DOCSLIB.ORG

Baha'i Faith and the Construction of Social Reality

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Baha'i Faith and the Construction of Social Reality Baha’i Faith and the Construction of Social Reality: How do Baha’is Translate the Word of God into Practice? By: Shahla Mehrgani A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Sheffield Faculty of Arts and Humanities School of English/SIIBS December 2017 To My Fellow Stay-at-Home Bahá’í Scholars in Shiraz ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Education is a journey that is worth a lifetime traversing. Hard to believe that my journey has come to an end. This journey would have never been started without the sacrifices of the brave and noble souls of the Institute for Advanced Baha’i Studies under the circumstances called “Education under Fire”. I am beholden to my supportive, understanding, and loving husband; without whose sacrifices; I couldn’t even imagine starting this long journey. With great appreciation, I shall acknowledge my son, who has grown up watching me study and juggle with family and work. I want to offer my special gratitude to my beloved mother and my concerned and compassionate little brother who always encouraged and supported me with their emotional and material sources. I owe them for all my accomplishments. I have been blessed with educated, kind and wise friends who have rendered assistance to me during the entire period of my project, to whom I will be grateful forever. Without the Irfan Colloquium along with my generous sponsor, I would have never been able to even dream of such day, so I express my deep and sincere appreciation to them. I cannot even begin to thank my supervisors, Dr Katie Edward and Dr Matthias Benzer the way they both deserve. To you, enormous thanks are due for all your support during this beautiful period of my life. ABSTRACT In this thesis I focus attention on the Baha’i Process of community-building within its periodic context. Towards this aim, I answer the question of how Baha’is translate the word of God into practice to construct their social reality. This project takes a constructionist approach and applies Peter Berger’s conceptual framework to interpret Baha’i scriptures. This study also takes an ethnographic methodology that includes semi-structured interviews as well as observations to study the lived experience of the Bahá’ís in Sheffield. I demonstrate that the stability of the Bahá’í community-building efforts was maintained from 1934 up until 1996. Nonetheless, since 1996, radical shifts have happened in the Bahá’í community, regarding the aims and the means of the community building. In this research I have identified the shifting period of the community-building among the Bahá’ís as deconstruction. The study verifies the changes in community-building have been radical enough to change the nature of the community from an international, institutionalized community into various, similar, local communities spread all around the world. Accordingly, an institutional community aiming to establish a New World Order through the institutes of the Bahá’í Administrative Order is turning into an individual-centred community aiming for the betterment of the world through starting from the neighbourhoods. The study adds to Berger’s conceptual framework for the social construction of reality by introducing the notion of “deconstruction”. Through this research, I will also enrich the literature of the sociology of religion regarding studying Baha’is constructing their desired community based on their interpretations of their holy writings. Keywords: Constructionism, Bahá’í Faith, Community-building, Deconstruction Figures and tables Figure 5.1. ............................................................................................................................... 96 Table 10.1. ............................................................................................................................. 202 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………1 The Baha’i Administrative Order……………………………………………………………...9 Literature Review…………………………………………………………………………….23 Philosophical Foundations, Methodology, and Methods…………………………………….59 The Faith and World –Construction………………………………………………………….84 Externalization…………………………………………………………………………….....99 Objectivation………………………………………………………………………………..108 Internalization……………………………………………………………………………....130 Deconstruction ………………………………………………………………………..……146 The Fieldwork Findings…………………….…….………………………………….……..161 Discussion……………………………………………………..……………………………213 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………….234 Bibliography………….…………………………………………………………………….241 1. INTRODUCTION The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, whose supreme mission is, none other but, the achievement of this organic and spiritual unity of the whole body of nations, should, if we be faithful to its implications, be regarded as signalizing through its advent the coming of age of the entire human race. It should be viewed not merely as yet another spiritual revival in the ever-changing fortunes of mankind, not only as a further stage in a chain of progressive Revelations, nor even as the culmination of one of a series of recurrent prophetic cycles, but rather as marking the last and highest stage in the stupendous evolution of man’s collective life on this planet. The emergence of a world community, the consciousness of world citizenship, the founding of a world civilization and culture—all of which must synchronize with the initial stages in the unfoldment of the Golden Age of the Bahá’í Era—should, by their very nature, be regarded, as far as this planetary life is concerned, as the furthermost limits in the organization of human society, though man, as an individual, will, nay must