Wilmette Institute

In this webinar, Sovaida Ma'ani Ewing will talk about the themes in her book The Alchemy of Peace: 6 Essential Shifts in Mindsets and Habits to Achieve World Peace available at Amazon.com Services LLC Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QZZZVYK Book Description: "Humanity stands at a critical crossroads. Social, political, religious, economic, and environmental systems are unraveling with bew...

“History is a powerful instrument. At its best, it provides a perspective on the past and casts a light on the future. It populates human consciousness with heroes, saints and martyrs whose example awakens in everyone touched by it capacities they had not imagined they possessed.” Century of Light (pages 65-83) This presentation highlights the teaching experiences of early African American Bahá’is...

Based on The Secret of Divine Civilization, his Treatise on Politics (Risalih-yi Siyasiyyih) and unpublished letters of ‛Abdu’l-Bahá written in Ottoman Turkish, this talk discusses the contributions of ‛Abdu’l-Bahá to the reform discourse in Iran and the Ottoman Empire. His discourse will be dealt within the framework of Bahá’u’lláh’s own claim as “World Reformer” which He expounds in various Writ...

Dr. Richard St. Barbe Baker OBE (1889-1982) was arguably the first global conservationist, blazing a trail for contemporary environmental leaders such as Jane Goodall. He began his mission to save the world’s forests in 1922, when he started the first international NGO, Men of the Trees, in Kenya. Baker was a visionary pioneer of concepts/practices such as sustainable development, agroforestry, ag...

There is a lot of printed material in the Faith on our collective efforts to teach American Indians. We can still use much of it in our efforts today. The importance of documenting our activities comes to light when we realize that what we have is only some of the story. More writing needs to be encouraged and reports of activities need to be filed. We will celebrate what has made it to print and...

“Restorative justice promotes values and principles that use inclusive, collaborative approaches for being in community. These approaches validate the experiences and needs of everyone within the community, particularly those who have been marginalized, oppressed, or harmed. These approaches allow us to act and respond in ways that are healing rather than alienating or coercive.” –Lorraine Stutzma...

In the annals of human history the twentieth century could well be remembered as the “death of God,” foreseen in the writings of a German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900), and manifested in world wars, totalitarian ideologies, concentration camps, and mass murder. At the center of cultural debates and political maneuverings of that century stood the Soviet Union – the unique atheist emp...

As the lead researcher for the Bahá’í component of FACT, Mike has helped collect Bahá’í data on trends related to: community worship, social service programs, community mission and identity, programs for youth, demographic information about the members, community leadership, conflict in the community, and finances. These questions were asked in surveys in 2000, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2015 and 2020. The...

In this series, we examine the underlying assumptions that brought us to this current global crisis. Together, we explore potential solutions to the vital issues that have gained new urgency at this time. We also discuss our roles and the actions we can take to address these critical challenges and build better systems for the future of humankind. ABOUT EBBF: ebbf, Ethical Business Building the Fu...

Why Bahá’í? In this live webinar series, we invite you to have a conversation with Rainn. What are your questions about the Bahá’í Faith? What is your hope for the world in these tumultuous times? How can we help make the planet a more livable and breathable place? Bring a friend and tune in live Special guests Nika, Nura, Nava and Vadi Esmailizadeh, and Luke Pereira, joined Rainn Wilson and Chitr...

In this 5-part webinar series, presenter Christine Muller addresses the following questions: *What are the major risks for humankind today? *What are the conclusions of the Global Risk Report 2020 by the World Economic Forum? *What do the Baha’i teachings say about potential future risks *What does this mean for us living in these critical times? Why does climate change matter? How does it affect...

080 EBBF Part 3 -Climate Change, Coronavirus, And One World; The Choice Is Clear by Wilmette Institute

Guest Panelists Matteen Kashef and Savannah Roemhild, students of sustainability and members of the Bahá’í Association at the University of Florida (Gainesville), and Farhang Darabi, an environmental engineer and founder of Darabi and Associates, join hosts Sue Blythe and Chitra Golestani. Inspired by the Wilmette Institute’s Climate Change course, Sue and Farhang have been facilitating climate co...

