Principles of the Baha'i Faith
At the heart of the Baha'i Faith is the belief that humankind is one race that must work together in unity across all religions, creeds, races and nations for the good of all humanity. The principles of the Baha'i faith were handed down by its founder Baha'u'llah (1817-1892), who is regarded by followers of the religion as a modern prophet, the most recent in a line of prophets that includes Abraham, Moses, Jesus Christ, Buddha, Krishna and Muhammad.
Other People Are Reading
-
The Principles of Baha'i
-
According to Baha'u'llah's teachings, there is one God who sent a series of prophets or divine messengers whose job it was to bring moral guidance to the world at a certain time in history. At this stage in history, it is time for all creeds and religions to unite in the common goal of creating a peaceful global society. To achieve this, humankind must do the following: acknowledge the unity of religious truth; reject all prejudices; establish full equality between men and women; do away with extreme poverty and extreme wealth; set up a global network of nations working together for the common good; achieve universal education; allow religion to exist in harmony with reason and science.
The History of the Baha'i Faith
-
The Baha'i faith emerged from the Shi'ite branch of Islam in Iran in 1844. A young Iranian called The Bab proclaimed the imminent arrival of a divine prophet to follow in the footsteps of Moses, Jesus Christ and Muhammad. Bab was executed because his teachings contravened the Islamic belief that Muhammad was the last prophet. In 1852, one of Bab's imprisoned followers had a revelation that he was the new prophet. He called himself Baha'u'llah, which means "The Glory of God," and founded the Baha'i faith. Baha'u'llah spent most of his life in exile before his death in 1892. He was succeeded by his son, Abdu'l-Baha.
-
The International Baha'i Community
-
At the time of publication, the worldwide Baha'i community has over 5 million members in more than 188 countries, making it second only to Christianity in breadth of geographical spread. Its followers come from 2,112 ethnic and tribal groups, who come together under a global network of local and national elected bodies known as Spiritual Assemblies. The international hub of the faith is located in Haifa, Israel, the headquarters of its governing body, the Universal House of Justice.
Baha'i Texts
-
The Baha'i teachings are found in the writings of Baha'u'llah, who wrote close to 200 books and tablets while incarcerated in prison, including the Kitab-i-Aqdas, one of the central Baha'i scriptures. The Baha'i respect the holy texts of all religions; however, they reject the idea that Jesus Christ was a deity. Instead he is regarded simply as one of God's holy prophets.
-
