What we’re about
We are a group of Bahá’ís who welcome the public to a series of gatherings in which we seek to “Explore Faith and Spiritual Reality in the Modern World”, through the study of the writings of the most recent world religion, the Bahá’í Faith, founded in 1844. We discuss these and similar teachings in earlier world religions to find parallels and commonalities.
The basic principles of the Faith include the following:
- Independent investigation of truth.
- The oneness of mankind, that is, there are no separate races; rather, we are all members of the same Human race.
- Elimination of racism and prejudice of all kinds.
- All religions are one in their fundamental principles and worship the same God.
- The essential harmony of science and religion.
- Economic justice: Abolishing the extremes of wealth and poverty.
- Universal peace upheld by a world government.
- Equality of men and women.
- Universal, compulsory education, especially for girls who will be the mothers and first educators of the next generation.
- A universal, auxiliary international language that will be taught in all schools.
The ultimate purpose of this effort is to help people apply and integrate these principles into their daily lives, to renew their own spirituality, no matter what faith they practice; and find peace and happiness in this physical reality. We pray this will also lead to the foundation for the unification of understanding and practice of faith and spirituality that will contribute to achieving world peace. The principles of the Bahá’í Faith include working to unite all humanity into one universal family, eradicating racism and prejudice of all kinds, achieving equality and equal opportunity for women and men, and promoting universal education.
The Bahá’í world leaders, known as the “Universal House of Justice” stated in 1985, “The endowments which distinguish the human race from all other forms of life are summed up in what is known as the human spirit; the mind is its essential quality. These endowments have enabled humanity to build civilizations and to prosper materially. But such accomplishments alone have never satisfied the human spirit, whose mysterious nature inclines it towards transcendence, a reaching towards an invisible realm, towards the ultimate reality, that unknowable essence of essences called God. The religions brought to mankind by a succession of spiritual luminaries have been the primary link between humanity and that ultimate reality, and have galvanized and refined mankind's capacity to achieve spiritual success together with social progress.”
We occasionally host meetings in various public spaces including the public libraries in Hillsborough County, at the Baha'i Faith Worship and Community Center of Greater Tampa, and in more intimate study groups in our homes. The meetings are variously spiritual gatherings, discussion groups, prayer meetings, and group meeting for the study of the Bahá’í Sacred Texts. Sadly, many of these meetings were cancelled when the COVID-19 pandemic started.
The address for the "Bahá'í Faith Worship and Community Center of Greater Tampa" is 3112 Nundy Rd; Tampa, Florida 33618. The Bahá'í community in Tampa holds spiritual gatherings (devotional or prayer meetings) with discussions and study circles online through Zoom every Sunday starting at 10:00 a.m. Other occasional meetings are advertised on this Meetup web page as special events. They also hold Friday night study groups online. Please call 585-746-1500 for more information about local Baha'i activities in eastern Hillsborough County, and 813-963-0080 in Tampa.
We also gather occasionally to perform community service, depending on the resources and interests of the group of volunteers, such as serving meals to the homeless, food drives, environmental cleanup and assistance with refugee community support groups. We support other progressive groups, with individuals occasionally attending interfaith gatherings, or marching in public gatherings such as memorial parades for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Bahá’í Faith advocates for environmental protection and solutions for global warming through spiritual principles.
To learn about the Bahá’í Faith, an excellent resource is the official website of the Baháí world center,
http://www.bahai.org. To contact Bahá’ís in any locality in the U.S., call 800-22-UNITE.
