April 2022
A monthly electronic Newsletter
News, Web Talks, live events,
upcoming courses
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Great Webinars
and Podcasts
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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Wilmette Institute Makes Four-Webinar Series Available about Tablets to Ottoman Prime Ministers
In the fall of 2020 the Wilmette Institute ran a course, “Baha'u'llah’s Summons to Two Ottoman Prime Ministers,” about the Suriy-i-Rais, the Lawh-i-Rais, and the Lawh-i-Fuad. These tablets were revealed about Ali Pasha and Fu’ad Pasha, two western-educated Ottoman officials who often alternated between being Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, and who were in power when Baha'u'llah was exiled to Istanbul, Edirne, and ‘Akka. In four webinars, Shahrokh Monjazeb, an independent scholar and translator who is a Baha'i, reviewed the history of revelation of the tablets, explained the context of Baha'u'llah’s exile, and commented on the texts paragraph by paragraph. As a commemoration of Naw-Ruz and the launching of the Nine Year Plan in Ridvan, the Wilmette Institute is now making these four webinars available to the public. To watch them, click on Baha’u’llah’s Summons to Two Ottoman Prime Ministers.
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The course Interfaith Dialogue and Collaboration helped Douglas Perry of Madison, Indiana, grow in acceptance, understanding, appreciation, and love for those following other spiritual paths. As a result, he is becoming an active participant of the two interfaith groups near him and plans to donate to the Center for Interfaith Cooperation near him.
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Niloufar was inspired by the course Fostering a Baha'i Identity in Families to start a children's devotional/playgroup for newborns through 5 year olds in her home town of Hobart, Tasmania, and hopes to start a Ruhi Book 1 next.
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Cindy Van Kley of Midwest City, Oklahoma, was inspired by the course The Four Valleys and the Hidden Words: An Arts Perspective to create art works inspired by quotations. During the Fast, she did one per day and created each one in 19 minutes. She posted each one to Facebook and got many positive comments. Click to see some examples.
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The course Economic Justice in a World of Injustices gave Carol Curtis, a Baha'i resident in Majuro, Marshall Islands, deeper understanding of how the teachings and laws of the Bahá’í Writings will eventually lead to an economic system that is much more just and equitable and led to reassurance that this process of establishing greater justice and equity is part of humanity’s present endeavors, even though it may be difficult to perceive.
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There is No They, Only Us!
Farah Farkhondeh Marasco from Surrey, British Columbia learned not to be fearful, but to look for solutions to global issues, as a reult of taking Building a New System of Global Governance. She was inspired by the course to offer a workshop called “Re-Imagining Community Building 2022 — There is no they, only us!” This workshop was presented via Zoom through the Surrey Interfaith Council.
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Learner Gains Confidence to Tell Stories that Promote Spiritual Conversations
The Seven Valleys and the Arts of Transformation gave Melissa Gibbs ideas about how to weave the arts into their local Nine Year Plan conference. She is also doing storytelling about Helen Goodall and using a story about Zoroastrians in India and a traditional Ukrainian folk tale to promote spiritual conversations and mirror spiritual themes.
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A New Course Assessment Process: Striving for Continuous Improvement
The Wilmette Institute has created a Course Assessment Team that meets monthly to review data about courses that have recently been completed and recommend ways to improve them. "Continuous improvement" is now a central concern in the Wilmette Institute's institutional culture.
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Dr. Necati Alkan, who teaches courses on Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá and their writings for the Wilmette Institute, has just published a new book, Non-Sunni Muslims in the Late Ottoman Empire: State and Missionary Perceptions of the Alawis. The academic publisher was I.B. Tauris/Bloomsbury. It is available here. Congratulations, Necati!
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Dr. Mikhail Sergeev, co-chair of the Wilmette Institute’s Department of Religion, Theology, and Philosophy, has just published Studies in Bahá'í Epistemology: Essays and Commentaries. The book is the third volume of the Global Faith Book Series that Dr. Sergeev is editing. It can be purchased from Amazon here. Three of the essays in the book were featured in a recent Wilmette Institute symposium about epistemology.
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Sovaida Maani Ewing, who teaches the course Building a New System of Global Governance, had prepared a video podcast in response to the war that’s going in Ukraine and the multiple crises it has engendered, not least of them being the specter of a Third World War which may well involve nuclear weapons. The podcast is part of her “Re-Imagining Our World” series. To watch it, click here.
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Tips for Sustainable Living | |
Enjoy Nature and Care for God's Creation
If you want to nurture nature, grow some herbs in a pot on your balcony, or plant a native flowering bush, a tree, or wildflowers in a small front yard. If you want to grow some of your own food in a city where the soil may be contaminated with lead, you may consider container gardening. . .
