Leading the world – the Democratic Republic of Congo and Papua New Guinea

 

Bahá'í House of Worship in the Congo

The Bahá’í building which is dedicated to worshipping God is known in English as a House of Worship, and is often referred to simply as a temple. Each House of Worship is a nine-sided building, open to people of all faiths and none. Each of nine paths leads through a garden to an entrance, which illustrates the idea of different paths leading to the truth. Within the building, the Bahá’ís hold organised services of readings, prayers and song, but there are no sermons. There may be choirs, but no musical instruments distract from the human voice. At other times, the temple is open for individual devotion and contemplation.

The first Bahá’í House of Worship was opened in 1919, in what is now Turkmenistan, but that building was seized from the Bahá’ís, and now no longer exists. However, beginning in 1953 with the much-loved temple just north of Chicago, a world-wide series of Houses of Worship has been gradually erected, one for each continent. The European one, for example, is in Germany. The last Continental House of Worship was erected in Chile, in 2016. [I wrote a blog post about this in October, 2016, entitled “And then there were eight”.] Since then, a small number of local Houses of Worship have been built in particular areas where there are a large number of Bahá’ís, giving each of these communities a clear focal point. [My blog on the first of these was written in September, 2017, and is called “A sign of hope”.] In each case, they are the central point not just for worship, but also for learning and acts of social benefit. But importantly, a parallel process has started, in that the first national Houses of Worship have also begun to be built. Leading the world are two countries which each have a significant Bahá’í community, in each case drawn from many different peoples in what is a very divided country. These two were the ones chosen to have the first national Houses of Worship.

In their local areas, Bahá’ís organise meetings for prayers in which people of all faiths are able to take part. This can be done on a larger scale when there is a dedicated building – a House of Worship as pictured above. Praying together leads to working together to make the local area a better place. The Bahá’í principles call for everyone to be as one, reaching out beyond loyalty to a particular tribe, group or creed. Unfortunately there are currently many divisions in the world. In some countries the divides are obvious to outsiders due to skin colour, but in others it is the religion in which people were raised which is the divide, while in yet others it is the tribe or group they are from. All these different sorts of division need to be overcome, and worshipping together is a very effective way of overcoming them. It states in the Bahá’í writings that: “The world of humanity is like a garden and the various races… constitute its adornment and decoration… The very fact that there is difference and variety lends a charm to the garden. If all [the flowers] were of the same colour the effect would be monotonous and depressing…” Local Bahá’í communities often offer a pleasing diversity. Practice of the Bahá’í principles of unity, equality and inclusiveness has led the Bahá’í community to develop into a very ethnically diverse body of people.

A fundamental aspect of the Bahá’í Faith is its devotion to the idea of service to mankind. Activities based at or around the temple will consist of worship, but also of social development activities such as children’s classes, junior youth groups and other initiatives for bringing progress to the local community. Children’s classes focus on developing virtues and a pattern of positive social behaviour. When the children reach eleven years of age, they enter junior youth groups which explore ways to serve the community through direct, local, social action. In the future, the link between religion and the fabric of society will be made ever clearer, and the Bahá’í House of Worship will be central to linking different aspects of human life, unifying each community and its collective institutions. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the son of Bahá’u’lláh, explained that, “The House of Worship, wherein each may worship God in his own way, is to be surrounded by such accessories as a hospital, pilgrim-house, school for orphans and a university for the study of higher sciences.”

The House of Worship in the Democratic Republic of Congo was formally opened in the capital, Kinshasa, on 5^th March, 2023. Over 2,000 people were present, a number of them from other countries. Mélanie Bangala was representing the Universal House of Justice, which is the Bahá’í world body. The House of Justice addressed those present with a letter, which included the following: “The House of Worship raised in this Congolese metropolis is… dedicated to uniting the worship of God and service to humanity, both vital to the regeneration of the world.” Another speaker stated that the gathering was an expression “of the principle of unity in diversity – representing different peoples, ethnic groups, and tribes”. There are over 450 different tribes in the country, and many of these were represented, when choirs from different parts of the Republic sang in Lingala and in French.

The tiles on the dome of the House of Worship reflect traditional styles of art, and are arranged to represent the River Congo and its tributaries. Near the temple there is a reflecting pool, which is shaped to capture a reflection of the whole building. The undulating roof over the lower parts of the building copies the style of certain Congolese buildings of the past, which had a parabolic roof made from palm leaves. Incorporating elements which display encouragement for local culture is an essential part of Bahá’í thinking. An important Bahá’í principle is “Unity in Diversity” – that we should all work together as one, each contributing our individual talents.

