# Baha'i: A Way of Life for Millions

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-20 — 1 clipping.*

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Lerone Bennett Jr., Baha'i: A Way of Life for Millions, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> BAHÁ’Í:
> A way of life for
> Lofty dome of America Bahá'í House of Worship,
> viewed from interior, reflects spirituality of faith. Disc in
> millions
> center is holy symbol in the Bahá'í religion.
> 
> House of Worship in Wilmette Illinois, is center of American Bahá'í community. Like great cathedrals of Europe, temple was built slowly and
> intermittently over a period of 50 Years. The Bahá'í temple, which has been called a "Taj Mahal" of the West, is visited annually by thousands of
> tourists of all faiths. Wilmette is suburb of Chicago.
> 
> Believers of many races, colors and backgrounds attended world congress of the faith                 At Bahá'í Institute, Green
> in London's Royal Albert Hall in 1963. Members of the Bahá'í faith believe in necessity              Lake, Wisconsin Gina Browder,
> and inevitability of the complete unification of mankind.                                            Danny Reimer stroll through
> woods.
> Future of faith Bahá'í authorities say, is in
> hands of young. Bahá'í group above attends
> University of Wisconsin. Bahá'í youth grow
> up in integrated spiritual communities. Most
> are completely free of all forms of prejudice.
> 
> O   NE hundred and twenty-one years ago in a remote city of Persia, a Baghdad and said that he was the "Manifestation" and that he was the
> young merchant made an astounding announcement. Within same divine authority as Moses, Muhammad, and Christ.
> nineteen years, he said, God would send another prophet made in the              This man was Husayn-`Ali, who assumed the title of Bahá'u'lláh
> image of Buddha and Muhammad and Christ.                                      ("the Glory o God").
> The response to this announcement was immediate and                           0n his rock has been erected a new world religion that claims the
> overwhelming. Thousands of persons flocked to the banner of the               minds and hearts of millions of believers in 280 countries, islands,
> young merchant who assumed the title of the Báb (literally "the               and dependencies. Members of this faith call themselves Bahá'ís
> Gate") and announced that his mission was the fulfillment of past             (followers of Bahá'u'lláh). They believe in one God and give equal
> religions and the heralding of a prophet and teacher who would                homage to Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, and other "Manifestations."
> establish a new cycle in the history-long dialogue between God and            Bahá'í believe however, that religion progressively evolves and that
> man. Frightened by the brush-fire growth of the Bábís (followers of           Bahá'u'lláh is God's spokesman for this age.
> the BA), civil and religious authorities initiated a reign of terror,            Far from being an exotic Eastern sect, the Bahá'í faith is uniquely
> martyring thousands including the Báb. But this did not damp the fire         practical and it speaks with great authority to the troubled mind of
> of the movement which leaped from heart to heart, fueled now by the           contemporary man. Scholars, scientists and royalty have embraced
> ancient hope that God would again speak to man through a man.                 the faith. It as been praised by, among others, Dowager Queen Marie
> Thirteen years after the martyrdom of the BA, on April 21, 1863, the          of
> son of a Persian nobleman stood before a group in a garden in
> 
> At Bahá'í Summer School in E1iot, Maine Bahá'í youth splash in the surf. Bahá'ís condemn all forms of prejudice and superstition.
> The purpose of religion, they say, is the promotion of amity and concord in this world. Founder of faith forbade use of all alcoholic
> beverages and exalted trades and professions "to the rank of worship.”
> Rumania and Tolstoi, Somalis, Laotians, Finns, Lapps, Swedes, Germans,
> Negroes, Englishmen, and Southern and Northern whites have found in it an
> image of their condition and an image of their hope.
> Theology apart, the Bahá'í principle has been extraordinarily effective in
> shattering the barriers between men. Stressing the importance of practical
> improvements in the social conditions of men, Bahá'ís have been very active in
> the fight against prejudice. They teach generally by demonstrating, for it is an
> article of their faith that deeds are more powerful than words. Within Bahá'í
> communities, Negroes and whites, men and women, Asians, Africans and
> Europeans stand on a basis of absolute equality. Believers, moreover, are
> enjoined to take their creed seriously, even to the point of marriage. American
> Negroes play a highly important and highly visible role in Bahá'í communities,
> not only as members of local and national assemblies but also as human beings
> who interact with other members of the faith on a human and non-racial level.
