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| 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 5th 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 25th 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!
