My new Twitter handle is now live - check me out at @jackiewgibson!
CNN has posted a history of bias against Sikhs - more reason for people to learn about religions before they attack anyone:...
Sikh temple shooting unfolding, learn about Sikhism here: http://t.co/A0ltLLIm
Sikh temple shooting unfolding, learn about Sikhism here: http://t.co/l3KrAJZf
Hackers group Anonymous takes down Vatican website: http://t.co/B6lbGAVp
WGN-TV calls doomsday prophecies "an illusion": http://t.co/mv8Gzyw7
RT @graceishuman: Really,? Asking people JUST LEAVING the service how they felt about it? Tacky, tacky, inappropriate
Whitney Houston's funeral service really took the world to church. Love Pastor Winans' honesty, very moving.
#teacher ? Here are appropriate responses to situations with your Jehovah's Witness student: http://t.co/A6UfqcgH
#Teachers: Want to know why your Jehovah's Witness student won't say the pledge and how to respond? http://t.co/EIdlgDwW
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  | ||||||
Photo Copyright Religion Transcends
I recently took a visit to the Baha’i House of Worship in Wilmette, IL – one of only seven Baha’i temples in the world. All people, regardless of religion, are invited to visit the temple for prayer, meditation – or just to see what it’s all about.
About the Temple
All Baha’i temples have 9 sides, and this one was no exception. Outside, visitors can enjoy gardens featuring 9 small pools, one for each side of the temple. The bottom floor of the temple contains a visitors center, complete with the cornerstone of the building, a video about the faith, and a bookstore. Visitors are also allowed inside the auditorium itself, though pictures are not allowed inside.
Walking into the auditorium is something of a surreal experience. When the choirs aren’t singing on Sunday mornings, the room is incredibly silent, a silence that seeps into your pores and kind of takes your breath away. It’s a silence that you might experience if you entered a room deep within a cave where the only sound was the whistling of the wind through the wall opening. Except here, there’s sunlight. And lots of it. Looking up, you can see sheer white curtains covering the steep windows, up, up, up, until you are straining your head backwards to look up to the top of the dome. There in the center of the dome, where all the architectural details meet up, are Arabic words – “O Glory of All Glorious,” a prayer of invocation. For those seeking some silence and a good place to pray, this place is it. Just be prepared to turn off your cell phone…and maybe eat before you go so your stomach doesn’t growl. It’s that quiet.
Here on Religion Transcends, we encourage all people to take time to understand people whose beliefs differ from their own. If you are going to be in the Northeast Illinois area, I encourage you to take a trip to the Baha’i temple. It offers a great opportunity to learn about the faith. And if you’re worried about standing out, it won’t be a problem here. With the diversity of people from all over the world visiting these grounds, it’s easy to slip in and check the place out. Everyone is there to explore – and the day I visited, it seemed a majority of visitors were not of the Baha’i faith.
About the Faith
The Baha’i faith is founded on core principles of world peace, elimination of prejudice, and harmony of science and religion. Baha’i followers believe that all religions share a common aim, and that God has revealed Himself to humanity through a series of Divine Messengers including Muhammad, Moses, Krishna, and Jesus Christ.
Learn more about the temple and the faith online.
More information about the Baha’i faith will be provided on Religion Transcends soon. Stay tuned!
Created by Religion Transcends, 2010
