What is World Religion Day?

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What is World Religion Day?

World Religion Day is observed Sunday, Jan. 20, as a celebration of the commonality of the major faiths of the world. First initiated in 1950 by the National Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States, the day is celebrated worldwide on the third Sunday in January. According to organizers, it's a day to 'build bridges among the various faith communities.'

World Religion Day is observed Sunday, Jan. 20, as a celebration of the commonality of the major faiths of the world.

First initiated in 1950 by the National Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States, the day is celebrated worldwide on the third Sunday in January.

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Anthony Vance, director of public affairs for the Baha'is of the U.S., told Fox News it's a day to "build bridges among the various faith communities."

"The United States today has a wonderful set of interfaith organizations across the country. Certainly, gatherings of members of the various churches, mosques, temples, and synagogues would be a wonderful way of observing the day," Vance said.

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Vance said it's an acknowledgment of the oneness of the great religions of the world, adding that the major faiths are Judaism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and the 19th-century Baha'is faith.

Obviously, each religion has different laws, customs, and practices, Vance notes, but it's the core teaching that everyone should follow, such as kindness, compassion, honesty, trustworthiness, mercy, and justice.

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“From the standpoint of the scriptures of the Baha'is faith, all of the great religions of the world are from God and they represent successive stages in the spiritual and social evolution of God’s relation to the human race," he said, adding that the Baha'is faith believes "all of the great religions of the world are from one god, that means that rather than being competing systems, they’re rather successive stages of God’s purpose for the human race.”