December 2021
A monthly electronic Newsletter
News, Web Talks, live events,
upcoming courses
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Two Great Webinars
and Podcasts in December
The talks are live web video programs and are free. Just click to register, or go to our Facebook or YouTube page to watch live. The video will be available later on our YouTube account; the audio will be available as a podcast on our SoundCloud channel.
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Learner Explores Indigenous Australian Culture and shares with her community
By taking The Great Spirit Speaks: Voices of the Wise Ones, which focuses on possible indigenous divine messengers in North America, Lynette Thomas was moved to learn more about indigenous Australian beliefs (she is an Australian of Welsh parentage) and investigate the beliefs and culture of the Maori, as she now lives in New Zealand.
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Learner plans to speak at City Council meeting in support of land acknowledgement
While Leslie Myers was unable to complete the course The Great Spirit Speaks: Voices of the Wise Ones she was impressed and inspired by the course in various ways. She has spent more time in contact with indigenous people and plans to speak to the local City Council about acknowledging the tribe on whose land the city has been built.
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Phillipe Gerling took the course Bringing Consultation to the Workplace and reports that the most important learning for him was to read the reflections of the women in the course. He has spent a career in a mainly male dominated environment and gained rich insights into the differences of thinking and consulting between the two groups.
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Sustainable Development Course intensifies learner's "transformative trajectory"
Before he took Sustainable Development and Human Prosperity, Douglas Gilbert did not think sustainable development was possible and had no idea how deeply Baha'is were involved in generating global sustainable goals and processes, so this course was transformative for him. He has become a sustaining member of the International Tree Foundation and a member of the International Environmental Forum and organizes daily dawn prayers in southern New Hampshire.
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Learning in Action: Relying on the Scientific Method in Baha'i Teachings
Jacque Jenkins "really tuned in to the concept of intellectual humility, and the idea that learning in action is, in effect, the scientific method in its general form—i.e., a process of trying things and learning from them that make these concerted efforts effective." These were two of her key learnings when taking the course Science, Religion, and the Baha'i Faith.
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Learner Explores the Harmony of Science and Religion
As a result of taking Science, Religion, and the Baha'i Faith, Leanne Eleff plans to give a fireside talk on a topic related to science and religion in December. She wants to become more comfortable engaging in discourse on elevated topics, especially with a particular friend with whom she has had meaningful conversations. She will continue to study and learn. Beyond that, she wants to start actively participating in the community of Baha'i scholarship, in whatever way Baha’u’llah sees fit for her to do so.
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Tips for Sustainable Living | |
What to do with wild animals in the house?
Say good-bye to them in a humane way
As temperatures get cooler, wild animals like to seek shelter in our houses. Mice and squirrels can be problematic in our homes because of noise and the potential threat of the transmission of diseases. Using sticky traps is inhumane – they cause much suffering for the animal. Rodenticides – poison – also causes suffering, and in addition is a threat to curious children and to the environment. So, what can we do? We can use ultrasonic repellers, unpleasant scents, for example peppermint oil, and live traps such as catch and release mouse traps. Say good-bye to them with a smile.
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All the video recordings of the recent Bahá’í-inspired climate conference of the International Environment Forum are now available at this IEF Playlist on YouTube. You can also read a written report about each event on the IEF website. | | |
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Center on Modernity in Transition
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The Summons of the Lord of Hosts
Dec. 2, 2021 - Jan. 26, 2022
This course will explore the series of open letters (“Tablets”) that Baha’u’llah sent to “kings and ecclesiastics” (the world’s political and religious leaders) and, to a lesser extent, to statesmen and scholars, beginning in 1867. Written after He privately declared His mission to select followers in the Garden of Ridvan on 21 April 1863, these public epistles, according to the Universal House of Justice, “summoned the monarchs of East and West collectively, and some among them individually, to recognize the Day of God and to acknowledge the One promised in the scriptures of the religions professed by the recipients of His Summons.” Baha’u’llah Himself says that this Proclamation was unique in the annals of religious history: “Never since the beginning of the world hath the Message been so openly proclaimed.”
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The Advent of Divine Justice
Dec. 2, 2021 - Jan. 19, 2022
Shoghi Effendi’s soul-stirring letter, The Advent of Divine Justice, was written in 1938 during a time of tremendous turmoil in world affairs, but it leads us to understand the stages in the unfoldment of the Divine Plan, which continues to be propelled forward under the guidance of the Universal House of Justice. In this course we will learn the spiritual prerequisites for success of the Divine Plan, the teaching requirements, and the “double crusade” each Baha’i must conduct to “prepare . . . for the time when the Hand of Destiny will have directed them to assist in creating and in bringing into operation that World Order. . . .” As the Universal House of Justice wrote in its December 29, 2015, letter: This is an urgent call for action—“the urgency . . . impelled by the world’s desperate condition.”
