About the Baha'i Faith

Baha’i Temple

Wilmette, Illinois

About the Baha’i Faith

Baha’is believe in the oneness of God, the oneness of all religions, and the oneness of humanity. The Baha’i Faith is the newest of the world’s independent monotheistic religions. It was founded in Persia in 1844, and has more than five million followers in 236 countries and territories. With adherents from nearly every national, ethnic and religious background, the Baha’i Faith is the second-most-widespread religion in the world.

The Baha’i teachings proclaim that the world's major religions are part of a progressive process through which God has revealed His will to humanity. The founder of the Baha’i Faith,was Baha'u'llah (1817-1892), whose name means “the Glory of God”. He is recognized as the most recent in a line of Divine Messengers that includes Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad.

Baha'u'llah's central message is that humanity is one single race and that the day has come for humanity’s unification into one global civilization. He reaffirmed the core spiritual principles common to all religions, and also revealed new laws and teachings as the foundation of a global civilization. Baha’u’llah declared that “a new life is, in this age, stirring within all the peoples of the earth.”

Some principles of the Baha’i Faith are:

· elimination of all forms of prejudice

· equality of men and women

· harmony of science and religion

· elimination of extremes of poverty and wealth

· realization of universal education

· independent search for truth

· establishment of a global commonwealth of nations

“The earth is one country, and mankind its citizens.” Bahá’u’lláh

BAHA’I FAITH OF ALAMANCE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA