Biking To Church & Seeking Faith

Photo via Flickr, by Dennis Jarvis (CC BY-SA 2.0). Photo use does not
imply Dennis' endorsement of such use.

by Glenn Franco Simmons

The Bahá’í Faith is an independent world religion founded in the 19th century in Persia (modern-day Iran) by Bahá’u’lláh (Arabic for “Glory of God”).

He was born Mirza Husayn-Ali on Nov. 12, 1817, in Tehran, Iran, and died on May 29, 1892, in Acre (then part of the Ottoman Empire), Israel.

The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh is part of what Baha’is believe is Progressive Revelation.

“Bahá’u’lláh described Progressive Revelation as a Divine process in which God continuously reveals spiritual truth to humanity through a series of Manifestations (or divine Messengers), such as Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Jesus Christ, Muḥammad, The Báb, and Himself,” according to Grok. “It is a foundational teaching that views the history of religion not as a series of separate, competing faiths, but as a unified, ongoing process orchestrated by God to guide humanity’s spiritual and social evolution.”

Progressive Revelation asserts that God sends Divine Messengers at key intervals in human history to renew and advance religious truth. The concept is akin to a physician prescribing medicine tailored to a patient’s changing condition, Grok noted.

The Faith “emphasizes the oneness of all religions, their harmony, and their complementary roles in human development,” according to Grok.

Progressive Revelation is one of the key concepts that attracted me to this wonderful Faith, at the age of 17, and it was an answer to my youthful, prayerful questioning of God about why there were so many religions.

Those questions started before the age of 6 or 7, when I started bicycling to church alone. I had friends who were Jewish, Christian and Buddhist and two were from other nations! We were like brothers, yet we all worshipped differently. Even at such a young age, I was intrigued.

Why?

However, thanks to Grandma Hill being a Baptist, my focus was on finding out more about God and His Holiness Jesus Christ.

My “why” questions kept bubbling to the surface to the more-than-obvious irritation of my otherwise nice Sunday School teacher. Finally, she burst the bubbles and asked my parents to take me out of summer school because I asked too many questions.

They did.

From The KJV.

My brother Mario (Martin Franco III) started calling me “Why,” because I then started asking my parents, Lee and Helen Simmons, so many questions, especially on long drives in a beat-up, barely running station wagon to Thousand Oaks, Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Diego and other places in search for a new job for Dad.

That is one reason I became a journalist. I enjoy asking questions and learning. My curiosity fueled my journalism career in radio, print and digital. It helps keep me active in retirement.

I soon found a Lutheran Church just down the street on the opposite side. Its Sunday School teachers did not seem bothered by all my questions. I wanted to join it, but I could not because my parents would not become Lutheran, which obviously is understandable because that was not their belief.

Because Dad had earlier lost his personnel job in an aerospace recession, we moved to Freshwater, near Eureka, Calif., in one of the most picturesque parts of this beautiful world, where he eventually became the county’s personnel director and had a scintillating reputation.

Alone most of the time, I roamed countless miles of forests that featured old- and second-growth redwoods in my youth with my Registered Irish Setter, Shannon of The Redwoods.

On many of those occasions, because I was now all alone, I often asked God to reveal Himself because I could no longer bicycle to the closest church, which I estimate was nine miles away. I could have done it physically, but the busy two-lane road to get there was extraordinarily dangerous ~ especially with trucks, so my parents kiboshed that idea.

So, the answer to the prayerful questioning came a few years later when Clayton Taylor, a teacher at Eureka Senior High School, taught me about Progressive Revelation.

My heart and soul were stirred. I felt an energy in me I had only experienced once before (explained below). I would call it an exhilaration. There was also a deep desire to learn more about this new religion but also other religions, including Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

Many more answers followed that were queried at various times of my life: from those Sunday School experiences; grade-school years of roaming the redwoods and asking questions; getting and reading “The Book of Mormon” from my Grandma and Grandpa Simmons and asking them questions via USPS mail; Catholic Christian youth groups that friends wrangled my reluctant parents into bringing me to; my thousands of talks with Grandma Hill who instilled in me my deep, abiding belief in God and Jesus Christ, took me to church, answered my questions, and encouraged my belief, and loved me and nurtured me; my teen years when I would use the shower and as water poured over my head, I would plead with Jesus to baptize me; the utterly thrilling Christian Revival at Eureka Senior High School Auditorium.

From The KJV.

It was at that Revival I felt the love, comfort and healing of Jesus Christ temporarily ease the horrific pain of my early years when my brother and I lost our birth father. 

The Holy Spirit’s power electrified my entire body, turning it into a galaxy of goose bumps that I still get to this day. Was it a peek of what is to come in the next life? Ah, another question.

When I learned of the Faith’s peaceful, unifying vision of the future (which other religions and/or denominations also have; I do not want to discredit them) and other aspects personal to me, I knew in my heart I was going to become a Bahá’í. And I did. I was known as the Baby Bahá’í for a long time, even though at 6’4”, I towered over most of the other Bahá’ís.

And I still love Jesus. Becoming a Bahá’í only deepened my love for Him and expanded it to other Manifestations.

When my wife Kathleen had physical difficulty, I found a church for her that I attended with her and loved it. There is another church I have visited in Carson City that is equally loving and welcoming to all who come. The fellowship and unity are certainly to be celebrated.

There will be more. I would like to visit all denominations and pray with them and share in the fellowship of loving God and Jesus. It fills my heart with joy. 

Walk by a church and listen to whatever type of singing and music they feature, because it is diverse, and you may also be blessed to hear a robust congregation participate. 

If you are fortunate, you may hear absolute joy, as voices in unison reach for the Heavens and celebrate the one God Whom we love.  

Tell me your heart is not moved. Mine is. Every time. 

 Amen.

AI Art by Glenn. Excerpt: Bahá’í International Community.

The following excerpt and my loving, Evangelical Christian wife are part of what inspire me to occasionally attend a church. 

“… Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship, to proclaim that which the Speaker on Sinai hath set forth and to observe fairness in all matters.” ~ Bahá’u’lláh

My personal impression of this quote is that it highlights the principle of unity, interfaith harmony, and the recognition of the divine origins of previous revelations.

“Bahá’u’lláh, in his writings, emphasizes the oneness of God, religion and humanity, encouraging fellowship with people of all faiths and fairness in dealings,” Grok noted. “The reference to the ‘Speaker on Sinai’ underscores the reverence for Moses as a Messenger of God, whose teachings are seen as part of the progressive revelation that Bahá’ís believe continued through other Prophets, including Bahá’u’lláh Himself.”

I am ethically bound to say this is my personal impression, and along with Grok’s answer, neither is represented herein as authoritative Bahá’í Faith interpretations.

Furthermore, in speaking of Bahá’u’lláh and interpretations of His writings, the Bahá’í International Community stated, “In His Writings, He instructed all to turn to His eldest Son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, not only as the authorized interpreter of the Bahá’í Writings but also as the perfect exemplar of the Faith’s spirit and teachings. …”

“As to the question of individual interpretation, while individual interpretation is the fruit of man’s rational power and conducive to a better understanding of the teachings, the application of logical analysis has inherent limitations,” according to a 1986 Universal House of Justice Department of the Secretariat letter to an individual believer. ... Understanding of the Writings requires belief in the Manifestation of God. ...”

(Editor’s note: This is not an official Bahá’í essay. It is an individual effort. For official Faith info, please go to www.bahai.org. This article was assisted by Grok, xAI's AI model. Use does not imply endorsement of such use. Please read my subsequent posts on Manifestations of God. Thank you for reading.)

AI Art by Glenn. Excerpt. Bahá’í International Community.