Bahá'í Teachings

Beginning in September 1867, Bahá'u'lláh wrote a series of letters to world leaders such as Emperor Napoleon III, Queen Victoria, Kaiser Wilhelm I, Tsar Alexander II of Russia, Emperor Franz Joseph, Pope Pius IX, Sultán `Abdu'l-`Azíz of the Ottoman Empire, and the Persian ruler Násiri'd-Dín áh, among others. They dismissed his message. Today, in contrast, Bahá'u'lláh's vision of humanity as one people and of the earth as a common homeland stands vindicated. Indeed, it has become the focus of human hope. Bahá'u'lláh has left to posterity over a hundred volumes of written works. The original texts have been meticulously preserved, and the central body of these writings has been translated into more than eight hundred languages.[5] Bahá'ís consider these texts to be holy scripture.

Bahá'u'lláh's teachings proclaim the oneness of God, the oneness of humankind, and the oneness of religion. The central teachings of the Bahá'í Faith all stem from the concept of unity and include the following:

Independent Investigation of the Truth

Bahá'u'lláh teaches that a fundamental obligation of human beings is to acquire knowledge with their ``own eyes and not through the eyes of others.''[6] A major cause of conflict in the world today is the fact that many people blindly and uncritically subscribe to various traditions, movements, and opinions. Bahá'ís believe that each human being has the capacity to differentiate truth from falsehood. If people fail to use their intellect and choose instead to accept without question certain opinions and ideas, either out of admiration for or fear of those who uphold them, then they are neglecting their basic moral responsibility as rational human beings. Moreover, when people act in this way, they often become attached to some particular opinion or tradition, and thus intolerant of those who differ. Such emotional attachment can lead to conflict. History has witnessed conflict and even bloodshed over slight alterations in religious practice, or a minor change in the interpretation of doctrine. Personal search for truth enables people to know why they adhere to a given ideology or doctrine.

Harmony of Science and Religion

Bahá'u'lláh teaches that there can be no conflict between true science and true religion. `Abdu'l-Bahá explains that science and religion operate in mutually complementary spheres: ``Religion and science are the two wings upon which man's intelligence can soar into the heights   It is not possible to fly with one wing alone! Should a man try to fly with the wing of religion alone he would quickly fall into the quagmire of superstition, whilst on the other hand, with the wing of science alone he would fall into the despairing slough of materialism.''[7]

Progressive Revelation

Referring to the various independent world religions, Bahá'u'lláh writes: ``These principles and laws, these firmly-established and mighty systems, have proceeded from one Source, and are the rays of one Light. That they differ one from another is to be attributed to the varying requirements of the ages in which they were promulgated.''[8] Religious revelation is progressive, not final.

Emancipation of Women

Bahá'í s believe that permanent international peace is unattainable unless and until women are welcomed into full partnership in all fields of human endeavor. `Abdu'l-Bahá explains: ``Humanity is like a bird with its two wings--the one is male, the other female. Unless both wings are strong and impelled by some common force, the bird cannot fly heavenwards''[9] ``The world in the past has been ruled by force, and man has dominated over woman by reason of his more forceful and aggressive qualities both of body and mind. But the balance is already shifting; force is losing its dominance, and mental alertness, intuition, and the spiritual qualities of love and service, in which woman is strong, are gaining ascendancy. Hence the new age will be an age less masculine and more permeated with the feminine ideals, or, to speak more exactly, will be an age in which the masculine and feminine elements of civilization will be more evenly balanced.''[10]

Universal Education

Bahá'u'lláh teaches that all children must be educated. He explains: ``Man is the supreme Talisman. Lack of a proper education hath, however, deprived him of that which he doth inherently possess... Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.''[11] Bahá'í s give priority to the education of women and girls, since it is through educated mothers that the benefits of knowledge can be most effectively and rapidly diffused throughout society. Bahá'í s also believe that teaching the concept of world citizenship should be an important part of the education of every child.

Extremes of Poverty and Wealth

Bahá'u'lláh calls for the elimination of the inordinate disparity between rich and poor. Although social laws are necessary for the regulation of wealth, the economic problems are essentially spiritual in origin. Bahá'u'lláh writes: ``O Ye Rich Ones on Earth! The poor in your midst are My trust; guard ye My trust, and be not intent only on your own ease.''[12]

Abandonment of Prejudice

All forms of prejudice must be abandoned, including religious strife, unbridled nationalism, and racism. Bahá'u'lláh is unequivocal in these matters: ``Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship   It is not his to boast who loveth his country, but it is his who loveth the world.''[13] As to racism, its practice perpetrates too outrageous a violation of the dignity of human beings to be countenanced under any pretext. `Abdu'l-Bahá explains: ``Concerning the prejudice of race: it is an illusion, a superstition pure and simple! For God created us all of one race   Why should man invent such a prejudice?''[14]

Universal Auxiliary Language

Bahá'u'lláh calls for a world language. A fundamental lack of communication between peoples seriously undermines efforts towards world order. The adoption of an international language, to be taught as a second language in all schools, would go far towards resolving this problem and deserves urgent attention.

A World Commonwealth

Shoghi Effendi wrote as far back as in 1936: ``Unification of the whole of mankind is the hall-mark of the stage which human society is now approaching. Unity of family, of tribe, of city-state, and nation have been successively attempted and fully established. World unity is the goal towards which a harassed humanity is striving. Nation-building has come to an end. The anarchy inherent in state sovereignty is moving towards a climax. A world, growing to maturity, must abandon this fetish, recognize the oneness and wholeness of human relationships, and establish once for all the machinery that can best incarnate this fundamental principle of its life.''[15]

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