Being a Bahá'í in Carlisle

Michael Jay
Follower of the Bahá'í Faith

Portrait of 'Abdu'l-Baha, son of founder Bahá'u'lláh

We find out more on the Bahá'í Faith (pronounced ba-high) from a young Cumbrian follower, Michael Jay.

One of the most important teachings of the Bahá'í Faith is independent investigation of truth: we all have the right and responsibility to search for religious truth ourselves.

How I became a Bahá'í

Even though I was brought up learning about the faith from my mother, I had to make my own decision when I was 15 about whether I wanted to be a Bahá'í.

What attracted me initially to the Bahá'í teachings though, was their simplicity, and their relevance to the modern world. The religion was founded in the 19th Century by a Persian nobleman called Bahá'u'lláh. We believe Him to be the latest in a series of divine teachers sent by God for the spiritual and material advancement of mankind, including: Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus Christ and Muhammad.

The core of the Faith is unity: there is only one God, all the religions are one, and there is only one human race with a single destiny - "The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens."

Michael Jay studying the Bahá'í faith with friends

Being a Bahá'í

We live in a very materialistic age, and the Bahá'í faith makes me focus on life as being fundamentally spiritual. The purpose our lives is to develop the capacities of our soul - qualities like love, generosity, truthfulness, compassion, justice etc. To help us we read from the Writings of the Faith every morning and evening, and pray and meditate every day in our own homes.

How would I know if I met a Bahá'í?

Spirituality is very practical. For example, it means refraining from backbiting about others (or at least trying to - you don't realise how much we all do it until you try not to!). It means approaching everyday work and study with a positive attitude, seeing them both as service to others and ultimately worship. (As a student of physics I take great inspiration from our scriptures' description of science as 'the most noble' of the virtues of mankind.) For Bahá'ís it also means avoiding alcohol and drugs - probably the most noticeable outward sign of our faith!

Michael Jay with family at World Centre, Haifa

Bahá'í and Carlisle

There have been Bahá'ís in Carlisle for around 50 years, and we meet regularly in each others homes for prayer, study and to socialise, often with other interested friends as well. In larger communities, such as Manchester where I'm at university, we have a Bahá'í Centre, and also a student society which meets on campus.

One of the many things I love about the Bahá'í community in Manchester is how it embodies the Bahá'í principle of unity in diversity. (I remember once working with a friend from Burundi on a class for children of a Mauritian family and their Indian neighbours, using course materials developed in Columbia, and teaching songs in Swahili!)

What do your friends think?

Friends are generally quite curious about the faith as it's often not something they have come across before. I also find that whatever their perspective on faith and life we have a lot of common ground, whether they are followers of a particular religion or even avowed atheists who believe religion causes far too many problems (the Bahá'í Writings clearly say that if religion ceases to promote love and unity it's far better to be without it). That said, I have met people who are convinced that because we don't drink alcohol, the whole religion is just a marketing ploy by Schweppes or Coca-Cola to sell more soft drinks!