Bøker utgitt av George Ronald Publisher

Taking stock of the traditions of modern European thought, Udo Scaefer discusses some of the vital issues affecting society today and proposes solutions drawn from the teachings of the Baha'i Faith.

Who were the German Templers living in Haifa during the 19th century, and what inspired them to leave their German homeland to build a community in Palestine? Who were the Bahá'ís living in Palestine during the 19th century, and why had they been banished to the prison city of Acca? And what connection could there possibly be between two such diverse groups from such different cultures, one from the East and the other from the West?In October 1868 two families arrived by steamer at the port of Haifa, in Palestine. They had abandoned all they had ever known in their German homeland in order to settle in the Holy Land, and as time went by they were joined by other families, establishing roots at the foot of Mount Carmel. Calling themselves the Temple Society, they had one aim - to gather the Children of God in Jerusalem in preparation for the Second Coming of Christ. Who were they, what did they believe, where did their beliefs come from, and what connection, if any, did they have with the group of Bahá'í prisoners who had arrived in Palestine just before them? The German Templers emerged in Germany during the mid-19th century, their history a legacy of preceding centuries during which various Christian groups bravely undertook to establish the perfect Christian religion in preparation for Christ's promised return. To find out what influenced and inspired them the reader is taken on a brief journey through the often extraordinary and colourful lives of some of the prominent figures who undoubtedly influenced Templer philosophy. Two months before the Templers finally achieved their dream and landed in Haifa, a group of exiles had arrived at the prison city of Acca, just a few miles north across the bay. Prisoners of the Ottoman Empire, their arrival in Palestine marked their final destination following fifteen years of successive banishments from Persia. Their leader was Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. The spiritual significance of the encounters between the Templers and the Bahá'ís becomes clear as the history in Seeking a State of Heaven unfolds.

Women of the Middle East in the 19th century are generally absent from the pages of history. Even their names are not recorded. They have no voice. They are invisible.The women closest to the twin Manifestations, the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh, are especially enigmatic.What were they like as children? What was it like to live in the family of the Manifestation of God? What did they think about the new Revelations from God? How did they respond to the suffering and persecution that came upon them? So little is known.Baharieh Ma'ani decided to rectify this. Her task was formidable. There is little published about these women and documents are rare.Over two and half decades she worked to gather all the known information about the women whose lives were intertwined with those of the Manifestations of God for this age ¿ mothers, wives, sisters, daughters. Looking beyond published sources, she was given permission by the Universal House of Justice to consult original documents in the Bahá'í International Archives and to make provisional translations of more than 50 Tablets, letters, memoirs and papers not previously published in English, many never before published in any language.The result is an engaging and readable book that provides a unique and intriguing insight into the lives and circumstances of the women who played such important yet unseen roles in shaping the early history of the Bábí and Bahá'í religions. Mrs Ma'ani has made the invisible visible.

'. . . the whole Bahá'í world may now know what we who have worked with you have long known - all the strength and knowledge, the devotion, the undeviating justice, the broad vision and the gentle, personal understanding. Everyone whose life touches yours will retain some of these qualities which you mirror forth so constantly in your service.' Dr. Mildred Nichols, letter to Leroy Ioas, 1951.Few twentieth-century lives have been so closely associated with the major events of the formative age of the Bahá'í Faith as the life of Leroy Ioas. From meeting 'Abdu'l-Bahá at the age of sixteen - the seminal spiritual experience of his life - through the entire ministry of Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, to the establishment of the Universal House of Justice, Leroy Ioas dedicated his talent and energy, his drive and pioneering spirit, to the needs of the Faith. He became one of the spiritually eminent American Bahá'ís, a brilliant administrator and gifted teacher. Appointed a Hand of the Cause of God in 1951, he served the Guardian in Haifa until 1957 as Secretary-General of the International Bahá'í Council, and afterwards as one of the Custodians of the Bahá'í Faith.This book is more than a biography. It illuminates Bahá'í history in the first fifty years of the formative age, when Bahá'í institutions were painstakingly built up, Bahá'í laws and principles given application and the great teaching missions begun. Anita Ioas Chapman's inspiring account will be of value to the many Bahá'ís who did not personally experience those times and who wish to enhance their understanding.

All was quiet along the army lines as the sleepy soldiers settled in for a cold, dark winter's night. Not so with the oppressed band of defenders behind the walls they had built; all were alert and ready for action, their eyes fixed upon the man in their midst who was the most valiant warrior among them. He was more awake than he had ever been in his life - every nerve of his body surging with energy, he was ready for action . . .Here are the men and women who took up the Cause of the Báb, whose revelation in 1844 was to shake the very foundations of the land of its birth and reach every corner of the globe, initiating a new era in human civilization. It called forth a band of souls of matchless spiritual strength - the Heroes of the New Age. The stories of Mullá Husayn, Quddús, Táhirih, Vahíd, Hujjat, the maid Zaynab, the youth Anís, the seven Heroes of God at Tehran and the many other heroes of Tabarsí, Nayríz and Zanján are vibrantly retold here by Edward Diliberto.Includes questions for discussion on each chapter.

