Theological, social, and spiritual principles in the Baháʼí Faith, Elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty, harvnb error: no target: CITEREFʻAbdu'l-Bahá1981 (, harvnb error: no target: CITEREFHatcher1988 (, harvnb error: multiple targets (6×): CITEREFSmith2000 (, harvnb error: no target: CITEREFHatcherMartin1998 (, harvnb error: no target: CITEREFMeyjes2006 (, harvnb error: no target: CITEREFEsslemont1980 (, authentic teachings of several past religions, equality of all human beings regardless of gender, race, nation, colour, or social class, "Percentage of National Spiritual Assembly members who are women, 1953-2007", http://bahai-library.com/momen_marginality_apostasy, http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jrcole/bahai/1999/jssr/bhjssr.htm, Compilations of Baháʼí writings about various subjects, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Baháʼí_teachings&oldid=998600829, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 6 January 2021, at 04:18. The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Baha'i Faith. A selection of prayers from the Bahá’í Faith that are related to Teaching . The Baháʼí Faith emphasizes the unity of humanity transcending all divisions of race, nation, gender, caste, and social class, while celebrating its diversity. Baha’u’llah, Founder of the Baha’i Faith, is the most recent Messenger from God. Bahá'í Teachings, Aspects of by / on behalf of Universal House of Justice 1997-08-06. Since the inception of the Bahá’í Faith in the Nineteenth Century, a growing number of people have found in the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh a compelling vision of a better world. Wondering what Baha'is believe? For more information, please visit: http://www.bahai.us/ Baháʼu'lláh wrote: Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Cloud9 features interviews with artists from around the globe to learn about what inspired them to make a positive contribution to the world. [31] There is a distinction between a Greater Covenant which is made between every messenger from God and his followers concerning the next dispensation, and a Lesser Covenant that concerns successorship of authority within the religion after the messenger dies. [43] The Baháʼí teachings also state that having an international auxiliary language would remove the pressure from the natural aggrandizement of majority language groups and thus preserve minority languages, since each person would keep their own mother-tongue, and thus minority cultures. This podcast interviews Baha’is throughout the United States who are actively building racial unity through building community. Autoxloo mobile The Heart of the Baha’i Teachings application allows users to read genuine Baha’i writings in the English translation. the All-Powerful, or the All-Loving), and there is a substantial emphasis on monotheism. The central teaching of Bahá’u’lláh is the principle of the oneness and wholeness of the human race. Shoghi Effendi, the appointed head of the religion from 1921–1957, wrote the following summary of what he considered to be the distinguishing principles of Baháʼu'lláh's teachings, which, he said, together with the laws and ordinances of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas constitute the bed-rock of the Baháʼí Faith: The independent search after truth, unfettered by superstition or tradition; the oneness of the entire human race, the pivotal principle and fundamental doctrine of the Faith; the basic unity of all religions; the condemnation of all forms of prejudice, whether religious, racial, class or national; the harmony which must exist between religion and science; the equality of men and women, the two wings on which the bird of human kind is able to soar; the introduction of compulsory education; the adoption of a universal auxiliary language; the abolition of the extremes of wealth and poverty; the institution of a world tribunal for the adjudication of disputes between nations; the exaltation of work, performed in the spirit of service, to the rank of worship; the glorification of justice as the ruling principle in human society, and of religion as a bulwark for the protection of all peoples and nations; and the establishment of a permanent and universal peace as the supreme goal of all mankind—these stand out as the essential elements [which Baháʼu'lláh proclaimed]. Get in touch with the Baha’is in your community. In the Baháʼí understanding, the attributes attributed to God, such as All-Powerful and All-Loving are derived from limited human experiences of power and love. Baháʼu'lláh mentioned in the Kitáb-i-Íqán that God will renew the "City of God" about every thousand years, and specifically mentioned that a new Manifestation of God would not appear within 1000 years of Baháʼu'lláh's message.