Baha'i Pilgrimgs Amid the Strife

Jen pointed out this article that was on the BBC recently.

"The Kuykendall family from Seattle in the US arrived on Sunday (to Haifa, where the Lebanese rockets continue to fall) as part of a 150-strong group of Baha'i pilgrims. They came to visit the majestic Baha'i temple, the focal point of their faith, which adorns the slopes of Haifa's awe-inspiring Mount Carmel.

"The violence saddens more than worries me, but it makes this a uniquely different experience," said Marsha Kuykendall, as she ate breakfast in the Dan Panorama Hotel with her husband and two teenage children.

"We waited seven years to do this pilgrimage, so even in the midst of all this, you look on it as a life-altering experience, hoping our prayers will in fact bring humankind together."

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My father is a Baha'i, and I grew up around Baha'i culture. They are extremely peacful people, and they espouse the ideas of unity and charity very deeply. These are things that humanity would be blessed by more of. Sure, the world isn't perfect, and there are wars and rumors of wars here and there, but I personally am glad that some people can see what matters beyond strife and combat. I was remided again of the verse from James about "pure and faultless religion": To look after the widowed and fatherless in their distress, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Perhaps one day my father can make this journey to the Baha'is main temple in Haifa Israel. I would like to go with him. The holy land holds a special place in my heart, as it does for so many.