House of Worship visitors display continental flair
In May and June, 64,400 people visited the Baha'i House of Worship for the North American Continent in Wilmette, Ill. What kind of people, you may ask, visit this landmark, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places?

Looking in spiritual mirror, she finds true identity
If you don't figure out your own identity, "society will happily tell you," says Marianne Smith Geula, a Chicago Baha'i. What society told her in the 1970s was that she was a young, black woman. Or a young, biracial woman, if the person doing the telling was more perceptive.

Putting a positive spin on globalization
Globalization could be the catalyst for pulling the world together spiritually as well as economically if we go about it the right way, says Gregory C. Dahl, author of One World, One People: How Globalization Is Shaping Our Future.

Prayer for Aid and Assistance
My God, my Adored One, my King, my Desire! What tongue can voice my thanks to Thee? I was heedless, Thou didst awaken me. I had turned back from Thee, Thou didst graciously aid me to turn towards Thee. I was as one dead, Thou didst quicken me with the water of life...

Does the Baha'i House of Worship function like houses of worship in other religions?
As a gathering place for prayer and meditation, the Baha'i House of Worship closely approximates a synagogue, church, or mosque. The style of worship differs, however, because the Baha'i Faith has no clergy, sermons, sacraments, congregational prayers or rituals. The House of Worship serves primarily as a place for private prayer and meditation, but daily devotional services are held during which only the sacred scriptures of all major religions may be read, chanted or sung. Special devotional programs are held for Baha'i Holy Days, memorial services and other occasions.

Although their architectural styles differ, all Baha'i Houses of Worship have nine sides and a central dome that symbolize both the diversity of the human race and its unity under one God. At present, seven continental houses of worship have been built (an eighth temple - for South America - is currently under construction near Santiago, Chile). Gradually, Baha'i Houses of Worship will be built in every town and city where Baha'is reside, but at present most local Baha'i communities hold worship services in their homes or community centers.

The continental Houses of Worship are considered gifts from the Baha'i community to the world. Everyone is welcome, as expressed in this quote from the opening ceremony of the Baha'i House of Worship for the North American Continent in 1953:" ... this House of Worship, now opening wide its doors to peoples of all creeds, of all races, of all nations and of all classes, is dedicated to the three fundamental verities animating and underlying the Baha'i Faith - the Unity of God, the Unity of His Prophets, the Unity of Mankind."