What we believe
Bahá'ís believe that the oneness humankind should be viewed with an eye towards its diversity. Such diversity is to be celebrated not tolerated. That diversity of race and culture are seen as worthy of appreciation and acceptance. According to the Bahá'í Faith's teachings, our purpose is to learn to know and to love God through such methods as prayer, reflection and being of service to humanity.
The Bahá'í Faith was founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia. Bahá'u'lláh was exiled from Persia to the Ottoman Empire because of his ground-breaking teachings. He died in 1892 while officially still a prisoner. His resting place is considered by Bahá'ís to be a sacred spot and a place of pilgrimage and is located near Haifa, Israel. After Bahá'u'lláh's death, under the leadership of his son, `Abdu'l-Bahá, the religion spread from its Persian and Ottoman roots, and gained a footing in Europe and America. After the death of `Abdu'l-Bahá in 1921 the leadership of the Bahá'í community entered a new phase, evolving from a single individual to an administrative order with elected bodies at local, national and international levels. To learn more about the Bahá'í Faith and its history, visit >Bahá'í.Org.
In the Bahá'í Faith, religious history is seen to have unfolded through a series of divine messengers, each of whom established a religion that was suited to the needs of the time and to the capacity of the people. These messengers have included Abrahamic figures—Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, as well as figures from Indian religions like Krishna, Buddha, and others. For Bahá'ís, the most recent messenger of God is Bahá'u'lláh. In Bahá'í belief, each consecutive messenger prophesied of messengers to follow, and Bahá'u'lláh's life and teachings fulfilled the end-time promises of previous scriptures. Humanity is understood to be in a process of collective evolution, and the need of the present time is for the gradual establishment of peace, justice and unity on a global scale
Principal social beliefs:
The following principles are a quick summary of the Bahá'í teachings.
- Oneness of God
- Oneness of religion
- Oneness of humanity
- Oneness in diversity
- Equality between men and women
- Elimination of all forms of prejudice
- World peace
- Harmony of religion and science
- Independent investigation of truth
- Universal compulsory education
- Universal auxiliary language
- Non-involvement in partisan politics
- Elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty
- Spiritual solutions to economic problems