THE SELKIRK JOURNAL
Tuesday January 12, 1993 Vol. 9 No. 2
Page 11
KEEPING THE FAITH
Switching to Baha'i religion proves to be end of the search
BY DONNA MAXWELL
BIRDS HILL - Brenda Maxwell remembers being overcome with fear for her
parents upon learning of their decision to become followers of the
Baha'i faith.
"I was 12 when my parents became Baha'is. I prayed very hard to save
them… I was very upset," Maxwell says.
Now married with children of her own, Maxwell too, is a member of the
Baha'i faith, and has been since she was 14. She says when her parents
became Baha'is her concern prompted her to research that faith as well
as many others. Her final conclusion was that the Baha'i religion was
not only good for her parents, it was good for her as well.
" The Baha'i faith made sense to me after I investigated," she says.
Stuart Hanks, Maxwell's mother, became a Baha'i in 1967. Prior to that
Hanks was a Baptist. She says her decision to switch wasn't due to
dissatisfaction with her faith, but more because she felt she was still
looking for something.
"I didn't know what I was searching for, but when I found it, I knew,"
Hank says.
The Baha'i religion, just over 100 years old, is fairly new when
compared to others which have been around for thousands of years. Like
Hanks, many Baha'is formerly had different religious backgrounds. Under
their new faith they believe in all pat prophets, but also that religion
prog[r]essively evolves, and that Baha'u'llah is God's spokesman for
this age.
Baha'u'llah was a Persian nobleman who was committed to writing the
teachings of His revelation. When he died in 1892 his eldest son,
Abdu'l-Baha, was appointed as the Centre of His Covenant and carried on
his teachings. Following his death in 1921, Shoghi Effendi,
Abdu'l-Baha's grandson, became the Guardian of the Faith and the
interpreter of its scripture.
Hanks says she was attracted to the Baha'i religion for a number of
reasons, one being that though the spiritual teachings remain the same,
the social teachings advance with the changing society.
Geraldine Guilfoyle echoes Hanks' feelings and says that her
introduction to the Baha'i religion 18 years ago in her homeland of
Ireland didn't convert her from her Roman Catholic upbringing
immediately, but it definitely planted a seed.
"I was a searching young adult looking for justice in the world,"
Guilfoyle says. She and her husband came to Canada 11 years ago and five
years later she became a member of the Baha'i faith.
Guilfoyle's, Hanks', and Maxwell's stories of joining the Baha'i faith
are probably typical of other members of the religion. The following has
grown rather quickly and now is established in about 300 countries and
major territories on the globe. There are five million Baha'is in the
world today, with about 25,000 of them here in Canada.
The Baha'is' desire to unite humankind and work towards universal
education is a big drawing card for many of its followers. On a local
level, Maxwell says they work toward breaking down barriers between
different races and religions and promote equality for all. On a larger
scale, Baha'is are involved with the United Nations and Maxwell is very
proud of their involvement at the recent World Summit in Brazil.
"We believe it's possible to establish a system for the world to operate
as a country does," Maxwell says.
To an outsider, the Baha'i religion might seem to be run in unorganized
fashion. There is no clergy in the Baha'i faith, and the members don't
gather on any particular day of the week. They operate on a 19-month
calendar, with each month having 19 days. At the beginning of month
they have a feast. They also organize weekly gatherings. Guilfoyle
stresses that "it's not just a loosely knit group of people. The
calendar keeps us in touch with when feasts are coming up and when the
holy days are," she says.
The Universal House of Justice is the governing body of the Baha'i
faith, and each country has a National Spiritual Assembly which is
further broken down into Local Spiritual Assemblies. Each year the local
assembly elects nine people to run their affairs. Guilfoyle says these
people do not take the place of priests. They are not responsible to the
electorate, they are responsible to God.
The Baha'is have a House of Worship on every continent, which the
closest one being in Wilmette, Illinois. Maxwell says a unique feature
of these Houses of Worship is they have nine doors, representing all
religions. "They're welcoming everyone," she says.
When Maxwell's parents joined the Baha'i faith, she did not have to
follow in their footsteps. Everyone is encouraged to make the decision
on their own. "It's important for everyone to read and write so they can
read the writings for themselves," Hanks says.
Guilfoyle says the Baha'i faith involves children, and keeps them
informed with what is happening in other parts of the world. "The
children and youths aren't alienated. They feel they're part of the wave
of change," she says. "It gives them a global perspective, a sense of
purpose." For this reason, she says, many children make the decision to
become members of the faith.
Baha'is from around the world gathered together in New York city in
November of 1992 for their second Baha'i World Congress. The first was
held in 1963, and Maxwell says this one had special meaning as it was
held during their holy year. For a period of four days, 27,000 Baha'is
celebrated and acknowledged the centenary of Baha'u'llah's passing.
About 15 East St. Paul members of the Baha'i faith made the trip to New
York. Maxwell, Hanks, and Guilfoyle were part of the delegation. A
choir, consisting of 400 singers from around the world, and an
international orchestra performed there.
An inspiring moment came when Shoghi Effendi's wife spoke at the
conference.
Guilfoyle says the atmosphere was incredible, and for her, there was a
special meeting. She met up with the couple who had originally
introduced her to the Baha'i faith 18 years ago in Ireland.
According to Maxwell, another important aspect of the Congress was the
reuniting of the Persian community. Many Baha'is have left Iran, or been
forced out, and the Congress provided an opportunity for them to join
together again.
©Copyright 1993, THE SELKIRK JOURNAL
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