Posts Tagged ‘Religion and Politics’
Posted by Sen on June 1, 2018

My latest book is out, from Leiden University Press (click to order (please)).
The title is Principles for Progress. Essays on Religion and Modernity by `Abdu’l-Baha. It is 400 pages, most of them in bilingual Persian/English format. This is the third bilingual book in modern Iranian Studies that I have done, and the second for the Iranian Studies Series. The works in this volume are three of Abdu’l-Baha’s socio-political essays: The Secret of Divine Civilization, Selections from A Traveller´s Narrative and The Art of Governance. There is about 80 pages of introduction outlining the historical setting and the authors and actors that Baha’u’llah and Abdu’l-Baha knew. There are also translator’s notes on various textual issues, where a short footnote would not suffice, and an index.
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Posted in Bahai Writings, Church and State, Translations | Tagged: A Traveller's Narrative, Abdu'l-Baha, Bahai, Bahai Faith, Church and State, political theology, Religion and Politics, Sen McGlinn, The Art of Governance, The Secret of Divine Civilization, بهائی, بهائیت, سن مک گلین, عبدالبهاء | 5 Comments »
Posted by Sen on October 27, 2010
Towards the end of his life, Baha’u’llah wrote a number of works that included numbered lists of his teachings. Abdu’l-Baha also wrote several letters that include such numbered lists of essential teachings. Not surprisingly, Abdu’l-Baha sometimes adopted the same format when speaking to gatherings, however the records of these in English are often unreliable. One of these talks – one for which there are authenticated Persian notes (here), not just notes taken in English, caught my attention because it includes “the separation of religion and politics” as a key principle and also refers to this as “not entering into politics” — a formulation that will be more familiar to Bahais. An earlier report of this talk is published in Abdu’l-Baha in London (which incidentally shows that not all talks in that book cannot be authenticated). Naturally that report, based on an interpreter’s words, is more compact than the Persian version which I have translated. Its list of principles differs, Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Bahai Writings, Church and State, Political science, Theology | Tagged: Abdu'l-Baha, bahai theology, Church and State, political theology, Religion and Politics, Sen McGlinn, بهائی, بهائیت, سن مک گلین, عبدالبهاء | 56 Comments »
Posted by Sen on January 1, 2010

A Pilgrim’s note
On Planet Bahai (a very good Bahai discussion forum), I had been arguing that Baha’u’llah’s World Order and the Bahai Administrative Order are two different things, to which the moderator Dale replied,
There is a pilgrim’s note, I forget the origin of it, in which Shoghi Effendi one day asked where authority resides after Baha’u’llah’s ascension….
“‘Abdu’l-Baha,” replied the person to whom he was talking.
“And where,” he then asked, “does authority reside after the Master’s passing?”
“The Guardian,” the other person replied.
“No,” he said. “It resides with the World Order of Baha’u’llah.”
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Posted in Church and State | Tagged: Bahai Administrative Order, Bahai World Order, Church and State, Emeric Sala, new world order, Organic unity, pilgrim's notes, political theology, Religion and Politics, Sen McGlinn, Shoghi Effendi, بهائی, بهائیت, سن مک گلین, شوقی افندی | 2 Comments »
Posted by Sen on November 7, 2008
In many Christian churches, and in Sunni Islam in particular, prayers for the ruler or government are a routine part of collective worship. Bahais too are told to pray for their rulers. But we do not seem to be comfortable with it: how often is a prayer for the government part of a Baha’i meeting? Perhaps some background will help.
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Posted in Church and State, Community, Devotions | Tagged: Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'u'llah, Bahai, Church and State, Majlisi, prayer for government, Religion and Politics, Sen McGlinn, بهائی, بهائیت, سن مک گلین | 1 Comment »
Posted by Sen on September 26, 2008
Following a discussion of liberation theology on the Talisman list (talisman9@YahooGroups.com), one of the participants wondered whether “religions that discourage active political involvement” do in fact simply favour the powerful. Could it be that religions “that don’t preach open revolution” do more than might appear, by preaching compassion in an apolitical sense, so encouraging a sense of the oneness of humanity that gets at the root of the problem?
“Discouraging active political involvement” on the one hand and preaching “open revolution” on the other are two extremes. But there is a middle ground: the Bahai Teachings encourage political and social activism, where it is possible without partisanship. The Bahais are intended to be in the party of progress, the party for the betterment of human condition, and they share this stance with many people of all religions. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Church and State, Community | Tagged: Activism, Afghani, Akhunzadeh, Baha'u'llah, Bahai, Bahai civilization, Bahai Faith, bahai theology, civil society, elections, ever-advancing civilization, fascism, ideology, kemalism, liberation theology, Malkom Khan, Mirza Husayn Khan, modernity, Mustashir ad-Dowleh, Organic unity, political engagement, political theology, politics, postmodernity, reform, Religion and Politics, revolution, Sen McGlinn, values, virtues, بـهاءالله, بهائیت, سن مک گلین | 4 Comments »