As a matter of fact, I am involved in just such an arrangement. I and a small group of Catholic Christians are preparing to get to know another small group of Christians, thanks to people of a non-Christian group, the Baha’i Faith.
The effort is called “Constructive Conversations on Race.” As I have noted previously in this column, race is an ongoing challenge to the human family. Certainly, Christians in general, and Catholic Christians in particular, are well aware of the tragic absurdities introduced into human existence by a preoccupation with the concept of race.
On the other hand, we hear so often that American society tends to be most segregated when we are sitting in our churches on Sunday morning. So we Christians are indeed caught up in the ironies of the sin of racism.
But who are the Baha’is, and what do they have to bring to a conversation about race?
The Baha’i Faith (the name derives from an Arabic term meaning “glory” or “splendor”) is relatively new among the world’s religions, being no more than 200 years old. It emerged from an Islamic milieu in Iran (Persia).
Baha’is — who believe in one God — hold that various great figures of religion and philosophy, including Jesus, are prophets speaking to a human community in a process of ethical evolution. Now you and I, as Christians, cannot hold that Jesus is merely a prophet among prophets. We understand that Jesus is the very Son of God, the Word in whom the entire truth about humanity is spoken.
The Baha’is, however, cannot be faulted when it comes to the ideals they profess about unity among nationalities, races and nations. I find it interesting that the Baha’i Faith, amid its various ideals, holds to the idea that humanity should adopt a universal auxiliary language. It happens that I, during my seminary years and early years of priesthood, promoted the adoption of Esperanto, a language whose grammar and basic vocabulary were published in 1887. (There is a Catholic Esperanto organization, and popes since St. Pius X have said complimentary things about this non-discriminatory second language for everyone.) Some time ago I asked a Baha’i friend whether interest in Esperanto continues among Baha’i adherents. He pronounced his opinion that English is the world’s auxiliary language.
Obviously, we will be attempting to speak the language of love when we sit down, Christian to Christian, for our conversations on race. Our Christian faith is inexhaustible when we apply it to the challenge of growing into a human community. We will be conducting our conversations in just two sessions. I’ll let you know how it goes. Grateful for people of good will in the Baha’i Faith and their efforts, we take an opportunity to plumb the depths of our faith in Jesus and to appreciate, in his incarnation, all the love he has expressed to human beings.