[29]. It is the time when humankind can and will be united and build a peaceful, global society. [35] Men and women are seen as having different strength and abilities that enable them to better fill different roles. [45] The Baháʼí teachings state that cultural heterogeneity is compatible with unity, and that at the present time in the history of humankind, the Baháʼí teaching of unity requires the embracing of cultural diversity since humanity is enriched by the various cultures throughout the world. He also stressed the importance of secular education in that one's work and vocation is socially important. The Baháʼí teachings represent a considerable number of theological, ethical, social, and spiritual ideas that were established in the Baháʼí Faith by Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the religion, and clarified by its successive leaders: ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, Baháʼu'lláh's son, and Shoghi Effendi, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's grandson. They are derived from transcripts of speeches given by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá during his tour of Europe and North America in 1912. [51], The teachings of the Baháʼí Faith state that it is necessary to eliminate the extremes of wealth and poverty. The differences, instead of being regarded as irreconcilable constructs of mutually exclusive cultures, are seen as purposefully reflective of the varying needs of the societies in which the divine messages were revealed. Whoso recognizeth them hath recognized God. [52], The Bahá'í writings contain many references to spiritual qualities and values that individuals should strive to develop. [64] It is split into two parts, the elected and the appointed. [1][2][3], The most prominent and distinctive principles in the Baháʼí teachings are love and unity, which are exemplified by the Golden rule, and the many social principles.[2][4]. The Bahá’í Faith’s central beliefs have been organized on this site into a number of thematic areas. John Hatcher | Jan 19, 2021, Hugh Locke | Jan 19, 2021, Masud Olufani | Jan 18, 2021, David Langness | Jan 17, 2021, Baha'i World News Service | Jan 17, 2021, Baha'i World News Service | Jan 16, 2021, Tom Tai-Seale | Jan 16, 2021, John Hatcher | Jan 15, 2021, Makeena Rivers | Jan 13, 2021, From the Editors | Jan 12, 2021, Radiance Talley | Jan 12, 2021, Marilyn Waite | Jan 12, 2021, David Langness | Jan 11, 2021, Radiance Talley | Jan 11, 2021, Baha'i World News Service | Jan 10, 2021, Abdu'l-Missagh Ghadirian | Jan 10, 2021, Radiance Talley | Jan 9, 2021, Sign up for our newsletter and get all our latest content, © 2021 BahaiTeachings.org All Rights Reserved. The Baháʼí writings state that human beings have a "rational soul", and that this provides the species with a unique capacity to recognize God's station and humanity's relationship with its creator. "To be a Bahá’í simply means to love all the world; to love humanity and try to serve it; to work for universal peace and universal brotherhood." This knowledge of the attributes is also proportioned to the capacity and power of man; it is not absolute. The Baháʼí teachings state that while ethnic and cultural diversity will continue to exist, humanity's first allegiance will be with the human race rather than any subsidiary group such as race, nation, or ethnic group. The teachings of Baháʼu'lláh form the foundation of Baháʼí belief. The official website of the Baha'i Faith is: The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Baha'i Faith. [31], The lesser covenant is a covenant that concerns the recognition of the messenger, acceptance and application of his teachings and laws made regarding the successorship of authority within the religion. [27] He also used an analogy of the world as the human body, and revelation as a robe of "justice and wisdom". While the Baháʼí teachings assert the full spiritual and social equality of women to men, there are some aspects of gender distinctiveness or gender differentiation in certain areas of life. For reference to a particular belief, please reference our articles dealing with specific beliefs within the Baha’i faith. Thus there are certain teachings that give preference to men in some limited circumstances and some that give preference to women. Now you can enjoy all the books in one application and you don’t need to search for a particular book or a prayer in the Internet. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship. Baháʼu'lláh wrote that the spiritual capacities of each individual could not be achieved without spiritual education, and thus children needed to have spiritual/religious education from an early stage. 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