Who Are The Bahá'ís?

The Bahá'í Faith has been an active part of religious and social life in America since the late 1800's. We are a recognized advocate for spiritual solutions on issues such as racial prejudice, gender equality, and religious intolerance. We are part of a worldwide religious community united by our belief that there is one God, one human race, and one evolving religion. We welcome you to investigate our faith by exploring this Web site, and contact us to ask questions and to locate the Bahá'ís near you.

A New Name

Founded in the mid-nineteenth century, the Bahá'í Faith has spread to some 232 nations and territories and is now accepted by more than five million people. The Word Bahá'í means "follower of Bahá'u'lláh." Bahá'u'lláh was the Prophet-Founder of the Bahá'í Faith. His name in Arabic means "The Glory of God." His followers believe that Bahá'u'lláh's writings are an expression of the Holy Spirit and are the Word of God.

Accelerated Growth

Like Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and other great religions, the Bahá'í Faith began in the East. But the Bahá'í teachings are not Eastern or Western; they are universal, revealed for all the people of the planet. The Bahá'í Faith has spread throughout the world, gaining adherents from every nation, race, culture and class. More than 2,100 tribes, races and ethnic groups are represented in the Bahá'í world community. Bahá'u'lláh's writings are translated into 800 languages.

Idealistic and Practical

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

The Purpose of Human Life

We were created by God, Who "chose to confer upon man the unique distinction and capacity to know Him and to love Him--a capacity that must...be regarded as the...primary purpose underlying the whole of creation." Our true nature is spiritual, and each person has the potential to reflect God's attributes. Through the capacity to know and to love God, we are enabled to develop the spiritual qualities that reflect our true selves. Among these are justice, compassion, loving kindness, and forgiveness.

All human beings, Bahá'u'lláh teaches, are endowed with an immortal soul. The purpose of life in this world is to develop the spiritual qualities necessary for happiness in the world to come.

Bahá'u'lláh compares this process of development to the development of a child in its mother's womb. An unborn child must develop the physical means for survival and progress in this life. In like manner, this life allows us to develop the qualities of spirit that will ensure our progress in the next life. Because spiritual virtues, such as knowledge, love, and mercy, are endless and without limit, our progress is also eternal.

Service to Humanity

The most effective way for an individual to ensure personal spiritual growth, as well as to contribute to the progress of civilization, is to develop and use his or her talents and powers in service to humanity.

For a Bahá'í the highest achievement in life is to do good for our fellow human beings. Bahá'u'lláh taught that work, when performed in the spirit of service, is equivalent to the worship of God.

Wherever you find Bahá'ís and Bahá'í communities, you will encounter people who strive to serve the high purpose of unifying humankind and establishing justice and prosperity for all. For Bahá'u'lláh teaches that "the essence of faith is fewness of words and abundance of deeds."

A Spiritual Approach to Change

Throughout history, religion has been the most powerful agent for changing human attitudes and behavior. Religion has traditionally defined what it means to be human and the nature of our goals and relationships. 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. They emphasize uplifting the status of women and of minority populations that have experienced discrimination. The principle of consultation is fundamental in all Bahá'í activities. The result is 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 material resources. Most Bahá'í social and economic development projects are small in scale and local in scope. They have a high rate of success in producing positive and lasting change.

God is the Creator

God is the Creator of the universe and is infinitely exalted above creation. Human beings do not have the capacity fully to understand God's unknowable essence.

God is not limited by any of the laws or relationships that we experience in our reality. We can see the signs of God's powers and qualities in creation in the same way that we can see the signs of the thoughts and ideas of a painter in a painting. But the painter, like God, is not limited to or defined solely by his or her creations. Neither is God limited in any way by the qualities of the creation.

Human beings were created to know and love God. Because the Divine reality is too great for our comprehension, God sends Divine Messengers, or Prophets to bring the knowledge of God to the world.

