Sweden

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The Bahá'í Faith in Sweden began after coverage in the 1800s[1] followed by several Swede-Americans who had met 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the United States around 1912 and pioneered or visited the country starting in 1920.[2] By 1932 translations of Bahá'í literature had been accomplished and around 1947 the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly had been elected in Stockholm.[3] In 1962 the first National Spiritual Assembly of Sweden was elected.[4] The Bahá'ís claim about 1,000 members and 25 local assemblies in Sweden.[5]

Contents

[edit] Early history

The first mentions of the religion happened when the book En resa in Persia, published 1869, which mentions The Báb,[1] who Bahá'ís view as the herald to the founder of the religion. Bahá'u'lláh is first mentioned in a published account of Persian travels in 1869 in the magazine Kringsjå No. 2 from July 31 1896. The Swedish artist Ivan Aguéli meet `Abdu'l-Bahá in 1902. In 1912 Louise M. Erickson attended the dedication of the first Bahá'í House of Worship in the West - in Chicago, United States. The first comprehensive article covering the religion was in the July 2, 1913 issue of Aftonbladet.[6] It covers the history of the period of the Báb, through Bahá'u'lláh imprisonment and banishments, and `Abdu'l-Bahá's freedom and visit to Paris.

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

'Abdu'l-Bahá, then head 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 in 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. The seventh tablet was translated and presented by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab on April 4th, 1919, and published in Star of the West magazine on December 12th, 1919.[7]

"In all the countries of the world the longing for universal peace is taking possession of the consciousness of men. … 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, Luxemburg, Monaco, San Marino, Balearic Isles, Corsica, Sardinia,Sicily, Crete, Malta, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Shetland Islands, Hebrides and Orkney Islands."[8]

[edit] Pioneers

Following the release of these tablets a few Bahá'ís began moving to or at least visiting countries across Europe. August Rudd, born in Värmland on 7 August 1871,[3] became the first Swedish Bahá'í pioneer in July 1920, with permission of `Abdu'l-Baha, on returning from Kenosha and Chicago, United States[2] where he and his brothers had sold their inventions.[3] Rudd settled in Boda and worked in a local school. He was followed a year or two later by Edvard Olsson.[1] In 1923, Louise Eriksson visited August Rudd and teacher Anna Elisabeth Gustavsson, perhaps the first convert in Sweden circa 1920-22, and brought them a copy of Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era by John Esslemont. August and Ann married though August died on February 13 1926. Nya Wermlands-Tidningen published a letter in the May 2, 1924 issue by Anna Rudd.[6] Helsingborgs Dagblad covered Martha Root's visit to Sweden where she participated in an Esperanto congress in Stockholm. Root made a return trip also covered by Dagblad printed in July 31, 1934. Youness Khan Afrukhtih, formerly one of `Abdu'l-Bahá secretaries, arrived in Oslo in September 1929. He had several interviews, including on the BBC, 2.sept. 1929 and a Weekly Review, 5. Sept. 1929.[1] In 1929 Anna Rudd left Östervallskog and moved to Malmköping and then to Göteborg, where she married Bahá'í Bernard Arvid Palmgren. In October 1932 they moved to Ramen in Värmland and finished translating and publishing Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era followed by the Kitáb-i-Íqán in 1936.[3] In 1935 Louise Eriksson, on an another visit in Sweden, had the opportunity to meet former Chief Magistrate Carl Lindhagen and on March 19, 1935, she received an audience with then Crown Prince Gustaf-Adolf - reported by the Aftonbladet on March 21, 1935,[6] Anna Rudd Palmgren died 27 August 1943. Following World War II, Shoghi Effendi, then head of the religion, oversaw the creation of the European Teaching committee which supervised pioneers to Europe. From their work, Amelia Bowman arrived in Stockholm in October 1947, and with the assistance of Dorothy Baker was able to bring about the election of the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly in Stockholm in 1947-8.[9] Bowman then traveled to Göteborg where she was again able to bring the community together and elect it's first assembly in 1948-9 - (it lapsed but was re-elected in 1952.)[1] Bowman then moved to Oslo Norway in 1949 and spent the next 33 years pioneering in various countries of Europe.[9]

[edit] Development

The third inter-continental teachings conference was held in Stockholm 21- 26 July 1953 at which a number of talks were given for the general public as well as the Bahá'ís[10] including a long letter from Shoghi Effendi[11] which outlined various goals for the community across Europe. As the religion spread across Scandinavia it reached the point where a regional National Spiritual Assembly for Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark was established in 1957.[12] A seperate National Spiritual Assembly of Sweden was first elected in 1962. By the end of 1963 there were Local Spiritual Assemblies in Göteborg, Malmö, Stockholm, and Uppsala. Smaller groups of Bahá'ís were in Alafors, Brastad, Sundbyberg - and an additional 16 isolated individuals spread through the country.[4]

[edit] Modern community

The community of Bahá'ís have undertaken a number of projects both internally and for the good of others whether collectively or individually. Zaid Lundberg, a student in History of Religions at Lund University wrote a MA thesis, entitled Bahá'í Apocalypticism: The Bahá'í Concept of Progressive Revelation[13] and went on to write a number of papers[14] and teach.[15] In 2004 the community began to support the Barli Development Institute for Rural Women.[16] The Swedish Bahá'í community hosted the Nordic Baha'i Youth Conference in 2005[17] and 2009.[18] A number of small projects are being carried on in Stockholm,[19] Göteborg,[20] Sigtuna,[21] and Uppsala.[22]

