# THE MAGAZINE "THE BAHA'IS"

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> THE MAGAZINE "THE BAHA'IS"
> 
> Founded a century and a half ago, the Baha'i Faith
> is today among the fastest growing of world
> religions.  With more than five million followers
> in at least 232 countries and dependent
> territories, it has already become the second-most
> widespread faith, surpassing every religion but
> Christianity in its geographic reach.  Baha'is
> reside in more than 116,000 localities around the
> world, an expansion that reflects their dedication
> to the ideal of world citizenship.
> 
> The Baha'i Faith's global scope is mirrored in the
> composition of its membership.
> 
>      Representing a cross section of humanity,
> Baha'is come from virtually every nation, ethnic
> group, culture, profession and social or economic
> class.  More than 2,100 different ethnic and tribal
> groups are represented.
> 
>       Since it also forms a single community, free
> of schism or factions, the Baha'i Faith comprises
> what is very likely the most diverse and widespread
> organized body of people on earth.
> 
>       The Faith's Founder was Baha'u'llah, a
> Persian nobleman from Teheran who, in the
> mid-nineteenth century, gave up a princely
> existence of comfort and security for a life of
> persecution and deprivation.
> 
>       Baha'u'llah claimed to be nothing less than
> a new and independent Messenger from God.  His life
> work and influence parallel that of Abraham,
> Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Christ, and
> Muhammad.  Baha'is view Baha'u'llah as the most
> recent in this succession of Divine Messengers.
> 
> *********************************
> 
>         "This is the Day in which God's most
> excellent favors have been poured out upon men, the
> Day in which His most mighty grace hath been
> infused into all created things."     -Baha'u'llah
> ****************************************
> 
>       The essential message of Baha'u'llah is that
> of unity.  He taught that there is only one God,
> that there is only one human race, and that all the
> world's religions have been stages in the
> revelation of God's will and purpose for humanity. 
> In this day, Baha'u'llah said, humanity has
> collectively come of age.  As foretold in all the
> world's scriptures, the time has arrived for the
> united of all peoples into a peaceful and
> integrated global society.  "The earth is but one
> country, and mankind its citizens," He wrote.
> 
>         The youngest of the world's independent
> religions, the Faith founded by Baha'u'llah stands
> out from other religions in a number of ways.  It
> has a unique system of global administration, with
> freely elected governing councils in more than
> 18,000 localities.
> 
>         It takes a distinctive (and sometimes
> radical) approach to contemporary social problems. 
> The Faith's scriptures and the multifarious
> activities of its membership address virtually
> every important trend in the world today, from the
> new thinking about cultural diversity and
> environmental conservation to the decentralization
> of decision-making; from a renewed commitment to a
> family life and morality to the call for a "New
> World Order."
> 
>          The Faith's most distinctive
> accomplishment by far, however, is its unity. 
> Unlike every other religion -- not to mention most
> social and political movements -- the Baha'i Faith
> has successfully resisted the perennial impulse to
> break into sects and sub-groups.  It has maintained
> its unity despite a history as turbulent as that of
> any religion of antiquity.
> 
>          In the hundred years since Baha'u'llah
> lived, the process of global unification for which
> He called has become well-advanced.  Through
> historical processes, the traditional barriers of
> race, class, creed and nation have steadily broken
> down.  The forces at work, Baha'u'llah predicted,
> will eventually give birth to a universal
> civilization.  The principal challenge facing the
> peoples of th earth is to accept the fact of their
> oneness and assist in the creation of this new
> world.
> 
> ***********************
> "The vitality of men's belief in God is dying out
> in every land; nothing short of His wholesome
> medicine can ever restore it." 
> 
>    -Baha'u'llah
> *****************************
> 
>          For a global society to flourish
> Baha'u'llah said, it must be based on certain
> fundamental principles.  They include the
> elimination of all forms of prejudice; full
> equality between the sexes; recognition of the
> essential oneness of the world's great religions;
> the elimination of extremes of poverty and wealth;
> universal eduction; the harmony of science and
> religion; a sustainable balance between nature and
> technology; and the establishment of a world
> federal system, based on collective security and
> the oneness of humanity.
> 
>       Baha'is around the world express their
> commitment to these principles chiefly through
> individual and community transformation.  Among
> other ways, commitment is reflected in the large
> number of small-scale, grassroots-based social and
> economic development projects that Baha'i
> communities have launched in recent years.
> 
>       In building a unified network of local,
> national and international governing councils,
> Baha'u'llah's followers have created a far-flung
> and diverse worldwide community -- marked by a
> distinctive pattern of life and activity -- which
> offers an encouraging model for cooperation,
> harmony and social action.  In a world so divided
> in its loyalties, this is in itself a singular
> achievement.
> 
>       This computer program is an attempt to tell
> this story.
>  
> How many Baha'is are there?
> 
>           In 1963 it is estimated that there were
> about 400,00 Baha'is in the world.  By 1985, it was
> estimated that there were about 3,500,000 Baha'is
> in the world.   According to the Encyclopaedia
> Britannica 1992 Book of the Year there were
> 5,400,000 Baha'is worldwide in 1991.
> 
>           Statistics from the World Christian
> Encyclopedia, which is perhaps the best-respected
> work on this subject, indicate that the Baha'i
> Faith is among the fastest growing of the
> independent world religions.  The World Christian
> Encyclopedia estimated that the worldwide Baha'i
> community grew at an average rate of 3.63 percent
> per year during the 15 years from 1970 to 1985.
> 
>            Figures reported in the 1992 Britannica
> Book of the Year show the Baha'i Faith as having
> significant communities in 205 countries, second
> only to Christianity in its geographic spread.
> 
>            Statisticians at the Baha'i World Centre
> (Haifa, Israel) calculated in 1992 that the Faith
> is established in 232 countries and dependent
> territories.
> 
>        Not a sect, an independent
> 
>        religion
> 
>           In the past, scholars sometimes referred
> to the Baha'i Faith as a "sect" of Islam -- owing to
> the fact that Its Prophet and early followers
> emerged from an Islamic society.
> 
>          Today, religious specialists recognize
> that such a reference would be equivalent to
> calling Christianity a "sect" of Judaism, or
> referring to Buddhism as a "denomination" of
> Hinduism.
> 
>          Although Christ was indeed Jewish and
> Buddha was born a Hindu.  Their religious messages
> were not merely re-interpretations of the parent
> religions -- but went far beyond them.
> 
>      In the same way, Baha'u'llah laid entirely new
> spiritual foundations.  His writings are
> independent scripture, and His work transcends that
> of a religious reformer.  As historian Arnold
> Toynbee noted in 1959:
> 
>             "Bahaism [sic] is an independent
>             religion on a par with Islam,
>             Christianity, and the other
>             recognized world religions.
>             Bahaism is not a sect of some
>             other religion; it is a separate
>             religion, and it has the same
>             status as the other recognized
>             religions."
> 
> Kimiko Schwerin lives in a suburb of Tokyo with her
> American husband John, where together they operate
> a successful language school.  Born in  Nagasaki,
> Ms. Schwerin has in many ways broken the mold for
> a Japanese woman of her generation.  Not only did
> she marry a foreigner -- an act for which she was
> once slapped in the face by a disapproving
> stranger -- she is also active in a variety of
> activities aimed at promoting the equality of
> women.
> 
>       Stanlake Kukama, who as a young man was a
> regional official for the African National Congress
> in South Africa, gave up politics in the 1950s to
> pursue a different path towards ending apartheid in
> his native land.  Although he is now retired, his
> goal for the last 30 years has been to assist in
> the building of an integrated community of people
> that could serve to demonstrate the possibility of
> harmonious relations between blacks and whites in
> Southern Africa.
> 
>    *************************
> 
>       "All men have been created to carry forward
> an ever-advancing civilization."  
> 
>                                                   
> 
>                -Baha'u'llah
>   *************************
> 
>       Primo Pasci lives high in the Andes mountains
> of Bolivia, where he grows potatoes on steep
> hillside land that has been in his family for
> generations.  A member of the Aymara people, Mr.
> Pasci has only a fourth grade education. 
> Nevertheless, he has helped to start a pre-school
> for the children in his village, which provides an
> important educational boost during their most
> important developmental years.  He has also led the
> way in bringing a new kind of inexpensive
> solar-heated greenhouse to his village, a project
> which has permitted him and his neighbors to grow
> a variety of fruits and vegetables -- items which do
> not otherwise grow at such altitudes.
> 
>       Although different in their cultural
> heritages, educational backgrounds, and national
> origins, Ms. Schwerin, Mr. Kukama, and Mr. Pacsi
> are united by a common belief in the Baha'i
> Faith -- and a commitment to its ideals.
