 eing a new arrival to the
United Kingdom (from the United States), a couple of things have
struck me. Well, more than a couple, but let's start with two.
Firstly, it seems difficult to teach the Faith here if one
approaches the topic from a strictly "religious" point of view.
Reception seems improved, however, if people are introduced to the
Faith via its focus on acts of service. Secondly, even though the
U.K. is an industrialized region, there are still many social and
economic development problems to be addressed here. Hence, at least
in my mind, social and economic development becomes a very
important element of advancing the standing of the Cause in the UK
through service to the community. There are many ways of implementing social and
economic development projects in practice. A large, self-supporting
project is not necessarily required. Individual acts of charity can
be considered social and economic development. But, there is also
strength in numbers. Bahá'ís in any given area can
gather together, consult about their skills, and think about how
these skills can address needs facing the community. Certainly,
Bahá'ís can also work with other like-minded
organizations and, ideally, bring Bahá'í principles
of consultation and unity to the process.
We are also likely to have perspectives on
community problems that may be quite different. For example, one of
the biggest social problems in Britain seems to be teenage
pregnancy. As Bahá'ís, we would probably put this
problem in the larger context. In other words, what spiritual
dimensions are not being addressed that, if they were, would lead
to longer term and more sustainable social change? Communities
might ask, as guided by the Bahá'í Writings, "How can
we promote the advancement of women and help (both men and women)
to change attitudes about gender roles and responsibilities?"
Potential projects related to these ideas might be to sponsor
gender equity workshops, or to develop programs which work with
young girls in the community to cultivate their confidence and
self-esteem.* I call this particular approach "Beyond Birth
Control," and, in this case, it's a perspective that
Bahá'ís are well-placed to bring to the problem at
hand.
Teenage pregnancy is only one example though. This
"bigger picture" process of questioning can be applied to a variety
of social problems in the U.K. Regrettably, we live
in a culture (both regionally and globally) that
tends to focus solely on material solutions. But, we know that the
"missing link" is often the spiritual element. Thus,
Bahá'í projects of social and economic development
have the potential to be more successful and effective if their
design is based (one hopes) on the recognition of the spiritual
dimension of human nature. Such projects would also make (one
hopes) the ethical, emotional and intellectual development of the
individual a central priority, rather than treating these aspects
as peripheral to material and educational development, narrowly
defined. And, ultimately, this is what makes the
Bahá'í approach so different.
The Bahá'í International Community
emphasises the above points in their statement on sustainable
communities. They add, "Bahá'u'lláh's statement that
all people are born to carry forward an ever-advancing
civilisation implies that every person has both the right and
the responsibility to contribute to this historic and far-reaching,
collective enterprise whose goal is nothing less than the peace,
prosperity and unity of the entire human family."
Witney, Oxfordshire
Liverpool Conference 17/18 February
Forty one delegates, representing 31 communities
from around the UK, squeezed into the Bahá'í Centre
for another stimulating week-end of Bahá'í social and
economic development awareness raising.
Opening with a beautiful memorial service for
Hassan Sabri who had devoted so many years of his life to
encouraging the Bahá'ís to be engaged in acts of
humanitarian service the conference ended with many of the
participants returning home with renewed determination to do
this.
We studied the Writings, heard of the triumphs and
difficulties of four communities who have made a start, saw new
audio visual presentations of the SAT rural education programme and
the Tierra Santa Orphanage, talked, discussed and consulted.
We send our thanks and appreciation to the
Bahá'ís of Liverpool for their warm hospitality, the
delicious food they prepared and for all the help they gave us.
New Fundraising Video for the Tierra Santa Orphanage
This new professionally made 30 minute video of
the Orphanage is available to borrow to assist with any fundraising
activities. Please ask the secretary.
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