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The Bahá'í teachings represent a considerable number of theological, social, and spiritual ideas that were established in the Bahá'í Faith by its Central Figures. These, combined with the authentic teachings of several past religions, including Islam and Christianity, are regarded by Bahá'ís as teachings revealed by God.

Summary

The most prominent and distinctive principles in the Bahá'í teachings are Love and Unity, which are exemplified by the Golden rule, the three Onenesses, and the many social principles.

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 Bahá'u'lláh's teachings, which, he said, together with the laws and ordinances of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas constitute the bed-rock of the Bahá'í 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 Bahá'u'lláh proclaimed]."

(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 281)

Three onenesses

The three onenesses are three core assertions central in the teachings of the Bahá'í Faith. They are the Oneness of God, the Oneness of Religion and the The Oneness of Humanity. They are also referred to as the unity of God, unity of religion, and unity of mankind. The Bahá'í writings state that there is a single, all powerful God, revealing His message through a series of divine messengers or educators, regarding them as one progressively revealed religion, to one single humanity, who all possess a rational soul and only differ according to colour and culture. This idea is fundamental not only to explaining Bahá'í beliefs, but explaining the attitude Bahá'ís have towards other religions, which they regard as divinely inspired. The acceptance of every race and culture in the world has brought Bahá'í demographics an incredible diversity, becoming the second most widespread Faith in the world, and translating its literature into over 800 languages.

The oneness of God

Bahá'ís believe that there is one supernatural being, God, who has created all the creatures and forces in the universe; God is omnipotent, omniscient, and perfect; and that although people have different concepts of God and His nature, and call Him by different names, everyone is speaking of the same one Being. Bahá'u'lláh writes on this subject:

“ All-praise to the unity of God, and all-honour to Him, the sovereign Lord, the incomparable and all-glorious Ruler of the universe, Who, out of utter nothingness, hath created the reality of all things, Who, from naught, hath brought into being the most refined and subtle elements of His creation, and Who, rescuing His creatures from the abasement of remoteness and the perils of ultimate extinction, hath received them into His kingdom of incorruptible glory. Nothing short of His all-encompassing grace, His all-pervading mercy, could have possibly achieved it. ”

The Bahá'í teachings state that God is too great for humans to fully understand Him or to create an image of Him. Even the attributes that Bahá'ís attribute to Him such as the All-Powerful, and the All-Loving are derived from limited human experiences of power, love, or justice. Bahá'u'lláh teaches that knowledge of God is limited to those attributes and qualities which are perceptible to us, and thus direct knowledge of God is not possible. Furthermore Bahá'u'lláh states that the knowledge of the attributes of God is revealed to humanity through the messengers he sends to humanity.

“ So perfect and comprehensive is His creation that no mind or heart, however keen or pure, can ever grasp the nature of the most insignificant of His creatures; much less fathom the mystery of Him Who is the Day Star of Truth, Who is the invisible and unknowable Essence... ”

“ As our knowledge of things, even of created and limited things, is knowledge of their qualities and not of their essence, how is it possible to comprehend in its essence the Divine Reality, which is unlimited? ... Knowing God, therefore, means the comprehension and the knowledge of His attributes, and not of His Reality. This knowledge of the attributes is also proportioned to the capacity and power of man; it is not absolute. ”

At the same time the Bahá'í teachings talk about a personal God who is a personal being with a personality, including the capacity to reason and feel love; the Bahá'í teachings note that the idea of a personal God does not mean that God has a human or physical form. Shoghi Effendi writes:

“ What is meant by personal God is a God Who is conscious of His creation, Who has a Mind, a Will, a Purpose, and not, as many scientists and materialists believe, an unconscious and determined force operating in the universe. Such conception of the Divine Being, as the Supreme and ever present Reality in the world, is not anthropomorphic, for it transcends all human limitations and forms, and does by no means attempt to define the essence of Divinity which is obviously beyond any human comprehension. To say that God is a personal Reality does not mean that He has a physical form, or does in any way resemble a human being. To entertain such belief would be sheer blasphemy. ”

The Bahá'í teachings state that one can get closer to God through prayer, meditation, study of the holy writings, and service. `Abdu'l-Bahá writes

