Who are the Baha'is?

The Baha'i Faith is an independent global religion founded by Baha'u'llah. "Baha'i" means a follower of Baha'u'llah (The Glory of God).

Baha’is love God, peace and unity and all that leads to a spiritual life here on earth. Baha'is believe that all the major world religions are from the one true God. Each main prophet in history (e.g. Adam, Noah, Zoroaster (Zarathustra), Krishna, Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad) gave a vital message appropriate to the culture and needs of the people of their times. Baha'is love the teachings of all the manifestations of God because although some 'rules' and guidelines may differ according to the era and culture, the essential message of God remains the same. God progressively reveals Himself, His will and His laws and continues to entreat us to communion with Him, as mankind grows and matures. This process of progressive revelation has no end. The teachings of Baha'u'llah are vital for the world today as we are now part of an unprecedented global community.

Baha'is believe that we are all spiritual in nature, that God's creation is essentially good and we are all meant to be happy. Our purpose on earth is to grow to know and love God and "adorn ourselves with His attributes" (virtues) and this continues in an afterlife in which the soul may progress infinitely through ever-more-exalted spiritual realms.

Shoghi Effendi wrote the following summary of what he considered to be the distinguishing principles of Baha'u'llah's teachings, which, he said, together with the laws and ordinances of the holy writings of the Kitab-i-Aqdas constitute the bed-rock of the Baha'i 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 Baha'u'llah proclaimed]."
God Passes By, p. 281

Many people who take the time to read our writings find that deep down they are already a Baha'i - they just didn't know about us! We invite you to investigate the Baha'i Faith and see for yourself what the Faith is all about, Baha'is do not proselytize, only inform. Baha'is are only too pleased to share their faith with anyone interested, so please contact us!

You will find much more information about the Faith if you follow the links provided to the Baha’i’ World Centre and the UK Baha’i site. Local information is found on the Activities page.

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