The Bahá'í Faith

We are Bahá'ís — members of the Bahá'í Faith, the second most widespread of the world's independent religions, established in 235 countries and territories throughout the world. We come from over 2,100 ethnic, racial, and tribal groups and number around 6 million worldwide.

For more than a century, Bahá'í communities around the globe have been working to break down barriers of prejudice between peoples and have collaborated with other like-minded groups to promote the model of a global society. At the heart of our belief is the conviction that humanity is a single people with a common destiny. In the words of Bahá'u'lláh, the Founder of our Faith, "The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens."

Notes on pronunciation

Principles of the Faith

Among the principles emphasized by Bahá'u'lláh are:

• the oneness of humanity

• the equality of women and men

• the elimination of prejudice

• the elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty

• the independent investigation of truth

• universal education

• religious tolerance

• the harmony of science and religion

• a world commonwealth of nations

• a universal auxiliary language

In the words of Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 to 1957: "The Bahá'í religion recognizes the unity of God and of His Prophets, upholds the principle of an unfettered search after truth, condemns all forms of superstition and prejudice, teaches that the fundamental purpose of religion is to promote concord and harmony, that it must go hand in hand with science, and that it constitutes the sole and ultimate basis for a peaceful, an ordered and progressive society. It inculcates the principle of equal opportunity, rights and privileges for both sexes, advocates compulsory education, abolishes extremes of poverty and wealth, recommends the adoption of an auxiliary international language, and provides the necessary agencies for the establishment and safeguarding of a permanent and universal peace."

Bahá'ís follow the moral code of the Ten Commandments — and more. The Bahá'í Faith forbids killing, stealing, lying, adultery and promiscuity, gambling, alcoholic drinks, drug abuse, gossip and backbiting. Although not specifically forbidden, smoking is considered an unseemly habit.

Bahá'ís strive to uphold a high moral standard. Bahá'u'lláh stressed the importance of:

To learn more about the Bahá'í Faith, please visit any of the following sites:

The Bahá'í World
The official Home Page for the Bahá'í world community.

Bahá'ís of the United States
The official Bahá'í web site for the United States.

Bahá'í Reference Library
A complete reference library containing the most significant Sacred Writings of the Bahá'í Faith, with a searchable index and the ability to download e-books.

Or call 1-800-22-UNITE to contact a local Bahá'í community in your area.

Also, check your local library for books about the Bahá'í Faith. Or, check our links page for sites that offer online versions of the Bahá'í Writings. Before you do, however, it would help to first familiarize yourself with the basics by clicking one of the introductory links above.

For Bahá'í events in the Greater Phoenix area as well as other parts of Arizona, check our calendar of events. If you're interested in attending any of these events or would like to get in touch with the Valley Bahá'í community, please call (480) 922-1919 for further information, or fill out our convenient online information request form.

Next: The Bahá'í Administrative Order
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Copyright © 1998-2002 The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Mesa, Arizona. All rights reserved.
Some material copyright The Bahá'í Publishing Trust of the USA.

This page was last modified on August 04, 2002.