Makingthe stronginvisiblestrong visible introductory booksonthe Baha i.pdfVIP

Religion iFirst, 2012, 1–18 Making the invisible visible: introductory books on the Baha’i religion (the Baha’i Faith) Denis MacEoin* Formerly Newcastle University, UK ABSTRACT The present review examines five books, one by a non-Baha’i, three by a Baha’i academic, and one by a Baha’i non-academic. The non-Baha’i volume, which is very short, is by a Danish sociologist of religion, Margit Warburg. It forms a solid explanatory text informed by a lengthy experience of the Baha’is both in Denmark and abroad. This review discusses, inter alia, three volumes by a Baha’i sociologist, Peter Smith. While the three titles are very different books, taken together they form an intelligent presentation of the religion from the perspective of a thoughtful insider. Finally, the article looks at a completely different sort of book, an intelligent portrayal of Baha’ism from its spiritual and moral perspectives by Moojan Momen. This last brings readers closest to typical fare for believers and new converts. KEY WORDS Baha’i; Baha’ism; Baha’i faith; Babism; religious minority; new religious movement; world religion; Baha’ Allah; Baha’u’llah; Bab; ‘Abd al-Baha’; ‘Abdu’l-Baha; Shoghi Effendi; Iran; sociology of religion Five introductions to the Baha’i faith Momen, Moojan. 2008. The Bahá’í Faith. Oxford: Oneworld. First published as A Short Introduction to the Bahá ’í Faith (1997) Smith, Peter. 1996. The Bahá’í Faith: A Short History. Oxford: Oneworld: 176 pp. + index. Smith, Peter. 2008a [2000]. A Concise Encyclopedia of the Bahá ’í Faith. Oxford: One- world. 396 pp. + index Smith, Peter. 2008b. An Introduction to the Baha ’i Faith. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 229 pp. + index