“ Therefore, we learn that nearness to God is possible through devotion to Him, through entrance into the Kingdom and service to humanity; it is attained by unity with mankind and through loving-kindness to all; it is dependent upon investigation of truth, acquisition of praiseworthy virtues, service in the cause of universal peace and personal sanctification. ”

The oneness of humanity

Main article: Bahá'í Faith and the unity of humanity

The Bahá'í writings teach that there is but one humanity and all people are equal in the sight of God. The Bahá'í Faith emphasizes the unity of humanity transcending all divisions of race, nation, gender, caste, and social class, while celebrating its diversity. `Abdu'l-Bahá states that the unification of mankind has now become "the paramount issue and question in the religious and political conditions of the world." The Bahá'í writings affirm the biological, political, and spiritual unity of mankind. Bahá'u'lláh wrote:

“ Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship. ”

Regarding biological unity the Bahá'í writings state that differences between various races, nations, and ethnic groups are either superficial (e.g. skin color) or the result of differences in background or "education". A basic Bahá'í teaching is "the elimination of all forms of prejudice," which refers to not only the elimination of racial prejudice but also that of other forms of prejudice such as gender discrimination.

The Bahá'í writings also proclaim a glorious future Golden Age in which the whole earth is united under a world federal government. Bahá'ís 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. There will be an end not only to war, but even to inter-group rivalry.

While the Bahá'í writings talk about the unity of the world and its peoples, unity is not equated to uniformity, but instead the Bahá'í writings affrim the value of cultural, national and individual diversity through the principle of "Unity in diversity," which states that while recognizing the unity of mankind, cultural diversity should be celebrated. Unity in diversity is commonly described in the Bahá'í writings through the analogy of flowers of one garden, where the different colours of the flowers add to the beauty of the garden.

“ It [the Faith] does not ignore, nor does it attempt to suppress, the diversity of ethnic origins, of climate, of history, of language and tradition, of thought and habit, that differentiate the peoples and nations of the world... Its watchword is unity in diversity... ”

The oneness of religion

Main article: Bahá'í Faith and the unity of religion

The Bahá'í teachings state that there is but one religion which is progressively revealed by God, through prophets/messengers, to mankind as humanity matures and its capacity to understand also grows. The outward differences in the religions, the The Bahá'í writings state, are due to the exigencies of the time and place the religion was revealed. Bahá'u'lláh claimed to be the most recent, but not the last, in a series of divine Educators which include Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, and others.

The Bahá'í writings state that the essential nature of the messengers is twofold: they are at once human and divine. They are divine in that they all come from the same God and expound His teachings, and thus they can be seen in the same light, but at the same times they are separate individuals known by a different name, who fulfills a definite mission, and is entrusted with a particular revelation. Bahá'u'lláh in many places states that denying any of the messengers of God is equivalent to denying all of them, and God Himself. In other references `Abdu'l-Bahá said that a Bahá’í will choose death over denial of any of the great Prophets, whether Moses, Muhammad or Christ. Regarding the relationships of these Educators, which Bahá'ís refer to as Manifestations of God Bahá'u'lláh writes:

“ God hath ordained the knowledge of these sanctified Beings to be identical with the knowledge of His own Self. Whoso recognizeth them hath recognized God. Whoso hearkeneth to their call, hath hearkened to the Voice of God, and whoso testifieth to the truth of their Revelation, hath testified to the truth of God Himself. Whoso turneth away from them, hath turned away from God, and whoso disbelieveth in them, hath disbelieved in God . . . They are the Manifestations of God amidst men, the evidences of His Truth, and the signs of His glory. ”

Progressive revelation

Progressive revelation is a core teaching of the Bahá'í Faith, which asserts that religion has been revealed from the same God progressively through different prophets/messengers, who at different times through history and in different locations are sent to provide the teachings of God. In this way Bahá'ís see that all true religions have the same foundation.

Bahá'ís believe God to be generally regular and periodic in revealing His will to mankind. Specifically, such revelation is seen as the foundation of religion, though God reveals himself in other ways as well. Prophetic revelation is seen as the most accurate means of access to God. Revelation is also never ceasing, according to the Bahá'í writings. This is contrary to many other belief systems which believe in a finality of their prophet.

The conditions for new revelation vary. However, a consistent theme in the Bahá'í Writings on the subject focus on the decay of earlier revelation. Such conditions may result from poor access to the original teachings, subversion by various interests, corruption of religious authority, or simply the distortion of a revelation over a long period of time. When such conditions occur, God is believed to renew religion through a new Manifestation.

