Panel: "Creating a Society Founded on Divine Principles"

In this panel discussion titled "Creating a Society Founded on Divine Principles" Dr. Payam Akhavan, Leila Rassekh Milani, Jamey Heath and Erica Toussaint-Brock share their thoughts on how we apply spiritual principles to the building of civilization. The conversation was moderated by Mona Mahmoudi and was one of the sessions at the December 2017 Grand Canyon Baha'i Conference (USA).
About the panelists:
Erica Toussaint-Brock is best known for her down-to-earth application of the Baha’i teachings in our everyday life. She has served as an Auxiliary Board member, on the Regional Baha’i Council of the Western States and most recently as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States for 15 years until 2015. You can listen to a full talk that she gave at the 2017 Grand Canyon Baha'i Conference called "Family Life: Marriage and Relationship and Childhood Education" here: bit.ly/2sqwJpI
Payam Akhavan PhD (Harvard) is a Professor of International Law at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He is a Member of the International Court of Arbitration and a former UN prosecutor at The Hague. In October 2017, he delivered the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Massey Lectures. The companion book, a memoir entitled In Search of a Better World: A Human Rights Odyssey, became the #1 bestseller (non-fiction) in Canada. You can listen to him speak on that subject in this talk "Spirituality in a Phony World: In Search of Authenticity": bit.ly/2EUdgAh
A songwriter, musician and producer, Jamey Health has co-written and/or produced songs for many Grammy award winning artists. He also has enjoyed a life of scoring music for TV and film. You may enjoy listening to his Baha'i Blog Studio Sessions: "I Have Breathed Within Thee" (bit.ly/2EBtOPK) and "Thy Name is my Healing" (bit.ly/2BSnsKS)
Leila Milani is a Senior International Policy Advocate for Futures Without Violence, where she leads their work on global violence prevention, with a focus on women and children. She is a lawyer and human rights advocate with special expertise in women’s rights, religious freedom, and conditions in Iran.
This panel discussion was held at the Grand Canyon Baha’i Conference, December 2017.
You can also listen to a recording of this discussion here on Baha’i Blog’s Soundcloud page: bit.ly/2nTgFrN
For more Baha’i-inspired talks, you can visit Baha’i Blog’s Soundcloud page: / bahai-blog , or Baha’i Blog’s KZbin channel: bit.ly/2ia1Yxp.

[@mahshidfox2750]

Thank you for such an uplifting panel discussion. I loved the topic " Creating a Society Founded on Divine Principles".

[@ingermiddelthon5792]

This level og sharing is the most inspiring and soul awakening I have expirienced for a long time. Deep love from Inger Middelthon, Norwegian bahai for 50 years in 2022

[@BahaiBlog]

That's wonderful to hear, Inger! Thank you for sharing that. In case you haven't seen it, we have a whole playlist of Baha'i talks. You can find it here: kzbin.info/aero/PLePDtgwcyKAR-YtCDQomfurBPiEKxPPQg

[@omidf5678]

Thank you Mr. Akhavan. I am your big fan.

[@MrAbdul9]

This panel discussion was very educating n I was benefited.

[@katherenewedic8076]

More conversations like these please.

[@BahaiBlog]

Hi Katherene! If you haven't already, we definitely recommend checking out our Talks & Interviews playlist. It features presentations like this and so much more. Here is the link: kzbin.info/aero/PLePDtgwcyKAR-YtCDQomfurBPiEKxPPQg Thanks for watching!

[@AbbyWizeBooks]