> 
>       The worldwide Baha'i community may well be
> the most diverse and widespread body of people on
> earth.  It is also among the world's most unified
> organizations, a feature that is perhaps its most
> distinguishing characteristic.
> 
>      Baha'is the world over come from all religions
> backgrounds: Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain,
> Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Zoroastrian, animist, and
> non-religious.  Yet they study a common set of
> sacred writings, observe a unifying code of
> religious laws, and look to a single international
> administrative system for continuing guidance.
> 
>    ***************************
> 
>       "Let your vision be world-embracing, rather
> than confined to your own self."
> 
>                                           
> -Baha'u'llah
> 
>    ************************
> 
>       Their sense of unity goes beyond a shared
> theology.  It is expressed in an abiding commitment
> to a global program for moral, spiritual and social
> progress that represents many of the finest ideals
> of civilization.
> 
>       Promoting equality of women and men is a
> primary goal, as is ending racial and ethnic
> strife.  Encouraging the concept of economic
> justice for all peoples is another major objective. 
> So is ensuring access to good education for all. 
> The community eschews all forms of superstition and
> sets for its followers the goal of meeting the
> highest moral standard.  World peace and the
> establishment of a united global commonwealth has
> been and remains a distinguishing concern.
> 
>       Indeed, no other world organization of
> similar diversity, whether affiliated along
> religious, political, or social lines, can claim a
> membership as committed to a vision that is at once
> so singular, coherent and universal.
> 
>       The source of this vision is Baha'u'llah
> (1817-1892), the Founder of the Baha'i Faith.  A
> Persian nobleman who spent the last 40 years of His
> life as a prisoner and an exile, He authored the
> equivalent of more than 100 volumes -- writings which
> today form the foundation on which the worldwide
> Baha'i community stands.
> 
>                     A Way of Life
> 
>       From the earliest times, religion has been a
> powerful force for personal and social
> transformation.  In both the lives of individual
> believers, and in the distinctive communities it
> has spawned, the Baha'i Faith is a dramatic
> illustration of this rule.
> 
>       The primary purpose of life is to know and to
> worship God, and to contribute to an ever-advancing
> global civilization.  Baha'is seek to fulfill this
> purpose in a variety of personal, family, and
> community activities.
> 
>       The family unit, according to Baha'u'llah, is
> the foundation of human society.  Kimiko Schwerin
> believers, for example, that her marriage can stand
> as an illustration of the oneness of all peoples. 
> In traditional Japanese society, marriage to a
> foreigner is an unwritten taboo.  Once, for
> example, when she was riding on a train with her
> husband in the early 1970s, a middle-aged Japanese
> man walked up and abruptly slapped her in the face.
> 
>    ************************
> 
>    "...The peoples of the world, of whatever race
> or religion, derive their inspiration from one
> heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God."
> 
>                                                 
> -Baha'u'llah
> 
>    ************************
> 
>       "It was because I was with a 'foreigner',"
> said Ms. Schwerin, who grew up in Nagasaki and now
> runs an English language school with her husband in
> a Tokyo suburb.  "In those days, there was a strong
> prejudice against international marriage.  Marriage
> to a foreigner was not considered decent."
> 
>       "But I didn't feel embarrassed, not at all,"
> Ms. Schwerin added.  "I just felt sorry for the man
> because of his prejudice.  Because I'm a Baha'i, I
> feel international marriage is an entirely right
> thing to do."
> 
>       The Schwerins see their experience as an
> example of how international marriage can promote
> a greater awareness of other cultures.  "Because
> the Baha'i Faith is inclusive of all races and
> backgrounds, we avoid many of the conflicts that
> might come traditionally when a Japanese person
> marries a foreigner," said Ms. Schwerin.
> 
>       "For example, John is from a Christian
> background and I am from a Buddhist background,"
> Ms. Schwerin said.  "The question of what faith to
> raise your children in is often a problem for
> people in international marriages.  Because we
> believe in the oneness of religions, we have
> educated our children to appreciate all religions."
> 
>       A successful businesswoman in her own right,
> Ms. Schwerin is also active in promoting the
> concept of women's equality.  She travels
> frequently throughout Japan and surrounding
> countries to promote this principle -- and the other
> ideals of the Baha'i Faith.
> 
>       The work that Primo Pacsi and the other
> Baha'is of Laku Lakuni, a remote village on the
> Bolivian altiplano, have done in helping to
> establish a small pre-school and to promote
> solar-heated greenhouses offers an example of how
> Baha'is strive to serve the community at large.
> 
>       The pre-school, which serves all of the
> children in Laku Lakuni, gives students an
> important boost in their development.  Although a
> government-run primary school exists in the
> village, the children in this remote and
> impoverished high altitude region are often the
> victims of inadequate attention during their
> pre-school years, considered the most important by
> many child development specialists.  As a result,
> they sometimes do poorly in primary school,
> initiating a pattern of failure that casts a shadow
> over their entire lives.
> 
>       In the Baha'i pre-school, group activities
> are emphasized -- activities as simple as singing
> together -- and the result is significant.  "There is
> a difference between the students who have been to
> pre-school can immediately understand the teacher. 
> And the teacher has noticed that the ones who have
> been to pre-school learn much faster."
> 
>       The pre-school is a bare-bones operation. 
> Mr. Pacsi is the main teacher, and, for the most
> part, he volunteers his time, assisted only by
> occasional donations from parents.  Held in a
> simple adobe building in the center of the village,
> its sessions last only a few hours a day.
> 
>       "At first, the children were afraid to come,"
> said Mr. Pacsi, who embraced the Baha'i Faith in
> the mid-1980s.  "They didn't want to be in a group. 
> But now they love to come and sing together.
> 
>    
>    Now they say, 'Me, Me, Me!' when I teach a
> number and ask a question.  These things are
> connected in that Baha'u'llah teaches that we must
> educate our children and that we must cooperate and
> work together."
> 
>       Mr. Pacsi and his fellow Baha'is have also
> been instrumental in promoting the use of
> solar-heated greenhouses in their community.
> 
>       Developed by the Dorothy Baker Environmental
> Studies Center in Cochabamba, a Baha'i-run
> environmental research and study center about 200
> kilometers away, the greenhouses enable families in
> Laku Lakuni and other communities on the Andean
> high plateau to grow a variety of fruits and
> vegetables which would not ordinarily survive at
> such altitudes.
> 
>        "We really like the greenhouse," said Mr.
> Pacsi, who was the first one in Laku Lakuni to
> build one. "Without it, we could not have
> vegetables -- we don't have the money to buy them.
> But with the greenhouse we can have vegetables. Now
> we can have omelets with tomatoes and onions. My
> little boy didn't even know vegetables existed. Now
> he picks the tomatoes off the plant and eats them
> right there in the greenhouse. Now he knows that if
> you plant seed and nurture it, the fruit comes up."
> 
>        *************************
> 
>          The All-Knowing Physician
>          hath His finger on the pulse
>          of mankind. He perceiveth the
>          disease, and prescribeth, in
>          His unerring wisdom, the
>          remedy. Every age hath its
>          own problem... The remedy
>          the world needeth in its
>          present-day afflictions can
>          never be the same as that
>          which a subsequent age may
>          require. Be anxiously
>          concerned with the needs of
>          the age ye live in, and center
>          your deliberations on its
>          exigencies and requirements."
> 
>                                      -- Baha'u'llah
> 
>         **************************
> 
>       In composition, Baha'i communities are quite
> diffuse. Baha'is do not seek to shut out the world.
> Baha'u'llah's writings encourage involvement with
> the rest of humanity. Most Baha'is lead lives that
> would not seem out of place in their native
> society -- save for a strong commitment to certain
> spiritual and social principles.
> 
>        Despite this diffusion, however, Baha'is are
> able to maintain their essential unity through a
> system of freely elected governing councils, which
> operate at the local, national, and international
> levels. At the local level, for example, Baha'is
> each year elect a nine-member administrative
> council, which is known as the local Spiritual
> Assembly. 
> 
>        In all activities, Baha'is are expected to
> obey civil law and remain loyal to their respective
> governments. While they may accept non-partisan
> government posts or appointments, Baha'is are
> required to refrain from partisan political
> activity.  At the time he began to look into
> Baha'u'llah's teachings in the 1950s, for example,
> Stanlake Kukama was the local secretary of the
> African National Congress. "I hated the white man,"
> said Mr. Kukama, who now lives in Bophuthatswana.
> "To me, all whites were oppressors."
