Bahá’í
The Bahá’í faith was founded by the Persian mystic Bahá’u’lláh in the 1850s. It is an inclusive faith, incorporating other religions. Hindu, Christian, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Buddhist and Islamic holy texts are used in their services. It is egalitarian; it regards all humankind to be of equal worth.
The Bahá’í faith began in Uganda in 1951. During Idi Amin’s time the Bahá’í faith was banned. Today the community is growing with widely ranging estimates from 19,000 to 105,000. The Bahá’í Temple in Kampala is one of only seven Bahá’í Houses of Worship in the world. It is the only one on the African continent and is known as the Mother Temple of Africa. It opened on 15 January 1962. We see it every day across the valley from our verandah. The well-kept grounds are a wonderfully quiet spot for walking or just sitting. It also is a perfect spot for weddings! (The Mother Temple for North America is in Chicago.)
All Bahá’í temples have nine sides. Since we were not allowed to take photos inside the temple the following is a description from Wikipedia. “The inside of the dome is painted a pale blue; the rotunda, into which are set nine enormous windows and fifty-four small windows, all filled with green, amber and pale blue glass, is painted a brilliant white, while the columns and the lower walls are painted a very pale green. All this lends itself to an effect of lightness and airiness which is intensified by the large green and amber glass-filled grilles which stand on either side of the huge doors.” During a service the nine large doors are wide open giving a view of the grounds. Nature is a part of the atmosphere.
