Documents in Journal of Bahá'í Studies

Documents published in Journal of Bahá'í Studies

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1844 Ottoman 'Edict of Toleration' in Bahá'í Secondary Literature, The, by Michael W. Sours. (1998). This edict, issued the year the Bahá'í era began, permitted Jews to return to Palestine. The return of Jews to the Holy Land was thought by Christians to be an event anticipated by biblical prophecy, heralding the Second Advent of Christ.
A Leaf of Honey and the Proverbs of the Rainforest, by Joseph Shepperd: Review, by Lin Poyer. (1989).
A Way Out of No Way, by Hussein Ahdieh and Hillary Chapman: Review, by Donald T. Streets. (2017).
'Abdu'l-Bahá and Ezra Pound's Circle, by Elham Afnan. (1994). On the 1911 meeting between Ezra Pound, the famous American modernist poet, and 'Abdu'l-Bahá; links between the Bahá'í Faith and a number of important avant-garde circles in the West.
`Abdu'l-Bahá and the Iranian Constitutional Revolution: Embracing Principles while Disapproving Methodologies, by Mina Yazdani. (2014). Abdu’l-Bahá’s orientation toward the Constitutional Revolution of 1906–1911: he embraced the principles of constitutionalism while disapproving of confrontation; real social change needs to start at the moral-ethical level.
Abdu'l-Bahá in America, by Robert H. Stockman, and Abdu'l-Bahá's Journey West: The Course of Human Solidarity, ed. Negar Mottahedeh: Reviews, by Firuz Kazemzadeh. (2013).
'Abdu'l-Bahá in the West: A Biographical Guide of the People Associated with His Travels, by Jan Teofil Jasion: Review, by Anne Gordon Perry. (2015).
'Abdu'l-Bahá's Response to the Doctrine of the Unity of Existence, by Keven Brown. (2001). Includes provisional translation of Tablet on the Unity of Existence.
`Abdu'l-Bahá, le porte-drapeau d'une nouvelle civilisation: `Abdu'l-Bahá, the Standard Bearer of a New Civilization, by Shapour Rassekh. Louis Brunet, trans, Pierre-Yves Mocquais, trans. (2013/2014). Abdu'l-Bahá's mission and objectives in visiting North American, bringing to the West his principles for a new global age. Includes French original, "‘Abdu’l-Bahá, le porte-drapeau d’une nouvelle civilisation."
Abraham: One God Three Wives Five Religions by Frances Worthington: Review, by Alex Gottdank. (2012).
Absolute Poverty and Utter Nothingness, by Rodney H. Clarken. (1997). Bahá’u’lláh’s ideas of poverty as detachment, and nothingness as selflessness. Cites some commonalities in concepts of detachment and nothingness from Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, Muhammad and Socrates as five of the greatest philosophers or prophets.
Achieving Peace by the Year 2000, by John Huddleston: Review, by Brad Pokorny. (1989).
Achieving Reconciliation in a Conflicting World, by Ismael Velasco. (2008). The dynamics of conflict against the backdrop of globalization, and religion's role in fostering unity. A "logic of reconciliation" will allow us to find harmony among ideas, individuals, and communities.
Achieving Universal Participation of Older Adults: An Exploration of Its Challenges and Spiritual Foundations, by Catherine Bigonnesse, Jean Marc Bigonnesse. (2015). On involving older adults in the process of participation in society; some of the root causes of ageism, such as avoiding the topic of death and a materialistic view of the soul; the role of older adults in the process of community building.
Active Force and That Which Is Its Recipient, The: A Bahá'í View of Creativity, by Rick Johnson. (2017). On creativity and the pervasive nature of this concept in Bahá’í thought. The universe is coded to be creative; it exists in a perpetually generative, dynamic state and that creativity is the fundamental reality of the universe.
Advancing in Bahá'í-inspired Education, by Sona Farid-Arbab. (2016). A number of diverse educators labor in diverse cultural and ecological settings to identify educational needs, develop elements of a coherent pedagogy, and create a series of teaching-learning experience, in light of Bahá'u'lláh's vision for humanity.
Affirmative Action and the Jurisprudence of Equitable Inclusion: Towards a New Consensus on Gender and Race Relations, by Steven Gonzales. (1995). The principle of equity and the Bahá’í emphasis on unity in diversity as a basis for considering Affirmative Action in relationship to remedying past injustices to women and minorities.
Africanity, Womanism, and Constructive Resilience: Some Reflections, by Layli Maparyan. (2020). The meanings of the metaphor "pupil of the eye;" experiences of growing up African-American in the West; overcoming cosmological negation; the African worldview on nature, humanity, and creation; gendered expressions of African culture.
Age of Anxiety and the Century of Light, The: Twentieth-Century Literature, the Poet's Mission, and the Vision of World Unity, by Suheil Badi Bushrui. (2003). W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, W. H. Auden, and Kahlil Gibran were writers who recognized and confronted the spiritual and intellectual crisis of their time. The mission of the poet is to bear witness, maintain the integrity of language, and express truths.
Ageing: Challenges and Opportunities, by Abdu'l-Missagh Ghadirian: Review, by Jacqueline McClaran. (1994).
Ageing: Challenges and Opportunities, by Abdu'l-Missagh Ghadirian: Review, by Deborah K. van den Hoonaard. (1994).
Agriculture: A Fundamental Principle, by Paul Hanley. (1990). The Bahá'í emphasis on agricultural development as a “fundamental principle” conductive to human advancement; the need to redesign food and agricultural systems, locally and internationally; wider social implications.
Alain Locke's "Moral Imperatives for World Order" Revisited, by Christopher Buck. (2019). In public speeches presented in 1944 Locke argues that racism, although an American problem, is not purely a domestic issue; it has bilateral and multilateral consequences; unity of races, religions, and nations is a moral imperative.
Altruism and Extensivity in the Bahá'í Religion, by Wendy M. Heller, Hoda Mahmoudi. (1992). Bahá'í teachings relating to research on altruism and prosocial behavior; the interaction of spiritual and social transformation through beliefs and practices that encourage the development of altruistic personalities; socialization and discipline.
Alzheimer's Disease: An Eclipse before Sunset, by Abdu'l-Missagh Ghadirian. (1989). Caring for victims of Alzheimer's Disease can be a formidable task. This paper offers some suggestions, based on clinical observations and illumined by the Bahá’í teachings, for meeting those needs.
Amazing Nashville Baha'i Community in the 1960s, The, by John S. Hatcher. (2019). "From the Editor's Desk": Hatcher's personal memories of time in Nashville; overview of the lives of Robert Hayden and Magdalene Carney.
Ameen Rihani and the Unity of Religion: The Politics of Time and the Politics of Eternity, by Suheil Badi Bushrui (published as Suheil Bushrui). (2014). Overview of the life and thought of a Lebanese-American writer, intellectual, and political activist, who believed in the oneness of religions and the brotherhood of nations and devoted his life to promoting East-West understanding.
Anecdote of the Jar, The, by John S. Hatcher. (2017). "From the Editor's Desk": Discussion of a piece of pottery by Bernard Leach; overview of the articles and poems in this issue of the Journal.
Angel Ruckus, by B. K. Filson: Review, by Albert Ouimet. (1999).
"Angle of Ascent", The: Process and Achievement in the Work of Robert Hayden, by Ann Boyles. (1992). Hayden's poetry explores the process of individual and collective social and spiritual transformation in the contexts of contemporary culture, the Bahá'í Faith, black history, art, literature, nature, disease, and suffering.
Anne Gould Hauberg and Mark Tobey: Lives Lived for Art, Cultivated by Spirit, by Anne Gordon Perry. (2016). On the friendship and working relationship between Seattle art patron Hauberg and Seattle-based painter Tobey.
Another Look at Achieving Peace by the Year 2000, by John Huddleston. (1999). The process of globalization in terms of trade, culture, corporations, migration, environment, and crime; how to maintain peace; the failure of the world's leaders to achieve peace; institutional frameworks for peace and restructuring the United Nations.
Antinomies of Reason and the Theology of Revelation: Some Preliminary Thoughts, by Nader Saiedi. (1998). A thesis of Progressive Revelation offers a solution to the fundamental antinomies of philosophical discourse. This concept is applied to the Kantian antinomies of reason: the central question of modern philosophy.
Apocalypse and Millennium: Catastrophe, Progress, and the Lesser Peace, by William P. Collins. (2002). Some approaches to the Lesser Peace in light of millennialism, and the Bahá'í vision of a divine plan leading to the Lesser Peace and the Most Great Peace which has "progressive” and "catastrophic" aspects.
Arc of Ascent: The Purpose of Physical Reality II, by John S. Hatcher: Review, by Ross Woodman. (1994).
Art and Architecture: A Bahá'í Perspective, by Fariborz Sahba (published as Fariburz Sahba). (1997). This essay explores the spiritual significance of the relationship between traditional and new forms of artistic expression from the author’s experience as an architect.
Articulating a Consultative Epistemology: Toward a Reconciliation of Truth and Relativism, by Todd Smith, Michael Karlberg. (2009). Epistemology has a perennial tension between two contrasting approaches to knowledge: the search for foundational truth vs. the relativity of truth. Consultation can help resolve paradoxical truth claims to develop an integrative approach to knowledge.
Artist and the Grammarian, The, by Otto Donald Rogers. (2009). On the process and meaning of creating art; its effect on the mind and the brain, the nature of painting; spiritual foundations of the natural world.
Ascent of Mount Carmel, The: Celebrating the Bicentenary of the Birth of the Báb, by John S. Hatcher. (2019). "From the Editor's Desk": Symbolism of the terraces on the shrine of the Bab; St. John's poem "Ascent of Mount Carmel"; overview of the articles in this issue of the Journal.
Asking Questions: A Challenge to Fundamentalism, by Bahíyyih Nakhjavání: Review, by Graham Hassall. (1991).
Aspects of Bahá'í Ethics, Some, by Udo Schaefer. (2006). Summary of concepts from Schaefer's book Bahá'í Ethics in the Light of Scripture.
Aspects of Bahá'í Scholarship, Some, by Peter J. Khan. (1999). Four ideas that characterize Bahá’í scholarship: the central position of the Word in the acquisition of knowledge; the interconnected Bahá’í model of the world; progressive nature of Bahá’í law; organic relationship of scholarship and the Covenant.
Author's Response to Commentaries on "The Purpose of Poetry", by Shirin Sabri. (1989-1990).
Awakening: A History of the Bábí and Bahá'í Faiths in Nayriz, by Hussein Ahdieh: Review, by Anne Pearson. (2015).
Bahá'í Approach to the Claim of Finality in Islam, A, by Seena Fazel, Khazeh Fananapazir. (1993). Survey of the terms "prophet" and "seal," and a Bahá'í reconciliation of these terms with progressive revelation.
Bahá'í Approach to the Claim of Uniqueness and Exclusivity in Christianity, A, by Seena Fazel, Khazeh Fananapazir. (1990). Differing interpretations of scriptural passages about exclusivity have caused conflicts between denominations. A Bahá'í approach, focussing on the Gospels and on progressive revelation, can reconcile these disagreements.
Bahá'í Cosmological Symbolism and the Ecofeminist Critique, by Michael W. Sours. (1995). Constituents of Bahá'í cosmological symbolism; introduction to the main feminist/environmentalist arguments; eschatological character of Bahá'í cosmological symbolism; Bahá'í eschatology provides answers to many feminist and ecological objections.
Bahá'í Ethics in Light of Scripture, by Udo Schaefer: Review, by Ian Kluge. (2015).
Bahá'í Faith and the Market Economy, The, by Farhad Rassekh. (2001). Bahá'í teachings relevant to the market system as described in classical economics and the roles of self-interest and morality in economic life; human beings are naturally endowed with a desire to better their lives.
Bahá'í Faith, Sect or Religion? by Udo Schaefer: Review, by Roger Lapointe. (1989).
Bahá'í Families: Perspectives, Principles, Practice, by Patricia Wilcox: Review, by Michael J. Bruwer. (1992).
Bahá'í Focus on Development, by Moojan Momen: Review, by Kurt Hein. (1990).
Bahá'í Fundamentals for Bioethics, by Leila Rassekh Milani, Kavian Sadeghzade Milani. (1998). The science of the soul; Bahá’í scriptural understanding of suffering, theodicy, and the purpose of creation; definitions of life and death, as well as the purpose of human life; formulating a Bahá’í approach to bioethical dilemmas.
Bahá'í History in the Formative Age: The World Crusade 1953-1963, by Graham Hassall. (1995). The major features of the Bahá'í 'World Crusade' 1953-1963; thoughts about the contemporary practice of historical Bahá'í scholarship; the guardianship and evolution of the Universal House of Justice; United Nations and the Bahá'í International Community.
