Tell me what you know about the Baha'i Faith.?

Question

I know I can look on a website and find out the definition etc. I guess I just want to hear about it and what it means to someone of that faith or from someone who has looked into different religions.
Thanks

Answer 1

I am a Baha'i, it is the fulfillment of the prophecies of all the world's religions. Really!

I don't know how much you know about the Baha'i Faith, so if these things are rhetoric, forgive me.

The Baha'i Faith is an independent religion and the youngest religion. Just as Christianity began in a Jewish backdrop but is independent from Judaism, the Baha'i Faith began in a Muslim backdrop but is independent from Islam. It is not a branch of Islam, but rather its own religion. We have our own scripture, calendar, holy days, prayers, and Messenger of God.

Baha'is believe in:
ONE God, one almighty, all-knowing, all-seeing God. There is no trinity in the Baha'i Faith. No one else is God but God.

UNITY!!! That is the central theme of the Baha'i Faith. We believe that there is one race, the human race. Doesn't mean we deny the existence of Black, White, Asian, etc, of course not. However, all are human beings, created in God's image, created beautiful. This we call UNITY IN DIVERSITY.


ISLAM
What is Islam? There are two major meanings of Islam. It's true that in the Qur'an (and Baha'is accept the Qur'an as the holy word of God) that the only religion acceptable to God is Islam. Oh? Then why are we still Baha'is?

First meaning of Islam
Islam is the religious dispensation given to man through Muhammad (pbuh). It's changed over time, as every religion does, but this religious dispensation is called Islam. Its followers are called Muslims.

Second meaning of Islam
Islam is the religion of the submission to the will of God. That's it. Someone who practices Islam is a Muslim. A Muslim is a person who practices the religion of submission to the will of God. In the Qur'an, Abraham and Moses and Jesus were called Muslims. But wait a minute? Abraham and Moses and Jesus existed long before Muhammad, so how can they be Muslims? They are Muslims because they practiced and promulgated and guided people to the religion of the submission to the will of God. ALL religions of God are Islam, until the next Messenger came along. "Islam" has a more universal definition than the first meaning, it's more than the religion brought through Muhammad. Yes it is the Muhammadan dispensation, but it's also more.

The Baha'is believe that Baha'u'llah is the Messenger for today, and since we follow him, then we are the Muslims of today. This does not contradict what the Qur'an says, because the only religion acceptable to God is the religion that teaches submission to His will.


INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION OF TRUTH
I admire you for searching, really I do. We are each responsible for our own spiritual development. What others say, whether at the pulpit, in the home, on tv, in radio, etc, is of course an influence, but we're supposed to research truth for ourselves. As in Islam, the Baha'i Faith advises its followers not to merely follow in the traditions of the conventional, but to seek the truth for themselves. The Baha'i Faith has no clergy, there is no priest telling us what the scriptures say. We are responsible for reading the scriptures ourselves. We can ask questions, but ultimately, the answers are found in the scriptures prayerfully.

In many cases, people don't bother opening scriptures, they just listen to what the clergy says and they accept it without seeking further. Baha'is know that we as human beings are more responsible than that for spiritual cultivation.

All seekers are called to wipe away their minds of preconceived ideas, to become "as children" as Christ said. Sometimes the obvious is in front of us, and we're so blinded by tradition that we never see it.


UNITY OF RELIGION
We believe in unity of religion very much, that all of God's religions are ONE RELIGION Every religion teaches the same Golden Rule. You can cross-reference the Bible, Qur'an, Bhagavad Gita, Baha'i Scriptures all day long. There are so many spiritual similarities, because the spiritual teachings never change. IE: honor your parents, know and love and obey God, be kind to animals, don't lie, don't steal, always tell the truth (there's no such thing as a white lie), do unto others as you would have them do unto you, etc. What changes are the outward things... sabbath day, calendar, holidays, ritual, dress code (if any), food restrictions (if any), etc. These things are secondary, but God prescribes what humanity needs FOR THAT TIME.


