On Celebrating Our Olympics: Wherever we are in the world

 

There may be disappointment among Chicagoans today, including some Chicag- area Baha'is, but I'll bet there are some happy people in Rio. And, yes, there are lots of Baha'is in Brasil, too. We celebrate the Olympics, wherever we live in the world. -gw

 

The Olympics can express many of the ideals of the Bahá'í Faith. Their very existence—the modern Olympic games were inaugurated in 1896—reflect the shrinkage of the world into a neighborhood, a fact the Bahá'í scriptures anticipated in the 1860s.

In the Olympics, the entire human family comes together to celebrate human achievement in a common endeavor. Nations vie with each other and watch records bettered by faster runners, higher pole vaulters, and more elegant figure skaters.

People of all colors, speaking the varied languages of humanity, live, eat, strive, and celebrate together. The rest of the world watches and shares conversation about the same events. In these ways the Olympics reflect the Bahá'í principle of the oneness of humanity and serve as a laboratory for strengthening and furthering world unity.

The Olympics also provide opportunities for new interfaith cooperation. Members of all the world’s religions will come to Chicago to compete or watch and will need religious services. Many recent Olympics, such as Atlanta and Salt Lake City, have had interfaith committees, and Bahá'ís have actively contributed to them.

Robert Stockman: Baha'i scripture foretold world just like Olympic Games

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/religion_theseeker/2009/10/robert-stockman-bahai-scripture-foretold-olympic-games-.html

 

Photo: Uploaded on October 2, 2009 by riodejaneiro on flickr

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