Bahá'í Faith in Andorra
Encyclopedia
The Bahá'í Faith in Andorra begins with the first mention of Andorra in Bahá'í literature
when `Abdu'l-Bahá
listed it as a place to take the religion to in 1916. The first Bahá'í to pioneer
to Andorra was William Danjon Dieudonne in 1953. By 1979 a Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly in Andorra-la-Vella is known. In 2005 according to the Association of Religion Data Archives
(relying on World Christian Encyclopedia
) there were about 80 Bahá'ís in Andorra. In 2010 Wolfram Alpha
estimated about 120 Bahá'ís.
the first mention of Andorra
is in the twentieth century. `Abdu'l-Bahá
, the son of the founder 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 on 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 4, 1919, and published in Star of the West
magazine on December 12, 1919.
, Shoghi Effendi
, head of the religion after `Abdu'l-Bahá, drew up plans for the American (US and Canada) Bahá'í community to send pioneers
to Europe; the Bahá'ís setup a European Teaching Committee chaired by Edna True. At a followup conference in Stockholm in August 1953 Hand of the Cause Dorothy Beecher Baker asked for a Bahá'í to settle in Andorra and French-born William Danjon Dieudonne volunteered. He left his home in Denmark and arrived in on 7 October 1953 and so was listed as a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh thereafter. In 1954 two residents of Andorra, Carmen Tost Xifre de Mingorance and her husband, Jose Mingorance Fernandez, joined the religion.
According to the biography at Radio Andorra
in July 1955 Danjon was hired by Radio Andorra where he worked under a pseudonym on air: Michel Avril. Michael is his middle name and Avril, the month of birth (April). He did not hide that he had come to promote the religion. In May 1963 Danjon left Radio Andorra and became Assistant Secretary of the Syndicat d'Initiatives Valleys of Andorra in Andorra la Vella, then in 1966 became director of the House of Andorra in Paris. Then from 1975 to 1981 he worked at Sud Radio
and then joined the Andorran Ministry of Education and Culture until 1989.
By 1978 European countries other than Soviet and Microstates of Europe
had their own Bahá'í National Assembly. In the case of the microstates, most had one one local assembly per state (an assembly requires at least 9 adult members of the religion in good standing in a civic boundary.) Some Andorran Bahá'ís went on pilgrimage in 1992.
In 2003 the Andorran government co-sponsored a resolution passed by the third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly
which expressed "serious concern" over continuing violations of human rights in Iran—and mentions specifically "continuing discrimination" against Baha'is and other religious minorities. See Persecution of Bahá'ís
.
Second generation Bahá'í Jose Mingorance Tost was chairman of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Andorra in 2004 and the secretary is Badi Daemi. Marc Forné Molné
, then Head of Government of Andorra
, attended a reception before the ceremony for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of a community of the religion in 1954.
Regional conferences were called for by the Universal House of Justice
, current head of the religion, in October 2008 and one was held for the Iberian peninsula 24–25 January 2009 to celebrate recent achievements in grassroots community-building and to plan their next steps in organizing in their home areas. Among the 1400 attendees were two Baha’is came from Andorra.
(relying on World Christian Encyclopedia
) the Bahá'ís amounted to 0.1% or about 80 Bahá'ís. In 2010 Wolfram Alpha
lists 0.1459% or about 120 Bahá'ís.
Bahá'í literature
Bahá'í literature, like much religious text, covers a variety of topics and forms, including scripture and inspiration, interpretation, history and biography, introduction and study materials, and apologia...
when `Abdu'l-Bahá
`Abdu'l-Bahá
‘Abdu’l-Bahá , born ‘Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá was born in Tehran to an aristocratic family of the realm...
listed it as a place to take the religion to in 1916. The first Bahá'í to pioneer
Pioneering (Bahá'í)
A pioneer is a volunteer Bahá'í who leaves his or her home to journey to another place for the purpose of teaching the Bahá'í Faith. The act of so moving is termed pioneering. Bahá'ís refrain from using the term "missionary"...
to Andorra was William Danjon Dieudonne in 1953. By 1979 a Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly in Andorra-la-Vella is known. In 2005 according to the Association of Religion Data Archives
Association of religion data archives
The Association of Religion Data Archives is a free source of online information related to American and international religion. Founded as the American Religion Data Archive in 1997, and online since 1998, the archive was initially targeted at researchers interested in American religion...
