Basic Teachings
Oneness of God
Oneness of Humankind
Oneness of the Religions
Independent Investigation of the Truth
Equality of Women and Men
Elimination of Prejudice
Universal Peace
Universal Auxiliary Language
Universal Education |
What is the Bahá’í Faith?
Oneness of God
All the Divine Messengers “have proclaimed the oneness of God and the
unity of mankind.” There is only one God, called by different Names in
different languages at different times.
To every discerning and illuminated heart it is evident that God, the
unknowable Essence, the Divine Being, is immensely exalted beyond every
human attribute, such as corporeal existence, ascent and descent, egress
and regress. Far be it from His glory that human tongue should adequately
recount His praise, or that human heart comprehend His fathomless mystery.
He is, and hath ever been, veiled in the ancient eternity of His Essence,
and will remain in His Reality everlastingly hidden from the sight of men.
"No vision taketh in Him, but He taketh in all vision; He is the Subtile,
the All-Perceiving." --Bahá’u’lláh
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Oneness of Humankind
There is only one race, the Human Race. Bahá’u’lláh says:
O CHILDREN OF MEN!
Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should
exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye
were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is
incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat
with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost
being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of
detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of
light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of holiness from
the tree of wondrous glory.
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Oneness of the Religions
In one of His major works, the Kitáb-i-Iqán (the Book of Certitude),
Bahá'u'lláh explained that God, the Creator, has intervened and will
continue to intervene in human history by means of chosen Messengers.
These Messengers, Whom Bahá'u'lláh called "Manifestations of God ," are
principally the Founders of the major revealed religions, such as Abraham,
Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Jesus, Muhammad, and so forth. It is the spirit
released by the coming of these Manifestations, together with the
influence of Their teachings and the social systems established by Their
laws and precepts, that enable humankind to progress in its collective
evolution. Simply put: the Manifestations of God are the chief educators
of humanity. With regard to the various religious systems that have
appeared in human history, Bahá'u'lláh has said:
These principles and laws, these firmly-established and mighty systems,
have proceeded from one Source and are the rays of one Light. That they
differ one from another is to be attributed to the varying requirements of
the ages in which they were promulgated.2
Thus the principle of the unity of religion means that all of the great
religious Founders--the Manifestations--have come from God, and that all
of the religious systems established by Them are part of a single divine
plan directed by God.
In reality, there is only one religion, the religion of God. This one
religion is continually evolving, and each particular religious system
represents a stage in the evolution of the whole. The Bahá'í Faith
represents the current stage in the evolution of religion. To emphasize
the idea that all of the teachings and actions of the Manifestation are
directed by God and do not originate from natural, human sources,
Bahá'u'lláh used the term "revelation" to describe the phenomenon that
occurs each time a Manifestation appears. In particular, the writings of
the Manifestation represent the infallible Word of God. Because these
writings remain long after the earthly life of the Manifestation is
finished, they constitute an especially important part of the phenomenon
of revelation. So much is this so, that the term "revelation" is sometimes
used in a restricted sense to refer to the writings and words of the
Manifestation.
Religious history is seen as a succession of revelations from God and the
term "progressive revelation" is used to describe this process. Thus,
according to Bahá'ís, progressive revelation is the motive force of human
progress, and the Manifestation Bahá'u'lláh is the most recent instance of
revelation.
The fundamental principle enunciated by Bahá'u'lláh, the followers of His
Faith firmly believe, is that religious truth is not absolute but
relative, that Divine Revelation is a continuous and progressive process,
that all the great religions of the world are divine in origin, that their
basic principles are in complete harmony, that their aims and purposes are
one and the same, that their teachings are but facets of one truth, that
their functions are complementary, that they differ only in the
nonessential aspects of their doctrines, and that their missions represent
successive stages in the spiritual evolution of human society.” --Shoghi
Effendi
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Independent Investigation of the Truth
All people have the responsibility to investigate truth for themselves.
Truth is one when it is independently investigated, it does not accept
division. Bahá’ís are forbidden to proselytize or push their Faith onto
others. No one should be pushed into accepting someone else’s truth. Each
person must decide for themselves.
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Equality of Women and Men
The happiness of mankind will be realized when women and men coordinate
and advance equally. Here is a link to a Bahá’í statement on the equality
of women and men: http://www.lvbahai.org/twowings.htm
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Elimination of Prejudice
All the divisions in the world, hatred, war and bloodshed, are caused by
prejudices. The whole world must be looked upon as one single country, all
nations as one nation, all me as belonging to one race. Religions, races
and nations are all divisions of man’s making only God is God for all, and
to Him all creation is one. Until all these barriers erected by prejudice
are swept away, it is not possible for humanity to be at peace.
Here is a link to the document The Vision of Race Unity: America’s Most
Challenging Issue. http://www.us.bahai.org/ourvision/vision.htm
Black-White Relations: The Bahá’í Writings guide us to a process of
healing racism. It is time for those who are white to abandon superiority
and patronizing feelings. Now is the time for spontaneous and genuine
friendship and for sincere action. The wounds from the illness of racism
are grievous and heal slowly. We need to master our impatience. It is the
time for those who are black to wipe away suspicion and respond with
warmth to the efforts of each heart. The solution belongs to us all. The
problem cannot be quickly resolved. Nothing short of genuine love, extreme
patience, true humility, consummate tackt, sound initiative, mature
wisdom, and deliberate, persistent, and prayerful effort, can succeed in
blotting out the stain which this patent evil has left
Bahá’u’lláh has compared people of African descent to the black pupil of
the eye surrounded by the white. In this black pupil is seen the
reflection of that which is before it, and through it the light of the
spirit shineth forth.
Endeavor that the black and the white may gather in one meeting place, and
with the utmost love, fraternally associate with each other, so that
quarrels and strife may vanish.
There is no greater means to bring about affection between the white and
the black than the influence of the Word of God.
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Universal Peace
The greatest need in the world today is international peace. The time is
ripe. It is time for the abolition of warfare, the unification of nations
and governments. It is time for love.
Here is a link to a document The Promise of World Peace. This is a meaty
statement by the Universal House of Justice calling on the peoples and
leaders of the world to establish peace in the world. http://www.bahainyc.org/presentations/millennium/peacestatement.html
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Universal Auxiliary Language
The day is approaching when all peoples of the world will have adopted one
universal language and one common script, in addition to their own native
tongue. When this is achieved, to whatsoever city a man may journey, it
shall be as if he were entering his own home.
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Universal Education
All people should be educated.
The Bahá'í Writings speak to three kinds of education: material, human and
spiritual. Material education concerns itself with the progress and
development of the body, that is to say, teaching people how to improve
physical well-being including better nutrition and hygiene, better family
health and greater capacity to earn and provide food, shelter and
clothing. Human education concerns civilization and progress in those
activities which are essential to mankind as distinct from the animal
world, such as knowledge of commerce, the sciences and arts, and the
understanding of institutions and policy. Spiritual or moral education
addresses values and shapes character; it largely determines to what end
an individual will use whatever knowledge he or she acquires.
(Baha'i International Community, 1995 Mar 09, Educating Girls Women)
Strain every nerve to acquire both inner and outer perfections, for the
fruit of the human tree hath ever been and will ever be perfections both
within and without. It is not desirable that a man be left without
knowledge or skills, for he is then but a barren tree. Then, so much as
capacity and capability allow, ye needs must deck the tree of being with
fruits such as knowledge, wisdom, spiritual perception and eloquent
speech.
The necessity of education for all mankind is evident through the
broadening spirit of education, illiteracy will disappear, and
misunderstandings will pass away.
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