Oneness in Baha’i

Israel is at the crossroads of — among other aspects — many of the world’s religions, part of my logic in naming this blog “Crossroads.” According to multiple online sources, humans observe some 4300 different religions, although a handful of them claim millions, even billions of adherents. Here is a chart from the Pew Research Center showing the relative size and numbers for the world’s major religions (including the non-religious, or people who identify as agnostic, atheist, or “none”) —  

The Baha’i faith claims half as many adherents (7 million) as Judaism world-wide — Jews are two-tenths of 1% of the world’s population, and Baha’is are half that, or one-tenth of one percent. Yet Baha’i influence seems to outweigh their numbers. We have an active Baha’i community on Cape Cod, whose members engage with people of other faiths to address many social justice issues. The world headquarters of the Baha’i faith is in Haifa, Israel, a Mediterranean seaport about 60 miles north of Tel Aviv.

The faith originated in a messianic movement within Islam in the mid-1800s, in what was then Persia. The first Baha’i prophet, Ali Muhammad Shiraz, who founded the Bábí faith, taught that another prophet — in the manner of Jesus and Mohammed — would soon appear and establish a unity among religions. Islam was firmly established at that time in Persia, and Muslims believe there can be no prophet after Mohammed, so anyone claiming prophesy of a new sort was executed or banished.

In 1863, the second prophet of the Baha’i — Bahá’u’lláh — announced that he was this prophet. He was exiled, imprisoned in what was then Syria and is now Israel, in the coastal city now known as Acre — across a Mediterranean bay from Cape Carmel — the site of Mount Carmel and the city of Haifa.

The World Headquarters of the Bahai faith are now located in Haifa, and Baha’i faithful endeavor to make a pilgrimage to the site at least once in their lives. What is remarkable about the Baha’i faith is that it insists on the fundamental unity of all religions, and acknowledges the legitimacy of all religions as being authentic revelations of God. Similarly, they believe in the fundamental unity of all humans, rejecting racism and any kind of nationalism that separates or denigrates any other nations. They reject violence and advocate for peace in all humans’ relations with each other.

We could use more of that “one-ness of Baha’i” in our world now, couldn’t we?

The faith has no hierarchy, but various regional groups of Baha’i elect representatives who meet once every five years to discuss the conduct and tenets of the faith as they evolve in the world.

The Baha’i belief in the fundamental harmony among people and the world’s religions is reflected in the gardens that surround the World Headquarters — spectacular, terraced gardens on the side of Mount Carmel, looking out from the top of Cape Carmel to Haifa Bay below. The photos do not begin to really convey the splendor of these gardens.

For reasons that would require lengthy theological explanation, the number 19 is sacred in the Baha’i faith. Thus the Baha’i Gardens and the Temple at the center of the Gardens are constructed to reflect reverence for the number 19. From the top of Mount Carmel to the Temple, there are 19 terraces, and from the Temple on down to the base of the mountain are 19 more. Each are landscaped, gardened and pruned to perfection, one might say, “manicured.” I urge you to seek out more pictures in an internet search, or even better, find a way to visit these gardens yourself.

One hundred gardeners are employed to keep the gardens in their pristine beauty, and it is said that this is not enough. They work always at finding highly efficient ways to manage the plants and keep the buildings, terraces, walking paths, stairs, and statuary in spotless condition. More than 400 species of plants thrive, chosen not only for their beauty but for their adaptation to the arid climate. The terraces are linked by stairs (19 steps for each terrace!), and stone troughs carrying water down the mountainside flank each side of the stairs, making it easy for the gardeners to tap water at every level.

When I visited, we descended from the top with our Russian Israeli guide, every single step from the top to the bottom — more than 700 steps. I was glad we worked our way down rather than up! Besides, the descent afforded us continuous stunning views of the terraces laid out before us, with the Bay of Haifa shimmering at the bottom.

To say the Baha’i Gardens are remarkable is a massive understatement. They have been designated a World Heritage Site, along with another site across the bay in Acre — the mansion where the Second Prophet spent the final years of his life, and where his remains are interred. That site is also surrounded by gardens.

I’ve only scratched the surface here, both to describe the Gardens and to outline the basics of the Baha’i faith. For now, suffice it to say that the “one-ness” that is central to the faith is also reflected in these Gardens: beauty and serenity abound in both.

Author: kathleenschatzberg

I'm a writer, an educator -- 45 years in education, 35 of them in community colleges -- and a lifelong advocate for justice (community colleges are, in fact, instruments of social justice). I have always been passionate about learning, traveling, and understanding the world's religions and political systems. This "Crossroads" blog offers my reflections on living for 7 months as a volunteer at Tantur Ecumenical Institute. On a hill in Jerusalem, within sight of Bethlehem, Tantur hosts students, scholars, and seeker for interfaith engagement and theological and biblical study. View all posts by kathleenschatzberg