Baha'u'llah, The Bab and The Ba'hais

The Ba'hai faith embraces the teachings of the prophets from various other denomintions, including Abraham, Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, and their modern prophet, Baha'u'llah. If you zoom in on the top picture there, you'll notice the intricate etchings in the top of the pillar that I'm holding up. Some of those etchings are the common symbols of the world's many religions. We had to toss Sara up very high in order for her to snap this picture. That's Lake Michigan up there, making this land beachfront property. Notice the nine pools around the building, which has nine arches and nine main doors. I'd reckon there's some sort of religious meaning behind the number nine. Or maybe that's just how things looked the prettiest. Strange how such an enormous building gets lost in the trees in the Midwest. I bet it looks really cool in the snow.

This is a picture we ripped off the internet of the interior of the dome (no pictures allowed inside). I really like that they keep the interior so bright, unlike many international churches of similar grandeur. The detail in the ceiling is fascinating, and the symbol in the middle represents the Greatest Name. Islamic people believe there are 99 names for God, and some Islamic sects, including the Ba'hai, believe in a 100th name for God which is greater than all, and there it is. The interior of that building was so peaceful and bright, I didn't want to leave.

There are only two existing pictures of Baha'u'llah. Ba'hais believe it sacreligious to show pictures of him in public places, or display his image in their homes. I guess if you'd really like to see what he looks like, the shameless and wonderful people of Wikipedia have both pictures. He lived in the latter half of the 19th century in what we now call Iran and Iraq. He became prominent for spreading the word of the Bab, a guy who showed up around Persia in 1844 claiming to be the Islamic messiah. After that he pretty much walked all around Iraq, spent many years in prison and preached like crazy. He claims to be the Messiah of all religions, which is a pretty big deal, but at least he did it in a peaceful way. The Ba'hai's seem to be carrying on his tradition; they are so quiet and peaceful. They don't even accept contributions unless you're a member of the faith. So there's your religious lesson of the day. I'm so glad that the churches of the world have given us all so many amazing buildings!