The Parents and Children
The
responsibilities of parents are to rear children to be "staunch" in faith, and
to continually strive to provide a comprehensive material, intellectual, and
spiritual education for their children.
The
Bahá'í writings provide guidance to parents and also specifically advise
fathers and mothers. The father is exhorted to "educate his children, both
boys and girls, in the sciences and in morals, and in crafts and professions".
Mothers are called "the first educators, the first mentors" by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
who states that it is "truly the mothers who determine the happiness, the
future greatness, the courteous ways and learning and judgment, the
understanding and the faith of their little ones". Mothers are called to
"educate their little ones from the earliest days" and to "thoroughly train
them, rear them to have a goodly character and good morals, guide them to all
the virtues of humankind, prevent the development of any behavior that would
be worthy of blame, and foster them in the embrace of Bahá’í education".
Philosophy of Bahá’í Education
Among
the greatest objectives of humanity is the education and training of children.
This education ensures human progress, and prepares each soul for its entry
into the next level of existence.
Education must therefore be divine as well as material. Spiritual education
embodies those virtues or attributes which, when enkindled in the hearts and
minds of children, not only guide their morals, but also enhance their
material education. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke of this dual necessity, and its
benefits:
"If...the child be trained to be both learned and good, the
result is light upon light."
The
Bahá’í writings state that, before all else, children must be taught to love
and obey God. This love and obedience is represented to a great extent in a
child’s relationship with his or her parents and in service to humankind.
Because service to the world of humanity is the highest station to which a
person can aspire, spiritual education programs must have service to the work
of humanity as both a foundation and outcome.
Although it's something of a cliché, our children are our future. In relating
its plans and goals for the coming years, the National Spiritual Assembly of
the Bahá'ís of the United States addressed the community's children in these
words: "You are the most precious treasures of our community. We want you to
grow strong and be happy." Total education is the nourishment for mind and
soul that can make this dream a reality.
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