Baha'i: A Home, Or A Storefront?

Here I am at 0423 trying to sleep, and instead realized what I want to say here. So here I am.

"Is the Baha'i Faith a truly tolerant religion?"

There are two ways to look at the Faith of God: a store which you hope has what you need for this day, or a home.

I think many of us got here having looked for a religion that meets our agenda. I certainly did. And I found that I agreed with the basic principles of the Faith that most people are now aware of: humankind is one; women and men have an equal spiritual stature and place in the world; there is only one race, the human race; it's time for war to end; and so forth. These principles were big news when they were revealed in the 1840's and '50's. And they certainly attracted me to the Baha'i Faith in the 1970's. But looking for a religion which lines up with your own beliefs and convictions only can take you so far.

The Baha'i Faith does dual duty: it is both very old, and very new.

It is old because, "This is the ancient Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future." The Faith of God is one faith. God being the Unknowable Essence, the Creator, is not accessible directly. "I am the path of God," says Baha'u'llah. There is always a perfect Mirror reflecting the teachings of God which are appropriate for a particular age and place. India had some. Palestine had some. Probably every continent in the dim reaches of the past has had these Beings reflecting the light of God, founding civilizations, many forgotten in past ages.

This is the new day of God, this time with teachings for the whole earth, and perfect for the time in which we live. If we were comfortable with God's message for today we wouldn't need it. Sooner or later, my guess is that every Baha'i, when they were investigating the Faith, came across at least one teaching, one law, that made them go, "hey, whoa! I don't believe that, I'm not ready for that!"

I probably had about ten of them in my first ten years. I was seventeen, I came from a very strict family, I was ready to show my independence by drinking alcohol, experimenting with drugs, seeing if I could get some physical affection to heal the hurt I felt inside. I was powerfully attracted to the message of the Faith, but then I found out there were laws. I wasn't pleased. I was shopping.

The real question to ask, when investigating the Baha'i Faith, is: "Is Baha'u'llah Who He says He is, or not?"

Nobody can answer that question for anyone else. We can help, guide, answer questions, inform, and hold hands, but each individual must decide that for herself. There's never any force involved. This is the time of free choice. I encourage everyone to vigorously investigate the truth, independently, for himself.

Home is where, when you go there, they have to take you in.

When a person recognizes the Manifestation of God for the day in which they live, and choose to follow that Individual, a change occurs within them. A light is turned on. "Thy heart is My home." "For thus the Master of the house hath appeared within His home, and all the pillars of the dwelling are ashine with His light."

That is when you know you are home. Welcome home.