A Portrait Dr. Robert H. Stockman Director of Research, Baha'i National Center; Wilmette, Illinois

The Baha'i Faith is an independent world religion now in the 150th year of its existence. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica Yearbook it is the second most widely spread religion in the world, with five million members residing in 232 countries and dependent territories, and national spiritual assemblies (national Baha'i governing bodies) in 172.

The Baha'i Faith began in Iran. Its history is intimately connected with the lives of its leading figures:

Ali-Muhammad, Titled the Bab. Born in southern Iran in 1819, in 1844 he announced that he was the promised one or Mahdi expected by Muslims. He wrote scriptures in which he promulgated a new calendar, new religious laws, and new social norms. Opposed by Iran's Muslim clergy and ultimately by its government, thousands of the Bab's followers were killed; in 1850 the Bab himself was put to death.

Mirza Husayn-'Ali, Titled Baha'u'llah. Born in northern Iran in 1817, Baha'u'llah became a follower of the Bab in 1844 and was imprisoned for his beliefs. In 1853 he had a vision that he was the divine teacher the Bab had promised; he publicly declared himself as a messenger of God in 1863. He spent the rest of his life in exile and prison, where he wrote over 100 volumes of scripture.

'Abbas Effendi, Titled 'Abdu'l-Baha. Son of Baha'u'llah, Abdu'l-Baha was born in 1844 and accompanied his father on his exile to Palestine. Baha'u'llah appointed 'Abdu'l-Baha his successor, the exemplar of his teachings, and the interpreter of his revelation. Under 'Abdu'l-Baha the Baha'i Faith spread beyond the Middle East, India, and Burma to Europe, the Americas, southern Africa, and Australasia. He died in 1921.

Shoghi Effendi Rabbani. Grandson of 'Abdu'I-Baha and his successor, Shoghi Effendi was born in Palestine in 1897 and received an Oxford education. As head of the Baha'i Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957, Shoghi Effendi translated the most important of Baha'u'llah's scriptures into elegant English, wrote extensive interpretations and explanations of the Baha'i teachings, built the Baha'i organizational system, and oversaw the spread of the Baha'i Faith worldwide.

The Baha'i scriptures constitute the books, essays, and letters composed by Baha'u'llah, 'Abdu'I-Baha, and Shoghi Effendi. Together they comprised nearly 60,000 letters, a significant portion of which are available in English; the content of this scriptural corpus is encyclopedic in nature. The Baha'i teachings are those principles and values promulgated in the Baha'i scriptures, and touch on nearly every aspect of human life.

Central Baha'i teachings are the "oneness of God," that there is only one God and that God is actively concerned about the development of humanity; the "oneness of religion," that God sends messengers such as Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, Krishna, Buddha, Christ, Muhammad, the Bab, and Baha'u'llah to humanity to educate it in morals and in social values; and the "oneness of humanity," that all humans come from the same original stock and deserve equal opportunities and treatment.

The teachings also include a detailed discussion of the spiritual nature of human beings, prayers and religious practices to foster spiritual growth, a strong emphasis on the importance of creating unified and loving families, and a prescription for solving the social ills of human society.

The Baha'i community consists of those people who have accepted Baha'u'llah as God's messenger for this day and who are actively trying to live by, and promulgate, the Baha'i teachings. The community has no clergy and a minimum of ritual. Independent investigation of truth, private prayer, and collective discussion and action are the favored modes of religious action. Usually Baha'i communities have no weekly worship service; rather, a monthly program called feast is held that includes worship, consultation on community business, and social activities.

Through a process that involves no campaigning and nominations, each local community elects annually by secret ballot a nine- member local spiritual assembly. The assembly coordinates community activities, enrolls new members, counsels and assists members in need, and conducts Baha'i marriages and funerals. A nine-member national spiritual assembly is elected annually by locally elected delegates, and every five years the national spiritual assemblies meet together to elect the Universal House of Justice, the supreme international governing body of the Baha'i Faith. Worldwide there are about 20,000 local spiritual assemblies; the United States has over 1,400 local spiritual assemblies and about 120,000 Baha'is.

