Momentous gathering focuses on Houses of Worship Caixa de entrada x Baha'i World News Service Cancelar inscrição 12:51 (há 3 horas) para eu inglês português     Traduzir mensagem Desativar para: inglês Momentous gathering focuses on Houses of Worship     To listen to the podcast, read the story online, or view more photos, visit news.bahai.org. BAHA’I WORLD CENTRE, 23 June 2019, (BWNS) — With the inauguration of three new Baha’i Houses of Worship over the past three years and more about to be constructed, the Baha’i world community has been engaged in an intensive process of learning about these sacred structures. This month, a unique gathering brought together representatives from around the world to explore what is being learned about every one of the Houses of Worship. More than 30 people gathered for the consultations, coming from Australia, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Germany, India, Panama, Samoa, Uganda, and the United States. “We’ve been discovering how a House of Worship reflects the spiritual aspirations of a people,” said Eduardo Rioseco, the director of the Temple in Santiago, Chile. Since its dedication in 2017, over a million people have visited the House of Worship, and it has become a central feature of life for the people of the surrounding community and an iconic symbol of unity for the city. “For many people visiting the Temple, it has been a discovery to connect with their own spiritual identity. So, in a way, to go to the House of Worship is to come back home,” Mr. Rioseco reflected. The consultations touched on a range of topics, from practical requirements of managing a Temple to its profound spiritual and social impacts on surrounding populations. How does the path to the central edifice reinforce visitors’ longing for mystical connection and spiritual meaning? What dynamics begin to emerge in a community as a House of Worship is built and becomes a collective center of worship open to all? What is being learned about the relationship between a growing devotional character in a community and a multiplication of acts of service for the betterment of society? Participants explored these questions and many more over the course of the three-day meeting.  Some communities have experience with more sophisticated social and economic development endeavors, and these were also a subject of discussion. Of particular interest was the unifying influence Houses of Worship are having on surrounding populations.  Administrators of Temples also presented various environmental initiatives. In New Delhi, India, for instance, wastewater is treated on-site and used to water the gardens, and solar panels provide a substantial portion of the Temple’s electricity usage. In Norte del Cauca, Colombia, the Temple is built alongside a native forestry project that is helping to restore indigenous plants. The native forest is reconnecting the local population to its natural environment, largely overtaken by monoculture farmland. At the heart of the conversation was one of the central themes associated with Baha’i Houses of Worship: they are sanctuary for all people. “The Temple doesn’t belong to the Baha’is, although Baha’is are the ones managing and taking care of it. The Temple belongs to each and every human being,” noted Santos Odhiambo, the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Uganda. In addition to the 10 Houses of Worship currently open, five more are in development: Construction began on a temple in Kenya in March; designs have been chosen for Temples in Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu; work is also underway for temples in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and India. The Baha’i World News Service interviewed representatives of Houses of Worship in Chile, India, and Uganda, which can be heard in a two-part podcast. Part one of the podcast, which focuses on the spiritual experiences people are having at Temples, is being published with this article. Part two will be made available in the coming weeks. An in depth exploration of Houses of Worship can be found in a newly published article on The Baha’i World website. Follow the Bahá’í World News Service on Twitter and Instagram for regular updates and stories.      Dear reader, you are receiving this email because you subscribed to the Bahá’í World News Service (BWNS) at news.bahai.org/subscribe/. Copyright 2019 by the Bahá’í World News Service. Stories and photographs produced by the Baha’i World News Service may be freely reprinted, re-emailed, re-posted, and otherwise reproduced as long as they are attributed to BWNS. For more information, go tonews.bahai.org/legal. Mailing Address:  P.O. Box 155 Haifa 3100101 Unsubscribe marioalbertobenedetto@gmail.com from the Bahá’í World News Service (BWNS) ResponderEncaminhar

Overcoming prejudice through education

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Overcoming prejudice through education     To listen to the podcast, read the story online, or view more photos, visit news.bahai.org. NEW DELHI, 12 June 2019, (BWNS) — The latest episode of the Baha’i World News Service podcast explores how an educational process that seeks to release the potentialities of the human soul and mind can lead to profound social transformation, in this case overcoming long-held societal prejudices and superstitions about women. Women in India are overcoming sentiments and prejudices that prevent their full participation in society. A group of young women in a large neighborhood of New Delhi, India, has been determined to help its community develop a different attitude toward women who are in their menstrual cycle.  Pooja Tiwari, who facilitates the group as part of the Preparation for Social Action (PSA) program, explains that women on their periods can be considered “impure” and are separated from aspects of community life. Though this cultural feature has no basis in reality—scientific or spiritual—it is entrenched in the consciousness of much of the local population. “While discussing this, a member of the group said, ‘During these days, we cannot go to the temple. We cannot touch anything. We cannot sleep on the bed but have to sleep on the floor,” explains Ms. Tiwari. The group decided to organize an awareness campaign to promote an understanding of menstruation that is grounded in science and also rooted in spiritual belief. After a study of the science behind the menstrual cycle, the group felt that it is critical to help people appreciate how a woman’s period “is an important element for the birth of a human being.” Ms. Tiwari explains, “The idea was brought up that during these days, we should respect women and that they require healthy and nutritious food.” PSA is a Baha’i-inspired program implemented in 17 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific. The program is organized to help young people develop a set of scientific and spiritual capabilities that enable them to become promoters of the well-being of their communities. Ms. Tiwari is joined in the interview by Bhavna Anbarasan, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors in Asia. Ms. Tiwari and Ms. Anbarasan spoke with the News Service in February when they were at the Baha’i World Centre. They were among a group of 30 people, representing eight localities around the world where a robust Baha’i educational and community building process is engaging thousands or tens of thousands of people. At the heart of these efforts has been local populations building capacity to bring about social change through the application of fundamental Baha’i principles—such as the oneness of humankind, the harmony of science and religion, and the equality of women and men—to their own social reality.  The stimulating conversations at this gathering are connected to the decades-long process in which Baha’i communities at all levels, from the grassroots to the global, have been creating spaces for sharing experiences and insights arising out of community building efforts. The gathering demonstrated how people around the world are contributing profound insights relevant to the future of humanity. It also showed that, rather than being confined to a privileged elite, the advancement of knowledge is a right and responsibility of every human being. Follow the Bahá’í World News Service on Twitter and Instagram for regular updates and stories.    Dear reader, you are receiving this email because you subscribed to the Bahá’í World News Service (BWNS) at news.bahai.org/subscribe/. Copyright 2019 by the Bahá’í World News Service. Stories and photographs produced by the Baha’i World News Service may be freely reprinted, re-emailed, re-posted, and otherwise reproduced as long as they are attributed to BWNS. For more information, go tonews.bahai.org/legal. Mailing Address: P.O. Box 155 Haifa 3100101 Unsubscribe marioalbertobenedetto@gmail.com from the Bahá’í World News Service (BWNS)