The Bahá'í Faith
" Religion should be the cause of love and unity... " ~Bahá'u'lláh
Kingston Upon Thames Bahá'í Community
Devotionals and Study Circles
The Bahá'ís of Kingston Upon Thames invite you to their devotionals and study circles which take place regularly. Please contact the secretary for more details.
Devotionals
Devotional meetings spring up naturally in a community where a conversation about the spiritual dimension of human existence is growing. In diverse settings, Bahá’ís and their friends and families unite with one another in prayer. There are no rituals; no one individual has any special role. Meetings consist largely of reading prayers and passages from the Bahá’í sacred texts in an informal yet respectful atmosphere. A spirit of communal worship is generated by these simple gatherings, and this spirit begins to permeate the community’s collective endeavours.
Today thousands upon thousands of such regular devotional meetings are held in localities throughout the world—in urban and suburban neighbourhoods, in hamlets and villages alike.
Study Circles
The first book in the sequence of courses entitled 'Reflections of the Life of the Spirit' is largely concerned with the question of identity. Three aspects of identity from a Bahá’í perspective are explored in the book: “The reality of my existence is my soul which passes through this world to acquire the attributes it needs for an eternal and glorious journey towards God. My most cherished moments are those spent in communion with God, for prayer is the daily nourishment that my soul must receive if it is to accomplish its exalted purpose. One of my principal concerns in this life is to study the writings of Bahá’u’lláh, strive to increase my understanding of His teachings, and learn to apply them to my own daily life and to the life of the community.” The book consists of the units “Understanding the Bahá’í Writings”, “Prayer”, and “Life and Death”.