The Ascent of Society: The Social Imperative in Personal Salvation

Couverture
Baha'i Publishing Trust, 2007 - 331 pages
In The Ascent of Society: The Social Imperative in Personal Salvation, author John S. Hatcher answers questions that have been explored by spiritual seekers for many yearshow does personal spiritual development translate into social experience? Is there a social imperative connected with individual spiritual growth? Is involvement with others necessary for one to evolve spiritually? This penetrating study describes the objective of personal spiritual growth as an ever-expanding sense of self that requires social relationships in order to develop. Hatcher focuses on the Bah belief that human history is a divinely guided process in which spiritual principles are gradually and progressively expressed in social institutions. He demonstrates that the aspirant to spiritual transformation cannot view personal health and development as being possible apart from the progress of human society as a whole.

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Table des matières

The Twin Duties in Relation to Physical Reality
38
Spiritual Ascent as Artistic Process
52
4 The Social Imperative in Personal Salvation
65
Achieving Selflessness in a Contemporary Environment
89
The Importance of Human Volition
95
Human History as a Spiritual Dynamic
99
The Need for External Assistance
106
Gradual Unification of the Process
114
Americas Strategic Role and Plight in This Process
180
What This Ordeal Will Accomplish
189
The Stage of EstablishmentClimax of the Lesser Peace
213
Modeling the Future
225
Procedures and Protocols of Governance in the Present
235
The Baháí Calendar
280
An Abiding Image of a World Commonwealth
288
Notes
295

The Strategic Importance of the Present Age
120
6 A New Wineskin for the New Wine
131
The Most Immediate Problem for the New Jerusalem
140
Choice Wine at the Family Reunion
151
Bibliography
311
Index
317
Droits d'auteur

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