Bah' Faith in fiction

Bah' Faith in fiction

The Bah' Faith has appeared in fiction in multiple forms. The mention of the Bah' Faith, prominent members, or
even individual believers have appeared in a variety of fictional forms including science fiction, and fantasy, as well
as styles of short stories, novelettes, and novels, and even diverse media of the printed word and TV series. One
estimate is of more than 30 references though it could be far more.[1] Out of these roughly three dozen known direct
or indirect references to the Bah' Faith, there are perhaps a dozen where there is a significant relationship with the
religion, where the Bah' Faith is a crucial aspect of the story. The first occurrence known is perhaps when
playwright Isabella Grinevskaya wrote the play "Bb" based on the life an events of the founder of the Bb
religion[2] which was performed in St. Petersburg in 1904 and again in 1916/7,[3] and lauded by Leo Tolstoy and
other reviewers at the time.[4] Shortly after that two books by Khalil Gibran: The Prophet and Jesus, The Son of Man,
albeit evidence for the sustained influence of `Abdu'l-Bah in these works comes second-hand.[5] In modern times
the first known occurrence is of a short story by non-Bah' Tom Ligon The Devil and the Deep Black Void,[6] - he
also wrote a sequel The Gardener.[7] The next fictional publication, in 1991, which references the Bah' Faith may
be a short story "Home Is Where"[1] by Bah' Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff,[8] following which Bohnhoff wrote a
trilogy of novels called The Meri (19921995) and a stand alone novel The Spirit Gate (1996). In 1997 Joseph
Sheppherd published The Island of the Same Name which is told in four eras of humanity but centering on two
generations of researchers who get caught up in the history of the world's change from what it is now/was to what it
could be from a Bah' point of view. Then in 2000, The Hidden Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by William "Bill"
Paxton is published and the Bah' Faith is framed in a Sherlock Holmes short story. Also in 2000 Bahiyyih
Nakhjavani published The Saddlebag inspired by chapter VII of The Dawn-Breakers by Nabl-i-A`zam.
The first period of the appearance of fictional works referencing the Bah' Faith strongly surrounded the period of
the Ministry of `Abdu'l-Bah. From the 1930s through the 1970s few if any publications mentioned, or were
identifiably affected by the religion, let alone had fictionalized references until the 1980s. Starting then several
works mark the early years of the emergence of the Bah' Faith in fiction leading up to the turn of the century. Since
then a number of works have appeared - at least nine fictional works are in print just from Bah' publishing sources
in the United States in 2006.[9] TK Ralya's The Golden Age: Thy Kingdom Come is one of these and uses a wide
array of the teachings and predictions of the Bah' Faith to paint a future society in contrast with the world as we
know it today.
Additionally and perhaps parenthetically, the futuristic hero of Robert Sheckley's 1960s SF novel Mindswap has
visited and prayed at the Bah' 'hanging gardens' in Haifa, among other pilgrimages described as typical of his
fictional future world. In James A. Michener's "The Source", a fictionalised history of the Holy Land and its peoples,
the first page bears a description of a ship coming into Haifa harbour with the gleaming golden dome of the Bah'
Shrine on the slopes of Mt Carmel (the Shrine of the Bb) one of the distinctive sights.

Khalil Gibran's books

A published account notes about Khalil Gibran:[5]
It was on April 6, 1943, in her studio-room, upstairs at the front of the house, that Juliet shared with me and a
few other guests, these memories of Khalil Gibran
"He lived across the street from here," said Juliet Thompson, "at 51 West 10th. He was neither poor nor rich in between. Worked on an Arab newspaper; free to paint and write. His health was all right in the early years.
He was terribly sad in the later years, because of cancer. He died at forty-nine. He knew his life was ending too
soon.
"His drawings were more beautiful than his paintings. These were very misty, lost things - mysterious and lost.
Very poetic.

Bah' Faith in fiction

"A Syrian brought him to see me - can't even remember his name. Khalil always said I was his first friend in
New York. We became very, very great friends, and all of his books - The Madman, The Forerunner, The Son
of Man, The Prophet - I heard in manuscript. He always gave me his books. I liked The Prophet best. I don't
believe that there was any connection between `Abdu'l-Bah and The Prophet. But he told me that he thought
of the `Abdu'l-Bah all through. He said that he was going to write another book with '`Abdu'l-Bah as the
center and all the contemporaries of '`Abdu'l-Bah speaking. He died before he wrote it. He told me definitely
that [the book] The Son of Man was influenced by '`Abdu'l-Bah."
It is known that `Abdu'l-Bah also sat for portraits at the request of Gibran. See [10] and [11]. From the above it may
be concluded that `Abdu'l-Bah and Gibran knew each other more than in passing, but that `Abdu'l-Bah made no
formal or informal claims or suggestions about Gibran's writing but cooperated whenever asked (as for sitting for the
drawings.) So the influence is really at the choice of Gibran - he could as well have chosen and mention any other
source of inspiration for his book. It seems he chose `Abdu'l-Bah. As `Abdu'l-Bah is one of the Central figures of
the Bah' Faith and these are works of fiction, it is certainly the case that at least two of Gibran's, and his most
famous, are properly mentioned here.
There are many reviews of this famous book, The Prophet. Here's one:[12]
Khalil Gibran's The Prophet is a book that has touched many people very deeply since its publishing in
1923. It has been translated into more than twenty languages, and the American edition alone has sold
more than four million copies. It is considered both by Gibran himself, and by the general public to be
his literary masterpiece. The Prophet is about a man who is leaving a small town called Orphalese where
he has made his home for the past twelve years. He has, for that time period, been waiting for a boat to
take him back to the land of his youth. We are not told where that land is, only that he has been waiting
to return there for twelve years. The entire book occurs on the date of his departure. As he is about to
leave, the townsfolk stop him in the town and request that he tell them about certain things. He talks to
them about life's lessons and imparts his wisdom to them. He is asked about giving, and he tells the
people to give without recognition, because their reward is their own joy. He also talks about things like
marriage, work, friendship and also love. He speaks about each, and more, describing the way that
people should deal with each issue. This book is an interesting book. It is ninety-three pages of life's
lessons set down in writing. These are words to live by, and tell others to live by. This book is certainly
a book that everyone should read. Even if people don't agree with some of the beliefs, they should still
read the book, if only to get their mind thinking about life, and its many quandaries from a different
perspective. This book is not unlike the musings of an aging man imparting his life's lessons to an
audience of just about anyone whom he can gather to listen to him. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Its
lessons and stories are wise beyond the ages, and still hold up to be as true today as they were when
Gibran wrote them in 1923. The lessons enumerated within this pages are lessons that one would hope
were followed by the general population, and I know that if more people read this book, then the world
as a whole might become a more easily survivable place.
Here's one of many reviews of Jesus, The Son of Man:[13]
I find it amazing that he wrote this in the time period he did. It's very prophetic, it seems to be in line
with a more modern understanding of Jesus that readers of The Course in Miracles and Marianne
Williamson are a large part of vocalizing. But even fundamentalists would enjoy this book being how
it is written from the opinion of 80 different points of view, many of which do proclaim him the Son of
God. Ultimately, any view can be thoughtfully stimulating because the people of any opinion have
personalities and background given that support why they view Jesus with their perspective. The overall
impression I received from this beautiful prose is the beauty and message of Jesus, the devotion,
admiration, gratitude and love inspired by him, and the grace which he exuded with confident
compassion. And whether he was God, man, a combination of both that we all are potentially, or a

