Today is World Religion Day in the Bahá’í Faith.
The Bahá’í Faith has no official “home country” but has between 5 and 7 million followers in over 200 nations, making it one of the 10 largest religions in the world.
The largest populations are in India (2 million), Iran (350,000), and the United States (150,000). [Other polls count 750,000 in the US, 500,000 in Iran, 350,000 in Vietnam, and 300,000 in Kenya.]
The Bahá’í Faith places emphasis on unity and social issues.
According to Shoghi Effendi, the head of the Baha’i Faith during the 1920’s through ’50’s, summarized the essential elements of the religion as:
- the independent search after truth, unfettered by superstition or tradition
- the oneness of the entire human race…
- 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 introduction of universal compulsory education
- the adoption of a universal auxiliary language
- the abolition of 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 people and nations
- and the establishment of a permanent and universal peace as the supreme goal of all mankind…”
Lofty, yes. But the Bahá’í Faith is currently the fastest growing major religion. It includes familiar prophets among its messengers: Abraham, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad and Krishna, as well as its own founder, Bahá’u'lláh.
More about the Bahá’í Faith
Bahai Community in Iran Under Attack
Baha’i Library Discussion Group