(relying on World Christian Encyclopedia
World Christian Encyclopedia
World Christian Encyclopedia is a reference work published by Oxford University Press, known for providing membership statistics for major and minor world religions in every country of the world, including historical data and projections of future populations.The first edition, by David B. Barrett,...
) there were about 80 Bahá'ís in Andorra. In 2010 Wolfram Alpha
Wolfram Alpha
Wolfram Alpha is an answer-engine developed by Wolfram Research. It is an online service that answers factual queries directly by computing the answer from structured data, rather than providing a list of documents or web pages that might contain the answer as a search engine might...
estimated about 120 Bahá'ís.
`Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablets of the Divine Plan
In the history of the Bahá'í FaithBahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
the first mention of Andorra
Andorra
Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
is in the twentieth century. `Abdu'l-Bahá
`Abdu'l-Bahá
‘Abdu’l-Bahá , born ‘Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá was born in Tehran to an aristocratic family of the realm...
, the son of the founder of the religion, wrote a series of letters, or tablets, to the followers of the religion in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1916-1917; these letters were compiled together in the book titled Tablets of the Divine Plan
Tablets of the Divine Plan
The Tablets of the Divine Plan collectively refers to 14 letters written between September 1916 and March 1917 by `Abdu'l-Bahá to Bahá'ís in the United States and Canada. Included in multiple books, the first five tablets were printed in America in Star of the West - Vol. VII, No. 10, September 8,...
. The seventh of the tablets was the first to mention several countries in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
including beyond where `Abdu'l-Bahá had visited in 1911-12. Written on April 11, 1916, it was delayed in being presented in the United States until 1919 — after the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the Spanish flu
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
. The seventh tablet was translated and presented by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab
Mirza Ahmad Sohrab
Mírzá Aḥmad Sohráb was a Persian-American author and Bahá'í who co-founded the New History Society and the Caravan of East and West in New York, and was excommunicated from the Bahá'í Faith in 1939 by Shoghi Effendi.-Early life:...
on April 4, 1919, and published in Star of the West
Star of the West (Bahá'í magazine)
The Star of the West was a Bahá'í periodical which began publication on March 21, 1910 and ended publication under this title in March of 1935....
magazine on December 12, 1919.
"In brief, this world-consuming war has set such a conflagration to the hearts that no word can describe it. In all the countries of the world the longing for universal peace is taking possession of the consciousness of men. There is not a soul who does not yearn for concord and peace. 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, Luxembourg, Monaco, San Marino, Balearic Isles, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Crete, Malta, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Shetland Islands, Hebrides and Orkney Islands."
Establishment of the community
Starting in 1946, following World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Shoghi Effendi
Shoghi Effendi
Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...
, head of the religion after `Abdu'l-Bahá, drew up plans for the American (US and Canada) Bahá'í community to send pioneers
Pioneering (Bahá'í)
A pioneer is a volunteer Bahá'í who leaves his or her home to journey to another place for the purpose of teaching the Bahá'í Faith. The act of so moving is termed pioneering. Bahá'ís refrain from using the term "missionary"...
to Europe; the Bahá'ís setup a European Teaching Committee chaired by Edna True. At a followup conference in Stockholm in August 1953 Hand of the Cause Dorothy Beecher Baker asked for a Bahá'í to settle in Andorra and French-born William Danjon Dieudonne volunteered. He left his home in Denmark and arrived in on 7 October 1953 and so was listed as a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh thereafter. In 1954 two residents of Andorra, Carmen Tost Xifre de Mingorance and her husband, Jose Mingorance Fernandez, joined the religion.
