"The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until it's unity is firmly established."
"For the faith of no man can be conditioned by any one except himself."
-Baha'u'llah (1817-1892)
I live in Corby, Northamptonshire. I have been a member of the Baha'i Faith for 14 years. When I moved to Corby six years ago I was the only Baha'i here. We now have five members in Corby, two of whom are new to the Baha'i Faith. I am hoping that you too will want to join us when you have read these pages.
Because of our small numbers, we associate very closely with other Baha'is in the County for our activities. Apart from the communities in Wellingborough and Northampton, there are a few Baha'is in Brixworth and Kettering, and isolated Baha'i families in Broughton, Earls Barton, Great Doddington, Irthlingborough, Hackleton, West Haddon, and Daventry.
Nobody is "born a Baha'i". Even if you have Baha'i parents, you have to decide for yourself after the age of 15 if you want to be registered as a Baha'i. People become Baha'is for various reasons. Read a few personal stories, comments that people have made about the Baha'i Faith, stories of why they were attracted to it, and how their lives have been transformed by living the Baha'i life.
When I tell people that I'm a Baha'i, the first question is usually "a what?". The next question is often "where is your church?".
The Baha'i Faith is an independent religion and not a sect of any other religion. It was founded by Baha'u'llah in Persia, now Iran. Baha'u'llah, which is Arabic for the Glory of God and pronounced "Ba-ha-o-llah", was born in Persia in 1817 and died as a prisoner and an exile in Akka, Palestine, now Israel, in 1892. He claimed to be the messenger of God promised by all the major religions, and his mission is to unite all the peoples of the world and bring about universal and lasting peace. The Baha'i Writings provide us with comprehensive guidelines on how these objectives will be achieved.
The Baha'i Faith has no priesthood. It is not a church and there are no rituals. Its affairs are administered by elected councils at local, national and international level. There is a local Assembly in Wellingborough and one in Northampton. If there are nine or more Baha'is over the age of 21 in Corby in April next year, we can elect the first ever Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Corby. The new revelation has come. Do you want to be in that number?
Explore this website to learn about the beliefs and practices of the Baha'is and find information about the various activities of your Baha'i neighbours. You will find links to the BBC and other websites of interest here.
The pictures on this page were taken in May 2008 when I visited my daughter in Japan. Hiroshima was of great interest to me as a Baha'i because of what my Faith stands for - universal and lasting peace.
Please email me if you are interested or just curious to know more.