indeed as a result of such a consummation, continue indefinitely to progress and develop (Effendi, 1991, p. 163). In this thesis, I study the Bahá’í1 community-building activities in Sheffield. I study the evolution of the Faith2 from the words in the scriptures into concrete social realities. Community-building is a part of the efforts of the Bahá’ís to establish a new society based on Baha'u'llah’s teachings. These teachings emphasise the oneness of humanity; independent, unfettered investigation of the truth; religion as the source of unity; harmony between science and religion; the equality of men and women; universal peace upheld by a world government guided by spiritual principles; universal compulsory education; and a universal auxiliary language (Esslemont, 1980). Community-building activities include attending the Feast as a part of the Bahá’ís contribution to the Bahá’í Administrative Order; voting for the members of the Local Spiritual Assembly; teaching the Faith; devotional sessions; study circles; children’s classes; and junior youth classes. Bahá’ís are a “sociologically interesting group” (McMullen, 2000, p. 2). Religious practice among the Bahá’ís is based on their perception of the scriptures (Bahá’u’lláh, 1862). There 1 http://www.bahai.org.uk/ 2 In this thesis, whenever I mean the Baha’i Faith, I write it in capital letters and when it means faith in general, it will appear according to its place in the sentence. 1 are numerous scriptures in the Bahá’í Faith, which have constantly been released since its revelation in 1844. Bahá’ís read their scriptures individually, share their perceptions together, and put their final understandings and interpretations into practice. Hence, the scriptures, as well as Bahá’í individual and collective interpretations, are crucial for understanding their activities and behaviours. Paul Lample (2009) writes: “collectively, we receive the gift of the Word of God, and through its application we are to raise the Kingdom of God on earth; that is, we are to gradually contribute to the building of a new social order that is shaped by the truths of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh” (Lample, 2009, p. 3). Bahá’ís construct their community in accordance with their evolving understandings of the Bahá’í scriptures, which has been an ongoing process (Effendi, 1936). According to the evolving nature of the Bahá’í Faith and the Bahá’ís’ community-building activities, this thesis builds on Peter Berger’s theory of the social reality of religion by applying his conceptual framework to community- building within the Bahá’í community of Sheffield, both through their sacred scriptures and their activities. Peter Berger (1967) theorised the role of religion in community-building activities by introducing the process of nomization, which he defines as the establishment of a sacred order for a religious community. He also outlined the three stages of the process of nomization: externalization, objectivation, and internalization (Berger, 1967, pp. 3-4). This thesis will demonstrate the different stages of the establishment of the Bahá’í community based on the Bahá’ís’ interpretations of their scriptures based on Berger’s conceptual framework (1967). Berger and Luckmann’s work (1966) is amongst the most highly regarded texts in the social constructivist tradition (Collin, 1997). Despite the significance of Berger’s research, there are few works in the field related to his theory, per se. On the contrary, Berger is mostly recognized for his notions of secularization and desecularization. By comparison, the number of works that draw upon his other notions is not considerable, neither theoretically nor 2 empirically. Berger (1967) suggests that religion is fundamental to world-building activities. “World-building” in sociological terminology means constructing a society. This definition is related to the social constructionist
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Sociology As Self-Transformation
    SOCIOLOGY AS BOURDIEU'SSELF-TRANSFORMATION CLASS THEORY The Appeal &The Limitations Academic of as the Revolutionary Work of Pierre Bourdieu DYLAN RILEY ierre Bourdieu was a universal intellectual whose work ranges from P highly abstract, quasi-philosophical explorations to survey research, and whose enormous contemporary influence is only comparable to that previously enjoyed by Sartre or Foucault. Born in 1930 in a small provincial town in southwestern France where his father was the local postman, he made his way to the pinnacle of the French academic establishment, the École Normale Supérieur ( ENS), receiving the agrégation in philosophy in 1955. Unlike many other normaliens of his generation, Bourdieu did not join the Communist Party, although his close collaborator Jean-Claude Passeron did form part of a heterodox communist cell organized by Michel Foucault, and Bourdieu was clearly influenced by Althusserian Marxism in this period.1 Following his agrégation, Bourdieu’s original plan was to produce a thesis under the direction of the eminent philosopher of science and historical epistemologist Georges Canguilhem. But his philosophical career was interrupted by the draf. The young scholar was sent to Algeria, evidently as 1 David Swartz, Culture and Power: The Sociology of Pierre Bourdieu (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997), 20. Catalyst SUMMER 2017 punishment for his anticolonial politics,2 where he performed military service for a year and subsequently decided to stay on as a lecturer in the Faculty of Letters at Algiers.3 Bourdieu’s Algerian experience was decisive for his later intellectual formation; here he turned away from epistemology and toward fieldwork, producing two masterful ethnographic studies: Sociologie de l’Algérie and Esquisse d’une théorie de la pratique.
