Founded a century ago the Bahá'í Faith today is among the fastest growing of all the world's religions, and has already become the second-most widespread faith in the world. It is considered to be, at present, the most diverse organized body of people on the planet. Bahá’ís reside in more than 100,000 localities around the world, an expansion that reflects their dedication to the ideal of world citizenship.


The Bahá'í Faith is the youngest of the world's independent religions. Its founder, Bahá'u'lláh (1817-1892), is regarded by Bahá'ís as the most recent in the line of Messengers of God that stretches back beyond recorded time and that includes Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad.


The central theme of Bahá'u'lláh's message is that humanity is one single race and that the day has come for its unification in one global society. God, Bahá'u'lláh said, has set in motion historical forces that are breaking down traditional barriers of race, class, creed, and nation and that will, in time, give birth to a universal civilization. The principal challenge facing the peoples of the earth is to accept the fact of their oneness and to assist the processes of unification.


Core Teachings

The principle of the oneness of mankind is the pivot round which all the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh revolve. Bahá'u'lláh taught that humanity, after a long and turbulent adolescence, is at long last reaching its stage of maturity, when its organic unity in a global and just society can finally be established. To this end, the Bahá'í Faith prescribes laws of personal morality and behavior, as well as social laws and principles to establish the oneness of humanity.


Bahá'ís believe:
  • The purpose of life is to know and worship God, to acquire virtues, to promote the oneness of mankind, and to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization.
  • All humanity was created by one God and is part of one human race.
  • We are innately noble beings created in the image and likeness of our creator.
  • Work performed in the spirit of service is a form of worship.
  • The soul, created at the moment of conception, is destined by God to reach the afterlife
    where it will continue to progress until it attains the presence of God.

Bahá'ís practice:
  • Daily prayer and communion with God.
  • High moral principles, including trustworthiness, chastity and honesty.
  • Independent investigation of Truth.
  • A life dedicated to the service of humanity.
  • Fellowship with the followers of all religions.
  • Avoidance of excessive materialism, partisan politics, backbiting, alcohol, drugs, and gambling.

Social principles include:
  • Full equality between women and men in all departments of life and at every level of society.
  • Harmony between science and religion as two complementary systems of knowledge that must work together to advance the well-being and progress of humanity.
  • The elimination of all forms of prejudice.
  • The establishment of a world commonwealth of nations.
  • Recognition of the common origin and fundamental unity of purpose of all religions.
  • Spiritual solutions to economic problems and the removal of economic barriers and restrictions.
  • The abolition of extremes of wealth and poverty.
  • The adoption of a international auxiliary language, a world script, a uniform and universal system of currency and of weights and measures.
To find out more about the Bahá'í Faith
or to receive free literature
contact us at:
The Association
for Bahá'í Studies
Room 218 (2nd level)
University Centre
bahai@uoguelph.ca
1-519-824-4747
C/O - The Central Student Association, Room 274, University Centre
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario
N1G 2W1