Today
is...
Day
of the Covenant in the
Baha'i Faith
 |
| Baha'i temples and the Shrine of the Bab |
On
this day, Baha'i celebrate the appointment of Abdu'l-Baha as the
second leader of the Baha'i Faith, after the death of founder
Baha'u'llah. The Baha'i Faith was founded in the 1800s in Persia—the
land that is now Iran. It teaches that there is only one god and that
the founders of many different faiths—such as Abraham, the Buddha,
Jesus, and Mohammed—all speak about the same god and have truths to
offer. The most recent special messengers from god, according to the
Baha'i faith, are the Bab and Baha'u'llah.
Today
is also...
Islamic
New Year (Al Hijra)
 |
| A Muslim mosque |
From
sunset yesterday to sunset today, it is the first day of the first
month – Muharram –
on the Islamic calendar. On this day in 622 C.E. (Islamic Year 1),
Mohammed moved from
Mecca to Medina. This is a low-key holiday, but many Muslims make
“New Year Resolutions.”
Also,
it is...
In
the United States, the First Amendment of the Constitution states,
“Congress
shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof...”
What that means is that there cannot be one religion picked out by
the government as the “right” religion, and given special
privileges. The government can't make us all join a particular
religion, of course, nor can it make us attend church services or
celebrate religious holidays. People of all religions and people of
no religion have equal status under the law.
This
is one of the really good ideas the American “founding fathers”
came up with. It protects religious people and non-religious people,
people in a majority religion as well as people in a minority
religion, religion and government. Nations such as Australia and Brazil have instituted
similar language in their constitutions.
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