> 
>        With that attitude, it was at first
> difficult for Mr. Kukama to accept the teachings of
> Baha'u'llah, because of His emphasis on the oneness
> of humanity and the necessity of working to
> eliminate all racial prejudice -- a principle which
> means that not only must whites accept blacks as
> equals and friends, but that blacks must learn to
> live with and, even, to love whites.
>  
> 
>        Mr. Kukama came to believe that, in the end,
> this path -- and not the confrontational world of
> politics -- will lead to a better world. And so, he
> has since worked to build a harmonious and diverse
> community which could, at the proper time,
> demonstrate to all South Africans that association
> between people of all races is not only
> possible -- but is in fact joyous and reflective of
> the reality of human oneness.
> 
>        The diversity of the South African Baha'i
> community today embraces virtually all of the
> races, ethnic groups, and tribes that reside there.
> More than 90 percent of the approximately 7,500
> Baha'is in South Africa are non-white a ratio that
> roughly matches the proportions of the population
> at large.  Baha'is are spread throughout South
> Africa, too, with local communities in more than
> 150 cities and towns.
> 
>        "The cause of the strife in South Africa is
> the 40 years of apartheid, which emphasized ethnic
> separation," said Mr. Kukama, who became a school
> teacher after he became a Baha'i. "But in the
> Baha'i community, even though we come from
> different tribes or races, we are all one. And one
> day there will be one world -- that is my vision of
> man. Togetherness, not separateness."
> 
>  How Baha'is spread their Faith
> 
>         Although forbidden by Baha'u'llah from
> aggressive proselytizing, Baha'is believe that His
> message offers specific and important answers to
> the diverse and grave problems facing humanity. 
> Accordingly, they are eager to share this message
> with anyone who expresses and interest.
> 
>         Sharing Baha'u'llah's vision is known as
> "teaching" in Baha'i terminology.  Teaching can
> take many forms.  someone who wants to know more
> about the Faith might be invited to a "fireside." 
> Firesides are informal gathers in homes of Baha'is. 
> short talks on Baha'i principles are presented and
> discussion follows.  Light refreshments are often
> served, and the gatherings are notable for their
> warm and hospitable atmosphere.
> 
>         Baha'is also endeavor to spread the Faith
> by moving into areas where there are few Baha'is. 
> This is known as "pioneering."  This differs
> sharply from traditional missionary work in that
> pioneers are generally expected to be
> self-supporting.  They become part of their new
> community in all aspects: by working there,
> participating in community activities, and
> supporting the local government and its
> institutions.
> 
>          Baha'i communities sometimes also hold
> large public meetings, buy advertising, or seek
> media coverage in order to share more widely the
> principles of Baha'u'llah's message. 
> 
> The Nineteen Day Feast: blend of worship,
> fellowship and grassroots democracy
> 
> The centerpiece of Baha'i community life is the
> Nineteen Day Feast.  Held once every 19 days.  It
> is the local community's regular worship
> gathering -- and more.
> 
> Open to both adults and children, the Nineteen Day
> Feast is the regular gather that promotes and
> sustains the unity of the local Baha'i community. 
> Although its program is adaptable to a wide variety
> of cultural and social needs, the Feast always
> contains three elements: spiritual devotion,
> administrative consultation, and fellowship.  As
> such, the Feast combines religious worship with
> grassroots governance and social development.
> 
> The use of the word "feast" might seem to imply
> that a large meal will be served.  That is not
> necessarily the case.  While food and beverages are
> usually served, the term itself is meant to suggest
> that the community should enjoy a "spiritual feast"
> of worship, companionship and unity.  Baha'u'llah
> stressed the important of gathering every nineteen
> days, "to bind your hearts together," even if
> nothing more than water is served.
> 
> During the devotional program, selections from the
> Baha'i writings, and often the scriptures from
> other religions, are read aloud.  A general
> discussion follows, allowing every member a voice
> in community affairs and making the Feast an "arena
> of democracy at the very root of society."  The
> Feast ends with a period for socializing. 
> 
> How many Baha'is are there?
> 
>              Accurately estimating the number of
> followers of any world religion is a difficult and
> complex task. In some regions of the world,
> religious persecution or government oppression may
> make individual believers reluctant to identify
> themselves. In other areas, poor communication or
> travel networks make it difficult to collect data.
> 
>              With these difficulties in mind,
> demographers at the Baha'i World Centre have
> attempted to be as conservative as possible in
> estimating the number of Baha'is worldwide. Their
> most recent survey yielded an estimate of 5,000,000
> Baha'is in 1991.
> 
>              The inherent conservatism of their
> methodology is evident when Baha'i statistics are
> compared with estimates made by other religious
> scholars. Each year, for example, the Encyclopedia
> Britannica publishes a table of religious
> demographic statistics. According to the 1992
> Britannica Book of the Year, there were 5,400,000
> Baha'is worldwide in 1991.
> 
>             Over the last three decades, the number
> of Baha'is in the world has grown dramatically. It
> is estimated that there were about 400,000 Baha'is
> in the world in 1963, the year of the First Baha'i
> World Congress. By 1985, it was estimated that
> there were about 3,500,000 Baha'is in the world.
> 
>              In other words, the Baha'i Faith has
> grown by an estimated 1,500,000 believers over the
> last six years, an increase of roughly 43 percent.
> 
>              Making any comparison between the rate
> of growth of the Baha'i Faith and other religions
> must be carefully qualified.  Since Baha'i
> demographers are not involved in gathering
> statistics on other religions, it would be
> inappropriate to make any official characterization
> about the rate of growth of the Baha'i Faith in
> relation to other religious groups.
> 
>              However, statistics from the World
> Christian Encyclopedia, which is perhaps the
> best-respected work on this subject, indicate that
> the Baha'i Faith is among the fastest growing of
> the independent world religions. The World
> Christian Encyclopedia estimated that the worldwide
> Baha'i community grew at an average rate of 3.63
> per cent per year during the 15 years from 1970 to
> 1985.
> 
>              Published in 1982, it reports on the
> work of Christian demographers who undertook a
> decade long survey of religious believers worldwide
> in 1970s.  The survey attempted to accurately
> determine the number Christians -- and followers of
> other religions -- in every country, and to make
> projections about their growth.
> 
>              A comparison of rates of growth among
> the independent world religions, as reported in the
> World Christian Encyclopedia, is shown in the
> graph.  [Click on "Graph" button on left below.]
> 
>              While these figures are more than
> seven years old, they remain virtually the only
> widely published side-by-side comparison of the
> rate of growth for various religions.
> 
>              It is important to qualify these
> figures by noting that, according to the World
> Christian Encyclopedia, some sects or sub-groups of
> Christianity and Islam grew faster than the Baha'i
> Faith during this period. None of these sects or
> sub-groups, however, were listed as having
> followers in more than 100 countries. The Baha'i
> Faith, was listed as having established
> "significant" communities in more than 192
> countries in 1982, at the time of the
> Encyclopedia's publication.
> 
>              More recent figures, reported in the
> 1992 Britannica Book of the Year, show the Baha'i
> Faith as having significant communities in 205
> countries, second only to Christianity in its
> geographic spread.
> 
>              Statisticians at the Baha'i World
> Centre calculated in 1992 that the Faith is
> established in 232 countries and dependent
> territories. 
> 
> The Babi movement, precursor to the Baha'i Faith
> 
> Accounts agree that the Bab was an extraordinary
> child. Born on 20 October 1819, He possessed a
> surprising wisdom and nobility, reminiscent of the
> young Jesus. Upon reaching manhood, the Bab joined
> his uncle in the family business, a trading house. 
> His integrity and piety won the esteem of the other
> merchants with whom He came in contact. He was also
> known for His generosity to the poor.
> 
>                After His announcement. the Bab
> attracted followers rapidly, and the new religious
> movement spread through Iran like wildfire.  This
> growth stirred opposition and
> persecution -- especially among the religious
> establishment, who saw a threat to their power and
> prestige.  In the course of this persecution, the
> Bab was imprisoned several times.
> 
>                His major work, the Bayan, abrogated
> certain Muslim laws and replaced them with new
> ones. The Bayan stressed a high moral standard,
> with an emphasis on purity of heart and motive. It
> also upheld the station of women and the poor, and
> it promoted education and useful sciences.
> 
>               The central theme of the Bayan was
> the imminence of a second Messenger from God, one
> Who would be far greater than the Bab, and Whose
> mission would be to usher in the age of peace and
> plenty that had for so long been promised in Islam,
> as well as in Judaism, Christianity, and all the
> other world religions.