Bahá'í Perspective on the Origin of Matter, A, by Keven Brown. (1990). The origin of matter is spiritual. Science sees that, at its most fundamental level, reality is not particular materials or structures, but probabilities and transformation. The four elements, three-fold structure of being, and balance are also examined.
Bahá'í Philosophy of Human Nature, The, by Ian Kluge. (2017). How the essential reality of the individual — the human soul and its powers of rational thought, willpower, memory, and reflection — translates these capacities into physical action through the intermediary of the brain.
Bahá'í Physicians: Emerging Roles and Responsibilities, by Hoda Mahmoudi, Gloria Teckie. (2010). The role of a Bahá'í doctor; the relationship between medical intervention and health of the mind, soul, as well as body; the patient's role in maintaining their own health; a Bahá'í approach to health-care delivery.
Bahá'í Village Granary, The: Spiritual Underpinnings and Applications to North America, by Peter Calkins, Benoit Girard. (1998). A village granary helps lay the systemic foundations of Bahá’u’lláh’s spiritualized new world economic order for both rural and urban society, the capstone of God’s progressive revelation of rural institutions for the sustainable use of natural resources.
Bahá'í Youth and Sexuality: A Personal/Professional View, by Sharon Kennedy, Andrew Kennedy. (1988). The role of Bahá’í youth with respect to prevailing attitudes towards sexuality found in Western society, emphasizing the process of spiritual growth and the principle of chastity; a number of practical suggestions are made.
Bahá'í: The Religious Construction of a Global Identity, by Michael McMullen: Review, by William P. Collins. (2001).
Bahá'ís of Iran: Socio-Historical Studies, ed. Dominic Brookshaw and Seena Fazel: Review, by Soli Shahvar. (2011).
Bahá'u'lláh and the God of Avicenna, by Joshua Hall (published as Joshua D. T. Hall). (2022-03). Comparison of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh on the nature of God with the philosophy of Avicenna; this helps one understand the philosophical content and significance, and rational rigor, of Bahá’u’lláh’s own statements on God’s existence and creative act.
Baha'u'llah as 'World Reformer', by Christopher Buck. (1991). This article places Bahá'u'lláh in the context of Islamic reform by comparing him to several contemporary Iranian reformers. Bahá'u'lláh prosecuted his proposed reforms in three stages: (1) Bábí reform; (2) Persian reform; and (3) world reform.
Bahá'u'lláh's "Ode of the Dove": A Provisional Translation, by Bahá'u'lláh. John S. Hatcher, trans, Amrollah Hemmat, trans, Ehsanollah Hemmat, trans. (2019). A lengthy dialogue between Bahá'u'lláh (as persona/narrator) and the Huriyyih — the Maid of Heaven (a personification of “the Most Great Spirit”).
Bahá'u'lláh's 'Long Healing Prayer' ("Lawḥ-i-Anta'l-Káfí") in Light of a Metaphysics of Unity, by Daniel Azim Pschaida. (2022-03). On the originality and deep coherence of this prayer as expressed by its rhyme, alliterations, and structures organized around the number 19; the prayer is an invitation to meditate on God’s names, and see reality in a metaphysics of wholeness and unity.
Bahá'u'lláh's Influence on the New York School of Painting: The "Unapprehended Inspiration" of Newman and Rothko, by Ross Woodman. (1991). The paintings of New Yorkers Barnett Newman and Mark Rothko may best be understood as a powerful first evidence of what Bahá’u’lláh called “the rising Orb of Divine Revelation, from behind the veil of concealment.”
Bahá'u'lláh's Seven Valleys and Developmental Psychology: Toward a Conception of Spiritual Development, by Andrew R. Hatala. (2011). Through the lens of the Seven Valleys, this paper creates a dialogue between theories of developmental psychology and Bahá’í philosophical perspectives, explores the evolution of the "self," and examines spiritual striving in human phylogeny and ontogeny.
Bahá'u'lláh's Symbolic Use of the Veiled Ḥúríyyih, by John S. Hatcher, Amrollah Hemmat, Ehsanollah Hemmat. (2019). Analyzing some of the meanings behind the appearance of the Veiled Maiden, as alluded to by Bahá'u'lláh in His letters.
Bahá'í Community of Canada, The, by Will C. van den Hoonaard. (1997).
Bahá'í Faith Seen through the Eyes of Major Encyclopedias, The, by Seena Fazel. (1992). Overview of some themes and organization/structure common to articles about Bahá'í topics published in encyclopedias; includes a list of references to the Bahá’í Faith in major encyclopedias (as of 1992).
Bábí-State Conflict at Shaykh Tabarsí, The, by Siyamak Zabihi-Moghaddam. (2004). Analysis of first of four major clashes between the Bábís and the Qájár state from 1848-1853. The Bábís were not intent on revolt; factors include the increased public hostility toward the Bábís, their understanding of holy war, and political instability.
Beauty of the Human Psyche, The: The Patterns of the Virtues, by Rhett Diessner. (2016). Insights from science and the Bahá'í Writings combine to show how the human soul is a shining of divine attributes reflected into our mind, where they manifest as virtuous thoughts and spiritual emotions.
Becoming Attuned to Reality: Presuppositions and the Power of Learning in Action, by Todd Smith. (2024-03). The learning mode of action, reflection, consultation, and study encourages investigators to attend to six "interplays" which work together to facilitate collaborative readings of reality in the search for truth.
Becoming Hospitable and Uplifting Holding Environments for Humanity's Griefs: Depression and the Bahá'í Community, by Elena Mustakova. (2017). What depression and anxiety-related conditions can teach us about creating healing spiritual communities; the Bahá'í message can help encourage us toward healing and uplifting communities, to embrace humanity’s griefs and point the way forward.
Beyond Red Power: The Alternative Activism of Dorothy Maquabeak Francis, by Chelsea Horton. (2004). Aboriginal activism of the 1960s-1970s, which promoted native spirituality and culture, fostered cross-cultural understanding, but now "Red Power" must encompass both the grassroots and the spiritual realms.
Beyond the Clash of Religions: The Emergence of a New Paradigm, by Udo Schaefer: Review, by Loni Bramson (published as Loni Bramson-Lerche). (1995).
Beyond Welfare: A Preliminary Bahá'í Normative Framework for Economic Rights and Responsibilities, by Vargha Taefi (published as Vargha Bolodo-Taefi). (2022). The conceptual underpinnings of a Bahá’í approach to economic growth and disparity, mapped onto an applied framework of economic rights and responsibilities, give rise to economic justice and individual and institutional rights and responsibilities.
Bibliography of English-Language Works on the Bábí and Bahá'í Faiths 1844-1985, by William Collins: Review, by Roger M. Dahl. (1991).
Birth of the Human Being, The: Beyond Religious Traditionalism and Materialist Modernity, by Nader Saiedi. (2011). We have arrived at a turning point in human evolution: the moment of the birth of the human being. This paper examines the development of this idea in the Writings of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and its opposite concept, dehumanization.
Buddhism and the Bahá'í Faith, by Moojan Momen: Review, by Jonah Winters. (1994). Issues raised by Momen's attempt to show that both religions are compatible, that the manifestation of Bahá'u'lláh fulfills the prophecies of the Buddha on the coming of a future Maitreya Buddha, and Bahá'í re-interpretations of Buddhist theology.
Building Intercultural Community: Insights from Indigenous Bahá'í History, by Chelsea Horton. (2016). Bridging Bahá'í communities with Indigenous populations in Canada and the United States was not easy, and was especially fraught for native believers, who also confronted tensions of intercultural understanding and sometimes outright racism.
Calligraphy of Mishkin-Qalam, The, by Julie Badiee, Heshmatollah Badiee. (1991). The life and work of a one-time court artist for Nasiri'd-Din Shah, who was present for the nascent years of the Baha’i revelation and moved to Edirne to be near to Baha'u'lláh; examples of Islamic calligraphic traditions and his own compositions.
Centering the "Pupil of the Eye": Blackness, Modernity, and the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, by Derik Smith. (2019). The "pupil of the eye" metaphor is a deeply consequential, distinguishing feature of the transformative social and spiritual system laid out in Bahá’u’lláh's Revelation.
Challenges of Sustainable Development, by Augusto Lopez-Carlos. (2012). Economic growth contributes to global prosperity, but it may conflict with environmental constraints. The interactions among conservation, technology, international cooperation, and human values can prevent future crises and assist collective evolution.
Champions of Oneness: Louis Gregory and His Shining Circle, by Janet Ruhe-Schoen: Review, by Lex Musta. (2016).
Civility and Piety as Foundations of Community, by Philip Selznick. (2004). Text of a talk by a sociologist on moral commitments we make in life, democratic principles, the nature of "community," and articles of faith.
Collective Security within Reach by Sovaida Ma'ani Ewing: Review, by Graham Hassall. (2013).
Commentary on "Equality of Women: The Bahá'í Principle of Complementarity," by Linda O'Neil: Response, by Nancy Lease. (1991).
Community Agency and Islamic Education in Contemporary Zanzibar, by Caitlyn Bolton. (2020). Western political philosophy is primarily concerned with the dynamics of rights and responsibilities between the individual and the institutions; the concept of community is overlooked in such theories, and is even antithetical to the modern nation-state.
Compassionate Woman: The Life and Legacy of Patricia Locke by John Kolstoe: Review, by Patricia Verge. (2012).
Concealment and Revelation in Bahá'u'lláh's Book of the River, by Nader Saiedi. (1999). Analysis and provisional translation of Sahífiy-i-Shattíyyih (Book of the River); on Bahá'u'lláh's experience in the Síyáh-Chál and whether he considered himself a Manifestation of God prior to his Ridván declaration.
Concept of the Manifestation of God in Chinese Symbolism: An Inter-civilizational Hermeneutic Study, by Amrollah Hemmat. (2016). Seemingly incompatible symbols can point to a common underlying meaning, connecting worldviews and perspectives often considered incommensurable. There are elements of the Chinese tradition that resonate deeply with the Bahá’í concept of Manifestation.
Conflict Resolution Movement, The, by Steven Gonzales. (1999). What exactly is conflict resolution? Why do so many different disciplines lay claim to it? This article is an introduction to the field, a review of conflict resolution in history, and a survey of contemporary legislation worldwide.
Constructive Imaginary, The, by Michael Karlberg. (2020). In a 2007 letter on the closing of the BIHE, the Universal House of Justice introduced the concept of "constructive resilience"; on the relationship of this to other concepts in discourses on social change, and its relevance to the exigencies of the age.
Constructive Resilience, by Firaydoun Javaheri. (2018). How the perseverance of the Bahá'ís in Iran has resulted in the generality of the Iranian people beginning to admire and, in some cases, arising to assist the Bahá'ís.
Conversion of Religious Minorities to the Bahá'í Faith in Iran: Some Preliminary Observations, by Susan Maneck (published as Susan Stiles Maneck). (1990). Conversion patterns of Zoroastrians and Jews in the period 1877-1921.
"Conversion of Religious Minorities to the Bahá'í Faith in Iran," by Susan Stiles Maneck: Commentary, by Foad Katirai. (1992).
Conversive Relationality in Bahá'í Scholarship: Centering the Sacred and Decentering the Self, by Susan Berry Brill de Ramirez (published as Susan B. Brill). (1995). Ways in which Bahá’í scholars might follow the process of consecration by centering the sacred within and decentering the self out of academic work; a conversive model of communication and scholarship is rooted in the sacred, emphasizing relationality.
"Conversive Relationality in Bahá'í Scholarship," by Susan B. Brill: Commentaries and Response, by Sandra S. Fotos, Stephen R. Friberg, Susan Berry Brill de Ramirez. (1998).
Conversive Turn in Bahá'í Scripture, The: An Intersubjective Communications Model for Bridging Global Diversity, by Susan Berry Brill de Ramirez. (2007). Communications which manifest equality of participants bring diverse persons and elements of the world together. Bahá'í consultation exemplifies the capacity of language to transform the world through the unifying power of interpersonal connections.
Created Rich, by Patrick Barker: Reviews, by Mary Fish, M. E. Muttart. (1995).
Creation, by Lasse Thoresen. (2002). Contributing to the creation of a new civilization as a researcher or an artist means participating in the process of never-ending unfolding; the divine names are the eternal archetypes organizing the material world; dialogue between thinking and reality.
Creative Circle: Art, Literature and Music in the Bahá'í Perspective, ed. Michael Fitzgerald: Review, by Phyllis Sternberg Perrakis. (1989-1990).