PROGRESSIVE REVELATION
God has never abandoned us, He has always sent a Messenger to humanity to be the link between us and Him. There are countless Messengers that have come to us throughout time, some of which are: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Zarathustra, Buddha, Krishna, Jesus, Muhammad, The Bab, and now Baha'u'llah (pbut), the Messenger of this day. Each Messenger has brought a new religious dispensation. With each Messenger, mankind received God's word (scripture), a calendar, new holidays, new "rules" (like not eating pork for Jews and Muslims, for example), etc. The Messenger is the Great Physician, prescribing what humanity needs at that time. Baha'is call them Manifestations of God. These Manifestations are not God, but they are the link between God and man. We need Manifestations, because people cannot encounter God alone. We cannot fathom God, He is unknowable, He is too great for us to fully comprehend, so He sends us His Messengers so that we may KNOW HIM AND WORSHIP HIM, which is our life's purpose.


UNIVERSAL AUXILIARY LANGUAGE
We believe that throughout the world, there will become one universal language, either in existence or one that will become developed, that everyone all over the globe will learn. We can speak our own languages, but if let's say you travel to another country, you will be able to communicate with everyone.


UNIVERSAL EDUCATION
This is SO KEY to our Faith! We believe that everyone should become educated, and if in the case of a lack of resources that parents are forced to choose between their girl children and boy children to have educated, they choose the girls. Why? Because girls will become mothers, and mothers are the first teachers. They be educated.

The Baha'i Faith has organized countless learning centers around the globe. In many assemblies, there are educational centers in many countries. The Phillippines, Kenya, El Salvador, Mexico, countless others.


EQUALITY OF WOMEN AND MEN
In the Baha'i Faith, women and men are equal in the eyes of God. We believe in the emancipation of women, and in their full rights as human beings. Inequality retards not only the advancement of women, but of civilization itself. We are not required to obey husbands, women are respected and cherished. The only restriction is that women cannot be in combat, or have any occupation that requires the taking of life (like an executioner, as an extreme example). Women are life-giving creatures, so it's like choosing between two evils... if we have to choose someone to take a life (let's say in war), better men than women to do that. The station of woman is SO LOFTY because they are life-giving creatures, that taking a life is way beneath them. Not saying that men are life-taking creatures, but it's the better of the two.

Women and men are like two wings of a dove. There are not two right wings, nor two left wings. There are one right and one left wing. They are different, but equal. They must both be equally strong for the bird to fly.


PRAYER AND MEDITATION
We are required to recite the scriptures in the morning and in the evening. We also say one Obligatory Prayer each day. There are three to pick from, each with its own time frame, and each has equal weight.

As Muslims have their pilgrimage to Mecca that they call hajj, the Baha'is have a pilgrimage to Haifa, Israel. We register, and when our turn comes, we go to the tombs of The Bab and Baha'u'llah, and I believe we also go to the Universal House of Justice. I'm not too clear on what is done during the pilgrimage, so don't take this as gospel truth. I've not been a Baha'i all my life, so I haven't yet read about what specifically goes on. I don't worry about it, I'll find out at the appropriate time.


BIBLICAL PROPHECY
The Baha'i Faith fulfills Biblical prophecy TIME AND TIME AGAIN!!! For more on that, read "I Shall Come Again" by Hushidar Motlagh, and "Thief In The Night" by William Sears. I've also provided a link to see prophecy fulfilled.

As scripture, we accept the Baha'i Holy Writings, the Bible, and the Qur'an as holy word of God.


THEY SHALL BE KNOWN BY THEIR FRUITS
Good trees bear good fruits. Unhealthy trees bear unhealthy fruits, if any. The Baha'i Faith is involved in many many humanitarian efforts, and is also closely linked to the United Nations. Did you know that back in the day, before the UN, there was the Good Deal originated by Franklin Delano Roosevelt? This was the precursor to the UN. Eleanor Roosevelt was a Baha'i, but FDR wasn't. The only reason he wasn't was because he would have had to give up his place in office, as Baha'is are forbidden from participating in partisan politics. Otherwise, he would have joined. Yes, the Baha'i Faith is deeply concerned with issues as world poverty, the environment, medicine, human rights, civil rights, rights of women, etc.

Tidbit: We have no dietary restrictions, so pork is fine to eat. We are, however, forbidden from ingesting any and all intoxicants, unless it is prescribed by a physician. This means we do not drink alcohol. Smoking is not banned, but highly discouraged.

There's SO MUCH MORE to the Baha'i Faith, but I can't possibly write it all down here. The absolute BEST place to look is the official Baha'i Faith website. That is the first link below. Another excellent place to look is Planet Baha'i, which is the second link.

