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Baha'i is a religious movement founded in the 19th century by a Persian named Bahaullah. In the United States in the 1800s a man from Persia, (now called Iran) arrived to mark the site where their house of worship would be built near Chicago, Illinois. Tradition tells that a small group of people gathered for the ceremony. A woman appeared with a small red wagon carrying a great stone inside it. The man from Persia took her gift of stone to mark the spot where the church would be.
The temple is called the Baha'i (bah hi) House of Worship. If you visit the prestigious temple you can see the aged stone setting inside. Today, the Baha'i religion has members in nearly every country of the world and is one of the fastest growing of the world's self-reliant faiths. During the 19th century, many Christians expected the return of Christ and some even claimed that he would return in 1844. Historians refer to this time as "The Great Disappointment."
Yet, in that same year a dynamic religious movement swept across Persia, the Baha'i religion. In May of 1844, a Persian named Siyyid 'Ali'Muhammad claimed he was the promised Qaim of Shiah Islam. He accepted the title of The Bab and soon had a following. The Shiah clergy of Iran tried to cast out the new religion and 20,000 people were put to death for accepting the Baha'i religion. Although the Bab was jailed and executed in July 1850, the religion lived on.
The Baha'i religion objects to polygamy, religious intolerance and slavery. This religion calls for harmony in the world. It asks for a oneness among the human race and global brotherhood. Issues of a worldwide government and a new universal language are also part of their teachings.
They believe Moses, Budda, Jesus and Muhammad, among others are all heavenly manifestations. By the time of Baha'u'llah's death in 1892 the baha'i religion had won influence throughout the Middle East. His son, Abbas Effendi (Abdu'l-Baha, 1844-1921) who succeeded him managed to spread the religion to Europe and the United States.
Abbas Effendi was succeeded by his grandson Shoghi Effendi (1897-1957) Since Shoghi Effendi's death the religion of Baha'i has been governed by elected leaders. They are estimated to number about 2 million worldwide. The Baha'is have been discriminated against in their own country and since 1979, when the Islamic Republic of Iran was established, the hostility has increased into out-and-out persecution.
Some of the basic principles of the Baha'i faith are:
1. The harmony of mankind.
2. The harmony of religion.
3. Agreement between religion, science and reason.
4. Resolve disagreements in a dignified manner.
5. One universal language.
6. Universal education.
7. Dismissal of all prejudice.
8. Equalization of men and women.
9. The elimination of the extremes of wealth and poverty.
10. Universal serenity
Today, Baha'i establishments manage the administrative matters of the faith and have no clergy. Local Spiritual Council is elected annually in each area. Nationwide Spiritual Assemblies are chosen each year. At the worldwide level is the Universal House of Justice, located in Haifa, Israel, elected every five years and has final obligation for governing the international Baha'i society.
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