Crisis and the Power of an Inclusive Historical Consciousness: Progressing from Delusional Habits to Dynamic Freedom, by Todd Smith. (2020). On delusional ways of thinking: the habits of totalizing reality vs. fragmenting reality. These lead us to ideologize and dichotomize. Maturity needs inclusive historical consciousness and equal interplay between the individual and the collective.
Crystallizations: 20 Works by Bahá'í Artists, ed. Ross Woodman: Review, by Shirin Sabri. (1999).
Dear White Christians: For Those Still Longing for Racial Reconciliation, by Jennifer Harvey: Review, by Dianne Coin. (2017).
Depression: Biological, Psychosocial, and Spiritual Dimensions and Treatment, by Abdu'l-Missagh Ghadirian. (2015). Biological, psychosocial, and environmental factors contribute to the development of depression. If religious beliefs and spiritual values also play a role, what insights can the Bahá'í Faith offer?
Depression, Stigma, and the Soul, by Patricia McIlvride. (2017). New recovery models, like interpersonal neurobiology, are challenging the medical model in the treatment of mental illness. By defining the mind as transcendent and both embodied and relational, new avenues of healing become possible.
Destiny and Freedom in the Bahá'í Writings, by Julio Savi. (2010). Bahá'í writings on human free will and fate: our lives are free, yet also regulated by the decrees of God. Freedom is best enjoyed through understanding God's will, our spiritual purpose (H.M. Balyuzi Memorial Lecture).
Developing a Participatory Approach to Learning, by Maija Pihlainen. (1991). The Macau-based School of the Nations’ philosophy of education, and its implications for the school’s curriculum development process. The Bahá'í approach to education emphasizes moral education, participation, cooperation, and consultation.
Dilemmas and Prospects of Writing a Bahá'í Encyclopedia, by Will C. van den Hoonaard. (1989). The need for a Bahá’í encyclopedia and a description of the nature, organization, and editing of the encyclopedic dictionary project endorsed in 1984 by the United States Bahá’ís; dilemmas which accompany its undertaking.
Dimensions of Spirituality, by Jack McLean: Review, by Julio Savi. (1995).
Discerning a Framework for the Treatment of Animals in the Bahá'í Writings: Ethics, Ontology, and Discourse, by Michael Sabet. (2023-01). Bahá'í exegesis can discern a framework governing the treatment of animals and our relationship to the natural world; examination of the author’s own relationship with animals; ethics of kindness and justice flow from underlying ontological principles.
Discourse on Bahá'í Theology, A: A Treatise by Dr. 'Alí-Murád Dávúdí on God and Revelation, by Ali Murad Davudi. Vargha Taefi, trans. (2021). Overview of the life of Davudi, a distinguished scholar and researcher and prolific author, followed by a translation of a treatise on the transcendence of God, apophatic theology, knowledge of God, emanation and manifestation, and divine attributes.
Divisive Barbarity or Global Civilization? ed. M. L. Bradbury and Suheil Bushrui: Review, by Naysan Sahba. (1998).
Drawings, Verse, and Belief, by Bernard Leach: Review, by Julie Badiee. (1989).
Eco Principle: Ecology and Economics in Symbiosis, by Arthur Lyon Dahl: Review, by Peter Calkins. (1997).
Ecological Stewardship as Applied Spirituality: A Bahá'í Perspective, by John Thelen Steere. (2005). The significance and dimensions of environmental stewardship — the name given to the emerging practice of habitation restoration, land conservation, resource management, and parks and recreation — and its relationship to the Bahá’í teachings.
Economic Prosperity: A Global Imperative, by Mary Fish. (1997). Economic growth does not necessarily enhance human welfare. The Prosperity of Humankind recognizes the role of economics in igniting the capacity of humankind. The Bahá'í concept of human nature opens a dialogue between religion and economists.
Education and Moral Development in Children, by Susan Clay Stoddart. (1988). We are caught between the imperative to function as a world culture and a belief that we need to maintain separate racial, cultural, and ethnic identities; strategies that parents and teachers can use to help children develop an identity with all peoples.
Effect of Philosophical and Linguistic Gender Biases on the Degradation of Women's Status in Religion, The, by Baharieh Rouhani Ma'ani. (1997). Women’s rights have been undermined for centuries; philosophical and linguistic gender-related biases and their effect on the degradation of women’s status in religion; suggestions for eradicating the causes of inequality in order to hasten world unity.
Emblems of Faithfulness: Pluralism in Meaning and Beauty in the Ordinary, by Helen Cheng, Catherine Nash. (2015). Memorials of the Faithful is notable for the diversity of personalities described, and the sheer ordinariness of many of those remembered lives. These two aspects of the text highlight some of the broader questions raised by the Bahá'í Faith.
Emergence from Obscurity: The Journey of Sociology in the Bahá'í Community, by Will C. van den Hoonaard. (2008). The field of sociology and the Bahá’í Faith share important principles and both challenge widely-held beliefs, yet there has sometimes been a wall of silence separating them. This paper explores how the Faith informs the sociology of Bahá'í scholars.
Enacting Thought: Divine Will, Human Agency, and the Possibility of Justice, by Holly Hanson. (2009). Societies evolve through generations of human decision making. Using the examples of 300 years of politics in Uganda vis à vis England, processes that create injustice can be seen as gradual and unintentional, while implementing justice is deliberate.
Encouragement of the Arts During the Ministry of 'Abdu'l-Bahá: The Services of Master Calligrapher Mishkín-Qalam, by Nooshfar B. Afnan. (2023-10). ‘Abdu’l-Bahá promoted the arts, including through support of Mishkín-Qalam and artistic conceptions for the interment of the remains of the Báb, the construction of the first Bahá’í House of Worship, and transcription of Bahá’í literature.
Encouragement, Challenges, Healing, and Progress: The Bahá'í Faith in Indigenous Communities, by Alfred Kahn. (2016). On the challenges of community-building among Indigenous people, written from the perspective of a childhood spent among Bahá'í pioneers on Native American land, and on reconciling traditional views with global Bahá'í teachings.
End of the World: Whatever Happened?, The: Or Leftover Time to Kill, by Ross Woodman. (1991). If we contrast the eschatology of Bahá’u’lláh with that of Hegel and Nietzsche, we can locate and explore the spiritual origins of the planetary consciousness (the Divine Springtime) upon which the survival of humankind and the globe itself now depends.
Environnement: Patrimoine de l'humanité, by ABS Francophone Europe: Review, by Arthur Lyon Dahl. (1993).
Epistemological Implications of the Gradated Claims to Divine Authority in the Bahá'í Writings: Reflections on Infallibility, by William S. Hatcher. (2007). There are different levels of infallibility, from the greater (the Manifestations who are "omniscient at will") to the lesser (like the Guardian, who has conferred freedom-from-error).
Epistolary Style of Shoghi Effendi, The, by Ann Boyles. (2022-09). The purposes of this paper are to investigate the new style of the epistle and the roots of its development, and demonstrate that elements of the form have been modified to accommodate the vision of Shoghi Effendi, architect of Bahá'u'lláh's World Order.
Equality of Women and Men: The Experience of the Bahá'í Community of Canada, by Deborah and Will van den Hoonaard: Review, by Lynn Echevarria-Howe (published as Lynn Echevarria). (2006).
Equality of Women, The: The Bahá'í Principle of Complementarity, by John S. Hatcher. (1990). The Bahá’í teachings simultaneously assert the equality of men and women whilst advocating in some cases distinct duties according to gender. This seems paradoxical, but there can be gender distinction without inequality in status or function.
Eternal Quest For God, The, by Julio Savi: Review, by William S. Hatcher. (1992).
Ethel Jenner Rosenberg, by Robert Weinberg: Review, by Peter P. Morgan. (1997).
Even as the Waves of One Sea: Bahá'í Consultation's Implicit Cultural Support for the Clash of Differing Opinions, by Whitney White Kazemipour. (2024-03). A letter from Shoghi Effendi introduces some cultural dynamics which underlie Bahá'í consultation; disagreement can precede collective understanding and is not a sign of failure; the prayer to open meetings gives a moral motivation and ethos of tolerance.
Evolution of Reality, The, by George Land. (1990). Entropy maintains that all structures eventually decay. Humanity's challenge is to understand that nature's creative process changes systems, including organizations and civilization; this can lead to new connections, ideas, resources, and opportunities.
"Evolution of Reality," by George Land: Commentary, by Tony Michel. (1991).
Evolving Role of Bahá'í Scholarship, The, by Vahid Rafati. (2015). Lecture on the evolution of Bahá’í scholarship; ulamás and the Faith; role of the ulamás in Islam; changes instituted by Bahá'u'lláh; abolition of clerical authority; historical legacy of some scholars; present challenges and future scholarship.
Evolving toward a Bahá'í Economic System, by Gregory C. Dahl. (1991). Ideals are fruitless if not implemented. There needs to be a balance and an interplay between goals and actions. A "Bahá’í economic system" suggests a number of topics for further research.
Exploration into the Political Economy of Global Prosperity, An, by Farhad Sabetan. (1997). Concepts of prosperity and well-being from an economic and global perspective; concept of global destitution; current assumptions about human nature and human relationships with the physical world and society are inadequate; ethical first principles.
Exploring Male Oppression from a Family Systems Perspective, by Janet Huggins. (1990). On sexual inequality; parallels between adolescent sex role development and the evolutionary stage of our society; examples of how both men and women are oppressed; implications of achieving equality for both world peace and individual intrapsychic unity.
"Exploring Male Oppressions from a Family-Systems Perspective,: Commentary and Response, by Hoda Mahmoudi, Janet Huggins. (1991).
Exploring the Implications of a Conceptual Framework for Action for Bahá'í Scholarship, by John S. Hatcher. (2018). "From the Editor's Desk": How elements of the conceptual framework that encompasses the vision and activities of the worldwide Bahá’í community can be incorporated into the Association's various initiatives.
Fact and Fiction: Interrelationships between History and Imagination, by Bahiyyih Nakhjavani. (2000). On the tension between "fact" and "fiction," between objective history and our relative and subjective stories, between art as the representation of reality and faith based on the Word of God. We inherited a responsibility to resolve this tension.
Faith and World Economy: A Joint Venture, Bahá'í Perspective, by Guiseppe Robiati: Review, by Mary Fish. (1991).
Faith and World Economy: A Joint Venture, Bahá'í Perspective, by Guiseppe Robiati: Review, by Edward Rappaport. (1991).
Faith in Action: Reflections on Constructive Resilience from Nicaragua, by Bradley Wilson. (2020). Poverty and hunger among farmworkers; faith and social action; observations on the discourse of constructive resilience; social movements seeking to overcome oppression; the practice of "accompaniment" — long-term immersive participation and observation.
Faith of Science and the Method of Religion, The, by Brian Aull. (1988). A fundamental teaching of the Bahá’í Faith is that science and religion are harmonious and complementary: religious faith should be shaped by a process of critical inquiry and the limitations of science acknowledged.
Faith, Protest, and Progress, by H. Elsie Austin. (1998). Protest is occasionally necessary and justified; it does not have to mean violence, but rather the courage to reject the false and unjust. Protest based on faith can have a transforming effect on both the individual and society and racial unity.
Feminine Forms of the Divine in Bahá'í Scriptures, by Paula A. Drewek. (1992). Examples of the interaction between male and female principles in the writings. Complementarity of masculine and feminine images of divinity enriches our understanding of the divine–human encounter, but does not supplant the unity or unknowability of God.
Forging More Perfect Unions, by William Barnes. (1992). Social advances toward inclusive political structures must be accompanied by a moral advance toward universal values; three stages of global political unification as described in the Bahá’í writings are confederation, federation, and commonwealth.
"Forging More Perfect Unions," by William Barnes: Commentary, by John A. Grayzel. (1994).
"Forging More Perfect Unions," Commentary by John A. Grayzel: Author's Response, by William Barnes. (1994).
Forgotten Schools: The Baha'is and Modern Education in Iran, 1899-1934, by Soli Shahvar: Review, by Amin Banani. (2010).
