The White Rock Baha’i Community is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Baha’u’llah.
Some 100,000 Baha’i communities across the globe will host events today (Friday), with White Rock’s starting at 7 p.m. at the White Rock Community Centre, to honour the founder of the Baha’i faith.
Patricia Chapiel described the faith as one that’s a “progressive revolution.” The local Baha’i group has approximately 25 members.
“That means in our minds, that God sends messengers to mankind throughout history,” she told Peace Arch News last week.
Chapiel made note of Abraham, Jesus Christ and Buddha.
“All of these were messengers of God,” she said. “These manifestations, or prophets as some people call them, of God come throughout mankind giving mankind some awareness of who they are and their relationship to God. They are spiritual beings.”
Evidence of this, Chapiel said, is noted in the Bible.
“When Christ spoke of ‘I will come as a thief in the night…’ (That) means that mankind might not recognize him. We believe that’s sort of what happened, Christ has returned. It’s the spirit of Christ, not he man himself. It’s the soul that progresses throughout history.”
A core value of the faith, she said, is unity and diversity.
“We’re all one. This diversity is good. It should not be one colour in terms of mankind. To bring unity to mankind, to bring oneness of mankind. There is only one God, only one religion and only one mankind.”