"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.  To this most excellent aim, this supreme objective, all the heavenly Books and the divinely-revealed and weighty Scriptures unequivocally bear witness."

 

~Bahá'u'lláh~

THE BAHA'I FAITH

The Bahá'í Faith is the youngest of the world's independent religions. Its central theme is that humanity is one single race and that the day has come for its unification in one global society.

Founded in the mid-nineteenth century, the Bahá'í Faith is an independent world religion with adherents in some 235 countries and territories. Today, over five million Bahá’ís live in more than 118,000 localities worldwide, including six thousand in the United Kingdom. The Bahá'í world community includes people of many nationalities, ethnic backgrounds, trades and professions. Motivated by the belief that the principal purpose of life is to know God, worship God and carry forward an ever-advancing civilisation, Bahá’ís work to promote the essential unity of the human race, and to establish world peace and world order.

 

NEW SOCIAL LAWS FOR A NEW ERA

Bahá’ís believe that these goals can and will be achieved by:

  • Recognition by all of the oneness of humanity

  • Abandonment of all forms of prejudice

  • Acknowledgement of the equality of women and men

  • Recognition of the unity and relativity of religious truth

  • Elimination of the extremes of wealth and poverty

  • Promoting universal education

  • Striving for universal peace

  • The establishment of a world federation

  • The adoption of a universal auxiliary language

  • The recognition that true religion is in harmony with both reason and the pursuit of scientific knowledge

  • Independent investigation of truth by every individual

 

IDEALISTIC AND REALISTIC

A growing number of people are becoming interested in the Bahá'í Faith, not only because it contains profound social and spiritual teachings, but also because it provides guidance on how these spiritual principles can be put into action in effective ways. The Bahá'í message offers intelligent and reasonable solutions to the myriad issues faced by humanity in the modern age.

 

AN INDEPENDENT WORLD RELIGION

The Bahá'í Faith is not a sect or denomination of another religion, nor is it a cult or a social movement, but an independent world religion. Although it reaffirms the fundamental verities of all the major religions of the past, it is not based on a mixture or selection of teachings from past religious revelations.

 

A SPIRITUAL APPROACH TO CHANGE

Throughout history, religion has been the most powerful agent for changing human attitudes and behaviour. It has traditionally defined the nature of our goals and relationships and what it really means to be human. The Bahá'í Faith offers powerful new insights and approaches to the struggle to change human motivation. Directly or indirectly, all Bahá'í efforts promote the oneness of humanity. This, together with the principle of consultation which is fundamental to all Bahá'í activities, results in the emergence of a new model for empowerment and for the transformation of human existence. Social and economic development in this new model is a process driven by the human spirit rather than by mere material considerations.

 

OUR GOAL IS UNITY

Our goal as Bahá'ís is to promote the unity of the human race while accepting and respecting the individuality of each person. We value differences of culture, race, language, and nationality, regarding them as vital elements to enrich the whole.  Bahá'ís therefore are striving for "unity in diversity".

 

THE "GOLDEN RULE" REVISITED

The Golden Rule--the teaching that we should treat others as we ourselves wish to be treated--has been taught by Prophets in every age and is at the heart of religious faith. The Bahá'í Faith teaches that we must extend the Golden Rule in this day so that it applies not only to our family or the members of our own race or nation but to the whole human race.

 

SERVICE TO HUMANITY

Bahá'ís believe that the most effective way for an individual to ensure personal and spiritual growth and the progress of human civilisation, is to develop and use his or her talents and abilities in service to humanity.

 

WANT MORE INFORMATION?

For more information about the Bahá'í Faith, please see one of the following:

 

 

"The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens."

 

~Bahá'u'lláh~

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