> 
>                  Persecution and execution
> 
>               The hearts and minds of those who
> heard the message of the Bab were locked in a
> mental world that had changed little from medieval
> times. Thus, by proclaiming an entirely new
> religion, the Bab was able to help His followers
> break free entirely from the Islamic frame of
> reference and to mobilize them in preparation for
> the coming of Baha'u'llah.
> 
>               The boldness of this proclamation -- 
> which put forth the vision of an entirely new
> society -- stirred intense fear within the religious
> and secular establishments. Accordingly,
> persecution of the Babis quickly developed.
> 
>                Those opposed to the Bab ultimately
> argued that He was not only a heretic, but a
> dangerous rebel. The authorities decided to have
> Him executed.
> 
>                On 9 July 1850, this sentence was
> carried out, in the courtyard of the Tabriz army
> barracks. Some 10,000 people crowded the rooftops
> of the barracks and houses that overlooked the
> square.  The Bab and a young follower were
> suspended by two ropes against a wall.  A regiment
> of 750 Armenian soldiers, arranged in three files
> of 250 each, opened fire in three successive
> volleys.  So dense was the smoke raised by the
> gunpowder and dust that the sky was darkened and
> the entire yard obscured.
> 
>               As recorded in an account filed with
> the British Foreign Office, the Bab was not to be
> seen when the smoke cleared. His companion stood
> uninjured and untouched by the bullets.  The ropes
> by which he and the Bab had been suspended were
> rent into pieces.
> 
>                The Bab was found back in His cell,
> giving final instructions to one of His followers. 
> Earlier in the day, when the guards had come to
> take Him to the execution ground, the Bab had
> warned that no "earthly power" could silence Him
> until He had finished all that He had to say. Now,
> when the guards arrived a second time, the Bab
> calmly announced: "Now you may proceed to fulfil
> your intention."
> 
>               For the second time, the Bab and His
> young companion were brought out for execution. The
> Armenian troops refused to fire again, and a Muslim
> firing squad was assembled and ordered to shoot.
> This time the bodies of the pair were shattered,
> their bones and flesh mingled into one mass. 
> Surprisingly, their faces were untouched.  
> 
> __________________________________
> 
> OR, WHY BAHA'IS SAY THAT THEIR FAITH
> __________________________________ 
>  
> WAS FOUNDED IN 1844
> __________________________________ 
> 
>              The early nineteenth century was a
> period of messianic expectations in many lands. 
> Deeply disturbed by the implications of scientific
> inquiry and industrialization, earnest believers
> from many religious backgrounds turned to the
> scriptures of their faiths for an understanding of
> the accelerating processes of change.
> 
>               In Europe and America groups like the
> Templers and the Millerites believed they had found
> in the Christian scriptures evidence supporting
> their conviction that history had ended and the
> return of Jesus Christ was at hand. A markedly
> similar ferment developed in the Middle East around
> the belief that the fulfillment of various
> prophecies in the Qur'an and Islamic Traditions was
> imminent.
> 
>                By far the most dramatic of these
> millennialist movements emerged in Iran.  It
> focused on the person and teachings of a young
> merchant from the city of Shiraz, known to history
> as the Bab.  From 1844 to 1863, Persians of all
> classes were caught up in a storm of hope and
> excitement, aroused by the Bab's announcement that
> the Day of God was at hand and that He was Himself
> the One promised in Islamic scripture.  Humanity
> stood, He said, on the threshold of an era that
> would witness the restructuring of all aspects of
> life.
> 
>                In some respects, the Bab's role can
> be compared to John the Baptist in the founding of
> Christianity. The Bab was Baha'u'llah's herald: His
> primary mission was to prepare the way for
> Baha'u'llah's coming.  Accordingly, the founding of
> the Babi Faith is viewed by Baha'is as synonymous
> with the founding of the Baha'i Faith -- and its
> purpose was fulfilled when Baha'u'llah announced in
> 1863 that He was the Promised One foretold by the
> Bab.
> 
>                   An independent religion
> 
>                At the same time, however, the Bab
> founded a distinctive, independent religion of His
> own.  Known as the Babi Faith, that religious
> dispensation spawned its own vigorous community,
> had its own scriptures, and left its own indelible
> mark on history.
> 
>                The Babi Faith was founded on 23 May
> 1844 when a 25-year-old merchant in the Iranian
> city of Shiraz announced that He was Islam's
> promised Qa'im, "He Who Will Arise." Although the
> young merchant's given name was Siyyid
> 'Ali-Muhammad, He took the name "Bab," a title that
> means "Gate" or "Door" in Arabic.  His coming, the
> Bab explained, represented the portal through which
> the universal Messenger of God expected by all
> humanity would soon appear.
> 
> An English  scholar's encounter with Baha'u'llah  
> 
> In 1890, the famed Cambridge orientalist Edward G.
> Browne met Baha'u'llah, the only Westerner to meet
> Him and leave an account of his experience. 
> Browne, who visited Baha'u'llah in His home at
> Bahji, recorded the meeting this way: 
> 
> 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 in
> 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!
> 
>    A mild dignified voice bade me be seated, and
> then continued: -- "Praise be to God that thou hast
> attained! ... Thou hast come to see a prisoner and
> an exile ... We desire but the good of the world
> and the happiness of the nations; yet they deem us
> a stirrer up of strife and sedition worthy of
> bondage and banishment ...
> 
> That all nations should become one in faith and all
> men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and
> unity between the
> sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity
> of religion should cease and differences of race be
> annulled - what harm is there in this?  ... Yet so
> it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous
> wars shall pass away, and the 'Most Great Peace'
> shall come  ... Do not you in Europe need this
> also?  Is not this that which Christ foretold?  ...
> Yet do we see your kings and rulers lavishing their
> treasures more freely on means for the destruction
> of the human race than on that which would conduce
> to the happiness of mankind...  These strifes and
> this bloodshed and discord must cease, and all men
> be as one kindred and one family...  Let not a man
> glory in this, that he loves his country; let him
> rather glory in this, that he loves his kind."   
> 
> The process of revelation
> 
>      HOW THE WORDS OF BAHA'U'LLAH WERE RECORDED
> 
>      A unique feature of the Revelation of
> Baha'u'llah is the authenticity of its revealed
> Word.  Unlike the teachings of Christ, for example,
> which were written down decades after they were
> uttered, the words of Baha'u'llah were recorded and
> authenticated at the time they were revealed.The
> process of revelation -- as Baha'is term the act of
> bringing forth the Word of God -- is described in
> several historical documents.  One observer
> recorded the following:
> 
>           "Mirza Aqa Jan (Baha'u'llah's personal
> secretary) had a large ink-pot the size of a small
> bowl. He also had available about ten to twelve
> pens and large sheets of paper in stacks. In those
> days all letters which arrived for Baha'u'llah were
> received by Mirza Aqa Jan. He would bring these
> into the presence of Baha'u'llah and, having
> obtained permission, would read them. Afterwards
> [Baha'u'llah] would direct him to take up his pen
> and record the Tablet which was revealed in
> reply...
> 
>           "Such was the speed with which he used to
> write the revealed Word that the ink of the first
> word was scarcely yet dry when the whole page was
> finished. It seemed as if someone had dipped a lock
> of hair in the ink and applied it over the whole
> page." After each period of Revelation, the
> original manuscript would be re-transcribed, with
> Baha'u'llah Himself overseeing and approving the
> final version.
> 
>            "The Word of God is the master
>             key for the whole world,
>             inasmuch as through its potency
>             the doors of the hearts of men,
>            which in reality are the doors of
>            heaven, are unlocked. "
>                                             
>  -- Baha'u'llah
> 
>                 
> 
>      
> 
> The Writings of Baha'u'llah
> 
>      In addition to several longer works,
> Baha'u'llah wrote a vast number of documents known
> as "Tablets," most of them addressed to individuals
> among His followers. He has Himself estimated that
> the collected Tablets constitute over a hundred
> volumes. Moving easily between Persian and Arabic,
> both of which languages Baha'u'llah employed with
> superb mastery, the Writings are also characterized
> by a wide range of styles.
> 
>           The heart of Baha'u'llah's ethical
> teachings is to be found in a small book entitled
> The Hidden Words, a compilation of aphorisms dating
> from the earliest days of His mission. The work He
> describes as a distillation of the spiritual
> guidance contained in the successive revelations of
> God.
> 
>           Baha'u'llah's principal exposition of His
> doctrinal message is a book entitled the
> "Kitab-i-Iqan" (The Book of Certitude). In laying
> out the entire panorama of the Divine purpose, the
> "Iqan" deals with the great questions which have
> always lain at the heart of religious life: God,
> the nature of humanity, the purpose of life, and
> the function of Revelation.
