[Talk presented 8 January 2001 by Darren Hiebert at the public program of the Interfaith Mission Service entitled “Ritual in Religion Life”]

The Bahá’í Faith is founded upon the teachings of God as revealed to Bahá’u’lláh, whom Bahá’ís regard as the advent of the One awaited by each of the world’s religions. “The principle of the Oneness of Mankind [is] the pivot round which all of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh revolve.” Consequently, from a Bahá’í perspective, the function and role of ritual must be analyzed and understood in light of this fundamental principle.

Let me take a moment to point out that the Bahá’í Faith has no clergy and that no individual can speak with authority on the Bahá’í teachings. Therefore, the comments and perspectives I offer tonight are based solely upon my own personal understanding and reflection upon the Bahá’í teachings and their relevance to the subject.

When we take an historical perspective, the predominant unifying factor within a community of people has been their commonly shared traits or heritage in the form of racial, cultural, or national identity, social customs, and rituals.

The communal sharing of common traits allows a community to experience those things which bind it members together. While shared traits served a unifying purpose for most of our history, many today regard that perhaps these lead as often to separation and isolation. Lest anyone doubt this assertion, ask any clergy member about the opposition encountered when altering or adapting any of the rituals by which the worship setting is conducted. The solution most frequently adopted in accomodating different styles of worship is essentially to split the congregation into two; holding two worship services, generally traditional and contemporary. Consequently, our social interactions become further narrowed to those whose background is more like our own. In this regard, we can see that the ceremonies associated with communal sharing of common traits sometimes function as a wall, which simultaneously unites those inside, while isolating them from those outside. But it should be noted that they serve their unifying function for a much smaller number of people than those from whom they become isolated.

Loving our neighbor was easier when she looked like us, talked like us, and shared our identifying traits. However, today we are now being challenged to show what loving our neighbor really means. Do we love them even when they do not share in common with us any of the traits by which we have traditionally identified and united ourselves?

So I put to you a question: How does one unite people who share not a single one of the traits listed previously? When we look at our world today, we see that we regularly mix with people raised in either a different country, culture, race or religion, from the one in which we were raised. How do we become unified in such a way that we mix on an intimate level with all, instead of just those who are much like ourselves? This question underlays the basis of the challenge we face today as many of our cultural assumptions are being questioned and analyzed. Suddenly the jokes we tell, the manner in which we speak about those unlike us, behaviors taken for granted, are being scrutinized, resulting in some amount of confusion, frustration, and criticism. It becomes clear that if our goal is to unite people, that we must unite on a more comprehensive principle than that of commonly shared experience. In short, we must become united on a spiritual basis, recognizing that our experiences are diverse and seek to share in that diversity.

The Bahá’í Faith has, in its short 150-year history, become the second-most geographically widespread religion in the world, according to the 1988 Brittanica Book of the Year, with a significant following in more countries than any other religion except Christianity. It encompasses over 2100 tribes, races and ethnic groups. As such, it has a lot to offer in answering the question which I just put to you. In light of its focus on the oneness of humanity, the Bahá’í writings offer this guidance on the subject of ritual:

“...the Faith has certain basic laws and simple rites prescribed by Bahá’u’lláh and...its teachings warn against developing these into a system of uniform and rigid rituals by introducing into them man-made forms and practices....

“In carrying out the basic laws of our Faith the friends should always maintain a standard of utmost simplicity and observe flexibility in all matters of detail.”

In short, “...we should be elastic in details and rigid in principles...”.

In fact, our writings state that one of the responsibilities our administrative institutions is to “guard against such rigidity as would clog and fetter the liberating forces released by [the] Revelation [of Bahá’u’lláh].”

Here are some further examples of guidance from our writings:

“A dogma is a principle, tenet or teaching, especially an authoritative teaching, and in these senses it is apparent that the Faith has ‘dogmas’. The word is also used, however, to describe that body of rigid doctrines that have accumulated in a religion after the passing of its Founder; such man-made dogmas are entirely absent from the Bahá’í Faith, nor can it ever acquire them.”

“Bahá’ís should obviously be encouraged to preserve their inherited cultural identities, as long as the activities involved do not contravene the principles of the Faith. The perpetuation of such cultural characteristics is an expression of unity in diversity.”

It is such guidance which has provided the framework in which we are able to begin to implement this vision from the Bahá’í writings: that the world of humanity is like a garden, whose true beauty is dependent upon a diversity of of colors, textures, and fragrances. A garden formed of one single color lacks the beauty of the variety.

So what rituals, if any, exist in the Bahá’í Faith?

“...the [Bahá’í] Faith has certain simple rites prescribed by Bahá’u’lláh, such as the obligatory prayers, the marriage ceremony and the laws for the burial of the dead, but its teachings warn against developing them into a system of uniform and rigid rituals incorporating man-made forms and practices....”

One of the most important functions of ritual is the deep symbolism that they often express. It is my understanding that this function of ritual is entirely validated by the Bahá’í writings. The Bahá’í Faith merely warns against turning an expression of symbolism into a rigid form, which must then be adapted by others.

“Bahá’u’lláh has reduced all ritual and form to an absolute minimum in His Faith. The few forms that there are - like those associated with the two longer obligatory daily prayers - are only symbols of the inner attitude. There is a wisdom in them and a great blessing, but we cannot force ourselves to understand or feel these things; that is why He gave us also the very short and simple prayer, for those who did not feel the desire to perform the acts associated with the other two.”

“When the consent of the parents is obtained, the only other requirement for the ceremony is the recitation by both parties in the presence of two witnesses of the specifically revealed verse: ‘We will all, verily, abide by the Will of God.’”

“Regarding the question you raise in your letter about the Bahá’í marriage. As you know there is no ritual, according to the Aqdas, and the Guardian is very anxious that none should be introduced at present and no general forms accepted. He believes this ceremony should be as simple as possible, the parties using the words ordained by Bahá’u’lláh, and excerpts from the writings and prayers being read if desired.”

“Regarding the Bahá’í funeral service: It is extremely simple, as it consists only of a congregational prayer to be read before burial.... Your National Spiritual Assembly should take great care lest any uniform procedure or ritual in this matter be adopted or imposed upon the friends. The danger in this, as in some other cases regarding Bahá’í worship, is that a definite system or rigid rituals and practices be developed among the believers. The utmost simplicity and flexibility should be observed....”

So in closing, I would like summarize that because religious experience is fundamentally a personal one, uniting people must rest upon something deeper than a history of shared experience, which is a wordly concept rather than a spiritual one. The only way is which we may become united without drawing boundaries is to unite on a spiritual basis which recognizes and welcomes diverse expression and experience.