House of Worship in Papua New Guinea

The second country to build a national House of Worship was Papua New Guinea. More than 1,000 people gathered in Port Moresby on Saturday 25^th May, 2024, for the inauguration. Some had walked for two or three days to get there. The programme continued on Sunday, welcoming a further 3,000 people. The letter from the Universal House of Justice to those present referred to the position of the new temple, overlooking the Coral Sea, and stated that it “has a profound spiritual significance. By welcoming all within its walls, it expresses the unity of the human race and the oneness of all religions… in service to humanity.” Participants in the ceremony included government officials, religious leaders and many others, representing different parts of the country.

The architects had wanted something which would unite different peoples from this ethnically diverse nation, and hit upon the idea of weaving, which is a traditional craft across the country. Henry Lape, one of the architects, said: “Weaving is integral to our cultural identity, symbolising our interconnectedness and the intertwining of lives and communities.” He said that it would be “a sacred space open to all, where people can come to pray and reflect on their contributions to society.” Local people took part in a number of stages of the construction, such as weaving aluminium strips for the internal decoration. The building, in its entirety, suggests something similar to a woven basket, and stands as a statement of New Guinean identity.

It has already been announced which country will have the third national House of Worship. This will be Canada, and the building will be constructed in the general area of Toronto. There is a strong and united Bahá’í community in Canada, which includes both indigenous people and believers from the more recently-settled population. Judging by the buildings raised in the Congo and in New Guinea, we may expect another interesting architectural masterpiece!

Poles apart...

 

Unfortunately, the world seems to have become greatly polarised in many ways. The extreme polarisation in American politics has just taken another violent turn as a presidential candidate has been shot whilst holding a rally. Thankfully he was only slightly hurt, though it seems that others nearby were injured or killed. Political events in recent years have led to the USA becoming a very polarised nation, in which many people have lost faith in the nation’s institutions, and where voters on both sides of the political divide have also lost faith in the neutrality of the judicial system. Opposing political parties are unable to work together for the good of the country. Meanwhile in Europe, a polarised view of the world is increasing, and a recent election in France has shown the deep distrust between left and right. In British politics too, candidates in the recent election have been threatened and intimidated by those who don’t agree with their views.

One of the factors which makes things worse is undoubtedly the polarised nature of the news media, which is fractured into rival systems, with many individuals only watching one television channel or relying on one newspaper because of supposed bias from the others. The Bahá’í writings say that in the future: “The press will… cease to be mischievously manipulated by vested interests… and will be liberated from the influence of contending governments and peoples.” At present, the triumph of a particular political ideology is seen as more important than the truth, and accusations of “fake news” are frequently heard on all sides. Publishing “information” and “news” which is totally false was once the method employed only by dictatorships, in countries where the government rules without reference to the views of the citizens. The same method is now being applied by parties wishing to gain power through the votes of the citizens. An American TV channel was recently challenged over a completely fabricated version of events. It was pointed out by critics that its story did not correspond with the real facts. The TV channel’s response was to shamelessly respond that theirs were “alternative facts”.

International relationships are also greatly polarised, between those who want to establish the rule of law, by accepting and recognising legally-established boundaries everywhere, and those who see any calls for acceptance of the present borders as a failure to stand up to the dominance of the richest countries. This means that the invasion of one state by another is not universally condemned. There is also the gulf between genuinely democratic nations (however imperfect that democracy may be) and those who rule as dictators or who manipulate elections and limit candidates in order to remain in power.

The long-standing conflict in the Holy Land has also polarised opinion across many parts of the world. Following the recent upsurge in violence, many people around the world are actively working to promote one side or the other, often based on a sense of religious solidarity with one of the combatant peoples. Religious teaching, however, such as the principles of love, justice and compassion, seems to play little part in the actions of those involved in the fighting. Religious affiliation has become a form of expanded tribalism. No-one seems to be working to bring the two sides together, to accept one another as human beings, and to see one another as being of equal worth.

While this polarised situation continues, mankind as a whole cannot move on to a better future. Indeed, these polarised scenarios actively prevent humanity from seeing itself as one entity. It was precisely this division which Bahá’u’lláh sought to address, in His fundamental teaching that, “This Earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.” He taught that all human beings are essentially one in nature. His son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, when explaining this teaching said, “All humanity are the children of God; they belong to the same family, to the same human race…” and revealed a popular prayer which begins: “O Thou kind Lord! Thou hast created all humanity from the same stock. Thou hast decreed that all shall belong to the same household…”

In addition to mankind seeing all people as one in essence, there must be a reassessment of religion. The major religions need to be recognised as essentially one in their origin and as united in their underlying purpose. In the Bahá’í view, each religion was founded by a Divine Messenger, Who revealed a religion whose social teachings were suitable for the needs of its particular time. We need to see past the consequent differences in detail, and concentrate on their spiritual teachings for how human beings should behave towards one another. We also need to ignore all the ideas which have been added to every religion over the years, and see that the Founders of these religions all had the same goal: bringing people closer together and encouraging them to grow spiritually towards God. Alongside the need for human beings to consciously have oneness as their goal in everything they do, there needs to be common purpose in the political world. Bahá’u’lláh urged the rulers of the time to meet in a universal peace conference, and agree permanent boundaries, arms levels and rules of behaviour. The Bahá’ís are still - one hundred and sixty years later - actively calling for this conference to take place. The Universal House of Justice, which is the world body representing the Bahá’ís, wrote: “The holding of this mighty convocation is long overdue… we appeal to the leaders of all nations to seize this opportune moment and take irreversible steps to convoke this world meeting.” They appealed to “men and women, youth and children everywhere” to support this peace treaty when it is agreed.

