Developing the moral capacities in our children is of fundamental importance, not only to their own future happiness, but to the service and advancement of our entire society.
Parents everywhere are looking for ways to give children this spiritual education, to lay the foundations for their children to have noble characters and fruitful lives.
Spiritual and moral education
Providing spiritual education for children has long been an element of the culture of the Bahá’í community. In neighbourhoods across the United States, Bahá’ís and their friends offer moral education classes that nurture the hearts and minds of children, complementing the education they receive at school.
Open to all
These classes are open to children of all backgrounds and are often run in collaboration with their families. Drawing on the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith, the classes aim to inspire in children a love for God and the Founders of all the great religions in the world.
The classes, both by studying sacred verses and talking through the questions that children face in their lives, help children apply spiritual principles – such as love, unity and justice – to their own lives, to their families and their friends.
All children are welcome to these classes, and no child participates without the approval of his or her parents. These classes include short lessons, activities to build social skills and friendships, games, stories that illustrate virtues like love, kindness, generosity, and art and music.
“Among the greatest of all services that can possibly be rendered by man to Almighty God is the education and training of children…”
— `Abdu’l-Bahá