> The chief principle of the faith, which is one of the fastest-growing religions
> in the world today, is "the oneness and the wholeness of the human race." A
> Bahá'í proverb says: "A rose is beautiful in whatever garden it may bloom. We
> are each flowers in the great garden." The major purpose of the faith is to unite
> the entire world in one religion and one social order. Among the dominant
> principles of the Bahá'ís are:
> 1) Independent investigation of the truth.
> 2) Essential harmony of science and religion.
> 3) Recognition of the divine foundation of all religions. 4) Universal
> compulsory education.
> 5) Equality of men and women.
> 6) Spiritual solution of economic problems. 7) Need for a universal auxiliary
> language.
> 8) Universal peace based upon a world federation of nations. 9) Elimination of
> At world center of Bahá'í Faith in Haifa Israel three members
> of House of justice, David Hofman of England Amoz Gibson of
> prejudice.
> the U.S. and Hushman Fatheazam of Persia chat in flower          10) Recognition of the essential unity of mankind.
> gardens near beautiful, golden-domed Bahá'í Shrine.              Although the Bahá'í faith honors the "essentials" of other religions,
> 
> In Kampala,
> Uganda, Bahá'ís and
> friends congregate left
> on lawn after service in
> modern African temple
> (background).
> 
> At opening of temple
> in Frankfurt Ger. Elaine
> Baker c. Beth McKenty
> r. of U.S. join German
> Barbara Thinat.
> it is neither eclectic nor syncretic. Bahá'ís have their own holy scripture and
> their own laws based primarily on the life and insights of Bahá'u'lláh who
> was born on November 12, 1817, in Persia. The precocious son of a wealthy
> nobleman, Bahá'u'lláh was raised in easy circumstances which he
> abandoned to follow the Báb. Because of his advocacy of the new
> revelation, Bahá'u'lláh was imprisoned, tortured, and finally exiled. While
> imprisoned in a vermin-infested cell, the bearded religious prophet became
> aware of his mission.
> After Bahá'u'lláh revealed himself to his followers, Turkish officials
> shunted him from prison to prison in an abortive effort to destroy his
> influence. In 1868, the troublesome religious prisoner was sent to the
> pestilential Turkish prison colony at 'Akká near present-day Haifa in the
> Holy Land. Instead of destroying Bahá'u'lláh's influence, this development
> expanded it, for, to the faithful, the transfer to 'Akká confirmed the ancient
> prophecy that "the Lord of Hosts would be manifested in the Holy Land."
> Not only followers but also scholars and high state officials sought out
> Bahá'u'lláh for blessings and advice. Finally, Turkish officials allowed the
> revered prophet to take up residence in a rustic mansion at nearby Bahjí,
> where he died in 1892.
> By all accounts, Bahá'u'lláh was an extraordinary personage. The only
> Westerner to interview him, Professor Edward G. Browne, the famous
> Cambridge University Orientalist, wrote: "The face of him on whom I
> gazed, I can never forget, though I cannot describe it. Those piercing eyes
> seemed to read one's very soul; power and authority sat on that ample brow
> while the deep lines on the forehead and face implied an age which the jet
> black hair and beard flowing down to indistinguishable luxuriance almost
> to the waist seemed to belie. No need to ask in whose presence I stood as I
> bowed myself before one who is the object of a devotion and love which
> kings might envy and emperors sigh for in vain!"
> 'Abdu'l-Bahá, one of three major figures of
> During 40 years of exile and imprisonment, Bahá'u'lláh wrote more than
> the religion was eldest son of founder. 'Abdu'l-   100 books and tablets which are the basis of the Bahá'í faith. In his writings,
> Bahá who died in 1921, carried message of          according to Bahá'í authorities, Bahá'u'lláh states that unity is the central
> new religion to Western world laid cornerstone     problem of the modern age. Bahá'u'lláh's approach to life and religion were
> of American temple.
