ALL COURSES
�Founders of Faith� or �Teachers of Humanity�
� an exploration of common patterns in the lives and teachings of Moses, Zoroaster, Krishna, Buddha, Christ, Muhammad, Nanak and Baha�u�llah.
�Eastern Religions� and �Western Religions�
� the origin and development of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Sikhism as major Eastern religions; as well as the origin and development of Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Islam and the Baha�i Faith as major Western religions.
�Comparative Prophecies� or �Visions of Humanity�s Future�
� an exploration of common themes in the prophetic scriptures of all major religions regarding a culminating era for all of humanity, a Day of Promise and Judgment.
�Native & Eastern Prophecies� and �Western Prophecies�
� visions of One Hoop and Rainbow Nations, the Golden Age, the Pure Land, the Grand Unity, the Great Peace, the Messianic Age, the Final Restoration, the New Millennium, the Day of Resurrection, and the Most Great Peace.
�Civilizations & Religions� or �Why Do Civilizations Rise & Fall?�
� stages of birth, growth, maintenance, decline and death in major civilizations � Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Israel, Persia, Greece, Rome, Western Christendom, Middle Eastern Islamdom � as well as prospects for global religion and civilization.
�Women Mystics� or �Multifaith Mystics�
� the experiences and insights of Hypatia of Alexandria, Rabia of Basra, Hildegard of Bingen, Teresa of Avila, Tahirih of Persia, Barbara Marx Hubbard, along with the general features of Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, Islamic, and Baha�i mysticism.
�Spirit & Virtue: An Interfaith Appreciation�
� the nature of spirituality and virtue, their interconnections, and their role in the founding and development of major religious civilizations � both Eastern and Western � as well as in Native traditions, Classical philosophy, and New Age spirituality.
�The Interfaith Adventure� and �Interfaith Dialogue�
� exploring religious plurality and interfaith progress, along with the challenges and dangers to be found in interfaith relations, yesterday and today; as well as an examination of the history, current dynamics and possible future of the interfaith movement.
�Centuries of Darkness & Light�
� re-configuring the last two centuries of world history, which have been viewed as the best of times and the worst of times, in light of modern religious and spiritual movements, and the emerging global civilization.
�Evolution: Unfolding Life, Culture & Spirit�
� a history-of-ideas approach to �evolution�, including the Genesis account, the Great Chain of Being, philosophers of evolution, Darwinian theory, neo-Darwinism, �creative process� thinkers, as well as the topics of �spirit�, �purpose�, �culture�, �consciousness� and �revelation� as related to evolution.
�Jews, Christians & Muslims: Legacies of Hope�
� exploring the commonalities, differences and interwoven destinies of three Abrahamic faiths, accenting promising possibilities without ignoring conflicts in the past and present.
�Islam: Origins, Development, Present & Future�
� an objective look at Islamic beginnings in the Arabia of Muhammad�s day, its spectacular development and tragic decline as a civilization, its current challenges and hopes for the future.
�Philosophers of Religion�
� examining the perspectives on religion taken by Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, Augustine, Sankara, Ramanuja, Al-Ghazali, Aquinas, Kant, Marx, Nietzsche, Bergson, Whitehead, and Radhakrishnan.
�Philosophers of History�
� examining the perspectives on history taken by Confucius, Augustine, Ibn Khaldun, Hegel, Marx, Abdul-Baha, Spengler, Schweitzer, Kang Youwei, Sorokin, Toynbee.
�Progressive Revelation�
� examining the scriptural teachings in Eastern and Western religions regarding how the various dispensations and their founders are related, along with ideas on development and progress in sacred texts.
�Complementary Religions�
� a study of some religious traditions that are often considered �minor� in comparison to �major� religions; common themes in Sabaeanism, Hermeticism, Greek Philosophy, Jainism, Confucianism, Taoism, Gnosticism, Sikhism, Unitarianism, Mormonism, Theosophy, African Religions, and Native American Spirituality.
�Five World Religions�
� two sessions provide a brief, but useful and stimulating overview of five ministries and five faith traditions.
Baha�i Sacred Text: �Some Answered Questions�
� exploring Abdul-Baha�s response to many religious concerns that emerge from Western religious experience; main topics include patterns in the mission of the Founders of Faith, interpretation of prophecy, Christian theological issues, comparing the station of humanity and the station of Divine Intermediaries, nature and evolution, spiritual psychology, social ethics and metaphysical perplexities.
Baha�i Sacred Test: �The Secret of Divine Civilization�
� exploring Abdul-Baha�s guidance on the moral, spiritual and institutional maturation of humanity; main topics include the foundational importance of virtues, the role of religion in generating the historic civilizations, the importance of education in social transformation, and the inevitability of global governance in establishing an ever-advancing civilization.
Baha�i Sacred Text: �Gems of Divine Mysteries�
� exploring Baha�u�llah�s guidance on mystical themes and the stages of spiritual growth, as well as on the interpretation of prophecy, scriptural symbolism, revelatory authority, the transition between sequential dispensations, and the nature of the �Day of God�.