Religion's social and educational effect

One key purpose of religion, says Bahá'u'lláh, is to "carry forward an ever advancing civilisation...".[2] He elsewhere says:

“ O ye children of men! The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men. Suffer it not to become a source of dissension and discord, of hate and enmity. This is the straight Path, the fixed and immovable foundation. Whatsoever is raised on this foundation, the changes and chances of the world can never impair its strength, nor will the revolution of countless centuries undermine its structure. Our hope is that the world's religious leaders and the rulers thereof will unitedly arise for the reformation of this age and the rehabilitation of its fortunes. Let them, after meditating on its needs, take counsel together and, through anxious and full deliberation, administer to a diseased and sorely-afflicted world the remedy it requireth. ”

Religion as a school

Humanity is likened to a child that grows and needs training at various stages. Religion, therefore, is likened to a school, where the pupil (humanity) goes through various courses and various grades. Arithmetic, for example, is taught before algebra; algebra before geometry; geometry before trigonometry; and so on. It would be unreasonable for a teacher who may know calculus to attempt to teach it to a student who did not know basic arithmetic and mathematical symbols. This is not a lack within the teacher, but rather a limit to the current capacity of the student.

Similarly, religion is the ongoing education of humanity. The earliest forms of religion are seen, in many of the Bahá'í writings, to be like early school. Concepts which may have been appropriate at an earlier time, then, might be quite inaccurate when one has sufficient context. Bahá'ís would not say that these earlier beliefs were wrong, since they were sufficient to the capacity of humanity at the time.

These views allow Bahá'ís to resolve many of the apparent conflicts between the differing theologies and cosmologies of the world. Each different religion may have had truth explained differently according to the needs of the recipients of the teaching. The proper attitude, the Bahá'í Faith teaches, would then be to accept the next messenger of God, in the same manner as a graduate would accept the next grade. When Bahá'ís are criticized for accepting the validity of many religions whose beliefs cannot be reconciled, they will often refer to this analogy in defense of the belief.

Religious truth is of two kinds

Bahá'ís believe that religious teachings are of two varieties: essential spiritual truth, and ephemeral social constructs. The latter may include laws of conduct, diet, institutions, ceremonies, etc. These may change dramatically from Manifestation to Manifestation. The former, however, are essential and do not change, except perhaps in their cultural presentation.

A good example of this is the prohibition on the consumption of cloven-hooved animals in Judaism, which is seen by Bahá'ís as a sound teaching necessary for public health at the time. Modern hygiene and medical knowledge has given us better abilities to ward off the parasites and other harmful aspects of such consumption, and so such restrictions are not part of the Bahá'í Faith.

So the Manifestation of God is seen as at once restoring the essential truth, returning the faithful to the correct practice. Simultaneously, the Manifestation eliminates redundant or corrupt social structures and creates such social organization as will support the improvement of mankind.

Bahá'ís see Bahá'u'lláh as the most recent teacher, the most recent Manifestation.

Types of religions and religious founders

Bahá'ís accept the founders of the "major world religions" as Manifestations of God, as well as some who are not well known, or whose religions have all but disappeared. The usual list Bahá'ís commonly refer to include: Krishna, Buddha, Zoroaster (Zarathustra), Abraham, Moses, Christ, Muhammad, the Báb, and Bahá'u'lláh. Others are referred to in Bahá'í Writings or confirmed from Islamic and other sources, including Joseph, Noah, Hud, Salih, and the founder of the "religions of the Sabeans", a religion which, according to Shoghi Effendi, was widespread in Chaldea at the time of Abraham.

Finally, Bahá'í teachings allow for the existence of dangerous and destructive religions groups which are either distortions of true faith, or "the outcome of human perversity." The Bahá'í writings and Bahá'í leadership makes no attempt to explicitly identify these, though the common understanding is that this refers to personality cults, political hijacking, subversion of legitimate religions, or money scams and the like.

With the exception of the above mentions, the Bahá'í Faith tends to stay aloof from discussions of which faith or denomination is legitimate or "closer to the truth". Given that they see Bahá'u'lláh as having offered the most recent revelation from God to mankind, such distinctions are seen as somewhat redundant, and ultimately unhelpful to the goal of uniting humanity.

