Study Circles (continued)

In the 1970s in Colombia, a systematic and sustained programme of education based on the Writings of the Bahá’í Faith was devised. The goal of this programme was to raise up the human resources needed for the social advancement of humanity by training participants in the spiritual, moral, and social teachings of the Bahá’í Faith. The Colombian method proved a shining example and a source of great inspiration to Bahá’í communities throughout the world and was soon adopted by neighbouring countries. Influenced by the Colombian community’s parallel efforts in the field of social and economic development, the programme was all the more impressive for the fact that it was accomplished despite the violence and lawlessness that was deranging life in the surrounding society.

In a period of little more than two decades, significant advances in the development of this programme were made. More than 300 training institutes were established around the world, reaching into the very fabric of Bahá’í community life through a decentralized system of tutors, study circles, and sequences of courses based on the Sacred Writings. Today, hundreds of thousands of believers worldwide, along with their friends and neighbours, are involved in the training institutes.

In Canada, there are currently six Regional Institute Boards, which coordinate the growing networks of people who are moving through the sequence of courses. Tutors are trained at the local and regional levels and then open study circles in homes or public facilities. Rather than passively receiving information from teachers, participants learn through active, cooperative learning methods. These study circles are open to everyone who wishes to join, not just Bahá’ís.

The course content of the first book of the curriculum currently being used in Canada, titled Reflections on the Life of the Spirit, is divided into three units: “Understanding the Bahá’í Writings,” “Prayer,” and “Life and Death.” These units examine, among other things, the reality of life, the purpose of life, and the relationship we have with the spiritual world and our Creator.

Find out when the next study circle is taking place in your community.