Online Zoom Forum: Baha'i Spirituality: Values, Principles, and Practices.
Date: Wednesday 17 June 2026.
Time: 7pm-9pm (UK time).
Event Description:
Format: There will be five talks, each of 12 minutes, followed by discussion among the speakers and the chair, followed by Q & A.
Chair:
Dr Maureen Sier:
Bio: Maureen is a graduate of Aberdeen University where she graduated with a PhD in Theology. After graduation she taught sociology and history at the National University of Samoa (South Pacific) for four years.
In 2002 Maureen was appointed as the Interfaith Development Officer for the Scottish Interfaith Council and in 2012 as the Director of Interfaith Scotland (retired 1 June 2026). She was the first UK scholar to be awarded a Fulbright US/UK International Interfaith scholarship. This scholarship led to interfaith engagement throughout the US and to Maureen setting up a Scotland Abroad Faith Exchange (SAFE) Program which has led to interfaith learning exchanges in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Maureen has served as a Trustee of the Coordinating Committee of the European Women of Faith Network (World Religions for Peace) and as a Trustee on the Board of the Interfaith Network for the UK (IFN).
Maureen became a member of the Baha’i Faith aged 17 and has served on various National Baha’i Institutions both in Scotland and in Samoa and is currently focussing on assisting in setting up a Baha’i Office of Public Affairs in Scotland.
She is married to Nick and has 4 children and 7 grandchildren.
Speakers:
Dr Robert H. Stockman:
Title: Walking the Mystic Path with Practical Feet: Bahá’í Spirituality.
Description: Bahá’í spirituality could equally be called the Bahá’í path of personal transformation. This path is both mystical and practical. It involves both an internal aspect (development of the self) and an external aspect (development of relationships with others). It has both a vertical aspect (relationship with the Divine) and horizontal aspects (relationships with other human beings). None of these aspects can be separated, for the development of the self occurs in relationship, and relationships are strengthened by the deepening of the self; furthermore, the development of the relationship with God is intimately connected to the development of one’s relationships with people and things.
Bahá'u'lláh says that the purpose of the Manifestations of God (like Jesus, Muhammad, and Bahá’u’lláh, to name a few) is to make it possible for each person to “advance and develop until he attaineth the station at which he can manifest all the potential forces with which his inmost true self hath been endowed” (Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, no. 27). These potentials of the inmost true self include all the attributes of God. In another passage, speaking in the voice of God, Bahá'u'lláh exhorts the reader to “turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting” (Bahá'u'lláh, Arabic Hidden Words, no. 13). True knowledge of one’s self, in a sense, is knowledge of God. Thus the self—the immortal soul—is a powerful instrument for understanding the Divine, as mystics throughout the ages have discovered.
Since the true self consists of all the attributes of God in potential form, learning how to manifest these attributes ever more perfectly is a central goal of life. The Bahá’í scriptures emphasize “vertical” ways to develop one’s attributes (obligatory prayers, regular prayer, study of scriptures, recitation of the Greatest Name, fasting) and “horizontal” ways (a chaste and holy life, serving others, teaching others, involvement in the Bahá’í community, contributing to the Bahá’í Fund). It rejects celibacy and emphasizes marriage and family life; rejects monasticism and calls for involvement in the world; eliminates clergy in favor of a direct individual relationship with God and consultation with others about one’s spiritual growth.
Bio: Robert H. Stockman obtained his Master's degree and doctorate in Religious Studies from Harvard University, where he specialized in history of religion in the United States. He is the author of The Bahá'í Faith in America, volumes 1 and 2, which cover Bahá'í events in the United States from 1892 to 1900 and 1901 to 1912 respectively; Thornton Chase: The First American Bahá'í; `Abdu'l-Bahá in America, a volume that reviews `Abdu'l-Bahá’s 8-month journey across North America; The Bahá'í Faith: A Guide for the Perplexed, which is an introductory text and part of Bloomsbury’s “Guide for the Perplexed” series; an introductory short work on the Bahá'í Faith and nonviolence published by Cambridge; various articles and book reviews on Bahá'í history and theology published in a number of journals, including The Journal of Baha’i Studies, Baha’i Studies Review, World Order, Iranian Studies, Nova Religio, and Religion; and numerous encyclopedia articles on the Bahá'í Faith, including articles in the Bahá'í Encyclopedia. He edited The World of the Bahá'í Faith, a 51-chapter survey of the Faith published by Routledge. He has lectured on Bahá'í topics across the United States and in Europe, Russia, Ukraine, and Israel, and is a frequent contributor to Bahá'í panels at the American Academy of Religion. He was an instructor of religious studies at DePaul University in Chicago 1990-2012 and currently teaches religious studies at Indiana University South Bend. He was Director of the Wilmette Institute, the Bahá'í online educational agency, 2000-2022 and currently directs the Corinne True Center for Bahá'í History. He has served on the editorial boards of the Bahá'í Encyclopedia Project, Journal of Bahá'í Studies, and World Order magazine. He lives with his wife and two children in South Bend, Indiana.
