My OperaBahá'í Faith in India
Wednesday, September 20, 2006 11:53:39 AM
There are currently seven Bahá'í Houses of Worship around the world, although Bahá'í communities own many properties where they plan for Houses of Worship to be constructed as the Bahá'í community grows and develops. Most Bahá'í meetings occur in individuals' homes, local Bahá'í centers, or rented facilities.
The name used in the Bahá'í writings for Houses of Worship is Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (Arabic: مشرق اﻻذكار, «Dawning-place of the Remembrance of God»). All Bahá'í temples share certain architectural elements, only two of which are specified by Bahá'í scripture, that they are nine-sided and surmounted by domes. To date all the temples built or planned have a single, undivided room under the dome. In all seven, the seats in the auditorium face the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh in Akká, Israel.
The seven existing Houses of Worship were built as the regional community could support their construction. They express local design and culture in their selection of materials, landscaping and architecture.
Bahá'í Houses of Worship are open to people of all faiths - or of no particular faith. Services focus solely on the worship of God. There are no collections and no sermons. Only the Word of God is uttered within the Temple, with readings from all the Holy Writings of the earth. The only instrument used is the human voice, and the choir in any Bahá'í House of Worship sings without instrumental accompaniment. No sermons or lectures are permitted inside the House of Worship. As the Bahá'í Faith has no priesthood, ordinary members of the community - men and women, adults and children - read the texts.
There are no collections during the service. Only Bahá'ís are permitted to contribute to the upkeep of the House of Worship.
These buildings are the key element of a complex of facilities such as schools, hospitals, homes for the elderly, and other social and humanitarian institutions to serve the neighborhoods in which they are located.
Bahá'u'lláh said that any work done in a spirit of service is a form of prayer. The educational, humanitarian and scientific institutions to be built around the Temple will allow the Bahá'ís to complete their dedication of the individual to God. To Bahá'ís there is no particular division between the spiritual and practical parts of life. `Abdu'l-Bahá taught that we should walk the spiritual path with practical feet.
Note that the Bahá'í gardens and the Shrine of the Báb in Haifa, Israel are not part of a Mashriqu'l-Adhkár although tourist materials generally refer to the Shrine as a Bahá'í temple.
The name used in the Bahá'í writings for Houses of Worship is Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (Arabic: مشرق اﻻذكار, «Dawning-place of the Remembrance of God»). All Bahá'í temples share certain architectural elements, only two of which are specified by Bahá'í scripture, that they are nine-sided and surmounted by domes. To date all the temples built or planned have a single, undivided room under the dome. In all seven, the seats in the auditorium face the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh in Akká, Israel.
The seven existing Houses of Worship were built as the regional community could support their construction. They express local design and culture in their selection of materials, landscaping and architecture.
Bahá'í Houses of Worship are open to people of all faiths - or of no particular faith. Services focus solely on the worship of God. There are no collections and no sermons. Only the Word of God is uttered within the Temple, with readings from all the Holy Writings of the earth. The only instrument used is the human voice, and the choir in any Bahá'í House of Worship sings without instrumental accompaniment. No sermons or lectures are permitted inside the House of Worship. As the Bahá'í Faith has no priesthood, ordinary members of the community - men and women, adults and children - read the texts.
There are no collections during the service. Only Bahá'ís are permitted to contribute to the upkeep of the House of Worship.
These buildings are the key element of a complex of facilities such as schools, hospitals, homes for the elderly, and other social and humanitarian institutions to serve the neighborhoods in which they are located.
Bahá'u'lláh said that any work done in a spirit of service is a form of prayer. The educational, humanitarian and scientific institutions to be built around the Temple will allow the Bahá'ís to complete their dedication of the individual to God. To Bahá'ís there is no particular division between the spiritual and practical parts of life. `Abdu'l-Bahá taught that we should walk the spiritual path with practical feet.
Note that the Bahá'í gardens and the Shrine of the Báb in Haifa, Israel are not part of a Mashriqu'l-Adhkár although tourist materials generally refer to the Shrine as a Bahá'í temple.
