Baha’i Perspectives

nava May 29th, 2009

This morning a close friend of mine forwarded me an article from BBC News about a little child raised by dogs. The caption piqued my curiousity and before I read the article my mind flooded with romantic images of a little Jane-esque[of Tarzan and] child who was tragically abandoned by am empoverished mother but, against all odds, managed to survive. My version of the story was still sad, of course. After all, all children should have the opportunity to grow up among human beings who love them and care for them. But there was something exciting about the raw instinctual aspect of it. A lesson on human resilience.

Then I read the article. Even the fainstest glimmering of a Disney Channel plot line was completely annihilated.  

A little girl in Russia raised by dogs…while her mother was there. The article is sparse in detail, but there is explicit reference to the fact that the girl was forced to live among the dogs inside the house, never to go outside. She, naturally, began to emulate the dogs’ behavior. She spoke no Russian, but instead mimicked the noises of the animals who were her [possibly sole] educators and jumped with fright anytime anyone approached the door, just as the dogs would do.

I cannot even begin to put into words the feelings of anger and almost rage that surged within me when I thought of the despicable actions of this “mother” who forced this kind of existence upon her own child. I immediately thought of one of  The Hidden Words of Baha’u'llah wherein He affirms that:

Out of the wastes of nothingness, with the clay of My command I made thee to appear, and have ordained for thy training every atom in existence and the essence of all created things. Thus, ere thou didst issue from thy mother’s womb, I destined for thee two founts of gleaming milk, eyes to watch over thee, and hearts to love thee…

God gave us parents, designed us in such a way, that at the very moment of our birth into this world we would be enveloped in love. Nurtured with love. Trained by love. Our parents have a responsibility not  just to provide for us materially, but to educate us and train us in such a way that we may develop a relationship with God.  Baha’u'llah says that the primary purpose of marriage is to bring forth children who will make mention of Him. We are here to know God and to love God. We are here to advance civilization. 

And yet there exist human beings in this world who cannot even be bothered to speak to their children? Much less to give them a chance to develop an intimate relationship with their Creator. How unimaginably horrible. The sheer cruelty of it. The level of disconnect that this woman must have from her own humanity…one can only wonder what her own upbringing was like. 

We know that if left to their own devices, without proper training and education, human beings can be given to cruelty more savage than that of the fiercest animal predator. ‘Abdu’l-Baha says “[w]ere there no educator, all souls would remain savage, and were it not for the teacher, the children would be ignorant creatures.” 

On the overall importance of education, He goes onto say the following:

It is for this reason that, in this New Cycle, education and training are recorded in the Book of God as obligatory and not voluntary. That is, it is enjoined upon the father and mother, as a duty, to strive with all effort to train the daughter and the son, to nurse them from the breast of knowledge and to rear them in the bosom of sciences and arts. Should they neglect this matter, they shall be held responsible and worthy of reproach in the presence of the stern Lord.

This is a sin unpardonable, for they have made that poor babe a wanderer in the Sahara of ignorance, unfortunate and tormented; to remain during a lifetime a captive of ignorance and pride, negligent and without discernment. Verily, if that babe depart from this world at the age of infancy, it is sweeter and better. In this sense, death is better than life; deprivation than salvation; non-existence lovelier than existence; the grave better than the palace; and the narrow, dingy tomb better than the spacious, regal home…

Therefore, the beloved of God and the maid-servants of the Merciful must train their children with life and heart and teach them in the school of virtue and perfection. They must not be lax in this matter; they must not be inefficient. Truly, if a babe did not live at all it were better than to let it grow ignorant, for that innocent babe, in later life, would become afflicted with innumerable defects, responsible to and questioned by God, reproached and rejected by the people. What a sin this would be and what an omission!

Tags: childhood, education, motherhood, parents

• News & Current Affairs
• Comments(2)

iman April 17th, 2009

I woke up with a thought in my mind: why do I sometimes resist change; character improvement for the better?  It’s simply easier to stay the same, I guess, even if it’s not always comfortable. Sometimes it may be because we are too comfortable that we don’t feel the urge to adjust ourselves. Sometimes we just don’t realize that we need to change. Realization occurs only after careful and constant reflection on our actions; but sometimes we don’t reflect and don’t try to change. In truth, however, it isn’t easy to disregard all past habits and experiences and start anew.  Abdu’l-Baha says:

It is extremely difficult to teach the individual and refine his character once puberty is passed. By then, as experience hath shown, even if every effort be exerted to modify some tendency of his, it all availeth nothing. He may, perhaps, improve somewhat today; but let a few days pass and he forgetteth, and turneth backward to his habitual condition and accustomed ways.

