Bibliography 2: #BIB14043

Key	BIB14043
Reference type	Thesis
Title	Spiritual Experience and the Baha'i Religious Group : An Ethnographic Study of Baha'ism
Author	Andrada, Velma F.
Year	1978
Date	May 1978
Place published	Winnipeg, Manitoba
Abstract	The purpose of this thesis was to present an ethnography of Baha'ism. The primary objective of this study was to gain insight into the nature of Baha'ism as it outspokenly professes to contain the "sure" resolutions of the problems of the modern world. The study of Baha'i literature and participant observation in a greater Winnipeg Baha'i group were undertaken toward the achievement of the objective. To some extent, Baha'i members were asked to evaluate themselves and the teachings of Baha'u'llah with regard to their feelings and involvement/ participation in the Baha'i faith. Findings in the light of the above provided the content of this descriptive study which claims that Baha'ism is a worldwide millenarian religious movement of Iranian (i.e. Shi'ite Islam) origin. It holds its teacher Baha'u'llah as the prophet of God for this age, and its institutions as assigning a pattern for a new universal "world order" of peace, righteousness, and comradeship. The Baha’i religious movement is an organization that is ideologically motivated by the teachings of Baha'u'llah, and committed to a purpose of collectively implementing the ideal personal and social change in view of achieving the coveted state of perfect political peace and religious unity. To Baha'is, the embodiment of this goal is the accomplishment of the highest social order - a world federation of nations under a benevolent and unerring world government (i.e., under the divine sponsorship of Baha'u'llah). Accordingly, the embryonic stage of this world government is already evident in the Baha'i institution of the Universal House of Justice (the Baha'i International administrative body in Haifa, Israel). Baha'is claim that Baha'u'llah is the last [Note: not the last as in "final" but last as in "the most recent"] of the manifestations of God. Baha'i ideology prescribes that believers accept the gospel and divinity of the previous prophets (e.g., Moses, Abraham, Muhammad Jesus, etc.) who were supposedly legitimate manifestations of God for their particular time and age. This Baha'i claim is in line with its Islamic inheritance whereby in chapter 2, verse 161 of the Qur'an, it is stated (with reference to Muhammad): "Verily We have revealed to Thee as We revealed to Noah and the Prophets after Him, as We revealed to Abraham, and Ismael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and Jesus, and Job, and Jonah, and Aaron, and Solomon, and to David gave We psalms."
Language	English
Keywords	WINNIPEG; MANITOBA; CANADA; INTRODUCTION; ETHNOGRAPHY; REVITALIZATION; UTOPIA; MILLENNIALISM
Number of pages	[7], 100
Academic department	Anthropology
University	University of Manitoba
Degree	M.A.
File attachments	internal-pdf://1733670342/Andrada - Spiritual Experience.pdf

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