Bahá’í - my faith
Meet Ria Garcia. A Filipino-American born into a strong Catholic family, she now lives and works in London. She has been a Bahá’í for two years, having first learned about the faith almost five years ago. Here, she talks about what it means to follow her faith in Tower Hamlets and how her beliefs influence her life in the borough.
What’s the best thing about your faith?
In three words: unity in diversity.
The Bahá’í Faith emphasises the oneness of humankind, and this is manifest in so many ways. Here are just a few examples that spring to mind: the unity found among the different Messengers of God from the same single Source; the strong connections with others inside and outside the Bahá’í community; the diffusion of Bahá’í teaching to people around the world; the immediate beauty found in the commonality of difference.
It is difficult to pinpoint what is best about the Bahá’í Faith. In fact, to do would serve it an injustice. I will simply say that it is easy to fall in love with the Faith because of the reasons above – among many others.
How close are you to other members of the Bahá’í community where you live?
I am one of fifteen Bahá’ís in my community within Tower Hamlets.
Bahá’í communities are not set-up in the same way all over the world. Rather, their make-up is specific to the layout of their area and local needs. In London, for example, Bahá’í communities are first organised by borough, then cluster (encompassing several boroughs) progressing to representatives at a national level across the UK.
Because the Bahá’í Faith is still in its infancy, there are not as many Bahá’ís as other religions. Worldwide, there are around five million of us.
Although the faith is still growing, all Bahá’ís are quite close to each other. I frequently take part in numerous spiritual and social activities with the rest of the Bahá’ís in Tower Hamlets. Because we do not have a centre for gatherings as such, we meet in each other’s homes. This allows us to get to know each other very well. We also get to know quite a few of each other’s friends who are not Bahá’í, helping to expand our circle. I consider the Bahá’ís in my community as my brothers and sisters – my family in London.
Needless to say, I am closer to the Bahá’ís in Tower Hamlets because they live nearby. However, Bahá’ís tend to have close friendships with other Bahá’ís throughout London and, indeed, in many places throughout the world. For example, I engage in service projects with other Bahá’ís in Hackney and Islington. I also keep in touch with Bahá’ís I met in Boston. My experience of forming friendships with other Bahá’ís so easily is not unusual.
How do your friends and colleagues react when you talk to them about your faith?
The Bahá’í Faith is still young (less than 200 years old) with only a few believers compared to the world’s other major religions. Whenever a friend or colleague discovers that I am Bahá’í, they are usually intrigued. I get asked a lot of questions about how different my religion is from other religions, its history, how I learned about it, and what made me choose it (having been raised Catholic). I find that many people are genuinely interested in knowing more about the Bahá’í Faith because it is something that they have not heard of before.
When I speak to someone who practices a religion, they are especially surprised that Bahá’ís also respect and believe the teachings taught by the other Messengers from God – Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, and Muhammad – and recognise them individually as coming from one God. I think that most people, whether they are interested or not, think that the Bahá’í Faith is, at least, refreshing.
People are taken by the ease with which we accept other religions, stripping away differences that would divide ‘us’ from ‘them’ to create a spiritual community that is universal.
What is the biggest misunderstanding you have heard about your faith?
The Bahá’í Faith is a major world religion in its own individual right. One of the fundamental beliefs we share is that of ‘progressive revelation’. Let me explain. Since the beginning of human existence, all the Messengers from God – Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, and Muhammad – came at a specific time in humanity’s development. God ‘progressively revealed’ Himself according to humanity’s maturity. For example, Jesus brought Christianity although he was a Jew. He taught the same fundamental principles of love, unity and peace as Abraham and Moses, but he built upon the previous Messenger because humanity was at a different stage in its life.
Given the above, people tend to think that Islam was the major world religion that came before the Bahá’í Faith. Next, they tend to misunderstand and presume that the Bahá’í Faith is an ‘offshoot’ of Islam. It is not. In the same way, Christianity is not an ‘offshoot’ of Judaism but a separate major world religion. The same applies to the Bahá’í Faith and Islam. The Bahá’í Faith is the latest religion in which God has revealed Himself once again to those living in this day and age. It brings together two Manifestations – Baha’u’llah and the Bab. It is internationally recognised as a distinct world religion by such bodies as the United Nations, the US and UK governments.
Which Bahá’í person that you have met has had the biggest influence on your life?
Every Bahá’í continues to make a strong impression on my life. I only became a Bahá’í two years ago after being raised in a Catholic family and attending Catholic school. Because the Faith is still very new to me, I ask loads of questions. My favourite is the question I ask of people who did not grow up in a Bahá’í family: ‘How did you learn about the Faith? What made you decide it is for you?’ I am amazed by their leap of faith into a religion that is relatively unheard of. I am touched by how they embrace the Faith as a precious jewel, remaining protective and caring towards it while eager to share its brilliance and give to others.
I am equally moved by the Bahá’ís – whether they grew up in a Bahá’í family or not – who dedicate their lives to serve the Faith. I meet Bahá’ís who come from all over the world – China, Ghana, Israel and elsewhere – simply to volunteer their time for a few months or a few years to participate in service projects. I encounter Bahá’ís who are so enthusiastic about serving, always making plans to be of further help. The sacrifices they make so willingly to further the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith greatly influence me. What’s more, the spirit in which these sacrifices are made, with such purity of heart, inspire me everyday.
Is there anything you read when you’re looking for inspiration?
I find the words from any and all of the Central Figures of the Bahá’í Faith inspiring – the Bab, Baha’u’llah, and Shoghi Effendi. Knowing the individual life histories from which they wrote inspires even greater emotion whenever I read their texts. The Gleanings, which is a compilation of Bahá’u’lláh’s writings, is particularly affecting because of the wide range of topics that it covers.
As Bahá’ís, we are encouraged to read the Holy Writings as much as possible for guidance in our everyday lives and dealings with others and the world at large. Whatever dilemma I may have, whatever questions or despondency, I consult the Holy Writings of the Bahá’í Faith’s Central Figures as well as praying. Prayers in themselves are very inspirational because the act of praying is a conversation with God.
“There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God.” Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah
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