Therefore it is in early childhood that a firm foundation must be laid:

It followeth that the children’s school must be a place of utmost discipline and order, that instruction must be thorough, and provision must be made for the rectification and refinement of character; so that, in his earliest years, within the very essence of the child, the divine foundation will be laid and the structure of holiness raised up…Know that this matter of instruction, of character rectification and refinement, of heartening and encouraging the child, is of the utmost importance, for such are basic principles of God.

Hardship and tests can act as a catalyst for change, not only on a personal level but also on a global one. Mankind as an entity faces challenges similar to those restraining us in our journey of personal transformation. It seems to be the common case, globally, that change is resisted. It seems as though only until our ‘backs are against the wall’ that we begin to discern the importance of altering our unsustainable patterns of old.

How long will humanity persist in its waywardness? How long will injustice continue? How long is chaos and confusion to reign amongst men? How long will discord agitate the face of society?…The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing order appeareth to be lamentably defective.

(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 215)

Shoghi Effendi goes on to say:

Economic distress…together with political confusion, financial upheavals, religious restlessness and racial animosities, seem to have conspired to add immeasurably to the burdens under which an impoverished, a war-weary world is groaning…The world…is everywhere assailed by forces it can neither explain nor control.

That the forces of a world catastrophe can alone precipitate such a new phase of human thought is, alas, becoming increasingly apparent. That nothing short of the fire of a severe ordeal, unparalleled in its intensity, can fuse and weld the discordant entities that constitute the elements of present-day civilization, into the integral components of the world commonwealth of the future, is a truth which future events will increasingly demonstrate.

Does this imply that dire times lie ahead?

Nothing but a fiery ordeal, out of which humanity will emerge, chastened and prepared, can succeed in implanting that sense of responsibility which the leaders of a new-born age must arise to shoulder.

(Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha’u'llah, p. 45)

Drawing on Ohm’s law, the more the resistance experienced, the greater the potential. The onus is on us to make use of this potential.

Tags: change, education, integration/disintegration

• Baha'i Concepts
• Comments(0)

elliott February 24th, 2009

In “Addressing Discrepancies – Part I,” we discussed one of the major obstacles to the unity of religion and science. Science seems to have incorrectly invalidated religious longings. In this post we investigate a second major obstacle.

This one may seem more obvious. To many, religion itself is the main reason why it cannot exist in harmony with science. Every day, acts of religious dissention take spotlight in the media. How can religion possibly stand for truth, with all its various sects and orthodoxies which are clearly not in agreement with one another?

Science, on the other hand, keeps its composure. Disagreements occur and conflicting theories arise, but these are investigated, and eventually, when scientists have sufficient faith in a common idea, textbooks are written and the rest of the world tends to jump on board. How can such a logical approach to the investigation of truth possibly be in accord with the farce associated with assertions of religious truth?

Dr. William Hatcher, in his essay “The Unity of Science and Religion” explains that the characteristic feature of science and the basis of its unity is scientific method. Scientific phenomena are systematically investigated by use of our mental faculties.

Abdu’l-Baha asserts that this is also necessary to arrive at an understanding of religious truth:

God has endowed man with intelligence and reason whereby he is required to determine the verity of questions and propositions. If religious beliefs and opinions are found contrary to the standards of science they are mere superstitions and imaginations; for the antithesis of knowledge is ignorance, and the child of ignorance is superstition. Unquestionably there must be agreement between true religion and science. If a question be found contrary to reason, faith and belief in it are impossible and there is no outcome but wavering and vacillation.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith – Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 239)

If mankind took a more objective, scientific approach to religion, it would arrive much more quickly at a common understanding of the fundamental verities religion presents. Rather than resorting to weapons, people should turn to elevated discourse, consultation and independent study. With this standard of investigation of the truth, the notion that scientific concepts and religious ideals can exist in harmony won’t seem so far-fetched.

Tags: education, religion, science

• Baha'i Concepts
• Comments(2)

elliott January 28th, 2009

Following the spirit of Negin’s article “Religion or Science: Do we have to choose?”, we tackle specific points regarding science and religion to reinforce an understanding of their harmony with one another.

The conventional view of science is that it is rational knowledge about the physical, visible, or observable world. Religion, on the other hand is commonly viewed as irrational belief about the imaginary, insubstantial and unseen world.

Abdu’l-Baha has said:

Religion and Science are inter-twined with each other and cannot be separated. These are the two wings with which humanity must fly.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 28)

Also:

Religion must agree with science, so that science shall sustain religion and religion explain science. The two must be brought together, indissolubly, in reality.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 26)

For many, including myself, the ideas presented in the above quotations are difficult for the mind to wrap around, especially given the context of dominating ideas regarding what science and religion are. It is in the spirit of independent investigation of the truth that I have trying to understand better the dynamics between these two pillars of reality. I should mention that many of my studies are based on the essays of Dr. William Hatcher, who is regarded by many as the most prolific writer on the subject of science and religion. I would encourage anyone interested in the pursuing an understanding of this topic to read his papers.

