Bahá'í Faith in Brazil

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The Bahá'í Faith in Brazil started in 1919 with Bahá'ís first visiting the country that year,[1] and the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly in Brazil was established in 1928. There followed a period of growth with the arrival of coordinated pioneers from the United States finding national Brazilian converts and in 1961 an independent national Bahá'í community was formed. During the 1992 Earth Summit, which was held in Brazil, the international and local Bahá'í community were given the responsibility for organizing a series of different programs, and since then the involvements of the Bahá'í community in the country have continued to multiply.

Contents

[edit] `Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablets of the Divine Plan

`Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of the founder of the religion, wrote a series of letters, or tablets, to the followers of the religion in the United States in 1916-1917; these letters were compiled together in the book titled Tablets of the Divine Plan. The sixth of the tablets was the first to mention Latin American regions and was written on April 8, 1916, but was delayed in being presented in the United States until 1919—after the end of the First World War and the Spanish flu. The first actions on the part of Bahá'í community towards Latin America were that of a few individuals who made trips to Mexico and South America near or before this unavailing in 1919, including Mr. and Mrs. Frankland, and Roy C. Wilhelm, and Martha Root. Root's travels, probably the first Bahá'í to Brazil, began in the summer of 1919 - stopping first in Brazil, then Argentina and Uruguay before setting out to cross the Andes mountains into Chile in winter.[2] The sixth tablet was translated and presented by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab on April 4, 1919, and published in Star of the West magazine on December 12, 1919.[3]

His Holiness Christ says: Travel ye to the East and to the West of the world and summon the people to the Kingdom of God. ... the republic of Mexico...to be familiar with the Spanish language...Guatemala, Honduras, Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the seventh country Belize...Attach great importance to the indigenous population of America...Likewise the islands of ... Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, ... Bahama Islands, even the small Watling Island...Haiti and Santo Domingo...the islands of Bermuda... the republics of the continent of South America—Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, the Guianas, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Venezuela; also the islands to the north, east and west of South America, such as Falkland Islands, the Galapagòs, Juan Fernandez, Tobago and Trinidad....[4]

Following the Tablets and about the time of `Abdu'l-Bahá's passing in 1921, a few Bahá'ís began moving to or at least visiting Latin America.[1] The community in Brazil was established in 1921 when the first Bahá'í permanent resident in South America, Leonora Holsapple Armstrong, arrived in Brazil in 1921.[5] Following guidance from Shoghi Effendi, who was named as `Abdu'l-Bahá's successor, there was a rapid proliferation of Local Spiritual Assemblies around the world and a 1928 count listed Brazil having one of the 85 local Spiritual Assemblies worldwide.[6]

[edit] Seven Year Plan and succeeding decades

Shoghi Effendi wrote a cable on May 1, 1936 to the Bahá'í Annual Convention of the United States and Canada, and asked for the systematic implementation of `Abdu'l-Bahá's vision to begin.[1] In his cable he wrote:

Appeal to assembled delegates ponder historic appeal voiced by `Abdu'l-Bahá in Tablets of the Divine Plan. Urge earnest deliberation with incoming National Assembly to insure its complete fulfillment. First century of Bahá'í Era drawing to a close. Humanity entering outer fringes most perilous stage its existence. Opportunities of present hour unimaginably precious. Would to God every State within American Republic and every Republic in American continent might ere termination of this glorious century embrace the light of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh and establish structural basis of His World Order.[7]

Following the May 1 cable, another cable from Shoghi Effendi came on May 19 calling for permanent pioneers to be established in all the countries of Latin America.[1] The Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada appointed the Inter-America Committee to take charge of the preparations. During the 1937 Bahá'í North American Convention, Shoghi Effendi cabled advising the convention to prolong their deliberations to permit the delegates and the National Assembly to consult on a plan that would enable Bahá'ís to go to Latin America as well as to include the completion of the outer structure of the Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois. In 1937 the First Seven Year Plan (1937–44), which was an international plan designed by Shoghi Effendi, gave the American Bahá'ís the goal of establishing the Bahá'í Faith in every country in Latin America. With the spread of American Bahá'ís in Latin American, Bahá'í communities and Local Spiritual Assemblies began to form in 1938 across the rest of Latin America.

Following the election of the Regional Bahá'í Spiritual Assembly of South America in 1950, in 1957 this Assembly was split into two - basically northern/eastern South America with the Republics of Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela, in Lima, Peru and one of the western/southern South America with the Republics of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia in Buenos Aires, Argentina.[8] Brazil established it's independent Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly in 1961.

[edit] Bahá'í educational institutions

In 1980 the School of the Nations, "Escola das Nações", a bilingual (English-Portuguese) internationalist Bahá'í school was founded in Brasília. During the 1990 International Literacy Year the school cooperated with several communities on projects, one of which included sponsorship by the Secretary of Education of the Federal District.[9] In 2007 this school had approximately 610 students enrolled and 90 teachers on the staff including assistants.

