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Dialogue features Baha'i, Unitarian-Universalism faiths

By Marleen Shepherd, For the Southern

Saturday, March 3, 2007 7:13 AM CST

CARBONDALE - While there are significant differences between the faiths, both Bahaism and Unitarian Universalism are growing because they speak to the times, believes Nick Coté.

"What is attractive is this idea that humanity is at an age of maturity and that we have to seek God for ourselves and investigate truth for ourselves," said Coté of the Baha'is of Southern Illinois. "We both serve the purpose of uniting people. At the same time, we serve the purpose of challenging humanity to rise above its current state. The purpose of religion is to unite mankind not divide mankind."

Bahaism and Unitarian Universalism both embrace and affirm the world's religions. Unitarian Universalism evolved from a liberal Christian perspective to a belief that no one person and no one religion holds a monopoly on religious truths.

In one Unitarian service the community might explore concepts of several different faiths, said the Rev. Bill Sasso of the Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship. Among those who attend services in Carbondale are Christians, pagans, humanists, Buddhists, those who identify with more than one religion, and those who identify with none at all.

"Freedom, reason and tolerance are the hallmarks of what Unitarian Universalists have held as central values over time," Sasso said. "The really distinct thing Unitarian Universalism has to offer is religious freedom within the context of community. Some people see Unitarian Universalism as a very easy religious tradition in that it doesn't demand theological beliefs from someone. There's a sense in which that's true, but there's another sense in which it is more demanding than any other. It requires one to determine, discover, create one's own religious belief system. Some people, like me, need to have that freedom and are willing to take on that responsibility."

Appreciation of the diversity of the human family is among the core tenets of Bahaism, and Baha'is pursue unity and fellowship with followers of all religions. However, unlike the Unitarian Universalists, they do so within a particular religious framework.

Baha'is believe the world's great religions are expressions of a single unfolding divine plan � that there is only one religion and all of God's messengers have progressively revealed its nature. These messengers include Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad. Baha'u'llah, a 19th-century Persian reformer, is believed to be the last and final messenger. Bahá'u'lláh taught that the central truths of all religions are in harmony even as the social laws change according to the times.

Coté and Sasso will speak about their unique and growing faiths at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the next Ralph Anderson Interfaith Dialogue, a project of the Carbondale Interfaith Council. The presentations at the Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship will be followed by a response from the Rev. Katherine Graves, of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and Imam Abdul Haqq, representing the Muslim community. Hugh Muldoon will moderate, and there will be an opportunity for questions and comments from the audience.

"This is an opportunity to learn about two faith communities that have some really important things in common but with different historical roots and religious structures," said Ken Starbuck, Ralph Anderson Interfaith Dialogue chairperson. "Both are presently active in the Carbondale Interfaith Council, and both take strong positions on human equality and the importance of understanding the world as interconnected."

For 24 years, Carbondale's interfaith dialogues have tried to provide Southern Illinois with a clearer understanding of the faith communities that shape our nation.

"If we use these different approaches with integrity we create together a much richer world of being religious and maybe a better way to live," said Sasso, president of the Carbondale Interfaith Council. "Hopefully, we honor that which deserves our ultimate honor and dedication."

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