> founded on two concepts: 1) unity-"the unity of God, the unity of His
> prophets and the oneness and wholeness of
> 
> Representatives of
> American Bahá'í community
> were photographed before
> House of Worship at 55th
> annual convention. Despite
> some harassment by White
> Citizens Councils the faith is
> growing in the South.
> Hawaii Bahá'í community
> includes descendants of
> several stocks. New
> members are attracted by
> example of members and
> the activities of pioneers.
> 
> Navajo Indian couple,
> Mr. and Mrs. Chester
> Kahn discuss expansion
> of faith with Bahá'í
> member. Faith has grown
> rapidly in Africa in recent
> 
> man"-and, 2) progressive revelation, the idea that is the                     meeting of the faithful, at a world congress in London in 1963, was
> evolution religion o one faith which sows different faces to                  a living testimonial to the reach of the faith. Some 7,000 Bahá'í
> different ages. In the view o contemporary Ba a Is Moses                      delegates of practically every race and stock attended the
> Buddha, Zoroaster Krishna, Jesus, Mohammad and Bahá'u'lláh                    convention which has been called "one of the greatest admixtures
> were successive "Manifestations" through whom God has                         of people and cultures in world history."
> progressively revealed the meaning of life.                                      From an administrative standpoint, the religion consists of a
> After Bahá'u'lláh's death, his message was carried to the Western             series of local communities. Administrative control is centered in
> world by his eldest son Abdu'l-Bahá who visited in 1912                       Local and National Spiritual Assemblies. Both national and local
> Dressed in a Persian cloak and turban and accompanied by a                    assemblies are composed of nine members elected for one-year
> racially-mixed party, Abdu'l-Bahá criss-crossed the country,                  terms. Local assemblies are elected by the entire adult community.
> sowing the seeds of the new faith. Among the groups he                        National Spiritual Assemblies which administer the affairs of
> addressed were a Howard University audience and conference                    national groups are elected annually by delegates from each
> of the fourth annual conference the NAACP. Far in advance of                  region. The international control center, the Universal House of
> his time, 'Abdu'l-Bahá said the chief problems for the age were               justice, administers affairs of the faith from Haifa, Israel. Members
> peace an human brotherhood. The Bahá'í sage told Americans                    of this body are elected to five-year terms by members of the
> that if they could solve their major spiritual problem, the race              National Spiritual Assemblies. At a 1963 meeting, four Americans
> problem, America's influence would be decisive in the                         were elected to the House of justice, including a Negro educator,
> formulation of a new world order. To members of his own faith                 Amoz Gibson.
> Abdu'l-Bahá insisted on complete fidelity to the Bahá'í principle                The Bahá'í community has neither a priesthood nor rituals. At
> of unity. In a 1912 tablet, he told "' American Bahá'ís: "If it be            Bahá'í religious ceremonies, there are no collections or sermons.
> possible, gather together these two races, black and white, into              The heart of the spiritual life of the community is the 19-day feast
> one Assembly, and put such love into their hearts that they shall             which is held on the first day of every Bahá'í month (The Bahá'í
> not only unite rite but even intermarry. Be sure that the result of           calendar has 19 months consisting of days that start at sunset
> this will abolish differences an disputes between black and                   instead of midnight.). The 19-day feast is conducted simply and
> white. Moreover by the Will of God, may it be so. This is a great             informally in three stages. The first part consists of readings of
> service to humanity."                                                         passages from the writings of the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh, and Abdu'l-
> During the ministry of Abdu'l-Bahá and his successor Shoghi                Bahá. This devotional meeting is followed by a general business
> Effendi the faith made enormous gains. At the death of Shoghi                 meeting and a feast. In addition to the 19-day feast, Bahá'í
> Effendi in 1957, there were Bahá'í communities in every major                 communities hold a great variety of cultural and spiritual
> or country in the world. Today, there are more than 14,000 Bahá'í             meetings. In the absence of a professional clergy, members are
> centers. In America alone, there are more than 300 assemblies                 charged with the responsibility of deepening their faith by
> and some 1,700 centers of the faith. The 100th anniversary                    continuous study, prayer, and discussion.