The Baha'i View 0f the Challenges Facing Humanity The Baha'i scriptures emphasize that the challenges facing humanity stem from two sources: age-old problems that could have been solved long ago had humanity accepted and acted on the moral and spiritual values given it by God's messengers; and new challenges stemming from the creation of a global society, which can be solved if the moral and spiritual principles enunciated by Baha'u'llah are accepted and followed. Chief among these principles are

 
1. Racial unity. Racism retards the unfoldment of the boundless potentialities of its victims, corrupts its perpetrators, and blights human progress. Baha'u'llah's call that all humans accept and internalize the principle of the oneness of humanity is partly directed at destroying racist attitudes.
    
2. Emancipation of women. The denial of equality to women perpetrates an injustice against one-half of the world's population and promotes in men harmful attitudes and habits that are carried from the family to the workplace, to political life, and ultimately to international relations. Even though he lived in the 19th-century Middle East, Baha'u'llah called for the equality of women and enunciated their full rights to education and work.
    
3. Economic justice. The inordinate disparity between rich and poor is a source of acute suffering and keeps the world in a state of instability, virtually on the brink of war. Few societies have dealt effectively with this issue. The Baha'i scriptures offer afresh approach, including such features as anew perspective concerning money, profits, work, and the poor; an understanding of the purpose of economic growth and the relationships between management and labor; and certain economic principles, such as profit sharing.
    
4. Patriotism within a global perspective. The Baha'i scriptures state that citizens should be proud of their countries and of their national identities, but such pride should be subsumed within a wider loyalty to all of humanity and to global society.
    
5. Universal education. Historically, ignorance has been the principal reason for the decline and fall of peoples and the perpetuation of prejudice. The Baha'i scriptures state that every human being has a fundamental right to an education, including the right to learn to read and write.
    
6. A universal auxiliary language. A major barrier to communication is the lack of a common language. Baha'u'llah urged humanity to choose one auxiliary tongue that would be taught in all schools in addition to the local native language, so that humans could understand each other anywhere they go on the planet.
    
7. The environment and development. The unrestrained exploitation of natural resources is a symptom of an overall sickness of the human spirit. Any solutions to the related crises of environmental destruction and economic development must be rooted in an approach that fosters spiritual balance and harmony within the individual, between individuals, and with the environment as a whole. Material development must serve not only the body, but the mind and spirit as well.
    
8. A world federal system. The Baha'i scriptures emphatically state that for the first time in its history, humanity can and must create an international federation capable of coordinating the resources of, and solving the problems facing, the entire planet. A high priority needs to be given to the just resolution of regional and international conflicts; responding to urgent humanitarian crises brought on by war, famine, or natural disasters; forging a unified approach to environmental degradation; and establishing the conditions where the free movement of goods, services, and peoples across the globe becomes possible.
    
9. Religious dialogue. Religious strife has caused numerous wars, has been a major blight to progress, and is increasingly abhorrent to the people of all faiths and of no faith. The Baha'i view that all religions come from God and thus constitute valid paths to the divine is a cornerstone of Baha'i interfaith dialogue. Baha'u'llah calls on Baha'is to consort with the followers of all eligions in love and harmony. Because Baha'is share with other religionists many common values and concerns, they frequently work with local interfaith organizations.

The Baha'i Response to the Challenges Facing Humanity Baha'is have responded to the challenges facing humanity in two ways: internally, by creating a Baha'i community that reflects the principles listed above and that can serve as a model for others; and externally, to help heal the damage that inequality, injustice, and ignorance have done to society.

The international Baha'i community contains within it 2,100 ethnic groups speaking over eight hundred languages. In some nations minority groups make up a substantial fraction of the Baha'i population; in the United States, for example, perhaps a third of the membership is African American, and Southeast Asians, Iranians, Hispanics, and Native Americans make up another 20 percent. Racial integration of local Baha'i communities has been the standard practice of the American Baha'i community since about 1905. Women have played a major, if not central, role in the administration of local American Baha'i communities, and of the national community, since 1910. American Baha'is have been involved in education, especially in the fostering of Baha'i educational programs overseas, since 1909.

