Bahá'í Faith in Panama - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The history of the Bahá'í Faith in Panama begins with a mention by `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 Bahá'í Faith

Bahá'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....

, in the book 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,...

, published in 1919; the same year, 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...

made a trip around South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

and included Panama

Panama

Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

on the return leg of the trip up the west coast. The first 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"...

began to settle in Panama in 1940. The first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly of Panama, in Panama City

Panama City

Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...

, was elected in 1946, and the National Spiritual Assembly was first elected in 1961. The Bahá'ís of Panama raised a 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 1972. In 1983 and again in 1992, some commemorative stamps were produced in Panama while the community turned its interests to the San Miguelito

San Miguelito, Panamá

San Miguelito District is a district of Panamá Province in Panama. The population according to the 2000 census was 293,745.The district covers a total area of 50 km²...

and Chiriqui

Chiriquí Province

Chiriquí is a province of Panama, it is located on the western coast of Panama, and it is also the second most developed province in the country, after the Panamá Province. Its capital is the city of David. It has a total area of 6,490.9 km², with a population of 416,873 as of the year 2010...

regions of Panama with schools and a radio station. One 2006 estimate of the Bahá'í community of Panama puts its size at 2.00% of the national population, or about 60,000.

`Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablets of the Divine Plan

`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

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 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 sixth of the tablets was the first to mention Latin America

Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...

n regions and was written on April 8, 1916, but was delayed in being presented in the United States until 1919—after the end of the First World War

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 sixth 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. After mentioning the need for the message of the religion to visit the Latin American countries `Abdu'l-Bahá continues:

All the above countries have importance, but especially the Republic of Panama, wherein the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans come together through the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...

. It is a center for travel and passage from America to other continents of the world, and in the future it will gain most great importance.....

Martha Root

's first trip was from July to November 1919, and included Panama on the return leg of the trip up the west coast of South America.

Following the Tablets and about the time of `Abdu'l-Bahá's passing in 1921, a few other Bahá'ís began moving to, or at least visiting, Latin America.

Early phase

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 the death of `Abdu'l-Bahá, wrote a cable

Telegraphy

Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages via some form of signalling technology. Telegraphy requires messages to be converted to a code which is known to both sender and receiver...

on May 1, 1936 to the Bahá'í Annual Convention of the United States and Canada, and asked for the systematic implementation of `Abdu'l-Bahá's vision to begin. In his cable he wrote:

Appeal to assembled delegates ponder historic appeal voiced by `Abdu'l-Bahá in Tablets of the Divine Plan. Urge earnest deliberation with incoming National Assembly to insure its complete fulfillment. First century of Bahá'í Era drawing to a close. Humanity entering outer fringes most perilous stage its existence. Opportunities of present hour unimaginably precious. Would to God every State within American Republic and every Republic in American continent might ere termination of this glorious century embrace the light of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh and establish structural basis of His World Order.

Following the May 1 cable, another cable from Shoghi Effendi came on May 19 calling for permanent pioneers

Pioneering (Bahá'í)

to be established in all the countries of Latin America. The Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada appointed the Inter-America Committee to take charge of the preparations. During the 1937 Bahá'í North American Convention, Shoghi Effendi cabled advising the convention to prolong their deliberations to permit the delegates and the National Assembly to consult on a plan that would enable Bahá'ís to go to Latin America as well as to include the completion of the outer structure of the 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 Wilmette, Illinois. In 1937 the First Seven Year Plan (1937–44), which was an international plan designed by Shoghi Effendi, gave the American Bahá'ís the goal of establishing the Bahá'í Faith in every country in Latin America. With the spread of American Bahá'ís in Latin American, Bahá'í communities and Local Spiritual Assemblies began to form in 1938 across the rest of Latin America.

