Baha'i

In the last half of the 19th century C.E., Baha'u'llah claimed to bring to humanity the latest teachings from God, which are intended to bring peace and unity to the world. He was preceded by the Bab.

Many of the Baha'i scriptures were composed in dialogue with questioners raising issues of religious, social, and political concern. Baha'u'llah claimed that the teachings he brought were suited to the needs of the modern world.

Baha'u'llah is the founder of the Baha'i faith and the main source of its teachings. He was preceded by a forerunner, the Bab, and succeeded by 'Abdu'l-Baha, who was appointed the authorized interpreter of Baha'u'llah's teachings.

The writings of Baha'u'llah are regarded by Baha'is as being divine revelation and form the core of Baha'i scripture. The writings of the Bab and 'Abdu'l-Baha are also regarded as scripture.

Scholarship on the Baha'i faith has been patchy both in its coverage and quality. It has ranged from thinly disguised attacks on the religion to serious works focusing on a few areas of the religion.

The early history of the Baha'i faith (1844–1892), was mainly concerned with the establishment and survival of the religion in the face of fierce persecution and attempts to isolate its leaders from the main body of its adherents.

There have been dissident Baha'is who have sought to create divisions in the community but they have been largely unsuccessful and the overwhelming majority (over 99.9%) of Baha'is today belong to one religious community headed by the Universal House of Justice.

The Baha'i faith has not existed long enough to have a history of exploration, conquest, and empire. It has, however, experienced a great deal of persecution in its 160-year-history, both in its country of origin, Iran, and elsewhere, going on to the present day.

The planned expansion of the Baha'i faith has been one of the notable features of the religion since the 1940s when a series of systematic plans were put into effect, which have made the Baha'i faith a global religion.

The later development of the Baha'i faith (since 1892) has involved the spread of the Baha'i faith to all part of the world; the emergence of new communities in these areas; and the development of Baha'i institutions and of Baha'i community life.

Sacred narrative functions in the Baha'i Faith mainly as a way of illustrating spiritual teachings and providing inspiration and role models. The principle sacred narratives of the Baha'i Faith are the lives of its central figures, Baha'u'llah, the Bab, and 'Abdu'l-Baha.

Baha'is believe in God. The Essence of God is unknowable but the attributes of God can be known. These attributes are revealed in all things but most particularly and most perfectly in the founders of the world religions who are called Manifestations of God.

The Baha'i faith teaches that human beings have two aspects, a physical aspect, the needs of which press urgently for their attention, distracting them from the true purpose of human existence, which is to perfect their spiritual aspect.

For Baha'is, there is no independent evil force in the world. Figures, such as the Devil or evil spirits, are symbols for the base nature of human beings that is the source of evil. Suffering can, however, have the function of assisting humans in their spiritual growth.

The Baha'i scriptures assert that human beings continue to exist in a spiritual life after death. Salvation is not so much a state as a process of perfecting human spiritual attributes.

Sacred time in the Baha'i Faith may be divided into the personal, which includes such activities as prayer and meditation, and the communal, which includes the celebration of Holy Days.

Baha'is have a number of holy places, including the shrines of the central figures of the religion and places associated with their lives. There are also Houses of Worship (Mashriqu'l-Adhkar) where prayers are recited and scriptures read.

There are few rites and rituals in the Baha'i faith. There is however a large number of practices of the Baha'i community that create what may be called a Baha'i culture or ethos.

Baha'u'llah gave a number of laws and obligations that were designed to develop the spiritual life of the individual. These include the obligation to perform daily prayer, reading of the scriptures, and meditation.

The writings of Baha'u'llah are rich in symbolism and imagery. Some of this is the symbolism of the Abrahamic religions, which form the background to the Baha'i Faith, but many of these symbols are used in new ways.

The Baha'i community has no clergy or any professional religious class. Leadership is vested in elected institutions. Pastoral care is partly the responsibility of these institutions and partly the responsibility of every Baha'i.

The Baha'i community is led by elected councils at the local, national, and international level. In addition there are a number of appointed individuals whose function is to encourage the Baha'is, to help them to spread the Baha'i Faith, and to maintain the unity of the Baha'i community.

The Baha'i scriptures are full of injunctions to move away from a life of lusts and passions and toward one of virtue and service. The purpose of life is to acquire spiritual attributes.

Baha'u'llah declared that the age for global unity and peace has arrived. In order to bring this about, Baha'is believe that global institutions need to be established and certain social changes, such as a radical revision of social structure and functioning, need to occur.

The Baha'i scriptures start from the assumption of the equality of women and men. Baha'is therefore advocate the education of the female child and the social advancement of women in order to make this a social reality.