The central teaching of Bahá’u’lláh is the principle of the oneness and wholeness of the human race. It is the hallmark of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation and the pivot of His teachings. Bahá’u’lláh taught that there is one God whose successive revelations of His will to humanity have been the chief civilizing force in history. The agents of this process have been the Divine Messengers whom people have seen chiefly as the founders of separate religious systems but whose common purpose has been to bring the human race to spiritual and moral maturity.
Humanity is now coming of age. It is this that makes possible the unification of the human family and the building of a peaceful, global society. Among the principles which the Baha’i Faith promotes as vital to the achievement of this goal are
- The abandonment of all forms of prejudice
- Full equality between women and men
- Recognition of the oneness and progressive nature of religious truth
- The elimination of extremes of poverty and wealth
- The realization of universal education
- The responsibility of each person to independently search for truth
- The establishment of a global commonwealth of nations
- Recognition that true religion is in harmony with reason and the pursuit of scientific knowledge
To appreciate fully the Bahá’í teachings it is important to consider the Bahá’í understanding of reality.
* Adapted from Bahá’í Topics, an information resource produced by the Bahá’í International Community.