In the late 1980s and 1990s the Associação Monte Carmelo was formed as a community of educators, families, their children, and support staff forming a social and economic development non-governmental organization by the Ayvazian family who donated an 84,000 square metres (900,000 sq ft) rural property they owned near Porto Feliz to the Bahá'í community so that it might be used to serve the needs of Porto Feliz and its vicinity. After careful assessment and consultation with local leaders and authorities, it was established that the best use for the property would be to turn it into a center for the material, human and spiritual education of (currently 120) children and adolescents of all religious backgrounds and ethnic groups from low income families.[10]

[edit] 1992 Earth Summit

The international Bahá'í community was approached to help in the preparation for the 1992 Earth Summit that was held in Brazil. In August 1991, for example, the community was approached by Mr. Warren Lindner, Co-Chairman of the Global Forum, for assistance in setting up the Global Forum offices in Rio de Janerio. "We were able to offer to the Forum the full-time assistance of Ms. Amanda Gurney, a Brazilian Bahá'í who is fluent in both English and Portuguese, as an assistant to Mr. Lindner," said Mr. Arturo. "Our hope was that early involvement by Bahá'ís would help to infuse a unifying spirit to the Forum, and we believe this was accomplished."[11] The Bahá'í International Community followed up several times to the Earth Summit efforts despite dwindling interest and pledged support around the world.[12][13]

During the Earth Summit the Bahá'í International Community addressed the Global Forum which ran alongside the governmental meetings as well as playing a major role in ancillary activities including the Peace Monument itself - commissioned by the Bahá'í International Community and came to be viewed as the symbol of the Earth Summit which is located in the green areas of Goiânia.[14][11] The Bahá'ís in Brazil and beyond also aided in the preparation and production of a book of artwork and essays by children from around the world about the need for greater environmental protection and for peace. This book, entitled Tomorrow Belongs to the Children, was sent to all heads of state in 1993. The Bahá'ís sponsored a day-long symposium, held at the Global Forum, on "Values and Institutions for a Sustainable and Ever-Advancing World Civilization." The Bahá'ís were also given the responsibility for organizing a series of evening music and cultural programs for the 1992 Global Forum. The "Evening Series in the Park" took place every night during the Global Forum in the Flamengo Park Amphitheater.

[edit] Current demographics

In 2002 there were around 55,000 Bahá'ís in Brazil, and 66 Local Spiritual Assemblies.[15] In 2007-8 local Bahá'í communities with electronic contact exist in Barretos, Bauru, Belo Horizonte, Blumenau, Brasília, Cachoeira do Bom Jesus - Florianópolis, Goiabeiras, Lauro de Freitas, Londrina, Manaus, Mogi Guaçu, Natal, Porto Feliz, Recife, Rio Branco, Rio de Janeiro, Santo André, São Paulo, São Sebastião, and Vila Velha.[16]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Lamb, Artemus (1995). The Beginnings of the Bahá'í Faith in Latin America:Some Remembrances, English Revised and Amplified Edition. 1405 Killarney Drive, West Linn OR, 97068, United States of America: M L VanOrman Enterprises. 
  2. ^ Allmar, Husayn (2007). Martha Root’s Journey to Chile. The Chilean Temple Initiative. National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United State. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  3. ^ Abbas, `Abdu'l-Bahá; Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, trans. and comments (1919). Tablets, Instructions and Words of Explanation. 
  4. ^ `Abdu'l-Bahá [1916-17] (1991). Tablets of the Divine Plan, Paperback, Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, p. 31-32. ISBN 0877432333. 
  5. ^ Bahá'í International Communtiy (1996), “Brazilian parliament honors leading Bahá'í dignitary”, OneCountry 8 (2), <http://www.onecountry.org/oc82/oc8201as.html> 
  6. ^ The Bahá'í World: A Biennial International Record, Volume II, 1926-1928 (New York City: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1928), 182-85.
  7. ^ Effendi, Shoghi (1947). Messages to America. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Committee, p. 6. OCLC 5806374. 
  8. ^ (1963) The Bahá'í Faith: 1844-1963: Information Statistical and Comparative, Including the Achievements of the Ten Year International Bahá'í Teaching & Consolidation Plan 1953-1963. Haifa, Israel: Hands of the Cause Residing in the Holy Land, pp. 22 and 46. 
  9. ^ “Activities in Support of International Literacy Year - 1990”, Organizational Report to the seventh meeting of the International Task Force on Literacy, Bonn, Germany: Bahá'í International Community, 1991-02-04, <http://bic-un.bahai.org/pdf/91-0204.pdf> 
  10. ^ Segato, Antonio Rafael (2008). Associação Monte Carmelo (web). Official Webpage. Associação Monte Carmelo. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  11. ^ a b Bahá'í Involvement at the Earth Summit. 1992-93 edition of The Bahá'í World, pp. 177-189.. Universal House of Justice (1999). Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  12. ^ "In Johannesburg, a shift in emphasis on sustainable development" (2002-07). OneCountry 14 (2). Johannesburg: Bahá'í International Community. 
  13. ^ Dahl, Arthur Lyon (2001-10-19), “From Stockholm via Rio to Johannesburg: Thirty Years of International Action on Environment and Sustainable Development”, 5th Annual Conference of the International Environment Forum, Hluboka nad Vltavou, Czech Republic, <http://www.bcca.org/ief/ddahl01c.htm>. Retrieved on 9 March 2008 
  14. ^ Anello, Eloy (1992-06-14), “Values, Institutions, and Leadership for a Sustainable Future: Towards a Framework for Developing Moral Leadership”, a symposium sponsored by the Bahá'í International Community at the Global Forum, Bahá'í International Community, <http://www.bic-un.bahai.org/92-0608.htm>. Retrieved on 9 March 2008 
  15. ^ "Worldwide, the Baha'i community issues an appeal for religious tolerance" (2002-04). OneCountry 14 (1). New York, NY: Bahá'í International Community. 
  16. ^ Links. Website of the National Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Brazil. National Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Brazil (2007-8). Retrieved on 2008-03-09.

[edit] External links

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