Read all about it! Apostle of Peace comes to town!When 'Abdu'l-Bahá set sail from the Middle East in 1911 and again in 1912 to bring to the West the message of peace found in the teachings of His father, Bahá'u'lláh, His arrival was headline news in towns and cities across Europe and North America.

Only societies that can enlist the energies of men as partners in the long parenting process can flourish for any length of time. Jonathan Sacks It is in recognition of the importance of fathers to their families, to society and to the world community that this little book of verses from the holy scriptures, poets and thinkers is offered.

'The great importance', the Universal House of Justice wrote in 1984, 'attached to the mother's role derives from the fact that she is the first educator of the child.' "Her attitude, her prayers, even what she eats and her physical condition have a great influence on the child when it is still in the womb. When the child is born, it is she who has been endowed by God with the milk which is the first food designed for it, and it is intended that, if possible, she should be with the baby to train and nurture it in its earliest days and months. This does not mean that the father does not also love, pray for, and care for his baby, but as he has the primary responsibility of providing for the family, his time to be with his child is usually limited, while the mother is usually closely associated with the baby during this intensely formative time when it is growing and developing faster than it ever will again during the whole of its life. As the child grows older and more independent, the relative nature of its relationship with its mother and father modifies and the father can play a greater role."However:"Reverence for, and protection of, motherhood have often been used as justification for keeping women socially and economically disadvantaged. It is this discriminatory and injurious result that must change. Great honour and nobility are rightly conferred on the station of motherhood and the importance of training children . . . The great challenge facing society is to make social and economic provisions for the full and equal participation of women in all aspects of life while simultaneously reinforcing the critical functions of motherhood." It is in the spirit of both revering motherhood and valuing the contribution women can make to the wider community that this little book of verses from the holy scriptures, poets and thinkers is offered.

Each one was blessed by being chosen by God for a holy purpose: Sarah as the devoted wife of Abraham; Asíyih as the adoptive mother of Moses; Mary as the mother of Jesus; Fátimih as the favoured daughter of Muhammad; Táhirih as an outstanding believer in the time of the Báb; and Bahíyyih Khánum as the beloved daughter of Bahá'u'lláh. They shine down through the centuries and are an inspiration to millions of people. Whether we are boys or girls, young or old, we will feel inspired and thrilled as we step into their lives of adventure, service, miracles and love.

'In the first days of mourning for the beloved Master's passing' she listened to the Greatest Holy Leaf telling the story of her childhood and youth during the terrible imprisonment and exiles of Bahá'u'lláh, and began what she describes in her immortal book as 'an attempt to indicate some phases of a great historic moment in the life of Spiritual Civilization, which have not been elsewhere recorded'.No reader of The Chosen Highway or of the description of its author in the Preface by H. M. Balyuzi can fail to appreciate the qualities of warmth, spirit and faith that enabled her first to elicit and then to faithfully chronicle the stories told to her by Bahíyyih Khánum and by 'Abdu'l-Bahá's wife and daughters. No professional historian would have been taken into their confidence in the same way. 'Her presence gives us much joy,' wrote the wife of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. 'We look upon her, not only as a friend, but as one of our own dear family.' These accounts, together with Lady Blomfield's own description of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's visit to London when she welcomed him as a guest in her home, have ensured the lasting interest of The Chosen Highway since its first publication in 1940.

The short prayer revealed by the Báb known as 'The Remover of Difficulties' is among those best known and most frequently recited by Bahá'ís all over the world. It is one of the first prayers learnt by Bahá'í children and young people. Translated into every language imaginable and short enough to be easily learnt by heart, it nevertheless holds within its few words eternal and fundamental truths that express the greatness and omnipotence of the Creator. Difficulties and problems are the lot of every human being; they are among the necessary conditions of human development. Yet difficulties are hard to bear. These reflections on the Báb's prayer touch on the deepest questions of life - self-knowledge, the purpose of tests and difficulties and how to overcome them, faith and confidence, obedience and submission to the Will of God, and last but not least, meeting the challenges of life with a sense of humour.

We live in an 'age of anxiety'. The loss of serious interest in religion has deprived people of the help of ministers, priests and rabbis. But to the Bahá'í, all true healing comes from God.This collection of quotations from the Bahá'í Sacred Writings offers vital help for emotional and spiritual healing. Grouped in three main sections, 'Coping with Stress', 'Orientation to the Divine' and 'Developing Helpful Attitudes', these 'pearls of wisdom' from the extensive literature of the Bahá'í Faith concentrate on common problems and their solution, and will be of comfort and value to many.