Thursday, February 16, 2006

On Study Circles: Spiritual Education at the Grassroots Level

Our weekly Ruhi class, a Baha'i study circle, has been a part of the rhythm of our home for several years now. Participation in Ruhi classes have had a transformative effect on my wife and me, our children, our local Baha'i community, as well as our national and international Baha'i community. Ruhi has been a subject of my wife's blog on numerous occasions. At times I have thought of Ruhi classes as the Baha'is' little secret. Then I came across the entry on Wikipedia for Baha'i study circles and realized that Ruhi has arrived.

The term study circle has become common terminology in the Bahá'í Faith to describe a specific type of gathering for the study of the Bahá'í teachings.

Study circles are a form of distance learning designed to systematically bring education about spiritual concepts to the grassroots level. Because they are intended to be sustainable and reproducible on a large scale, study circles shy away from formally taught classes, opting instead for participatory methods. They are usually led by a tutor whose role is not to act as an expert but rather to facilitate the rhythm and pace of the study circle. In this way, attendees of study circles are expected to become active participants in their own learning process.

Another foundational principle of study circles is a heavy emphasis on the Bahá'í Writings as a means of finding unity of vision and action by focusing on the essentials of Bahá'í belief.

The most common curriculum used in study circles was originally developed at the
Ruhi Institute in Colombia but is now used in Bahá'í communities all over the world.

Wikipedia entry for "Baha'i Study Circles"

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