) . "I THE BAHA'I FAITH SECTS AND CULTS IN AMERICA BIBLIOGRAPHICAL GUIDES (General Editor: J. Gordon Melton) (YOL. 6) GARLAND REFERENCE LIBRARY OF THE HUMANITIES (YOL.223) BIBLIOGRAPHIES ON SECTS AND CULTS THE BAHA'I FAITH IN AMERICA A Historical Bibliography (General Editor: J. Gordon Melton) 1. Magic, Witchcraft , and Paganism in America: A Bibliography by J. Gordon Melton Joel Bjorling 2. The Anti-Cult Movement in America: A Bibliography and Historical Survey by Anson D. Shupe, Jr., David G. Bromley, and Donna L. Oliver 3. The Old Catholic Sourcebook by Karl Pruter and J. Gordon Melton 4. Jehovah's Witnesses and Kindred Groups: A Historical Com­ pendium and Bibliography by Jerry Bergman 5. The Childre n of God/Family of Love: An Annotated Bibliography by W. Douglas Pritchett 6. The Baha'i Faith: A Historical Bibliography by Joel Bjorling GARLAND PUBLISHING, INC. • NEW YORK & LONDON 1985 © 1985 Joel Bjorling This book is dedicated, with love, to my par­ All rights reserved ents, and it is offered as a gift to all who have believed in, and stood for, peace, unity, and justice in the world. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Bjorling, Joel, 1952- The Baha'i faith. (Sects and cults in America. Bibliographical guides; vol. 6) (Garland reference library of the humanities; vol. 223) Includes index. 1. Baha'i Faith-Bibliography. I. Title. II. Series: Sects and cults in America. Bibliographical guides; v. 6. III. Garland reference library of the humanities; v.223. 27835.B2B53 1985 [BP365] 016.297'89 83-49294 ISBN 0-8240-8974-X Cover design by Larry Walczak Printed on acid-free, 250-year-life paper Manufactured in the United States of America CONTENTS Acknowledgments Xl Introduction to the Baha'i Faith A. Historical Sketch 3 B. Baha'i Beliefs and Teachings 15 C. The Baha'i Organization 27 The Bibliography: Its Scope and Construction 32 Chapter I: Baha'i Bibliography and Reference Works 36 Chapter II: Baha'i Holy Writings 37 Chapter III: Introductory and Expository Writings (Baha'i Authors) 55 Chapter IV: Baha'i Historical Writings 78 Chapter V: The Baha'i Faith and Society 91 A. The Baha'i Faith and Social Issues 95 B. The Baha'i Faith and Racial Issues 98 Chapter VI: Baha'i Way of Life 101 A. The Baha'i Organization 103 B. Baha'i Youth and Religious Education 104 C. Mimeographed Study Materials 106 D. The Baha'i Faith and the Arts 106 Chapter VII: The Baha'i Faith and Other Religions 109 vii viii Contents A. The Baha'i Faith and Comparative Religion 112 B. The Baha'i Faith and Islam 114 C. The Baha'i Faith and Christianity 118 D. The Baha'i Faith and Judaism 121 Chapter VIII: The Baha'i Faith and Modern Religion 123 PREFACE Chapter IX: The Baha'i Faith and American Religion 127 I first came in contact with the Baha'i Faith when I was a student Chapter X: The Baha'i Faith and the American Indians 129 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As I had become disenchanted with the "confusion of tongues" among so many contemporary religions, to discover a faith which emphasized the unity of religions was Chapter XI: Independent and Unaffiliated Baha'is 130 truly a breath of fresh air. In Tulsa, I attended Baha'i informal gatherings, or "firesides" and read and began to collect Baha'i Chapter XII: Baha'i Periodicals 161 books and literature. Thus began a friendship which extends Appendices: into the present. I have known and fellowshipped with Baha'is I. Baha'i Calendar 162 in Chicago, Evanston, Wilmette, and in central Illinois. Though I II. Baha'i Holy Days 163 am not a member of the Baha'i Faith, I have found it to contain ideals which are profound and relevant and which provide an Author Index 164 alternative to the struggles not only among modern religions, but among the peoples and nations of the world. In answer to the question,"which religion is right?", the Baha'is respond that all religions are a part of the ultimate Plan of God and the Cause of God is yet being revealed and is ever-expanding. Baha'is af­ firm that "the earth is one country and mankind its citizens"; thus, they aspire toward the establishment of a world com­ munity founded upon peace, justice, and equality. This book is primarily a bibliography which lists under vari­ ous topics the literature of the Baha'i Faith; however, it also includes a survey of Baha'i history and of its major theological teachings. For non-Baha'is, this should present a clear picture of the major thrust of the Faith. My conclusions regarding the rele­ vance of the Faith to the flow of spiritual understanding are my own. I have described the Faith as I have observed and perceived it, and it is not the purpose of this book to defend any of the factions which have arisen in the Baha'i movement. In these pages, my objective has been to sustain a sense of the genius which I believe exists in the Baha'i Faith. ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The content of this bibliography and historical study is the fruit of my personal study and exploration into the Baha'i Faith. It also reflects the assistance of Baha'is, mainstream and orthodox, who provided bibliographic sources and answered my many questions on the intricate details of Baha'i history. The National Baha'i Archives and the Baha'i Office of Public Affairs in Wilmette, Illinois provided numerous bibliographic and periodical sources, especially of rare and out-of-print works. The Baha'i Center of Peoria, Illinois, generously offered its vast library, archives, and assistance in locating materials. Francis Spataro, founder and president of the Charles Mason Remey Society of Jamaica, New York, answered many questions on the Orthodox Baha'i Faith, as did Dr. Galen Ewing, Orthodox Baha'i archivist of Las Vegas, New Mexico, and Franklin Schlat­ ter, of the Mother Baha'i Council of Roswell, New Mexico. I corresponded with Hermann Zimmer of West Germany, and Donald Harvey of Paris, who provided further information on the diverse expressions of the Baha'i Faith. Dr. Robert Balch, of the department of sociology of the Uni­ versity of Montana, Missoula, contributed a study on Dr. Leland Jensen and the Baha'is Under the Provision of the Covenant (BUPC). Dr. Balch has devised an extensive study and accumu­ lated numerous items of information on Jensen and the current progress of his movement. Rev. William Miller, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, former missionary to Persia, and author of several books on the Baha'i Faith, provided a listing of his collection of works on the Faith, as well as information on the history of the Faith, especially its early years. Finally, I want to thank Dr. J. Gordon Melton, director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion, for his editorial assistance and guidance. xi The Baha'i Faith Introduction to the Baha'i Faith A. HISTORICAL SKETCH Recent news reports around the world have announced the intense, bloody persecution in Iran of a religious sect known as the "Baha'is." People have been killed, disappeared, lost jobs, or their properties have been destroyed because they are Baha'is. Who are the Baha'is? What do they believe? What is their story? According to the Baha'i National Center, as of July, 1984, Baha'is reside in 100,000 localities throughout the world, including 7200 in the United States. The National Headquarters of the Baha'i Faith is in Wilmette, Illinois, near Chicago, and its world center is in Haifa, Israel. Haifa is the seat of the Universal House of Justice, the current ruling body of the Faith. Wilmette is the site of the nationally known Baha'i House of Worship. Its towering, elaborately-de­ signed, poignantly-striking edifice is visited by thousands of persons each year. A primary function of the Baha'i Faith is to "safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race•..and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men." (1) 'Abdu'l-Baha', the son of Baha'u'llah and the interpreter of the Faith, described a Baha'i as one who loves all the world. Being a Baha'i means "to love humanity and (to) try to serve it; to work for universal peace and universal brotherhood." (2) Rev. Albert Vail, a Unitarian minister and an early Baha'i teacher, wrote that the Baha'i Faith "is not so much a new religion as religion renewed." (3) The Baha'i Faith has spiritual and moral implications which are crucial for the modern world. They concern peace, justice, national and international unity. The historical groundwork of the Baha'i Faith was set in 1844 in Persia ( now Iran ) with the teaching and ministry of Mirza Ali Muhammed, or as he is known among Baha'is, the "Bab" ( pronounced "Bob"). The term "Bab" is significant and characterizes the object and intent of Ali Muhammed's ministry. It meant "the Gate," or the channel of communication, for the "Hidden Imam," the twelfth member of a succession of Islamic leaders since the death of Mohammed the Prophet. Donaldson writes that "the figure of the bab...goes back to one of the oldest and most important traditions of the Shi'ites." The Introduction to the Baha'i Faith Int roduction to the Baha'i Faith 5 Prophet Mohammed had declared that "I am the city of knowledge Mirza Ali Muhammed the Shaikhis were virtually and Ali ( a confidante of Mohammed and the first of the enunciating another period, when the expected Imams--emphasis mine ) is the gate thereof." (4) Ali Muhammed Imam should be visibly represented again, but this time claimed to be a living representative of this tradition.