Social principles

The following are some principles frequently listed as a quick summary of the Bahá'í teachings. They are derived from transcripts of speeches given by `Abdu'l-Bahá during his tour of Europe and North America in 1912.

Equality of women and men

Main article: Bahá'í Faith and gender equality

The Bahá'í Faith affirms gender equality; that men and women are equal. The equality of the sexes is seen as Bahá'ís as a spiritual and moral standard that is essential for the unification of the planet and the unfoldment of world order, and in the importance of implementing the principle in individual, family, and community life. Although men and women are equal in the Bahá'í Faith, this equality does not imply sameness. Men and women are seen as having different strength and abilities that enable them to better fill different roles. Thus there are certain teachings that give preference to men in some limited circumstances and some that give preference to women.

Harmony of religion and science

Main article: Bahá'í Faith and Science

The harmony of science and religion is a central tenet of the Bahá'í teachings. The principle states that that truth is one, and therefore true science and true religion must be in harmony, thus rejecting the view that science and religion are in conflict. `Abdu'l-Bahá asserted that science and without religion leads to materialism, and religion without science leads to superstition; he also affirmed that reasoning powers are required to understand the truths of religion. Shoghi Effendi described science and religion as "the two most potent forces in human life."

Universal compulsory education

Main article: Bahá'í Faith and education

The theme of education in the Bahá'í Faith is given quite prominent emphasis. Its literature gives a principle of universal, or compulsory education, which is identified as one of key principles alongside monotheism and the unity of humanity. The Bahá'í teachings focus on promoting a moral and spiritual education, in addition to the arts, trades, sciences and professions. The emphasis on education is a means for social and national improvement. Since all Bahá'ís have the duty to do work that is useful to humanity, Bahá'í education is meant to prepare Bahá'ís to perform such work.

Universal auxiliary language

Main article: Bahá'í Faith and auxiliary language

Auxiliary language in the Bahá'í Faith focuses on a particular teaching; that the world should adopt an international auxiliary language, and everyone should have to learn only one or two languages. The aim of this teachings is that the adoption of an international auxiliary language will improve communication, and foster unity among peoples and nations.

Mystical Teachings

The purpose of human life, say Bahá'ís, is spiritual growth. This is conceived almost as an organic process, like the development of a fetus, and continues after death. Rather than a heaven and hell strictly speaking (or reincarnation, for that matter), Bahá'ís teach an afterlife in which the soul may progress infinitely through ever-more-exalted spiritual realms, towards what Buddhists call Nirvana.

Bahá'ís believe that while God's essence can never be fully fathomed, he can be understood through his "names and attributes." These are likened to gems and include such divine qualities as compassion or wisdom. Education (especially of a spiritual nature) reveals the divine gems which God has placed within our souls.

Bahá'u'lláh's Hidden Words, The Seven Valleys, and The Four Valleys are favorite mystical texts. Bahá'í spirituality tends to consist of textual study, prayer, and recitation. Monasticism is forbidden, and Bahá'ís attempt to ground their spirituality in ordinary daily life. Performing useful work, for example, is not only required but considered a form of worship.

See also

• Bahá'í laws
• Bahá'í literature
• Bahá'í apologetics

References

• `Abdu'l-Bahá (1911). 'Abdu'l-Bahá in London. London, UK: Bahá'í Publishing Trust: 1982. ISBN 0900125500.

• `Abdu'l-Bahá (1912). Paris Talks (Hardcover ed.). Bahá'í Distribution Service: 1995. ISBN 1870989570.

• `Abdu'l-Bahá (1912). The Promulgation of Universal Peace (Hardcover ed.). Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust: 1982. ISBN 0877431728.

• Bahá'u'lláh (1873). The Kitáb-i-Aqdas: The Most Holy Book. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0853989990.

• Bahá'u'lláh (1873–92). Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0877431744.

• Effendi, Shoghi (1944). God Passes By. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0877430209.

Additional reading

• Bahá'u'lláh (1858). The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0877432961.

• Bahá'u'lláh (1856–63). The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0877432279.

• Esslemont, J.E. (1980). Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era (5th ed.). Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0877431604.

• Hatcher, William S. and Martin, J. Douglas (1998). The Bahá'í Faith: The Emerging Global Religion. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0877432643.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)