UK Bahá’í Curriculum

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SECTION NINE   ATTAINMENT TARGET TWO

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE BAHÁ’Í FAITH AND OTHER RELIGIONS

c) HISTORY AND KEY FIGURES

Compared with the other great divinely revealed religions of the world, the Bahá’í Faith has a relatively short history. However, what it lacks in longevity it certainly makes up in drama and dynamism. To move from an apparent offshoot of an obscure Shi’ih sect of Islam to the eighth largest and second most widely spread religious community on earth in a century and a half is extraordinary by anyone’s standards.

 

Its founder, a lifelong prisoner of the Ottoman Empire, sent letters to all the monarchs, political and religious leaders of the late 1860’s - early 1870’s, calling upon them to acknowledge God’s new revelation and foster peace and public welfare. Ignored and rejected by all but one, this same founder announced that all authority had been taken from them and predicted their several downfalls. One by one they fell under the assassin’s bullet or were swept aside by revolution and world war. All perished or lost their positions except for the one who had received the letter graciously - Queen Victoria - whose descendant, alone, still occupies her throne. Of such stirring material is Bahá’í history made.

 

For the Bahá’í community as a whole, and for Bahá’í children and youth in particular, their history performs a number of vital functions. It assists in developing a sense of Bahá’í identity, for this is a glorious past all Bahá’ís share. It provides inspiring tales of courage and long-suffering from the many heroes and heroines who helped to forge a new destiny for the world. It provides a touchstone for individual transformation in contemplating the sufferings of Bahá’u’lláh and the Holy Family. It demonstrates the unfailing and inexorable power of the divine hand in human affairs. It points to an even more glorious future, dreamed of by countless generations gone before.

 

A thorough knowledge and understanding of Bahá’í history and its key figures is an indispensable aspect of Bahá’í education and upbringing, but as part of a balanced course of study. There is a temptation to spend more time on it than other strands, because there is a lot of material available and it is relatively easy to teach. However, in the end, the most effective use for history is in relation to all other aspects of the Faith.

Programme of Study for History and Key Figures

  1. The nature and purpose of History from a Bahá’í viewpoint; the importance of keeping accurate records and archives
  2. Background and context of the Bahá’í Faith in 19th / 20th century
  3. Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kazim
  4. The Life and Ministry of the Báb, Letters of the Living, the Bábi Dispensation, etc.
  5. The Life and Ministry of Bahá’u’lláh, His exiles and apostles, the Bahá’í Dispensation, etc.
  6. The Life and Ministry of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, His journeys, His titles, the end of the Heroic Age, etc.
  7. The Life and Ministry of Shoghi Effendi, His achievements, the beginning of the Formative Age, etc.
  8. The life and ministry of the Custodians and the Hands of the Cause of God
  9. The ministry of the Universal House of Justice
  10. The World Congresses 1963, 1992
  11. Parallel events in Bahá’í and world history
  12. The history of the Bahá’í Faith in the U.K.
  13. Local Bahá’í history, including personal testimony of how people became Bahá’ís, etc.
  14. Erroneous histories of the Faith and how to deal with them

KEY STAGE APPROPRIACY

KS 0, KS 1: Here history and key figures might chiefly be approached through simple story and drama, pictures and songs of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

KS 2: Introduce more detail in the lives of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Introduce the Báb and Shoghi Effendi, along with Letters of the Living.

KS 3: Greater sophistication of approach, dealing in both broader sweeps and more detail of the four central figures. Introduce the heralds of the Báb and the stories of the Hands of the Cause.

KS 4: Enable students to discuss all aspects of Bahá’í history and key figures with confidence, to be confident in allowing the history of the Faith to mould their identity and inspire them, and to know how to enhance knowledge and inspiration of Bahá’í history in themselves and others.

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