How does your faith fit in with your studies - is it easy to follow both? I believe that reason and faith do not contradict each other but are two mutually reinforcing means to comprehend reality. The Baha'i principle of the harmony between science and religion highlights this matter. According to this principle, Science, without religion, will lead mankind into an age of materialism and can be abused to produce dangerous and destructive developments that are in contrast to the purpose of science, which is to be of benefit to humankind. Pursue of religion on the other hand, without a belief in science, is going to result in blind superstition. Therefore, Baha'is believe that science and religion must not contradict each other for they need one another. Through an analogy, science and religion can be described as two wings of the same bird. The bird, that represents mankind, can only fly if its wings are equally strong and in balance. If one wing is stronger than the other, the bird is unable to control its flight. Furthermore, Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'i Faith, taught that each individual has the responsibility to investigate their beliefs for him or herself. In my opinion, true faith stems from personal conviction that requires personal investigation. It is therefore easy to follow both my religion and my studies because both are part of my religious life. How does your faith affect your social life with other students? As a Baha'i I try to share my beliefs with others, because I believe that the teachings of Baha'u'llah are extremely valuable for the current age in that they are helping mankind to achieve universal peace. By no means do I try to persuade or convince people of my beliefs, as every individual has to discover truth for themselves. Therefore, I rather share my Faith because I love my Faith and I like to hear how others think and feel about what they believe in. I also think that we should celebrate our differences, and see the beauty of uniqueness in each and everyone. For Baha'is, unity in diversity is an essential principle acknowledging Baha'u'llah's statement that "the earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens". I do think however that we live in a very secular society here in Europe, which seems very suspicious towards religions. Therefore, I find myself often in lively and stimulating discussion about the purpose of religion and the religious laws that we follow. As a Baha'i, I have learned to see each human being as a creation of God; each is a mine full of gems, endowed with great capacities waiting to be discovered. I think this outlook has helped me to make many friends regardless of their religion, race or heritage. Of course there are always people that disagree with my beliefs but that does not mean that we cannot get along. In many ways my Faith has therefore helped me in my social life, as it enabled me to look at the positive sides of every person, and to embrace, and not just tolerate, differences. How does your faith influence your musical tastes? To me personally music should be something that uplifts our spirits. Music is a ladder for the soul. To each person that ladder can be very different. Personally, I appreciate music that has been created by sincere feelings and not music that is just quickly put together for commercial use. But we can find beauty in many things and it is subjective to a person what he or she may find beautiful. What does the Lancaster University Baha'i Society do? How often do you meet? The Lancaster Baha'i Society meets every Monday (7pm) at the Chaplaincy Centre on the University campus. When we come together we usually say a few prayers and have discussion about topics that concern the world. These discussions can include almost anything, ranging from topics such as the equality of man and woman and the concept of life after death up to current events that are making the news headlines. Baha'u'llah taught that each Baha'i should be anxiously concerned with the affairs of the day he/she lives in. Sometimes we organize talks that discuss a topic in more detail concerning ones personal life or the world at large. Our Monday meetings are of an informal nature and are open to each and everyone. What's been the high point of being a member of the society? This year the high point has been the Baha'i New Year Celebration on 21st March (Naw Ruz Celebration) because we had and interfaith meeting included as a part of the celebration. Members of all religious backgrounds from across Lancashire celebrated with us. We were living the unity of diversity that we are promoting. | 