> 
>           Among the best known of Baha'u'llah's
> mystical writings is a small work entitled The
> Seven Valleys. In poetic language, it traces the
> stages of the soul's journey to union with its
> Creator.
> 
>           Foremost among Baha'u'llah's writings is
> the "Kitab-i-Aqdas" ("The Most Holy Book").
> Revealed during the darkest days of His
> imprisonment in Acre, the "Aqdas", "Mother Book" of
> the Baha'i dispensation, is the chief repository of
> the laws and institutions which Baha'u'llah
> designed for the World Order He conceived.
> 
>           The process of translating the sacred
> writings into other languages is on-going. The
> standard for the work, of translation into English
> was established by Shoghi Effendi, who headed the
> Baha'i Faith from 1921 to 1957. [See page 55.]
> Educated at Oxford, he was able to provide
> translations that reflect not only a brilliant
> command of the English language, but also an
> authoritative exposition of the Texts' meaning.
> 
>           In undertaking the challenge of finding
> an English style which would faithfully convey the
> exalted and emotive character of Baha'u'llah's use
> of Persian and Arabic, Shoghi Effendi chose a
> slightly archaic form of English which echoes the
> King James version of the Bible. He also chose, in
> accordance with this style, to use the masculine
> pronoun for references to God -- although
> Baha'u'llah's teachings make clear that no gender
> can be attached to the Creator. Shoghi Effendi also
> chose to make extensive use of diacritical marks as
> a guide to the pronunciation of Arabic and Persian
> names, a practice that is followed throughout the
> Baha'i community today.
> 
>           The result is a style that acts as bridge
> between modern English and the Persian and Arabic
> style in which Baha'u'llah wrote.  Accordingly,
> Shoghi Effendi's English translations, and not the
> Arabic or Persian originals, are used for the work
> of translation into other Western languages.
> 
>          Selections from Baha'u'llah's Writings
> have been translated into more than 800 languages. 
> 
> Baha'u'llah
>  Messenger of God
> 
> Baha'u'llah's writings offer answers to the
> timeless theological and philosophical questions
> that have plagued humanity since antiquity -- such
> as Who is God? What is goodness? and Why are we
> here? He also addresses the modern questions that
> have preoccupied 20th century thinkers, discussing
> the basic motivations of human nature, answering
> whether peace is indeed possible, and explaining
> how God provides for humanity's security and
> welfare.
> 
> ****************************************
> 
> In the middle of the last century, one of the most
> notorious dungeons in the Near East was Teheran's
> "Black Pit."  Once the underground reservoir for a
> public bath, its only outlet was a single passage
> down three steep flights of stone steps.  Prisoners
> huddled in their own bodily wastes, languishing in
> the pit's inky gloom, subterranean cold and
> stench-ridden atmosphere.
> 
> In this grim setting, the rarest and most cherished
> of religious events was once again played out:
> mortal man, outwardly human in other respects, was
> summoned by God to bring to humanity a new
> religious revelation.
> 
> The year was 1852, and the man was a Persian
> nobleman, known today as Baha'u'llah.  During His
> imprisonment, as He sat with his feet in stocks and
> a 100-pound iron chain around his neck, 
> Baha'u'llah received a vision of God's will for
> humanity.
> 
> The event is comparable to those other great
> moments of the ancient past when God revealed
> Himself to His earlier Messengers: when Moses stood
> before the Burning Bush; when the Buddha received
> enlightenment under the Bodhi tree; when the Holy
> Spirit, in the form of a dove, descended upon
> Jesus; or when the Holy Spirit, in the form of a
> dove, descended upon Jesus; or when the archangel
> Gabriel appeared to Muhammad.
> 
> *****************************
> "And since there can be no tie of direct
> intercourse to bind the one true God with His
> creation, and no resemblance whatever can exist
> between the transient and the Eternal, the
> contingent and the Absolute, He hath ordained that
> in every age and dispensation a pure and stainless
> Soul be made manifest in the kingdoms of earth and
> heaven."        
> 
>                                        
>  -- Baha'u'llah
> ******************************
> 
>  Baha'u'llah's experience in the Black Pit set in
> motion a process of religious revelation which,
> over the next 40 years, led to the production of
> thousands of books, tablets and letters -- which
> today form the core of the sacred scripture of the
> Baha'i Faith.  In those writings, He outlined a
> framework for the reconstruction of human society
> at all levels: spiritual, moral, economic,
> political, and philosophical.
> 
> In the past, God's Messengers have for the most
> part presented their messages to humanity by
> speaking or preaching; these outpourings have been
> recorded by others, sometimes during the Prophet's
> life, sometimes later, from the memory of His
> followers.  The Founder of the Baha'i Faith,
> however, Himself took up pen and paper and wrote
> down for humanity the revelation He received or
> dictated His message to believers who served as
> secretaries.
> 
> Baha'u'llah addressed not only those timeless
> theological and philosophical questions that have
> plagued humanity since antiquity -- such as Who is
> God?  What is goodness? and Why are we here? -- but
> also the questions that have preoccupied 20th
> century thinkers: What motivates human nature?  Is
> real peace indeed possible?  Does God still care
> for humanity?
> 
> From His words, the worldwide community of
> Baha'u'llah draws its inspiration, discovers its
> moral bearing and derives creative energy.
> 
> Baha'u'llah, whose name means "The Glory of God" in
> Arabic, was born on 12 November 1817 in Teheran. 
> The son of a wealthy government minister, Mirza
> Buzurg-i-Nuri, His given name was Husayn-'Ali and
> His family could trace its ancestry back to the
> great dynasties of Iran's imperial past.
> Baha'u'llah led a princely life as a young man,
> receiving an education that focused largely on
> horsemanship, swordsmanship, calligraphy
> and classic poetry.
> 
> In October 1835, Baha'u'llah married Asiyih Khanum,
> the daughter of another nobleman.  They had three
> children: a son, 'Abdu'l-Baha, born in 1844; a
> daughter, Bahiyyih, born in
> 1846; and a son, Mihdi, born in 1848.
> 
> Baha'u'llah declined the ministerial career open to
> Him in government, and chose instead to devote His
> energies to a range of philanthropies which had, by
> the early 1840s, earned Him widespread renown as
> "Father of the Poor."  This privileged existence
> swiftly eroded after 1844, when Baha'u'llah became
> one of the leading advocates of the Babi movement.
> 
> Precursor to the Baha'i Faith, the Babi movement
> swept Iran like a whirlwind and stirred intense
> persecution from the religious establishment. 
> After the execution of its Founder, the Bab,
> Baha'u'llah was arrested and brought, in chains and
> on foot, to Teheran.  Influential members of the
> court and the clergy demanded a death sentence. 
> Baha'u'llah, however, was protected by His personal
> reputation and the social position of His family,
> as well as by protests from Western embassies.
> 
> Therefore, He was cast into the notorious "Black
> Pit," the Siyah-Chal in Persian.  Authorities hoped
> this would result in His death. 
> Instead, the dungeon became the birthplace for a
> new religious revelation.
> 
> ************************
> "This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in
> the past,  eternal in the future."   
>                                         
>  -- Baha'u'llah
> ***************************
> 
>    Baha'u'llah spent four months in the Black Pit,
> during which time he contemplated the full extent
> of His mission.  "I was but a man like others,
> asleep upon My couch, when lo, the breezes of the
> All-Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the
> knowledge of all that hath been," He later wrote. 
> "This thing is not from Me, but from the One Who is
> Almighty and All-Knowing.  And he bade Me lift up
> My voice between earth and heaven..."
> 
>                        Exile
> 
>    Upon His release, Baha'u'llah was banished from
> His native land, the beginning of forty years of
> exile, imprisonment, and persecution.  He was sent
> first to neighboring Baghdad.  After about a year,
> He left for the mountainous wilderness of
> Kurdistan, where He lived entirely alone for two
> years.  The time was spent reflecting on the
> implications of the task to which He had been
> called.  The period is reminiscent of the periods
> of seclusion undertaken by the Founders of the
> world's other great Faiths, calling to mind the
> wanderings of Buddha, the forty days and nights
> spent by Christ in the desert, and Muhammad's
> retreat in the cave on Mt. Hira.
> 
>    In 1856, at the urging of the exiled Babis,
> Baha'u'llah returned to Baghdad.  Under His renewed
> leadership, the stature of the Babi community grew
> and Baha'u'llah's reputation as a spiritual leader
> spread throughout the city.  Fearing that
> Baha'u'llah's acclaim would reignite popular
> enthusiasm for the movement in Persia, the Shah's
> government successfully pressed the Ottoman
> authorities to send him farther into exile.