According to the biography at Radio Andorra
Radio Andorra
Radio Andorra is the name of one of the oldest French private radios, which from 1939 until 1981 had a broadcast license in Andorra.-History:...
in July 1955 Danjon was hired by Radio Andorra where he worked under a pseudonym on air: Michel Avril. Michael is his middle name and Avril, the month of birth (April). He did not hide that he had come to promote the religion. In May 1963 Danjon left Radio Andorra and became Assistant Secretary of the Syndicat d'Initiatives Valleys of Andorra in Andorra la Vella, then in 1966 became director of the House of Andorra in Paris. Then from 1975 to 1981 he worked at Sud Radio
Sud Radio
Sud Radio is a French privately owned broadcasting company. Sud Radio was founded in 1962. Until 1981it used a high-power mediumwave transmitter on Pic Blanc in Andorra....
and then joined the Andorran Ministry of Education and Culture until 1989.
Growth
In 1963 statistics on the community listed a registered group (less than 9 Bahá'ís) in Andorra-la-Vella. A Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly is noted in 1979 - as well as Bahá'ís living in a total of 3 locations in Andorra.By 1978 European countries other than Soviet and Microstates of Europe
Microstates and the European Union
There are a number of microstates in Europe; due to their size, they are often closely linked with another larger state. Currently, the European microstates have special relations with the European Union....
had their own Bahá'í National Assembly. In the case of the microstates, most had one one local assembly per state (an assembly requires at least 9 adult members of the religion in good standing in a civic boundary.) Some Andorran Bahá'ís went on pilgrimage in 1992.
In 2003 the Andorran government co-sponsored a resolution passed by the third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
which expressed "serious concern" over continuing violations of human rights in Iran—and mentions specifically "continuing discrimination" against Baha'is and other religious minorities. See Persecution of Bahá'ís
Persecution of Bahá'ís
The persecution of Bahá'ís is the religious persecution of Bahá'ís in various countries, especially in Iran, where the Bahá'í Faith originated and the location of one of the largest Bahá'í populations in the world...
.
Second generation Bahá'í Jose Mingorance Tost was chairman of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Andorra in 2004 and the secretary is Badi Daemi. Marc Forné Molné
Marc Forné Molné
Marc Forné i Molné was the Head of Government of Andorra from 7 December 1994 to 27 May 2005. After 2 full terms, he was succeeded by Albert Pintat after he won the April 2005 election...
, then Head of Government of Andorra
Head of Government of Andorra
The Head of Government is the chief executive of the government of the Principality of Andorra.The current Cap de Govern is Antoni Martí.-Heads of Government:-See also:*List of Co-Princes of Andorra...
, attended a reception before the ceremony for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of a community of the religion in 1954.
Regional conferences were called for by the Universal House of Justice
Universal House of Justice
The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the Bahá'í Faith. It is a legislative institution with the authority to supplement and apply the laws of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and exercises a judicial function as the highest appellate institution in the...
, current head of the religion, in October 2008 and one was held for the Iberian peninsula 24–25 January 2009 to celebrate recent achievements in grassroots community-building and to plan their next steps in organizing in their home areas. Among the 1400 attendees were two Baha’is came from Andorra.
Demographics
In 2005 according to the Association of Religion Data ArchivesAssociation of religion data archives
The Association of Religion Data Archives is a free source of online information related to American and international religion. Founded as the American Religion Data Archive in 1997, and online since 1998, the archive was initially targeted at researchers interested in American religion...
(relying on World Christian Encyclopedia
World Christian Encyclopedia
World Christian Encyclopedia is a reference work published by Oxford University Press, known for providing membership statistics for major and minor world religions in every country of the world, including historical data and projections of future populations.The first edition, by David B. Barrett,...
) the Bahá'ís amounted to 0.1% or about 80 Bahá'ís. In 2010 Wolfram Alpha
Wolfram Alpha
Wolfram Alpha is an answer-engine developed by Wolfram Research. It is an online service that answers factual queries directly by computing the answer from structured data, rather than providing a list of documents or web pages that might contain the answer as a search engine might...
lists 0.1459% or about 120 Bahá'ís.