Why Bahá’í? In this live webinar series, we invite you to have a conversation with Rainn. What are your questions about the Bahá’í Faith? What is your hope for the world in these tumultuous times? How can we help make the planet a more livable and breathable place? Bring a friend and tune in live. This audience asks some tough questions! Like "How does being a Bahá’í affect your relationships with...

ansformative Leadership empowers young people to respond positively to the forces of disintegration, such as prejudice, racism, and bullying, that they face in their daily lives. It presents a framework for social action that promotes ethical principles motivated by the search for truth, attraction to beauty, and thirst for knowledge. In the first program of TL for Youth, dozens of young people ac...

Climate change is a complex issue, and it is often misinterpreted. The presentation provides a basic introduction to the causes of global warming and what we can do to bring the Earth’s climate system back into balance. Knowledge of the causes of climate change will also make us think more deeply about the meaning of justice, the “best beloved of all things”. The discussion will focus on the many...

Rainn Wilson is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, producer and a member of the Baha'i Faith. He is best known for his role as Dwight Schrute on the Emmy Award winning sitcom, The Office. What many people may not know is Rainn's love for the Baha'i Faith and humanitarian work. Let's have a conversation with Rainn. What are your questions about the Baha'i Faith? What is your hope for th...

While our experience with the coronavirus pandemic is extremely painful, it also provides us a rich opportunity to build a more peaceful and secure world. Together, we will explore a few of these opportunities. Presented by special guest Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the son of the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, Bahá'u'lláh. Before His passing, Bahá'u'lláh wrote a document telling the Bahá'ís to turn to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and that He would inspire His son with whatever He needed to know. Today we can’t meet ’Abdu’l-Bahá, but we can get to know more about Him through the words of those who did meet Him. These stories are about the interactions of the p...

Steven Zepeda, an MA student at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU), presented his research paper, “Disney, Brer Rabbit, and Me,” in the final seminar to an audience including his instructors (Drs. Gwendolyn Etter-Lewis and Chitra Golestani) as well as other Wilmette Institute faculty and learners from the community learning course “Anti-Black Racism in the U.S. and Building a Unified Society.” T...

This first symposium sponsored by the Wilmette Institute focuses on the early Bahá’í history of three states. Duane L Herrmann explores the beginnings of the Faith in Kansas, which had the second local Bahá’í community in the United States, in the town of Enterprise starting in 1897. While that community did not endure, members of it moved to other cities and remained active Bahá’ís. Behrad Majidi...

Theater as Tool for Moral Reasoning: How to intentionally create inclusive communities through the power of theater with a focus on capacity building and spiritual empowerment. With the objective to bridge the divide, to raise consciousness, and break down the roots of racism and bigotry we will discuss opportunities for using theater as tool for healing within a spiritual perspective. Exploring t...

Is there any hope for those who despair at the state of the world and the powerlessness of governments to find a way forward? Global Governance and the Emergence of Global Institutions for the 21st Century provides ambitious but reasonable proposals to give our globalized world the institutions of international governance necessary to address effectively the catastrophic risks facing humanity that...

Topic Mírzá Mihdí: The Purest Branch Description This presentation familiarizes participants with the short life of Mírzá Mihdí whose sacrifice was raised by Bahá’u’lláh to the same station as the great sacrifices of humanity's religious history. He was the youngest son of Bahá’u’lláh and Asíyih Khánum. Born in Tehran in 1848, Mírzá Mihdí was separated from his parents when they were exiled to Bag...

As COVID-19 sweeps the world, fear and panic are natural responses. The world was already in a mess, and now mass suffering is impacting everyone. For young people, their future already overshadowed by the climate catastrophe, hope may seem impossible. Yet this cloud does have a silver lining giving hope, which we can explore together. My recent book "In Pursuit of Hope", suggests ways to arm ours...