There are three central points or “discrepancies” which give rise to the notion that science and religion do not agree. Within the scope of this post is merely one of them: People now attribute to science what was once attributed to God. In past years, when people did not understand scientific concepts as much, a lot was merely attributed to God (why the Sun seems to be moving around the Earth, etc). As scientific and technological discoveries are made, however, the “need” for God or religion to help us understand mysterious forces in the world is diminishing. People are turning to scientific answers, and these answers make sense. How does religion even figure into anything when helpful explanations are coming from elsewhere?

A closer look reveals that the position of “science replacing God” is not fully justified. Rather than science simply filling in answers to the world’s mysteries, day by day, as more scientific discoveries are made, a greater number of questions arise. Scientists are in a constant state of learning and discovery. Even the greatest of scientists, including Einstein and Newton, had constant profound questions regarding the reality they were living in. The more one learns about science, the more in awe that person is of the world they live in. They understand how little they actually “know” and how humble they should actually be. Socrates said it well: “The only thing I know is that I know nothing.”

More specifically, if one looks at science, it is found that “fact” is simply a hypothesis that has been experimented with, based on a set of universal yet invisible forces which scientists are still continually trying to understand. Gravity explains why the cat fell out of the tree, but now we seek answers to the reason for gravity. While the effects and behavior of heat might be visible, what heat actually is continues to be a mystery. Finally, many scientific “facts” have been disproven, even in recent times.

All of this is not to say that scientific investigation is flawed, but merely to point out that in no way can science be regarded as an absolute source of definite explanations of the reality we live in. Religion accompanies science in a balanced search for knowledge, as we will continue to investigate in future posts.

Tags: education, religion, science

• Baha'i Concepts
• Comments(3)

negin January 15th, 2009

Evolution or creationism? Neuroscience or spirituality? Body or soul?

Historically, the clashes between science and religion have been many. Still to this day, they are often regarded as two opposing worlds. Some of the typical incidences we remember are the medieval scientist Galileo who, to the horror of the Catholic Church, discovered that the earth revolves around the sun, and not vice-versa. Or more recently, Darwin’s theory of evolution, which in the mid-nineteenth century caused revolt among religious communities. In modern times, the opposition revolves around such hot topics as stem cell research, in-vitro fertilization and abortion.

Working and studying in the world of natural science and medicine, this opposition is not always easy to deal with. Facts and theories about the human nature are often presented without paying any attention to the spiritual/metaphysical aspect of creation. Most people, however, find it difficult to accept that we are strictly under the control of signal substances and chemical reactions. Even within the world of science, people are open to alternative theories.

An article published in “The Independent”, in October 2008, describes alterations in the conflict between science and religion, and comes to the conclusion that most people today prefer not to identify themselves with any of the extreme viewpoints. The author states:

Academic discussion on the relationship between science and religion is genuinely exploratory, not polarized… The danger is that between the strident secularists and the fanatical fundamentalists some important middle ground is being squeezed out.

However, within previous religions it has been rare to find principles or attitudes that support modern scientific progress, hence opposition has arisen. Many recent developments in world affairs and the scientific field have put religion — and its moral and ethical standards — to the test, and meeting those demands has not been an easy task for religious communities.

The teachings of the Bahá’í-Faith on the harmony between religion and science provide a comprehensive, as well as logical, viewpoint on the relationship between the two. Abdu’l-Baha, in the early 20^th century, said:

Religion and science are the two wings upon which man’s intelligence can soar into the heights, with which the human soul can progress. It is not possible to fly with one wing alone! Should a man try to fly with the wing of religion alone he would quickly fall into the quagmire of superstition, whilst on the other hand, with the wing of science alone he would also make no progress, but fall into the despairing slough of materialism.

For me, being a part of this modern society and trying to make a career within a scientific field, having a sound attitude toward science and religion has been indispensable. Leaning on the words of Abdu’l-Baha, and studying the lessons from His great work “Some Answered Questions“, I have been able to say:

Evolution and Creationism. Neuroscience and spirituality. Body and soul.

Tags: education, religion, science

• Baha'i Concepts , General Interest , Society
• Comments(3)

iman December 15th, 2008

A man walking down the street with, presumably, his partner, hitting her across the back of the head every 10 metres or so. Again and again and again… something I just wasn’t expecting to see whilst walking to work recently. Upsetting, surreal, unjust. Around this same time, on November 25th, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women was observed.

Abuse commonly stems from, amongst other things, cultural standards, prior abuse of the now-abuser, insufficient parenting, broken homes or genuine illness. Barring the latter, all indicate just how pivotal education is:

The basis for such [moral] curricula is the belief that every person is a spiritual being with limitless potential for noble action but that potential, in order to manifest, must be consciously cultivated through a curriculum attuned to this fundamental human dimension.

