Bahá'í Faith in Sweden
Encyclopedia
The Bahá'í Faith in Sweden began after coverage in the 19th century 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. 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
. In 1962 the first National Spiritual Assembly of Sweden was elected. The Bahá'ís claim about 1,000 members and 25 local assemblies in Sweden.
, 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
. 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.
, 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 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.
and worked in a local school. He was followed a year or two later by Edvard Olsson. 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. 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 on 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.September 1929 and a Weekly Review, 5. September 1929. 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. In 1935 Louise Eriksson, on 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, 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. Bowman then traveled to Göteborg where she was again able to bring the community together and elect its first assembly in 1948-9 - (it lapsed but was re-elected in 1952.) Bowman then moved to Oslo Norway in 1949 and spent the next 33 years pioneering in various countries of Europe.
, Sweden
and Denmark
was established in 1957. A separate 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.
beginning by giving greater freedom to women, promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern, and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and clinics. The religion entered a new phase of activity when a message of the Universal House of Justice
dated 20 October 1983 was released. Bahá'ís were urged to seek out ways, compatible with the Bahá'í teachings
, in which they could become involved in the social and economic development of the communities in which they lived. Worldwide in 1979 there were 129 officially recognized Bahá'í socio-economic development projects. By 1987, the number of officially recognized development projects had increased to 1482. The Swedish 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 and went on to write a number of papers and teach. In 2004 the community began to support the Barli Development Institute for Rural Women. The Swedish Bahá'í community hosted the Nordic Baha'i Youth Conference in 2005 and 2009. A number of small projects are being carried on in Stockholm, Göteborg, Sigtuna
, and Uppsala
.
(relying on World Christian Encyclopedia
) estimated some 6,200 Bahá'ís in 2005.
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"...
or visited the country starting in 1920. By 1932 translations of Bahá'í literature
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...
had been accomplished and around 1947 the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly had been elected in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. In 1962 the first National Spiritual Assembly of Sweden was elected. The Bahá'ís claim about 1,000 members and 25 local assemblies in Sweden.
Early history
The first mentions of the religion happened when the book En resa in Persia, published 1869, which mentions the BábBáb
Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází was the founder of Bábism, and one of three central figures of the Bahá'í Faith. He was a merchant from Shíráz, Persia, who at the age of twenty-four claimed to be the promised Qá'im . After his declaration he took the title of Báb meaning "Gate"...
, 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
Kringsjaa
Kringsjaa was a periodical which was published weekly from 1893–1910. It was published by Olaf Norlis forlag in Kristiania. The paper was around 80–100 pages, and was based on subscription...
No. 2 from July 31, 1896. The Swedish artist Ivan Aguéli
Ivan Aguéli
Ivan Aguéli also named Sheikh 'Abd al-Hādī 'Aqīlī upon his acceptance of Islam, was a Swedish wandering Sufi, painter and author. As a devotee of Ibn Arabi, his metaphysics applied to the study of Islamic esoterism and its similarities with other esoteric traditions of the world...
meet `Abdu'l-Bahá in 1902. In 1912 Louise M. Erickson attended the dedication of the first Bahá'í House of Worship
Bahá'í House of Worship
A Bahá'í House of Worship, sometimes referred to by its Arabic name of Mashriqu'l-Adhkár ,is the designation of a place of worship, or temple, of the Bahá'í Faith...
in the West - in Chicago, United States. The first comprehensive article covering the religion was in the July 2, 1913 issue of Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet is a Swedish tabloid founded by Lars Johan Hierta in 1830 during the modernization of Sweden. It is one of the larger daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. Aftonbladet is owned by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and Norwegian media group Schibsted, and its editorial page...
. 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.
`Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablets of the Divine Plan
`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...
, then head 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."
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, became the first Swedish Bahá'í pioneer in July 1920, with permission of `Abdu'l-Baha, on returning from Kenosha and Chicago, United States where he and his brothers had sold their inventions. Rudd settled in BodaBoda glasbruk
Boda glasbruk is a locality situated in Emmaboda Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 201 inhabitants in 2005.One of the glassworks of Kosta-Boda are situated here. The village was renamed from Förlångskvarn when the glassworks opened in 1874....
and worked in a local school. He was followed a year or two later by Edvard Olsson. 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
John Esslemont
John Ebenezer Esslemont M.B., Ch.B. , was a prominent British Bahá'í from Scotland. He was the author of the well-known introductory book on the Bahá'í Faith, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era, which is still in circulation. He was named posthumously by Shoghi Effendi as the first Hand of the Cause he...
. August and Ann married though August died on February 13, 1926. Nya Wermlands-Tidningen
Nya Wermlands-Tidningen
Nya Wermlands-Tidningen , shortened NWT, is a Swedish local newspaper distributed in the provinces of Värmland, Dalsland and western Dalarna....
published a letter in the May 2, 1924 issue by Anna Rudd. Helsingborgs Dagblad
Helsingborgs Dagblad
Helsingborgs Dagblad is the largest local newspaper in Swedish, published in Helsingborg in Skåne. It was founded in 1847. In 1892 it became one of the first daily papers in Sweden....
covered Martha Root
Martha Root
Martha Louise Root was a prominent traveling teacher of the Bahá'í Faith in the late 19th and early 20th century. Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith called her "the foremost travel teacher in the first Bahá'í Century", and named her a Hand of the Cause posthumously...
