In an age where so many are preoccupied with global issues of freedom, human rights, peace and religious intolerance, the Baha'i Faith and its teachings are more relevant than ever before. This volume combines comprehensive coverage of the Faith's teachings, texts, practices, community life and organization, with images reflecting its rich architectural heritage and the international diversity of its members. Paul Slaughter spent three years travelling around the world to capture the photographs for The Baha'i Faith in Words and Images, from remote tribes in Papua New Guinea to villages in the mountains of Peru, taking in every continent. Breathtaking photography and intelligent accompanying text are combined to produce a beautiful coffee-table book, and accessible introduction to one of the fastest-growing religions of today.

One of a series of positive guides to personal development, this book emphasizes the opportunities and advantages open to those in mature uears. Blumethal, himself a septuagenarian, addresses the need for combating social prejudices against age. He explains the importance of developing our spiritual powers when physical energies are past their peak

In an age where so many are preoccupied with global issues of freedom, human rights, peace and religious intolerance, the Baha'i Faith and its teachings are more relevant than ever before. This volume combines comprehensive coverage of the Faith's teachings, texts, practices, community life and organization, with images reflecting its rich architectural heritage and the international diversity of its members. Paul Slaughter spent three years travelling around the world to capture the photographs for The Baha'i Faith in Words and Images, from remote tribes in Papua New Guinea to villages in the mountains of Peru, taking in every continent. Breathtaking photography and intelligent accompanying text are combined to produce a beautiful coffee-table book, and accessible introduction to one of the fastest-growing religions of today.

In the 19th century, many Christians throughout the western world expected the fulfilment of Jesus's promise to return. The widespread expectation culminated in "The Great Disappointment" of 1844. This is a verse-by-verse exploration of Jesus's greatest prophetic sermon, the Olivet Discourse, an examination of 19th century and current Christian interpretations and presents an analysis in the light of Baha'u'llah's teachings.

For almost two centuries, followers of the Baha’i faith, Iran’s largest religious minority, have been persecuted by the state. They have been made scapegoats for the nation’s ills, branded enemies of Islam and denounced as foreign agents. Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 Baha’is have been barred from entering the nation’s universities, more than two hundred have been executed, and hundreds more imprisoned and tortured.

Now, however, Iran is at a turning point. A new generation has begun to question how the Baha’is have been portrayed by the government and the clergy, and called for them to be given equal rights as fellow citizens. In documenting, for the first time, the plight of this religious community in Iran since its inception, Fereydun Vahman also reveals the greater plight of a nation aspiring to develop a modern identity built on respect for diversity rather than hatred and self-deception.

Worldwide in its membership and increasingly being recognized as the youngest of the world religions, the Baha'i faith is enjoying rapid expansion. In this captivating book, Moojan Momen gives a brief survey of the life, the works, the claims and the teachings of Baha'u'llah, its founder. Covering the resistance he encountered, including successive forced exiles and vitriolic opposition, this book highlights his dedication and that of his followers who were often willing to sacrifice their lives for his teachings. Comprehensive and yet concise, this is a perfect book for anyone interesting in knowing more about the Baha'i faith and its inception.

Written by a well-known author in the field of Baha'i studies, this is a comprehensive and accessible encyclopedia to the youngest of the world religions. Regarded as the second most widespread faith after Christianity, with adherents in almost every country around the globe, the Baha'i faith is nevertheless unfamiliar to many. here Dr Smith traces the origins and development of the religion from 19th century Iran to the modern day, introducing its central figures and major historical events. combining breadth with a readable yet concise style, he provides a balanced overview of Baha'i scriptures, doctrines and practices, social teachings and organization. This reference work presents a clear and knowledgeable view of a fascinating new religion.

Technology, tourism, politics, and law have connected human beings around the world more closely than ever before, but this closeness has, paradoxically, given rise to fear, distrust, and misunderstanding between nation-states and religions. In light of the tensions and conflicts that arise from these complex relationships, many search for ways to find peace and understanding through a ""global public sphere."" There citizens can deliberate on issues of worldwide concern. Their voices can be heard by institutions able to translate public opinion into public policy that embraces more than simply the interests and ideas of the wealthy and the empowered. Contributors to this volume address various aspects of this challenge within the context of Baha'i thought and practice, whose goal is to lay the foundations for a new world civilization that harmonizes the spiritual and material aspects of human existence. Baha'i teachings view religion as a source of enduring insight that can enable humanity to repair and transcend patterns of disunity, to foster justice within the structures of society, and to advance the cause of peace. Accordingly, religion can and ought to play a role in the broader project of creating a pattern of public discourse capable of supporting humanity's transition to the next stage in its collective development. The essays in this book make novel contributions to the growing literature on post-secularism and on religion and the public sphere. The authors additionally present new areas of inquiry for future research on the Baha'i faith.

The Baha'i faith has some five million adherents around the world. It preaches the oneness of God, the unity of all faiths, universal education and the harmony of all people, but has no priesthood and few formal rituals. In this book Peter Smith traces the development of the Baha'i faith from its roots in the Babi movement of mid-nineteenth century Iran to its contemporary emergence as an expanding worldwide religion. * Explores the textual sources for Baha'i belief and practice, theology and anthropology and understanding of other religions. * Covers the concept of the spiritual path, Baha'i law and administration and aspects of community life. * Examines the Baha'i's social teachings and activities in the wider world. This introduction will be of particular interest to students of new religious movements, Middle East religions, and comparative religion and for those studying short courses on the Baha'i faith.

It was a time of house burnings, mob violence, kidnapping, mass imprisonment, torture, endless trials, summary executions and secret burials. This was Iran in the early 1980s, and everyday reality for the Baha'is, Iran's largest religious minority. Headlines across America screamed out the story, Congress passed motions, President Reagan appealed to Iran. This detailed, eye-witness account of the persecution of Iran's largest religious minority in the 1980s is the story of one woman's experiences at the hands of the Iranian Revolutionaries. Amid the escalating pogrom, Olya Roohizadegan witnessed friends, neighbours and relatives being imprisoned, tortured and executed. For months she visited the prisoners, comforted their relatives, found clothes and shelter for the homeless, and smuggled news and photographs out of Iran to the outside world. And then it was her turn. The book culminates in her dramatic escape from the hangman's rope in a hazardous overland journey to Pakistan and the West.