Transcription of talk by Erica Toussaint-Brock on "Creating a Society Founded on Divine Principles" Panel Discussion at Grand Canyon Baha'i Conference, December 2017, Scottsdale, AZ, USA So, dear friends, this is a broad question - applying spiritual principles to the building of divine civilization, so I thought I might just spend a few moments talking about the application of principal and then maybe give a few examples. When I was young it was elusive to me how to even identify what the principles were; what the laws were; what truth was... and then how to tease out the concept of principles and then see their broad application. And thankfully, that's gotten less of a mystery as I've gotten older and had more experience in studying the Writings, so perhaps maybe just a little bit of exploration of that might be a good way to get us started. Principles are things that you can apply in many different settings. So they are not rules for the road on a particular topic. So for instance, when the House of Justice speaks to us about the solution for all the ills of the world, they say that until we have unity, we will not be able to solve any of these ills of the world. And of course that is because Baha'u'llah says that. So then a Baha'i who wants to apply that principle is going to know that no matter how highminded or desirable it is for us to engage in discourse about specific solutions... I'll just use "Save the Whales"... all of the things that people want to do, of course, are admirable, but we can't save the whales until we have unity, because what I do on this shore, may not be done on the next shore, and the next shore, and then what I do in the ocean, and who owns the ocean, and what rules apply to the ocean, and all that kind of stuff can't really be worked out until there's unity. So a Baha'i would know that the solution to solving the whales ... the issue of "Save the Whales" ... cannot be really approached until ... I like to look at Abdu'l-Baha and the way he moved through the world, because, you know, in Haifa, he took care of the poor. And Baha'u'llah enjoined all of us to care for the poor. And yet Abdu'l-Baha did not tell us to launch campaigns to take care of the poor, specifically. Rather, he said, "Spread the message of Baha'u'llah," knowing that until we have unity, and the recognition of the oneness of mankind, we are not going to be able to solve the poverty problem. That doesn't mean that he didn't assist those who were nearby with his own means. So for instance, there's a letter from the Universal House of Justice to a National Assembly who was asking for guidance for what to do about the flow of migrants (this was a European country). And the House of Justice said, "Of course a Baha'i's heart is going to be touched and moved by how distressing the circumstances are that these people experience. And yet, in your own country, you do not have the resources even to address this issue. You don't have the human beings. We're a small Baha'i community in that country. So of course if there's an individual who has the means or has the organization, we can address that, but we as a Baha'i community cannot take on that problem." 7:22 We have to continue with the community-building activities, which transform lives, which eventually then create the wave of the ability to be unified to work with consultation (which is the foundation, really, of justice), and eventually we will solve that problem. Because really the wave of migrants...it's a problem at one end as the people come into Europe from those other areas, but its cause is war, and bloodshed, and strife, and disunity in their own homelands and between their own people. So we will always have refugees in waves, moving around the countries, until we solve the problem of unity. 8:10 So Baha'is are keeping their eyes on the prize. The fastest way to solve ... "Name Your Issue"... is for us to diligently work, with no time to lose, to bring about unity. So another example: in the National Assembly's Feb. 25 letter that came out...they talk about addressing things at the level of naming the aspirations of people. And it has really helped me, I listened to the Secretary's report at the National Convention last year, where he spoke at length about the interaction between the House of Justice and the members of the National Assembly that they invited to come and consult with them, and one of the things that the House of Justice suggested was that they elevate the discourse to the level of aspirations. And it helped me realize that another principle, related to this principle of the oneness of mankind, is that There Are No Bad Guys. 9:14. And once I got that through my head - nobody's the bad guy - because Baha'u'llah says when you look into the face of anyone, you have to see My Father's face, which means the rules are... the principle is...there's no such thing as an enemy. There's no bad guys. And how do we, then, talk to people who are on the other [end of] the spectrum of my understanding? 9:35 If I appeal to their aspirations, we're the same. No matter what side of a political issue someone is on, they want a peaceful environment for their family. They want their children to grow and develop and flourish. On both sides of any spectrum, you're going to find those high aspirations. They see themselves as noble. So if we go from that level of principle... of naming the common aspirations of all human beings... then we will be able to have discourse with them about anything. And we can appeal to those aspirations rather than engage in some sort of disputation or trying to prove them wrong. 10:22 In fact, and maybe this is the last one, Abdu'l-Baha is described by Baha'u'llah... when Baha'u'llah describes (Abdu'l-Baha's ) method of teaching (p. 27, Balyuzi's biography of Abdu'l-Baha), there's a wonderful translation of Baha'u'llah about the Master, "The Master listens to all manner of senseless talk, hollow and parrot-like though it might be. And then he says, 'Right! Agreed! But look at the matter in this way and judge for yourself.'" 11:00 So we have this humble posture of learning now that we're trying to learn how to do, and Abdu'l-Baha was, of course, the master of it. So when I was in China, my daughter was teaching English at the university and I was a guest speaker one day in all of her classes, and I would say a few things and she wanted it to be conversational so we opened it up to questions right away. First question in every class: Do you believe in God? We don't believe in God. And I'm well-trained by Baha'u'llah's description of Abdu'l-Baha's method of teaching, and so I always find a point of agreement. So I said, "I think I don't believe in the same God you don't believe in." And they looked at me. And then I said, "Actually, I think the Chinese people understand better my own belief in God than I do, because you don't have any superstitious beliefs in God. What you know is that you can't understand it. I can't understand it either, and that's what I believe." 12:01 So, you see, it was so simple, when I found that point of agreement. We have to find points of agreement and connection, and then move the conversation forward. So I'll stop with that. 12:18 -Transcription by Lisa Bradley, Creator of Abby Wize, a story of a horse-loving teen's spiritual visit to a future Golden Age of World Peace. www.Wize.Media

[@BahaiBlog]

Thank you for that Lisa!!

[@AbbyWizeBooks]

Baha'i Blog I’m working on putting together my production of video episodes about a horse-loving teen’s spiritual visit to the Golden Age. I’m looking for Baha’i or Baha’i-friendly directors, producers and production designers, etc. Any recommendations? Can PM me on FB on my Abby Wize Media page.

[@marcomama1]

Thank you!

[@salahrushdy7261]

“In practice and not just in theory” epic!

[@drminoobassarimd8472]

So informative Thanks for Sharing

[@scrappylor]

very happy to hear !

[@todjones6571]

What does "unity" mean in world so divided on a multiplicity of factors? Using the term without specificity is like using the term "spiritual" as an adjective for dozens of nouns.

[@a123boyzone]

Nice

[@jesusperezcaballero707]

Happy NAW RUZ 178

[@todjones6571]

Divine Civilization is a secrete.

[@TheVafa95]

For those who have not read the book :)