The Bahá'í Perspective
(Titles are listed in descending order, most recent first)
UNIVERSAL EDUCATION
November 20 is Universal Children's Day, one of many days established by the United Nations to help draw the attention of the world's peoples to vital issues. In Canada, November 20 is National Child's Day, which in 2009 marks the passage of fifty years since adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of the Child and twenty years since adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Every child has a right to education. The Bahá’í Writings stress the importance of material, human, and spiritual education as a means of propelling humanity toward a bright future. Read about the realization of universal education from a Bahá’í perspective.
The Bahá’í International Community statements "The Right to Education" and "The Greatness Which Might Be Theirs: Educating Girls—An Investment in the Future" help to further the understanding of the significance of education to the progress of humanity, from a Bahá’í perspective.
THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, so designated by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1999. November 25 also marks the start of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence during which, on December 6, Canada's National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women is commemorated.
Every human being has a right to life without being subjected to violent behaviour. Bahá'u'lláh, Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, proclaimed the oneness of mankind, teaching that there is no distinction between man and woman in the sight of God. There is no place for the dominance of one over the other. Bahá'u'lláh's son, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, said, "The world in the past has been ruled by force, and man has dominated over woman by reason of his more forceful and aggressive qualities of both body and mind. But the balance is already shifting..."
The Bahá’í International Community statements "Ending Violence Against Women" and "Beyond Legal Reforms: Culture and Capacity in the Eradicaton of Violence Against Women and Girls" identify the key role that education plays in the transformation to a violence-free society, from a Bahá’í perspective.
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
December 5 is International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development, as established by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1985. Observation of this day is aimed at heightening the awareness of the significant contribution volunteers make to improving the human condition, inspiring others to arise and serve in a volunteer capacity, selflessly and often sacrificially, at home and further afield.
Bahá’ís around the world are involved in development activities, heeding these words of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of their Faith: "All men have been called into being for the betterment of the world. It behoveth every soul to arise and serve his brethren for the sake of God." As such, spirituality is seen to be an essential ingredient in development work. Read about social and economic development from a Bahá’í perspective.
Weighty related documents still of merit today include
- the Bahá’í International Community concept paper entitled "Valuing Spirituality in Development" dating from 1998 that starts with an outline of a Bahá’í perspective on development and considers, as stated in the abstract, five spiritual principles crucial to development
- a statement by the Bahá’í International Community's Office of Public Information entitled "The Prosperity of Humankind" that was released in 1995
HUMAN RIGHTS
December 10 is Human Rights Day, in recognition of the adoption (without dissent) and proclamation on this day in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly. Human Rights Day 2009 starts a year in which “embracing diversity, ending discrimination” is the call for action, in keeping with Article 1 of the Declaration: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”
This is very familiar ground to Bahá’ís the world over. Consider that—at a talk given almost one hundred years ago in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—one of the teachings of the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith was summarized by His son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, as follows: “Bahá'u'lláh taught that an equal standard of human rights must be recognized and adopted. In the estimation of God all men are equal; there is no distinction or preferment for any soul in the dominion of His justice and equity.”
That a world religion in this day would not concern itself with human rights is preposterous. The Bahá’í Writings are rich in material on the subject. Read about human rights from a Bahá’í point of view, and explore the many related documents such as A Bahá’í Declaration of Human Rights and Obligations and The Human Rights Discourse: A Bahá’í Perspective.
The Bahá’í International Community statement “60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights” indicates the optimism felt by Bahá’ís that, despite the crises assailing humanity on all sides, “the maturing consciousness of a global community, the development of mechanisms for implementation and monitoring of human rights and the rise of a vibrant civil society in support of these rights, holds promise that a global order capable of upholding the dignity and nobility of the individual will be realized.”
UNITY IN DIVERSITY
December 20 is International Human Solidarity Day, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005 as one of five special initiatives in the fight against poverty. The commemoration of this Day in 2009 falls at the end of the second year in the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, a year in which it is estimated that the ranks of the impoverished have swelled by upwards of 100 million people. This makes it an even more important time to celebrate unity in diversity.
Two of the basic teachings of Bahá’u'lláh, Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, are unity in diversity and economic justice. From a Bahá’í perspective, these and other principles promoted by the Faith are essential to the realization of the goal of the unification of the human race. Read about unity in diversity as practised in the global Bahá’í community and know that local Bahá’í communities, including the one in Comox, uphold this teaching.
The Bahá’í International Community statement "A New Framework for Global Prosperity" and paper "Religious Values and the Measurement of Poverty and Prosperity" point out the significance of incorporating principles such as unity in diversity and the abolishment of the extremes of wealth and poverty to building a peaceful, global society.
WORLD PEACE
Dr. Ervin Laszlo, founder and president of the Club of Budapest, which is, in his own words, "dedicated to the proposition that only by changing ourselves we can change the world—and that to change ourselves we need the kind of insight and perception that art, literature, and the domains of the spirit can best provide," has stated that "The Bahá’í call for peace comes at a crucial moment in the history of humanity. Peace in the contemporary world is no longer an option but a necessity. All leaders and peoples of the world must come to realize this fact, and achieve the maturity which the Bahá’í Faith foresees for the coming of age of humanity."
From a Bahá’í perspective, peace is considered an inevitability not just a possibility in the coming of age of humanity. The Universal House of Justice, the international governing council of the Bahá’í Faith and its adherents, issued a statement in commemoration of the United Nations International Year of Peace in 1985 entitled "The Promise of World Peace" addressed to the peoples of the world. As explained by Dr. Peter Kahn, a member of the Universal House of Justice, the statement covers timely topics such as
- The paralyzing contradiction between the desire to bring about world peace and the concept of human nature as being intrinsically sinful, prone to aggression and conflict.
- The stages through which mankind has passed in its evolution towards world unity.
- The true role of religion as a civilizing force through the fostering of both spiritual and material development.
- The failure of materialistic ideologies and the associated decline of religion into fanaticism and a spirit of exclusivity.
- The changes in attitude which religion must today effect as its contribution to peace: the eradication of racism, unbridled nationalism, and religious strife; the promotion of the emancipation of women, universal education, and a universal auxiliary language.
- An outline of the practical steps to be taken to hasten the crowning human achievement of the unification of all the peoples of the world into one great universal family.