One of Seven: Baha’i Temple in Panama City, Panama
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What is that dome-ish thing up up there on the hill!? There are only 7 Baha’i Temples in the world, one of which is located right here in Panama City, Panama. After I had that cleared up, I started to wonder, just what is the Baha’i faith? I knew that “The Office” actor Rainn Wilson is Baha’i and that he traveled to Panama for that very reason, but this was the extent of my knowledge.
After visiting various websites I was able to answer the following questions:
Where does Baha’i come from? It was founded in Iran in 1844, making it the world’s youngest independent monotheistic religion.
How popular is the religion? It has more than five million followers in 236 countries and territories.
Who can belong? Those of the Baha’ faith include people from nearly every national, ethnic and religious background. Which, according to the Bahai’s website, makes the religion second-most-widespread religion in the world.
This statistic really surprised me, but I think the key words here are newest and widespread. If you look at where the other temples are located and when they were built, it’s no wonder (newest to oldest): New Delhi, India (1986), Apia, Samoa (1984), Panama City, Panama (1972), Frankfurt, Germany (1964), Kampala, Uganda (1962), Sydney, Australia (1961), Wilmette, Illinois (1953), Ashkabad, Turkestan (1908 destroyed 1962).
What is the Baha’i view? Bahai’s believe that the world’s major religions are part of a single process for God to reveal His will to humanity. That we are all equal and will one day be a unified single race.
Who founded Baha’i? His name was Baha’u'llah (1817-1892), and he’s believed to be the newest divine messenger, others include: Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad.
How did Baha’i end up in Panama? A female Baha’i journalist by the name of Martha Root first came to Panama in 1919 spreading information about the religion. In 1946 an official Spiritual Assembly was created and progress occurred from there.
After researching a bit about Baha’i in Panama, what strikes me most is their outreach with the Ngabe-Bugle people. The Bahai’ community runs 10 schools in the region where they otherwise would not exist. These schools are only accessible by horseback or on foot.
It seems as though the Mona Foundation has teamed up with the Baha’i run schools to help in a joint effort.
To learn more visit the following websites:
http://www.monafoundation.org/
http://www.panamabahai.net/
After visiting various websites I was able to answer the following questions:
Where does Baha’i come from? It was founded in Iran in 1844, making it the world’s youngest independent monotheistic religion.
How popular is the religion? It has more than five million followers in 236 countries and territories.
Who can belong? Those of the Baha’ faith include people from nearly every national, ethnic and religious background. Which, according to the Bahai’s website, makes the religion second-most-widespread religion in the world.
This statistic really surprised me, but I think the key words here are newest and widespread. If you look at where the other temples are located and when they were built, it’s no wonder (newest to oldest): New Delhi, India (1986), Apia, Samoa (1984), Panama City, Panama (1972), Frankfurt, Germany (1964), Kampala, Uganda (1962), Sydney, Australia (1961), Wilmette, Illinois (1953), Ashkabad, Turkestan (1908 destroyed 1962).
What is the Baha’i view? Bahai’s believe that the world’s major religions are part of a single process for God to reveal His will to humanity. That we are all equal and will one day be a unified single race.
Who founded Baha’i? His name was Baha’u'llah (1817-1892), and he’s believed to be the newest divine messenger, others include: Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad.
How did Baha’i end up in Panama? A female Baha’i journalist by the name of Martha Root first came to Panama in 1919 spreading information about the religion. In 1946 an official Spiritual Assembly was created and progress occurred from there.
After researching a bit about Baha’i in Panama, what strikes me most is their outreach with the Ngabe-Bugle people. The Bahai’ community runs 10 schools in the region where they otherwise would not exist. These schools are only accessible by horseback or on foot.
It seems as though the Mona Foundation has teamed up with the Baha’i run schools to help in a joint effort.
To learn more visit the following websites:
http://www.monafoundation.org/
http://www.panamabahai.net/