It was in 1939-1940 when the first pioneers

Pioneering (Bahá'í)

began to settle in Panama. The first Local Spiritual Assembly of Panama, in Panama City, was elected in 1946, and helped host the first All-American Teaching Conference. One Bahá'í from this early period was Mabel Adelle Sneider (converted in 1946), who was a nurse at Gorgas Hospital

Gorgas Hospital

Gorgas Hospital was a U.S. Army hospital in Panama City, Panama named for Army Surgeon General William C. Gorgas .Built on the site of an earlier French hospital called L'Hospital Notre Dame de Canal, it was originally christened Ancon Hospital by the Americans. It was originally built of wood,...

for 30 years and then pioneered to the Gilbert Islands

Gilbert Islands

The Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...

for many years. In 1946, American Baha'i Alfred Osborne converted the first indigenous believer, a Kuna

Kuna (people)

Kuna or Cuna is the name of an indigenous people of Panama and Colombia. The spelling Kuna is currently preferred. In the Kuna language, the name is Dule or Tule, meaning "people," and the name of the language in Kuna is Dulegaya, meaning "Kuna language" - Location :The Kuna live in three...

from Playa Chico.
Shoghi Effendi then called for two international conventions to be held at April 1951; one was held in Panama City for the purpose of electing a regional National Spiritual Assembly over the Central area of Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

and the West Indies whose headquarters was in Panama and which was witnessed by representatives of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States in the persons of Dorothy Beecher Baker and Horace Holly. Circa 1953, Bahá'í Local Assemblies in Panama City and Colón

Colón, Panama

Colón is a sea port on the Caribbean Sea coast of Panama. The city lies near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It is capital of Panama's Colón Province and has traditionally been known as Panama's second city....

had a community center.

One notable Bahá'í from this early phase was Cecilia King Blake, who on October 20, 1957 converted to the Bahá'í Faith and pioneered

Pioneering (Bahá'í)

to Nicaragua

Nicaragua

Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...

and Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....

Development

Ruth (née Yancey) and Alan Pringle had the first Bahá’í wedding to be legally recognised in Panama, and both were members of the National Spiritual Assembly that formed in 1961. Ruth served in several other positions, ultimately becoming a Continental Counsellor. The members of the 1963 National Spiritual Assembly of Panama were Harry Haye Anderson, Rachelle Jean E de Constante, James Vassal Facey, Kenneth Frederics, Leota E. M. Lockman, Alfred E. A. Osborne, William Alan H. Pringle, Ruth E. Yancey Pringle and Donald Ross Witzel. By 1963 there were Bahá'í converts among the Cerrobolo, Guaymí

Guaymí

The Guaymí or Ngäbe are an indigenous group living mainly within the Ngäbe-Buglé comarca in the Western Panamanian provinces of Veraguas, Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro, as well as in the indigenous town of Conte, Costa Rica near the extreme southern tip of the country...

and Kuna

Kuna (people)

.

Six conferences held in October 1967 around the world presented a viewing of a copy of the photograph of Bahá'u'lláh

Bahá'u'lláh

Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...

on the highly significant occasion commemorating the centenary of Bahá'u'lláh's writing of the Suriy-i-Mulúk (Tablet to the Kings), which 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...

describes as "the most momentous Tablet revealed by Bahá'u'lláh". After a meeting in Edirne (Adrianople), Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

, the Hands of the Cause

Hands of the Cause

The Hands of the Cause of God, Hands of the Cause, or Hands were a select group of Bahá'ís, appointed for life, whose main function was to propagate and protect the Bahá'í Faith...

travelled to the conferences, 'each bearing the precious trust of a photograph of the Blessed Beauty, which it will be the privilege of those attending the Conferences to view.' Hand of the Cause Ruhiyyih Khanum

Rúhíyyih Khanum

Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum , born Mary Sutherland Maxwell was the wife of Shoghi Effendi, the head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921–1957. She was appointed by him as a Hand of the Cause, and served an important role in the transfer of authority from 1957–1963...

conveyed this photograph to the Conference for Latin America at Panama. During this event the foundation stone of the forthcoming 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...

for Latin America was laid.

Modern community

Since its inception the religion has had involvement in socio-economic development

Socio-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 Bahá'ís of Panama were chosen as one of the sites of the Bahá'í Houses 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...

