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Show Page 6A North Edition Lakeside Review Wednesday, May 23, 1984 Ai Bahai Faith Often Misunderstood by , , ,, '" i Other Religions BARRY KAWA Review Staff 7 Znw witness, 0 my God, that rhou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee. I testify at this moment, to my powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth. There is none other God but Thee, the Help in Peril, the (A Bahai prayer from BahauUah) There are more preconceived notions about the Bahai faith than there are flowers in a Hare Krishnas hand. But to dispel some of those misconceptions: the Bahai faith is not a cult; members do not hold services with strange Middle Eastern chants and incense offofferings; it is not a shoot of the Jewish faith. What these gentle and peaceful people are involved in is a dynamic and growing faith that believes in the oneness of all religions and the oneness of mankind. Their numbers may be few in this area and they have erected no churches or temples, yet remain strong in their faith. They believe their faith brothers in Iran are being tortured and mur- dered by the Muslim faction controlled by Ayatollah KhomeiSelf-Subsistin-g. left-wi- ng ni. Locally, from Roy to Bountiful, there are about 20 adult Bahais and families. The 10 living in Bountiful meet as a small assembly and the scattered members in north Davis County gather together and worship in homes on Bahai worship days which come about every 19 days. Their beliefs are based on the teachings of Bahaullah, a 19th century Islam messenger of God. According to local members, the Bahais believe God has given man one faith through progressive revelation of His will in each age of history and Bahaullah reveals the will of God for men and women of the present age. The way the Bahai faith relates to other religions is that God sends different messengers at different periods, explained Farmington Bahai Joseph Tordiff. From God through prophets Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Christ, MuThe Bab and hammad, Bahaullah, the word has been given, he said. In giving the progression of prophets, one notable name is excluded from the list. Tordiff was asked about the teachings of Joseph Smith, a proclaimed prophet of the LDS Church. We do not accept the teachings of Joseph Smith, he replied. We dont disavow; we just dont think he is a major prophet but a spiritual teacher of the time. Mary Ann Tordiff said people learn about the progression be- -; lief and assume the Bahais incorporate all other religions into one. We accept them as the manifestations of God and as being the truth and their books Mrs. Tordiff said. But as ; holy, Bahais we also have our own books and our own lives and our own holy days. ' The Bahais strive for such ; goals as elimination of prejudice, equality of men and women, i universal education and protec- tion of cultural diversity. ; Members of the faith are obligated to pray every day, observe ; the Baha'i fast from sunrise to sunset each day from March 2 through 21, consider work as worship, avoid alcoholic drinks and drugs, obey the government and not participate in politics, and contribute to the Bahai fund. There is only the belief of heaven and not hell, in the Bahai faith. We think of hell as being far from God, says Clearfield Bahai Shari Meyer. You can have hell on earth. Were here to acquire virtue and to grow spiritually to go on to the next life. If you prepare spiritually and you can do that through any religion, then you dopt have to be a Bahai to get to heaven." The Bahai faith is a major religion worldwide, with large numbers of followers in South America, Africa, India and the eastern United States. Our idea is not to congregate in one particular place," Mrs. Meyer said. The way we spread the Bahai faith is to live someplace and establish ourselves as permanent residents. Most of the local Bahais have moved in from other areas and some have been converted from other religions. Kathy Coovcr of Bountiful, a former Christian, was converted to the Bahai faith in 1966. She had a Bahai friend who told her the coming of Bahaullah in the was the return of Christ. I thought that was blasphemous, she recalls. I said, how can you say that? How can you equate this person from Persia with Christ? And so I started investigating as to why and reading a lot, and the more I read, the more sense it made. Joseph Tordiff claims its only a matter of time before the whole world turns to the Bahai faith. The more active we are n teaching and letting people , know about it, the faster that will happen, he said in response to a question on the Bahais future in the area. The majority of the religions in the world will be the Bahai faith. So obviously, we think there will be a Bahai faith in Davis County. mid-180- 0s KEVIN B. BUTTERS CHRIS LOFTUS CLARK E. HIRSCHI SANDI SCHROADER To Speak Sunday Missionaries Called, Return Home Members of the LDS Church in the lakeside area have accepted calls to serve as missionaries or have completed mission assignments. They will speak in church meetings this Sunday. Sandi Schroader, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Sister She was previously employed assistant manager at Mariannes in Salt Lake City. She will enter the MTC on May 31. An open house will be held at the Schroader home after the services. as Elder Clark E. Hirschi returned May 18 following 19 months of service in the Colombia Bogota LDS Mission. Elder Hirschi is a member of the Kaysville 1st Ward and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Max G. Hirschi, of 365 W. 100 N., Kaysville. He will be speaking in the Kaysville 1st Ward, 198 West Office Executive Council and Center St., on May 27 at 9 a.m. toured to the south and Canada Friends and relatives are invited with Ricks Colleges Showtime to visit with him at his home Co. following the meeting schedule. H. Schroader, 38 Phillips St. Layton, has been called to serve in the N. Carolina, Charlotte Mission to the hearing impaired. Her farewell will be Sunday, May 27, in the Kaysville 6th Ward Tabernacle at 2 p.m. The new missionary is a graduate of Ricks College where she served in the schools Womens . Elder Kevin Bruce Butters, Elder Chris Loftus, son of Mr. and Mrs. Tony Loftus, has been called to serve in the Brazil Sao Paulo Mission for the LDS ; Church. , son of Mr. and Mrs. Adrian B. Butters, 1517 S. 4000 W. has ac- cepted a call to serve in the o City South MisMexico-Mexic- , He is a graduate of Layton High and a four-yegraduate of the Layton LDS Seminary program. He is currently a student at Weber State College and the Weber Institute of Religion. Loftus will be honored at a missionary farewell this Sunday, May 27,. 11:15 a.m. in the West ' Gentile Chapel in Layton. sion. An open house will be held on Monday, May 28, from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the Loftus home, 1182 N. 1140 W., Layton. He will enter the Mission Training Center on May 31. ; His farewell will be held Sunday, May 27, at 10:40 a.m. in the Syracuse 1st Ward, 1974 W. ar 1700 S. : I Elder Butters is a graduate of Clearfield High School and Seminary, and holds the rank of Eagle Scout. Presently a junior at Brigham Young University, he will enter the MTC on May 31. Friends and relatives are invited to meet with the missionary at an open house held at his home on Sunday from noon to 5 : p.m. so-call- ed ; ; ; ClcsxlHcd Can sell it. OLYMPUS HILLS MALL FOOTHILL VILLAGB ZCMI CENTER . V 1 VALLEY FAIR MALL FASHION PLACE MALL LAYTON HILLS MALL UNIVERSITY MALL I |