Bahá’í Administration

Shoghi EffendiProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 438K words
Chapters: 44

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Bahá'í Administration by Effendi ShoghiAuthor: Shoghi, Effendi, 1897-1957,Language: English, Class: BP: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Islam, Bahaism, Theosophy, Other and new beliefs, Release Date: Sep 15, 2006

Editor's review

This book is a compilation of letters and writings by Shoghi Effendi on the Bahá'í administrative order, presenting the basic vision of this religious community regarding organizational principles, management, and the functioning of its institutions. For readers studying the institutional history of the Bahá'í Faith, its value lies not in a popular introduction but in the citability of primary documents: the text preserves the author's own wording, argumentative logic, and exhortatory tone, helping readers understand how the administrative system is given religious meaning rather than being merely a technical arrangement. Topics include the duties of local and national institutions, the principle of consultation, and the relationship between the individual and the community, and it is best read alongside other Bahá'í scriptures. Because the original is in English and the style is religiously didactic, general readers may find it dense at first; it is advisable to learn some basic background on the Bahá'í Faith before starting. As a public-domain e-book, it is easy to search and excerpt, making it suitable for course materials or research appendices.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and students studying the organizational system and religious governance of the Bahá'í Faith
Religious studies researchers who need to cite Shoghi Effendi's original letters
Readers interested in the administrative thought of new religious movements in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
Believers with basic Bahá'í knowledge who wish to go deeper into institutional matters

Not a good fit for

General readers with no knowledge of the Bahá'í Faith who want an introductory overview
Casual readers looking for narrative history or biography
Readers unaccustomed to English religious didactic prose and terminology

Reading tips

Read a brief introduction to the Bahá'í Faith first to grasp the basic concepts before entering the text.
Read in thematic groups, separating letters on administrative institutions from passages on the principle of consultation.
Mark institutional names and descriptions of duties as you read for easy comparison with other documents.
For research, place the book alongside original Bahá'í scriptures to compare levels of discussion.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a systematic textbook of Bahá'í administration?

No. It mainly compiles Shoghi Effendi's letters and writings, which are didactic and interpretive rather than a textbook organized by chapters. Readers need to organize the material on institutional duties and the principle of consultation themselves to form a fuller understanding of the system.

Can someone with average English read this book?

You can try, but it will be difficult. The text is English religious discourse with long sentences and concentrated terminology. It is advisable to read with a dictionary and basic Bahá'í concept materials, or to read introductory Chinese materials first and then return to the original for comparison.

Is this book suitable as a source for academic papers?

It can be cited as a primary document, but note that it is a public-domain electronic text, so verify version information and page numbers when citing. It is suitable for supporting discussion of Shoghi Effendi's administrative thought, but should not be used alone to summarize the history of the entire Bahá'í movement.

Comments

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About the author

Shoghi Effendi Author · Iranian · 1897–1957

Shoghi Effendi (1897–1957), of Iranian nationality, served as Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 to 1957. He was the eldest grandson of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, was born in Acre, and studied at Oxford University. He long directed the development of Bahá'í administrative affairs worldwide and devoted himself to translating and interpreting Bahá'í scriptures, playing a bridging role in the community. Seventeen of his works are held in the collection, mostly under inspirational growth, including The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, God Passes By, Citadel of Faith, and collected letters to America, Canada, Alaska, Australia and New Zealand. These writings, chiefly letters and treatises, are solemn and earnest in tone, addressing the order of the Faith, historical reflection and community building. Public information is limited, so his biographical details should not be over-speculated; his works show a concise, clear style that has deeply influenced the organization and spiritual life of the modern Bahá'í community.