Bahai Library Online

>   Published articles
TAGS: Conversion; Progressive revelation
Abstract:
Unlike personal transformation experiences in Christianity, religious conversion to the Bahá'í Faith is more often described as a gradual personal and spiritual growth analogous to progressive revelation. Link to article (offsite).
Notes:
Published in the Religions special issue "The Bahá'í Faith: Doctrinal and Historical Explorations," online at mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/3/300, where it is also available in HTML, XML, and epub formats.

'This Is a Progression, Not Conversion':

Narratives of First-Generation Bahá'ís

Tova Makhani-Belkin

published in Religions

14:3

2023

Abstract: This paper discusses the concept of religious conversion in the Bahá’í Faith through conversion narratives of first-generation Bahá’ís. Through life story interviews, the converts narrate their process of becoming Bahá’í as “not converting”, which aligns with a principle of the Bahá’í Faith called “progressive revelation”. Religious conversion has frequently been described in the literature as a radical, sudden, dramatic transformation–often following a personal crisis and seemingly entails a definite break with one’s former identity. Consequently, religious conversion studies have focused on the subjective experiences of the rapid changes in the lives and identities of individuals. However, such perspectives have, until now, focused mainly on Christianity and Christian models and have not adequately addressed religious conversion models in other Abrahamic religions, such as the Bahá’í Faith. The paradigm of conversion focuses our attention on the ways particular theologies shape life stories of conversion and what kind of narratives social scientists will include in the corpus of conversion. Therefore, this research asks to broaden the social scientific paradigms of religious conversion through the case study of the Bahá’í Faith.
See all details online at mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/3/300, or use one of the direct links below:
  1. Direct link to download PDF: mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/3/300/pdf.
  2. Direct link to download ePub: mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/3/300/epub.
METADATA
Views681 views since posted 2023-08-23; last edit 2025-03-06 07:52 UTC;
previous at archive.org.../makhani-belkin_progression_conversion_narratives
ISSN
Permission   Creative Commons open access
Share Shortlink: bahai-library.com/6271    Citation: ris/6271
Home divider Site Map divider Series divider Chronology
searchAuthor divider Title divider Date divider Tags
Links divider About divider Contact divider RSS divider New
smaller font
larger font