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The Six Requisites of Spiritual Growth
Dec. 2, 2021 - Jan. 19, 2022
Bahá’u’lláh has stated quite clearly in His Writings the essential requisites for our spiritual growth, and these are stressed again and again by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá in His talks and Tablets. One can summarize them briefly in this way:
1 The recital each day of one of the Obligatory Prayers.
2 The regular reading of the Sacred Scriptures.
3 Prayerful meditation on the Teachings.
4 Striving every day to bring our behavior more into accordance with the high standards that are set forth in the Teachings.
5 Teaching the Cause of God
6 Selfless service in the work of the Cause and our trade or profession
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World Peace: The Baha'i Perspective
Dec. 9, 2021 - Jan. 19, 2022
World Peace has long been a dream, a vision, and a motivator to action for individuals, organizations of civil society, national governments, and international bodies. We will study and reflect upon the Universal House of Justice’s 18th January 2019 message to the Bahá'ís of the World, alongside The Promise of World Peace and a number of other important sources. The aim of the course is to help us to build our capacity to engage in public discourses and social action—in other words, our transformation as individuals and as members of communities and institutions.
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Baha'i Perspectives on Agriculture and Food
Jan. 13 - Mar. 2, 2022
Baha'u'llah described agriculture as "a vital and important matter" that was foremost among the principles "conducive to the advancement of mankind and to the reconstruction of the world” (Tablets of Baha'u'llah Revealed After the Kitab-i-Aqdas 90, 89). Yet current agricultural policy often prioritizes yield and profit over health, sustainability, and sociocultural features of rural communities, while the poor struggle to even feed themselves, and climate change makes farming increasingly unpredictable. The course will examine Baha'i teachings on agriculture, food, rural development; relate this to public discourse; and explore how agriculture can be incorporated in community-building.
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Finding the Hidden Gift: An Approach to Studying the Baha'i Writings
Jan. 20 - Mar. 9, 2022
Finding the Hidden Gift: An Approach to Studying the Baha'i Writings introduces learners to a systematic method of studying any Baha'i scripture by using a number of literary and exegetical tools. We will study selected passages from Baha'i scripture through four "windows" into the meaning of divine wisdom: Language; Theme; Structure; and the Work as a Whole. Through learning to read carefully, with attention to literal and figurative language, theme, structure, and the place of the work in the author's writings, we will develop tools for analyzing any Baha'i text systematically. The course will also examine quickly five other "windows" into the meaning of scripture: the oeuvre (body of works), the biography, the times, the literary tradition, and the world scriptural tradition.
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Baha'i Theology
Jan. 31 - May 20, 2022
This course on Baha'i theology (the study of God and creation and of the relationship between them) provides an in-depth study of many of the fundamental spiritual teachings of the Baha'i Faith. The units are organized around a series of questions we all ask from time to time, such as "How do I know what is true? Do I have free will? What is expected of me? Where do I go after death?" This course will be run as a community course alongside a graduate level course to be hosted by the Graduate Theological Union (GTU).
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Introduction to Baha'u'llah's Writings
Jan. 31 - May 20, 2022
In Introduction to Baha’u’llah’s Writings, we will undertake a systematic introduction to twenty of Baha’u’llah’s most important works, ranging from The Hidden Words to Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. We will study themes in the works, topics that Baha’u'llah progressively revealed during His ministry, and related tablets wherever possible. The course is designed for learners seeking basic information about the writings of Baha’u’llah, new Baha'is wishing more context for Baha’u’llah's most important works, and veteran Bahá’ís seeking deeper understanding of the ocean of Baha’u'llah's revelation. We will not read the twenty works in their entirety but, rather, will sample passages from the selection of important works revealed by Baha’u’llah. This course will be run as a community course alongside a graduate level course to be hosted by the Graduate Theological Union (GTU). It is a revision of the course Baha'u'llah's Revelation: A Systematic Survey.
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The Wilmette Institute eNewsletter | | |
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The Wilmette Institute eNewsletter is published monthly by the Wilmette Institute, which offers quality online courses on the Baha'i Faith. The Wilmette Institute is committed to engaging a broad and diverse international community of learners in deep study of the Faith and to fostering love for study of the Faith. The Wilmette Institute was established in January 1995 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States.
Information from the eNewsletter may be copied or reproduced, provided that the following credit is given: "Reprinted from the eNewsletter of the Wilmette Institute," followed by the issue's date. Recipients are encouraged to forward the eNewsletter to friends. If you have questions, please email us at learn@wilmetteinstitute.org.
Editor
Robert H. Stockman
Production
Robert H. Stockman
Niki Daniels
Betty J. Fisher
Mim Gottschalk
Deborah Lilly
Contributors
Leanne Eleff
Philippe Gerling
Douglas Gilbert
Jacque Jenkins
Christine Muller
Leslie Myers
Lynette Thomas
Martha Washington
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