By Mariah
I grew up in North Carolina, was active in the Bahá’í community, and had good Bahá’í friends as a youth. My roommate in college had never heard of the Bahá’í Faith and asked her church pastor about it. He told her that it was evil. My roommate then asked me to hide any Bahá’í imagery or symbols in our dorm room. I put my Bahá’í books in my closet and kept the door closed. Despite this, my roommate stopped talking to me. My roommate’s prejudice made me question my view of the world and my understanding of the Bahá’í Faith. I wanted to understand religion more, so I studied the Bahá’í writings, said prayers, and read the Bible. The more I learned about the Bahá’í Faith, the more confident I became. When I felt hurt or rejected by my peers, my family and the Bahá’í community made me feel secure in my beliefs. In the end, I learned and strengthened my commitment to the Bahá’í Faith from the challenge I faced in my own college dorm room.