    [Show full text]
  • Report Iran: the Situation of the Bahá'í Community
    Report Iran: The situation of the Bahá’í community Report Iran: The situation of the Bahá’í community LANDINFO – 12 AUGUST 2016 1 About Landinfo’s reports The Norwegian Country of Origin Information Centre, Landinfo, is an independent body within the Norwegian Immigration Authorities. Landinfo provides country of origin information to the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (Utlendingsdirektoratet – UDI), the Immigration Appeals Board (Utlendingsnemnda – UNE) and the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security. Reports produced by Landinfo are based on information from carefully selected sources. The information is researched and evaluated in accordance with common methodology for processing COI and Landinfo’s internal guidelines on source and information analysis. To ensure balanced reports, efforts are made to obtain information from a wide range of sources. Many of our reports draw on findings and interviews conducted on fact-finding missions. All sources used are referenced. Sources hesitant to provide information to be cited in a public report have retained anonymity. The reports do not provide exhaustive overviews of topics or themes, but cover aspects relevant for the processing of asylum and residency cases. Country of origin information presented in Landinfo’s reports does not contain policy recommendations nor does it reflect official Norwegian views. Translation provided by Cellule Relations internationales et européennes, Direction de l’immigration, Service Réfugiés, Luxembourg. © Landinfo 2017 The material in this report is covered by copyright law. Any reproduction or publication of this report or any extract thereof other than as permitted by current Norwegian copyright law requires the explicit written consent of Landinfo. For information on all of the reports published by Landinfo, please contact: Landinfo Country of Origin Information Centre Storgata 33A P.O.
    [Show full text]
  • A Journey Through the Seven Valleys1 of Bahá'u'lláh
    A Journey through t he Seven Valle ys A Journey through the Seven Valleys1 of Bahá’u’lláh by Ghasem Bayat Preamble n this brief journey through the Seven Va l l e y s2 of Bahá’u’lláh, we will partake of its spiritual bounties, focus on its principal message, tune our hearts to the teachings it enshrines, marvel at its masterful composition Iand form, and recognize some of the distinctive features of this book as compared with Islamic mystic writ- ings. This brief journey is at best an introduction to this Epistle, and is intended to encourage the readers to embark on an in-depth study of the Seven Valleys to receive the full measure of love and life it off e r s . The Historical Background This Epistle of Bahá’u’lláh was revealed during the Baghdad period, circa 1862 C .E. It was revealed in answer to questions raised by S ha yk h M u h y i ’ d - D í n ,3 the judge of K hániqayn, a town located in Iraqi Kurdistan, northeast of Baghdad, and near the Iranian border. The words of the beloved Guardian in describing the significance of this Epistle and its relation to other Writings of Bahá’u’lláh provides us with a perspective on this book: To these two outstanding contributions to the world’s religious literature [the Kitáb-i-ˆqán and the Hidden Words], occupying respectively, positions of unsurpassed preeminence among the doctrinal and ethical Writings of the Author of the Bahá’í Dispensation, was added, during that same period, a treatise that may well be regarded as His greatest mystical composition, designated as the “Seven Valleys,”
    [Show full text]
  • A Historical Coalition Between the Hands of the Cause and the Covenant-Breakers
    A Historical Coalition between the Hands of the Cause and the Covenant-Breakers Dear Friends, Baha’u’llah made it incumbent upon every believing Baha’i to prepare a will and testament (the most Holy Book, para 255) during his life time. And he followed his own command when he wrote a will and appointed an heir, so that his family and followers would not face any such difficulties after him. In the same way, Abdul-Baha considered it necessary to write a will during one’s life, having also written his own valuable Will and Testament, which includes his important edicts and recommendations. According to the most Holy Book, if a Baha’i dies and does not leave a will, all of his or her belongings and properties should be divided among the following seven groups: spouse, children, father, mother, brother(s), sister(s) and teacher. And according to the Kitab-i Aqdas, if any member of the above categories were deceased, his or her share will be inherited by the UHJ. Finally, according to that same Holy Book, all non-Baha’is, non-believers, Covenant-breakers, and those excommunicated from the Faith, are deprived from a Baha’i's estate. 1 Now, I would like to draw your attention to a very important event in the history of the Baha’i community. As you are well aware, the Beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, passed away in London in the summer of 1957. He journeyed to London in order to purchase necessary material to complete the archives buildings. There, he died having suffered from a previously-undiagnosed disease.