Bah' Faith in fiction

combination we can only idolize with an envious self-debasing distorted form of humility, this book
shows him to be nothing less than relevant to our comprehension.
Curiously, this is not the only case where someone associated with the Bah' Faith wrote a speculative work about
things the New Testament is silent on in regards to Jesus. Contemporaries of Gibran Juliet Thompson and Wellesley
Tudor Pole wrote books about Jesus. Thompson wrote I, Mary Magdalen [14] and Tudor Pole wrote The Silent Road,
A Man Seen Afar, and Writing on the Ground as well as some pamphlets though these were written later in the 20th
century. Both Thompson and Tudor Pole knew `Abdu'l-Bah well having interviewed him and worked with him.
Thomson wrote a diary, one of the central records of `Abdu'l-Bah's trips to the west as well as a portrait and Tudor
Pole played a significant role in saving his life in World War I. Indeed the whole relationship between `Abdu'l-Bah
and Jesus was one `Abdu'l-Bah was at pains to clarify both to the general public[15] and among early Bah's.[16]

Tom Ligon's trilogy

Among Tom Ligon's many short and medium sized works (and one award winning science fact article published[17]
in relation to Fusion rocket technology and advocate of Inertial Electrodynamic Fusion), two published in 1986 and
1993, The Devil and the Deep Black Void,[6] and The Gardener[7] in Analog Magazine, are science fiction stories
which are about a Shi'a Muslim terrorist organization in a largely Muslim space-faring civilization where Bah's are
space colonists undertake terraforming on a planet they named Mazra'ih (though there is brief mention of a United
States National Spiritual Assembly back on Earth.)[1][18] The prequel, For a Little Price[19] about how terrorists are
prevented from crashing a spaceship into the Earth (long predating the events of the September 11, 2001 attacks) was
anthologized in 2008 though work began on it in 1986. In the succeeding stories some of the terrorists are instead
driven to an unusual world orbiting a neutron star where Bah's live which eventually reveals that civilizations have
reached great levels of technology and then mysteriously disappeared. The initial thought is that the civilizations are
eradicated by a periodic sterilization the planet undergoes but there is also evidence the civilizations vanished
peacefully before the sterilization speculating that civilizations shortly after achieving deep space exploration reach
some new level of civilization that doesn't require or sustain material civilization in deep space. The ethical conflict
of pacifism, a debatable stance associated with the Bah' Faith, in the face of terrorists is worked out.[18] One
character, who takes on the name of the historical Bb who performed an assassination attempt on the life of the
Shah of Iran, chooses the path of violence in defense of the population by way (as portrayed) of matching a strength
of the Bah' Faith in acceptance of science compared to a weakness of Shia Islam of superstition.
The author comments:[18]
"The Devil and the Deep Black Void" had an interesting genesis. I remember being outraged by reports
coming from the far east. Vietnamese "boat people" were being preyed on by pirates. I set up a situation where
a political upset in a distant colony would make it likely that refugees would be preyed on by pirates.
However, the story developed a mind of its own. I realized that, due to the vastness of space, the pirates would
be easy to evade. The real threat was the vastness itself. Running away was certain death, and the only hope
was returning to face the original problem. That quickly became the focus of the story
I needed good victims. Recent news had offered an excellent group, the Baha'is, who had been horribly
persecuted in Iran. The more I researched them, the more convinced I became that they would make excellent
space colonists. My primary reference was an aged primer on the Baha'i Faith by J. E. Esselmont. I did receive
some comments from several Baha'is suggesting that I'd portrayed them as too pacifistic, however, I'll stick by
my guns on this. My characters, while they believe in public defense, even armies, to preserve peace, are
stubborn in living by a passage I found in Esselmont's book in which Baha'u'llah forbids the Baha'is from
taking up arms in the defense of the faith. The story is carefully crafted to back them into this corner. Our hero
is faced with a loss of his faith, which enables him to take action to save his people, but leaves him in a
spiritual dilemma.

Bah' Faith in fiction

I left him in that state for about 7 years, when I had the inspiration for the sequel, "The Gardener". Hoping to
give Hab, our hero, some hint of faith back, not to mention some much-needed feminine companionship, I
devised a story to show what he'd been up to in seven years of self-imposed exile on a remote continent of a
planet just begging for life."
Among the special qualities to Mr. Ligon's contribution to the Bah' Faith in fiction is that he is a non-Bah', the
stories mentioned explicitly reference the religion, and indeed the religion provides some of the central context for
the story line, and possibly the first publication to seriously reference the Bah' Faith in fictional literature context.
See Persecution of Bah's, Bah' Faith in Turkmenistan and Bah' Faith in Azerbaijan for cases of Bah' responses
to violence.

Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff's works

Bohnhoff has won several awards for her works of fiction and music (especially filk music which is music tied to
science fiction or related styles or issues).[20]
Bohnhoff's first work to use the Bah Faith as a central aspect of a story may be her 1991 published "Home Is
Where" novelette summarized as "A Baha'i family from the year 2112 is on a time travel research assignment in
midwest USA, in 1950."[1] There has not been a published review of her work noting the presence of the Bah' Faith
in her works generally. Her first publication was in 1989 and her publications continue through 2006[21] Bohnhoff,
mother of two and married since 1981 (both true at least as of 2001),[22] has also written many short stories and
novelettes, some of them with a significant basis in relation to the Bah' Faith, in most of the well known publishing
magazines: Analog Magazine, Interzone (magazine), Amazing Stories, Realms of Fantasy, and others. Another
example "The White Dog" wherein a lady whose shocking albino appearance is eventually warmly loved in
accordance with the special relationship pointed out by `Abdu'l-Bah for a little white dog.[23] Her longest work with
a strong presence of the Bah Faith is The Meri fantasy series which is a trilogy (The Meri published in 1992,
Taminy in 1993, and The Crystal Rose in 1995).[24] The series revolves around the period of transition among the
people who live on a peninsula. The chapters are headed with quotes from scripture presented as those of the religion
of the people but many are in fact quotes from Bah' scripture, while a few are from the Bible. The first and second
book also carry an acknowledgement of Bah'u'llh, a Local Spiritual Assembly and Bah' community. The plot
involves a progression on the understanding of a people in relation to the role and position of women. Unknown to
the people of the story, women have always been instrumental to their religion as agents of God and a chosen few
have always acted as the personification of the Spirit of God, or "Meri". The first book focuses on a young girl
destined to take on that role. While similar to other stories of the triumph of women it has several unique qualities
most particularly a central male character being her benefactor and teacher and not an obstacle she has to overcome.
The second book focuses on the return of the prior "Meri" who takes it as her mission to promulgate the new
paradigm as the head of the religion. The third book focuses on her transition to being a head of state but wrestling
with several of the same issues from among as well as beyond her people. Another novel she has written called The
Spirit Gate has many of the same features but is written in a different context - a fantasy work set in a historical time
and place of roughly 1000AD in the area today of Poland and Ukraine where two forms of Christianity and Islam
met the pagan older religion. Bah themes, especially in the respect granted other religions, are largely identified
with the older religion, however the names of some of the central figures of the religion appear near the end without
strongly hinting at any spiritual prominence (names of an ambassador and Caliph, not simply religious figures.)
Among Bohnhoff's unique contributions to the Bah' Faith in fiction is that she is a Bah' who has had more than
three dozen works[21] published in many major and some minor publishing venues and she has written at least 6 full
length novels of her own - four with strong Bah' references though mentioning something in relation to the religion
in the others. In combination she has probably subtlety or directly presented themes of the Bah' Faith to the widest
audience in literature.

Bah' Faith in fiction

Isabel Allende El Plan Infinito (The Infinite Plan)

Best selling Chilean author Isabel Allende published this novel in 1991. The main character, Greg Reeves, engages
in a search for meaning and identity. His mother is a Baha'i. She is portrayed in a somewhat negative light.

Joseph Sheppherd's The Island of the Same Name

Bah' Joseph Sheppherd[25] uses his wide experience living in many countries[26][27] and professional knowledge as
an anthropologist and archaeologist[25] to write an embracing story about the adventures and discoveries of spiritual
leaders bound to an island off Africa. The center pivotal periods of the story revolve around two generations of
researchers: an archaeologist and his anthropologist daughter. Each in turn visits the same African island, but make
vastly different discoveries as the story travels in four different time periods: humanity's distant past, near past, near
future, and far future. Published in 1997 the near past and future are near enough to have their relative positions
significantly altered - the 1970s for the first and the 2000s for the second, roughly now. This book is over 500 pages
long and covers a wide range of topics in careful detail from the practicalities of stone axe making, through
archeological digs in tyrannical third world countries, spiritual values expressed among aboriginal peoples of the
world and the practical lives of individual people occasioned by mystical experiences and those around them, and so
on. It follows the form of addressing life in different times and thus a kind of science fiction, but like other entries in
this article emphasizes the inward issues and spiritual discoveries more than the quasi-magical or technological leaps
made as part of the plot. Mr. Shepperd prefers the term "social fiction" rather than science fiction.[25] The Baha'is, or
any paraphrases of principles of the religion, are at best obliquely referred to until late in the second section, of the
near past, when an Iranian Doctor mentions the Bah Faith and his reasons for living in a place far from his home
and how the principles of the religion stand in the context of the international challenges and needs of humanity. A
key character in the book shows interest and later joins the religion but aside from a few specifics there is no clear
statement of the future position of the religion nor how the future world culture was established (brief references to a
dual process that has merged before the distant future, but doesn't state explicitly what place the Bah Faith has in
this pattern.) However in the header of each section there is a text presented with a dating scheme that is exactly that
of the Bah' calendar so for example 2007 of the common calendar is year 163 of the Bah Era, or BE. While the
textual reference is exact it only becomes clear when the two dating schemes are cross referenced and the explicit
mention of the religion had already been made. Late in the story the Universal House of Justice is mentioned as
having 19 members and a metropolis called Haifaakka is mentioned. However the Baha'is Faith is not framed as the
singular or dominant theme of the story - it is but an explicit component of the plot occasionally and a subtext for
specifics recognizable but not identified as specifically related to the religion. In other words the majority of the
content of the book describes how the world at large arrives at a Bah oriented future, but not how the Bah Faith
itself arrives to be in that position.
Mr. Sheppherd has published about 10 works before the year 2000[25] (and lost an additional 15 unpublished works
in a house fire in 2002)[28] ranging from professional publications to Bah' centered works whether of formal
introduction or children's literature, poetry or this science/speculative fiction analysis of the multi-century changes
based on humanity's response to religion centered in the non-west, specifically an African island.