But achieving a balanced and united way forward also involves improving the behaviour of each human being. We must all strive to ensure that in everything that each one of us says and does, we support the idea of oneness. We must avoid taking sides in quarrels or in political arguments. We must avoid making unfair or unkind statements about other people, other races or religions. As Bahá’u’lláh says: “Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbour, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face… Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men.” The conscious goal of the world’s peoples should be that we come together, rather than letting ourselves be poles apart.

Photograph courtesy of Getty Images

Land belongs to all people

 

Bahá’u’lláh, recognised by Bahá’ís as the Messenger of God for the new age, was sent to the prison-city of Akká (shown above) in the year 1868. Akká was in the Turkish province of Palestine, and Bahá’u’lláh was banished there by the Sultan of Turkey. Although Bahá’u’lláh’s family and a number of followers were sent with Him, they were not allowed to spread the Bahá’í message in this territory. To this day, this restriction has been observed by the Bahá’ís.

In all other territories of the world, the Bahá’ís have set up Bahá’í communities in towns, cities and villages, and wherever possible they engage in community-building activities designed to bring together people from different backgrounds. But in the Holy Land, where this sort of activity is so desperately needed, there are no local Bahá’í communities at all. This situation arose because of the ban on the Bahá’ís teaching their religion. The Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh is in the Holy Land, as are various other properties which are connected with Bahá’u’lláh and His family, and the Bahá’ís have been allowed to establish the Bahá’í World Centre there, but all the Bahá’ís working at the World Centre are volunteers from overseas. The community-building activities which are the hallmark of the Bahá’ís in so many areas of the world simply do not exist in the Holy Land.

In contrast to the way in which He was treated by the Iranian and Turkish authorities, Bahá’u’lláh’s message to the world was that mankind is one people, that the followers of all religions worship the same God, and that now is the time to end quarrels between religions and between peoples. When Bahá’u’lláh wrote to the political rulers of the time, He said that there should be a world peace conference where all the national boundaries should be agreed and fixed by a universal peace treaty. He said that the rulers should attend the universal peace conference themselves, or send their most important ministers. He explained that all the world’s governments should unite to remove any government which might break the resulting peace treaty. This agreement would result in peace and security for all. Over one hundred and fifty years later, we are still suffering from war and political instability, and this universal peace conference and treaty are needed more than ever.

Bahá’u’lláh was sent to Palestine as a prisoner, but became so respected that before the end of His life, He was allowed to live outside the prison walls. When Bahá’u’lláh died, in 1892, although He was technically still a prisoner, hundreds of the local inhabitants camped outside His house in mourning for nine days. Recognising the far-reaching implications of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings, and realising the depths of Bahá’u’lláh’s spiritual insights, the Russian writer Tolstoy wrote that: “We spend our lives trying to unlock the mystery of the universe, but there was a Turkish prisoner, Bahá’u’lláh, in Akká, Palestine, who had the key.”

Bahá’u’lláh’s son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, had been appointed as the one to Whom the Bahá’ís should turn, and He oversaw the spread of the Bahá’í Faith into other parts of the world. He introduced Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings on the oneness of mankind to Europe and to North America, where breaking down the barriers between black and white communities was one of His foremost concerns. Whilst at home in the Akká/Haifa area, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was well-known as someone who personally tended the sick and fed the poor. As He had devoted His life to helping others and to promoting unity, when He in turn passed away in 1921, His funeral was attended by over ten thousand people: Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze and Bahá’ís (photo below).

As is apparent from the above, during Turkish rule there were groups of Muslims, Christians, Jews and other minorities living in Palestine. However, since the First World War took the territory of Palestine from the Turkish Empire, there have been competing claims to the land, and it has been fought over a number of times. The idea has taken hold in the minds of many people that the land should belong to one group of people, or else to a different group. In the Bahá’í Writings it states that, “Land belongs not to one people, but to all people.” Whatever political solutions may seem possible in the short term (if there are any political solutions), Bahá’ís see the acceptance of Bahá’u’lláh’s principles as essential for the world to move forward, and become one in spirit. When the universal peace conference is set up, the world will decide on the permanent boundaries of the Holy Land, and possibly boundaries within it. But the real and lasting solution, which must happen at some point, is that all human beings should be seen as one, and that land belongs not to one people, but to all people.