Bahá'u'lláh: Inspired by the Holy Spirit

Bahá'u'lláh is the most recent in a succession of Messengers that includes Moses, Christ, Mohammed and others. Bahá'ís believe Bahá'u'lláh was inspired by the Holy Spirit to reveal the Word of God in many volumes of sacred writings.

A True Religion and not a Sect

The Bahá'í Faith is not a sect or denomination of another religion, nor is it a cult or a social movement. It is not based on a mixture or selection of teachings from past religious revelations. Rather it is founded on new books of divine scripture revealed by Bahá'u'lláh.

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. The sacred writings of the Bahá'í Faith describe our purpose in this way:

"This is the Day in which God's most excellent favors have been poured out upon men, the Day in which His most mighty grace hath been infused into all created things. It is incumbent upon all the peoples of the world to reconcile their differences, and, with perfect unity and peace, abide beneath the shadow of the Tree of His care and loving-kindness. It behoveth them to cleave to whatsoever will, in this Day, be conducive to the exaltation of their stations, and to the promotion of their best interests...Soon will the present-day order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead."

Religion: One Never Ending Process

Bahá'u'lláh teaches that God has sent Prophets to help advance human society as well as to provide for the spiritual growth of individuals. Together, these successive appearances of divinely inspired Messengers are part of one overall plan.

Bahá'ís see the process of divine revelation as a continuum, without beginning or end. All religions are chapters in one great unfolding religion of God.

Progressive Revelation

This evolution of God's religion "progressive revelation," because each Prophet brings new spiritual laws and teachings that enable humankind to progress to the next stage of social and spiritual insight.

A helpful analogy is that of the child attending school. The child progresses from one grade to the next, at each level receiving instruction from a different teacher. The depth of the lessons is not dependent on the knowledge of the teacher. Rather, the lessons become more complex as the child grows in maturity and knowledge. The teacher offers the child only what he or she can handle at each level of development. Each successive teacher reinforces what the child has learned from previous teachers and also adds more.

The same is true of the Prophets. In fact, Bahá'u'lláh refers to them as "Divine Educators".

All Prophets Speak with the Voice of God

God has ordained, in the words of Bahá'u'lláh, "that in every age and dispensation a pure and stainless Soul be made manifest in the kingdoms of earth and heaven." The voice of the Prophet is "the voice of God Himself." All of the divine Messengers "are regarded as one soul and the same person," and "all abide in the same tabernacle, soar in the same heaven, are seated upon the same throne, utter the same speech, and proclaim the same Faith."

God's Light Comes through the Prophets

According to Bahá'u'lláh, the Prophets are like perfect mirrors reflecting the rays of the sun. God's light is reflected in them. This reflection, however, is not identical with the source of light. The mirror is not God.

"Manifestations of God"

Bahá'u'lláh often uses the term "Manifestation of God" in referring to these chosen Messengers, because they are the perfect embodiments of God's attributes. They show or "manifest" to us the qualities and perfections of God.

The Golden Rule Revisited

Prophets in every age have taught the ancient law of justice--the Golden Rule. The teaching that we should treat others as we ourselves want to be treated is at the heart of religious faith. Yet this standard remains a challenge, and applying it in the modern world requires new perspective.

Unity: a Spiritual Goal

The Bahá'í Faith teaches that we must extend the golden rule in this day. It should apply not only to our family or the members of our own race or nation. Rather, it should be applied to everyone in the world. To do this is to put in practice the spiritual principle of the unity of humanity. We must give up any ideas of superiority, so that we can treat all of humanity fairly, as if they are our brothers and sisters.

Prejudices are Deep-Rooted

Giving up prejudices against others is easier said than done, because many of us view our ways of thinking as an integral part of our particular culture or class. Even though we all know that we have no choice about which race, or nation or culture, or religion or sex we are born into, many of us still believe this accident of birth makes us better than other humans.

Prejudice can be Overcome

One of the key principles of the Bahá'í Faith is that we must eliminate from our minds and hearts all forms of prejudice. But how does one expunge prejudices that have grown strong--and sometimes subtle and unacknowledged--