The Orbis

Issue date: 4/17/02 Section: Undefined Section

House of Worship: The North American Bahá'í center is located in Chicago. Photo courtesy of www.bahai-faith.org [Click to enlarge]

At first glance, the beliefs professed by followers of the Bahá'í faith might seem radical for Nashville, the buckle of the Bible Belt.

For those whose religious lives exist strictly within the mainstream churches throughout the city, it may be difficult to imagine that they co-exist with a religion that seems so far removed from their own tradition.

Followers of the Bahá'í faith, however, feel that Bahá'í offers them a rich spiritual life. Their faith does not contradict Christian teachings, but actually builds upon them, along with the other major religions of the world, as part of its foundation.

Among the major religions of today, the most direct forerunner of the Bahá'í faith is Islam, which was the youngest of the world religions at the time of Bahá'í's founding. Bahá'í is completely independent of Islam, however, much as Christianity is separate from its forerunner, Judaism.

The Bahá'í faith is based on a concept of religion as evolutionary. Since God is unchanging, the truth remains constant. The way in which the message is relayed to people, though, must change as humanity evolves.

Therefore, there have been many prophets throughout the history of the world but only one message. These Prophets or Manifestations of God, including Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Zoroaster, Muhammad, the Báb and most recently Bahá'u'lláh, are all equal.

Differences among them have not been in response to their statures in the religion, but to the needs and capabilities of those they were sent to address. According to Bahá'u'lláh's writings, they "have proceeded from one Source, and are the rays of one Light."

The central theme of Bahá'u'lláh's message is that humanity is a single race and that the day has come for its unification into one global society. Bahá'í, an international community, serves as an example for those who wish to create such a society.

As part of this vision, Bahá'í teachings stress gender and racial equality as well as the inevitability of world peace. For believers, these ideals are not just goals, but eventualities to which the whole of world history is directed.

The people of the earth cannot halt this progression; they can only affect the way in which world unity eventually comes about.

Bahá'í Houses of Worship represent the global nature of the religion. Houses exist on every continent, and although the architecture of each varies, their designs share the structure of nine sides topped by a central dome, symbolizing both the diversity of the human race and its oneness.

Houses are also meant as sites for the humanitarian nature of the Bahá'í faith, housing hospitals, schools and other services for their communities.

While it seems easy to compare these buildings to the churches or mosques of other religions, they are unique in that there are no sermons, rituals or clergy, and Houses of Worship are open to people of every religion.

Community life in the Bahá'í tradition is based on spirituality, friendship and work in areas such as economic development and social outreach. Leadership comes from Spiritual Assemblies, which are freely elected to maintain the grassroots nature of the Bahá'í communities.

The community's regular worship meeting is Nineteen-Day Feast, held once every 19 days. These feasts provide an opportunity for Bahá'ís to build ties within their communities as they continue to create their own world of both diversity and unity, a vision of the world they believe is yet to come.

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