Local Links

Singapore chapter of the Association of Baha'i Studies (ABS)

Introduction:

The continuous growth of the Bahá'í Faith globally and the steady increase in the number of its adherents in Singapore is testimony to the effectiveness and potency of Baha'ú'llah's teachings in this age. The Spiritual Assembly of The Baha'is of Singapore, has created the Association for Bahá'í Studies - Singapore (ABS - Singapore) as one of its organs for the promotion of Bahá'í Scholarship and promotion of solutions to existing and future social issues based on Bahá'í writings.

Purpose:

ABS-Singapore promotes the study of the history, teachings and philosophy of the Bahá'í Faith, and the application of Bahá'í principles to the concerns of society.

Objectives:

To explore, analyse and systematise the teachings and philosophy of the Bahá'í Faith with particular respect and attention to the Bahá'í Sacred Writings.
To foster the discussion and analysis of the history of the Bahá'í Faith, contemporary developments in the Bahá'í community, and its relationships to the wider community.
To discuss and evaluate ideas, initiatives and programs to further the health and wellbeing, and the spiritual, moral and intellectual development of individuals.
To devise, review and evaluate the programs, ideas and projects for the social and economic development of families and communities, with special attention to the views and needs of women, indigenous people and minorities, and the preservation of the environment.
To facilitate the discussion and critical analysis of the application of the Bahá'í teachings to the problems of society, drawing upon the arts, sciences and spiritual traditions.
To address the challenges of creating a peaceful, united and sustainable world community envisaged in the Bahá'í Writings as the endpoint of social evolution on the planet.
To organise annually one or more conferences for Bahá'í Studies.
To develop and distribute publications to serve the aims of the Association including a newsletter and conference proceedings.
To contribute to the development of Bahá'í studies by association or collaboration with other bodies including other Associations for Bahá'í Studies, tertiary institutions, and Bahá'í societies.

Historical Background:

The Association for Baha'í Studies - Singapore, was originally established through a decision of The Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Singapore in 1996. The founding members of the ABS -Singapore managed to perform an outstanding job organizing the first Singapore Baha'í Studies conference that was held April 5th, 1996. Since its establishment, ABS - Singapore has managed to hold an annual conference open to members of the Society and public where a number of topics relevant to the nature of the society have been presented and these have been successfully published and are currently available to general public.

Activities & Events:

ABS - Singapore will, on an annual basis, organise a conference and, where there is ample interest, it will hold seminars to generally promote Bahá'í scholarship in the Singapore Bahá'í Community. Information regarding these events will be advertised in the community and will be posted on ABS - Singapore Internet site.

Publication:

ABS -Singapore shall publish the proceedings of the annual conference in the form of the ABS - Singapore Journal.

All material submitted in the annual conference must be approved for publication by the NSA.
The NSA has complete authority in selecting the reviewing taskforce.
The above rules shall apply to all the individuals that present their papers for publication at the ABS - Conference.
The Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Singapore reserves the right to accept or reject any of the submissions without having to provide a reason.