> 
>    In April 1863, before leaving Baghdad,
> Baha'u'llah and His companions camped in a garden
> on the banks of the Tigris River.  From 21 April to
> 2 May, Baha'u'llah shared with those Babis in His
> company that He was the Promised One foretold by
> the Bab -- foretold, indeed, in all the world's
> scriptures.
> 
>    The garden became known as the Garden of Ridvan,
> which indicates "paradise" in Arabic. The
> anniversary of the twelve days spent there are
> celebrated in the Baha'i world as the most joyous
> of holidays, known as the Ridvan Festival.
> 
>    On 3 May 1863, Baha'u'llah rode out of Baghdad,
> on His way to Constantinople, the imperial capital,
> accompanied by His family and selected companions.
> He had become an immensely popular and cherished
> figure. Eyewitnesses described the departure in
> moving terms, noting the tears of many onlookers
> and the honor paid to Him by the authorities.
> 
> ************************
> "I have never aspired after worldly leadership.  My
> sole purpose hath been to hand down unto men that
> which I was bidden to deliver by God..."          
> 
>       -- Baha'u'llah
> ***************************
> 
>    After four months in Constantinople, Baha'u'llah
> was sent as a virtual state prisoner to Adrianople
> (modern Edirne), arriving there on 2 December 1863. 
> During the five years He spent there, Baha'u'llah's
> reputation continued to grow, attracting the
> intense interest of scholars, government officials
> and diplomats.
> 
>    Beginning in September 1867, Baha'u'llah wrote
> a series of letters to the world leaders of His
> time, addressing, among others, Emperor Napoleon
> III, Queen Victoria, Kaiser Wilhelm I, Tsar
> Alexander II of Russia, Emperor Franz Joseph, Pope
> Pius IX, Sultan Abdul-Aziz, and the Persian ruler,
> Nasirid-Din Shah.
> 
>    In these letters, Baha'u'llah openly proclaimed
> His station. He spoke of the dawn of a new age. 
> But first, He warned, there would be catastrophic
> upheavals in the world's political and social
> order. To smooth humanity's transition, He urged
> the world's leaders to pursue justice.  He called
> for general efforts at disarmament and urged the
> world's rulers to band together into some form of
> commonwealth of nations.  Only by acting
> collectively against war, He said, could a lasting
> peace be established.
> 
>    Continued agitation from opponents caused the
> Turkish Government to send the exiles to Acre, a
> penal city in Ottoman Palestine.  Acre was the end
> of the world, the final destination for the worst
> of murderers, highway robbers and political
> dissidents.  A walled city of filthy streets and
> damp, desolate houses, Acre had no source of fresh
> water, and the air was popularly described as being
> so foul that overflying birds would fall dead out
> of the sky.
> 
>    Into this environment, Baha'u'llah and His
> family arrived on 31 August 1868, the final stage
> in His long exile.  He was to spend the rest of His
> life, 24 more years, in Acre and its environs.  At
> first confined to a prison in the barracks,
> Baha'u'llah and His companions were later moved to
> a cramped house within the city's walls.  The
> exiles, widely depicted as dangerous heretics,
> faced animosity from the city's other residents. 
> Even the children, when they ventured outside, were
> pursued and pelted with stones.
> 
>    As time passed, however, the spirit of
> Baha'u'llah's teachings penetrated the bigotry and
> indifference.  Even several of the town's governors
> and clergy, after examining the teachings of the
> Faith, became devoted admirers.  As in Baghdad and
> Adrianople,  Baha'u'llah's moral stature gradually
> won the respect, admiration and, even, leadership
> of the community at large.
> 
>    It was in Acre that Baha'u'llah's most important
> work was written.  Known more commonly among
> Baha'is by its Persian name, the Kitab-i-Aqdas (the
> Most Holy Book), it outlines the essential laws and
> principles that are to be observed by His
> followers, and lays the groundwork for Baha'i
> administration.
> 
>   In the late 1870s, Baha'u'llah was given the
> freedom to move outside the city's walls and His
> followers were able to meet with Him in relative
> peace and freedom.  He took up residence in an
> abandoned mansion and was able to further devote
> Himself to writing.
> 
>    On 29 May 1892, Baha'u'llah passed away.  His
> remains were laid to rest in a garden room
> adjoining the restored mansion, which is known as
> Bahji.  For Baha'is, this spot is the most holy
> place on earth.  
> 
> Exile
> 
>      Upon His release, Baha'u'llah was banished
> from His native land, the beginning of forty years
> of exile, imprisonment, and persecution.  He was
> sent first to neighboring Baghdad.  After about a
> year, He left for the mountainous wilderness of
> Kurdistan, where He lived entirely alone for two
> years.  The time was spent reflecting on the
> implications of the task to which He had been
> called.  The period is reminiscent of the periods
> of seclusion undertaken by the Founders of the
> world's other great Faiths, calling to mind the
> wanderings of Buddha, the forty days and nights
> spent by Christ in the desert, and Muhammad's
> retreat in the cave on Mt.  Hira.
> 
>    In 1856, at the urging of the exiled Babis,
> Baha'u'llah returned to Baghdad.  Under His renewed
> leadership, the stature of the Babi community grew
> and Baha'u'llah's reputation as a spiritual leader
> spread throughout the city.  Fearing that
> Baha'u'llah's acclaim would reignite popular
> enthusiasm for the movement in Persia, the Shah's
> government successfully pressed the Ottoman
> authorities to send him farther into exile.
> 
>    In April 1863, before leaving Baghdad,
> Baha'u'llah and His companions camped in a garden
> on the banks of the Tigris River.  From 21 April to
> 2 May, Baha'u'llah shared with those Babis in His
> company that He was the Promised One foretold by
> the Bab -- foretold, indeed, in all the world's
> scriptures.
> 
>    The garden became known as the Garden of Ridvan,
> which indicates "paradise" in Arabic. The
> anniversary of the twelve days spent there are
> celebrated in the Baha'i world as the most joyous
> of holidays, known as the Ridvan Festival.
> 
>    On 3 May 1863, Baha'u'llah rode out of Baghdad,
> on His way to Constantinople, the imperial capital,
> accompanied by His family and selected companions.
> He had become an immensely popular and cherished
> figure. Eyewitnesses described the departure in
> moving terms, noting the tears of many onlookers
> and the honor paid to Him by the authorities.
> 
> ************************
> "I have never aspired after worldly leadership.  My
> sole purpose hath been to hand down unto men that
> which I was bidden to deliver by God..."          
> 
>       -- Baha'u'llah
> ***************************
> 
>    After four months in Constantinople, Baha'u'llah
> was sent as a virtual state prisoner to Adrianople
> (modern Edirne), arriving there on 2 December 1863. 
> During the five years He spent there, Baha'u'llah's
> reputation continued to grow, attracting the
> intense interest of scholars, government officials
> and diplomats.
> 
>    Beginning in September 1867, Baha'u'llah wrote
> a series of letters to the world leaders of His
> time, addressing, among others, Emperor Napoleon
> III, Queen Victoria, Kaiser Wilhelm I, Tsar
> Alexander II of Russia, Emperor Franz Joseph, Pope
> Pius IX, Sultan Abdul-Aziz, and the Persian ruler,
> Nasirid-Din Shah.
> 
>    In these letters, Baha'u'llah openly proclaimed
> His station. He spoke of the dawn of a new age. 
> But first, He warned, there would be catastrophic
> upheavals in the world's political and social
> order. To smooth humanity's transition, He urged
> the world's leaders to pursue justice.  He called
> for general efforts at disarmament and urged the
> world's rulers to band together into some form of
> commonwealth of nations.  Only by acting
> collectively against war, He said, could a lasting
> peace be established.
> 
> Continued agitation from opponents caused the
> Turkish Government to send the exiles to Acre, a
> penal city in Ottoman Palestine.  Acre was the end
> of the world, the final destination for the worst
> of murderers, highway robbers and political
> dissidents.  A walled city of filthy streets and
> damp, desolate houses, Acre had no source of fresh
> water, and the air was popularly described as being
> so foul that overflying birds would fall dead out
> of the sky.
> 
>        Into this environment, Baha'u'llah and His
> family arrived on 31 August 1868, the final stage
> in His long exile.  He was to spend the rest of His
> life, 24 more years, in Acre and its environs.  At
> first confined to a prison in the barracks,
> Baha'u'llah and His companions were later moved to
> a cramped house within the city's walls.  The
> exiles, widely depicted as dangerous heretics,
> faced animosity from the city's other residents. 
