What do Baha'is believe and what do they do?
"... Bahá’ís across the globe, in the most unassuming settings, are striving to establish a pattern of activity and the corresponding administrative structures that embody the principle of the oneness of humankind and the convictions underpinning it, only a few of which are mentioned here as a means of illustration:
Source: 2013 0302 Letter to the Baha'is of the World - Baha'i Universal House of Justice, Haifa, Israel
"... Bahá’ís across the globe, in the most unassuming settings, are striving to establish a pattern of activity and the corresponding administrative structures that embody the principle of the oneness of humankind and the convictions underpinning it, only a few of which are mentioned here as a means of illustration:
- that the rational soul has no gender, race, ethnicity or class, a fact that renders intolerable all forms of prejudice, not the least of which are those that prevent women from fulfilling their potential and engaging in various fields of endeavour shoulder to shoulder with men;
- that the root cause of prejudice is ignorance, which can be erased through educational processes that make knowledge accessible to the entire human race, ensuring it does not become the property of a privileged few;
- that science and religion are two complementary systems of knowledge and practice by which human beings come to understand the world around them and through which civilization advances;
- that religion without science soon degenerates into superstition and fanaticism, while science without religion becomes the tool of crude materialism;
- that true prosperity, the fruit of a dynamic coherence between the material and spiritual requirements of life, will recede further and further out of reach as long as consumerism continues to act as opium to the human soul;
- that justice, as a faculty of the soul, enables the individual to distinguish truth from falsehood and guides the investigation of reality, so essential if superstitious beliefs and outworn traditions that impede unity are to be eliminated; that, when appropriately brought to bear on social issues, justice is the single most important instrument for the establishment of unity;
- that work performed in the spirit of service to one’s fellow human beings is a form of prayer, a means of worshipping God.
Source: 2013 0302 Letter to the Baha'is of the World - Baha'i Universal House of Justice, Haifa, Israel
A Message on Racial Prejudice From
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States
"The Bahá’ís of the United States join our fellow-citizens in heartfelt grief at the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others whose lives were suddenly taken by appalling acts of violence. These heartbreaking violations against fellow human beings, due only to the color of their skin, have deepened the dismay caused by a pandemic whose consequences to the health and livelihoods of people of color have been disproportionately severe. This has come to pass against a backdrop of longstanding racial injustice in virtually every aspect of American life. It is clear that racial prejudice is the most vital and challenging issue we face as a country. ...
To read the entire message, please click here
For more on the Baha'i view of Racism and Racial Equality, go the Race Amity tab on this website.
To read the entire message, please click here
For more on the Baha'i view of Racism and Racial Equality, go the Race Amity tab on this website.
The Baha'is of Chattanooga
welcome you
"This is the changeless faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future." - Baha'u'llah
Due to the COVID pandemic the Chattanooga Baha'i Center is closed until further notice.
One Human Family
The conviction that we belong to one human family is at the heart of the Bahá’í Faith. The principle of the oneness of humankind is “the pivot round which all the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh revolve”.
Bahá’u’lláh, according to Baha'i belief, is the divine teacher and revealor of religious truth for this age and founder of the Baha'i Faith, compared the world of humanity to the human body. Within the human, billions of cells, diverse in form and function, play their part in maintaining a healthy system. The principle that governs the functioning of the body is cooperation and synergy. Its various parts do not compete for resources; rather, each cell, from its inception, is linked to a continuous process of giving and receiving. The parts cooperating as a whole advances a new creation. Acceptance of the oneness of humanity demands that prejudice—whether racial, religious, or gender related—must be totally eliminated.
“There is perfect brotherhood underlying humanity, for all are servants of one God and belong to one family under the protection of divine providence.”
Go here to read more on the essential oneness of humanity
The conviction that we belong to one human family is at the heart of the Bahá’í Faith. The principle of the oneness of humankind is “the pivot round which all the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh revolve”.
Bahá’u’lláh, according to Baha'i belief, is the divine teacher and revealor of religious truth for this age and founder of the Baha'i Faith, compared the world of humanity to the human body. Within the human, billions of cells, diverse in form and function, play their part in maintaining a healthy system. The principle that governs the functioning of the body is cooperation and synergy. Its various parts do not compete for resources; rather, each cell, from its inception, is linked to a continuous process of giving and receiving. The parts cooperating as a whole advances a new creation. Acceptance of the oneness of humanity demands that prejudice—whether racial, religious, or gender related—must be totally eliminated.
“There is perfect brotherhood underlying humanity, for all are servants of one God and belong to one family under the protection of divine providence.”
Go here to read more on the essential oneness of humanity
