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Bahá`í/prespective on healthcare

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Expert: - 1/8/2011


Question
I am writing a paper for school and have to find people of different faiths and ask the following question. I would appreciate any help that you can provide and would like to learn more about other's faiths and their beliefs.

What is your spiritual perspecive on healing?
What are critical components of healing?(prayer, meditation, belief)
What is imortant to people of your faith when cared for by health care providers whose beliefs differ from your own?
How do view healthcare providers who are able to set aside their own beliefs in the interest of your beleifs and practices?

Thank you for your time.

Answer

Putting One Foot in Fr
CONTEXT FOR THIS ROLE OF EXPERT AT THE “ABOUT SITE”

Note: Before reading my attempt at an answer to the question you sent to the About internet site today, please read the following three A-4 pages and 1500 words which sets a framework for my response to your question.  I have set this framework outout below.  It is a framework that tries to place my remarks in a general and relevant context.  If I do not fully answer your question immediately on seeing your question, I will try to get back to you within 24 hours.  In addition, if you do not find my answer to your question satisfactory, then: (a) feel free to write again, (b) try one of the other experts at this site, (c) go to one of the many Bahá'í forums and internet locations now in existence on the internet, and/or (d) go to the official internaitonal Baha’I site at: bahai.org.

If you just insert the following words into your search engine: (1) Bahá'í Forums or (2) Web Forums about the Baha'i Faith or (3) the Bahá'í Faith followed by whatever topic is of interest to you; for example: the trinity, reincarnation, miracles, healing, inter alia--you will get yet another base of information to provide an immediate response to your area of interest.
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The function of an expert at this “About Site” is to act within the terms of reference as outlined by the About moderators.  These terms of reference specifically define the general objectives and methods of an expert.  I see my role as serving the specific need of an individual who writes to this site with a question and who is seeking an answer to that question.  I am not here to dictate arbitrarily to anyone, but rather to serve as one of the multitude of unifying factors at work in the Baha’i Faith, unifying factors that in this case function to answer the questions of seekers, those who simply want answers to their questions.  I attempt to be courteous and tactful on the one hand and to respond in a frank and honest way on the other in dealing with questions and comments that come in. Courtesy and frankness are difficult qualities to combine.   I also aim to foster a spirit of independence rather than a spirit which excessively relies on others to carry out their research and their study of the Baha’i Faith.

Whether the questioner is a Bahá’í, an interested observer or, indeed, someone without any special interest in this new world Faith, often the answer to their question can easily be found on the internet at one or more of the millions of sites, Baha’i and other, now in existence.  Often in answering a question, I direct the questioner to one or more of those sites for a more complete answer than the one I am providing.  Often, too, I provide an article, an essay and several relevant quotations, at least relevant as I see them, if not always seen as relevant by the recipient.  In the process, I have found over the six years I have been involved in answering questions that I sometimes provide too much information. sometimes I provide too little; sometimes questioners feel I have not even answered their question; sometimes they simply do not like my answer. The evaluation of my answers by questioners reflects my success from the point of view of questioners.  As in life, so on the internet with the question and answering process.

It is important for Baha’is and also for others who write in to utilize the many sources of assistance within both Baha’i administration and the burgeoning number of locations for expertise available in our diverse society. Government organizations, non-government organizations and special interest groups, inter alia and inter alter, are now available at the press of a button, the dialling of a number and a few clicks on the internet. So, too, are books, journals, pamphlets and a vast cornucopia of print and electronic media.   Evolution is forcing humanity to engage in a cooperative enterprize that is global--interplanetary--intergalactic now--in its reach.  This site at About and my contribution to the discourse is but a small part of this vast cooperative enterprize.  My approach and my words here are in many ways tentative ideas put forward as the limited and fallible views of one individual.  They should not be unthinkingly adopted as truth and I hope they would not pose a threat to the heartfelt strivings of any believer.

There are generally two kinds of Baha’i literature or writings about this Faith. One presents the/an official view and has the voice of authority behind it.  Such words are not the personal opinions of individual Baha’is.  There is a second category which includes all other writing.  The writing that I place here exists in this latter category, although from time to time I insert quotations that belong to the first category to explain my answer to a particular question.  The quotations, of course, are used by me in a certain way and form a part of an interpretive schema that becomes part of the second category--that is, opinion.  For readers who would like an excellent commentary on the whole question of interpretation I encourage them to read an article published in Bahá'í Studies Review, Volume 5.1, 1995.  It is entitled: Interpretation in the Bahá'í Faith.

