The Bahá’í Faith is an independent religion with over five million followers in more than 200 countries and territories. It is based on the spiritual and social teachings of Baha’u’llah, the most recent of the Divine Messengers.
Throughout history, God has sent to humanity a series of Divine Educators—known as Manifestations of God—whose teachings have provided the basis for the advancement of a new civilization.
These Manifestations have included Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Muḥammad. Baha’u’llah, the latest of these Messengers, explained that the religions of the world come from the same Source and are in essence successive chapters of one religion from God.
Bahá’u’lláh announced that the age of global peace promised in all of the world's religions must be based on a number of fundamental principles. These include: the elimination of all forms of racism and prejudice; the full equality between women and men; the unfettered pursuit of knowledge; elimination of the extremes of poverty and of wealth; universal education; harmony between the spiritual and material dimensions of civilization; a commitment of serving the wider community; and the establishment of a world commonwealth, bound by the principle of collective security.
The essential message of the Bahá'í Faith is unity -- a unity based on the understanding that there is one God, one human race, and that all the world's religions have been revealed successively in accordance with the needs of humanity at each stage of its development. The crucial need today is to find a unifying vision of the nature of man and society that will enable every human being to participate in the creation of a just, peaceful and ever-advancing global civilization.
Baha’u’llah states that “The purpose of God in creating man hath been, and will ever be, to enable him to know his Creator and to attain His Presence.” He also states “the purpose for which mortal men have, from utter nothingness, stepped into the realm of being, is that they may work for the betterment of the world and live together in concord and harmony.” As a result, around the world today, Bahá'ís are working alongside like-minded people, dedicating themselves to learning how to apply the spiritual and social teachings in their lives and learn how to work together for the development of humanity.
For more information about the Baha'i Faith read Bahai.org.
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