The Bahá'í: The Religious Construction of a Global IdentityRutgers University Press, 2000 - 246 pages The Bahá'í Faith is one of the fastest growing, but least studied, of the world's religions. Adherents view themselves as united by a universal belief that transcends national boundaries. Michael McMullen examines how the Bahá'í develop and maintain this global identity. Taking the Bahá'í community in Atlanta, Georgia, as a case in point, his book is the first to comprehensively examine the tenets of this little-understood faith. McMullen notes that, to the Bahá'í, Buddha, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed are all divinely sent teachers of 'the Truth', whose messages conform to the needs of their individual cultures and historical periods. But religion--which draws from the teaching of Bahá'u'lláh, a nineteenth-century Persian--encourages its members to think of themselves as global citizens. It also seeks to establish unity among its members through adherence to a Bahá'í worldview. By examining the Atlanta Bahá'í community, McMullen shows how this global identity is interpreted locally. He discusses such topics as: the organizational structure and authority relations in the Bahá'í "Administrative Order"; Bahá'í evangelicalism; and the social boundaries between Bahá'ís and the wider culture. |
From inside the book
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... culture , I did not feel I could in this context adequately address the viewpoint of younger Bahá'ís . I also did not interview anyone who had with- drawn membership from the Bahá'í Faith , again given research limitations . In ...
... cultural and organi- zational framework for the future . This book is about how one religious group- the Bahá'ís - attempt to meet global cultural challenges , and how the Bahá'í Faith confers upon its members a global religious ...
... cultures across the globe . Once seated for the day's session , many believers would don headset receivers that provided translations of the proceed- ings in Spanish , French , Japanese , or Persian . On the front stage was a lectern ...
... cultures . A floral arrangement delivered to one session of the World Congress on behalf of the Iranian Bahá'í community also ... culture , and nationality , as well as the stories of Bahá'ís around the world fac- ing opposition and ...
... cultural spheres of life are becoming increasingly interdependent . However , globalization has not made the world a ... cultural conception of ' globality ' when they share a sense that they belong to and participate in one global ...
Contents
Carriers and Converts | 15 |
The Bahaf Administrative Order | 34 |
Authority in the Administrative Order | 56 |
Personal Devotion and Organizational Participation | 76 |
Boundaries and Identity | 109 |
Teaching the Bahaf Faith | 126 |
Thinking Globally Acting Locally | 152 |
Conclusion | 175 |
Atlanta Bahaf Questionnaire | 185 |
Historical Overview | 193 |
The Bahai Calendar | 197 |
Notes | 199 |
229 | |
243 | |
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The Bahá'í: The Religious Construction of a Global Identity Michael McMullen No preview available - 2000 |