October 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 may be available as a podcast on our SoundCloud channel.
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Some 165 webinars have now been edited in audio form and released for free download. We are also beginning to prepare transcripts for public use as well; one is now published on the webinar website.
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African American Learner Encouraged to Think Deeply About Race
Dennis believed that being African American made him an expert on the materials presented in the Anti-Black Racism course. But nothing could be further from the truth, and it’s that which brought him to his first revelation: just because you experience a thing, doesn’t mean you know a thing. And for all African Americans, having a sense of how we got here is paramount in knowing how to navigate the way going forward.
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Tips for Sustainable Living | |
What Are Microfibers and What Can We Do About Them?
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Washing clothing made from synthetic fibers releases huge quantities of microfibers into the wash water and ultimately into rivers, where fish ingest them (and we might then eat the fish). It is better to buy clothing from natural fibers or wash clothing made of synthetics less often and on gentler wash cycles.
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October and November Courses | |
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Zoroastrianism for Deepening and Dialogue
Oct. 6 - Nov. 23, 2022
Zoroastrianism, an ancient religious tradition founded by Zoroaster, or Zarathustra, some 500 to 1,000 years before Christ, is the focus of this course.
We will examine Zoroaster's life, what has survived of His words, His teachings, the subsequent developments of the Zoroastrian tradition, references to Zoroastrianism in the writings of Baha'u'llah and `Abdu'l-Baha, and the relationship of Zoroastrianism to later religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baha'i Faith). We will study Zoroaster and the divinely ordained religion He founded to deepen in the basics of Zoroastrianism and its relationship to the Baha'i Faith and to prepare for dialogue with adherents of Zoroastrianism.
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Economic Justice in a World of Injustices
Oct. 6 - Nov. 30, 2022
The topic of economics is vast and complex. It is commonly assumed that the economic health of a society is accurately represented by indices such as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and that the human experience is all but irrelevant. Many people are intimidated by economics and some view it as problematic to the forward progress of humanity and the planet. In this course, however, we will view economics and economic justice from a totally different perspective: through the lens of distributive justice. According to the Baha'i Writings, economic progress is perpetuated by justice. Issues of economic justice are fundamentally about the ethics and moral foundation of income distribution. Distributive justice is often considered not to belong to the scope of economics, but there is actually an important body of literature in economics that addresses normative issues in social and economic justice.
One text needs to be purchased for this course: Economics and the Baha'i Faith by Hooshmand Badee
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Releasing the Society-Building Powers of Youth
Oct. 8 - Nov. 19, 2022
Watch the video about the course
Releasing the Society-Building Powers of Youth: Cultivating An Ever-Advancing Civilization seminar is the next course dedicated to empowering youth, 11-17 years, in the three areas of community building: social action, societal discourse, and expansion and consolidation. Youth who have completed Transformative Leadership for Youth are invited to continue on their path of personal and collective transformation as we apply the 6 elements and 18 capabilities of the Transformative Leadership conceptual framework in our personal, interpersonal and social relationships. Youth who are new to Transformative Leadership and who have not yet taken Transformative Leadership for Youth will have a brief introduction to the elements and capabilities of this new model of leadership that fosters unity and justice for the betterment of the community.
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Creating Marriage Well-Being from the Beginning
Oct. 13 - Dec. 14, 2022
It’s fun and challenging to start and establish a marriage on a firm foundation. We invite couples in the first five years of marriage to strengthen their experience of the divine institution of marriage. Baha’u’llah refers to marriage as a “fortress for well-being and salvation.” Couples will have opportunities to deepen their friendship, expand communication and consultation skills, enhance spiritual and physical well-being, and establish roles and responsibilities as marriage partners.
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Fostering a Baha'i Identity in Families
Oct. 13 - Dec. 7, 2022
How can we help children place love for Baha’u’llah and the desire to be of service to others as the foundation of their lives? This course enables parents to explore how they can foster a child’s connection to the Baha'i Faith through developing spiritually uplifting routines at home, engaging in service within the home as well as in their communities, and aligning family activities with the current goals of their communities. Participants will be given positive parenting tools inspired by the Baha'i Writings as well as hands-on strategies for implementing spiritual practices at home.
Materials are suited for those with children 14 years old and under.