    [Show full text]
  • Durkheim's Sui Generis Reality and the Central Subject Matter of Social Science
    DURKHEIM’S SUI GENERIS REALITY AND THE CENTRAL SUBJECT MATTER OF SOCIAL SCIENCE Eric Malczewski ABSTRACT Purpose À The purpose of this chapter is twofold: one, to shed light on the nature of the central subject matter of social science; and, two, to demonstrate that E´mile Durkheim’s theory of collective representations identifies this subject matter. Design/methodology/approach À Durkheim’s methodological and theo- retical framework is assessed and compared with influential readings of it so as to show that Durkheim’s main theoretical contributions have been overlooked and to draw out insights of use to contemporary theory. Findings À Defining the nature of human social reality and the central subject matter of social science forms the core of Durkheim’s project. Durkheim saw the central subject matter of social science as a single order of reality. Social Theories of History and Histories of Social Theory Current Perspectives in Social Theory, Volume 31, 161À175 Copyright r 2013 by Emerald Group Publishing Limited All rights of reproduction in any form reserved ISSN: 0278-1204/doi:10.1108/S0278-1204(2013)0000031004 161 162 ERIC MALCZEWSKI Research limitations/implications À This argument draws attention to the methodological and theoretical coherence of Durkheim’s thought, thereby helping to resolve the debate over how to interpret the work of this central figure and contributing a view of use to contemporary theory. Originality/value À In rendering palpable the nature of the essential rea- lity that is the object of Durkheim’s work, the argument advanced in this chapter resolves what are interpreted as anomalies in Durkheim’s thought and draws out the implications for better understanding Durkheim and the order of reality that traditionally has been referred to as culture or society.
    [Show full text]
  • Revelation & Social Reality
    Revelation & Social Reality Learning to Translate What Is Written into Reality Paul Lample Palabra Publications Copyright © 2009 by Palabra Publications All rights reserved. Published March 2009. ISBN 978-1-890101-70-1 Palabra Publications 7369 Westport Place West Palm Beach, Florida 33413 U.S.A. 1-561-697-9823 1-561-697-9815 (fax) [email protected] www.palabrapublications.com Cover photograph: Ryan Lash O thou who longest for spiritual attributes, goodly deeds, and truthful and beneficial words! The outcome of these things is an upraised heaven, an outspread earth, rising suns, gleaming moons, scintillating stars, crystal fountains, flowing rivers, subtle atmospheres, sublime palaces, lofty trees, heavenly fruits, rich harvests, warbling birds, crimson leaves, and perfumed blossoms. Thus I say: “Have mercy, have mercy O my Lord, the All-Merciful, upon my blameworthy attributes, my wicked deeds, my unseemly acts, and my deceitful and injurious words!” For the outcome of these is realized in the contingent realm as hell and hellfire, and the infernal and fetid trees, as utter malevolence, loathsome things, sicknesses, misery, pollution, and war and destruction.1 —BAHÁ’U’LLÁH It is clear and evident, therefore, that the first bestowal of God is the Word, and its discoverer and recipient is the power of understanding. This Word is the foremost instructor in the school of existence and the revealer of Him Who is the Almighty. All that is seen is visible only through the light of its wisdom. All that is manifest is but a token
    [Show full text]
  • Solace of the Heart’
    Solace of the Heart Peter Mputle Revised Edition 2020 1 Dedicated to all those inquiring minds, for they are bound to tread a path of search and discover a hidden Treasure laid within a mystic cave of Eternity. 2 Contents Foreword 4 Section 1: Spirituality 1. Lifeless life 6 2. High Call 7 3. Secret of Ages 8 4. The Glory of God 9 5. Fearless Warrior 10 6. Crying Voice 11 7. Yearning 12 8. The Last Breath 12 9. Rest not in Peace 13 10. Synopsis 14 11. Arise 15 12. Chocolate of God 16 13. Chocolate Skin 16 14. Remarkable ‘One’ 17 15. A Thousand Years 18 16. Beware! 