> Even the children, when they ventured outside, were
> pursued and pelted with stones.
> 
>        As time passed, however, the spirit of
> Baha'u'llah's teachings penetrated the bigotry and
> indifference.  Even several of the town's governors
> and clergy, after examining the teachings of the
> Faith, became devoted admirers.  As in Baghdad and
> Adrianople,  Baha'u'llah's moral stature gradually
> won the respect, admiration and, even, leadership
> of the community at large.
> 
>        It was in Acre that Baha'u'llah's most
> important work was written.  Known more commonly
> among Baha'is by its Persian name, the
> Kitab-i-Aqdas (the Most Holy Book), it outlines the
> essential laws and principles that are to be
> observed by His followers, and lays the groundwork
> for Baha'i administration.
> 
>        In the late 1870s, Baha'u'llah was given the
> freedom to move outside the city's walls and His
> followers were able to meet with Him in relative
> peace and freedom.  He took up residence in an
> abandoned mansion and was able to further devote
> Himself to writing.
> 
>        On 29 May 1892, Baha'u'llah passed away. 
> His remains were laid to rest in a garden room
> adjoining the restored mansion, which is known as
> Bahji.  For Baha'is, this spot is the most holy
> place on earth.   
> 
> Social and Moral Teachings
>  ___________________________________________
> 
>     A BLEND OF THE PROGRESSIVE AND THE
>  ___________________________________________
> 
>     TRADITIONAL, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON UNITY
>  ___________________________________________ 
> 
>    There has never been a futurist, a forecaster,
> or a prophet               whose vision has so
> accurately foreseen the critical features of the
> landscape before humanity. 
> 
>    One of the extraordinary features of the
> writings of Baha'u'llah is the degree to which they
> accurately forecast the cutting edge issues that
> humanity has increasingly faced.
> 
>          Throughout His writings, Baha'u'llah
> called for a complete restructuring of the global
> social order.  His vision of renewal touches on all
> aspects of life, from personal morality to
> economics and governance; from community
> development to religious practice.
> 
>          The central theme of Baha'u'llah's
> writings is that humanity is one single race and
> the day has come for its unification into one
> global society.  Through an irresistible historical
> process, the traditional barriers of race, class,
> creed, faith and nation will break down.  These
> forces will, Baha'u'llah said, give birth in time
> to a new universal civilization.  The crises now
> afflicting the planet face all its peoples with the
> need to accept their oneness and work towards the
> creation of a unified global society.
> 
>         Baha'u'llah outlined certain fundamental
> principles upon which this new world civilization
> should be founded. These include the elimination of
> all forms of prejudice; full equality between the
> sexes; recognition of the essential oneness of the
> world's great religions; the elimination of
> extremes of poverty and wealth; universal
> education; a high standard of personal conduct; the
> harmony of science and religion; a sustainable
> balance between nature and technology; and the
> establishment of a world federal system, based on
> collective security and the oneness of humanity.
> 
>          Covering questions pertaining to the role
> of women, race relations, economic justice,
> environmental degradation, and world order, these
> principles illustrate the concerns that have fueled
> the century's most dynamic movements.  And,
> accordingly, they have come to head the social and
> political agenda of humanity.
> 
>          There has never been a futurist, a
> forecaster, or a prophet whose vision has so
> accurately foreseen the critical features of the
> social landscape. Far from fading, a century after
> He lived, the issues Baha'u'llah focused on have
> come to dominate the collective life of humanity. 
> 
> Unity the Theme
> 
>          The Baha'i Faith's progressive approach to
> human society originates with Baha'u'llah's
> emphasis on unity. Indeed, if one were to
> characterize His teachings in a single word, that
> word would be unity.
> 
>          Throughout His writings, Baha'u'llah
> emphasized the importance -- and the reality -- of
> unity and oneness.  First, God is one. All of the
> world's great religions are also one.  They
> represent humanity's responses to the revelations
> of the word and will of God for humanity by
> successive Messengers from the one God. These
> understandings lie at the heart of the concept of
> unity in Baha'u'llah's teachings.
> 
>         From this fundamental concept of Divine and
> religious unity, other principles emerge.
> Baha'u'llah teaches that all humans, as creations
> of the one God, are also one people. Distinctions
> of race, nation, class or ethnic origin are
> ephemeral when understood in this context.
> Likewise, any notions of individual, tribal,
> provincial or national superiority are discarded in
> the Baha'i Faith.  Speaking through Baha'u'llah,
> the voice of God proclaims:
> 
>         "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 "
>   
> 
>                                     The Oneness of
> Humanity
>  
> 
>    The idea that all humanity is one race forms the
> foundation for the other principles of social
> justice in the Baha'i Faith.  Baha'u'llah condemned
> racial and ethnic prejudice, urging: "Close your
> eyes to racial differences, and welcome all with
> the light of oneness." 
> 
>    
> _________________________________________________
> 
>      "Women and men have been and will always be
> equal in the
> 
>       sight of God."                              
> 
>              -- Baha'u'llah
> 
>     _______________________________________________
>  
> 
>    Baha'u'llah also unequivocally proclaimed the
> equality of the sexes -- at a time when the women's
> movement was only beginning its fight for suffrage
> in the West and such ideas were unheard of in the
> Middle East -- thus becoming the first Founder of a
> world religion to explicitly uphold strict equality
> for women and men. Indeed, girls should receive
> priority in education if by some circumstance a
> family (or a society) cannot afford to educate its
> children equally.  "Until the reality of equality
> between men and women is fully established and
> attained, the highest social development of mankind
> is not possible," the Baha'i scriPtures state.
>   
> __________________________________________________
>  
> 
>     "He Who is your Lord, the All-Merciful,
> cherisheth in His heart the desire of beholding the
> entire human race as one
> 
>     soul and one body."
> 
>                                                   
> 
>                                 -- Baha'u'llah
>   
> __________________________________________________
> 
>     This challenge to full equality does not ignore
> natural differences between the sexes.  Baha'u'llah
> emphasized the importance of motherhood, fatherhood
> and family life.
> 
>          Baha'u'llah's call for economic justice
> also reflects His central theme of human oneness. 
> He wrote extensively about the necessity of
> promoting economic justice and proposed specific
> remedies to help control the extreme inequalities
> of wealth in human society.  The redistribution of
> wealth through a tax on income, for example, and
> the concept of profit-sharing are both promoted in
> His teachings.
> 
>    
>            
> Education is given a special emphasis as humanity
> is considered capable of tremendous progress and
> advancement.  "Regard man as a mine rich in gems of
> inestimable value," wrote Baha'u'llah.  "Education
> can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and
> enable mankind to benefit therefrom." 
> 
>          Education, accordingly, should be
> universal and should incorporate positive spiritual
> values and moral attitudes. Baha'is envision a
> future in which even "basic education" goes beyond
> rote learning and the teaching of simple skills. 
> Students must be given the tools to analyze social
> conditions and requirements themselves, to take
> part in community planning and action, and to
> investigate truth on their own.  The oneness of 
> humanity is an essential element of every Baha'i
> curriculum.
>  
> 
>                             Science and Religion
> 
>          The theme of unity also emerges in
> Baha'u'llah's teachings on science.  His writings
> portray science and religion as different yet
> harmonious approaches to the comprehension of
> reality.  These two paths are essentially
> compatible and mutually reinforcing.  Scientific
> method is humanity's tool for understanding the
> physical side of the universe.  It can describe the
> composition of an atomic nucleus or the molecular
> structure of DNA. It is the key to new
> technologies.  Science cannot, however, guide us in
> the use of such knowledge.  The  revelation of God
> offers to humanity a basis for values and purpose. 
> It provides answers to those questions of morals,
> human purpose, and our relationship to God that
> science cannot approach.
> 
>          The independent investigation of reality,
> whether scientific or religious, is strongly
> encouraged in Baha'u'llah's writings. Individuals
> should strive, He said, to free themselves from
> prejudices, preconceptions and reliance on
> tradition or traditional authorities.  Consultation
> is a critical tool for discovering truth.  [See
> "Consultation" under "A System for Global
> Governance".]
> 
>          Baha'u'llah also called for the adoption
> of a universal auxiliary language as a means to
> promote unity.  "The day is approaching when all
> the peoples of the world will have adopted one
> universal language and one common script," He
> wrote. "When this is achieved, to whatsoever city
> a man may journey, it shall be as if he were
> entering his own home."  The term "auxiliary" is
> important: Baha'u'llah's injunction is not a
> mandate for cultural uniformity. Indeed, the Baha'i
> teachings both value and promote cultural
> diversity.
