The Bahá’í Faith - What is it?

The Bahá’í Faith is a religion followed by several million people in the world, from all countries and all backgrounds.

All of these people believe in the unity of humanity - that all people matter, and that the world should be run as one country for the benefit of everyone.

They believe that it is the differences between us which make life interesting, and that we should cherish these differences, not ignore them.

They believe that there is only one God, though people may call Him by different names. God is something we can never really understand: we can only learn about Him through His creation and His Messengers.

Bahá’ís believe that there has only ever been one religion - the religion of God. God sent His Messengers to different places at different times so that everyone in the world could hear about Him.

Bahá’ís follow Bahá’u’lláh, the latest in a long line of Messengers sent by God to show us how we should live our lives. The name Bahá’u’lláh means “Glory of God”. Bahá’u’lláh suffered all of His life to tell us how to build a better life here on earth and in the world to come. He passed to the next world more than a hundred years ago.

Bahá’ís believe that Moses, Christ, Muhammad, Krishna and Buddha were all

Messengers from God.

    These Messengers all said basically the same thing - that we should love God and love one another, that we should be honest, truthful, kind, trustworthy, humble. It was only their social teachings which were different: this is because they were meant for a particular time and place. Now that we are part of a world society, new laws are necessary.

·      All of these Messengers promised a time when a great Messenger would come to bring peace to the whole world. Bahá’ís believe that Bahá’u’lláh was that Messenger and that the time for peace is now.

World Unity

Bahá’ís do everything they can to encourage world peace and world unity: not only by supporting other like-minded groups, but also by putting forward Bahá’u’lláh’s plan for an international peace conference. It is only when we have peace and co-operation that many of the urgent problems of the world can be solved. We need to take a more spiritual, less selfish attitude to this earth, for we need to live in harmony with our environment and with each other. Wherever Bahá’ís live, they try to help people in whatever way is possible. For example, if they live in a village in a poor country, they will organise a school, a farming or health project which will benefit everyone.

 Daily Life               

 Bahá’ís believe that our purpose in this life is to learn, to develop, so that when we move on to the next world we will be closer to God, closer to perfection. Each day a Bahá’í should turn to God in prayer. Each morning and evening he or she should read some of the Bahá’í scriptures, meditate on them, try to really understand them and put them into practice.

There are many books of Bahá’í scripture but here are just a few examples from the Writings:

 “Turn all your thoughts toward bringing joy to hearts.”

 “See ye no strangers; rather see all men as friends.”

 “Breathe not the sins of others whilst thou art thyself a sinner.”

  “Peace must first be established among individuals, until it leadeth in the end to peace among nations.”

 “The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens.”

  “Think ye at all times of rendering some service to every member of the human race.”

 Community Life

 Each local Bahá’í community has a regular meeting called a “Feast”. Where there are only a few Bahá’ís, this will be in someone’s home. Where a whole village are Bahá’ís they will build a Bahá’í centre. In a few places in the world there are large Houses of Worship which are open to everyone, whatever their religion.

 In each local area Bahá’ís elect an assembly of nine people who look after the welfare of the community. Each country has a national assembly and there is also a world body.

 Each community has regular devotional meetings where everyone is welcome to come and enjoy the prayers, readings and music.

 Bahá’ís also join together in study circles where they follow courses about leading a spiritual life and about Bahá’í beliefs. Many people who are not Bahá’ís enjoy these courses, where everyone’s opinion is valued.

 The children are a very precious part of any community. Bahá’í classes for children focus on moral and spiritual development and are therefore suitable for all children. Here they learn how to be happy and helpful to others. Young teenagers and pre-teens have their own classes and courses, particularly suited to their age group, where they learn to think positively about themselves and about their contribution to the world.

The Future                  

 ·      Bahá’ís believe that eventually there will be a world government which will make sure that all countries are treated fairly and that the resources of the planet are used sensibly.

 ·      There will be a world currency and a fair economic and trade system which will ensure that there will no longer be vast differences between rich and poor countries, or rich and poor people.

 ·      Every child in the world will be able to go to school and develop his or her potential.

 ·      Everyone will learn a world language so that we can all understand one another better.

 ·      Women will be treated equally with men and will use their influence to help bring about peace in the world.

 If you would like to join in the positive, peace-building activities of the Bahá’í community, including classes, prayers and study circles, please see the contact information below.