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Paraguay

From Bahaipedia
 Paraguay
Location of Paraguay
National AssemblyParaguay
Statistics:
Total Population
 -  UN 2021[1] 6,703,799
Bahá'í pop.
 -  Bahá'í source  
 -  Non-Bahá'í source 11,740
Related media
Categories: Paraguay • People

The relationship between Paraguay and the Bahá'í Faith began in 1916 when 'Abdu'l-Bahá, then head of the religion, mentioned the country in the Tablets of the Divine Plan.[2] Paraguayan Maria Casati was the first to join the religion in 1939 when living in Buenos Aires.[3] The first pioneer to settle in Paraguay was Elizabeth Cheney early in 1940[4] and the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly of Asunción was elected in 1944.[4][5] By 1961 Paraguayan Bahá'ís had elected the first National Spiritual Assembly and by 1963 there were 3 local assemblies plus other communities.[6] Recent estimates of Bahá'ís mention 5500[7] or 13000[8] though the state Census doesn't mention the Bahá'ís.[9]

'Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablets of the Divine Plan[edit]

'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 in 1916-1917; these letters were compiled together in the book titled Tablets of the Divine Plan. The sixth of the tablets was the first to mention Latin American regions and was written in April 8, 1916, but was delayed in being presented in the United States until 1919 — after the end of World War I and the Spanish flu. The first actions on the part of Bahá'í community towards Latin America were that of a few individuals who made trips to Mexico and South America near or before this unavailing in 1919, including Mr. and Mrs. Frankland, and Roy C. Wilhelm, and Martha Root. Root's travels, perhaps the first Bahá'í to the region, began in the summer of 1919 - stopping first in Brazil then other countries before setting out to cross the Andes mountains into Chile in winter.[10] The sixth tablet was translated and presented by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab on April 4th, 1919, and published in Star of the West magazine on December 12th, 1919.[11]

"His Holiness Christ says: Travel ye to the East and to the West of the world and summon the people to the Kingdom of God. … Attach great importance to the indigenous population of America ... the republics of the continent of South America—Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, the Guianas, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Venezuela; also the islands to the north, east and west of South America, such as Falkland Islands, the Galapagòs, Juan Fernandez, Tobago and Trinidad...."[2]

Following the release of these tablets and then ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's death in 1921, a few Bahá'ís began moving to or at least visiting Latin America.[4] Paraguayan Maria Casati met some of these Bahá'ís in Buenos Aires, Argentina and converted to the religion in 1939.[3]

Establishment and growth[edit]

The first pioneer to arrive in Paraguay was Elizabeth Cheney in December[3] 1940. Shoghi Effendi, then head of the religion, called for further strengthening of the community in 1943[12] following which the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly of Paraguay was elected in Asunción[5] in 1944.[4] An All-American Convention was held in 1944, and actor Don Roque Centurión Miranda was a delegate from Paraguay.[4] The first South American Bahá'í Congress was celebrated in Buenos Aires in November, 1946 with representatives R. Centurion Miranda and Josephine Pla from Paraguay. When the regional National Assembly of South America was elected in 1957 the members included Paraguayan Esteban Canales. By 1950 there was still an assembly in Asunción.[13] The regional assembly was reorganized in 1957 to be made up of Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay & Bolivia and in 1961 each country elected it's own National Spiritual Assembly. By 1963 there were Local Spiritual Assemblies in Asunción, Concepción, and Encarnación as well as a smaller group in Pedro Juan Caballero and members of the community also included some of the Caygüa (Kadiweu?) people.[14]

Modern community[edit]

As recently as 1980 there have been pioneers to Paraguay.[15] Some more recent events Bahá'ís in Paraguay have undertaken include participating in international surveys from 1983 inquiring about activities organized during the United Nations Decade for Women to achieve equality of rights, privileges, and responsibilities for both sexes, as well as to report on obstacles that these communities had faced[16] - responses from Paraguay noted women participated "without restriction in consultation and decision-making" in the local and national administrative functions of the Bahá'í community where "women both vote and are elected." Then the community hosted the first International Women's Conference of Paraguay in July 1988 with over 100 in attendance.[3] During this period, Bahá'ís also had children's classes underway.[17] In 1999 Jose Luis Gadea became a member of the International Environment Forum.[18] A series of large youth gatherings were undertaken in 2000 throughout the Americas, beginning in Paraguay in January with a focus to galvanize the youth to address protracted social conflicts such as race and class prejudice, corruption, violence, poverty, and social injustice afflicting their countries.[19] In 2002 former member of the Universal House of Justice David Hofman visited the Paraguayan Bahá'ís and noted a possible role for the Bahá'í Training Institutes.[20] Eighty five Bahá'ís from Paraguay including Marcos Galeano of Asuncion[21] and Romina P.C. Torres[22] were among those attending the regional conference called for by the Universal House of Justice in 2008 held in Sao Paulo.