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Anti-Black Racism in the U.S. and Building a Unified Society
Oct. 13 - Dec. 14, 2022
This course will examine anti-Black racism and racial prejudice in North American society in some of its most serious manifestations, explore the content and significance of relevant Bahá'í authoritative texts, and consider how Baha'is can initiate meaningful conversations and public discourse in a variety of contexts. It will begin with an exploration of definitions of race, racism, and prejudice. It will then turn to such subjects as understanding colonialism and slavery; the prison/industrial complex; Black Lives Matter and policing issues; white privilege and bias/stereotyping; housing and education segregation; violence against black women; Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement; and "one human family"—the experience of the Baha'i community.
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Building a New System of Global Governance
Oct. 20 - Dec. 7, 2022
As humanity passes through stages of collective growth and moves toward integration and unity, it finds itself caught in the thick of many painful and seemingly intractable challenges that mark a turbulent adolescence--crises such as the Covid-19 global pandemic, climate change, economic recession, proliferation of nuclear weapons, gross human-rights atrocities, and mismanagement of critical natural resources. In Building a New System of Global Governance, we will examine how we can solve these and similar problems using ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s advice offered a century ago about establishing collective decision-making and implementing institutions that can and should evolve into a world federation of nation-states. We will also explore the linkages between the creation of a new system of global governance and Baha'u'llah's promised Lesser Peace relying on recent guidance from the Universal House of Justice that illuminates this subject.
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Exploring the Book of Revelation
Oct. 20 - Dec. 7, 2022
The Book of Revelation (the Apocalypse) holds a unique position as the only prophetic book in the Christian New Testament. The prophetic vision opens with a statement of its authority, a vision to John of Patmos from God transmitted by means of Jesus Christ and an angel. Its rich symbolism has been the object of study by Christians, both scholarly and popular, giving rise to many views of the future and the end times. Its language and symbolism owe much to the prophets of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and likewise shares motifs with later revelation in the Holy Qur’an and the Baha'i writings. In Exploring the Book of Revelation we will explore the contents of this fascinating sacred vision in the context of progressive revelation, highlighting its links to both former and later sacred texts.
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Empower Your Marriage and Family to Thrive
Nov. 3 - Dec. 14, 2022
Do you want the best for your marriage and family, but it’s hard to juggle everything? This course will help you understand and organize your roles and responsibilities, establish your marriage and family unit as a secure foundation for the well-being of all in the family, nurture family spiritual habits and virtues, and have positive family unity through spiritual practices and service together. You will study spiritual principles from the Bahá’í teachings that apply, learn helpful information from science, and carry out practical application of your learning.
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Praying Together: The Devotional Gathering
Nov. 10 - Dec. 21, 2022
Praying together is a natural part of human life and has deep roots in the world’s religious traditions. This course explores, from a Baha'i perspective, how people from any background gathering together to worship God can enhance the devotional character of a neighborhood, evoke the spirit of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar, and enable individuals to ‘experience the sweetness of prayer, meditate upon the Creative Word, be transported on the wings of the spirit, and commune with the one Beloved’, as well as generating ‘feelings of fellowship and common cause’, and fostering ‘spiritually heightened conversations that naturally occur at such times and through which the “city of the human heart” may be opened’. The course also helps us learn how to invite our friends to attend a devotional gathering and, in due time, to accompany them as they host their own.
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Chinese Religions for Deepening and Dialogue
Nov. 10 - Dec. 28, 2022
In this course we will cover the rise and development of the Taoist and Confucian traditions; explore their ideas, values, and practices; consider the ways in which they are being modified and applied in the modern world; and examine their similarities to and differences from the Bahá’í teachings. By studying Chinese thought and values, Bahá’ís will obtain a greater appreciation of the Bahá’í Faith and acquire experience in sharing the perspective of their own faith with Chinese people in an informed and respectful manner.
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Writing Histories and Biographies
Nov. 17, 2022 - Jan. 4, 2023
Writing Biographies and Histories: Recording Stories of People and Places is designed to help Bahá’ís who wish to compose a memoir about their own lives, produce a biography of a Bahá’í mentor, or write the history of their local Bahá’í community. Units in the first half of the course will cover such topics as selecting a topic and settling on an audience; the philosophy and ethics of writing biographies and history; collecting oral history; research in archives and libraries and on the web; organizing notes and outlining the topic.
In the second half of the course, participants will pursue a research and writing project with support and and advice from the faculty. The Wilmette Institute may be interested in publishing some short histories, biographies, and memoirs on its public website.
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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
Debra Lilly
Contributors
Christine Muller
Dennis Stafford
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