For minority faith groups living in nineteenth-century Iran, religious conversion to Islam -- both voluntary and forced -- was the primary means of social integration and assimilation. However, why was it that some Persian Jews instead embraced the emergent Baha'i Faith, which was subject to harsher persecution that Judaism? Mehrdad Amanat explores the conversion experiences of Jewish families during this time, and... more...

Baron Rosen’s Babi/Baha’i archives presents private letters and diplomatic correspondence from the nineteenth century, preserved among the prominent Russian scholar Baron Victor Rosen’s materials in the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg branch. The materials cast light on the first studies of the Babi and Baha’i Faiths, new religious phenomena which, in Baron Rosen’s time, were emerging in Persia.... more...

Explores contemporary controversies in bioethics from a Hindu perspective.

Of the several works on the rise and development of the Babi movement, especially those dealing with the life and work of its founder, Sayyid Ali Muhammad Shirazi, few deal directly with the compelling and complex web of mysticism, theology and philosophy found in his earliest compositions. This book examines the Islamic roots of the Babi religion, (and by extension the later Baha’i faith which developed out of it), through the... more...

A well-known business consultant, coach, speaker and author, Lawrence Miller discloses the spiritual principles that have made his business such a success and which lie behind all successful modern organizations. In a bold step, he sets out his conviction that there is not necessarily any contradiction between pursuing material progress, whether in the form of a nation s economy or personal wealth, and the teachings of religion. In fact, he states, it... more...

In the mid 1800s, a Persian nobleman in exile claimed to be a new messenger of God. He called himself Baha'u'llah ("The Glory of God") and taught that all nations, races, and religions should come together to build a global civilization of peace and justice for all. Baha'u'llah's progressive teachings have inspired millions of people around the world. But his own family was torn apart by schism and authoritarian interpretations of the religion. Most... more...

The enigmatic relation between religion and science still presents a challenge to European societies and to ideas about what it means to be 'modern.' This book argues that secularism, rather than pushing back religious truth claims, in fact has been religiously productive itself. A historical analysis demonstrates that religious discourses have been reconfigured in the secular sciences, thus prolonging the relevance of religion in new constellations.

What happened to Adam and Eve after their expulsion from paradise? Where the biblical narrative fell silent apocryphal writings took up this intriguing question, notably including the Early Christian Latin text, the Life of Adam and Eve. This account describes the (failed) attempt of the couple to return to paradise by fasting whilst immersed in a river, and explores how they coped with new experiences such as childbirth and death. Brian Murdoch guides... more...

Growing out of the teachings of the Báb, who introduced the idea of the coming of a great prophet (the one promised in the scriptures of all the world's major religions), the Bahá'í Faith was founded by Bahá'u'lláh, when in 1866 he publicly declared that he was the One the Báb prophesized. The 2nd edition of the Historical Dictionary of the Bahá'í Faith presents a general historical overview of both Bábí and Bahá'í religions, as well as a... more...

This comprehensive and succinct encyclopedia traces the origins and development of the Bahá’í Faith from nineteenth-century Iran to the modern day, covering its central figures and major historical events.