The religions came together in harmony in Sydney last night at a Temple whose very design symbolises the unity of religion.
Representatives of seven of the world’s major religions read their sacred scriptures at an International Day of Peace service in the Baha’i Temple, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this week.
The nine sides of the Temple symbolise the underlying spiritual unity of the great religions of the world, a theme that has been a hallmark of this Ingleside holy place since 1961 when it became one of the pioneers of the interfaith movement in Australia.
Those attending the 21 September service included local residents as well as people from throughout Sydney and beyond. They walked along a candle-lit path to the illuminated Temple which cast its light on to a beautiful backdrop of eucalyptus bushland.
As with the opening in 1961, media interest was strong, including a TV live broadcast by Network 10 before the service as well as articles in preceding days in the Manly Daily and Pittwater Life, mentions in the Sydney Morning Herald and an ABC radio breakfast show segment outlining the Faith’s teachings and the anniversary program.
The interfaith service began with songs of worship performed by the Temple choir in Arabic, English, Hindi and Samoan. Soloists also sang at intervals during the program.
The scriptural extracts had the theme of peace and some were read in the original languages. The 10 readers represented the Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Zoroastrian communities.
The readers were:
Baha’i Faith: Ms Judith Navidi and Mr Chris Heggie ( Baha’i Council for NSW and ACT).
Buddhism: Mr Ranmal Samarawickrama (Buddhist Council of NSW).
Christianity: Rev Meredith Williams (National Council of Churches in Australia); Rev Manas Ghosh (Uniting Church).
Hinduism: Mr Vijai Singhal (Hindu Council of Australia).
Judaism: Ms Lynda Ben-Menashe (Jewish Board of Deputies for NSW).
Islam: Mr Suhail Noor and Ms Rahile Ansari (Affinity Intercultural Foundation).
Zoroastrianism: Mr Minoo Batliwalla.
The anniversary program continues until Sunday.
A public mini-service will be on Friday. A service and guided tours on the hour between 10am and 4pm will be held on Saturday.
On Sunday there will be a community day which involves food stalls, children’s activities and public services at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm. The service at 3pm will be a special children’s service featuring a children’s choir and children presenting the reading
Watch the live TV broadcast of the Baha’i Temple on Tim’s Weather
Download the program for the 50th Anniversary
Watch the video from the reception and opening service on vimeo