Cd'A Baha'is celebrate founders' births

Baha’is in Coeur d’Alene and around the world will celebrate the “Twin Birthdays” of their religion’s founders on Friday and Saturday.

The public is invited to a commemorative event at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library in the lower level of the Gozzer Room on Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. There will be a devotional program, information about the Baha’i Faith and its Founders. Refreshments will be served.

The Birth of the Bab (pronounced “Bob”), Nov. 9, commemorates the 1819 birth in Shiraz, Persia, of Siyyid ‘Ali-Muhammad, who later took the title “the Bab,” meaning “the Gate.” The Bab was the herald who prepared the way for Baha’u’llah (pronounced “bah–hah-ol-LAH”), the founder of the Baha’i Faith. He called on people to purify themselves for the coming day of God.

The Birth of Baha’u’llah on Nov. 10 commemorates the 1817 birth of Baha’u’llah (born Mirza Husayn-‘Ali) in Núr, Persia. Bahá’u’lláh means the “Glory of God,” who announced in 1863 that he is God’s messenger for this age. His teachings and sacred writings are the basis of the Baha’i Faith, an inclusive monotheistic faith that’s grown to more than five million believers in nearly every country and territory across the globe.

Baha’u’llah proclaimed that God, our loving creator, sends divine messengers or manifestations of God with teachings that enable humanity to know and to worship God. These great manifestations have appeared throughout history every 500 to 1,000 years, bringing human civilization to ever higher levels of spiritual and material advancement. Baha’u’llah is the latest in this long line of divine messengers, which has included Krishna, Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad and the Bab.

The Bahai Faith has been active in Coeur d’Alene and Kootenai County since 1974 and offers devotional programs, children’s classes, and study circles for spiritual education for people of all backgrounds. For information, check www.coeurdalenebahai.org or call 208-773-2130. The faith is represented in every state and thousands of communities throughout the United States. To learn more about the Baha’i Faith in America, visit www.bahai.us.