The Baha'i Faith

[Dees]

I would rather read the imput from DU sources rather than read info from a web site. What do you know or feel about the Baha'i Faith. Thank you.

John

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Started in Iran

and is world wide. World Headquarters are in Wilmette, IL, near Chicago. Their roots are mystical, and they have a plan for world brotherhood via education and tolerance. Been a while since I've met up with them, but they were active in Champaign-Urbana when I grew up there in the 60s.

[laruemtt]

2. amazing structure north of chicago -

looks surreal, like a white palace in the sky. i knew someone of the bahai faith in florida - very peaceful, mellow, healthy dude. liked being around him.

[DBoon]

3. Baha'i is to Islam

what Quakers are to Christianity. Is this a fair analogy?

[Snow]

4. Hmmmm. We Quakers are the western mystics, but I always

thought the Sufis were the Islamic mystics (and before all you Roman Catholic & Jewish mystics get on my case, yes, I know about you, but you're really sort of withing the larger groups, aren't you?)

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. And we Sufis hang out with all of you!

The Dances of Universal Peace have had meetings at the Friends Meeting House in St. Paul-very lovely, thank you. And you are correct, the Sufis are the mystical sect of Islam. I wasn't sure of Bahaiolah's relationship with Sufism, but I knew he was a mystic. Thanks for the information!

[Snow]

6. Really? The Meeting House next to the college campus?

Been there a few times when I lived in the Twin Cities, although home was the Minneapolis Meeting. Nice bunch of people, though.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. I've been there for weekend workshops

Going again next weekend, and wouldn't be surprised if we do the Dances there again. A very nice space.

[Habibi]

8. Me too!

Ex-St. Paulite here. I attended a few meetings at the St. Paul Friends house. Don't remember any Dances of Universal Peace events, though. But it was quite a while ago--early 90s.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

10. No.

The Freinds are still Christian.

The Bahais are their own religion.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

9. They're homophobic...

...but what faith isnt?

I did have some early exposure to this faith while in high school. It believes in the concept of progressive revelation, with the last revelation coming from Baha'ahulah. Conceptually this makes sense in that this does respect the religous truth revealed from other faiths.

They beleive in world governemnt and the unity of races and world faiths. They do not have churches, but meet at peoples houses in what they call "Firesides". They do have a large temple on every continent. The one in North America is in Chicago, and the European temple is near Frankfurt.

In some respects its a nice religion in its emphasis on he unity of faiths and that the spiritual founders are all aspects of the revelation of God. In other ways its pretty narrow on issues of sexual morality, as can be all religions.

[SmileyBoy]

11. My best friend in high school was Baha'i.

He seemed to be a very well-adjusted guy. Never tried to proselytize me. He respected my being a Muslim. From what he told me, they're a very peaceful religion.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

12. The Bahais dont proselytize....

..thats an article of their faith. You have to ask first.

And they avoid politics, too (I think).

[Scout]

13. Teens must "Declare" to become a member

my sisters were active in the community years ago ... one aspect I really like was that children were not automatically baptised into the faith. The parents are to educate them on other religions as well as their own, and then if the child chooses to at age 15, I think, they can declare themselves a member of the Baha'i community.

I think the homophobia, and the sexism my sister experienced, are relative to each individual community.

[Kat45]

14. There's a Baha'i group in my town

They've participated in interfaith things with other churches in town. The man I saw from that faith looked like a sixties hippie.