[edit] Demographics

The Bahá'ís claim about 1,000 Bahá'ís and 25 local assemblies in Sweden.[5] The Association of Religion Data Archives (relying on World Christian Encyclopedia) estimated some 6,200 Bahá'ís in 2005.[23]

[edit] Contact

Svenska Bahá’í-samfundet, Solhagavägen 11, 163 52 Spånga, Sweden

E-mail: secretariat[at]bahai.se

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Skandinavisk bahá'í historie". Official Website of the Bahá'ís of Norway. National Spiritual Assembly of Norway. 2007-8. http://www.bahai.no/index.php?id=52&type=98. Retrieved 2008-04-27. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Collins, William; [Ed.] Moojan Momen. Studies in Babi and Baha'i History, volumes 1, chapter: Kenosha, 1893-1912: History of an Early Bahá'í Community in the United States. Kalimat Press. pp. p. 248. ISBN 1890688452. http://books.google.com/books?id=A1kivilg954C&pg=PA248&lpg=PA248&source=web&ots=zORIb42nH2&sig=mYlMeEx4QztOPfhP6kr1vfHg_rY&hl=en. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "August og Anna Ruud". National Spiritual Council of the Baha'is in Norway. http://www.bahai.no/313.0.html. Retrieved 2009-07-05. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Compiled by Hands of the Cause Residing in the Holy Land. "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". pp. pp. 116. http://bahai-library.com/index.php5?file=handscause_statistics_1953-63&chapter=1#19. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "English Summary". National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Sweden. http://www.bahai.se/english/. Retrieved 2009-07-04. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Djazayeri, Ezzatollah (1992). "Bahá'í i den Svenska pressen". Extracts from Bahá'í history in Sweden. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Sweden. http://www.bahai.se/historia/press-historia.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-05. 
  7. ↑ Abbas, 'Abdu'l-Bahá; Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, trans. and comments (1919). Tablets, Instructions and Words of Explanation. http://bahai-library.com/index.php5?file=abdulbaha_tablets_instructions_explanation.html. 
  8. ↑ `Abdu'l-Bahá (1991). Tablets of the Divine Plan (Paperback ed.). Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. pp. p. 43. ISBN 0877432333. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/TDP/tdp-6.html. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Amelia Bowman". National Spiritual Council of the Baha'is in Norway. http://www.bahai.no/326.0.html. Retrieved 2009-07-05. 
  10. ↑ "Den tredje interkontinentale undervisningskonferansen". National Spiritual Assembly of Norway. http://www.bahai.no/324.0.html. Retrieved 200-9-07-05. 
  11. ↑ Effendi, Shoghi (1971). Messages to the Bahá'í World, 1950-1957. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. pp. 157-162. ISBN 0877430365. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/MBW/mbw-74.html. 
  12. ↑ Hassall, Graham; Universal House of Justice. "National Spiritual Assemblies statistics 1923-1999". Assorted Resource Tools. Bahá'í Academics Resource Library. http://bahai-library.org/asia-pacific/Notes%20on%20Research/national_spiritual_assemblies.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-02. 
  13. ↑ Lundberg, Zaid. "Bahá'í Apocalypticism: The Concept of Progressive Revelation". Bahai-library.org. http://www.bahai-library.org/theses/apocalyptic/. Retrieved 2009-07-05. 
  14. ↑ "All papers by Lundberg". `Irfán Colloquia.org. http://irfancolloquia.org/database/?author=Lundberg. Retrieved 2009-07-05. 
  15. ↑ "Wilmette Institute Board and Staff". Wilmette Institute. http://www.wilmetteinstitute.org/development/movabletype/faculty/. Retrieved 2009-07-05. 
  16. ↑ "Bahá'í-projekt". National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Sweden. http://www.bahai.se/projekt/index.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-05. 
  17. ↑ "Sweden 2005". Nordic Baha'i Youth Conferences. Vikings, Inc.. http://www.nordicbahaiyouth.com/sweden05.php. Retrieved 2009-07-05. 
  18. ↑ "Sweden 2009". Nordic Baha'i Youth Conferences. Vikings, Inc.. http://www.nordicbahaiyouth.com/sweden09.php. Retrieved 2009-07-05. 
  19. ↑ "Välkommen till Stockholm Bahá’í". Spiritual Assembly of Stockholm. http://www.bahai.se/stockholm/. Retrieved 2009-07-05. 
  20. ↑ "Bahá’i på Bok". Spiritual Assembly of Göteborg. http://www.bahai.se/goteborg/index.htm/. Retrieved 2009-07-05. 
  21. ↑ "Aktuella nyheter och kampanjer i Sigtuna". Spiritual Assembly of Sigtuna. http://www.bahai.se/sigtuna/index.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-05. 
  22. ↑ "Lokal information". Spiritual Assembly of Uppsala. http://www.bahai.se/uppsala/index.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-05. 
  23. ↑ "Most Baha'i Nations (2005)". QuickLists > Compare Nations > Religions >. The Association of Religion Data Archives. 2005. http://www.thearda.com/QuickLists/QuickList_40c.asp. Retrieved 2009-07-04. 

[edit] External links


This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Bahá'í Faith in Sweden.
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