19 17. What...! 20 18. The Inseparable Two 21 19. Mortal Separation 21 20. The ‘WORD’ 22 21. Order 23 22. Embodiment of real Life 24 23. Bread of Heaven 25 24. The Sadratu’l Muntaha 26 25. Angel Gabriel 27 26. Triangular Love 28 27. Understanding 28 28. Divine Utterances 29 Section 2: Reflections on the ‘Seven Valleys’ 29. The Path of Search 30 30. The Valley of Love 31 31. Valley of Knowledge 32 32. Unity 33 33. Pure Contentment 34 34. Wonderment 35 35. True Poverty 36 Section 3: Temper 36. Lamentation of the Desolate 37 37. Forgotten Love 38 38. Diminishing Love 38 39. Drooping Heart 38 40. Layli 39 41. Lady Layli 40 42. Spurious Assumptions 41 43. Voices 41 References 42 3 Foreword The poems in this booklet were inspired by the Holy Writings of the Bahá’í Faith. The evidence of this is the type of language and words used which symbolises the Shakespearean era and the King James Version of Bible.
    [Show full text]
  • Quinney: the Social Reality of Crime
    Michigan Law Review Volume 69 Issue 5 1971 Quinney: The Social Reality of Crime Melvin M. Belli Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mlr Part of the Criminal Law Commons, and the Law and Politics Commons Recommended Citation Melvin M. Belli, Quinney: The Social Reality of Crime, 69 MICH. L. REV. 978 (1971). Available at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mlr/vol69/iss5/9 This Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Michigan Law Review at University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Michigan Law Review by an authorized editor of University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. RECENT BOOKS BOOK REVIEWS THE SocIAL REALITY OF CRIME. By Richard Quinney. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1970. Pp. vi, 339. $6.95. There is probably no more frightening word in our daily vocabu­ lary than "crime," especially if it appears in the phrase "crime in the streets." The very mention of the word strikes terror into the hearts of all "good" citizens and evokes endless rhetoric and political bell­ ringing from elected officials. But just what is "crime"? Certainly everyone is aware that the concept of criminality varies with the mores of society. For example, by 1500 English law still recognized only eight major capital offenses;1 by way of contrast, in 1819 it was estimated that the number of capital offenses was as high as 223.2 Of course, not all change in our notion of crime is either gradual or logical.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ministry of Shoghi Effendi
    The Ministry of Shoghi Effendi Will and Testament of `Abdu’l-Baha • He delineated the • `Abdu’l-Bahá revealed a authority of “twin Will and Testament in successor” institutions three parts, 1902 to 1910, • He further defined where He designated responsibilities of the Shoghi Effendi as His Hands of the Cause successor and elaborated on the election of the • `Abdu’l-Bahá almost Universal House of Justice never mentioned to anyone that Shoghi • We’ll look at some Effendi would succeed passages later Him; it was a well kept secret Shoghi Effendi Rabbani • Born March 1, 1897; eldest of 13 grandchildren of `Abdu’l-Bahá • Mother was `Abdu’l-Bahá’s oldest daughter (of 4) • `Abdu’l-Bahá insisted everyone address him with the term Effendi (Turkish for sir) • Education in home school in Akka (in the House of Abbud) first by a Persian man, then by an Italian governess Education • Then went to the College • He was devastated and des Freres in Haifa, a lost weight Jesuit private school • He very strongly disliked • Then went to a Jesuit the French high school, boarding school in Beirut though he learned fluent • Invited to go to America French there with `Abdu’l-Bahá, but he • Started his senior year at was turned back in Syrian Protestant College Naples on the claim his Preparatory School, Oct. eyes were diseased with 1912, when 15 years old trachoma • Graduated in early summer 1913 (age 16) Higher Education • Summer 1913: In Egypt • Bachelor of Arts degree with `Abdu’l-Bahá when he was 20 (the • Syrian Protestant graduating class had college, 1913-17 10!) • The college did relief • Graduate student at work and provided free SPC, fall 1917-summer medical care to Turkish 1918 soldiers, so it was • Sept.
