A Compilaton on ScholarshipUniversal House of Justice
Religion
A Compilaton on Scholarship
Universal House of Justice
Bahai Faith
Unveiled and unconcealed, this Wronged One hath, at all times, proclaimed
before the face of all the peoples of the world that which will serve as
the key for unlocking the doors of sciences, of arts, of knowledge, of
well-being, of prosperity and wealth....
It is evident that the Bahá’í Writings illuminate all areas of human
endeavour and all academic disciplines. Those who have been privileged to
recognize the station of Bahá’u’lláh have the bounty of access to a
Revelation which casts light upon all aspects of thought and inquiry, and
are enjoined to use the understanding which they obtain from their
immersion in the Holy Writings to advance the interests of the Faith.
Those believers with the capacity and opportunity to do so have repeatedly
been encouraged in their pursuit of academic studies by which they are not
only equipped to render much needed services to the Faith, but are also
provided with the means to acquire a profound insight into the meaning and
the implications of the Bahá’í Teachings. They discover also that the
perceptions gained from a deeper understanding of the Revelation of
Bahá’u’lláh clarify the subjects of their academic inquiry.
It is useful to review a number of statements written by Shoghi Effendi on
this subject. To a believer who had completed advanced academic studies in
a subject related to the Teachings the Guardian stated, in a letter
written on his behalf:
It is hoped that all the Bahá’í students will follow the noble example you
have set before them and will, henceforth, be led to investigate and
analyse the principles of the Faith and to correlate them with the modern
aspects of philosophy and science. Every intelligent and thoughtful young
Bahá’í should always approach the Cause in this way, for therein lies the
very essence of the principle of independent investigation of truth.
When he was informed of the enrolment of a scientist in the Faith, the
response set out in the letter written on his behalf was:
We need very much the sound, sane, element of thinking which a
scientifically trained mind has to offer. When such intellectual powers
are linked to deep faith a tremendous teaching potential is created....
His secretary wrote, on another occasion, that:
Shoghi Effendi has for years urged the Bahá’ís (who asked his advice, and
in general also) to study history, economics, sociology, etc., in order to
be au courant with all the progressive movements and thoughts being put
forth today, and so that they could correlate these to the Bahá’í
teachings. What he wants the Bahá’ís to do is to study more, not to study
less. The more general knowledge, scientific and otherwise, they possess,
the better. Likewise he is constantly urging them to really study the
Bahá’í teachings more deeply.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account