Truth, the correct and only answer to a question, often cannot be found. This is mainly because there are often many truths, many answers, depending on the circumstances and situations—and many perspectives depending on the person answering the question and the person to whom one is writing.  To put this complexity or conundrum, this enigma, this apparent contradiction and paradox briefly, I could simply say that truth is relative, especially religious truth which is the main variety I deal with here and with which the various questions that come in are concerned. We are all struggling in our own way to come to terms with problems of understanding and knowledge.  

As much as possible I try to draw on relevant quotations from the voluminous Baha’i Scriptures.  Sometimes I simply do not have access to the relevant literature on a specific question since Baha’i literature in its many forms has become burgeoning, especially in the last quarter-century, since the 1980s and 1990s.  The Baha’i Faith had some 200,000 adherents in 1953 when I first came in contact with this new Faith which claims to be the emerging world religion on the planet.  It now has some 5 to 6 million.  In those six decades much of its literature, originally in Persian and Arabic, has been translated into English.  Still, there is much that remains untranslated.

Each Baha’i seeks to acquire, in his or her own way, a deeper understanding of the Revelation of Baha’u’llah. What is written here represents some of the fruits of my own efforts, limited as they are.  As I have said above, my words are not authoritative. This part of the About site for Baha’i expertise offers but one source of opinion and this opinion is written in accordance with my capacity and understanding.  Readers might like to try drawing on other Baha’i volunteer-experts at this site, as I have suggested above,  if they find my answers not to their satisfaction.  

The Universal House of Justice, the internationally elected body of the Baha’i Faith since 1963, pointed out recently that “the exercise of wisdom calls for a measure of love and the development of a sensitive conscience.”(1)  I am only too well aware of my incapacities on these fronts.  I feel somewhat presumptuous in taking on this role of expert, but I took on the role since I felt I could be the source of some social good, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá expresses one of the main roles of knowledge.  I do not seek any preference or distinction; I do not regard my ideas or myself as superior in anyway. I do not regard my answers as ‘the last word’ on the subject.  All of one’s talents in life are a gift from God, a gift as one writer put it, of some combination of merit and unmerited grace.  

After more than 50 years of association with a global Force that makes such a significant claim to be the emerging world religion on this planet, I offer these words and any answers I might give to questions simply as a service to others.  If questioners would like a more personal, direct and continued communication with me just write to the email address that I have provided below. -Ron Price, http://www.allexperts.com   This is an updated statement written on 13 January 2010.  The original statement was placed at this site in response to a question in September 2004.
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(1) “Extracts from Letters of the Universal House of Justice on issues Related to the Study of the Baha’i Faith,” in Baha’i Canada, May 1998, p.18.
__________________
Ron Price
Email      : ronprice9@gmail.com
Snailmail: 6 Reece Street
                Pipe Clay Bay
               George Town 7253
               Tasmania Australia
Tel          : 03-63824790-from mainland Australia; or
                   dial your international access code #  & then
                    613-63824790 if calling from outside Australia
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Your general question has to do with a Baha'i perspective on health care in order for you to   write a paper for school. You added that you wanted to find people of different faiths in order to ask them the following questions listed below.  You also indicated that you: (a) "would appreciate any help that I can provide, and (b) would like to learn more about the Baha'i Faith and its beliefs.

Your particular questions, as I understand them and as I have slightly reworded them, are as follows:

1. What is the spiritual perspective of the Baha'i Faith on healing?
2. What are the critical components of healing such as: prayer, meditation, and belief, in the Baha'i teachings?
3. What is important to Baha'is when cared for by health care providers whose beliefs differ from their own? and
4. How do Baha'is view healthcare providers? Are Baha'is able to set aside their own beliefs in the interest of the beliefs and practices of others, of those who do not share Baha'i beliefs?
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I will begin to answer your question by quoting from a Baha'i website entitled: Baha'i Faith: Religion Renewed for a Changing World. The quotation is a little long and is a personal story of an individual Baha'i. The title of the story is: Spiritual Healing. It was posted on 8 November07
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Hit with a major illness, Craig Farnsworth has found great comfort in the prayers and writings of the Baha'i Faith.  As soon as he learned he had a brain tumor, which after removal was diagnosed as an aggressive form of cancer, Craig Farnsworth did the opposite of what most people would do: He bypassed the usual stages of response -- grief, denial, anger, bargaining, and depression – and started on a spiritual path of healing.

