The Bahá'í Faith is an independent world religion with adherents in every country in the world.  It's founder was Mírzá Husayn  'Alí (1817-1892), known as Bahá'u'lláh, the "Glory of God."  In 1862, He proclaimed that He was the Promised One of all ages, the fulfillment of thousands of years of religious prophecy.  The central principles of His religion are the oneness of God, the oneness of religion and the oneness of humanity. Bahá'ís believe that religious truth is not absolute but relative; that Divine Revelation is a continuous and progressive process; that all the great religions of the world are divine in origin; and that their missions represent successive stages in the evolution of human society.  The Bahá'í writings provide guidance for establishing world peace and offer specific guidance that helps Bahá'ís fulfill the basic purpose of human life: to know and to worship God.

Bahá'ís work towards the creation of an ever-advancing, sustainable 
world civilization, based on the following principles:

ONE GOD
First, God is one. All the world's great religions are one also. They represent humanity's responses to the revelations of the word and the will of God for humanity by successive Messengers from one God. 

ONENESS OF HUMANITY
All humans, as creations of the one God, are also one people. Distinctions of race, national, class or ethnic origin should be eliminated. Prejudices of race and class must be forgotten. Notions of individual, tribal, provincial or national superiority are  discarded in the Bahá'í Faith.

EQUALITY OF MEN AND WOMEN
This concept was proclaimed by Baha'u'llah at a time when the women's movement was barely beginning its fight for suffrage in the West and such ideas were unheard of in the Middle East.  Thus, He became the first Founder of a world religion to explicitly uphold the rights of women.  The Bahá'í scriptures state: "Until the reality of equality between men and women is fully established and attained, the highest social development of mankind is not possible."

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Bahá'u'lláh's call for the need to reorder social and economic systems on the basis of spiritual principles bears much study and development. To control the extremes of poverty and wealth, He recommended, for example, a tax on income, now a method widely employed in our time; and the concept of profit-sharing is promoted in His teachings.

INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION OF THE TRUTH
Individual investigation of reality is strongly encouraged.  One should, according to Bahá'u'lláh, strive to free himself from prejudices, preconceptions and reliance on tradition or traditional sources when forming opinions or positions.  

UNIVERSAL EDUCATION
Education should become universal and should incorporate moral and spiritual values.  It should be offered equally to boys and girls and be made compulsory by the governments of the world.  It should go beyond mere rote learning in order to provide students with the tools to analyze social conditions; take part in community planning and action; and allow them to investigate truth on their own.

HARMONY OF SCIENCE AND RELIGION 
The teachings on science that emerge from Bahá'u'lláh's writings portray science and religion as different yet harmonious approaches to the comprehension of reality.  These two paths to knowledge are essentially compatible and mutually reinforcing.  The scientific method is humanity's tool for understanding the physical side of the universe.  It cannot, however, guide us in the use of such knowledge. The revelation of God offers humanity its basis for values and purposes. 

A UNIVERSAL AUXILIARY LANGUAGE
Calling for the adoption of a worldwide auxiliary language is a means for promoting unity.  "The day is fast approaching," Bahá'u'lláh wrote, "when all the peoples of the world will have adopted one universal language and one common script.  When this is achieved, to whatever city a man may journey, it shall be as if he were entering his own home."  The term "auxiliary" is important.  Cultural uniformity is not implied; indeed, cultural diversity is valued, encouraged and promoted. The mother tongue of each people is honored and respected.   

UNIVERSAL PEACE...
to be achieved through a commonwealth of nations to which all will eventually and voluntarily adhere.  Bahá'u'lláh offers an integrated and distinctive approach to the seemingly intractable problems faced by humanity today.  The worldwide Bahá'í community is marked by optimism and believes that answers are available in the writings of Bahá'u'lláh. Their commitment is to share these insights with the world. 

For more information on the Bahá'í Faith, please go to  www.bahai.org or www.us.bahai.org
If you would like to request materials on the Bahá'í Faith, please call 1-800-22-UNITE