The Pluralism Project at Harvard University

History

The first Baha’is are remembered in the area during the 1930’s. Ethel Stevens Thompson was the first Baha’i recorded in nearby Boise and converted to the Baha’i faith in 1937. It is unknown when Baha'is first lived in Meridian, but most likely in the 1950's. Since then the Baha’i community has held Assemblies, lost Assemblies (for an Assembly, there must be at least nine adult members of the Baha’i faith in the community). 2004 marks the first year in a decade that the Assembly has been formed again.

Challenges and Discrimination

The Baha’i community in Meridian supports all groups within the community, and therefore, a trivial amount of discrimination vicariously comes to the group. The community is sometimes challenged by its small size and obscurity.

Demographics

The majority of the Baha’i community of Meridian speaks English, however the Persian members occasionally translate the English into Farsi for themselves. The group is comprised of members of every age from newborns to individuals 60 years of age. Most of the members are Caucasian, but there are a few Persians as well.

Activities and Schedule

The Baha’i community of Meridian has weekly devotionals, or prayers on Sunday from 12-1pm. They also have children’s classes on Sunday from 10:30am-12pm, immediately proceeding devotionals. Sunday nights, from 6:30-8:30 members gather for Baha’i study sessions, where they study Ruhi books numbered 1-7. These books teach the spiritual principles of the Faith and also how to share these principals with others. Every 19 days the Baha’is gather for a spiritual Feast, consisting of Writings from various Holy texts, community business, and a social portion. Also, the group holds periodic “firesides” to introduce new and interested people to the Baha’i faith. The group uses an email base to provide information to members about upcoming events, and the nearby Nampa and Boise Baha’i communities have newsletters, that the Meridian members also receive.

Description

The group meets in individual homes for prayers and meetings. In each Baha’i home there is typically a display of Baha’i books, pictures of Abdu'l Baha, son of Baha'u'llah the prophet founder of the Baha'i Faith, and other religious symbols.