 "Photo: Tiffany Tran")
In a time when the nation seems to be embracing independence, one religion is practicing unity of all faiths.
In 1950, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States instituted World Religion Day, which is celebrated the third Sunday of January.
"Its purpose is to call attention to the harmony of spiritual principles and the oneness of the world's religions," said Cheryl Power, public information officer for the A&M Baha'i Club. "The day also emphasizes the fact that a world religion is the motivating factor for world unity."
A common misconception is that World Religion Day is solely for those who practice the Baha'i faith. Thomas Tai-Seale, faculty adviser for the club, said the purpose is just the opposite.
"It's not something that we think of as ours, it really belongs to the world," he said. "It is something that we support, but we support a wide variety of world visionaries and projects. There's no particular aspect of World Religion Day that we promote other than simply wanting to value the religious history of humanity."
Practices during the celebration include interfaith dialogues, forums and lectures.
"An integral part of every celebration is undoubtedly that there are people of many different faiths not just present, but participating in these discussions and engaging in interfaith dialogue," Power said.
Natalie Kash, president of the A&M Baha'i Club and sophomore molecular and cell biology major, said World Religion Day is about embracing other religions through discussion.
"The emphasis on this day isn't to argue and concentrate on our differences and to get into a heated debate," she said. "The purpose is to really come and share your beliefs and maybe find some common ground.
"It's really open to all faiths," she said. "The purpose is to really get out of your comfort zone and talk to people of other faiths and talk to them openly and share different ideas. A lot of spiritual teachings and lessons are common throughout most world religions."
Taraz Nick Nosrat, treasurer for the club and sophomore electrical engineering major, said some believe World Religion Day and the Baha'i faith share the same message.
"I feel that this holiday and the views Baha'i Faith are very similar because we believe that the roots of every world religion lie in the same place, and that at the core, all religions are from God and deliver God's message," he said. "All world religions have a lot more in common than people care to believe or investigate."
A Baha'i prayer reads, "O Thou kind Lord! Unite all. Let the religions agree and make the nations one, so that they may see each other as one family and the whole earth as one home. May they all live together in perfect harmony."
The Baha'i faith recognizes Baha'u'llah as the founder of the Baha'i faith.
Supporters follow his teachings to this day and live by his words daily: "Religion is the greatest of all means for the establishment of order in the world and for the peaceful contentment of all that dwell therein."
"It's not just a tolerance of religion, it's understanding their common source of origin that's important," Tai-Seale said. "Of course, they differ because of different cultures and times, but people have to grow up and come to a greater understanding about the purpose of religion."
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