Bahais in Florence: South Carolina, not Italy

(Florence Post Office - 1938) 

Most people would guess that the main religion within the state of South Carolina is Christianity.  However, most would not guess that the second largest religion within that state is the Baha’i Faith.

Melissa Rollins of SC Now reports that the Baha’i Faith is “a monotheistic religion founded in 1844 in Iran.”  One of its main tenets is that God gave revelations to teachers of many different faiths.  Therefore, the sacred texts of the Abrahamic religions, Buddhism and Hinduism are all

revered, along with the Baha’i scriptures themselves.

The Baha’i Faith also teaches that sin “is anything that works against world unity and peace.”  Heaven and hell are defined in terms of “proximity to God.”  Although all religions are embraced, interpretations of them may vary greatly.

The Florence-based Bahais meet in members’ homes “on the first day of each month.” These months, however, differ from Gregorian ones.  Rollins explains that “Baha’is follow a 19-month calendar, with 19 days in each month.”

The Baha’i presence, largely because of its profound respect for all races, has been in South Carolina for the past 100 years.  The late great Dizzy Gillespie, a South Carolina native, was a well-known Baha’i from 1968 until his death in 1993.

Resources

http://wwrn.org/articles/42999/?place=united-states

Copyright October 12, 2014 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved