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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... meetings ) held through- out the metro Atlanta area - something non - Bahá'ís cannot do . My status as an insider granted me access to the diversity of various Nineteen - Day Feasts and the process of Bahá'í consultation , and ...
... meetings ( where several Local Spiritual Assembly ju- risdictions would meet to consult about issues facing the Bahá'í community ) , Firesides , and public meetings as I could attend ( all of which will be discussed in the text ) ...
... meetings , for stuffing envelopes with question- naires and licking stamps , and for reading through much of the early drafts . She knew I would finish even when I couldn't see the forest for the trees . The Bahá'í Chapter 1 [ The Bahá ...
... meetings , Bahá'ís experienced " unity in diversity " as the sounds , sights , and symbols of the World Congress reminded them of their common allegiance to Bahá'u'lláh and the planet - wide institutions ordained in his writings . Many ...
... meetings as well , as illustrated in the following de- scription of one metro Atlanta " Fireside . " A Fireside is an event held weekly or monthly in believers ' homes that introduces non - Bahá'ís to the Bahá'í Faith . It may be an ...
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 |