On Papua New Guinea: Home to Thousands of Baha'is

What do Baha'is look like? Where do Baha'is live? These are trick questions. Baha'is look like the people of the world, because the world is where they live.

With my key word "Baha'i," my search engine took me to Papua New Guinea this morning. Well, not exactly the country, but an official website for the country. One does not expect to find a concisely written and accurate description of the Baha'i Faith on a embassy website, but there it is. As it is as good an introduction to the Faith as any on the Internet, I include this for readers of Baha'i Views, with thanks to the Embassy of the Americas for Papua New Guinea in Washington, D.C.

More than 40 years ago the first Papua New Guineans became followers of Baha'u'llah, the Prophet Founder of the Baha'i Faith. Baha'is respect all religions and honour the Divine Messengers Who founded each of them. They believe that there is only one God and that God creates all peoples, so everyone is really one human family. God has sent Divine Messengers or Teachers to different parts of the world from time to time to guide the people to know and worship God. The knowledge of all of these Teachers came from God, so the foundation of all the world's religions is only one.

These three onenesses - that there is only one God; that all people are one Human family; and that all the religions are one, the religion of God - are the three main teachings brought by Baha'u'llah to the world today. He states that:

"The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established."

In Papua New Guinea there are now more than 35,000 Baha'is, living in all provinces and representing every strata of society. In their local communities Baha'is work together in a spirit of co-operation and consultation to improve the spiritual, social and economic development of their communities. For example, the Baha'is in Papua New Guinea are working together with the National Literacy Awareness Secretariat to establish and support adult literacy and tok ples pre-schools with the aim to promote universal education. Special emphasis is put on the moral education of children and youth and the development of women.

On a larger scale, Baha'is are loyal to the government of the country and also support the aims of the United Nations. The Baha'i International Community is a recognised non-governmental organization at the United Nations, with consultative status in the Economic and Social Council.

"Country Profile: Religion," Website of the Embassy of Papua New Guinea

Some members of the Pupua New Guinea Baha'i community

A special responsibility must rest upon the believers in Papua New Guinea, constituting the largest body of Baha'is in Australasia, to strive unceasingly to build a vibrant community which embraces all strata of society and which is renowned as a dynamic and enlightened segment of their nation.

UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE, "Ridván 153 letter, To the Followers of Baha'u'llah in Australia, the Cook Islands, the Eastern Caroline Islands, the Fiji Islands, French Polynesia, the Hawaiian Islands, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Korea, the Mariana Islands, the Marshall Islands, new Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and the Western Caroline Islands"