"Let your vision be world-embracing...
If the learned and worldly-wise men of this age were to allow mankind to inhale the fragrance of fellowship and love, every understanding heart would apprehend the meaning of true liberty, and discover the secret of undisturbed peace and absolute composure.
The earth is but one country,
and mankind its citizens."
Bahá'u'lláh
The Bahá'í Faith is the youngest of the world's independent religions. Its founder, Bahá'u'lláh (1817-1892), is regarded by Bahá'ís as the most recent in the line of Messengers of God that stretches back beyond recorded time and that includes Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad.
The central theme of Bahá'u'lláh's message is that humanity is one single race and that the day has come for its unification in one global society. God, Bahá'u'lláh said, has set in motion historical forces that are breaking down traditional barriers of race, class, creed, and nation and that will, in time, give birth to a universal civilization. The principal challenge facing the peoples of the earth is to accept the fact of their oneness and to assist the processes of unification.
One of the purposes of the Bahá'í Faith is to help make this possible. This worldwide community is composed of more than five million Bahá’ís in 236 countries and territories that come from nearly every national, ethnic and religious background, making the Bahá’í Faith the second-most-widespread religion in the world. All who share this vision of humanity as one global family and the earth as one homeland are welcome to join this diverse community committed to the betterment of mankind. We invite you to learn more about the Bahá’í Faith and benefit from the spiritual and practical insights found in the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh.
A vision of human prosperity
People everywhere yearn for an end to the conflict, poverty and suffering so prevalent throughout the planet. The teachings of Bahá'u'lláh offer a vision of peace and human prosperity in the fullest sense of the term --- an awakening to the possibilities of the spiritual and material well-being now within reach.
Unity: the basis of a new civilization
Bahá'u'lláh compares humankind to the fruits of one single tree and the diverse and beautiful flowers of a single garden.
"The tabernacle of unity hath been raised; regard ye not one another as strangers. Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch." ~ Bahá'u'lláh
There is no possibility of achieving world peace until the fundamental principle of unity has been accepted and given practical effect in the organization of society:
"The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship... So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth." ~ Bahá'u'lláh
"The tabernacle of unity hath been raised; regard ye not one another as strangers. Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch." ~ Bahá'u'lláh
There is no possibility of achieving world peace until the fundamental principle of unity has been accepted and given practical effect in the organization of society:
"The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship... So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth." ~ Bahá'u'lláh
Unity in diversity
The unity that must underpin a peaceful and just social order embraces diversity. Oneness and diversity are complementary and inseparable.
Acceptance of the concept of unity in diversity implies the development of a sense of world citizenship and a love for all of humanity.
"The diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord." ~ 'Abdu'l-Bahá
Acceptance of the concept of unity in diversity implies the development of a sense of world citizenship and a love for all of humanity.
"The diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord." ~ 'Abdu'l-Bahá
Each person is a trust of the whole of humankind
Humanity's crying need will not be met by a struggle among competing ambitions or by protest against one or another of the countless wrongs afflicting a desperate age. It calls, rather, for a fundamental change of consciousness, for a wholehearted embrace of Bahá'u'lláh's teaching that the time has come when each human being on earth must learn to accept responsibility for the welfare of the entire human family.
In the Bahá'í view, the body of humankind is one and indivisible, each member of the race is born into the world as a trust of the whole. This trusteeship constitutes the moral foundation of most of the other rights, principally economic and social. The security of the family and the home, the ownership of property, and the right to privacy are all implied in such a trusteeship. The obligations on the part of the community extend to the provision of employment, mental and physical health care, social security, fair wages, rest and recreation, and a host of other reasonable expectations on the part of the individual members of society.
In the Bahá'í view, the body of humankind is one and indivisible, each member of the race is born into the world as a trust of the whole. This trusteeship constitutes the moral foundation of most of the other rights, principally economic and social. The security of the family and the home, the ownership of property, and the right to privacy are all implied in such a trusteeship. The obligations on the part of the community extend to the provision of employment, mental and physical health care, social security, fair wages, rest and recreation, and a host of other reasonable expectations on the part of the individual members of society.
Copyright 2012 The Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Philadelphia. All rights reserved.
