Why Bahá'í

Why Bahá'í
June 19, 2008 - 4:44pm

Mary Jo Adams
Reno, Nevada
Bahá'í since 2007

I was raised Catholic, and for much of my youth dreamed of becoming a nun. But eventually I found I didn’t agree with much of the doctrine and felt unmoved by the services.

So as an adult, I became a spiritual seeker. I explored Buddhism and other Eastern traditions, and took "A Course in Miracles." I also studied energy healing and self actualization.

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Greg and Mary Jo Adams About four years ago, I went to see a physician friend with my daughter. I was moved by my friend’s attitude toward my daughter’s devastating eye condition, which left her blind in one eye.

My friend helped us see a deeper meaning in what seemed to us a horrific situation, and that good things like compassion and maturity could result. I felt a sense of peace and acceptance that had eluded me for some time, and I was grateful for that.

At the visit, I gave my friend my business card. I was selling fresh eggs from my pet hens and thought she might be interested. The card said “fresh eggs from happy hens” and had a nine-pointed star that I had chosen from hundreds of icons on a clip-art website.

“A nine-pointed star is the symbol of the Bahá'í Faith, my religion,” my friend explained. “Where did you get that symbol?” my friend asked. She gave me a small Bahá'í prayer book, as we both thought it was interesting I had chosen that star.

My heart exploded with the love in those prayers. I did some research on the Bahá'í Faith, which attracted me further to the religion. The social principles were extremely attractive, the writings of Bahá'u'lláh were godly and the writings of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá were so sweet and beautiful.

A member of the local Bahá'í community came to my home to share more information and food for thought about the Faith. I soon joined a study circle with my physician friend, and she became a regular and happy egg customer!

I continued to further my Bahá'í education by reading Bahai literature. I started with Gleanings, and then progressed to Some Answered Questions, The Challenge of Bahá'u'lláh and The Hidden Words. I also attended Bahá'í devotional meetings, and, after two years of participating in the Faith, I became a Bahá'í in March 2007.

My husband became a Bahá'í a few months after I did, and my extended family has been very interested and supportive. My niece has participated in Bahá'í children’s classes, and I have two friends who are finishing their second Bahá'í study circle.

I am humbly and deeply grateful to Bahá'u'lláh for calling me to His Cause, and to my Bahá'í friends for the nurturance and patience they’ve so generously given. And to Jesus Christ, who answered the prayer of the child who asked Him, “Please let me know You if You return while I’m alive on earth!”