- Some of the basic principles of the Bahá'í Faith are:
The Oneness of God - The Oneness of Mankind
- The Oneness of Religion
- The independent investigation of
truth
- Religion: a source of unity
- Religion: progresses (Progressive
Revelation)
- Religion: harmony with science and
reason
- Consultation as a means for
resolving differences
- An international auxiliary language
- Universal education
- The elimination of all forms of
prejudice
- Equality of women and men
- The abolition of the extremes of wealth
and poverty
- Universal peace
"Regard thou the one true God as One Who is apart from,
and immeasurably exalted above, all created things. The whole
universe reflecteth His glory, while He is Himself independent
of, and transcendeth His creatures. This is the true meaning of
Divine unity. He Who is the Eternal Truth is the one Power Who
exerciseth undisputed sovereignty over the world of being, Whose
image is reflected in the mirror of the entire creation. All
existence is dependent upon Him, and from Him is derived the
source of the sustenance of all things. This is what is meant by
Divine unity; this is its fundamental principle. "
--Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 166.
"Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust?
That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all
times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created
you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even
as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth
and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your
deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of
detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O
concourse of light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the
fruit of holiness from the tree of wondrous glory. "
--The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, Part 1, #68.
"All these divisions we see on all sides, all these
disputes and opposition, are caused because men cling to ritual
and outward observances, and forget the simple, underlying truth.
It is the outward practices of religion that are so different,
and it is they that cause disputes and enmity -- while the
reality is always the same, and one. The Reality is the Truth,
and truth has no division. Truth is God's guidance, it is the
light of the world, it is love, it is mercy. These attributes of
truth are also human virtues inspired by the Holy Spirit. So let
us one and all hold fast to truth, and we shall be free indeed!
The day is coming when all the religions of the world will unite,
for in principle they are one already. There is no need for
division, seeing that it is only the outward forms that separate
them."
--'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, pp. 120-1.
"Furthermore, know ye that God has created in man the
power of reason, whereby man is enabled to investigate reality.
God has not intended man to imitate blindly his fathers and
ancestors. He has endowed him with mind, or the faculty of
reasoning, by the exercise of which he is to investigate and
discover the truth, and that which he finds real and true he must
accept. He must not be an imitator or blind follower of any soul.
He must not rely implicitly upon the opinion of any man without
investigation; nay, each soul must seek intelligently and
independently, arriving at a real conclusion and bound only by
that reality."
--'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p.
291.
"The purpose of religion as revealed from the heaven of
God's holy Will is to establish unity and concord amongst the
peoples of the world; make it not the cause of dissension and
strife. The religion of God and His divine law are the most
potent instruments and the surest of all means for the dawning of
the light of unity amongst men."
--Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 129.
"Know thou assuredly that the essence of all the Prophets
of God is one and the same. Their unity is absolute. God, the
Creator, saith: There is no distinction whatsoever among the
Bearers of My Message. They all have but one purpose; their
secret is the same secret. To prefer one in honor to another, to
exalt certain ones above the rest, is in no wise to be
permitted."
"The measure of the revelation of the Prophets of God in
this world, however, must differ. Each and every one of them hath
been the Bearer of a distinct Message, and hath been commissioned
to reveal Himself through specific acts. It is for this reason
that they appear to vary in their greatness."
"It is clear and evident, therefore, that any apparent
variation in the intensity of their light is not inherent in the
light itself, but should rather be attributed to the varying
receptivity of an ever-changing world. Every Prophet Whom the
Almighty and Peerless Creator hath purposed to send to the
peoples of the earth hath been entrusted with a Message, and
charged to act in a manner that would best meet the requirements
of the age in which He appeared. God's purpose in sending His
Prophets unto men is twofold. The first is to liberate the
children of men from the darkness of ignorance, and guide them to
the light of true understanding. The second is to ensure the
peace and tranquility of mankind, and provide all the means by
which they can be established."
"The Prophets of God should be regarded as physicians
whose task is to foster the well-being of the world and its
peoples, that, through the spirit of oneness, they may heal the
sickness of a divided humanity. To none is given the right to
question their words or disparage their conduct, for they are the
only ones who can claim to have understood the patient and to
have correctly diagnosed its ailments. No man, however acute his
perception, can ever hope to reach the heights which the wisdom
and understanding of the Divine Physician have attained. Little
wonder, then, if the treatment prescribed by the physician in
this day should not be found to be identical with that which he
prescribed before."
