May 25, 2005

"Comprehensive Introduction" to the Faith Begins June 1

The Wilmette Institute is again offering its course The Bahá'í Faith: A Comprehensive Introduction. A part of the Institute's "Basics" series, the course is offered every two years. It has proved popular to a mix of inquirers, new believers, and veteran believers desiring to study the Faith more deeply. The course follows the organization of Hatcher and Martin's The Bahá'í Faith: The

Emerging Global Religion. After an introductory unit, the course turns to the lives and missions of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh, followed by a unit about `Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi. Unit four covers the Bahá'í teachings and includes study of the Hidden Words. Unit five considers Bahá'í organization and community and includes reading and discussion of the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá. After a unit that surveys current developments in the Bahá'í community, the last study unit surveys encyclopedia articles about the Faith, noting their emphases and in a few cases their errors.

It is impossible to cover the Faith adequately in three months, or even in a year; the amount one should read is immense. But a three-month survey that covers the basics is of great use to secure a foundation and map out the areas where one should read more. Even persons who have been Bahá'ís twenty years can benefit from such a course. And if one joins a local study group, the course can be an immense amount of fun as well!

Like all Wilmette Institute courses, the course costs $150 for an individual and $300 for a local study group. Students will have to purchase of borrow a copy of Hatcher and Martin, but the other readings will be available on-line.

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May 17, 2005

New Course on "One Common Faith" Begins July 1

The Wilmette Institute is pleased to announce that it will offer a course on the new document commissioned by the Universal House of Justice, One Common Faith, starting July 1. One Common Faith looks at the nature and consequences of the dominance of materialism in the modern world; the positive and negative impacts of global

integration; the failure of the world’s past religious systems to deal with the crisis of modernity and the Bahá'í principles that make the Bahá'í approach effective; the impact of progressive revelation on understanding the religious systems and their efforts to civilize humanity; the power of unity in reforming civilization and the nature of the evil that opposes it; and the efforts the Bahá'í community must make to become an effective change agent and lead the world to one common faith. The Universal House of Justice commends it to the "thoughtful study of the friends" in its preface.

The e-learning course will be conducted over the Web and Internet and will cost $150 for individuals and $300 for groups. The Institute is creating study materials and will pull together background documents to provide related information and guidance. Information is available on our website. Go to "calendar" then click on the course name.

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Bahá'í Administrative Order Course Postponed Until September

The Wilmette Institute's course on The Bahá'í Administrative Order: “This Unique and Wondrous System,” scheduled to begin May 15, has been postponed until September 5. "The course covers the annual education theme of the National Spiritual Assembly," explained Robert Stockman, the Institute's Director. "The course is very important because it was noticed that some American Bahá'ís lack a basic grasp of the origin and nature of the Bahá'í administrative system, let alone its history and development. But marketing got started late not enough students registered before the deadline."

By postponing the course three and a half months, the Institute creates time to publicize it at the summer schools, which will be teaching classes on the theme, and by other means.

The title of the course is also being changed slightly, to This Unique and Wondrous System: Understanding the Role of the Institutions in Building Momentum. It will examine the unique nature of the Bahá'í administrative order, its two arms, their complementary and collaborative nature, and their relationship to the individual believers. Background information about the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá and the Guardianship will also be provided to trace the administrative order’s roots. There will also be an emphasis on how the institutions work and interact with each other. The course is a perfect opportunity to acquire basic knowledge about the Bahá'í system of organization, information relevant to its functioning in your local community and essential to continuing to build momentum for the process of entry by troops.

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May 4, 2005

Spiritual Foundations Home Study Postponed

In spite of last month's surge of interest in the Spiritual Foundations for a Global Civilization Program, registrations currently stand at four. It is very likely that we will acquire two or three more students--we need at least six to run the 2005 sessions--but we don't have them all yet, so we are postponing the start of the home study from May 1 to June 1. Additional publicity about the program is also being sent to local spiritual assemblies across the United States and to Baha'is in the greater Chicago area. No doubt the growing commitment to the institute process across the country is causing fewer people to make plans to come to Wilmette this summer. But the Wilmette Institute will persevere with the Spiritual Foundations program in anticipation of its future expansion.

If you are interested in taking the Spiritual Foundations program, this is an excellent year to start! The theme of individual development and the creation of strong Baha'i marriages and families is very interesting to most people as well as extremely important for the Faith's continued development. The faculty for the program are top notch, and the environment of study is supportive and inspiring. A link to the registration page is found on the top of this page. If you need further information, call us at 877-wilmette or email us at info@wilmetteinstitute.org.

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