On October 20th, The Baha’i faith will be celebrating The Birth of the Bab. Since the Universal Life Church attracts people of all walks of life, race, gender and religious creed, it is important for an interfaith minister to know about this celebration.
The Bab (which means “Gate”) was a very important figure in the founding of the Baha’i faith. In the early 1800’s, The Bab proclaimed that he was a Messenger of God who foretold the coming of another who would fulfill the prophecies found in Christianity and Islam. In a similar vein to Elijah paving the way for Elisah in the Hebrew Bible and John the Baptist becoming the harbinger for Jesus in Christianity, The Bab and his teachings preceded Baha’u’llah and the founding of the Baha’i faith, the youngest and most recently founded Abrahamic religion of “the One Living God.”
Similar to the Universal Life Church perspective, the Baha’i faith recognizes and respects the teachings of several religions. With unity as a very important principle in The Bab’s and Baha’u’llah’s teachings, the Baha’i faith seeks to propel humanity into an age of spiritual maturity. Whereas history is filled with conflict between differing ideologies in different time periods with varying degrees of conflict, ranging from low-key disputes to large-scale wars, the Baha’i faith strives to emphasize connections within the scope of spiritual practice.
However, the Baha’i faith addresses this viewpoint in a much different manner than the ULC addresses this topic. The Baha’i faith views the teachings of major religions as an extension of the same religion throughout humanity’s history. Each major religion was founded by prophets and messengers of God to proclaim a message specific to humanity and its evolution during the time in was founded. From a Baha’i standpoint, the Baha’i faith is an evolution of the religious teachings that came before it.
Interfaith ministers of the Universal Life Church do not make this claim. While they are free to be ordained and lead others to study connections between differing religious beliefs in their church services, it is ultimately the individual who determines his or her own spiritual beliefs. The nature of the Divine cannot be totally comprehended by the humble mind of mortal man. Therefore, connections between different religions and their teachings, however convincing, can not be absolutely attributed to all being connected to one true faith.
During the commemoration of The Birth of Bab, Baha’is around the world are not tied to a specific form of worship or celebration. They determine each year how and to what extent they observe this religious holiday. Here, we can find a kinship, a similar spirit found in people having the freedom to be ordained and practice spirituality as they see fit. This kinship is spiritual freedom.