Bahá'í House of Worship

"Have you ever known a man of faith? Did you run the other way? If so, stop running. Maybe sit for a minute. For a glass of ice water. For a plate of corn bread. You may find there is something beautiful to learn, and it doesn’t bite you and it doesn’t weaken you, it only proves a divine spark lies inside each of us, and that spark may one day save the world."
–Have A Little Faith by Mitch Albom

On the way out of Kampala, we took a detour and visited the Bahá'í Temple nearby. Claire was the one who suggested it to the group, but I was pretty excited since there are only seven remaining temples in the world: the United States (Chicago), Australia (Sydney), Germany (Frankfurt), Panama (Panama City), Samoa (Tiapapata), India (Delhi), and Uganda (Kampala). There used to be one in Turkmenistan, but it was destroyed.

Anyone who chooses can visit the temple to worship and pray, whether Muslim, Christian, Jewish, or Hindu. There are no denominational restrictions. The Bahá'í believe in unity--that all people in the world are one regardless of race or nationality, that God is one, and that religion is one. Thus, they are accepting of all faiths and believe that each separate god that is worshiped is only a "Manifestation of God."

The interior of the temple was modest but inspiring. Once we entered, we scattered and sat in wooden benches (like pews, but they were not attached to the ground and were more lightly constructed) and took in our surroundings. Every Bahá'í temple has nine doors and is designed in a nonagon. Writings in Farsi adorned the space above each door, and the sun illuminated the gold and blue stained windows, which were in simple rectangular patterns.

It was a nice break to find some spirituality in our health-filled agendas.