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What is the Baha’i Faith?
The Baha’ Faith is the newest of the world religions. Only recently has the public come to recognize that it is, in fact, a major religion—one worthy of study and reflection.
The Baha'i Faith began in Persia (now Iran) in the middle of the nineteenth century. It was directly preceded by the Babi Faith, founded in 1844 by the Bab, whose name means “Gate” or “Door.” He foretold the coming of a new Prophet of God, just as John the Baptist had foretold the coming of Christ. In 1863, a distinguished Persian nobleman announced that He was not only the One promised by the Bab, but also the Promised One of all the world’s religions, Who would usher in an age of peace for all humankind. His name was Baha’u’llah, which means “the glory of God.”
Baha'u'llah called upon women and men to give up their prejudices and to recognize the brotherhood of all mankind as children of one, loving God. He said the time had come for humanity to unite under a common faith. He revealed a plan for world civilization to be built on a foundation of love and justice.
Among the most fundamental of Baha’u’llah’s teachings are these:
e There is only one God.
e All religions share a common foundation.
e Mankind is one. People of all races, nations, economic groups and religious backgrounds are equal in the sight of God.
And:
e Each individual is responsible for investigating truth for himself.
@ Science and religion harmonize. Science without religion is materialism—religion without science is superstition.
e Men and women are equal, like the two wings of one bird.
e Each child is entitled to a sound, basic education.
e There is a spiritual solution to economic problems.
e The world needs an international, auxiliary language.
e We must establish a universal peace protected by a world commonwealth.
People of all backgrounds, as Baha’is, are striving to develop the potential to rise above the division and prejudice of the world to become lovers of mankind.
Unity of Religion
The Oneness of God
“The Lord our God is one Lord.” (Christ, New Testament, Mark 12:29)
“But just how many gods are there... ?” “One” (Hinduism, Brihan-Aranyaka Upanishad 3:9:1)
“He is God, the One and Only; God the Eternal, Absolute. . . and there is
none like unto Him.”’ (Muhammad, 570-632 a.p., Koran 112:1-4)
“No God is there beside Thee, the Supreme Ruler, the All-Glorious, the Omniscient.” (Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations, p. 6)
“T am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me.” (Judaism, Isaiah 45:5)
“There is O monks, an Unborn, Unoriginated, Uncreated, Unformed.”’ (The Buddha, c. 560-480 s.c., Udana 80-81)
The Oneness of Mankind
“Be united in your purpose, let your hearts be as one heart, minds of all as one mind, so that your affairs may be cooperatively well organized.’”’ (Hinduism, Krishna, Rig Veda 8:7)
“Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch... . The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens,”’ (Baha'u'llah, 1817-92, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, pp. 218, 250)
“Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother... ?’’ (Judaism, Malachi 2:10)
“God... hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth.”’ (Paul, New Testament, Acts 17:26)
“Ye are all parts one of another.” (Muhammad, Koran 3:195)
“Do not be angry, nor should ye secret resentment bear, for as a mother risks her life and watches over her child, so boundless be your love to all, so tender, kind and mild.” (The Buddha, Suttanipata, V. 148)
Harmony of Science and Religion
God, The Unknowable Essence
“There is no likeness of Him whose glory is infinite.” (Hinduism, Krishna, Yajur Veda, 32)
“Immensely exalted is He above men’s praise of His sovereignty; glorified is He beyond that which they attribute unto Him!” (Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Iqdn, [The Book of Certitude], p. 124)
“The greatness of God is something we cannot understand even though we are aware of it.”’ (Rene Descartes, 15961650 a.v., French philosopher and mathematician)
“As a blind man has no idea of colors, so have we no idea of the manner by which the All-Wise God perceives and understands all things.”’ (Sir Isaac Newton, 1642-1727 a.v., English mathematician and physicist)
“O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee. ..’’ (Christ, New Testament, John 17:25)
The Glory of God
“The earth reflecteth the glory of its Lord.” (Muhammad, Koran 39:69)
“The light of the sun, the sparkling dawn of the days, all this is for your praise, O Wise Lord.” (Zoroaster,
c. 1000 B.c., Zend Avesta, Yasna 50:10)
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“T see everywhere the inevitable expression of the infinite in the world.” (Louis Pasteur, 1822-95 a.p., French chemist)
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork.”’ (Judaism, Psalms 19:1)
“The glory and greatness of Almighty God are marvelously discerned in all His works and divinely read in the open book of heaven.”’ (Galileo Galilei, 1564-1642 ap., Italian astronomer and physicist)
“Behold the universe in the glory of God, and all that lives and moves on earth.’”’ (Hinduism, Krishna, Isa Upanishad 1:1-2)
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Locations of Baha’i spiritual assemblies around the world
To guide the work of the Faith, Baha’is_—_ local assemblies worldwide. In the elect local, national and international United States there are approximately administrative bodies. As of 1991, 1,700 local assemblies. Baha’’s have no
there were 155 of these national priesthood or professional clergy. assemblies and approximately 18,000
How to Find out More.
Contact the Baha’ community in your town. If none is listed
in your telephone directory, please write to the Baha’i National Center, Wilmette, Illinois 60091.
Or Call (708) 869-9039
Baha'i Publishing Trust 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091
Reprinted by permission from Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’fs of Richardson, Texas
(Revised Edition 1991)
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Differences of nation, race, social class and religion are removed by the uniting power of the Baha’ Faith.
Baha’is are people who formerly had different religious backgrounds. They had been Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, Zoroastrians, Hindus, Christians and others. Some had no religion at all. They come from every race, from virtually every nationality and from 2,112 tribes and minority groups, totaling over 5 million individuals.
The Baha’is are living examples of the power of Baha’u’llah’s teachings. They are working to unite all peoples “in one universal Cause, one common Faith.”
Baha'is know this Faith can save men and women from the hatreds, the pessimism, the corruption and the materialism of our age. They know it because they have seen it and experienced it in 217 countries,
dependent territories and overseas departments, and in 7,000 communities in the United States.
We invite you to investigate this Faith and share in this spiritual adventure.
Baha'u'llah said:
“The tabernacle of unity hath been raised; regard ye not one another as strangers.”
“Let your vision be worldembracing, rather than confined to your own self.”
“Tt is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world.”
“Take ye counsel together, and let your concern be only for that which profiteth mankind, and bettereth the condition thereof... .”
Baha'i House of Worship, Wilmette, Illinois
The Baha’ House of Worship stands on the shores of Lake Michigan in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Many are attracted by its splendid architecture, its lovely gardens and the air of quiet serenity that surrounds it, while many more are attracted by the living religion it represents.
The House of Worship was honored on May 23, 1978, when it was listed in the United States National Register of Historic Places as “one of the nation’s cultural resources worthy of preservation.”
Places of worship such as this were anticipated in the earliest writings of the Baha'i Faith, emphasizing the
need for people of all religions, all races and all nationalities to come together and worship God. All are welcome at the Baha’i House of Worship.
From the Baha’ Scriptures “Blessed is the spot, and the house, and the place, and the city, and the heart, and the mountain, and the refuge, and the cave, and the valley, and the land, and the sea, and the island, and the meadow where mention of God hath been made, and His praise glorified.”’
—Baha’u’llah �
