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Principles of the Bahá'í Faith Author unknown
This page consists of a short, introductory discussion of several key principles of the Bahá'í Faith, followed by related links.
There is a single, omnipotent, conscious Essence which created and directs the universe. This Essence is beyond the understanding and reasoning of human beings. God is a loving, merciful Being ("I knew My love for thee; therefore, I created thee,...").
If God is like the sun, then the Prophets are like lenses that focus the rays of that Sun to the earth. The rays of that Sun are called the Holy Spirit. Since the Spirit is the same and the Words are from God the Prophets are the same (one dove). The Prophets differ in that They tailor Their Messages to the time, place, and capacity of the people. Their physical realities differ but Their Spiritual Reality is the same. When a Prophet speaks as the Word of God that Prophet can say "I am God" because the Word and God are one. Thus, when a Prophet says "I will return" that Prophet means another Prophet will come and will speak with the same Word of God. Every Major Prophet (Founder of a religion) promises a return or that another Prophet will come. These Prophets come in a series of "progressive revelations". Each Prophet builds on the foundation of past Prophets and adds to the Religion of God according to humanity's growth and maturity.
All religions are, with a few exceptions, from God. They differ only in that differences in culture and time caused the Prophets to differ in Their Message. Also, human interpretation has often divided and altered the beliefs obscuring the original Message and meaning. This is why religion must be renewed periodically by God. Bahá'ís believe that we should treat members of all religions as though they are of our own. "Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship,..." The purpose of religion is to educate and unite humanity. Abdu'l-Bahá said that if religion is the cause of disunity then it is better to be without religion.
Humanity was created with different capacities, proclivities, and temperaments. No two humans are the same. These differences, including differences of appearance, do not diminish our spiritual equality. Our spiritual reality, men and women, is identical. "We are the fruits of one Tree and the leaves of one Branch" in the eyes of God. Distinctions based on skin color or national origin are particularly abominable to God. "Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over another." Abdu'l-Bahá loved diversity of color and culture and reinforced that love by insisting on diverse groups being present and advocating inter-racial/cultural marriages. The Bahá'í Faith specifically advocates the protection of diversity and considers it a strength, not a weakness, for a society to be diverse.
No human being, as such, is infallible and each is independently answerable to God alone. An individual does not have the right to insist on opinions or to compel another to believe and think the same way. Conflict and contention are forbidden by Bahá'u'lláh. Tolerance is praised. Since individuals were created differently by God it is only out of the clash of differing opinions that truth is made known. Only if we are united in heart and respect and tolerate each other, however, will the truth be evident; otherwise, it will remain obscure. Individual Search for the Truth: No human being, as such, is infallible and each is independently answerable to God alone. An individual does not have the right to insist on opinions or to compel another to believe and think the same way. Conflict and contention are forbidden by Bahá'u'lláh. Tolerance is praised. Since individuals were created differently by God it is only out of the clash of differing opinions that truth is made known. Only if we are united in heart and respect and tolerate each other, however, will the truth be evident; otherwise, it will remain obscure.
Consultation is a process by which the truth is sought out. Arguments and contention produce only disunity. When we consult we should listen carefully to hear the truth in another's words, to understand that person, and to embrace those ideas even if the ideas expressed contradict our own beliefs. It is out of this "clash of differing opinions" that "truth is made known. " "Be united in counsel, be one in thought."
If God is one Being then truth must be one. Truth, however, is relative to the circumstances in which it is being applied. What is true today may not be true tomorrow. What is true on earth may not be true in heaven. Religious truth is often relative to the capacity, needs, and understanding of the people at the time that Truth is revealed. Bahá'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá implored people to build their faith on reason and to avoid superstition. They addressed scientific issues such as the evolution of the human species, medicine, astronomy, physics, and chemistry in a way that recognizes and agrees with scientific knowledge. In some cases They stated certain scientific truths which scientists realized many decades later. Abdu'l-Bahá points out that there are many ways of acquiring knowledge (by the senses, reason, inspiration, and relying on tradition) all of them subject to human interpretation, limitation, and error. This is why consultation and individual investigation are so important. Eventually, by consulting about and by investigating the truth with an open mind Abdu'l-Bahá tells us that a consensus can be reached and people can be certain of their conclusions. In this way, all will eventually come to recognize Bahá'u'lláh.
While we may differ slightly in physical characteristics, we are the same in the eyes of God. After death there is no distinction based on sex. Women must be educated and given preference, if necessary, to advance their development. Bahá'ís believe that the inability of women to participate equally in the affairs of the world has hindered humanity's spiritual and material development and contributed to the severity of the disunity and bloodshed. When the imbalance between the sexes is corrected peace and harmony will be the result.
All children should be taught a basic level of skills. Further, the Bahá'í Faith recommends a common core curriculum around the world which all children should be taught (if possible in a universal auxiliary language). Teachers should be regarded as performing the most important function of society and raised to the highest level of respect Bahá'u'lláh taught that the attainment of knowledge is the ultimate goal of human existence (Humans were "created to know and love". ). Knowledge which is useful in serving humanity is most praised; knowledge which "begins with words and ends with words" is condemned, however. Bahá'ís believe that education should train us to think, to thirst for knowledge, to love, to serve, and to be humble. Ignorance in its many forms is believed to be the cause of all evil. "...bend every effort to banish ignorance from the earth." Education should, therefore, prepare us both morally (spiritually) and practically to serve humanity and to remove superstition. Education then would uplift and unite us all.
The Bahá'í Faith does not advocate an economic system (other than advocating the right to own some kinds of property). Rather it condemns all forms of materialism and recommends specific policies for improving the world's economy. "Dissipate not the wealth of your precious lives in the pursuit of evil and corrupt affections, nor let your endeavors be spent in promoting your personal interest." Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá spent most of their lives in poverty and suffering. Yet, they still gave to the poor. 'Abdu'l-Bahá praised charity and was famous for His kindness and generosity. He would often personally tend to the sick of Akka and concern Himself with the fate of the poor. The extremes of poverty and wealth combined with an undue emphasis on selfish and material pursuits are cited in the Bahá'í Writings as a major contributor to the crime, corruption, disunity, and strife that persists in the world. These extremes can only be overcome by a spirit of service to humanity. On the individual level, the Bahá'í Faith makes work as worship when it is performed in the service of humanity. It makes the paying of taxes to government and philanthropy a duty and obligation required by God. On a societal level, the Bahá'í Faith advocates mandatory arbitration of all disputes in a consultative (rather than an adversarial) setting, deplores all forms of disunity and violence, and promotes a general spirit of cooperation. "The honor and distinction of the individual consist in this, that he among all the world's multitudes should become a source of social good. Is any larger bounty conceivable than this, that an individual, looking within himself, should find that by the confirming grace of God he has become the cause of peace and well-being, of happiness and advantage to his fellow men?" Ultimately, the Bahá'í Faith recognizes that the economic problems are spiritual in nature and cannot be solved by better technology or a set of well devised rules. "Any agency whatever, though it be the instrument of mankind's greatest good, is capable of misuse. Its proper use or abuse depends on the varying degrees of enlightenment, capacity, faith, honesty, devotion and highmindedness of the leaders of public opinion." Thus, the happiness and wealth of mankind depends upon our collective willingness to improve the way we think and act. |
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The Oneness of God