. The religion entered a new phase of activity around the world 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. Bahá'ís in Panama have embarked on a number of projects. The Panamanian government noted the activities of the Bahá'ís and released a variety of philately

Philately

Philately is the study of stamps and postal history and other related items. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting, which does not necessarily involve the study of stamps. It is possible to be a philatelist without owning any stamps...

products starting in 1983 and again in 1992 - a stamp and several stationaries

Postal stationery

A piece of postal stationery is a stationery item, such as a stamped envelope, letter sheet, postal card, lettercard, aerogram or wrapper, with an imprinted stamp or inscription indicating that a specific rate of postage or related service has been prepaid...

and Panamanian Bahá'ís became active in a number of issues among the poor regions of Panama - notably Panamá

Panama

and Chiriqui

Chiriquí Province

/Ngöbe-Buglé

Ngöbe-Buglé

Ngöbe-Buglé is a comarca in Panama. It was formed in 1997 with lands from the provinces of Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí, and Veraguas. The capital is Chichica...

districts as well as among indigenous peoples.

Bahá'í House of Worship

The Bahá'í temple in Panama City

Panama City

was dedicated in 1972 with Hands of the Cause Ruhiyyih Khanum, Ugo Giachery

Ugo Giachery

Ugo Giachery was a prominent Italian Bahá'í from an aristocratic family from Palermo. At an anniversary of the founding of the spiritual assembly of Perugia Giachery told the story of how, as a young wounded soldier, still ignorant of the Bahá'í Faith, he was in Perugia in 1916...

and Dhikru'llah Khadem

Dhikru'llah Khadem

Dhikru'llah Khadem was a prominent follower of the Bahá'í Faith, and was appointed by Shoghi Effendi to be a Hand of the Cause in 1952....

representing the Universal House of Justice

Universal House of Justice

, head of the religion after the death of Shoghi Effendi. It serves as the mother temple of Latin America

Latin America

. It is perched on a high hill, la montaña del Dulce Canto ("the mountain of Beautiful Singing"), overlooking the city, and is constructed of local stone laid in a pattern reminiscent of Native American

Indigenous peoples of the Americas

The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...

fabric designs. Readings in Spanish and English are available for visitors. However the mountain is being denuded by the extraction of rocks and soil to be used in the in other construction.

Efforts among the Guaymí

The first Guaymí

Guaymí

Bahá'í dates back into the 1960s, and since the 1980s there have been several projects started and evolving in those communities. After the religion grew among the Guaymi, they in turn offered service in 1985-6 with the "Camino del Sol" project included indigenous Guaymí Bahá'ís of Panama traveling with the Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

n indigenous Carib speaking

Carib language

Carib, also known as Caribe, Cariña, Galibi, Galibí, Kali'na, Kalihna, Kalinya, Galibi Carib, Maraworno and Marworno, is an Amerindian language in the Cariban language family....

and Guajira

Wayuu

Wayuu is an Amerindian ethnic group of the La Guajira Peninsula in northern Colombia and northwest Venezuela. They are part of the Maipurean language family.- Geography :...

Bahá'ís through the Venezuelan states of Bolívar

Bolívar (state)

Bolívar State , is one of the 23 states into which Venezuela is divided. The state capital city is Ciudad Bolívar. Bolívar State covers a total surface area of 238,000 km² and in June 30, 2010 had an estimated population of 1,620,359....

, Amazonas

Amazonas (Venezuelan state)

Amazonas State is one of the 23 states into which Venezuela is divided.The state capital is Puerto Ayacucho. The capital until the early 1900s was San Fernando de Atabapo. Although named after the Amazon River, most of the state is drained by the Orinoco. Amazonas State covers a total surface...

and Zulia

Zulia

Zulia State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo. In June 30, 2010, it had an estimated population of 3,821,068, giving it the largest population among Venezuela's states. It is located in the northwestern part of the country...

sharing their religion. The Bahá'í Guaymí Cultural Centre was built in the Chiriqui district (which was split in 1997 to create the Ngöbe-Buglé district) and used as a seat for the Panamanian Ministry of Education's literacy efforts in the 1980s. A two-day seminar on literacy was held by the Bahá'í Community in collaboration with the Panamanian Ministry of Education in Panama City over two days beginning on April 23, 1990. The Bahá'ís were specifically asked to speak on "spiritual qualities" and on "Universal Elements Essential in Education." The Minister of Education requested that the Bahá'ís present their literacy projects to the Ministry of Education, in support of International Literacy Year - 1990. The Bahá'ís developed many formal and village schools throughout the region and a community radio project.

Bahá'í Radio

The Bahá'í Radio is an AM broadcasting

AM broadcasting

AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...

station from Boca del Monte with programs and news in Guaymí native language, Ngabere

Ngäbere

Guaymi , also known as Movere , is a native American language spoken by the Ngäbe or Guaymí people. There are 133,092 Guaymí in Central America, predominantly in Panama ....