Sherlock Holmes "The Bab Deception" by William C Paxton

Published as one of four stories (78 pages out of a total 239), "The Bab Deception" in The Hidden Adventures of
Sherlock Holmes by non-Bah' William "Bill" Paxton (not the actor Bill Paxton) was published in 2000-1.[29][30] A
published synopsis:[31] Set in August, 1896, Sherlock Holmes expounds at great length on his occult beliefs and
invites Watson to a (spiritualism) based sance. Lestrade & Macintosh take Holmes & Watson to the home of Sir
Randolph Gretzinger, former Ambassador to Persia, who has been murdered along with his servant. Holmes finds a
copy of the Bayan (see Bayn (exposition)) in Gretzinger's hand, and he expounds at length on Babism. Side note:
Holmes is presented as having a high regard for the religion and being current on its situation enough to know that

Bah' Faith in fiction

"Abo ol-Baha" is a political prisoner at that time and knowing full well that the religion would never associate with
such a plot having already suffered many martyrs and known to not organize any rebellion and instead maintained a
peaceful, unified vision with all mankind. He deduces that the men have been injected with poison (from small
wounds in their thumbs), and expounds at length on snake venom. The following day they are summoned to the
Diogenes Club, where Mycroft expounds at great length on the politics of petroleum and how this may be the true
reason for the murder. After visiting the dead man's widow and urging her to continue his oil negotiations with the
Shah of Persia Holmes is visited by representatives of the Bah' Faith who fear that the book was planted on the
body to implicate them. They expound at length on the assassination of the last Shah and feel an effort is being made
to frame them, but Holmes assures them he is well aware of the reputation of the Bah's and believes in their
innocence. Holmes & Watson are invited to a sance and Holmes expounds at length on the other guests. At the
sance a spirit claiming to be Moriarty hurls a dagger at Holmes. Holmes organizes London Baha'is into a "Baker
Street Baha'i", including ones in the Russian Embassy, to locate Gretzinger's missing appointment book from which
Holmes is able to learn the murderers name and establish the innocence of the Bah's.
Note that on 1 May 1896 Nasser-al-Din Shah was indeed assassinated and some did blame a Bab but most
information points to an anarchist who had been given privileged access to the person of the Shah because of the
Shahs sympathies for his suffering (see [32], and [33].) Most Bahais have some information of an acknowledged
assassination plot by some Babis in 1852 for which Bahullh was encarcerated in the Siyah-Chal and eventually
found innocent albeit much property had been confiscated or lost to mobs as a result of simply being accused. This is
a different incident, in 1896.

Bahiyyih Nakhjavani's books

The Saddlebag: A Fable for Doubters and Seekers - a published review of the 2000 publication[34] notes:
[A] day in the life of nine 19th-century characters traveling between Mecca and Medina in this engaging
first novel. Though they come from a wide variety of religious, national and socioeconomic
backgrounds, all find themselves in the same caravan when it is beset by a sandstorm and a brutal bandit
attack. Each chapter recounts these events from the perspective of its title character, a device Nakhjavani
uses skillfully; not only does she avoid the tedium that could result from multiple retellings, but she also
turns the bit player in one narrator's story into the complicated hero of another Nakhjavani shows how
God uses their respective religious orientations and the secrets bundled in a saddlebag to reveal
life-changing truths to each of them. The novel's Baha'i message is beautifully rendered in these tales of
multiple paths leading to one destination.
Nakhjavani has published six books - some academic and at least two fictional, as well as articles and poetry.

Arvid Nelson's Rex Mundi

Rex Mundi is an American comic book published by Dark Horse Comics written by Bah'[35] Arvid Nelson. It was
first published in 2002 and has run through 2008.
The series is a quest for the Holy Grail told as a murder mystery. It is set in the year 1933, in an alternate history
Europe, where magic is real, feudalism persisted, and the Protestant Reformation was crushed by a still politically
powerful Roman Catholic Church. All of this is woven together as " a meditation on the prophecies surrounding
the advent of the Bah' era.[36] Nelson compares a central character Genevieve with the role of the Bah' Faith - of
trying to bring about unity[37] but the story is not used as a means to proselytize the religion.[38]