Four Levels of Detachment in Doris Lessing's Shikasta,, The, by Phyllis Sternberg Perrakis. (2004). The concept of detachment in Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings and its application to Doris Lessing’s Sufi-inspired novel, Shikasta; the reciprocal relation between detachment and attachment and service to the new prophet.
From Oppression to Empowerment, by Nader Saiedi. (2016). On four contemporary types of oppression: in the international political order, forms of the state, economic structures, and forms of cultural identity; Bahá’u’lláh’s personal response to oppression; and a Bahá’í approach to empowerment and liberation.
From Oppression to Equality: The Emergence of the Feminist Perspective, by Hoda Mahmoudi. (1989). The Bahá’í principle of the equality between women and men; history of the obstructions and prejudices toward women as promoted by religious institutions; what it means to be a liberated woman in the eye of the Bahá'í writings.
From The Editor's Desk, by Linda S. Covey, Roshan Danesh. (2016). Introduction to this issue's articles on the unique potentials of the indigenous population of America, recovery from the residential schools, eradicating prejudice, and the intersection between the Bahá’í Faith and native peoples.
Genesis in King Lear: Joseph's Many-Colored Coat Suits Shakespeare, by Tom Lysaght. (2019). Creative comparison of the biblical figure of Joseph and the character of Edgar in Shakespeare's King Lear, in light of the Báb’s and Bahá'u'lláh's Writings.
God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible, by Adam Nicolson: Review, by Geza Farkas. (2005-12/2015-06).
Good of the World and the Happiness of the Nations, The: A Study of Modern Utopian and Dystopian Literature, by Elham Afnan. (1989). The Bahá'í Writings, with their new understanding of human destiny, can bridge the gap between utopian visions of progress from 19th-century literature and dystopian visions of 20th-century fiction, disillusioned by war and social and economic disasters.
"Good of the World and the Happiness of the Nations: A Study of Modern Utopian and Dystopian Literature,: Commentary, by Ross Woodman. (1989).
Governance and the Governed: Leadership, Conflict, Resilience, Resolution, and Hope, by John S. Hatcher. (2018). "From the Editor's Desk": If the purpose of governance and leadership is to respond to the needs of the governed, then what attributes and methodologies should characterize the process of those in positions of authority?
Great Adventure, by Florence Mayberry: Review, by Roger M. Dahl. (1997).
Great Tao, The, by Phyllis Ghim-Lian Chew. (1991). On a philosophy of the ancient Chinese people, a Tao whose eternal spirit has seeped into the very heart of Chinese tradition, culture, and way of life for centuries; similarities with other religions and the Bahá'í Faith.
Harmony of Science and Religion: A Complementarity Perspective, by Gilbert Bartholomew (published as G. A. Bartholomew). (1989). The principle of complementarity, which can account for certain phenomena in quantum mechanics, can also be an aid in understanding the nature of the harmony between science and religion, the unity of mankind, and the oneness of religion.
Helen Elsie Austin (1908-2004), by John S. Hatcher. (2019). Overview of the life of the first black woman to graduate from the University of Cincinnati Law School, an active Bahá'í pioneer and travel teacher, and tireless educator on race issues.
Her Eternal Crown: Queen Marie of Romania and the Bahá'í Faith, by Della L. Marcus: Review, by Robert Postlethwaite. (2000).
Hidden Bounties: Memories of Pioneering on the Magdalene Islands, by Larry Rowdon: Review, by Will C. van den Hoonaard. (1994).
Hinduism and the Bahá'í Faith, by Moojan Momen: Review, by Anne Pearson. (1990).
History of EBBF, The: Twenty-Five Years of Contributing to the Discourse of Ethics in Business, by François Couillard. (2015). The European Bahá’í Business Forum, a small network of individuals dedicated to promoting ethical behavior and other Bahá’í values in the workplace, has had significant influence at the local, national, and international levels.
How Bahá'ís Should Vote, by Arash Abizadeh. (2008). When voting, Bahá'ís should consider the qualifications of individual Assembly members, the collective makeup of the Assembly as a whole, changes in the individual Assembly members over time, and changes in the collective makeup of the Assembly over time.
Human Knowledge and the Advancement of Society, by Hoda Mahmoudi. (2012). Knowledge is the means toward realizing a global civilization. The current Five Year Plan focuses the Bahá'í community’s consultation, reflection, and global growth, and the individual’s applying spiritual and secular knowledge to help this process.
Human Nature and Mental Health: A Bahá'í-Inspired Perspective, by Michael L. Penn. (2015). Overview of one research-practitioner’s understanding of the nature of mind from the perspective of the Bahá’í teachings, and implications of this view for understanding mental health and mental illness.
Identity, Discourse, and Policy: Reconstructing the Public Sphere, by Matthew Weinberg. (2011). Through interchange, individuals and their communities define their identities and goals. Life has a fundamentally dialogical character. Giving consideration to the multiple dimensions of human experience leads to new, greater social meanings.
Image of the Mystic Flower, The: Exploring the Lotus Symbolism in the Bahá'í House of Worship, by Julie Badiee. (2000). The design of the temple in India creates the visual effect of a large, white lotus blossom emerging from the pools of water around it. Besides many other deep and old cultural meanings, flower imagery symbolizes the appearance of the new Manifestation.
Images of a 'New Creation' in Twentieth-Century Art, Some, by Julie Badiee. (1995). A look at the works of some 20th-century artists to show that, whether they were aware of the Baha’i revelation or not, many of these artists have been compelled to express the quiet, yet unmistakable theme of a "new creation."
Immanence and Transcendence in Theophanic Symbolism, by Michael W. Sours. (1992). Bahá'u'lláh uses symbols to depict theophanies — the appearance of God and the divine in the realm of creation — such as "angel," "fire," and the prophets' claims to be incarnating the "face" or "voice" of God; these convey the transcendence of God.
Improved Access to Intelligent Responses Using the Bahá'í Model of Consultation: Two Exploratory Small-Sample Studies, by John E. Kolstoe. (1997). Studies using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale show that people consulting together can access intelligent responses superior to that attained through individual effort, and suggest several areas of inquiry for further investigation.
In Pursuit of Harmony between Science and Religion, by Paul Lample. (2016). The capacity to unite in the investigation of truth for the advancement of civilization requires the harmony of science and religion, in which science is freed from materialism and religion from superstition.
"In the Beginning Was the Word": Apocalypse and the Education of the Soul, by Ross Woodman. (1993). Hidden meanings in scripture and the soul are metaphorically identified with the huris, or brides. The bridegroom, Bahá'ulláh, enters union as the marriage of the Manifestation with the Maid of Heaven, who releases the Logos and the newly created soul.
"'In the Beginning Was the Word': Apocalypse and the Education of the Soul," by Ross Woodman: Commentary, by Betty Hoff Conow (published as B. Hoff Conow). (1995).
Inner Limits of Mankind: Heretical Reflections on Today's Values, Culture and Politics, by Ervin Laszlo: Review, by John Danesh. (1991).
Insights from the First Century of the Formative Age, Some, by Paul Lample. (2013). On the Covenant from a historical perspective; authority and powers of the UHJ; learning within an evolving framework for action; organic growth and development; relationships among individuals, communities, and institutions; and society-building power.
Intellectual Life of the Bahá'í Community, The, by Farzam Arbab. (2016). The 34th Hasan M. Balyuzi Memorial Lecture at the ABS conference in Montreal, on the need for us to have intellectual courage, a lack of elitism, and the harmony of science and religion. Includes video, published version, and an outline of the talk.
Interdependence of Bahá'í Communities, The: Services of North American Bahá'í Women to Iran, by Baharieh Rouhani Ma'ani. (1991). Some early American Bahá’í women’s contribution to the development of the Iranian Bahá’í community.
Interpretation as Revelation: The Qur'an Commentary of the Báb, by Todd Lawson. (1990). Overview and context of two of the Bab's earliest writings and their relevance to Shaykh Ahmad al-Ahsá’í and Siyyid Kázim Rashtí: a commentary on the Qur'an's Chapter of the Cow, and his famous Qayyúm al-Asmá, Commentary on the Chapter of Joseph.
Introduction to the Kitáb-i-Iqán, An, by Nasser Sabet. (1991). The importance, style, and contents of the Book of Certitude, and its five major themes: the true seeker and independent investigation of truth, rebirth of spirituality, Christianity and Islam, the Bábí dispensation, and the process of revelation.
Is Spirituality Effective in Addiction Recovery and Prevention?, by Abdu'l-Missagh Ghadirian, Shadi Salehian. (2018). Substance abuse has become a global health crisis, the leading cause of death and disability worldwide; various theories have emerged about the positive influence of spirituality; how an effective approach to prevention and treatment might be realized.
Is the Bahá'í Faith a World Religion?, by Seena Fazel. (1994). Examination of the terms "world religion" and "new religious movement" to demonstrate that the Bahá'í Faith is best categorized as a "world religion."
Journey Motif in the Bahá'í Faith, The: From Doubt to Certitude, by Roshan Danesh. (2012). The process of individual spiritual growth lies at the heart of human purpose. Bahá’u’lláh speaks about the collective spiritualization of humanity — creating new patterns of community and social relations — as the "journey" of the human body politic.
Kitab-i-Aqdas, The: Bahá'í Law, Legitimacy, and World Order, by Martha L. Schweitz. (1994). On the Kitáb-i-Aqdas from the perspective of contemporary secular national and international law; its institution-building provisions as a Charter for future world civilization; relationship between law and principle; transformation of international law.
Knowledge into Action: The Bahá'í Imperative to Serve Humanity, by Layli Miller-Muro. (2014). On the history of experience and evolution in thinking regarding social action in the Bahá’í community; the Tahirih Justice Center’s experience as one example of such learning; the culture of service we must embody.
Lab, the Temple, and the Market, ed. Sharon Harper: Review, by Glen A. Eyford. (2002).
Language and Universalization: A 'Linguistic Ecology' Reading of Bahá'í Writings, by Gregory Paul P. Meyjes. (1999). How the promotion of linguistic minority rights may coincide with promotion of an International Auxiliary Language, opposing trends toward increased globalization and growing nationalism, and the unregulated global spread of English.
Language and Worldview, by Alvino E. Fantini. (1989). Languages are paradigms of a view of the world. Knowledge of more than one language holds promise for an expanded worldview, for understanding other people on their own terms.
Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, by Francis Collins: Review, by Carol Skrenes Trabing. (2007).
Last War: Racism, Spirituality, and the Future of Civilization, by Mark L. Perry: Review, by Richard Thomas. (2006).
Laura Barney's Discipleship to 'Abdu'l-Bahá: Tracing a Theological Flow from the Middle East to the United States, 1900-1916, by Layli Maria Miron. (2018). How Laura Barney employed ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s teachings to influence social discourse as she taught the Bahá'í Faith in Europe and the United States.
Lawh-i-Tibb (Tablet to the Physician), The: Beyond Health Maxims, by Misagh Ziaei. (2019). On the tablet's historical context, as well as some of its guidance regarding the study and practice of medicine, including attributes its practitioners must acquire and maintain.
Learning from 'Abdu'l-Bahá in a Society Characterized by Ageism, by Deborah K. van den Hoonaard. (2023-01). On the nature and impact of ageism and how we learn to be old by the way people treat us, and how ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s example informs our own lives given the prevalence of ageism in Western society.
Learning from History, by Moojan Momen. (1989). The challenges caused by the influx of Third World villagers into the Bahá’í world community. The value of a study of the history of the Bahá’í Faith in understanding this development and in helping us towards appropriate presentations of the Faith.
Learning to Read Social Reality in the Light of the Revelation: Twenty-Five Years of Contributing to the Discourse of Ethics in Business, by Haleh Arbab. (2015). The Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity works to learn how to advance the capacity of individuals and groups to participate in some of the prevalent discourses of society, for the betterment of the world and the growth of civilization.
