Baha'i Faith
The Bahá'à faithâs founder was Baháâuâlláh, a Persian nobleman from Tehran who, in the mid-nineteenth century, left a life of princely comfort and security and, in the face of intense persecution and deprivation, brought to humanity a new message of peace and unity.
Baháâuâlláh claimed to be nothing less than a new prophet of God. BaháâÃs believe that his life, work, and influence parallel that of Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, the Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad. BaháâÃs view Baháâuâlláh as the most recent in this succession of divine Messengers.
The essential message of Baháâuâlláh is that of unity. He taught that there is only one God, that there is only one human race, and that all the worldâs religions represent stages in the revelation of Godâs will and purpose for humanity. In this day, Baháâuâlláh said, humanity has collectively come of age. The Bahá'à believe the time has come for the unification of all people into a peaceful and integrated global society.
In the years since Baháâuâlláh lived, the unification that he preached has not come, but the Bahais see strong steps in that direction. According to the Bahai view, the traditional barriers of race, class, creed, and nation have steadily broken down. The forces at work, Baháâuâlláh predicted, will eventually give birth to a universal civilization. The principal challenge facing the peoples of the earth is to accept the fact of their oneness and assist in the creation of this new world.
For a global society to flourish, Baháâuâlláh said, it must be based on certain fundamental principles. They include the elimination of all forms of prejudice; full equality between the sexes; unity of the worldâs major religions; the elimination of extremes of poverty and wealth; education for all; the harmonization of science and religion; a sustainable balance between nature and technology; and the establishment of a worldwide government, based on collective security and the unity of humanity.
Today, there are 5 million Bahai adherents.[1]