Bah' Faith in fiction

TK Ralya's The Golden Age: Thy Kingdom Come

Official synopsis:[1][39] "After one of his friends is killed in Iraq, Geoffrey Waters prays for help in understanding
God's purpose for humanity. He is whisked forward in time to witness what a world could be like when the
prophesies from Isaiah bring about peace on earth, and the lines 'Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it
is in heaven' come to fruition. The people on the planet he visits explain that God's kingdom will be established on
Earth no matter what, even if a horrible calamity must occur." The Bah' author notes that this book is her
impression of what the future may be like based on the premise of fulfilled Biblical prophecy, with specifics from
Bah' sources. There are several quotes and paraphrases from the Bah' Writings as well as examples of attitudes
among various characters that believe as guided by these references, and the book was approved by the Special
Materials Review Committee.[1] Directly it only refers to the Bah' Faith as one of many religions mentioned in the
foreword (which also mentions that it is meant to be the first of a trilogy.) Internally the strongest reference perhaps
is the name of the Book of the religion of the future - "Qadas", which is similar to "Aqdas" - the central Book of
Laws, of the Bah' Faith. However "Qadas" could also be rather more obscure references ("the holiness of God",[40]
or a Muslim style of prayer[41] for example.) The overall feel of the story is much like Madeleine L'Engle's A
Wrinkle in Time - of grand themes being played out not through technological achievements, but of spiritual beings
and achievements. Ralya has also published[39] childrens stories, two full-length musicals, a weekly newspaper
column in a Minnesota paper for about 2 years, and a novel for 9-15 year-olds which also has significant reference to
the Bah' Faith.
Doing the Impossible official synopsis[39] mentions :"three fifteen-year-old girls are starting their sophomore year
of high school. The 'impossible' thing they are trying to do is living according to God's standards in modern society.
Megan gets the lead in the high school play, but her character is a rather 'loose' woman. Her leading man is more
interested in 'fun' than appropriateness Ashley has a learning disability and wrestles with feeling dumb and
unattractive. Brittney is very smart, but overweight. She deals with her body image as well as where a smart female
fits in society without being considered aggressive. Bahai school on Sunday mornings adds the different
perspectives of other students."
The unique contribution Ralya has made to the Bah' Faith in fiction is that her works center on the moral dilemmas
of modern society in the west and spiritual insights and development that reflect an understanding of the teachings of
the Bah' Faith in response to these challenges. On the one hand she has envisioned an attainable utopia (that is, not
completely perfect) with specifics based on suggestions made in writings of the Bah' Faith. A particularly strong
analysis is made of marital fidelity vs the divine law against adultery vs intense love and friendship between a man
and a woman not married, though many topics are addressed including the moral and practical need for war,
sustainable economics if children and mothers are of central importance to society, attitudes of the oneness of
humanity vs racism, the importance of the arts and so on. On the other hand she has examined many of the same
issues in young ladies lives in high school.

Karen Anne Webb's "Adventurers of the Carotian Union" series

Late in 2006, "The Chalice of Life" was released by Dragon Moon Press, a small Canadian press specializing in
science fiction and fantasy. Webb's book, while intended as a fantasy adventure, includes many themes from the
Baha'i Writings, including quotes from a variety of faith traditions[42] and a fantasy version of a society based on the
fully realized society of the future envisioned by Baha'u'llah. Central to the plot (although the idea is referred to
rather than explained with great explicitness in the first book) is the idea of the School of Transcendent Oneness and
the idea that a special class of being is sent into Creation from time to time to help civilization along. She relates this
to the "once and future king" concept with the introduction of the quest that forms the overall theme for the series:
the search for Eliander, a Carotian prince magicked away long ago to a place outside normal space-time. In the
second book, "Tapestry of Enchantment," Dragon Moon Press, 2010 this theme of the once and future king comes to
the fore when the one character from a world outside the Carotian Union (the system Eliander's return is meant to

Bah' Faith in fiction

save) discloses that he believes he is, in fact, living in the time of his own world's Promised One; his search for this
Promised One becomes a strong theme in the series and become the pivot point of the sequel. "Lamp of Truth," the
third book, is due for publication in early 2011. Dragon Moon has contracted the entire series, the longest work it has
ever put under contract, and hopes to release the remainder of the books at the rate of about one every six months
(slating Eliander for release sometime in late 2013). Remaining books in the series and their settings include "The
Life of the Smith" (ancient Greece); "The Floodwaters of Redemption" (Mu right before it founders); "The Treasure
of Mobius" (a world projected by a powerful projective telempath; yes, it has one-sided buildings); "Dwellers in the
Underdark" (the Underdark, home of the terrifying Azhur race); and "The King That Will Be" (variously the planes
of incarcertation of the quest's nemesis and Eliander as well as home on Caros).

Jackie Mehrabi's books

Jackie Mehrabi has written several fiction books for children and young teens, often about the lives of fictional
Bah's with a moral message behind each tale.

Other books
One of the stories from Stephen Leacock's bestselling 1914 book Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich features a
character that caricatures the religious leader `Abdu'l-Bah.[43]
Philip K. Dick's science-fiction novel Eye in the Sky features a parallel world theocracy dominated by a church of the
"Second Bab". However, no attempt is made to explore the Baha'i Faith; it reads as a satire of Christian
Fundamentalism.[44]

Other popular media

In addition to being mentioned directly in a number of works, the Bah' Faith and/or its teachings have also been
mentioned in the TV and movie industry. For example the TV series The Simpsons has twice referenced the Bah's once when Lisa Simpson is considering what religion to join in the episode "She of Little Faith" she sees "Bed, Bath
and Bah'" on a sign[45] (she ends up converting to Buddhism) and also when Bart Simpson is playing Billy
Graham's Bible Blaster, a Christian video game (where the player has to convert to Christianity) "a gentle Baha'i" is
one of the images on the screen at Ned Flanders' house in the episode "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily".[46]
The movie The Matrix uses parallel terminology to the Bah Faith but there is little evidence that the movie or its
makers were influenced by the religion specifically (more likely Buddhism and Gnostic Christianity[47]). However a
movie critic did use the Bah Faith as the lead off in his review.[48]
There is also a TV medical-drama in Australia called MDA - Medical Defense Australia (MDA (TV series)) which
went on the air on July 23, 2002 with an ongoing Bah' character, Layla Young, who is played by a non-Bah'[49]
actress Petra Yared.[50][51]
The role-playing game Trinity by White Wolf Game Studio, in a futuristic setting, includes a faction called the
Interplanetary School for Research and Advancement. Many of its members are humans with psionic powers related
to clairsentience. The leader, and as a result many of his followers, is a member of the Bah' Faith.[52] A second
role-playing game, this one based in computer technology, is called The Seven Valleys named after the The Seven
Valleys, which in turn references The Conference of the Birds, and uses it explicitly as inspirations for its
adventures.[53]

