Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Many minds, one God
Bahai faith celebrates equality, diversity of religions
This weekend, members of the Bahai faith in Arkansas will join in a worldwide celebration commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of the religion’s founder, Baha’u’llah.
The anniversary is part of the religion’s Light of Unity Festival, a series of events that celebrates the effects of Baha’u’llah’s teachings on the lives of others — even those who aren’t followers of the Bahai faith — because unity of mankind and with all religions is a cornerstone of the Bahai faith.
The Bahai religion, established in 1844, grew from the revelation of Siyyid Ali-Muhammad of Persia (now Iran). Known as the Bab (Arabic for “Gate”), his beliefs included the idea that he was meant to prepare the way for another messenger. As word of his belief and teachings spread and were met with opposition, the Bab was eventually executed for his beliefs, after which one of his followers — Mizra Husain Ali Nuri, who would come to be known by his followers as Baha’u’llah — claimed that he received a revelation from God that he was the messenger the Bab had been referring to.
Bahais first came to the United States late in the 19th century, participating in the first World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 and holding its first national convention in 1909. With five million followers worldwide and 250,000 in the United States, Bahai is one of the fastest-growing and one of the most widespread religions in the world.
According to Annette Myrick of Maumelle, some of the earliest Bahai followers came to Arkansas from Ohio, including a man named Homer Holmes.
Bahais do not proselytize but are obligated to let others know about Bahais and what they believe, and as a result Holmes wrote letters to the editor of the Arkansas Gazette. One of Holmes’ letters, published June 7, 1958, outlined a vision for a “world without war,” but a goal sought in the letter also serves to reflect the steadiness of a belief in unity, calling for “the establishment of a world commonwealth in which all nations, races, creeds and classes are closely and permanently united.”
The Little Rock Bahai community was established in 1943 and considers its population not to be the number of followers of the Bahai faith, said Erica Roy of Little Rock, but the number of people who benefit from community services and projects carried out in the community.
‘UNIFIED REALITY’ AND EQUALITY
Racial equality, the elimination
of prejudice and equality between the sexes are central to the Bahai faith.
So is the idea of a “unified reality,” which includes the belief that sacred texts across religions, including the Torah, the Bible, the Koran and the Bhagavad Gita, are part of the same revelation of the same God — just at different intervals throughout history.
Namvar Zohoori, a member of the area’s spiritual assembly — one level of the faith’s governing board — said another of the faith’s central beliefs is there is only one God, and that this belief flows directly into the belief in the equality of man.
“If there is only one God, he can’t be in competition with himself,” Zohoori said. “The different religions are not in competition …
even though they’re called different names and they came out at different times, they’re all in harmony if you look at their essential teachings.
“And then if you believe that — that there is only one God and [that] man has been created by God — then all [human beings] are the same as well.”
Baha’u’llah and the Bab are
believed to be the twin manifestations that led to the formation of the Bahai faith, and two of a series of messengers that includes Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster and Muhammad — all of whom represent the same God.
activist who is now running for governor on the Green Party ticket.
It is the policy of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency that churches, schools and hospitals are “sensitive locations” where immigration officers are not supposed to make arrests except in extraordinary circumstances.
So far, the “sensitive locations
enforcement policy has not changed” under Trump, said Jennifer Elzea, the agency’s acting press secretary: “I’ve not been aware of any instances in which we’ve entered a church or place of worship to conduct enforcement actions.”
Flores took sanctuary in November at Arch Street United Methodist Church, one day before he was supposed to report for deportation back to Mexico. He had been living in the United States on and off since 1997, and had been caught nine
times trying to cross the border illegally, immigration officials said. Flores said he had compelling reasons for doing so: a longtime partner, Alma Lopez, their two sons, and Lopez’s teenage daughter, whom he considers his stepdaughter, all lived in the United States. Flores supported them by working as an arborist.
“I’ve never brought drugs, I’ve never helped anybody else cross the border — my only crime is coming back,” Flores said in December. “I came here for
the love of my children.”
Despite his repeated violations at the border, Flores had a legal case worth pursuing, according to his immigration lawyer, Brennan Gian-Grasso, because he was eligible for what is known as a U visa, given to crime victims who help authorities catch and prosecute criminals.
Two men wielding box-cutters attacked Flores in a parking lot in Bensalem, Pa., in 2004, and left him seriously injured. While in the hospital, he helped police
identify the assailants and would have testified against them if there had been a trial. They pleaded guilty and were later deported, Gian-Grasso said.
Flores was notified earlier this month that his own deportation has been deferred indefinitely, and that he has been approved to receive a U visa, his lawyer said, adding that such visas are good for up to four years and that Flores will have a good chance at receiving permanent residence after.
It was a “life-changing
experience,” Flores said, to be taken in by a congregation of strangers and to witness the church regularly serving the homeless and hungry. What he now wanted most, he said, was to go home, take a walk with his children and greet his neighbors. And then, he said, “I want to go back to work.”
The church’s minister, the Rev. Robin Hynicka, said: “We would certainly do this again. The room where Javier stayed will remain open and ready.”