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| Kitáb-i-Aqdas · Kitáb-i-Íqán |
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| Institutions | |
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Administrative Order |
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| History | |
| Notable individuals | |
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Shoghi Effendi |
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| See also | |
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Symbols · Laws |
The Bahá'í Faith in Denmark began in 1925, but it was more than 20 years before the Bahá'í community in Denmark began to grow after the arrival of American Bahá'í pioneers in 1946. Following that period of growth, the community established its Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly in 1962. In 2002, about 300 Bahá'ís were recorded, including both Iranian Bahá'í refugees and Danish converts.[1]
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`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 seventh of the tablets was the first to mention several countries in Europe including beyond where `Abdu'l-Bahá had visited in 1911–12. Written on April 11, 1916, it was delayed in being presented in the United States until 1919 — after the end of World War I and the Spanish flu. World traveling Bahá'í journalist Martha Root's subsequently visited King Haakon VII of Norway among her many trips.[2] The seventh 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]
"In brief, this world-consuming war has set such a conflagration to the hearts that no word can describe it. In all the countries of the world the longing for universal peace is taking possession of the consciousness of men. There is not a soul who does not yearn for concord and peace. A most wonderful state of receptivity is being realized.… Therefore, O ye believers of God! Show ye an effort and after this war spread ye the synopsis of the divine teachings in the British Isles, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Portugal, Rumania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, San Marino, Balearic Isles, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Crete, Malta, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Shetland Islands, Hebrides and Orkney Islands."[4]
Following the release of these tablets a few Bahá'ís began moving to Scandinavian countries:
Starting in 1946, following World War II, Shoghi Effendi drew up plans for the American (US and Canada) Bahá'í community to send pioneers to Europe including Denmark; the pioneers setup a European Teaching Committee chaired by Edna True. Prominent members of the committee included the women Dagmar Dole and Elenoir Holliboaugh who arrived in Denmark in 1947 and who helped establish Denmark's first Bahá'í community[1] wirh the first converts in Denmark – May Vestby and Palle Bischoff.[8] Bischoff later pioneered to Greenland. Many of the early converts were supporters of the Det Radikale Venstre political party as part of a modern liberal outlook. From 1948 to 1952 thirty eight individuals converted to the Bahá'í Faith and none withdrew. In 1949 the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly in the country was elected in Copenhagen,[9] and in 1950 the Danish community hosted a number of continent-wide European Bahá'í events though still having about 50 Bahá'ís in the community. One of these meetings was a Conference coordinating pioneers to several places in Norway.[10] Some credit the success of the American pioneers in Denmark to the Danes being attracted to their "cultural style" – "emancipated, independent, and idealistic".[11] In 1957 Denmark, Scandinavia and Finland together formed a regional Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly.[12]
In 1960, shortly after the passing of Shoghi Effendi and the culminating period of the Ten Year Crusade, which was an international Bahá'í teaching plan, Denmark became the home of some Iranian Bahá'ís, increasing the community's population to over 60,[1] and the Danish National Spiritual Assembly was formed in 1962.[11] In the wake of the 1968-9 cultural changes across Europe including youth movements, war and environmental issues protests.[13] most Bahá'í communities experienced sizable growth; from 1971 to 1974 the community nearly doubled. By 1979 the community's progressing organization of assemblies and petitioning, lead to government recognition of the Bahá'í Faith as a legal institution with privileges, including the authority to grant marriages.[1] In 1979 with the Iranian Revolution and its severe persecution of Bahá'ís, which continues past 2007,[14][15] many thousands of Iranian Bahá'ís fled the country and the portion that came to Denmark almost doubled the community's population again.[1]
Since its inception the religion has had involvement in socio-economic development beginning by giving greater freedom to women,[16] promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern,[17] and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and clinics.[16] The religion entered a new phase of activity when a message of the Universal House of Justice dated 20 October 1983 was released.[18] Bahá'ís were urged to seek out ways, compatible with the Bahá'í teachings, in which they could become involved in the social and economic development of the communities in which they lived. World-wide in 1979 there were 129 officially recognized Bahá'í socio-economic development projects. By 1987, the number of officially recognized development projects had increased to 1482. Though a small proportion in a nation of over 5 million, yet in 1995 when Denmark hosted the United Nations World Summit for Social Development the Bahá'ís participated in an NGO contribution to the Summit as well as to the NGO-Forum held alongside.[1][19] Additionally the Bahá'is of Denmark are an object of academic study by University of Copenhagen Professor Margit Warburg and her students.[20]
As of 2002 there are local estimates there are some 300 Bahá'ís in Denmark, and the community has also spread beyond Copenhagen into the countryside and rural provinces. It has been shown that there is a mix of liberal and conservative world views among the Bahá'ís of the Denmark community from academic study.[21] However, the Association of Religion Data Archives (relying on World Christian Encyclopedia) estimated some 1,200 Bahá'ís in 2005.[22]
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