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BAHÁ’Í FAITH
Although the Bahá’í faith has its roots in
Bábism, a Muslim denomination, it is a separate
religion. The Bahá’í Faith began in 1844 in Persia
(present-day Iran) when a prophet called the Bab
proclaimed to the world that he had a mission from God. He
was to prepare the way for the coming of one who would unite
the people of the world and lead them into an age of peace
for all.
A follower of the Prophet Bab named Mirza Hosyn Ali Nuri
(1817–1892) carried the religion forward. He was known as Bahá’u’lláh
(Arabic for “Glory of God”) and is regarded by Bahá’ís as the most recent in the line of divine messengers
of God that includes Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster,
Christ and Mohammed.
Bahá’u’lláh taught that there is one God “who is
unknowable and indescribable and whose successive
revelations of His will to humanity have been the chief
civilizing forces in history. The common purpose of His
Divine Messengers has been to bring the human race to
spiritual and moral maturity.Teachings center on the unity of humanity, the harmony of
religion and science, the equality of men and women, and universal
peace. Its central theme is that humanity is one single race and
that the day has come for humanity’s unification in one global
society.
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Ye are the fruits of one tree,
and the leaves of one branch.
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BAHÁ’Í
CELEBRATIONS AND OBSERVANCES
BAHÁ’Í SYMBOL |
Bahá’ís follow the moral code of the Ten Commandments.
In addition to those moral laws, the faith specifically forbids
lying, promiscuity, gambling, consumption of alcohol, drug abuse,
gossip and backbiting.
There are no sacraments, though matrimony is considered a
holy state. The institution of marriage is considered the foundation
of human society. Marriage requires the consent of both parties.
Couples must remain chaste before marriage and be faithful to each
other after marriage.
There is no priesthood or clergy as such. Nine elected members of
the community form the Local Spiritual Assembly for the area. While
responsible for promoting the faith, the assembly has largely
administrative duties and serves as liaison with the National
Spiritual Assembly.
Devotional programs are simple, consisting of prayers,
meditations, and the reading of selections from the sacred
Scriptures of the Bahá’í Faith and other world religions.
Unaccompanied choirs provide music.
The choice of clothing and the cut of the beard and its dressing
are left to the discretion of men, though modesty is
emphasized. Women have equality with men and dress according to their
own discretion.
To recruit new members, evangelism is generally carried out
through advertising and the personal intervention of individual
believers.
Bahá’ís believe in an afterlife and therefore treat the body with
great respect after death. Routine Last Rites are appropriate,
however, Cremation is not permitted. Burial should take place within
an hour’s journey of the place of death.
They believe that the world is gradually evolving toward a full
realization of essential unity, and, as grateful followers of
Baha'u'llah's teaching they seek to participate in the spiritual
growth of the world by:
- Eliminating all kinds of prejudice
- Promoting the equality of woman and man in all aspects of
human society
- Advocating the unity of truth, so that scientific and
religious truths are in harmony
- Working for compulsory education for all children throughout
the world
- Working for peace through world governance
- Seeking to eliminate the extremes of wealth and poverty
- Promoting free and independent investigation of truth by
every individual (adapted from the official
web site of Baha'i faith).
Baha'is recognize that in spite of these high ideals for
humanity, people can by their free will turn from what is best and
permit their undisciplined physical passions to hinder their
spiritual progress. But God is both just and merciful, ready to
forgive those who turn from their misdeeds.
As believers perfect their spiritual path by following the
teachings of their founder and by works of goodness, they prepare
for the time of death where the soul will be separated from the body
and will continue its course of spiritual perfection.
In Haifa, Israel, a domed structure faced with Grecian-styled
columns houses the Universal House of Justice, a nine-member council
charged with the oversight of Baha'i communities in the whole world.
Many people make pilgrimages to Haifa because it was near there that
Baha'u'llah died in 1892.
Blessed is the spot, and the
house,
and the place, and the city,
and the heart, and the mountain,
and the refuge, and the cave,
and the valley, and the land,
and the sea, and the island,
and the meadow where mention
of God hath been made,
and His praise glorified.
Baha'u'llah
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