Learning to Sift: Reflections on Ten Years of Engaging with the Economics Discourse, by Jordan van Rijn. (2023-10). Collaborators explored diverse approaches how to examine economic discourse from a Bahá’í perspective, offering guidance to others in similar processes.
Lectures on Bahá'í Inspired Curricula, by Farzam Arbab: Review, by Rodney H. Clarken. (1995).
Legacies of the Heart, by Larry Rowdon: Review, by Ian Kluge. (1999).
Les Jardiniers de Dieu: À la Rencontre de Cinq Millions de Bahá'ís, par Colette Gouvion et Philippe Jouvion: Review, by Robert LaLiberte. (1990).
Les Paradigmes cachés de l'histoire: Comparaison de l'histoire des premiers siècles du christianisme et de la foi bahà'ie, by Jean-Marc Lepain. (1994). Exploration of some lessons from history relevant to our era and our near future, from the perspective of philosophy of history; paradigms of Christian history which illuminate Bahá'í history; the rise and decline of civilizations; role of the Zeitgeist.
Les Valeurs economiques et les valeurs morales, by William S. Hatcher. (1989).
Lessons in Leadership, by May Khadem. (2018). A personal journey of learning about leadership; widely shared false assumptions have led many off-course in addressing the challenges in the fight against blindness, and other public health concerns.
Lev Tolstoi and the Bábí and Bahá'í Religions: A Bibliography, by William P. Collins, Jan T. Jasion. (1991). The great spiritual crisis of Tolstoi’s life led him to a search for a pure faith. Late in life, this search led to his examination of the Bábí–Bahá’í religions. A bibliography of material on Tolstoi’s association with the Bahá'í Faith.
Liberal Democracy and the Bahá'í Administrative Order: An Analysis, by Arash Abizadeh. (1990). Comparison of the Bahá'í political system with two dominant types of liberal democracy, namely Responsible Government and Separation of Powers, as potential models for global government. (Link to PDF, offsite.)
Life after Death: A Study of the Afterlife in Religions, by Farnaz Ma'sumian: Review, by Jack McLean. (1998).
Life Histories of Bahá'í Women in Canada: Constructing Religious Identity in the Twentieth Century by Lynn Echevarria: Review, by Deborah K. van den Hoonaard. (2014).
Lighting the Western Sky: The Hearst Pilgrimage and the Establishment of the Bahá'í Faith in the West by Kathryn Jewett Hogenson: Review, by Janet Ruhe-Schoen. (2014).
Louis Gregory (1874-1951), by John S. Hatcher. (2019). Overview of the life of a famous Bahá'í lawyer, anti-racism educator and travel-teacher, and Hand of the Cause.
Louise Dixon Boyle and Maria Montessori, by Janet A. Khan. (2006). American Louise Dixon Boyle (1875–1953) was an active Bahá'í who engaged with wider social issues. Here the focus is on her involvement in the field of education, particularly the work of the Italian physician and educator Dr. Maria Montessori.
Love, Power, and Justice, by William S. Hatcher. (1999). The pursuit and abuse of power are moral choices for which there is no moral justification.
Maharishi Ayurveda: A Bahá'í Exploration, by Felicity Rawlings. (1992). Some of the therapeutic strategies of Maharishi Ayurveda and how they correspond to the Bahá’í writings on healing.
Maid of Heaven, the Image of Sophia, and the Logos, The: Personification of the Spirit of God in Scripture and Sacred Literature, by Michael W. Sours. (1991). The Logos in Christianity and the Maiden for Bahá'u'lláh can be equated as one and the same eternal reality; the divine image of wisdom in Proverbs; Sophia and Logos are combined in the feminine personification of the Most Great Spirit.
Mark Tobey's City Paintings: Meditations on an Age of Transition, by Julie Badiee. (1989). On the evolutionary character of Tobey's "City Paintings" during the decades of the 1930s-50s: they may be understood as modern reinterpretations of the traditional themes of the Apocalypse, Hell, the Day of Judgment, and New Jerusalem — the Bahá'í age.
Metaphor and the Language of Revelation, by Ross Woodman. (1997). To enter the realm of metaphor as the language of the soul is to come into direct contact with the Word as the originating power of creation.
Mind: "The Power of the Human Spirit", by Gerald Filson. (2023-07). Correlating Bahá’í concepts of the mind with insights from philosophy; conceptual ways of knowing; implications of language for philosophy of mind; science and religion both shed light on the capacities and nature of the mind, including the spiritual.
Missing Dimension in the Built Environment, The: A Challenge for the 21st Century, by Leo R. Zrudlo. (1990). There is a missing dimension in the built environment -- architecture is unable to satisfy the emotional and aesthetic needs of people. But architects disagree about how to rectify the situation. A spiritual aspect is needed.
Mizán of Affect in Material v. Metaphysical Models of Human Consciousness, The, by John S. Hatcher. (2023-07). Though Bahá'í teachings hold that the soul progresses after the body ceases to exist, the physical brain is essential to our development; emotional processing requires a healthy brain; the brain-as-transceiver model can help treat affective disorders.
Montessori and the Bahá'í Faith, by Barbara Hacker. (1988). The work of the educationalist Maria Montessori was attuned to the spirit of the Bahá’í Era. Her view that children are key to the development of human society and ultimately world peace are presented in relation to Bahá’í writings on these subjects.
Mormonism and the Bahá'í Faith, by William P. Collins. (1990). Historical contacts between Bahá’ís and Mormons; Mormon views of the Bahá’í Faith; Bahá’í views of Mormonism; literature on Mormons and Bahá’ís.
Music, Devotions, and Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, by R. Jackson Armstrong-Ingram: Review, by Robert Stockman. (1988).
Natural Stirrings at the Grassroots: Development, Doctrine, and the Dignity Principle, by Anna C. Vakil. (2001). Grassroots-led initiatives are central to the development efforts in the global Bahá’í community. Modernization, Marxian, and civil society paradigms seek to explain these “stirrings at the grassroots”, to which is here added "development with dignity".
Nature of Human Nature, The, by John S. Hatcher. (2017). "From the Editor's Desk": Introduction to this issue's two articles: Ian Kluge's on human nature and Patricia McIlvride’s on mental disorders and depression, stigma, and the soul.
Necessary History, A: Teaching On and Off The Reservations, by Linda S. Covey. (2016). On the early Bahá’í literature directed toward Native Americans; history of Bahá’í conversion activities with Indigenous populations; and the work conducted by the Central States Regional American Indian Teaching.
Need for an Integrative Conceptual Framework for Addressing Mental Health Challenges During the COVID-19 Pandemic, The, by Bayan Jalalizadeh. (2022). Overview of the state of mental health and illness in the world during the Covid pandemic, summary of the prevailing frameworks and practices, and a potential framework which could guide a response to current mental health challenges.
New Black Power: Constructive Resilience and the Efforts of African American Bahá'ís, by Derik Smith. (2020). The Bahá’í approach to social transformation expands our conceptions of power; we need to develop new images of Black Power especially; individuals, institutions, and communities can use constructive resilience to transform society and counter oppression.
New Creation, A: The Power of the Covenant in the Life of Louis Gregory, by Gayle Morrison. (1999). Louis Gregory's achievements, focussing on his promotion of the oneness of humankind, teaching the Bahá’í Faith, and administering its affairs. Gregory became both a herald of the Covenant and an enduring example of its transforming power.
New Directions for Economics, by Gregory C. Dahl. (2018). How spiritual principles can be applied to economic life; Bahá'ís are called to concern themselves with the inequalities in the world and bring their personal lives and the actions of their communities more in line with principles of compassion.
New Evolution, A: Religious Bonding for World Unity, by David S. Ruhe. (1995). America's spiritual destiny; world forces conducive to the unity of humankind; post-Darwinian evolution; bonding of humankind for a golden age; Bahá’ís as authentic saviors of the world.
New Knowledge from Old: Conceptions of the Library in the Writings of Shoghi Effendi, by Lev Rickards. (2022-09). Conceptions of libraries in the writings of Shoghi Effendi compared to different meanings assigned to libraries throughout history; comments on Bahá’í beliefs that could inform the practice of librarianship; avenues for future research.
Next Stage, The, by Douglas Martin. (2013). Bahá'í scholars find themselves at a stage in the Faith’s development where they must construct a discourse that is free of "haughty intellectualism." The Association for Bahá’í Studies can help promote the Bahá'í cause to institutions of higher learning.
Night Songs and New Seeds, by Michael Fitzgerald: Review, by Larry Rowdon. (1993).
No Jim Crow Church: The Origins of South Carolina's Bahá'í Community, by Louis Venters: Review, by Richard Thomas. (2016).
Notes on the Babi and Bahá'í Religions in Russia and its territories, by Graham Hassall. (1993). Overview of the history of Bábí and Bahá'í communities in Russia and Russian territories.
"Notes Postmarked The Mountain of God," by Roger White: Review, by Larry Rowdon. (1997).
Obedience: Liberation through Love of God in Practice, by Roxanne Lalonde. (1998). The virtue of obedience in light of the Covenant, contemporary secular notions of obedience, attitudes and behavior of Bahá'ís in the West, and some incidents of expulsion or resignation from the Faith.
Occasions of Grace, by Roger White: Review, by Alex Aronson. (1991).
On Human Origins: A Bahá'í Perspective, by Craig Loehle. (1990). The science of evolution is difficult for those who demand a literal interpretation of scripture and believe in a special origin for humanity. The Bahá’í writings view evolution and individual spiritual growth as one fundamental developmental process.
"On Human Origins: A Bahá'í Perspective," by Craig Loehle: Commentary and Responses, by Iraj Ayman, Susan Berry Brill de Ramirez, M. K. Rohani. (1991). Ayman comments (1) on determinism vs. fate and (2) that Loehle's article doesn't take into account the original meanings in Arabic and Persian of the word for "chance." Brill and Rohani reply with observations about translation and interpretation.
"On Human Origins: A Bahá'í Perspective," by Craig Loehle: Commentary, by Arash Abizadeh. (1990).
"On Human Origins: A Bahá'í Perspective," by Craig Loehle: Commentaries and Responses, by Iraj Ayman, John S. Hatcher, Craig Loehle. (1992).
"On Human Origins: A Bahá'í Perspective," by Craig Loehle: Response to Commentary, by Keven Brown. (1994).
On the Shoulders of Giants, by Craig Loehle: Review, by Gilbert Bartholomew. (1994).
One Life, One Memory, by Rúhá Asdáq: Review, by Paul Mantle. (2016).
Opening of the Academic Mind, The: The Challenges Facing a Culture in Crisis, by Suheil Badi Bushrui. (2004). Perspective on the state of the academy: reforms essential to the progress and development of society: the central place of teaching in the curriculum; humility in place of intellectual arrogance; abrogating the practice of "publish or perish."
Origins of the Bahá'í Community of Canada 1898-1948, The, by Will C. van den Hoonaard: Review, by Loni Bramson (published as Loni Bramson-Lerche). (1998).
Origins of the Bahá'í Faith in the Pacific Islands: The Case of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, by Graham Hassall. (2006). The introduction of the Bahá’í Teachings to the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in the 1950s and the consequent disturbance of the delicate church-state relationship operating at that time. Similar interactions may have occurred in other colonial environments.
Permanence of Change, The: Contemporary Sociological and Bahá'í Perspectives, by Hoda Mahmoudi. (2008). Sociohistorical changes of the Axial Age and the Renaissance, sociological views on modernity and its contemporary challenges, and key features of modernity as identified in the Bahá’í writings as "the universal awakening of historical consciousness."
Personal Journey toward Reconciliation, A, by Patricia Verge. (2016). On the author's spiritual journey and how it has been entwined with First Nations people; tensions between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Bahá'ís; pioneering to the Nakoda community; and the importance of learning, listening, and personal transformation.
Place of Poetry in Religion and Society, The: An Interview of Robert E. Hayden with Douglas Ruhe, by Robert E. Hayden, Douglas Ruhe, John S. Hatcher. (2014). Introduction by Hatcher to the life of Hayden (2014); transcript of a talk between Hayden and Douglas Ruhe in 1975 on the future of poetry, transcendence, American destiny, important American poets, the Library of Congress, and Bahá'í spirituality.
Planning Progress: Lessons from Shoghi Effendi, by June Manning Thomas: Review, by Lynn Echevarria-Howe. (2000).
Poetry and Transformation, by Peter E. Murphy. (2014). A personal story of how the evolving attraction to and love of poetry transformed the author's life. Poetry, faith, and the revealed Word can have a dramatic effect on one's struggle for personal transformation in the midst of crisis and turmoil.
Postsecular Look at the Reading Motif in Bahiyyih Nakhjavani's The Woman Who Read Too Much, A, by Mary A. Sobhani. (2015). Nakhjavani’s historical novel includes metaphors that underscore a link between the secular and the sacred through the material and metaphysical act of reading; cf. McClure’s Partial Faiths: Postsecular Fiction in the Age of Pynchon and Morrison.
Potential of the Bahá'í Faith to Grow in Scope and Influence, The, by Annette Prosterman. (1992). A sociological perspective says that, to grow and develop, a religion must have ideological and structural elements that foster its effective growth, maintain its cohesion as a collective unit, and enable it to mobilize its members toward social change.
Power of Reflection, The: Advancing Governance and Dispute Resolution Systems through Devolved Reflection and Shared Knowledge Generation, by Shahla Ali. (2018). Reflection is the "source of crafts, sciences and arts," with the capacity to produce "pearls of wisdom and utterance as will promote the well-being and harmony of all the kindreds of the earth." It can improve institutions and community governance.
Preliminary Survey of Hermeneutical Principles Found within the Baha'i Writings, A, by Dann J. May. (1989). The multiple meanings contained within religious texts; symbolic and mythological nature of religious language; the role of science in interpreting sources; progressive and relative nature of truth; essential aspects of all religions; personal biases.
Primum Non Nocere: Reflections of a Bahá'í Oncologist about Treating the Dying Patient, by Aaron Alizadeh. (2015). Doctors must learn how to bring the topic of death into the physician-patient conversation. The Bahá’í Faith can help to address how death is perceived and discussed in the medical community.
Principles of Consultation Applied to the Process of Innovation in a Corporate Environment, by Robert B. Rosenfeld, Michael H. Winger-Bearskin. (1990). Innovation is essential for industrial growth, but is obstructed when creative employees are unable to communicate ideas and the organization is unresponsive. The Bahá’í process of consultation can enhance communication to promote innovation.
Processes of the Lesser Peace, ed. by Babak Bahador and Nazila Ghanea: Review, by William P. Collins. (2004).
Prolegomena to a Bahá'í Theology, by Jack McLean. (1992). Groundbreaking and thorough essay on the basic concerns of scholarly Bahá'í theology.
Promoting the Equality of Women and Men: The Role of the Covenant, by Janet A. Khan. (2000). The implementation of the principle of gender equality; the application of relevant Bahá’í law, including progressive clarification and application, the principle of convergence, and the exercise of restraint, all so as to ensure enduring change.
Proof Based on Establishment (Dalíl-i-taqrír) and the Proof Based on Verses (Hujjiyyat-i-ayát), The: An Introduction to the Bahá'í-Muslim Polemics, by Kavian Sadeghzade Milani, Leila Rassekh Milani. (1997). Study of Bahá'í apologetics based largely on the work of Mirza Abu'l-Fadl.
Prophecies of Jesus, by Michael Sours: Commentary and Responses, by Michael W. Sours, Christopher Buck. (1994). Editorial statement about the nature of Bahá'í scholarship and academic debate, followed by responses from each of the authors.
Protecting the Human Family: Humanitarian Intervention, International Law, and Bahá'í Principles, by Brian D. Lepard. (2003). The moral and legal problems raised by the use of military force to aid human rights victims. Relevant Bahá’í ethical principles and how these might assist us to reform existing international law to better protect all members of the human family.
Psychological and Spiritual Dimensions of Persecution and Suffering, by Abdu'l-Missagh Ghadirian. (1994). Persecution of the Bahá’ís of Iran as an example of spiritual resilience: what are the spiritual meanings of suffering? When confronted with persecution or torture, why do some individuals show radiant acceptance; what role do faith and belief play?
Psychology and Peace, by Ronald Roesch. (1988). The relevance of psychology to the establishment of peace in the context of the Bahá’í peace message.
Purpose of Poetry, The, by Shirin Sabri. (1988). Justifications for the work of contemporary artists; now is the time for Bahá’ís to work towards the flowering of civilization, using art as a unifying force to create links of understanding; poetry provides a means of approaching spiritual reality.
"Purpose of Poetry," by Shirin Sabri: Commentary, by David L. Erickson. (1989).
Queen Marie and the Baha'i Faith, by Robert Postlethwaite. (1994). On the first monarch to embrace the Bahá'í Faith; the stature and the character of Queen Marie and her unique position in the early 20th century; her identification as a Bahá'í and her plan to visit Haifa in 1929; her relationship with Martha Root.
Queen Marie of Romania: A Preliminary Bibliography, by Jan T. Jasion. (1994). Very few royals have left such a rich literary legacy as did Marie of Romania. She published novels, fairy tales, articles and essays for newspapers and magazines in Europe and North America, and she wrote of the Bahá'í Faith.
Race and Racism: Perspectives from Bahá'í Theology and Critical Sociology, by Matthew Hughey. (2017). Review of the concepts of race and racism based on social scientific understanding, in order to better understand their definition and to delineate their relation to one another, and correlate them with the Bahá'í Writings.
Race Unity: Implications for the Metropolis, by June Manning Thomas. (1995). Universal principles of unity which apply to cities; how racial disunity has been imprinted upon the metropolitan landscape in the United States; spiritual principles necessary to improve the fragmented urban life around the world.
Race, Place, and Clusters: Current Vision and Possible Strategies, by June Manning Thomas. (2017). Division by place affects the possibilities for racial unity, especially in fragmented U.S. metropolitan areas. The "institute process” as a strategy could overcome challenges that place-based action poses for racial unity.
Racial Identity and the Patterns of Consolation in the Poetry of Robert Hayden, by John S. Hatcher. (1990). The dramatic tension in Robert Hayden’s poetry has often been mistaken for personal ambivalence and confusion with regard to both his ethnic identity and his beliefs as a Bahá’í — rather than the clear pattern of consolation that unites them.
Racial Unity: An Imperative for Social Progress, by Richard Thomas: Review, by Graham Hassall. (1997).
Rank and Station: Reflections on the Life of Bahíyyh Khánum, by Janet A. Khan. (2007). Distinctive characteristics of the designation of rank in the Bahá’í administration and the nature of "station," drawing upon the example of Bahíyyih Khánum, the highest-ranking woman in the Bahá’í dispensation.
Reading of Sona Farid-Arbab's Moral Empowerment: In Quest of a Pedagogy, A, by Gerald Filson. (2018). On the central goal of education and how it can address our evolving need to learn about both the physical and social world at a time when knowledge and information are accumulating at such an incredible pace.
Reality Matters, by Betty Hoff Conow. (1992). Bahá'í teachings discuss how reality affects matter and vice-versa. The "new physics" of relativity and high energy describe the reality of matter in similar terms. Our universe is both intelligible and is encoded with intelligence on the subatomic level.
Reconsidering the Civil Rights Era in the Footsteps of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, by June Manning Thomas. (2022-09). On principles of racial prejudice and 1960s South Carolina, including the fallacy of racial prejudice, the need to judge people by their moral character rather than their race, and the responsibilities of different races toward each other.
Reflections on Infallibility, by William S. Hatcher. (2007). The progress seen in human history would have been impossible without periodic Revelations. Infallibility is the main source of rationality, preventing humanity from losing itself in superstition, but should not be confused with omniscience or fanaticism.
Reflections on the Art of My Poetry: An Interview of Roger White (1929-1993), by John S. Hatcher, ed. (2016). A glimpse into the mind of a gifted poet and the struggles that he, like many Bahá'í artists, encountered in responding to Bahá'u'lláh's exhortation that art best serves humanity when it elevates and edifies the soul and its spiritual receptivity.
Reflections on the Challenge of Our Age, by Paul Lample. (2022). On how Bahá'ís expect to search for truth and build a just and peaceful world through the conscious transformation of the moral order — not by force or coercion but by example, persuasion, and cooperation.
Reflections on the Concept of Law in the Bahá'í Faith, Some, by Roshan Danesh. (2014). The concept of law in the Bahá’í Faith; its early Islamic context; the nature of legal language and discourse in Bahá’u’lláh’s writings. Religious law, rooted in conscious knowledge and the dynamics of love, rejects rigid and legalistic rules.
Reflections on the Epistemological Views of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, by Mikhail Sergeev. (2012). Abdu’l-Bahá explored four sources of knowledge—sensory perception, reason, intuition, and tradition—to examine the importance of scripture, limitations of human knowledge, distinctions between objective and subjective knowledge, and between human/divine.
Reflections on The Four Valleys of Bahá'u'lláh, by Amrollah Hemmat. (2021). Studies of this book often focus on its Sufi and mystical aspects. But when it is seen within the larger context of the totality of the Bahá’í Writings, its purpose appears as a guide for spiritual wayfarers to the recognition of the Manifestation of God.
Reflections on the Spiritual Dynamics of the Bahá'í Faith, by Alessandro Bausani. (1988). The spiritual force released by Bahá’u’lláh has the power to change the entire world; he has given us the power both to understand human problems and to correct them; the gathering together of Bahá’ís in prayer will augment these spiritual forces.
Reflections on the Structure of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Some, by Roshan Danesh. (2015). While the Kitab-i-Aqdas might seem unstructured, lacking apparent logical or discernible order, there is meaning to be found in its organization — particularly the first 19 paragraphs: the pivotal constructs of Bahá’í spiritual and social teachings.
Religion and Evolution Reconciled: 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Comments on Evolution, by Courosh Mehanian, Stephen R. Friberg. (2003). A survey of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s teachings on evolution showing that He reconciles two viewpoints — evolution and divine creation — that other thinkers have deemed irremediably in conflict.
Religion, the Bahá'í Faith, and Accounting: Is There a Link?, by Roger K Doost. (1997). Summary of discussions in an accounting class about spirituality. As a system that seeks to create balance, order, and justice in human business affairs, the philosophy of accounting is in line with belief in God and Baha’i principles.
Religious Foundations of Civil Society, The, by Wendy M. Heller. (2000). A Bahá'í perspective on the loss of a transcendent ethical basis as a central problem of modern social theory; religion is the source of society’s moral foundations and its organizing principles of order, law, and governance.
Religious State, The: A Comparative Study of Sixteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Opposition: The Case of the Anabaptists and the Bábís, by Gary K. Waite. (1995). Brief overview of the nature of and opposition to the Dutch and North German Anabaptist movement of the sixteenth century; survey for the nineteenth-century Bábís; conclusions regarding important parallels noted between these movements.
Resilience in Children: Within a Spiritual, Social, and Neurobiological Framework, by Hoda Mahmoudi, Nasim Ahmadiyeh. (2002). Exposure to hardship and to events requiring adaptation to change allows the child to learn flexibility and resilience, and so find his or her sphere of useful service in a constantly changing world.
Resurrection and Renewal: The Making of the Bábí Movement in Iran, by Abbas Amanat: Review, by Amin Banani. (1989-1990).
Rethinking Humanitarian Intervention: A Fresh Legal Approach Based on Fundamental Ethical Principles in International Law and World Religions, by Brian Lepard: Review, by Dwight Bashir. (2004).
Return to Tyendinaga: The Story of Jim and Melba Loft, Bahá'í Pioneers, by Evelyn Loft Watts and Patricia Verge: Review, by Louise Profeit-LeBlanc. (2014).
Revelation and Social Reality: Learning to Translate What Is Written into Reality, by Paul Lample: Review, by Kenneth E. Bowers. (2009).
