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Series:   Elements in Religion and Violence

The Bahá'í Faith, Violence, and Non-Violence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 July 2020

Robert H. Stockman
Robert H. Stockman
Affiliation:
Wilmette Institute

Summary

Both violence and non-violence are important themes in the Bahá'í Faith, but their relationship is not simple. The Bahá'í sacred writings see violence in the world – not just against Bahá'ís, but physical and structural violence against everyone – as being a consequence of the immature state of human civilization. The Baha'i community itself has been nonviolent since its founding by Baha'u'llah in the mid nineteenth century and has developed various strategies for responding to persecution nonviolently. This Element explores how their scriptures provide a blueprint for building a new, more mature, culture and civilization on this planet where violence will be rare and nonviolence prevalent.
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Keywords

Bahá’í Faithviolencenon-violencejihadunity
Type
Element
Information
Series: Elements in Religion and Violence
Online ISBN: 9781108613446
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication: 13 August 2020

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