Worldwide, numerous Baha'is have become prominent in efforts to promote racial amity and equality, strengthen peace groups, extend the reach and effectiveness of educational systems, encourage ecological awareness and stewardship, develop new approaches to social and economic development, and promote the new field of conflict resolution. The Baha'i Faith runs seven radio stations in less developed areas of the world that have pioneered new techniques for educating rural populations and fostering economic and cultural development. The Faith also conducts about seven hundred schools, primarily in the third world, as well as about two hundred other literacy programs. Baha'i communities sponsor five hundred development projects such as tree planting, agricultural improvement, vocational training and rural health care. The Baha'i international community is particularly active at the United Nations and works closely with many international development agencies. Many national and local Baha'i communities have been active in promoting interreligious understanding and cooperation.

Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, 'Abdu'l-Baha, and Shoghi Effendi

"Know thou of a certainty that Love is the secret of God's holy Dispensation, the manifestation of the All-Merciful, the fountain of spiritual outpourings. Love is heaven's kindly light, the Holy Spirit's eternal breath that vivifieth the human soul. Love is the cause of God's revelation unto man, the vital bond inherent, in accordance with the divine creation, in the realities of things. Love is the one means that ensureth true felicity both in this world and the next. Love is the light that guideth in darkness, the living link that uniteth God with man, that assureth the progress of every illumined soul. ...

"Love is the most great law that ruleth this mighty and heavenly cycle, the unique power that bindeth together the diverse elements of this material world, the supreme magnetic force that directeth the movements of the spheres in the celestial realms. Love revealeth with unfailing and limitless power the mysteries latent in the universe. Love is the spirit of life unto the adorned body of mankind, the establisher of true civilization in this mortal world, and the shedder of imperishable glory upon every high-aiming race and nation."

'ABDU'L- BAHA, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha, p. 27

"Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity.
Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face.
Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge.
Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech.
Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men.
Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression.
Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts.
Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon, the tree of humility. " (p.285)

"The essential purpose of the religion of God is to establish unity among mankind. The divine Manifestations were Founders of the means of fellowship and love. They did not come to create discord, strife, and hatred in the world. The religion of God is the cause of love, but if it is made to be the source of enmity and bloodshed, surely its absence is preferable to its existence; for then it becomes satanic, detrimental, and an obstacle to the human world."

'ABDU'L-BAHA, Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 202

"The unity of the human race, as envisaged by Baha'u'llah, implies the establishment of a world commonwealth in which all nations, races, creeds, and classes are closely and permanently united, and in which the autonomy of its state members and the personal freedom and initiative of the individuals that compose them are definitely and completely safeguarded. This commonwealth must, as far as we can visualize it, consist of a world legislature, whose members will, as the trustees of the whole of mankind, ultimately control the entire resource of all the component nations, and will enact such laws as shall be required to regulate the life, satisfy the needs and adjust the relationships of all races and peoples. ...In such a world society, science and religion, the two most potent forces in human life , will be reconciled, will cooperate, and will harmoniously develop."

SHOGHI EFFENDI, World Order of Bahd'u'llah, pp. 203-204

"The source of all learning is the knowledge of God, exalted be His glory, and this cannot be attained save through the knowledge of His Divine Manifestation. The essence of abasement is to pass out from under the shadow of the Merciful and seek the shelter of the Evil One.

"The source of error is to disbelieve in the One true God, rely upon aught else but him, and flee from His Decree. True loss is for him whose days have been spent in utter ignorance of his self.

"The essence of all that we have revealed for thee is Justice, is for man to free himself from idle fancy and imitation, discern with the eye of oneness His glorious handiwork, and look into all things with a searching eye.

"Thus have We instructed thee, manifested unto thee Words of Wisdom, that thou mayest be thankful unto the Lord, thy God, and glory therein amidst all peoples."

BAHA'U'LLAH

Prayer

O my God! O my God!
Unite the hearts of thy servants, and reveal to them Thy great purpose.
May they follow Thy commandments and abide in Thy law.
Help them, O God, in their endeavor, and grant them strength to serve Thee.
O God! Leave them not to themselves, but guide their steps by the light of Thy knowledge, and cheer their hearts by Thy love.
Verily, Thou art their Helper and their Lord.

BAHA'U'LLAH, Baha'i Prayers, p. 204