If you have questions at all, please email me. I will reply with swiftness. I am so happy that you are seeking which faith to go to, because it means that God is important to you enough to do active searching. I love this, it's so admirable! Most don't bother, but you have taken on this responsibility for yourself, and with God's guidance, inshaallah, you will find the place where He wants you to be.

Answer 2

I think Brad gave the best short answer so far.. and Brook brought back some wonderful memories -- I was in Panama for the international conference when that Baha'i House of Worship was dedicated. I still have a broken tile I picked up from the ground as a souvenir...... and some incredible memories!

I am a Baha'i. I was raised a Christian, but encountered the Baha'i Faith when I was in high school. We believe in progressive revelation - that God has never left us alone, but has always sent Messengers to teach us how to live and find our way to God. These Messengers were sent to different places at different times and their social teachings (such as "don't eat pork") differed, but more basic ones (such as the Golden Rule) didn't. Baha'u'llah teaches that men and women are equal, like two wings of one bird, and that both must be strong for the bird that is humanity to soar.

I have taken several classes in World Religions and studied other religions just because I find them interesting. I find other cultures interesting and religion is usually a big part of any culture.
I am an American, but because I am a Baha'i, I know a fair amount about Iran -- its history and its people -- because the Baha'i Faith originated there. I was raised a Christian, but have learned a lot about Islam because many of Baha'u'llah's Writings reference the Qur'an.

I'm not sure exactly what you want to know. You can email me or visit the website below -- whatever you prefer. As to what it means to me --it has given me friends, a community, a view of the world and an appreciation for Persian food (there are a lot of Persian Baha'is everywhere!). But most of all, it has given me the Writings and Prayers of Baha'u'llah, the Bab and Abdu'l-Baha. Those prayers have gotten me through some very tough times-- and given me words to help celebrate some happy ones, too! And no matter how many times I read the Kitab-i-Iqan, I always find something that speaks to my heart. It is a well that never empties... (it's late...I'm waxing poetic...I'll stop now)

Answer 3

I was raised a Baha'i, left the faith for a time, and found my way back.
I suppose I didn't really leave as much as went seeking.

I liked brad's short answer. fit rather well.

What always stuck out in my mind about the Baha'i faith is the individual search for truth.
Closely followed by the belief that science and religion go hand in hand.

There are the three Onesess:
Oneness of God
Oneness of Man
Oneness of Religion.

Oh, I was never good at answering these things in writing.

www.bahai.org
very good site.

The Chronicler

Answer 4

Hi

I learned about the Baha'i faith when I visited Panama a few years ago. I was with a group sightseeing and there was this really cool building on a hill so we were curious and went up there. Our guide was bilingual and he talked with a lady there. What I got out of the conversation was that they pretty much believe that all roads, all religion, leads to God. Just each religion has a different way of approaching or worshipping God. Basically they belive that Buddah, Mohammad, Christ (there was like 7 mentioned through different time eras, I'm sorry but i dont remember them all) that was God manifested in that time era. I am a Christian and this was contradictory to what I believe. I believe as the Bible says in many places that There is only one door or one way to God and that is through Jesus Christ. I believe that if a person is sincerely wanting God that you can pray (anywhere, car or house. etc.) to Him and ask Him, "Show me who you are" Then if they are truly sincere then God will lead you to Himself.

Answer 5

I decided against it when I talked with several Baha'is who assured me that if there were ever a conflict between science and their religion, they'd reject the science.

That seemed odd to me because Baha'ism is supposed to be open to science.

I noticed that KuteKymmee said she feels Baha'is are very liberal. She might be interested to know that official Baha'ism is quite homophobic. That's something else that struck me as strange about it.

Answer 6

Baha'ism teaches that all the world’s major religions are “progressive revelations” from God, each designed for its particular historical era. They believe that Krishna, Zoroaster, Buddha, Confucius, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed were all prophets or manifestations of God for their time. However, it is Baha’u’llah, the founder of Baha’i faith, who is the most recent manifestation of God and the one who should now be revered and obeyed.

Answer 7

Its very open and liberal. They believe every person should find their own path to spiritual happiness, and that path can take many different foms for each person.

Answer 8

Aren't they the ones that are in the airports passing out flowers? Or no...

Answer 9

They worship all gods to be on the safe side.