--excerpts: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh,
pp.78-80.
"Religion and science are the two wings upon which man's
intelligence can soar into the heights, with which the human soul
can progress. 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 also make no
progress, but fall into the despairing slough of
materialism."
--'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p.143.
"The members thereof must take counsel together in such
wise that no occasion for ill-feeling or discord may arise. This
can be attained when every member expresseth with absolute
freedom his own opinion and setteth forth his argument. Should
anyone oppose, he must on no account feel hurt for not until
matters are fully discussed can the right way be revealed. The
shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the clash of
differing opinions."
--Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, p.87.
"They must then proceed with the utmost devotion,
courtesy, dignity, care and moderation to express their views.
They must in every manner search out the truth and not insist
upon their own opinion, for stubbornness and persistence in one's
views will lead ultimately to discord and wrangling and the truth
will remain hidden. The honored members must with all freedom
express their own thoughts, and it is in no wise permissible for
one to belittle the thought of another, nay, he must with
moderation set forth the truth..."
--Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, p.88.
"It behoveth the sovereigns of the world -- may God
assist them -- or the ministers of the earth to take counsel
together and to adopt one of the existing languages or a new one
to be taught to children in schools throughout the world, and
likewise one script. Thus the whole earth will come to be
regarded as one country."
--Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 22.
"Bahá'u'lláh has announced that inasmuch as ignorance
and lack of education are barriers of separation among mankind,
all must receive training and instruction. Through this provision
the lack of mutual understanding will be remedied and the unity
of mankind furthered and advanced. Universal education is a
universal law. It is, therefore, incumbent upon every father to
teach and instruct his children according to his possibilities.
If he is unable to educate them, the body politic, the
representative of the people, must provide the means for their
education."
--'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace,
p.300.
"All prejudices, whether of religion, race, politics or
nation, must be renounced, for these prejudices have caused the
world's sickness. It is a grave malady which, unless
arrested, is capable of causing the destruction of the whole
human race. Every ruinous war, with its terrible bloodshed
and misery, has been caused by one or other of these
prejudices."
--'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p.146.
" The world of humanity is possessed of two wings: the
male and the female. So long as these two wings are not
equivalent in strength, the bird will not fly. Until womankind
reaches the same degree as man, until she enjoys the same arena
of activity, extraordinary attainment for humanity will not be
realized; humanity cannot wing its way to heights of real
attainment. When the two wings or parts become equivalent in
strength, enjoying the same prerogatives, the flight of man will
be exceedingly lofty and extraordinary. Therefore, woman must
receive the same education as man and all inequality be adjusted.
Thus, imbued with the same virtues as man, rising through all the
degrees of human attainment, women will become the peers of men,
and until this equality is established, true progress and
attainment for the human race will not be facilitated."
--'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace,
p.375. For more information, see Advancement
of Women.
"We see amongst us men who are overburdened with riches
on the one hand, and on the other those unfortunate ones who
starve with nothing; those who possess several stately palaces,
and those who have not where to lay their head. Some we find with
numerous courses of costly and dainty food; whilst others can
scarce find sufficient crusts to keep them alive. Whilst some are
clothed in velvets, furs and fine linen, others have
insufficient, poor and thin garments with which to protect them
from the cold. This condition of affairs is wrong and must be
remedied. Now the remedy must be carefully undertaken. It cannot
be done by bringing to pass absolute equality between men."
--'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p.151.
"The time must come when the imperative necessity for the
holding of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will be
universally realized. The rulers and kings of the earth must
needs attend it, and, participating in its deliberations, must
consider such ways and means as will lay the foundations of the
world's Great Peace amongst men. Such a peace demandeth that the
Great Powers should resolve, for the sake of the tranquility of
the peoples of the earth, to be fully reconciled among
themselves. Should any king take up arms against another, all
should unitedly arise and prevent him. If this be done, the
nations of the world will no longer require any armaments, except
for the purpose of preserving the security of their realms and of
maintaining internal order within their territories."
--Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 249.