> 
>         When first outlined by Baha'u'llah more
> than 100 years ago, these principles were as
> radical as any social program ever drafted.  The
> fact that they have not only borne the passage of
> time, but, indeed, become ever more widely
> proclaimed and recognized is a testimony to the
> vision that produced them.
> 
>          Baha'u'llah's moral code for the
> individual, and His pattern for marriage and family
> life, are wholly consonant with the genuine needs
> of modern society.  As with the social principles,
> the laws of Baha'u'llah on individual morality and
> family structure are aimed at the promotion of
> unity and well-being for society at large.  "They
> whom God hath endued with insight will readily
> recognize that the precepts laid down by God
> constitute the highest means for the maintenance of
> order in the world and the security of its
> peoples," Baha'u'llah wrote.
> 
>     ____________________________________________  
> 
>    "The well-being of mankind, its peace and
> security, are unattainable unless and until its
> unity is firmly established."
> 
>                                                   
> 
>                          -- Baha'u'llah 
> ____________________________________________
>  
> 
>         This insight -- that the standards for social
> justice and individual conduct outlined by
> Baha'u'llah offer an integrated and distinctive
> approach to the apparently intractable problems
> faced by humanity today -- underlies the essential
> optimism of the worldwide Baha'i community. Whether
> considering the threat of environmental
> degradation, the cancer of racism, or the erosion
> of the family, Baha'is believe firmly that answers
> are available in the writings of Baha'u'llah. Their
> commitment is to share these insights with the
> world.  
> 
> Marriage and family life
> 
>            Baha'is understand that the family is
> the basic unit of society.  Unless this
> all-important building block is healthy and
> unified, society itself cannot be healthy and
> unified.  Monogamous marriage stands at the
> foundation of family life.
> 
>      Baha'u'llah said marriage is "a fortress for
> well-being and salvation."  The Baha'i writings
> further state that married couples should strive to
> become "loving companions and comrades and at one
> with each other for time and eternity...
> 
>      Baha'is view preparation for marriage as an
> essential element in ensuring a happy marriage. The
> process of preparation includes a requirement for
> parental approval of the choice of a spouse. This
> does not mean that Baha'i marriages are arranged. 
> Individuals propose marriage to the persons of
> their own choice. However, once the choice is made,
> the parents have both the right and the obligation
> to weigh carefully whether to give consent to, and
> thus guide, their offspring in one of life's most
> important decisions.
> 
>           Baha'is believe that this requirement
> helps to preserve unity within the marriage -- and
> within the extended family.  As did previous
> Messengers of God, Baha'u'llah asks His followers
> to honor their parents.  Obtaining parental
> permission for marriage reaffirms the importance of
> the bond between child and parent.  It also helps
> to create a supportive network of parents in the
> often difficult first years of a marriage.
> 
>             Simple vows and ceremony
> 
>       Once parental permission is obtained, the
> marriage takes place, requiring only the simplest
> of ceremonies. In the presence of two witnesses
> designated by the local Baha'i governing council,
> the couple recites the following verse: "We will
> all, verily, abide by the will of God."  For
> Baha'is, that simple commitment to live by God's
> will implies all of the commitments associated with
> marriage, including the promises to love, honor,
> and cherish; to care for each other regardless of
> material health or wealth; and to share with and
> serve each other.
> 
>           Beyond these simple requirements, Baha'is
> are free to design their own marriage celebration. 
> Depending on personal tastes, family resources, and
> cultural traditions, Baha'i ceremonies run the
> gamut from small to large, including all manner of
> music, dance, dress, food and festivity.
> 
>           As in most religions, the marriage vow is
> considered sacred in the Baha'i Faith.  The
> partners are expected to be absolutely faithful to
> each other.
> 
>           The Faith's emphasis on the equality of
> women and men, however, and its promotion of
> consultation as a tool for problem-solving mean
> that the roles of husband and wife within a Baha'i
> marriage are not the traditional ones.  Women are
> free to pursue careers that interest them; men are
> expected to share in household duties and
> child-rearing.
> 
>           So-called "interracial marriage" is also
> encouraged in the Baha'i teachings, which stress
> the essential oneness of the human race.
> 
> Divorce is allowed but discouraged
> 
>            If a Baha'i marriage fails, divorce is
> permitted, although it is strongly discouraged.  If
> Baha'is choose to seek a divorce, they must spend
> at least one year living apart and attempting to
> reconcile. If a divorce is still desired after that
> year, it is then granted, dependent on the
> requirements of civil law. This "year of patience,"
> as it is known to Baha'is, is supervised by the
> local Spiritual Assembly, the local Baha'i
> governing council.
> 
>           The key purpose of Baha'i
> marriage -- beyond physical, intellectual and
> spiritual companionship -- is children.  Baha'is view
> child-rearing not only as a source of great joy and
> reward, but as a sacred obligation.
> 
>           While stating firmly that women must
> enjoy full equality with men, Baha'u'llah's
> teachings also recognize explicitly the innate
> differences between the feminine and masculine
> natures -- both physical and emotional.  Baha'is
> understand, accordingly, that mothers have a
> special role to play in the early education of
> children -- especially during the first few years of
> life when the basic values and character of every
> individual is formed.
> 
>           Since Baha'is believe that the soul
> appears at the moment of conception, the parents
> pray for the well-being of the unborn child while
> it is still in the womb.  Education in general, and
> Baha'i education in particular are of paramount
> importance in Baha'i families.  From their earliest
> years, the children are encouraged to develop the
> habits of prayer and meditation, and to acquire
> knowledge, both intellectual and spiritual.  o 
> 
> He, She or It?
> 
>            Like previous Messengers of God,
> Baha'u'llah used he masculine pronoun when
> referring to the Creator.  To have done anything
> else would have violated all conventions of
> Arabic -- the principal language in which Baha'u'llah
> wrote.
> 
>            Baha'u'llah stated explicitly, however,
> that God is beyond any comparison to human form or
> gender.  Accordingly, the issue of whether to refer
> to God as "He," "She," or "it" does not arise in
> Baha'i discussions.
> Heaven and hell: a Baha'i view of life after death
> 
>     As in the world's other religions, the Baha'i
> concept of life after death is deeply integrated
> into teachings about the nature of the soul and the
> purpose of this earthly life.
> 
>          Baha'u'llah confirmed the existence of a
> separate, rational soul for every human.  In this
> life, He said, the soul is related to the physical
> body. It provides the underlying animation for the
> body, and is our real self.
> 
>          Although undetectable by physical
> instruments, the soul shows itself through the
> qualities of character that we associate with each
> person. The soul is the focal point for love and
> compassion, for faith and courage, and for other
> such "human" qualities that cannot be explained
> solely by thinking of a human being as an animal,
> or as a sophisticated organic machine.
> 
>          The soul does not die; it endures
> everlastingly. When the human body dies, the soul
> is freed from ties with the physical body and the
> surrounding physical world and begins its progress
> through the spiritual world.  Baha'is understand
> the spiritual world to be a timeless and placeless
> extension of our own universe -- and not some
> physically remote or removed place.
> 
>          Entry into the next life has the potential
> to bring great joy. Baha'u'llah likened death to
> the process of birth.  He explains: "The world
> beyond is as different from this world as this
> world is different from that of the child while
> still in the womb of its mother."
> 
>          The analogy to the womb in many ways
> summarizes the Baha'i view of earthly existence.
> Just as the womb constitutes an important place for
> a person's initial physical development, the
> physical world provides the matrix for the
> development of the individual soul. Accordingly,
> Baha'is view life as a sort of workshop, where one
> can develop and perfect those qualities which will
> be needed in the next life.
> 
>          "Know thou, of a truth, that if the soul
> of man hath walked in the ways of God, it will,
> assuredly return and be gathered to the glory of
> the Beloved," Baha'u'llah wrote.  "By the
> righteousness of God! It shall attain a station
> such as no pen can depict, or tongue can describe."
> 
>          In the final analysis, heaven can be seen
> partly as a state of nearness to God; hell is a
> state of remoteness from God. Each state follows as
> a natural consequence of individual efforts, or the
> lack thereof, to develop spiritually.  The key to
> spiritual progress is to follow the path outlined
> by the Manifestations of God.
> 
>          Beyond this, the exact nature of the
> afterlife remains a mystery. "The nature of the
> soul after death can never be described,"
> Baha'u'llah writes.
>
> — *THE MAGAZINE "THE BAHA'IS"*