Revelation as Scientific in its Method: Science, Diversity, Consultation, and Learning in Action, by Stephen R. Friberg. (2024-03). An exploration of Shoghi Effendi's statement that the Bahá'í Faith is scientific in method; the role of diversity in scientific objectivity and bias; the process of action, reflection, consultation, and study.
Revisioning the Sacred: New Perspectives on a Bahá'í Theology, by Jack McLean: Review, by Susan Maneck. (1999).
Rhapsody, God's Whimsy, and Planet Dreams, by Michael Fitzgerald: Reviews, by Ann Boyles. (1991).
Rights and Responsibilities in the Bahá'í Family System, by Hoda Mahmoudi, Richard Dabell. (1992). Duties ascribed in the Bahá’í teachings to the members of the family; complementary functions of women and men; the institution of marriage and family is fundamental in the development of a new society and global civilization based on equality and unity.
Road Less Travelled By, The, by John S. Hatcher. (2017). "From the Editor's Desk": Overview of this issue's articles regarding racism and proper responses to it, both among the general population and within the Bahá'í community itself.
Role of Material Goods in Spiritual Development, The, by Lin Poyer. (1989). On the challenge to develop creative, satisfying ways to live within a mass production/mass consumption 'materialistic' society; seen properly, material things can assist individuals in their personal growth rather than being a source of alientation.
Role of Music in the Advancement of Civilization, The, by Kerry Hart. (1989). Music is interrelated with feeling, value, and the very sense of self-identity. Nurturing an individual's sense of self-knowledge leads to mental and spiritual growth. Music, and its affect on the human soul, can be a foundation for philosophical inquiry.
Role of the Feminine in the Bahá'í Faith, The, by Ross Woodman. (1995). On the terms 'Masculine' and 'Feminine' as referring to 2 interdependent energies at work within the Manifestation of God and throughout creation, including the human individual; the important role of the 'Feminine' principle in the Bahá’í Faith.
Role of the Feminine in the New Era, The, by Marion Woodman. (1989). The unveiled feminine, symbolized by the unveiling of the Persian poet Táhirih at the conference of Badasht in 1848, announces a long-awaited coming of age or psychic integration.
Sacred Acts, Sacred Space, Sacred Time, by John Walbridge: Review, by Michael McMullen. (1999).
Sacred Mythology and the Bahá'í Faith, by William P. Collins. (1990). The mythological universe created by Bahá’u’lláh employs three significant spiritual verities: the unknowable nature of the Ultimate Mystery, the relativity of religious/mythological truth, and the necessity of science and investigation of reality.
Saddlebag: A Fable for Doubters and Seekers, by Bahiyyih Nakhjavani: Review, by Phyllis Sternberg Perrakis. (2002).
Scholarship: A Bahá'í Perspective, by William S. Hatcher. (1988). Bahá’í scholarship seeks to understand and/or apply truths contained in the writings of the Bahá’í Faith, but it may also involve historical/critical studies of the Bahá’í Faith as a social phenomenon. It is broad in scope.
Scholarship and the Bahá'í Community, by Moojan Momen. (1988). The place of scholarship in the Bahá’í community and the value of Bahá’í studies to that community; the problems that may arise for Bahá’í scholars in relation to their own spiritual life and also in relation to the Bahá’í community.
Scholarship and the Bahá'í Vision of Reality, by John S. Hatcher. (2018). "From the Editor's Desk": Understanding the various aspects of reality in contemporary fields of study can be enhanced when approached from a Bahá'í perspective.
Science and Prophecy: Humankind's Path to Peace in Global Society, by Ervin Laszlo. (1989). The path to peace can be trod through science — rational, scientific understanding — as well as religion — insight and intuition. The the two paths lead to the same destination: to the next, global stage in humanity's complex evolution.
Science and Religion in Dynamic Interplay, by Todd Smith. (2019). An approach to conceptualizing and contributing to the harmony of science and religion; some legitimate concerns many thinkers have with religion; three ways in which science and religion can complement each other.
Science and Religion: Towards the Restoration of an Ancient Harmony, by Anjam Khursheed: Review, by Gilbert Bartholomew (published as G. A. Bartholomew). (1988).
Scientific Proof of the Existence of God, A, by William S. Hatcher. (1993). Whenever scientists encounter a phenomenon that exhibits an evolution towards order, but without any observable reason for such movement, they suspect the cause to be an unseen force. Evolution presents a persistent movement from disorder towards order.
"Scientific Proof of the Existence of God," by William S. Hatcher: Commentaries and Responses, by Arash Abizadeh, Ross Woodman, William S. Hatcher. (1997).
"Scientific Proof of the Existence of God," by William S. Hatcher: Commentaries and Responses, by Gordon Dicks, Philip Belove, William S. Hatcher. (1994).
Search for a Just Society, by John Huddleston: Review, by Richard G. R. Schickele. (1990).
Seeking Light in the Darkness of "Race", by Jamar M. Wheeler. (2017). A historical sketch of how race concepts evolved, with analysis at macro and micro levels of society. Oneness of mankind is an enlightening force that, through individual agency and collective social action, can transform society.
Selections from the Writings of E. G. Browne on the Bábí and Bahá'í Religions, ed. Moojan Momen: Review, by John Danesh. (1989).
Selflessness: Congruences between the Cognitive-Developmental Research Program and the Bahá'í Writings, by Rhett Diessner. (1990). On four major concepts shared by the cognitive-developmentalist theorists (Piaget, Kohlberg, Kegan) and the Bahá’í writings, including a developmental teleology, the stage-like nature of development, the importance of an epistemic focus, and selflessness.
Seneca Falls First Woman's Rights Convention of 1848: The Sacred Rites of the Nation, by Bradford W. Miller. (1998). Explores parallels between the Seneca Fails First Woman’s Rights Convention in the USA and the Badasht Conference in Iran, both in July 1848, in terms of the emancipation of women.
Sense of History, by John S. Hatcher: Review, by Michael Fitzgerald. (1990).
Seven Candles of Unity: The Story of `Abdu'l-Bahá in Edinburgh, by Anjam Khursheed: Review, by Wendi Momen. (1993).
Seven Narratives of Religion: A Framework for Engaging Contemporary Research, by Benjamin Schewel. (2015). Academic discourse on religion is beginning to resonate with the broader Bahá'í vision. Seven narrative frameworks are examined and contrasted: subtraction, renewal, transsecular, post-naturalist, construct, perennial, and developmental.
Shedding Light in the Hearts: Reflections on Poetry, by Julio Savi. (2001). Limitations and merits of poetry as an emotional stimulus, as truth, and as a privileged form of linguistic expression, and its purpose as a spiritual conception of the nature of reality.
Shoghi Effendi in Oxford and Earlier, by Riaz Khadem: Review, by Anne Furlong. (2000).
Shoghi Effendi's Plans for Progress Practical Lessons, by June Manning Thomas. (1997). The nature of "planning" and the role plans play in the Bahá'í concept of governance and human progress; four broad categories of guidance that Shoghi Effendi used when overseeing global plans; 'functional components' of his planning efforts.
Silences of God, The: A Meditation, by Bahiyyih Nakhjavani. (2014). While the Word of God dominated the history of religion, contemporaries question the orthodoxy of language. God's Silence is also essential in shaping our individual choices and collective histories, and understanding Bahá'u'lláh's words.
Social Affinity Flow Theory: A New Understanding of Both Human Interaction and the Power of the Baha'i Training Institute Process, by Christopher G. Gourdine, Justin R. Edgren, Thomas L. Trice, Joseph N. Zlatic. (2019). On a new explanation of social rifts prevalent in many societies today as well as constructive efforts of social change, including community-building work of the Bahá'í Faith, in both its teachings and its training institute process.
Social and Economic Development: A Bahá'í Approach, by Holly Hanson Vick: Review, by Glen A. Eyford. (1990).
Social Organization of Mentorship in Bahá'í Studies, The, by Will C. van den Hoonaard. (1998). Mentorship in contemporary Bahá’í Studies is influenced by gender inequality, generational differences, and a perceived hierarchical order of disciplines. How can these limitations be overcome?
Socrates'/Plato's Use of Rhetoric: A Bahá'í Perspective, by Bret Breneman. (1991). Classical rhetoric continues to increase our understanding of human utterance and expression; the figure of Socrates in Plato’s dialogues models a rhetorical mutuality, a 'pedagogical' rhetoric which demonstrates how refined speech is morally nurturing.
Some Reflections on the Different Meanings of the Word Báb, by Amelia Danesh. (1990). While Bahá'ís associate the Arabic word báb with Sayyid ‘Ali-Muhammad, to Muslims it has several other meanings, resulting in different interpretations of events and figures in Bahá'í history by scholars approaching it from an Islamic perspective.
Songs for the Phoenix, by Michael Fitzgerald: Review, by Anne Gordon Perry. (1997).
Spiritual Cosmopolitanism, Transnational Migration, and the Bahá'í Faith, by Layli Maria Miron. (2020). Spiritual cosmopolitanism — how people can be persuaded to extend feelings of kinship beyond their own ethnic or national groups — and its principles of universal love and harmony is a key to borderless solidarity.
Spiritual Foundations for an Ecologically Sustainable Society, by Robert A. White. (1988/1995). The basic attitudes to Nature contained within the Bahá’í writings; the emergence of an ecologically sustainable social order is linked to basic principles of the Bahá’í Faith, with the balance and cohesion of material and spiritual realities.
Spiritual Nature of Reality, The: Has the Future Already Been Written?, by John S. Hatcher. (2000). Meditations on "Who is Writing the Future": why is spiritual development a social as well as personal matter; what is epistemological methodology for this development; how is it distinct from materialism; and how does it relate to the Covenants?
Spiritual Oppression in Frankenstein, by Phyllis Sternberg Perrakis. (1999). Comparing Shelley’s depiction of a spiritual malaise in Frankenstein with Bahá’u’lláh’s definition in the Kitáb-i-Íqán of the oppression experienced at the end of a reigning spiritual dispensation by the soul who seeks God but does not know where to look.
Spiritual Role of Art, The, by Ludwig Tuman. (1991). The Bahá’í writings indicate that art can render services of a mystical, moral, and social nature. This is the spiritual role of art, whose highest purpose is to ennoble the individual soul and the collective life of humanity.
Spirituality in Medicine: Reflections of a Bahá'í Physician, by Sharon Nur Hatcher. (2015). A self-reflective piece by a family physician and educator; personal experiences and challenges with patients, students, and colleagues related to the integration of spirituality into medicine.
Statecraft, Globalization, and Ethics, by Charles O. Lerche. (1999). The impact of cosmopolitan morality on international statecraft in an era of globalization; globalization is a process of world economic, political, and social change; globalism is a positive, and potentially corrective, dimension of globalization.
Still the Most Challenging Issue, by John S. Hatcher. (2019). "From the Editor's Desk": On race, racism, and the American Bahá'í community.
Strategies for Spiritualization, by Sandra S. Fotos. (1999). If the spiritualization process in adults is similar to other learning tasks, then active use of learning strategies may facilitate the development of spiritual virtues; a possible cognitive, language-based pathway for spiritualization.
Striving for Human Rights in an Age of Religious Extremism, by Nazila Ghanea-Hercock (published as Nazila Ghanea). (2016). Bahá'í perspectives on global human rights law, community duties, religion as a pillar of justice, and the oneness of humanity.
Study of Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet to the Christians, by Michael Sours, A: Review, by Jack McLean. (1990).
Study of the Pen Motif in the Bahá'í Writings, A, by Kavian Sadeghzade Milani, Nafeh Fananapazir. (1999). Theology and background of the "pen" metaphor — the creative force presented by the Manifestation of God — and the "tablet" — the recipient of the creative force. Also the five realms of existence: Háhút, Láhút, Jabarút, Malakút, and Násút.
Studying the Writings of Shoghi Effendi, by Morten Bergsmo: Review, by Melanie Smith. (1992).
Symbol and Secret: Qur'an Commentary in Baha'u'llah's Kitab-i-Iqan, by Christopher Buck: Review, by Jonah Winters. (1999).
"Symbols of Individuation in E. S. Stevens's The Mountain of God," by Cal E. Rollins: Review, by Ross Woodman. (1989-1990).
