Juliana and Marcus are very active in the Baha'i community of St. Lucia. She is a native of the island, a kindergarten teacher, about thirty years old. He is of American origin, an ex-teacher and at present an established trader, white, about forty five years old. Juliana, a witty woman, full of energy and love for life, told us that she became a believer in the Baha'i Faith at the age of twelve. "The different churches invited us, the children, to Sunday religion classes and the Baha'i Faith classes charmed me more than all the others. It contained love and softness. We were not threatened with punishments as in the Catholic Church". Both visited Israel during the last Baha'i World Convention; they say they are in love with Israel and want to come back again.
In St. Lucia I also met Roni Schneider, a retired Californian lawyer who has been living in the Caribbean Islands for several years. Roni is a Jew who, at the beginning of the sixties, following his Christian wife, became a Baha'i. "In the Baha'i Faith I discovered the universality, beauty and humanity. This is a faith that integrates all the other faiths together, and it seemed to me as the most logical faith". His parents objected to his choice, but 15 years later they too were convinced. His children are active in the Baha'i community in California.
Roni answered my questions with great enthusiasm. He explained to me the principles of the Baha'i Faith, which sounded as a song of glory for western humanism. Justice, equality, peace, search for truth and beauty, equality between human beings, and equality for women. Suspiciously I tried to ask undermining questions to find out if there is a gap between theory and practice: "How many women are there in your elected institutes? How do you educate towards equality for women? What is the practical significance of your beliefs? What projects do you operate? How much money is invested in the wonderful shrines and how much in human beings?" The answers were diplomatic and covered with a peel. The Baha'is, too, navigate in a world of complex reality. They adjusted themselves to it, and fully utilize the capitalistic economics, while implementing their principles without clashing with the authorities.
http://bahai.uga.edu/News/000095.html
In St. Lucia I also met Roni Schneider, a retired Californian lawyer who has been living in the Caribbean Islands for several years. Roni is a Jew who, at the beginning of the sixties, following his Christian wife, became a Baha'i. "In the Baha'i Faith I discovered the universality, beauty and humanity. This is a faith that integrates all the other faiths together, and it seemed to me as the most logical faith". His parents objected to his choice, but 15 years later they too were convinced. His children are active in the Baha'i community in California.
Roni answered my questions with great enthusiasm. He explained to me the principles of the Baha'i Faith, which sounded as a song of glory for western humanism. Justice, equality, peace, search for truth and beauty, equality between human beings, and equality for women. Suspiciously I tried to ask undermining questions to find out if there is a gap between theory and practice: "How many women are there in your elected institutes? How do you educate towards equality for women? What is the practical significance of your beliefs? What projects do you operate? How much money is invested in the wonderful shrines and how much in human beings?" The answers were diplomatic and covered with a peel. The Baha'is, too, navigate in a world of complex reality. They adjusted themselves to it, and fully utilize the capitalistic economics, while implementing their principles without clashing with the authorities.
http://bahai.uga.edu/News/000095.html
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