Chronicles of faith: Baha’i seek unity

Stacy J. Willis

Saturday, Oct. 31, 1998 | 10:43 a.m.

It is a religion that doesn't digress into the murky waters of salvation or reincarnation. No heaven, no hell, no angels.

Instead, there is talk of one global language. Multilateral disarmament. The elimination of racism.

Essentially, members of the Baha'i faith embrace a simple theo-political vision: Peace on Earth.

The idealistic nature of that sentiment notwithstanding, the precept holds a strategic place in the middle of today's converging religious trends.

Nationally and locally, there is a trend toward homogenization -- in which Christians, for example, are shedding denominations and flocking toward a unified embrace of Jesus Christ. Then there is a trend toward diversity and interfaith activities -- in which communities once completely submerged in Judeo-Christian traditions are seeing a rise in Eastern religions and multifaith community cooperation.

The Baha'i Faith, which is now among the fastest growing in the world, benefits from both trends: It affirms the belief in all of the world's major religions, and then teaches that they should be unified into one universal belief system.

"This is a time when you need a divine plan for the world, for co-existance," said Houman "Alex" Asasi, a Las Vegas Baha'i.

"We believe in the world as one country and humankind as its citizens," he said.

International participation in the Baha'i faith, which was founded in Persia in 1892, has increased 42 percent in the last decade. More than 6 million people in 300 countries are Baha'is today.

In Las Vegas, the group is small -- about 700 people -- but each week, established believers are joined by a handful of new, curious locals at the newly built Baha'i Center on West Oakey to contemplate joining.

By all accounts, they are drawn to the vision of unity, the acceptance of most of the major prophets in the world and the faith's insistence that each person make his own intellectual inquiry into the religion -- without dependence on clergy for interpretation of its principles.

"We are a thinking person's religion," said Marion West-Hoffman, a member of the Baha'i community in Clark County.

"People come to be Baha'is from all different faiths, from all different types of living. We have everything from the hippie types to the very, very starchy."

subhead Inside a 'fireside chat'

In the library of the Baha'i Center, gathered around a long table on which sit a pot of coffee and two plates of cookies, 15 Las Vegans listened intently to Asasi as he led the weekly "fireside chat" for newcomers.

"Today's man can read and interpret for himself," he said.

"We as Baha'is are not allowed to interpet any of the writings for another person. And in praying, we believe that praying is for the individual to communicate directly with God. It is opening your heart to God and conversing with God. You can do that in the privacy of your home, under a tree, or here."

Baha'is believe that God sends messengers at the appropriate time for each period of human history; therefore, they accept Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed and Zoroaster as prophets. Today's prophet, however, is Baha'u'llah, a Persian who wrote more than 20,000 letters and books before his death in 1850.

Baha'u'llah taught that there are spiritual solutions to humankind's practical problems, such as racism, sexism and religious differences -- and that it is the duty of the Baha'is to spiritually influence the economic and political structures of the world.

As Asasi explained, questions popped up from the newcomers:

"What about reincarnation? Do you believe in reincarnation?" asked Beverly Worthylake.

She and her husband Terry, both former Catholics, had been considering joining the Baha'is for years but hadn't had the time to investigate the faith. Recently, they moved to Las Vegas from California after long business careers and decided to check it out.

subhead Body of no importance

"We do not believe in reincarnation, but in the development of the soul," said Asasi.

"The body is of no importance whatsoever. The body is the clothing of the soul in the sphere of the living. Baha'u'llah referred to the body as a cage and the spirit as a bird."

"Well, what is the final destination of the soul? Will you be one with God?" Worthylake asked.

"You can never be one with God," he replied. "You will always be growing. We don't believe in heaven or hell. We believe in the growth of the soul.

"Spiritual laws are all the same: to worship God and believe in God and understand what is the purpose of living. It is the social laws that change as man advances. They need to change to unite people."

subhead A different calendar

Faithful Baha'is follow the Ten Commandments of the Bible and also refrain from gambling, drinking alcoholic beverages and gossiping. They follow a different calendar -- one that has 19 months of 19 days. Months in the Baha'i calendar are named, in Persian, for attributes of God -- translated, there are months called Beauty, Mercy and Grandeur.

According to recent literature produced by the Baha'i National Spiritual Assembly -- a group of elected Baha'is who serve set terms -- religion's main purpose is to provide a compassionate solution to the social, economic and political problems in the world.

The literature says: "Religion releases man's innate capacity for goodness and is the basis of a harmonious and ordered society. Yet people have been confused by bigotry and fanaticism that have no relation to the unifying teachings of the founders of all religions. While such distortions have weakened religion, materialistic ideals have proved to be ineffective, or even harmful, alternatives."

But for many local Baha'is, the appeal is much simpler:

"I had a neighbor who was so happy all the time, and I wanted to know what made her so happy," said Jeannie Clapper, a Las Vegan who was at that time not a Baha'i.

"Then I found out she was a Baha'i. And what she did was, she accepted everybody with her whole heart. Until I became a Baha'i, I was always going to different churches, trying to find one. Now, I embrace everything."