Mr. Farnsworth, 56, a Baha'i since 1970, doesn’t consider himself stoic or heroic. He says his atypical reaction to having cancer comes from being steeped in the Baha'i Faith, which stresses the power of spiritual healing:

“Be ye assured and confident that the confirmations of God are descending upon you, the assistance of God will be given unto you, the breaths of the Holy Spirit will quicken you with a new life.” – Abdu’l-Baha

But as Baha’u’llah, the Founder of the Baha'i Faith, cautions, “Prayer alone is not sufficient. The best result can be obtained by combining the two processes, spiritual and physical.”  Guided by these and other Baha'i writings, Mr. Farnsworth, who lives in Cleveland, designed a “fact-based spirit-guided plan,” which he outlines on his blog, Fact-Based Spirit-Guided Path.

His plan consists of these elements: prayer, meditation and visualization, eating well, taking supplements, and exercising; welcoming the healing power of radiation and chemotherapy rather than fighting or dreading them; and keeping in mind his goal of long-term survival and an “excellent quality of life.”  In addition to starting a blog, which includes entries by his wife, Susanne Alexander, Mr. Farnsworth has asked friends, family, business associates, neighbors, community colleagues, staff at the Baha’i House of Worship in Wilmette and in Haifa, Israel, members of his Toastmasters group and members of Baha’i institutions to pray for him. Confirming emails of prayerful support have come from around the world.

In the operating room before surgery to remove his tumor, Mr. Farnsworth recited a short Baha'i prayer for healing. He told the operating staff that many people were saying prayers for him and the success of the surgery, and that he had been praying, meditating and visualizing building a cocoon around the tumor to assist them in removing it in one piece. The surgeons were able to remove the tumor in one piece, which Mr. Farnsworth says is unusual and was not predicted by his surgeons. “I like to think part of the success was because of the prayers and my spirit-guided plan,” he says. “I felt I was more a participant than a passive object.”

Before taking his daily chemo pills, Mr. Farnsworth plays a healing hypnosis tape he made with a professional hypnotist. During MRI’s and radiation treatments, he plays a singing version of the Baha'i long healing prayer. “The technicians love it,” he says.  Mr. Farnsworth says he takes great comfort from looking at photos of his grandchildren, two daughters and son, who, in an unfortunate irony, also is being treated for a brain tumor. (Mr. Farnsworth and his son are participating in an international genetic study to find a genetic marker for brain tumors.)

Another key tool in Mr. Farnsworth’s spiritual toolbox is a colorful Baha'i-themed poster, “Three Tools of Healing” (medical treatment, prayers, and joy and laughter).  With his detailed plan, the support of his wife and family, his photos and the poster, Mr. Farnsworth says “there’s nothing else I really need to help me get through this.”
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As far as you last two questions are concerned, namely: What is important to Baha'is when cared for by health care providers whose beliefs differ from their own? and How do Baha'is view healthcare providers? Are Baha'is able to set aside their own beliefs in the interest of the beliefs and practices of others, of those who do not share Baha'i beliefs?---let me add that:
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1. If you google the words: Baha'i Faith and health care professionals---you will get an interesting array of resources to add to what I have said and to give you some general orientations to answer these last two questions.
2. If you go in your search engine to: "Baha'i Faith---Guidelines for Health Care Providers" you will get an excellent resource for your purposes.
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The official international Baha'i site at: bahai.org---has ample information about the Baha'i Faith for you to learn more about this youngest of the world's great religions.

I think I will leave you with this response, Sherry. I wish you well in writing your paper for school.-Ron Price, Tasmania, Australia  

Ron Price

Expertise

I have been a Baha`i for 52 years and been associated with this new world religion for nearly 60. I have written several books on the Baha`i Faith and have two websites: an old one of 450,000 words or 6 books at 75,000 words per book and a new one with access with to several million words spread at hundreds of sites across the world wide web. This website is entitled: Pioneering Over Four/Five Epochs. Any expertise I possess is based on more than half a century of what I trust is, on what I know to be, a maturing experience. This expertise is also based on the training of my mind by means of many avenues in life one of which is academic. My qualifications include: a B.A., a B.Ed., a M.A.(Qual. Thesis) and 4 party completed Graduate Diplomas. You can view my resume at Linkedin or just google RonPrice. The internet has more than 2000, yes 2000, Ron Prices and so make sure you have the right one. The Baha'i writings emphasize that Baha'is should strive to possess: a well-trained mind, establish some recognized ability in the eyes of others and, over time, cultivate a mature experience in community life. They should also attempt to exemplify, to the best of their capacity, some degree of selfless devotion and unquestioned loyalty to the Cause with which they have identified, namely, the Baha'i Faith. One can but try. _______________________________________________________________________________ I am 67 years of age. I was a teacher and tutor, lecturer and adult educator, taxi-driver and ice-cream salesman over a 40 year period(1965-2005), among many other jobs. I am now a poet and publisher, writer and author, editor and journalist. I have been married for 44 years and have three grown-up children ages: 45, 41 and 34(in 2011)--and three step-grandchildren ages: 1, 17 and 15(in 2011). I bring to my role here a background an experience of family and employment life that is relevant to the kind of questions likely to be asked at this site.

Experience

1. EMPLOYMENT & SOCIAL-ROLES: 1943-2011 1999-2011-Writer & Editor; Poet & Publisher; Journalist & Independent Scholar. Retired Teacher & Lecturer, Tutor & Adult Educator, Ice-Cream Salesman and Taxi-Driver. Lived in George Town Tasmania for this period of time. 2002-2005-Program Presenter, City Park Radio, Launceston 1999-2004-Tutor and/or President: George Town School for Seniors Inc 1988-1999 -Lecturer in General Studies and Human Services West Australian Department of Training 1986-1987 -Acting Lecturer in Management Studies and Co-ordinator of Further Education Unit at Hedland College in South Hedland, WA. 1982-1985 -Adult Educator, Open College of Tafe, Katherine, NT 1981 -Maintenance Scheduler, Renison Bell, Zeehan, Tasmania 1980-Unemployed: Bi-Polar Disability 1979 -Editor, External Studies Unit, Tasmanian CAE; Youth Worker, Resource Centre Association, Launceston; Lecturer in Organizational Behaviour, Tasmanian CAE; Radio Journalist ABC, Launceston 1976-1978 -Lecturer in Social Sciences & Humanities, Ballarat CAE, Ballarat 1975 - Lecturer in Behavioural Studies, Whitehorse Technical College, Box Hill, Victoria 1974 -Senior Tutor in Education Studies, Tasmanian CAE, Launceston 1972-1973 -High School Teacher, South Australian Education Department 1971 Primary School Teacher, Whyalla SA, Australia 1969-1971 Primary School Teacher, Prince Edward County Board of Education, Picton, Ontario, Canada 1969 Systems Analyst, Bad Boy Co. Ltd., Toronto Ontario 1967-68 -Community Teacher, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Frobisher Bay, NWT, Canada 1959-67 -Summer jobs from grade 9 to end of university 1949-1967 - Attended 2 primary schools, 2 high schools and 2 universities in Canada: McMaster Uni:1963-1966, Windsor T’s College: 1966/7. 1944-1963 -Childhood(1944-57) and adolescence(1957-63) in and around Hamilton Ontario.

Organizations
CLUBS, ASSOCIATIONS AND FORMAL GROUPS TO WHICH I HAVE BELONGED DURING MY 65 YEARS: * solo guitarist at an aged-care facility in my home town in Tasmania: 2008-2011 * Member of a singing group in George Town, Tasmania : 2001-2005. * Public Speaking Assessor, Rostrum, Katherine, NT : 1984/6 * Member of the Lions Club, Zeehan Tasmania : 1981/2 * Member of fitness centres in Melbourne(1975-6), Ballarat(1977-78),Perth(1989-99) and Launceston(1999-2003) * Member of baseball and hockey teams in Burlington : 1953-1962 * Member of the Baha’i Faith : 1959-2009 * I have been a member of many groups during the more than 50 year period 1959-2011, the age of 15 to 67. I was associated with or worked as a volunteer in: (a) The George Town School for Seniors, (b) City Park Radio in Launceston and (c) several other clubs and associations like: (I) Cubs, (II) formal discussion groups in educational institutions as a student and (III) unnumbered groups as a teacher.

