The Bahá’í Faith

The Bahá’í faith is an independent world religion with adherents in virtually every country and territory in the world. The Encyclopedia Britannica Yearbook has listed the Bahá’í Faith as the second most widespread religion in the world (in terms of geographic reach), after Christianity. The Faith has become a way of life for more than 6 million people from almost all nations, races and cultures on earth.

Bahá’ís are from almost all nations, races and cultures on earth. Bahá’ís follow the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, who proclaimed the Bahá’í Faith during the middle of the 19th Century, and who taught world peace, the oneness of all humanity and the essential unity of all religions. Bahá'u'lláh says:

"O friends! The Tabernacle of Oneness is raised; look not upon each other with the eye of strangeness."

The essence of Bahá’í teachings

The essence of Bahá'u'lláh’s Teaching is all-embracing love, for love includeth every excellence of humankind. It causeth every soul to go forward.

"It bestoweth on each one, for a heritage, immortal life. Erelong shalt thou bear witness that His celestial Teachings, the very glory of reality itself, shall light up the skies of the world."
– Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha

Bahá’í Community’s experience provides inspiration for those who love to see humanity as one global family and the earth as one homeland. The Albany Bahá’í Community invites you to examine the Faith, or participate in any of our activities.

Characteristics of the Bahá’í Community and Bahá’í believes

Here are a few of them:

  • The purpose of life is to know and to worship God, and to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization.
  • There is no clergy in the Bahá’í Faith and its affairs are governed by councils elected at local, national and international levels. There is no nomination and campaigning and electioneering are not permitted.
  • Bahá’ís believe that the core of religious faith is that mystic feeling which unites man with God. This state of spiritual communion can be brought and maintained by means of meditation and prayer. Bahá’í meetings provide an opportunity to pray and meditate together in an atmosphere of tranquility and with respect for diverse beliefs.
  • Bahá’ís believe that we must learn to live in harmony with our planet and its inhabitants. This requires a more spiritual, less selfish than that which is too often found today. The Bahá’í attitude to the planet and its resources is a holistic approach and not a selfish pursue.
  • Bahá’ís believe that work done in the spirit of service is the highest form of worship. Farming is one of the significant professions and the importance and the vital role of the farmer will never change.

What are Bahá’ís striving to bring about?

For over one hundred and seventy years, Bahá’is have striven to bring about the unity of mankind and promote spiritual solutions to the social and economic problems in the world. According to the Bahá’i Writings, these goals will be achieved by

  • recognition by all of the oneness of humanity
  • abandonment of all forms of prejudice
  • accepting the equality of women and men
  • recognizing of unity and relativity of religious truth
  • recognizing that true religion is in harmony with reason and the pursuit of science
  • eliminating the extremes of poverty and wealth
  • promoting universal education
  • adopting of a universal language
  • striving for universal peace
  • establishing a of a world federation
  • each person independently investigating truth