Category: Conferences

Watch the Video Recording In its message of 31 December 2025, the Universal House of Justice drew renewed attention to the imperative of teaching the Bahá’í Faith, observing that “believers increasingly appreciate the privilege of being able to acquaint a soul with the mission of Bahá’u’lláh—and, beyond this, to lovingly help a soul who stands…

Watch the Video Recording Read the Transcript One of the most unique features of the Bahá’í Faith, which distinguishes it from other religions, is that its administrative system does not have clergy. What, then, do Bahá’u’lláh’s writings tell us about clergy of other religions? This paper addresses this question by exploring, analyzing, and contextualizing the…

Watch the Video Recording This paper is based on my study of the Baha’i response to police murders in 2020 using oral history methodology. The study entitled “Anti-Black Racism: A Baha’i Response” was published in The Baha’i Faith and African American Studies (2023). Gwen Etter-Lewis has a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Michigan.…

Watch the Video Recording Based on collaborative work with filmmakers and elderly African American community members in a rural Virginia community, this presentation highlights culturally responsive interviewing, collaboration, and the preservation of elders’ voices through video as a valuable archival resource. Reference will be made to the “table conversations” of Baha’i pilgrims—informal yet profound discussions…

Watch the Video Recording Read the Transcript The  evening program on the arts will explore how research, writing, use and creation of visual resources, music, and collaborative efforts can result in works that inspire, uplift, teach, and document aspects of Bahá’í history. Film clips will include a video on Sarah Farmer (10 min.), the Green…

Watch the Video Recording The translations of the Baháʼí Sacred Writings by Marzieh Gail (1908-1993) are foundational to Baháʼí worship in the English-speaking world. Her renderings of Bahá’u’lláh’s The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Secret of Divine Civilization (with her father Ali-Kuli Khan), Memorials of the Faithful, and Selections from the Writings of…

Watch the Video Recording Read the Transcript Session 1 – Elham Afnan Mahdavy This presentation will focus on the principal figures connected with the story of the House of the Báb and its custodianship. In particular, we will look at the lives and contributions of the following individuals: Through their stories, we will come to…

Oral history is both a discipline and a method for collecting, preserving, and interpreting the voices and memories of individuals, communities, and firsthand accounts of past events. Originating in the oral traditions of cultures worldwide, oral history is the oldest form of historical inquiry and predates written language. The lead title of this panel, “touching…

Watch the Video Recording Five centuries ago, Europeans became familiar with the legendary figure of Quetzalcoatl, an Aztec deity who is credited with bringing civilization to Mesoamerica. Many interpretations of his legend have been offered. Some see Him as just a mythical god. Some believe He was an early ruler who was deified upon His…

Watch the Video Recording Read the Transcript A prophet receives guidance from God and proclaims a message of indictment, judgment, instruction, and deliverance. Secondarily, people have seen them as foretellers of future events or conditions. Scriptural tales of liberation turned into blueprints for specific predictions and a Christian interpretive method called historicism. Bahá’ís adopted this…