Symbols of Individuation in E. S. Stevens's The Mountain of God, by Cal E. Rollins. (1989). Stevens’s novel records impressions of the Bahá'í community in ‘Akká and Haifa in 1911. The two main characters are moving through an "individuation process" which could lead them to the Bahá'í Faith. Jungian literary criticism explains the symbolism.
Syrian Prophet(s), The, by Enoch Tanyi. (1991). The Qur'án says there were previous Messengers of God whose names have not been mentioned. Where do they fit into the chronology and timeline of the known Prophets? What could their nationalities have been?
Táhirih: A Religious Paradigm of Womanhood, by Susan Maneck (published as Susan Stiles Maneck). (1989). Táhirih, the Bahá'í archetypal paradigm of womanhood, is remembered by Bahá’ís as the courageous, eloquent, and assertive religious innovator whose actions severed the early Bábís from Islam completely.
Táhirih: A Portrait in Poetry, by Amin Banani. (2000). An account of Tahirih allowing her own voice, through her poems, to speak for herself, her time, and her motivations; it is her poetry that both reveals the layers of her complex motivations and makes her accessible.
"Tahirih: A Religious Paradigm of Womanhood," by Susan Stiles Maneck: Commentary, by Janet Cundall. (1992).
Take My Love to the Friends: The Story of Laura R. Davis, by Marlene Macke: Review, by Lynn Echevarria-Howe (published as Lynn Echevarria). (2008). Key figures in the development of the Bahá'í community in Canada.
Ten Year Crusade, The, by Ali Nakhjavani. (2004). How Shoghi Effendi prepared Bahá’ís for the 10-Year Crusade; 27 objectives he formulated; impediments to the implementation of some of those objectives; and the place of the Crusade in history as well as future developments destined to flow from it.
Ten Year Retrospective, 24 July 2023, by Executive Committee of the Association for Bahá'í Studies North America. (2023-10). Retrospective outlining some of the ABS' key developments over the last ten years in response to the invitation of the Universal House of Justice to help build “the capacity of the friends to contribute to the prevalent discourses of society”.
Thankful in Adversity: Using Bahá'í Writings and Benefit Finding to Enhance Understanding and Application of Mental Health Recovery Principles, by Lindsay-Rose Dykema. (2018). Both the Bahá’í Writings and the literature on "benefit finding" can enhance the understanding and applications of mental health recovery principles; the spiritual dimension of recovery.
The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh and The Ministry of the Custodians: Reviews, by John Danesh, Seena Fazel. (1993). Review of works by Adib Taherzadeh and the Bahá’í World Centre.
The Life of Laura Barney, by Mona Khademi: Review, by Jack McLean. (2023-07).
The Maxwells of Montreal, volumes 1-2, by Violette Nakhjavani: Review, by Kathryn Jewett Hogenson. (2013).
The Prophecies of Jesus, by Michael Sours: Review, by Christopher Buck. (1992).
The Psychology of Spirituality, by Hossein B. Danesh: Review, by Rhett Diessner. (1995).
"The Purpose of Poetry," by Shirin Sabri: Commentary, by Jack McLean. (1989).
The Quantum State Function, Platonic Forms, and the Ethereal Substance: Reflections on the Potential of Philosophy to Contribute to the Harmony of Science and Religion, by Vahid Houston Ranjbar (published as Vahid Ranjbar). (2023-01). Science and philosophy correlate to concepts from the knowledge system of religion; the ethereal substance described by Abdu’l-Bahá belongs to Plato’s idealized realm and resonates with the modern understanding of a quantum field.
The Quickening: Unknown Poetry of Tahirih, by John S. Hatcher and Amrollah Hemmat: Review, by Shahbaz Fatheazam. (2015).
"The Role of Material Goods in Spiritual Development," by Lin Poyer: Commentary, by Will C. van den Hoonaard. (1989).
The Spirit of Agriculture, ed. Paul Hanley: Review, by Arthur Lyon Dahl. (2005).
The Wellbeing of Nations: A Country-by-Country Index of Quality of Life and the Environment, by Robert Prescott-Allen: Review, by Kim Naqvi. (2003).
The World of the Bahá'í Faith, ed. Robert H. Stockman: Review, by Michael Sabet. (2023-07).
Themes in the Study of Bahá'u'lláh's Kitáb-i-Aqdas: Emerging Approaches to Scholarship on Bahá'í Law, by Roshan Danesh. (2017). Review of what emergent scholarship has thus far accomplished relating to the study of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and Bahá'í law; suggested core themes and approaches; directions which future study of this topic might encompass.
Thoughts on the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh and the Rise of Globalism, Some, by Rose van Es. (1995). Global thinking is replacing traditional nationalist ideologies; changes necessary for a shift to an ecologically centered ideology; merits of the Bahá’í Faith’s teachings in light of a global transformation to a world-centered mindset.
Three Stages of Divine Revelation, The, by Guy Sinclair. (2002). Shoghi Effendi states that the Kitáb-i-Iqán "adumbrates and distinguishes between the three stages of Divine Revelation"; some Sufi doctrines help understand the significance of Bahá'u'lláh’s three stages.
Three Teaching Methods Used During North America's First Seven-Year Plan, by Roger M. Dahl. (1993). Teaching methods used by American Bahá’ís to spread the Faith; firesides and teaching campaigns evolved during the 1930s; pioneer settlements were not used systematically until the Seven-Year Plan; difficulties caused by the race question in the South.
Toward a Framework for Action, by Paul Lample. (2018). On defining and encouraging scholarship, especially as it relates to the major objectives of the Bahá'í Faith, and the role of the scholar in the Bahá'í community.
Towards a Spiritual Civilization, by Ian C. Semple. (2001). Three methods to achieve the spiritualization of humankind: perpetual striving to draw closer to God in mind, action and spirit; the fundamental work of teaching the Message and building the Administrative Order; and participation in humanitarian service.
Transformative Leadership: Its Evolution and Impact, by Joan Barstow Hernandez. (2018). The ideas behind the conceptual framework and capabilities of Núr University’s "Transformative Leadership Program," developed as a Bahá’í-inspired approach to leadership in academic settings or in projects of social action.
Translating the Bahá'í Writings, by Craig L. Volker. (1990). In translating the Bahá’í writings, faithfulness to the original text is paramount, reflecting both the beauty of the original and accurately conveying its concepts; consultation is an integral part of the process; practical problems faced by translators.
Two Books on the Life of Tahirih: Review, by Catherine Nash. (2019). Reviews of Rejoice in My Gladness: The Life of Táhirih and The Calling: Táhirih of Persia and Her American Contemporaries.
Unité dans la diversité — les religions au service de la verité, by O. P. Ghai: Review, by Pierre-Yves Mocquais. (1989).
Unity in Diversity: A Conceptual Framework for a Global Ethic of Environmental Sustainability, by Roxanne Lalonde. (1994). This article contributes to environmental ethics by highlighting the common ground among several perspectives and discussing six principles that unite them; "unity in diversity" as a conceptual framework for devising a global ethic of sustainability.
Unity: The Creative Foundation of Peace, by H. B. Danesh: Review, by Susan Lamb. (1988).
Unless and Until: A Bahá'í Focus on the Environment, by Arthur Lyon Dahl: Review, by William Gregg. (1991).
Unlocking the Gate of the Heart, by Lasse Thoresen: Review, by Duane Troxel. (2000).
Unsealing the Choice Wine at the Family Reunion, by John S. Hatcher. (1994). Bahá’í scripture portrays human progress as propelled by two inextricably related capacities: independently acquired knowledge coupled with social action; in revelation this dynamic relationship is symbolized by the Kitáb-i-Íqán and and the Kitáb-i-Aqdas.
Unveiling the Hidden Words, by Diana Malouf: Review, by Ann Boyles. (1999).
Us and Them: A Study of Alienation and World Order, by Charles O. Lerche. (1994). The division of the world into mutually exclusive identity groups and its implications for international affairs; alienation and estrangement as useful tools; the Bahá'í model of world unity and world civilization; the phenomenon of European integration.
Valleys, Mountains, and Teacher Preparation, by Barbara K. V. Johnson. (2015). The metaphor of the soul's journey through the Four Valleys illustrates the practical work of building a team of college and school-based practitioners in the Rocky Mountains to design a new program to prepare teachers for service in the public schools.
Views from a Black Artist in the Century of Light, by Elizabeth de Souza. (2020). On the experiences of Black artists; biographical notes on McCleary “Bunch” Washington; African-American spiritual songs.
Vision and the Pursuit of Constructive Social Change, by Holly Hanson. (2020). Observations about the elements of building new social structures; examples from moments in African American history in the United States to explore how constructive social change involves a systematic cultivation of vision; social transformation.
Vision of the Future, A, by John S. Hatcher. (2016). "From the Editor's Desk": Introductory notes to JBS volume 26:4, announcing that JBS is now free for sharing, with new articles posted freely online.
Walking the Spiritual Path with Both Feet Planted Firmly on the Ground, by Joyce Baldwin. (2016). Overview of the life of a Bahá'í native from indigenous-Tsimshian ancestry, who pioneered to Alaska and a reserve in Washington, and member of the LSA of Arcata, California. Includes reflections on teaching to Natives.
Way to Inner Freedom: A Practical Guide to Personal Development, by Erik Blumenthal: Review, by Dawn K. Smith. (1989).
What Does Spirituality Look Like?, by Robert Sarracino. (2024-09). Overview of the concepts of spirit and spirituality in the Bahá’í writings; discussion of a letter from the House on what spirituality should look like today; can the social sciences investigate the phenomenon of spirituality as central to human nature.
When We In/visibilize Our Nobility..., by Sahar D. Sattarzadeh. (2020). On the Violence Against Women Act; domestic violence and resilience; reimagining resistance and visibilizing justice; visualizing nobility as a meditation; our spiritual afterlives.
Whither the International Auxiliary Language?, by Phyllis Ghim-Lian Chew. (1989). The Bahá'í Faith has promised that a day will come when there will be a universal auxiliary language taught in schools around the world. This promise is vital for peace and harmony. English and Esperanto have both strengths and flaws.
"Whither the International Auxiliary Language?" by Phyllis Ghim Lian Chew: Commentary, by Susan Gilman. (1990).
Why Constructive Resilience? An Autobiographical Essay, by Michael L. Penn. (2020). Reflections on growing up African-American; guidance from and a meeting with William Hatcher; the relationship between stress and anxiety, depression, and powerlessness; the practice of constructive resilience.
Will Globalization Lead to a World Commonwealth?, by Sohrab Abizadeh. (2005). How emerging international crises, such as global epidemics, when combined with the fundamental principles of unity and social justice prescribed in the writings of the Bahá’í Faith, are impelling the world toward the formation of a world commonwealth.
Will, Knowledge, and Love as Explained in Baha'u'llah's Four Valleys, by Julio Savi. (1994). Exploration of some of the "seemingly abstruse" concepts of the Four Valleys.
Women in Art, by Anne Gordon Atkinson. (1991). Historically there have been many impediments to women achieving success in art: household duties, the rearing of children, poverty, and lack of education or encouragement. Bahá'í writings call for equal opportunity, and men have a responsibility too.
Word Bahá', The: Quintessence of the Greatest Name of God, by Stephen Lambden. (1998). The Arabic word bahá' — meaning beauty, excellence, goodliness, majesty, glory, splendor, brilliancy, and many others — was a term of considerable import in Islamic and Bábi literature, and was occasionally seen in prophetic or messianic contexts.

Academic journals
(mostly peer reviewed)

Australian Bahá'í Studies
Bahá'í Studies
Bahá'í Studies Bulletin
Bahá'í Studies Review
Journal of Bahá'í Studies
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
Occasional Papers in Bábí and Bahá'í Studies
Online Journal of Bahá'í Studies
Religion / Religions
Singapore Bahá'í Studies Review
Solas
Studies in Bahá'í Philosophy
World Order (and see complete issues)

Books

Khúshih-Há'í Az Kharman-i-Adab
Lights of Irfán
Studies in Babi and Baha'i Religions

Historical

The Open Court (1904-1931)
Journal de Constantinople (1848-1849)

Other Bahá'í journals

American Bahá'í, The (offsite)
Arts Dialogue (offsite)
Associate
Bahá'í Journal UK
Bahá'í News
Bahá'í World
Deepen
dialogue
elixir-journal.org
One Country
Reality magazine
Scriptum
Star of the West

Encyclopedias

Bahá'í Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Iranica
Encyclopaedia of Islam
Religious Celebrations
World Religions

Non-Baha'i

Iranian Studies
The Moslem World


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