Bah' Faith in fiction

Other references
For research and review, the reader may be interested in a few notable instances of research and materials to the
presence of the Bah' Faith in Fiction:
1. "Baha'is in Science Fiction and Fantasy", from Adherents.com: "This annotated bibliography list, a subset derived
from the Adherents.com Religion in Literature database, is intended as a resource for literary research. It lists both
mainstream and Baha'i-oriented science fiction/fantasy novels or short stories which contain references to Baha'is. It
is not necessarily a comprehensive list of such literature, but all Hugo- and Nebula-winning novels have been
surveyed, as have many other major works."[1]
2. Bah' Library Online - Fiction section, from bahai-library.com. "Submissions and book excerpts welcomed.
Fiction of larger scale and/or historical import is preferred, though new works by Baha'i authors can also be
showcased here."[54]
3. "The Baha'i and Science Fiction" by Lavie Tidhar, an analysis published in the British online magazine I R O S F
("Internet Review of Science Fiction") , Vol I, No. 1 (January, 2004).[55] Note a response was written by Steven
Kolins in the discussion section.[56] Mr. Tidhar has published a short work of fiction in the form of a "might have
been" history of the impact the religion could have had.[57]
4. Bah' David C. Mueller had maintained a website at www.dcmstartships.com highlighting several topics related
to fiction and non-fiction and has a few pages specifically about the Bah' Faith and such topics:
"How the Baha'i Community is like a Space Ark"[58]
"Suggested Reading for Inquisitive Mind"[59]
"The Artist's Favorite Science Fiction Novels"[60]
5. Bah' Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff has an ongoing presence in several websites, notably www.mysticfig.com and as
a continuing contributor at www.authorsden.com. As she says she is "hopelessly addicted to words. I get the DTs if I
go too long without putting them on paper."[61] and "My family and friends have tried to break me of this addiction,
but without success. I have published bunches of science fiction stories"[62]
6. "Aslan's Kin" [63] has a significant diversity of references to interfaith Fantasy and Science Fiction.

External links
The first two chapters of The Chalice of Life [64] are posted online.
Tom Ligon's Science Fiction And Fact [65]
[[SIGMA [66]] member profile of Tom Ligon]

Notes
[1] adherents.com (2005-07-25). "Baha'is in Science Fiction and Fantasy" (http:/ / www. adherents. com/ lit/ sf_bahai. html). adherents.com. .
Retrieved 2006-08-12.
[2] Grinevskaya, Isabella (1916 reprint). "Bab" (http:/ / imwerden. de/ pdf/ grinevskaya_bab. pdf) (pdf). . Retrieved 2009-03-21.
[3] Hassall, Graham (1993). "Notes on the Babi and Baha'i Religions in Russia and its territories" (http:/ / bahai-library. com/
hassall_babi_bahai_russia). Journal of Bah' Studies 5 (3): pp 4180, 86. . Retrieved 2009-03-20.
[4] Momen, Moojan. "Russia" (http:/ / bahai-library. com/ momen_encyclopedia_russia). Draft for "A Short Encyclopedia of the Bah' Faith".
Bah' Library Online. . Retrieved 2008-04-14.
[5] Gail, Marzieh (Summer 1978). "Juliet Thompson Remembers Kahlil Gibran as told to Marzieh Gail" (http:/ / bahai-library. com/
gail_thompson_remembers_gibran). WORLD ORDER: A Bah' Magazine (Bahai-Library.com) 12 (4): 2931. . Retrieved 2009-08-15.
[6] Found in Analog (New York), v.106 no.1 (Jan. 1986)
[7] Found in Analog (New York), v. 113 no. 11 (Nov. 1993)
[8] Bohnhoff, Maya (2010). "The Bah' Faith" (http:/ / www. mysticfig. com/ faith. htm). . Retrieved 2010-10-07.
[9] National Spiritual Assembly of the Bah's of the United States (2006-09-23). "Bah' Distribution Service - Category: Fiction-Adult" (http:/ /
www. bahaibookstore. com/ showproducts. cfm?FullCat=710. ). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bah's of the United States. . Retrieved
2006-09-23.

Bah' Faith in fiction

[10] http:/ / bahai-library. com/ bushrui_gibran_man_poet
[11] http:/ / users. whsmithnet. co. uk/ ispalin/ heritage/ pictures/ dis05. htm
[12] J Tinsley. "review: The Prophet" (http:/ / www. kahlil. org/ prophetreview). . Retrieved 2006-09-013.
[13] Richard Swartz. "review: Jesus, The Son of Man" (http:/ / www. kahlil. org/ jesusreview). . Retrieved 2006-10-01.
[14] http:/ / bahai-library. com/ thompson_mary_magdalen
[15] `Abdu'l-Bah Mrz Mahmd-i-Zarqn. "Mahmd's Diary - The Diary of Mrz Mahmd-i-Zarqn Chronicling `Abdu'l-Bah's Journey to
America" (http:/ / bahai-library. com/ zarqani_mahmuds_diary& chapter=2#n17). . Retrieved 2006-10-01.
[16] Anthony Lee. "Reconciling the Other - The Baha'i Faith in America as a Successful Synthesis of Christianity and Islam" (http:/ /
bahai-library. com/ lee_reconciling_other#fn10). . Retrieved 2006-10-01.
[17] Ligon, Tom. "The World's Simplest Fusion Reactor: And How to Make It Work" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20060615044323/ http:/ /
torsatron. tripod. com/ fusor/ fusor. html). Archived from the original (http:/ / torsatron. tripod. com/ fusor/ fusor. html) on 2006-06-15. .
Retrieved 2006-09-05.
[18] Ligon, Tom. ""Devil" and "The Gardener"" (http:/ / www. angelfire. com/ va2/ TomLigon/ Writing. htm#devil). . Retrieved 2006-08-12.
[19] Ligon, Tom (2008). "For a Little Price" (http:/ / www. zcbooks. ca/ 5073. html). In A. Khan, Ahmed; Aurangzeb Ahmad, Muhammad. A
Mosque Among the Stars. Canada: ZC Books. ISBN9780978305710. . Additional reviews at:

Mckee, Gabriel (April 9, 2009). "The message of A Mosque Among the Stars" (http:/ / sfgospel. typepad. com/ sf_gospel/ 2009/ 04/
the-message-of-a-mosque-among-the-stars. html). SF Gospel. . Retrieved 2010-06-24.
mita, Asakiyume (Apr. 8th, 2009). "Review: Mosque Among the Stars" (http:/ / asakiyume. livejournal. com/ 268475. html). . Retrieved
2010-06-24.
[20] Jim Bean's Universe (2006). "Maya Bohnhoff" (http:/ / www. baens-universe. com/ authors/ Maya_Bohnhoff). Jim Bean's Universe. .
Retrieved 2006-08-13.
[21] Bohnhoff, Maya. "Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff, Member SFWA, Bibliography" (http:/ / www. mysticfig. com/ mbooks. html). . Retrieved
2010-10-07.
[22] Ohi, Debbie (2001-03). "Interview with Jeff Bohnhoff" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20060904013524/ http:/ / www. electricpenguin.
com/ filking/ articles/ jeffbohnhoff. html). The Dandelion Report. Archived from the original (http:/ / www. electricpenguin. com/ filking/
articles/ jeffbohnhoff. html) on 2006-09-04. . Retrieved 2006-09-10.
[23] Bohnhoff, Maya Kaathryn (1999). The White Dog (http:/ / bahai-library. com/ bohnhoff_white_dog). London: Interzone. .
[24] Bohnhoff, Maya (2006-06-05). "The MERI is back in print!" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20061123025309/ http:/ / www. mysticfig.
com/ Maya_Books. htm#meri). Archived from the original (http:/ / www. mysticfig. com/ Maya_Books. htm#meri) on 2006-11-23. .
Retrieved 2006-08-12.
[25] Marshall, Alison (2006-06-05). "Alison Marshall in New Zealand of Arts Dialogue interview" (http:/ / bahai-library. com/ bafa/ s/
sheppherd. htm). . Retrieved 2006-08-12.
[26] Office of Strategic Communications (2006-06-05). "Fiat Lux Mailing List Class Notes - May 2003" (http:/ / www. fiatlux. ucr. edu/ cgi-bin/
display. cgi?id=212). . Retrieved 2006-08-12.
[27] Joe Keehner Jr. (2006-06-05). "Journal of Green Lifestyle 2002" (http:/ / www. freepress. org/ journal. php?strFunc=display& strID=41&
strJournal=9). . Retrieved 2006-08-12.
[28] The Bulletin (Bend, Oregon) (2006-06-05). "Friends, neighbors cushion a tough week for Bend woman" (http:/ / www. uga. edu/ bahai/
2002/ 020610-3. html). . Retrieved 2006-08-12.
[29] Amazon.com (2006-06-05). "Amazon.com entry". ASIN097022981.
[30] ebay.com (2006-06-05). [accessdate = 2006-08-12 "ebay.com entry"]. accessdate = 2006-08-12.
[31] "SHERLOCKIAN STORY SUMMARIES - P's" (http:/ / www. schoolandholmes. com/ summariesp. html). 2006-06-05. . Retrieved
2006-08-12.
[32] http:/ / www. 1911encyclopedia. org/ Persia
[33] http:/ / www. 1911encyclopedia. org/ Nasr-ed-Din
[34] "Amazon.com entry". ASIN0807083437.
[35] Dale Roberts, Paul (2006-01-26). "ARVID NELSON, Writer of Rex Mundi" (http:/ / www. jazmaonline. com/ interviews/ interviews2.
asp?intID=271). Jazma Online. .
[36] Press, David (2008-07-18). "Arvid Nelson talks "Rex Mundi"" (http:/ / www. comicbookresources. com/ ?page=article& id=17297). CBR
News. .
[37] Manning, Shaun (2008-12-18). "ARVID NELSON ON "REX MUNDI'S" FINAL ARC" (http:/ / www. comicbookresources. com/
?page=article& id=19223). CBR News. .
[38] "Interview with Arvid Nelson 8/20/07" (http:/ / www. darkhorse. com/ Interviews/ 1470/ Interview-with-Arvid-Nelson-8-20-07). Dark
Horse Interviews (Dark Horse Comics). 2007-08-20. .
[39] "Tk Ralya" (http:/ / www. tkralya. com/ ). 2006-06-05. . Retrieved 2006-08-12.
[40] "Qadas-Jewish" (http:/ / 72. 14. 209. 104/ search?q=cache:kggE3uFssGMJ:www. orderofstluke. org/ deanscovell_book2. pdf) (PDF).
2006-06-05. . Retrieved 2006-08-12.
[41] "Qadas-Moslem" (http:/ / qa. sunnipath. com/ issue_view. asp?HD=1& ID=1042& CATE=4). 2006-06-05. . Retrieved 2006-08-12.
[42] The Chalice of Life by Elizabeth Lehman (http:/ / www. planetbahai. org/ cgi-bin/ articles. pl?article=319)