Among the moral capabilities identified by Bahá’í­ educational institutions include the ability to:

• participate effectively in non-adversarial collective decision-making

• act with rectitude of conduct based on ethical and moral principles

• cultivate one’s sense of dignity and self-worth

• create a vision of a desired future based on shared values and principles, and to inspire others to work for its fulfillment

• understand relationships based on dominance and to contribute towards their transformation into relationships based on reciprocity and service.

In this way, the curriculum seeks to develop the individual as a whole integrating the spiritual and the material, the theoretical and the practical and the sense of individual progress with service to the community.

Such capabilities can be taught in schools but will not be effective unless they take root in family and community:

…it is the family environment in which children grow and form views about themselves, the world and the purpose of life. To the degree that a family fails to meet the fundamental needs of the children, to that same degree will society be burdened with the consequences of neglect and abuse and will suffer greatly from the resulting conditions of apathy and violence.

In the family, the child learns about the nature of power and its expression in interpersonal relationships; it is here that she first learns to accept or reject authoritarian rule and violence as a means of expression and conflict resolution. In this environment, the widespread violence committed by men against women and girls constitutes an assault on the foundational unit of the community and the nation.

Religion has historically been the primary contributor of the values espoused in most of the world, yet, today, it is voices arising in the name of religion that are obstacles to the eradication of abuse and violent behaviour:

Using religious appeals as a vehicle for their own power, proponents of extremist religious interpretations have sought to tame’ women and girls by limiting their mobility outside of the home, limiting their access to education, subjecting their bodies to harmful traditional practices, controlling attire and even killing to punish acts which were claimed to abase the family honor. It is religion itself that stands in desperate need of renewal.

A core element of such renewal is the need for religious leaders to state unequivocally and become the standard bearers of the principle of equality of men and women, a moral and practical principle urgently needed to realize progress in the social, political and economic spheres of society. Today, religious practices and doctrines in flagrant violation of international human rights standards must be subject to deeper examination and scrutiny, bearing in mind that all religions contain the voices of women, which have often been absent from the evolving definition of what religion is and what it requires.

Who is responsible for the protection of women? The highest, most influential (in terms of enforcement) body of power available to us is the State:

…the State has the duty and responsibility to protect the individual. It is at this level that enlightened leadership is desperately required. Many governments continue to hide behind cultural and religious reservations to international treaties, perpetuating a climate of legal and moral impunity and rendering this kind of violence and its victims invisible.

Ultimately, however, how can a self-sustaining solution to common plagues such as abuse be found? Progress is iterative. As each generation embraces, more and more, the idea that education is the sturdy foundation that can stabilize society’s shaky core, the closer will be the goal of eradicating societal ills.

Quotations extracted from separate statements located here and here at www.bic.org

Tags: abuse, education, women

• Events , Society
• Comments(2)

negin June 9th, 2008

A sincere longing for being of use and helping one’s surroundings is a natural driving force that most people have. In the Baha’i Faith, love and service to mankind are regarded as “the worthiest and most laudable objects of human endeavor”, through which we can also develop virtues and spiritual qualities within ourselves. In the Baha’i community, the courses of the Ruhi Institute are being used to train individuals to develop skills and attitudes needed to succeed in this endeavour. The courses are offered at the grassroots level and are designed to instill in participants the capacity, as well as the confidence, to embark on service activities aimed at gradually uplifting the wider community.

The Ruhi Institute is an educational system that was originally developed under the guidance of the Baha’i community of Colombia in the 1970s, and is now being used all over the world. Based on the Writings of the Baha’i Faith, the material aims at giving its participants an understanding of the presented topics, not only on a level that generates reflection and analysis, but, more crucially, on a level that facilitates action and change:

O SON OF DUST!

Verily I say unto thee; Of all men the most negligent is he that disputeth idly and seeketh to advance himself over his brother. Say, O brethren! Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.

(Baha’u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)

The main sequence of the institute consists of seven books, each with a specific theme and an act of service tied to it. The books are studied in study circles consisting of one tutor and 3-10 participants. Some of the themes of the main sequence are “Reflections on the Life of the Spirit” and “Teaching Children’s Classes”. The last book of the sequence is a tutor training, after which the participant herself/himself can serve as a tutor.

The Ruhi Institute has come to spread all over the world, being used by Baha’is and their friends from the Kiribati Islands in the South Pacific Ocean to the Faeroe Islands and Iceland in Northern Europe. Of course, culture, weather and tradition influences the shape and expression of the study circles in different corners of the world, but they all have in common the purpose of educating and training their participants to be of service to their fellow beings and to mankind.

The Great Being saith: Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.

(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 259)

Tags: development, education, Ruhi books, service

• General Interest , Principles in Action , Society
• Comments(3)