Sunday, April 20, 2008

A Hollywood Baha'i


I was doing more research on the Baha'i faith, I was actually trying to find some information on the Baha'i teachings and children's classes when I stumbled upon a very surprising and exciting interview. Tons of people love the show "The Office" myself included, and I think one of the characters that makes the show so funny is Dwight Shrute, played by Rainn Wilson. But did you know he was also a Baha'i? I had no idea and it was really interesting to here someone so notorious talk about the faith so openly and articultly. I think a large part of it was I know a lot of people don't know a lot about the faith, so to have someone with such notority be associated with the faith was almost a surprise in a way.
Wilson talked about how he was brought up Baha'i and how he left the faith in his 20's because he wasn't sure he believed in God. However he returned to the faith almost 10 years later when he decided he did in fact believe there was a God. He said, "I couldn't conceive of a universe without someone overseeing it in a compassionate way." I think his most interesting answer however was the answer to the interviewr's question, "Rainn, what was it like to grow up in the Baha'i Faith?" His reply was very honest and intriguing. "When you grow up with a spiritual foundation that asks you to be conscious of the fact that all races are created equal, that men and women are equal and that all religions worship the same (God,) it helps you see the world as one family and not get lost in the traps of political, social and economic belief systems that can lead you astray. I always think of myself as a world citizen. It's a powerful thing."
I think the most intersting thing about this response was it wasn't a really about faith as much as it was about the unity and love for all mankind. Even though this is what the Baha'i faith strives to develope, I think it is a really important thing for anyone to strive for, no matter what your religion is. I think what I'm trying to get at is it doesn't always have to be about what faith you associate yourself with, it's about how you see yourself in the world and how you work to change the injustices and bring a unified peace to society.
Wilson says, "So much about religion has to do with rigid, sacrosanct preciousness. I don't live my life that way" he believes that God wants him to lead a full and rich happy life in service to God and the human family. This ties too one of my previous blogs where I talked about how people choose their faith and to what extent they practice according to what is best for an individual. Wilson didn't neccesarily choose a strong fundamentalist approach to the way he practiced because that wasn't how he believed. Many people believe differently, even if a person doesn't believe in God the point is they still believe and they still make their own investigation and that, as I have learned, is a what the Baha'i faith is so much about.
You can access the Interview with Rainn Wilson here: (http://www.bahai.us/rainn-wilson)

Citation:
Baha'i faith. Rainn Wilson: Hollywood’s funny guy talks straight about being a Baha'i. Electronic Document, http://www.bahai.us/rainn-wilson, accessed 20 April 2008

4 comments:

GWD said...

With your permission I would like to excerpt from this post on Baha'i Views and link.

george wesley dannells
http://www.bahaiviews.net

Kyla Baxter said...

Absolutey Mr. Dannells, I would be flattered.

Katie Nelson said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Katie Nelson said...

Kyla, I’ve really enjoyed reading about your journey into understanding the Baha’i religion. Your blog has given me a chance to understand a new religion which I am very grateful for, because I am a Christian and I have never really studied other faiths. I admire your ability to admit that you have never really understood this religion. I was particularly moved when you said you even felt selfish when you ate the food and watched your mother say the cleansing prayer. I think your journey into understanding the Baha’i faith really provides an excellent example of cultural relativism. You truly had a genuine interest about learning more about this religion from the start, and you included all the crucial aspects that define a successful cultural encounter in this blog.

I was particularly intrigued with the fact that people in this religion do not attend church services. I’ve grown up going to church every Sunday with my family and spending the day together, making a tradition out of it. I’ve never even thought about the possibility of not attending a church service. I previously thought that attending church was the most important part of a religion but after reading your blog I can understand this in a new light. You really delved into understanding the true meaning behind this and I was even able to understand the deeper meaning and your point of view, which is another crucial component of a cultural encounter.

I was also moved by the stories you shared, especially the one of Tahirih and her love for humankind. While reading about this, I could really feel your passion and enthusiasm about the new age of religion. I could sense your love and desire for the unity of mankind. I love how you take other people’s views into account when explaining the beliefs of this faith and I think you did an excellent job of doing this in an unbiased way. I was intrigued by your post about the ex-Baha’I, Eric Stevenson and his views about Christianity and the Baha’i religion. I admired that fact that you read and tried to understand his views, even though you didn’t necessarily agree with all of them, without criticism. This is another important component of learning about a new culture and someone’s personal views: putting your own belief system on hold to gain a new sense of understanding. While reading, I also found it beneficial to read about another person’s views from our society today, Dwiight. I think that was beneficial to relate this religion directly with our culture.

Overall, I think you did an amazing job and had a genuine cultural encounter. I’ve learned so much from reading about your own personal views and newfound understanding about this religion. I also felt like I was along on this journey with you! Excellent job, Kyla!