The First American Bahá'í
Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, (1944), Bahá'í Publishing Trust · Read original
When in Bahá'í history
A retelling for children, based on God Passes By by Shoghi Effendi and Mahmúd's Diary.
Long ago, in the city of Chicago, there lived a man named Thornton Chase. He worked in the insurance business.
In 1894 a doctor from Syria came to live in Chicago. He had learned about the Bahá'í Faith in Egypt, and in Chicago he began to teach it. That same year Thornton Chase became a Bahá'í.
He was the first American to follow Bahá'u'lláh. Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, wrote that he was the first person in the whole Western world to accept the Faith. Soon there were hundreds of Bahá'ís in Chicago and in the nearby town of Kenosha.
'Abdu'l-Bahá gave Thornton Chase a special name: Thábit, which means "Steadfast," someone who holds firm. He also called him "the first American believer."
In 1912 'Abdu'l-Bahá travelled across America. By then Thornton Chase was living in Los Angeles, and while 'Abdu'l-Bahá was on His journey, Thornton Chase died. 'Abdu'l-Bahá said that He was going to Los Angeles in order to visit his grave.
When He reached Los Angeles, 'Abdu'l-Bahá went to the cemetery with some of the friends. He put flowers on the grave and said prayers. Then He bent down low and kissed the gravestone, and everyone who was with Him did the same.
Before He left the city, 'Abdu'l-Bahá asked the Bahá'ís of Los Angeles to visit Thornton Chase's grave every year on His behalf.
This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see "Thornton Chase, the First American Believer".
Cite this story
Effendi, S.. (1944). *God Passes By*. Bahá'í Publishing Trust. https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/shoghi-effendi/god-passes-by/
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