Dear Rick,
About a century ago (so it feels), I discussed the Baha'i theology
of world order in my book "The City of Man: Prophecies of a World
Civilization in Twentieth-Century Thought" (Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
1963; revised, Penguin Books, 1967), Ch. 2, pp. 117-120. I do not stand
by everything I wrote in that book, but it does put the Baha'i Faith in
historical and ideological perspective from a viewpoint not entirely
dissimilar to world-systems theory (which at that time did not quite
exist). Baha'u'llah and his successors believed they had created a new
world faith, via divine revelation, that would serve as the spiritual
foundation of a new global civilization, a world-system beyond the
politically and culturally fractured system of our time.
Regards,
W. Warren Wagar
Department of History
Binghamton University, SUNY
On Sun, 16 Feb 1997, Richard Ragland wrote:
> Before too many people get disappointed and go away from this list for
> whatever reason, I was wondering if I could maybe stimulate some
> postive conversation in terms of world systems and world order.
>
> I am wondering if anyone has done any in-depth research or study of
> the writings of Baha'u'llah?
>
> Apparently, Leo Tolstoy said that their was a prisoner in the prison city
> of Akka, (then a part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, now a part of Israel)
> who "had the key". This person is apparently one referred to as
> Baha'u'llah who was exiled from Persia by the Persian Government.
>
> As I understand it, He submitted a new world order which is unlike any
> system currently known to man. I am finding out more about this myself,
> but I am wondering if anyone else has done any study and research
> about His Writings?
>
> Sincerely
>
> Rick
> 9
>