> Bahá'ís take their religion
> seriously. To a Bahá'í, there is no
> demarcation between religion
> and everyday life. The most
> important prayer, Bahá'ís say, is
> a person's daily life. Religion, in
> other words, is an "attitude
> toward God reflected in life."
> According to Bahá'í writings,
> "All effort and exertion put forth
> by man from the fullness of his
> heart
> Leroy Loas, one of select       Bahá'í pioneers, former      As Bahá'í "pioneer” in Norway, Lucille Webster (r.),
> group of international          insurance executive          formerly of Cleveland is helping to expand the faith in
> stewards designated "Hands      Ellsworth Blackwell and      Scandinavian area. She is employed by Department of
> of the Cause," chats with Dr.   wife Ruth settled in Port-   State. Only Negro Bahá'í in Norway, she was elected
> Eugene Byrd (r.).               au-Prince Haiti in 1960.     chairman of country's Assembly.
> International leader, Amoz
> Gibson takes sun on Haifa's
> Mount Carmel with wife
> Mary, and children Donald,
> Kenneth Nancy. Eldest
> William is studying in U.S.
> 
> In House of Justice Office
> in Haifa, Gibson, a former
> Washington educator, checks
> correspondence with
> secretary, Mrs. Braulia Caban,
> formerly of New York.
> 
> National Spiritual Assembly, chief administrative body of U.S. group, holds
> meeting at Wilmette Ill, head quarters. One Negro, Dr. Sarah M. Pereira c. is
> member of group. Dr. David S. Ruhe (r.) is National Assembly secretary.
> 
> At Bahá'í Institute at
> Green Lake Wisconsin
> three Bahá'ís hold
> a n i m a t e d
> conversation. At
> institute Youth and
> adults discussed
> practical ways of
> implementing
> brotherhood and
> deepening bonds of
> their faith.
> B
> At Bahá'í service in            E GENEROUS in prosperity, and thankful in
> temple in Uganda,
> Catherine Kabale
> adversity.  Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and
> reads prayer.                   look upon him with a bright and friendly face.
> M e m b e r s h i p i s Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an
> granted on personal answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of
> declaration of faith to thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech.
> adult men and women.
> Some three hundred Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men.
> Americans, including Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the
> many Negroes, are sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an
> spreading faith abroad. upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. Let
> 
> BAHÁ'Í FAITH Continued                                                    integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts.
> is worship if it is prompted by the highest motives and the will to       Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of
> do service to humanity."                                                  strength for the fugitive.
> Believers must also carry out teaching activities which are            Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the
> roughly comparable to the missionary activities of other faiths. In       erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to
> local communities, Bahá'ís hold "firesides" (religious study              the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a
> groups) in their homes and elsewhere to acquaint interested parties       breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of
> with tenets of the faith. Thousands of Bahá'ís also leave their           justice, a luminary above the horizon. of virtue, a dew to the
> native land and become "pioneers" in foreign countries. Bahá'í            soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a
> "pioneers" are not called missionaries because they are not               sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a
> supported by the faith. "Pioneers" support themselves and advance         shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon
> the faith by becoming a part of the community (as teachers,               the tree of humility.
> doctors, medical technicians, etc.).                                                                                   —BAHÁ'U'LLÁH
> Like the early Christians, Bahá'ís live their faith. In America,
> they have pioneered in creating truly integrated communities. Not
> only in the North but also in the South, Bahá'ís live Shoghi             Author of the award-winning Before The Mayflower: A History
> Effendi's injunction: "Freedom from racial prejudice, in any of its      of The Negro in America 1619-1962, Lerone Bennett Jr. has long
> forms, should be adopted as the watchword of the entire body of          been interested in the great figures of Negro history, both past and
> the American believers, in whatever state they reside. It should be      present.
