All of these unpuplished papers are on topics of religion that would be of direct or tangential interest to Baha'i studies. Since they were written by a grad student and not a professional in the field, they are more generalist studies than new research.

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Papers, ordered chronologically, 1994-1997:

1. "Saying Nothing about No-Thing: Apophatic Theology in the Classical World," 1994, 70K. This paper examines and relates the apophatic (negative) theology of the Neoplatonism of Plotinus and some pre-Pseudo-Dionysius eastern Christian thinkers.

2. "The Shi'i Qur'an: an Examination of Western Scholarship," 1995, 100K. This work was inspired by statements in the Kitab-i-Iqan (pp. 84-89) where Baha'u'llah rejects the charge that the text of the Bible has been willfully tampered with. Many Shi'is have charged the same, accusing Sunnis of removing the prooftexts of Ali's appointment as leader of the Muslim community from the Qur'an. This work examines the treatment of the topic by Western academics.

3. "Themes of 'The Erotic' in Sufi Mysticism," 1996, 90K. A fair amount of work has examined the symbolisms of love and eros in mystical writing, but only little has addressed the topic in the mystical love poetry of Baha' u'llah, largely because few of these poems have been translated. This paper provides background for that topic by surveying the use and meanings of themes of the erotic in writings by seven Sufi mystics.

4. "Communicative Interaction: Notes on Relating Habermasian Universalism to Baha'i Consultation," 1996, 75K. The "communicative action" theories of contemporary German philosopher Jurgen Habermas have proven very influential in formulating definitions of morality and understanding ways in which morality can be universalized. These theories are quite similar to the unique use by Baha'is of "consultation" as a tool for creating functioning societies and nonrepressive moral codes.

5. "The Origins of Shi'ism: A Consensus of Western Scholarship," 1996, 100K. Shi'is represents approximately 10% of the Muslim community. Because the other 90% tend to regard this party as illegitimate, Shi'ism has tried a number of different ways to legitimate their history. Here I examine, using Western historiographical methods, the three key events occuring during the life of Muhammad that are used as proof of Shi'i origins.

6. "Martyrdom in Jihad," 1997, 94K. Judaism contains a strong theme of the theological importance of suffering, and Christianity elevated the marytrdom of Jesus to a key salvific event. Islam, however, does not contain one core thread of martyrdom. Rather, martyrdom occurs in three disparate areas: war and jihad, Sufi asceticism, and Shi'ism. Here I examine the relationship between jihad and martyrdom and changes their meanings have undergone, both classical and contemporary.

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