Publications
2. PUBLICATIONS: 2.1 Articles and Reviews: Journals/Websites 1.*Essays, Interviews and Articles on the Internet at: 1.1 The Baha'i Academic Resource Library jonah@winterswebsorks.com. has several hundred items posted there, 2002-2006; and at 1.2 An estimated 2000 other sites containing several million words, 2001-2006. 2. * "A History of the Baha'i Faith in the Northern Territory: 1947-1997," Northern Lights, 32 Instalments, 2000-2003. 3. * Periodic Articles in "Newsletters," Regional Teaching Committees of the NSA of the Baha'is of Australia Inc., 1971-2001. 4. * Periodic Articles/Letters, Baha'i Canada and The Australian Baha'i Bulletin now The Australian Baha’i: 1971-2006. 5. * "Memorials of the Faithful," Baha'i Studies Review, September 2001. 6. * "Review of Two Chapbooks: The Poetry of Tony Lee," Arts Dialogue, June 2001. 7. * "Asia and the Lost Poems: The Poetry of Anthony Lee," Art 'n Soul, a Website for Poets and Poetry, January 2000. 8. * "The Passionate Artist," Australian Baha'i Studies, Vol.2, 2000. 9. * "Memorials of the Faithful," Australian Baha'i Studies, Vol.1, No.2, 1999, p.102 and uplifting words.org, 2005-6. 10. * "Poetry of Ron Price: An Overview," ABS Newsletter, No.38, September 1997. 11. * "Thomas a Kempis, Taherzadeh and the Day of Judgement," Forum, Vol.3, No 1, 1994, pp.1-3. 12. * "Forward", An Introduction to Occasions of Grace: Poems and Portrayals, Roger White, George Ronald, Oxford, 1993. 13. * "The Inner Life and the Environment", a paper presented at Murdoch University at the Baha’i Studies Conference in April 1990 and published in The Environment: Our Common Heritage, Monograph No.5, 1994, pp.118-131. 14. * "The History of a Dream: A Tribute to Persistence", Office of Tafe Publication in Western Australia, 1988, pp.5-6. 15. * "Response", Dialogue, Vol.2, No.1, 1986, pp.3-4. 16. many more--a list to long to include here.

Education/Credentials
1.1 Academic Qualifications * Bachelor of Arts(Sociology) McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada 1966 *B. Ed.(Primary School Training) Windsor Teachers’ College Windsor Ontario Canada 1967 * MA(Qualifying Thesis) University of Queensland St Lucia Queensland Australia 1988 1.2 Professional Qualifications * Post Graduate Diploma in Education Windsor University Windsor Ontario Canada 1967 * Certificate of Integrated Studies Education Department of Ontario Toronto Ontario Canada 1970 1.3 Further Studies(Qualifications Incomplete) * Advanced Diploma in Education University of Adelaide Adelaide South Australia 1973 -comparative education unit * Master of Educational Administration University of New England Armadale NSW 1975 to 1978 -comparative education, organization theory and practice, educational administration, open education and history of education units * Diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations Tasmanian College of Advanced Education Launceston Tasmania 1980 -organizational behaviour-3 units * Graduate Diploma in Multicultural Education Armadale College of Advanced Education Armadale NSW 1983 -language and society unit; presented paper at residential school. * Graduate Diploma in Religious Education South Australian College of Advanced Education Adelaide South Australia 1984 to 1986 -Religious symbols and symbolism, sociology of education, the Bible as literature, moral education, Islam and principles of religious education units. ------------- That's all folks!

Awards and Honors
AWARDS, PRIZES AND FORMAL RECOGNITIONS: ----------------- 1. I won the most valuable player in the Midget Baseball League in Burlington Ontario in 1958. 2. I won a trophy for the most home runs hit in 1958 and was picked to play for the Burlington All-Stars for four years running: 1958-1962. 3. In the last decade I have received several forms of recognition at various internet sites where I post: poems, essays and comments of many kinds.

Past/Present Clients
People who come to this site and ask questions of me need to keep in mind that, in many ways, the whole notion of an expert on the Baha'i Faith is not a concept that is part of the Baha'i Faith. The Baha'i community has no theologians, no clergy, no individuals who can claim to be voices of authority. An elected institution at the global level has such an authority. It is .....

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