> consistently demonstrated in every phase of their activity and life,     His newly-published biography of Martin Luther King, What
> in public or in private. It should be deliberately cultivated in their   Manner of Man, has been acclaimed
> homes, their business offices, their schools and colleges, their         for its perceptive assessment of the
> social parties and recreation grounds:"                                  contribution being made by the
> To members of the faith, the Bahá'í community is a visible sign       great proponent of non-violence, Dr.
> of the destined triumph of unity over separatism. Within the folds       King. Mr. Bennett has also written a
> of the faith, sharing a practical, day-to-day brotherhood, are           book of essays surveying the
> millionaires and maids, black men and white men, Southerners             American civil rights' scene, The
> and Northerners, former Moslems, Hindus, Christians, Jews. Of            Negro Mood.
> whatever station, of whatever background, Bahá'ís believe their
> Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in
> faith answers the deep hunger of modern man for wholeness.
> 1928, he grew up in Jackson,
> Because their belief is a form of action, Bahá'ís are proving in
> Mississippi, and attended Episcopal
> action Bahá'u'lláh's vision: "Ye are the fruits of one tree and the
> parochial school. He graduated from public high school in 1945,
> leaves of one Branch..."
> and as a teen-ages worked as a reporter on the Jackson Advocate
> and the Mississippi Enterprise. Mr. Bennett majored in political
> science and economics, graduating with honors from Morehouse
> College, Atlanta, in 1949. He was editor of his school paper and
> year-book. After studying political science in the graduate school
> at Atlanta University for a brief period, Mr. Bennett joined the
> Atlanta Daily World as a reporter.
> Except for a period of service overseas with the American army
> in Germany, Mr. Bennett remained with the Atlanta Daily World
> until 1953, when he resigned from his position as City Editor to
> become associate editor of JET magazine, with the Johnson
> Publishing Company in Chicago:
> Married to the former Gloria Sylvester, a journalist before her
> marriage, the Bennetts are the parents of four children.
> Mr. Bennett has. received the Windy City Press Club Award for
> outstanding magazine writing. His hobbies include chess,
> reading and collecting records.
> National Center of the Faith in America
> Bahá'í House of Worship, Wilmette, Illinois
> 
> EBONY
> Reprinted by permission of
> 
> ______________________________________________
> ______________________________________________
> From__________________________________________
> 
> W            HEN THE RACIAL elements of the American nation
> unite in actual fellowship and accord, the lights of the
> oneness of humanity will shine, the day of eternal glory
> and bliss will dawn, the spirit of God encompass and the Divine
> BOOKS ON BAHÁ'Í FAITH
> 
> Foundations of World Unity by `Abdu'l-Bahá.
> favors descend. Under the leadership and training of God, the real       Public talks by the Son of the Founder of the
> shepherd, all will be protected and preserved. He will lead them in
> green pastures of happiness and sustenance and they will attain to
> Bahá'í Faith given on His historic Western
> the real goal of existence. This is the blessing and benefit of unity;   journey of 1912, in churches, universities and
> this is the outcome of love.                                             at many public gatherings.
> 
> I   N THE ESTIMATION Of God there is no distinction of color;
> all are one in the color and beauty of servitude to Him. Color is
> not important; the heart is all-important. It matters not what
> the exterior may be if the heart is pure ....
> —`ABDU'L-BAHÁ
> Thief in the Night. William Sears. Examination
> of Old and New Testament prophecies relating
> to the Bahá'í Faith.
> 
> Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era. J. E. Esslemont.
> A basic handbook on the Bahá'í Faith with
> chapters on Religious Unity; The Way to Peace;
> For further information or literature on                            Religion and Science; Prophecy Fulfilled;
> the Bahá'í Faith, please contact the                                Prayer; Health and Healing, and others.
> Bahá'í Center in your community. If none
> listed, write Bahá'í National Center, Dept.                         Please contact your local Bahá'í Center for above books.
> C,112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.                            Many are also available in your public library, or you may
> order direct from Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden
> Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.
>
> — *Baha'i: A Way of Life for Millions (Used by permission of the curator)*