    [Show full text]
  • Examples of the Bahá'í Faith's Outward Expressions
    Examples of the Bahá’í Faith’s Outward Expressions Photo taken in 1894 Carmel means “Vineyard of the Lord”. Mount Carmel, of which the prophet Daniel called “the glorious mountain”. (KJV-Daniel 11:45) The New English Bible translation is “the holy hill, the fairest of all hills”. Mount Carmel, the home of the prophet Elijah, who challenged 450 prophets of Baal to prove their religious claims. “Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table. (KJV, 3 Kings 18:19-29) He destroyed them, as well as the pervasive belief in Baalim, a false god. Caves where he lived in this Mountain are still revered. Mount Carmel, of which the Prophet Isaiah extolled “And it shall come to pass in the last days, [that] the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.” (KJV, Isaiah 2:2-3) And again, “…let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (KJV, Isaiah 11:3) And again, “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (KJV, 11:9) Mount Carmel, where Bahá’u’lláh (trans.
    [Show full text]
  • Marzieh Gail Dawn Over Mount Hira and Other Essays
    MARZIEH GAIL DAWN OVER MOUNT HIRA AND OTHER ESSAYS GR GEORGE RONALD OXFORD George Ronald 46 High Street, Kidlington, Oxford Introduction, selection and notes © George Ronald 1976 ISBN 0 85398 0632 Cased 0 85398 0640 Paper SET IN GREAT BRITAIN BY W & J MACKAY LIMITED AND PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. ii Contents FOREWORD vii I Paradise Brought Near Dawn Over Mount Hira 1 From Sa‘dí’s Garden of Roses 9 ‘Alí 12 From the Sayings of ‘Alí 14 II Take the Gentle Path There Was Wine 19 ‘For Love of Me …’ 29 Notes on Persian Love Poems 33 Current Mythology 43 III Headlines Tomorrow The Carmel Monks 49 Headlines Tomorrow 50 IV Bright Day of the Soul That Day in Tabríz 57 Bright Day of the Soul 62 The White Silk Dress 80 The Poet Laureate 91 Mírzá Abu’l-Faḍl in America 105 iii V Age of All Truth The Goal of a Liberated Mind 117 This Handful of Dust 121 The Rise of Women 128 Till Death Do Us Part 137 Atomic Mandate 145 VI The Divine Encounter Echoes of the Heroic Age 153 Millennium 165 Easter Sunday 170 Bahá’u’lláh’s Epistle to the Son of the Wolf 176 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in America 184 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Portrayals from East and West 194 VII Where’er You Walk In the High Sierras 219 Midnight Oil 222 Will and Testament 226 Where’er You Walk 232 NOTES AND REFERENCES 237 iv Foreword THE UNION OF EAST AND WEST has been and is the dream of many.
    [Show full text]
  • Religion Asserts That Its Central Concerns Are Discovering Truth and Implementing the Measures Called for by That Truth
    1 Truth: A Path for the Skeptic 2 Truth: A Path for the Skeptic Robert Vail Harris, Jr. First Edition (PDF Version) Copyright 2018 Robert Vail Harris, Jr. Website: truth4skeptic.org Email: [email protected] What is truth? Is there meaning in existence? What are life and death? These and similar questions are explored here. This work draws on techniques and examples from science and mathematics in a search for insights from ancient and modern sources. It is writ- ten especially for the skeptical scientist, the agnostic, and the athe- ist. It is informal but rigorous, and invites careful reflection. 3 Contents Page Questions 4 Answers 84 Actions 156 Notes and References 173 Truth: A Path for the Skeptic 4 Questions Overview The search for truth is a lifelong endeavor. From the time we open our eyes at birth until we close them at the hour of death, we are sorting and sifting, trying to determine what is true and what is not, what is reality and what is illusion, what is predictable and what is random. Our understanding of truth underpins our priorities and all our activities. Every thought we have, every step we take, every choice we make is based on our assessment of what is true. Knowing the truth enriches our lives, while false beliefs impover- ish and endanger us. The importance of truth can be illustrated by countless exam- ples. Contractual arrangements are accompanied by an assertion of truthfulness. Participants in a trial are required to tell the truth. Various implements have been used to try to ascertain truth, from the dunking and burning of accused witches to the use of lie detec- tors.
    [Show full text]