1. How a religion and beliefs respond to global issues such as human rightsFormal attempts to guarantee, for all human beings, decent treatment and protection from discrimination and abuses of power. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is based on belief in the 'dignity and worth of the human person'. The universality of human rights appeals very much to humanists., fairness, social justice and the environment?

2. What means are used to bring quality into the discussions posed by these issues?

3. What insights can religion bring to the discussion on these issues?

The Bahá'í teachings speak of the oneness of GodWord used to describe a personal transcendent Being, the oneness of religion, and the oneness of humankind. Bahá'u'lláh wrote explaining how religions relate to one another, and stressed that religious strife must be laid aside. His own Faith would be spread purely by peaceful means, heart to heart.

He gave many teachings conducive to the unity of humanity. He spoke of two stages of the unification of humanity, the "lesser peace", when countries would be reluctant to make war on, yet would still be wary of, each other, and the "most great peace", when the world is united. He mandated compulsory education, the equality of men and women, the amelioration of extremes of poverty and wealth, the harmony of religion and scienceScience is really a process, based on scientific method, hypothesis, observation, testing and prediction., the establishment of a universal auxiliary language, that work is worshipThe offering of praise and reverence to God via a religious service, the abolition of slavery, the establishment of a world tribunal and encouraged marriage.

It is forbidden for Bahá'ís to live a solitary monastic life. Bahá'ís must try to ground their spirituality in ordinary daily life. Therefore, performing useful work is considered a form of worship. Bahá'u'lláh encouraged Bahá'ís to "Be anxiously concerned" with the needs of society. The importance of serviceReferring to either an act of worship or working for a cause to humanity in one's spiritual life is emphasised in Bahá'u'lláh's writings, where he states that work done in the spirit of service to humanity enjoys a rank equal to that of prayer and worship in the sight of God.

Websites

http://info.bahai.org/ - Bahá'í Topics, an information resource including a brief introduction to the Bahá'í Faith, its teachings, history, and community activities, in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Persian, and Arabic.

http://library.bahai.org/ - the official Web site of the International Bahá'í Library in Haifa. The site contains information about the Library's catalogue and collections, policies and services.

http://news.bahai.org/ - the Bahá'í World News Service, reporting on news, activities, and developments around the world.

http://reference.bahai.org - the Bahá'í Reference Library, containing downloadable versions of all the authoritative texts of the Bahá'í Faith in English, Persian and Arabic.

http://statements.bahai.org/ - a collection of statements offering the Bahá'í perspective on contemporary issues and themes, submitted by the Bahá'í International Community to United Nations agencies and conferences.

http://terraces.bahai.org/ - the history and purpose of, and useful visitor information about the garden terraces at the Bahá'í World Centre in Haifa.

http://www.bahai.org/ - the official Web site of the Bahá'í International Community, offering information about the Bahá'í Faith and its worldwide community to the general public, as well as to journalists, academics, and researchers.

http://www.onecountry.org/ - One Country is the online newsletter of the Bahá'í International Community. The site contains numerous in-depth feature stories on the United Nations, noteworthy social and economic development projects, environmental efforts, and educational programmes.

Bibliography

‘Abdu'l-Bahá, 1972. Paris Talks: Addresses given by ‘Abdu'l-Bahá in Paris, 1911-1912. London: UK Bahá'í Publishing Trust

Esslemont, J.E., 2006. Baha'u'llah and the New Era. Wilmette, Illinois: Bahá'í Publishing.

Garst, H., 1996. From Mountain to Mountain: Stories about Bahá'u'lláh. Oxford: George Ronald.

Hatcher, W.S. & Douglas Martin, J., 1990. Bahá'í Faith: the Emerging Global Religion. s.l.: Bahá'í Publishing.

Matthews, G.L., 1999. The Challenge of Bahá'u'lláh. Oxford: George Ronald.

Momen, M., 2007. Bahá'u'lláh: a short biography. s.l.: Bookwise International.

Momen, M., 2008. The Bahá'í Faith: A Beginner's Guide. Oxford: Oneworld.

Randall, C., (ill.), 2008. The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh. Bristol: Intellect Books

Vickers, P., 1992. The Bahá'í Faith. Oxford: Oneworld.

A set of photocopiable R.E. worksheets on the "The Bahá'í Faith", and priced £5 per set, plus 66p postage available from www.warwickbahaibookshop.co.uk

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