, leading to maintaining the usefulness of the language and in the telling of stories and coverage of issues to the support of Guaymí traditions and culture.

Schools

In Panama's remote indigenous villages (some requiring three hours by bus, three hours by boat, and then three hours on foot, a trip made twice a week) Bahá'í volunteers run ten primary schools where the government does not provide access to a school. Later a FUNDESCU stipend of $50 per month was made available for 13 teachers and the MInistry of Education added funds for a 14th. As subsistence farmers, the villagers have no money or food to offer. Instead they take turns providing firewood for an outdoor kitchen or build small wood-framed shelters with corrugated zinc panels and a narrow wooden platform for a bed. The teachers and administrators do not seek to convert the students. Some of the villagers are Bahá'ís, some are Catholics, some Evangelicals, and some follow the native Mama Tata

Mama Tata

Mama Tata or Mama Chi is a Christian syncretistic religion found in parts of Panama. It is a mixture of Catholicism and animism that has become popular among the Guaymí people...

religion. In all, about half the students are Bahá'ís (about 150). Nevertheless there is a strong moral component to the program including a weekly class on "Virtues and Values." Over the years, some training for the teachers has been provided but many have not finished the twelfth grade including some women who have faced difficulties getting even that much education.

Among the formal schools established there are:

Bahá'í Elementary of Soloy which was in process of registration with the Ministry of Education as of 2007.
Molejon High School which was registered with the Ministry of Education in March 2007.
Soloy Community Technology & Learning Center
Ngöbe-Buglé Universidad which began having classes and was processing accreditation with the University of Panama
University of Panama
The University of Panama was founded on October 7, 1935, with a student body of 175 in the fields of Education, Commerce, Natural Sciences, Pharmacy, Pre-Engineering and Law. , it maintains a student body of 74,059 distributed in 228 buildings around the country.The University of Panama was founded...

in 2006.

Efforts among the Kuna and Embera

In the Panamá district the Bahá'ís established a Bahá'í inspired school in San Miguelito

San Miguelito, Panamá

San Miguelito District is a district of Panamá Province in Panama. The population according to the 2000 census was 293,745.The district covers a total area of 50 km²...

, a city with widespread poverty, and a native population of Embera

Embera-Wounaan

The Embera–Wounaan are a group of semi-nomadic Indians in Panama, living in the province of Darien at the shores of the Chucunaque, Sambu, Tuira Rivers and its water ways...

and Kuna peoples.

K-12 School

The Badí School was founded in 1993 and began as a kindergarten with 12 students. In 2007 there were 290 students serving K-12, with a waiting list of 1,500, and six of the first seven graduates earned the highest grade on the Panama University entrance exam and were accepted with full four-year scholarships. Badí School also developed a two-story community library, and added a classroom and computer lab in 2006.

University program development

Badi School is attempting to extend its services with college-level degrees. Some level of registration was completed in June 2007. Further accreditation is being sought as a university program in 2008 but already has had students taking college work, among them commercial artist Jessica Mizrachi Diaz.

Demographics

The World Council of Churches

World Council of Churches

The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...

estimates the Bahá'í population at 2.00%, or about 60,000 in 2006. 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...

estimated there were some 45000 Bahá'ís in 2005. There is an estimate of some 8,000 Guaymi Bahá'is, about 10% of the population of Guaymi in Panama.

External links

Asamblea Espiritual Nacional de los Bahá'ís de Panamá Official Website
Agrupación Panamá Metro - Instituto Bahá'í de Panamá. the official national Panama Ruhi Institute
Ruhi Institute
The Ruhi Institute is an educational institution, operating under the guidance of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'í Faith in Colombia. The general idea of an institute in Bahá'í terms originates with the beginning of the Nine Year Plan designated by the Universal House of Justice...

website
Official Website of Ngöbe-Buglé Universidad
Badi School Official Website

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

`Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablets of the Divine Plan

Early phase

Development

Modern community

Bahá'í House of Worship

Efforts among the Guaymí

Bahá'í Radio

Schools

Efforts among the Kuna and Embera

K-12 School

University program development

Demographics

See also

External links