Tampa, FL — Members of the Bahá’i Faith in Tampa invite the public to come see the new movie, The Gate: Dawn of the Bahá’í Faith, on Saturday, June 30 at the Bahá’í Faith Worship and Community Center at 3112 Nundy Rd., Tampa, 33618.
A complimentary dinner and refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m., with the movie beginning at 7:30 p.m. All activities are free and open to the public.
Directed by Bob Hercules and written by Ed Price, the ground-breaking film The Gate: Dawn of the Bahá’í Faith tells the amazing, little-known story of the origins of the Bahá’í Faith. The cast includes scholars, experts and celebrities such as actor Rainn Wilson, founder of Soul Pancake website and known for his role as Dwight on The Office, and Bahá’í scholar USF Professor Emeritus Dr. John Hatcher.
The Gate: Dawn of the Bahá’í Faith recounts the founding of this new world religion in Persia by a prophet known as The Báb (which means “the gate” in Arabic.) In the mid-1800s, Jews, Christians and Muslims alike were awaiting the imminent arrival of a Divine Messenger. Beginning in 1844, the Báb’s message, which included then-controversial ideas like the oneness of major religions and the empowerment of women, spread like wildfire across the region amidst this religious climate.
However, The Báb’s groundbreaking new message presented a threat to religious and political leaders of the time, resulting in relentless persecution of the Báb and his followers. The Báb’s message ultimately triumphed with a growing number of faithful; today, the Bahá’í religion is practiced throughout the world by more than five million people.
Combining dramatic reenactments with interviews of renowned historians, religious scholars and Bahá’í Faith experts, The Gate: Dawn of the Bahá’í Faith celebrates the brief, exciting life of a prophet and the indelible impact His message continues to have on the world today.
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Bahá’ís believe in the oneness of humanity, elimination of racial prejudice, independent investigation of truth, equality between men and women, the agreement between religion and science, and that there is only one God who created all of the major religions.
Bahá’ís believe that the crucial need facing humanity is to find a unifying vision of the future of society and of the nature and purpose of life. Such a vision unfolds in the writings of Bahá’u’lláh, the prophet founder of the Bahá’í Faith.
More information about the Baha’i Faith, which is the second most widespread religion in the world, is available at www.Bahai.org. More information about the event is available by calling 813.963.0080.
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