10

Bah' Faith in fiction

[43] Wagner, Ralph D. Yahi-Bahi Society of Mrs. Resselyer-Brown, The (http:/ / bahai-library. com/ leacock_yahi_bahi_society). Accessed on:
30-07-2011
[44] Anonymous Eye in the sky; Dick, Philip K. (http:/ / scholieren. samenvattingen. com/ documenten/ show/ 8239222/ ) Accessed on:
30-07-2011
[45] Robinson, Benjamin (2004-06-05). "She of Little Faith Capsule Revision" (http:/ / www. snpp. com/ episodes/ DABF02). The Simpsons
Archive. . Retrieved 2006-08-12.
[46] Robinson, Benjamin (2000-11-09). "Alone Again, Natura-Diddly Capsule Revision" (http:/ / www. snpp. com/ episodes/ BABF10). The
Simpsons Archive. . Retrieved 2006-08-12.
[47] Frances Flannery-Dailey and Rachel Wagner. Paul Allen Williams. ed. "Wake Up! Gnosticism & Buddhism in The Matrix" (http:/ /
whatisthematrix. warnerbros. com/ rl_cmp/ new_phil_wakeup. html). The Journal of Religion and Film (The University of Nebraska Omaha).
. Retrieved 2006-09-11.
[48] "God-talk and The Matrix I" (http:/ / tmatt. gospelcom. net/ column/ 2003/ 05/ 14). Terry Mattingly. 2003-05-14. . Retrieved 2006-09-11.
[49] Australian Bahai Community (2006-06-05). "First Baha'i Character" (http:/ / www. bahai. org. au/ docs/ abr 6-2. pdf) (PDF).
www.bahai.org.au. . Retrieved 2006-08-12.
[50] Australian Broadcasting Corporation (2005). "Layla Young - Receptionist/Student Liaison Officer, MDA" (http:/ / www. abc. net. au/ mda/
episodes/ archive. htm). abc.net.au. . Retrieved 2006-08-14.
[51] Australian Broadcasting Corporation (2005). "Medical Defense Australia: Episode Guide" (http:/ / www. abc. net. au/ mda/ staff/ layla.
htm). abc.net.au. . Retrieved 2006-08-14.
[52] *White Wolf Publishing, Inc (2006-12-12). "ISRA Methodology and Philosophy" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20070322130335/ http:/ /
www. adeptsys. com/ chrysalis/ Pages/ orders/ isra. html). Adeptus Systematus Corporation. Archived from the original (http:/ / www.
adeptsys. com/ chrysalis/ Pages/ orders/ isra. html) on 2007-03-22. . Retrieved 2006-12-12.

Baha'i in Trinity; How Baha'i is Presented in Luna Rising and How to Use It (http:/ / www. nprime. net/ aeonsociety/ trinity/ misc/
misc0002. html) By Itai Perez
[53] "The Seven Valleys Story: About" (http:/ / www. thesevenvalleys. com/ ). Chris Nelson. 2007-03-01. . Retrieved 2010-03-01.
[54] Winters, Jonah (2004-06-05). "Bah' Library Online - Fiction section" (http:/ / bahai-library. com/ fiction/ ). Jonah Winters. . Retrieved
2006-08-12.
[55] Tidhar, Lavie (2004-06-05). "The Baha'i and Science Fiction" (http:/ / www. irosf. com/ q/ zine/ article/ 10017). Quintamid LLC. . Retrieved
2008-03-21.
[56] Steven Kolins (2004-06-05). "Well that was weird" (http:/ / www. irosf. com/ forum/ thread. qsml?thid=10045). Quintamid LLC. .
Retrieved 2006-08-12.
[57] Tidhar, Lavie (2004-06-05). "The Baha'i and Science Fiction" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20060217205354/ http:/ / www. nanobison.
com/ story6. htm). Doug Helbling. Archived from the original (http:/ / www. nanobison. com/ story6. htm) on 2006-02-17. . Retrieved
2006-08-12.
[58] Mueller, David (2004-06-05). "How the Baha'i Community is like a Space Ark" (http:/ / www. dcmstarships. com/ article-space ark and
bahais. html). David C. Mueller. . Retrieved 2006-08-12.
[59] Mueller, David (2004-06-05). "Suggested Reading for Inquisitive Minds" (http:/ / www. dcmstarships. com/ article-suggested reading.
html). David C. Mueller. . Retrieved 2006-08-12.
[60] Mueller, David (2004-06-05). "The Artist's Favorite Science Fiction Novels" (http:/ / www. dcmstarships. com/ article-favorite science
fiction novels. html). David C. Mueller. . Retrieved 2006-08-12.
[61] Bohnhoff, Maya (2004-06-05). "Bohnhoff biography" (http:/ / www. authorsden. com/ bohnhoff). AuthorsDen, Inc.. . Retrieved 2006-08-12.
[62] Bohnhoff, Maya (2004-06-05). "Bohnhoff Writing" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20061123025309/ http:/ / www. mysticfig. com/
Maya_Books. htm). Jeff & Maya Bohnhoff. Archived from the original (http:/ / www. mysticfig. com/ Maya_Books. htm) on 2006-11-23. .
Retrieved 2006-08-12.
[63] http:/ / greenbelt. com/ news/ aslan/
[64] http:/ / www. chaliceoflife. com
[65] http:/ / www. tomligon. com/ Writing. html
[66] http:/ / www. sigmaforum. org/ members. php#ligon

References
Collins, William P. (1990). Bibliography of English-language Works on the Bb and Bah' Faiths. Oxford, UK:
George Ronald. ISBN0853983151.

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Article Sources and Contributors

Article Sources and Contributors

Bah' Faith in fiction Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=469717398 Contributors: Alansohn, Alt.dev, Appraiser, Betacommand, Buster7, Cholling, Cunado19, DNewhall,
Esn, Firsfron, Fratrep, Hmains, Jay32183, Jeff3000, Jonah22, JuJube, Kalimgates, Koavf, LambaJan, Lamro, LilHelpa, Michael Hardy, Mild Bill Hiccup, Minissa, MythicFox, Nohansen,
Nwbeeson, Orestek, Paxse, Rhinoracer, Rich Farmbrough, Rjwilmsi, Slysplace, Smee, Smkolins, Voxhumana2009, Wg2, Wiki-uk, Zazaban, 46 anonymous edits

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