Demographics[edit]

Though various agencies report the size of the community numbers in the thousands, the state census doesn't count it.[9] The community was noticed on US. Department of State records.[23] The 2001 Association of Religion Data Archives review showed some 0.2% of Paraguayans, or 13,000, were Bahá'ís.[8] Operation World estimated some 5,500 and also suggest a rate of growth second only to Islam, and having numbers about twice those of Islam.[7] The World Christian Encyclopedia estimated the 2005 population at 9735.[24].

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ↑ "World Population Prospects 2022". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (1991). Tablets of the Divine Plan (Paperback ed.). Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. pp. 31–32. ISBN 0877432333. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |origdate= ignored (|orig-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Cameron, G. (1996). A Basic Bahá'í Chronology. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. pp. 254, 263, 458. ISBN 0853984022. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Lamb, Artemus (1995). The Beginnings of the Bahá'í Faith in Latin America:Some Remembrances, English Revised and Amplified Edition. 1405 Killarney Drive, West Linn OR, 97068, United States of America: M L VanOrman Enterprises. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location (link)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Effendi, Shoghi (1944). God Passes By. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. p. 399. ISBN 0-87743-020-9.
  6. ↑ Hands of the Cause Residing in the Holy Land 1963, pp. 15, 108.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Republic of Paraguay". Operation World. Paternoster Lifestyle. 2001. Retrieved 2098-07-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Compare Countries International > Compare Countries > Brazil Paraguay". The Association of Religion Data Archives. 2005. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "CUADRO P11: PARAGUAY: Población de 10 años y más por grupos de edad, según área urbana-rural, sexo y religión, 2002" (pdf). Paraguay. Resultados Finales Censo Nacional de Población y Viviendas. Año 2002 - Total País. DGEEC, Gov of Paraguay. 2002. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
  10. ↑ Allmar, Husayn (2007). "Martha Root's Journey to Chile". The Chilean Temple Initiative. National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United State. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
  11. ↑ Abbas, 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1919). Tablets, Instructions and Words of Explanation]. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  12. ↑ Effendi, Shoghi (1947). Messages to America. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Committee. p. 65. OCLC 5806374.
  13. ↑ Shoghi Effendi, compiler. "Bahá'í Faith, The: 1844-1950: Information Statistical and Comparative". p. 22.
  14. ↑ Hands of the Cause Residing in the Holy Land 1963, p. 15.
  15. ↑ Kim and Richard Cook "About the Maui Ruhi Group". The Maui Divine Arts Institute. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
  16. ↑ Bahá'í International Community (1985), "Activities in the Bahá'í World Community to Improve the Status of Women during the United Nations Decade for Women", World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, Nairobi, Kenya: Bahá'í International Community
  17. ↑ Bahá'í International Community (1997), "Enseñanzas morales y sociales", Los Bahá'ís{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  18. ↑ "New Members (voting)". Leaves. Linköping Sweden: International Environment Forum. 01 (02). October, 1999. Retrieved 2009-07-25. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ↑ Bahá'í International Community (2000-08-29), "Youth Congress in Ecuador dedicated to service and transformation", Bahá'í World News Service{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  20. ↑ "The Training Institute may be the single most vital institution to prevent potential catastrophe to the Faith". CommuNIqué. Bahá'í Council in Northern Ireland. 159 BE (77). 2003-01-01. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
  21. ↑ Bahá'í International Community (2008-12-21), "The São Paulo Regional Conference", Bahá'í World News Service{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  22. ↑ Bahá'í International Community (2008-12-21), "Picture Gallery", Bahá'í World News Service{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  23. ↑ "Paraguay - International Religious Freedom Report 2001". The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs. 2001. Retrieved 2009-07-03. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  24. ↑ "Most Baha'i Nations (2005)". QuickLists > Compare Nations > Religions >. The Association of Religion Data Archives. 2005. Retrieved 2009-07-04.

References[edit]

External Links[edit]

Official Website


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