At whatever level it occurs, the purpose of Bahá’í participation in discourses is not to persuade others to accept a Bahá’í position on this or that subject. Nor is effort in this area of endeavor pursued as a public relations activity or an academic exercise. Rather, Bahá’ís strive to adopt a posture of learning and engage in genuine conversation. As such, they do not set out to offer any specific solutions to the problems that face humanity such as climate change, women’s health, food production and poverty alleviation. Yet Bahá’ís in a range of settings around the world are eager to share what they are learning in their efforts to apply Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings towards the advancement of civilization and to learn with and from other like-minded individuals and groups.
One of the ways in which the Bahá’í community is building capacity for this purpose is through seminars for undergraduate and graduate university students. Conducted by the Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity (ISGP) at the national and international levels, these seminars explore subjects especially relevant to students and young professionals. Periodic conferences hosted by the Associations for Bahá’í Studies represent another avenue for building capacity in this regard. Such conferences serve as a forum for interested people of all ages and from every field to correlate the Bahá’í teachings with contemporary thought.
What Bahá’ís Believe.
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