's visit to Sweden where she participated in an Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
congress in Stockholm. Root made a return trip also covered by Dagblad printed on 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
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, 2.September 1929 and a Weekly Review, 5. September 1929. 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
Kitáb-i-Íqán
The Kitáb-i-Íqán is one of many books held sacred by followers of the Bahá'í Faith; it is their primary theological work. One Bahá'í scholar states that it can be regarded as the "most influential Koran commentary in Persian outside the Muslim world," because of its international audience. It is...
in 1936. In 1935 Louise Eriksson, on another visit in Sweden, had the opportunity to meet former Chief Magistrate Carl Lindhagen
Carl Lindhagen
Carl Albert Lindhagen was a Swedish lawyer, socialist politician, and pacifist.Carl Lindhagen was the Chief Magistrate of Stockholm 1903 – 1930...
and on March 19, 1935, she received an audience with then Crown Prince Gustaf-Adolf
Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden
Gustaf VI Adolf - Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf - was King of Sweden from October 29, 1950 until his death. His official title was King of Sweden, of the Goths and of the Wends. He was the eldest son of King Gustaf V and his wife Victoria of Baden...
- reported by the Aftonbladet on March 21, 1935, Anna Rudd Palmgren died 27 August 1943. Following World War II
World 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...
, 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
Dorothy Baker
-Early life:She was born Dorothy Dodds on April 21, 1907 in Missoula, Montana and raised in California. Baker attended Whittier College, then transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles, from which she graduated in 1929...
was able to bring about the election of the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
in 1947-8. Bowman then traveled to Göteborg where she was again able to bring the community together and elect its first assembly in 1948-9 - (it lapsed but was re-elected in 1952.) Bowman then moved to Oslo Norway in 1949 and spent the next 33 years pioneering in various countries of Europe.
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 including a long letter from Shoghi Effendi 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, FinlandFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
was established in 1957. A separate National Spiritual Assembly of Sweden was first elected in 1962. By the end of 1963 there were Local Spiritual Assemblies in Göteborg, Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, and Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
. Smaller groups of Bahá'ís were in Alafors, Brastad
Brastad
Brastad is a locality situated in Lysekil Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 1,821 inhabitants in 2005....
, Sundbyberg - and an additional 16 isolated individuals spread through the country.
Modern community
Since its inception the religion has had involvement in socio-economic developmentSocio-economic development (Bahá'í)
Since its inception the Bahá'í Faith has had involvement in socio-economic development beginning by giving greater freedom to women, promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern, and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and...
beginning by giving greater freedom to women, promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern, and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and clinics. The religion entered a new phase of activity when a message of 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...
dated 20 October 1983 was released. Bahá'ís were urged to seek out ways, compatible with the Bahá'í teachings
Bahá'í teachings
The Bahá'í teachings represent a considerable number of theological, social, and spiritual ideas that were established in the Bahá'í Faith by Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the religion, and clarified by successive leaders including `Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'u'lláh's son, and Shoghi Effendi, `Abdu'l-Bahá's...
, in which they could become involved in the social and economic development of the communities in which they lived. Worldwide in 1979 there were 129 officially recognized Bahá'í socio-economic development projects. By 1987, the number of officially recognized development projects had increased to 1482. The Swedish 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
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
wrote a MA thesis, entitled Bahá'í Apocalypticism: The Bahá'í Concept of Progressive Revelation and went on to write a number of papers and teach. In 2004 the community began to support the Barli Development Institute for Rural Women. The Swedish Bahá'í community hosted the Nordic Baha'i Youth Conference in 2005 and 2009. A number of small projects are being carried on in Stockholm, Göteborg, Sigtuna
Sigtuna
Sigtuna is a locality situated in Sigtuna Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 18 inhabitants in 2005. It is the namesake of the municipality even though the seat is in Märsta....
, and Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
.
Demographics
The Bahá'ís claim about 1,000 Bahá'ís and 25 local assemblies in Sweden from Umeå in the north to Malmö in the south. In November 2009 the Swedish paper Västerbottens-Kuriren reported that 25 local non-profit Bahá'í organization had changed their organizational form to religious communions. The central Bahá'í secretariat in Stockholm stated at the time that the Baha'i Faith in Sweden had 1003 members. 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,...
) estimated some 6,200 Bahá'ís in 2005.
See also
- Religion in SwedenReligion in SwedenSweden was Christianized from Norse paganism in the 11th century. Since the 16th century Sweden has been predominantly Lutheran. From the Protestant Reformation in the 1530s until 2000, the Lutheran Church of Sweden was the state church...
- History of SwedenHistory of SwedenModern Sweden started out of the Kalmar Union formed in 1397 and by the unification of the country by King Gustav Vasa in the 16th century. In the 17th century Sweden expanded its territories to form the Swedish empire. Most of these conquered territories had to be given up during the 18th century...
- Bahá'í Faith in DenmarkBahá'í Faith in DenmarkThe Bahá'í Faith in Denmark began in 1925, but it was more than 20 years before the Bahá'í community in Denmark began to grow after the arrival of American Bahá'í pioneers in 1946. Following that period of growth, the community established its Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly in 1962...
- Bahá'í Faith in NorwayBahá'í Faith in NorwayThe Bahá'í Faith in Norway began with contact between traveling Scandinavians with early Persian believers of the Bahá'í Faith in the mid-to-late 19th century...
- Bahá'í Faith in FinlandBahá'í Faith in FinlandThe Bahá'í Faith in Finland began with contact between traveling Scandinavians with early Persian believers of the Bahá'í Faith in the mid-to-late 19th century while Finland was politically part of the Russian Empire...