 466–467, 472–473, 475–476.

References

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  • ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (1982) [1911]. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá in London. London, UK: Baháʼí Publishing Trust. ISBN 0-900125-50-0.
  • Adamson, Hugh (2007). Historical Dictionary of the Baháʼí Faith. Oxford, UK: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-3353-0.
  • Hornby, Helen, ed. (1988). Lights of Guidance: A Baháʼí Reference File (Second revised and enlarged ed.). New Delhi, India: Baháʼí Publishing Trust. ISBN 81-85091-46-3.
  • Momen, Moojan (1981). The Bábí and Baháʼí Religions 1844–1944: Some Contemporary Western Accounts. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. ISBN 0-85398-102-7.
  • Saiedi, Nader (2008). Gate of the Heart: Understanding the Writings of the Báb. Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. ISBN 978-1-55458-035-4.
  • Saiedi, Nader (2000). Logos and Civilization: Spirit, History and Order in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh. Bethesda, MD: University Press of Maryland. ISBN 1-88305-363-3.
  • Universal House of Justice (prepared under supervision of the) (2001). Century of Light. Haifa, Israel: Baháʼí World Centre.
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