Throughout the United States, Baha’is are inviting spiritual seekers to enrich their life through such activities as prayer gatherings, weekly study of the Baha'i scriptures and classes for the spiritual education and training of children.

When you think of Beverly Hills, spirituality probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.


Ashwin Deshmukh and Julie Porch and their daughters
Elsa (left) and Amelia That’s why Baha'is Ashwin Deshmukh and Julie Porch decided to offer children’s classes in spiritual education in their Beverly Hills home. That way, the couple could give spiritual enrichment to their daughters, Amelia, 7 ½, and Elsa, 2 ½, and also their friends, says Dr. Deshmukh, an orthopedic surgeon.

He and his wife, a plastic surgeon, knew that spiritual classes might be a tough sell in Beverly Hills. The city is synonymous with conspicuous consumption and a cult of fame and high fashion that tends to trickle down to kids, who are attracted to whatever their peers have.

The couple's alternative to turning out little material girls and boys has attracted their children's parents, who are also the friends of Doctors Deshmukh and Porch. Like themselves, these families try to spend time on the weekends with their family and also do errands.

"We tend to feel guilty about the amount of time we spend with our kids and wish for relaxation time for ourselves," Dr. Porch says. "We may dismiss a class like the one we're offering on a Sunday morning as yet another weekend activity that adds to a hectic lifestyle."

To help balance the abundance, "we try to get the children to think about principles such as kindness and justice," Dr. Deshmukh says of the classes, which are now in their second year and are divided into age-appropriate groups for kids ages 1-9.

In addition to learning about spiritual values, the children also learn Baha'i stories and prayers.

“There's a difference between saying prayers and praying," Dr. Deshmukh says. "We create a special place for praying with candles, a vase of flowers and peaceful music. This communicates to the children that communing with God is a special, sacred experience, something to cherish."

A favorite prayer, he says, is “Blessed is the Spot," which some participants are trying to memorize. Many of the children have memorized a few Baha'i prayers and proudly recite them to their parents.

"Because a loving relationship with God is the very foundation of character," Dr. Porch says, "we make prayer the centerpiece of the class."

"The parents appreciate that we're trying to provide their children with a sense of inner strength, confidence, resolve and the ability to make ethical choices, right choices, even when peer pressure might push them in another direction," Dr. Deshmukh says. "This, after all, is the essence of leadership, and what parent wouldn't want that for his or her child?"

Having the "peace, joy and courage" that these classes instilll, he says, will hold these children in good stead as they face tests of moral strength.

Dr. Porch says the children are eager learners once given the language to speak about the issues.

"I'm so touched by these children," she says. "I'm touched by the kids' thirst for and understandiing of spiritual truths."

Of the 13 kids in the Sunday morning classes, only three are Baha'is. Rather than being an obstacle, it’s a privilege, say the couple, who delight in sharing the spirit and principles of the Baha'i Faith. Dr. Porch grew up in a Baha'i family; her husband became a Baha'i three months ago.

The young participants come from a variety of backgrounds: Christian, Jewish, agnostic and atheist.

"Some of the parents have a strong religious affiliation," Dr. Deshmukh says. "Others are striving to present spiritual truths in a way that differs from what they were taught as children. Yet others have yet to decide what they themselves believe.

What the families have in common, the couple say, is a strong desire to raise their children with good ethics and a sense of global citizenship.

Dr. Porch says they all have benefited from the sense of community and friendship that has developed among the families.

"This class has changed my idea of community," Dr. Porch says. "My neighborhood has become my spiritual community."