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STILL AVAILABLE
The Dispensation of Baha'u'llah
Mar. 31 - May 11, 2022
This course is a study of Shoghi Effendi’s 1934 letter “The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah,” focusing on it as a foundational document for fundamental verities of the Baha'i Faith, covering its place in Baha'i literature, and the subtleties of Shoghi Effendi’s clarification of the historical, theological, and doctrinal realities of Baha’u’llah, the Bab, ‘Abdu’l-Baha, and the Administrative Order. “The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah has been referred to as Shoghi Effendi’s own confession of faith… Without deep study of this basic document, no Baha'i can claim to be truly knowledgeable of his or her Faith” (David Hofman).
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Climate Change
Apr. 7 - June 1, 2022
This course provides a basic understanding of the causes and impacts of climate change, discusses its ethical challenges, and relates them to the spiritual teachings of the world’s religions, particularly those of the Baha’i Faith. It will help you consider changes in your lifestyle to bring greater coherence to your life and show you how to incorporate environmental and social responsibility in your community gatherings. It elevates public discourse above partisan politics by introducing spiritual responses to the climate crisis and demonstrates how the harmony of science and religion can be applied for the well-being of humankind.
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Exploring the New Testament
Apr. 14 - June 8, 2022
In Exploring the New Testament, we will study the New Testament’s major books in the light of progressive revelation and in their historical context. We will cover the Gospels; writings attributed to James, Jude, Paul, and Peter; the Book of Revelation; and specific themes in the New Testament. We will also briefly examine the vast Christian literature that did not become part of the approved “canon” now known as the New Testament. Our study of the New Testament is for the purposes of deepening and dialogue--that is, for understanding the basics of Christianity as a divinely revealed religion (and, by comparison, the Baha'i Faith) and for learning how to share the perspective of the Bahá’í Faith with a variety of Christians in an informed and respectful manner.
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The Economics of Community Building
May 5 - June 29, 2022
The Economics of Community Building is designed to prepare learners to take action in community-building and economic development. We will analyze the world's economic conditions through an in-depth study of the Bahá’í Writings and recent letters from Baha'i institutions, as well as secular sources, and plan strategies for implementing their guidance to develop economic activities with moral and spiritual foundations. Topics include the economic significance of justice, economic well-being and prosperity, the impact of oneness on economic life, village and community economics, and applying the learning from the course.
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Are We Ready for Marriage?
May. 12 - July 6, 2022
You are in a serious relationship and wondering whether you can be successful together in marriage. Come explore your shared vision of a possible unified future life together. Engage in a rich learning experience about: friendship, communication, spiritual unity, being of service, equality, family life with children, money and work, marriage as a divine institution and foundation for world unity, uniting a couples’ families, and parental consent to marriage. Thorough preparation for marriage helps couples establish a strong foundation.
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Tablets of Baha'u'llah Revealed After thr Kitab-i-Aqdas
May 19 - July 13, 2022
After revealing the Kitáb-i-Aqdas in 1873-74, Baha'u'llah penned a series of tablets that include the Lawh-i-Aqdas, the Book of the Covenant, and the Tablet of Carmel. The tablets revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas elaborate on Baha'u'llah’s laws, further explore the nature of the mystical life, describe basic theological teachings, and expound the principles necessary for transforming human society. The bulk of these weighty epistles were published in 1978 in Tablets of Baha'u'llah Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas. In this course we will read and study these tablets and discuss their relationship to other works by Baha'u'llah and `Abdu'l-Baha. All readings will be provided via the web; no books need to be purchased.
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Building Resilience: Meeting Tests and Difficulties
May. 19 - July 6, 2022
This course will help us to build our resilience to the everyday challenges of life, the tasks that appear to be monumental, the situations that really try our patience, the problems and difficulties that arise for many people. We will look at meeting such tests in light of the Bahá'í teachings, exploring the Bahá'í perspective on the nature and purpose of tests, the sources of tests, how to become resilient through preparing ourselves for difficulties, the spiritual qualities we develop through tests and how we can use them to meet the next challenges in our life, some of the specific challenges that arise at different stages of life, and how the lessons we are learning through the training institute process not only assist us to become resilient but also enable us to contribute to the society-building efforts of our localities.
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Shoghi Effendi: His Life and Ministry
May 26 - July 18, 2022
This course marks the centenary of the beginning of Shoghi Effendi's remarkable ministry. We will look briefly at Shoghi Effendi’s childhood and youth (1897–1921) and more extensively at his ministry as Guardian of the Baha'i Faith (1921-57). We will consider the many roles Shoghi Effendi filled (builder, interpreter, author, and translator) as he carried out his duties as Guardian in fostering the growth and development of the Baha'i Faith. He devoted much of his ministry to building the administrative order outlined by Baha’u’llah and elaborated by Abdu'l-Baha in His Will and Testament and to using it as an instrument for fostering the international spread of the Baha'i Faith called for by Abdu'l-Baha in the Tablets of the Divine Plan.
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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 Fisher
Mim Gottschalk
Debra Lilly
Contributors
Carol Curtis
Melissa Hobbs
Farrah Farkhondeh Marasco
Christine Muller
Niloufar
Douglas Perry
Cindy Van Kley
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