Dr Robert H. Stockman, his wife, and children live in South Bend, Indiana. Robert received his doctorate in the history of religion in the United States from Harvard University in 1990. He was Director of the Wilmette Institute in Wilmette, Ill. and is an instructor of religious studies at Indiana University South Bend, where he teaches world religions. Robert has published articles in a number of journals, including The Journal of Baha’i Studies, Baha’i Studies Review, World Order, Iranian Studies and Religion. He wrote a study of early American Bahá’í history in two volumes, The Bahá'í Faith in America, Vol. 1, Origins, 1892-1900 (Wilmette, Ill.: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1985); The Bahá'í Faith in America, Vol. 2, Early Expansion, 1900-1912 (Oxford: George Ronald, 1995); a biography of the first American Baha’i, Thornton Chase: The First American Bahá'í (Wilmette, Ill.: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 2002); `Abdu'l-Bahá in America (Wilmette, Ill.: Bahá'í Publishing, 2012), a volume that reviews `Abdu'l-Baha’s 8-month journey across North America; The Bahá'í Faith: A Guide for the Perplexed (Bloomsbury, 2012), an introductory textbook that is part of their “guide for the perplexed” series; and The Bahá'í Faith, Violence, and Nonviolence, published by Cambridge. He also edited The World of the Bahá'í Faith, a 51-chapter survey of the Faith published by Routledge.
Dr Moojan Momen:
Title: From Principle to Practice - Creating a New World Order.
Description: Writing in 1873, Baha'u'llah announced that he would bring in a New World Order. This presentation looks at one of the key features of this new order, the creation of a more egalitarian society and describes what the Baha'is are doing to bring this about.
Bio: Dr Moojan Momen was born in Iran, but was raised and educated in England, attending the University of Cambridge. He has a special interest in the study of Shi`i Islam, the Baha'i Faith, and the study of the phenomenon of religion. His principal publications in these fields include: Introduction to Shi`i Islam; The Phenomenon of Religion (republished as Understanding Religion); Understanding the Baha’i Faith; and The Baha'i Communities of Iran (1851-1921). He has contributed articles to encyclopaedias such as Encyclopedia Iranica and Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World as well as papers to many academic journals.
Dr Mikhail Sergeev:
Title: The Baha’i Faith as a Meta-Religion: Rethinking Religious Diversity.
Description: This talk examines the Baha’i Faith as a meta-religious framework for understanding religious diversity. Rather than viewing religions as competing truth claims or merely as coexisting traditions, the Baha’i perspective interprets them as stages in a single, historically unfolding process of revelation originating from a single transcendent source. The focus is not confessional theology, but the structure of religious thought implied by this model—how diversity can be understood as meaningful, non-competitive, and internally coherent. By reflecting on progressive revelation as an alternative to both exclusivism and simple pluralism, the talk contributes to contemporary public discussions on religion, spirituality, and interreligious understanding.
Bio: Mikhail Sergeev is a scholar of religion and philosophy with over 35 years of experience in higher education teaching. His work focuses on religion in public discourse, comparative perspectives, and the philosophical interpretation of religious traditions. He is also engaged in public intellectual projects, including lectures, dialogues, and international forums on religion and culture.
Dr Tahirih Danesh:
Bio: Focussed on increasing enjoyment of socioeconomic rights and development through education and legislation, Dr. Danesh is particularly passionate about optimising impact by sustainably mainstreaming young marginalised and minority populations through universal access to and participation in education and employment sectors. A serial civic entrepreneur, an advocate of the United Nations Global Compact Principles and a member of The 30% Club, she has worked with a third of the world’s countries, primarily post-crisis and conflict, through creating a culture of growth.
She seeks and welcomes opportunities to promote philanthropy with high net worth individuals but remains most passionate about elevating shared consciousness through practical approaches to complex processes. Dr. Danesh holds a PhD in law and has contributed to a range of publications, including in human rights, policy and education.
Allan Forsyth:
Title: A Consciousness Emerging Through Collective Action.
Description: Personal reflections on the spiritual and material learning emerging from the Baha'i Community's work at its current stage of development
Bio: I have been a practicing Baha'i for 39 years and have served in a variety of administrative roles within the community, primarily as a member of the Baha'i Council for Scotland. My background is in IT and I am currently Head of Systems Development at New College Lanarkshire.
An archive recording will be made for the EICSP archive.
NB: There will be no refund if you cancel your booking.
Cost: By Paypal:
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Account Name: Edinburgh International Centre for Spirituality and Peace
Bank: Bank of Scotland
Bank Address: Edinburgh Royal Mile Branch
Account Number: 06131159
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GB70 BOFS 8020 0006 1311 59
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