Baha'i Faith

People believe in the Baha'i Faith for various reasons, including its emphasis on the unity of humanity, the promotion of global peace, and the belief in progressive revelation, which posits that God has sent multiple prophets throughout history to guide humanity. The teachings advocate for equality, justice, and the elimination of prejudice, resonating with those seeking a moral framework in today's world. Additionally, the Baha'i community offers a sense of belonging and purpose, encouraging individuals to contribute positively to society.

Oh, what a lovely question! The Baha'i House of Worship in Panama is located at Avenida de la Rotonda, Panama City, Panama. It's a beautiful place where people of all backgrounds can come together to pray and meditate. If you ever get a chance to visit, I'm sure you'll find peace and inspiration there.

As a Baha'i, you should strive to live in accordance with the principles and teachings of the Baha'i Faith. This includes promoting unity, striving for justice, and serving humanity. It is important to engage in acts of worship, educate others about the Baha'i Faith, and contribute to the betterment of society through service to others.

The first attempt by a firing squad to execute the Bab resulted in a miracle. Before being taken to the execution site, the Bab had told his jailer that He hadn't finished dictating to His secretary and was not ready. When the smoke from the first volley of rifle fire fell away, the Bab had disappeared and only the ropes that had bound Him were found split in half by the bullets. The Bab was found back in his prison cell finishing His dictation. When He was done the Bab said that He was now ready. A full regiment of 750 soldiers was called upon to be sure nothing again happened and the execution successful. Another smaller miracle followed -- not one bullet had touched the Bab's face, which was said to have been serene and smiling at His death.

Why did the Persian government decided 750 were needed? The government did not give a reason. Executioners do not explain their actions to those they execute.

The Baha'i Temple, also known as the Lotus Temple, does not belong to any specific culture. It is a sacred space that represents the universal principles and teachings of the Baha'i Faith, which originated in Persia (modern-day Iran) in the mid-19th century. The design of the temple reflects a combination of various architectural elements and aims to foster unity and inclusivity among people of all cultures and religions.

The Báb was the founder of a religion known as the Bábí Faith. Bahá'ís consider him to be the precursor of Bahá'u'lláh, and that he came mainly to prepare people for the coming of Bahá'u'lláh.

Every day of the week is a day of worship to the Baha'i, as days are usually hemmed in prayer (morning, mid-day, and evening). There is no "special" day of the week, as Baha'is believe God deserves worship every day. There is no such thing in the Baha'i Faith as congregational prayer - it's a personal obligation - so there are no weekly gatherings for prayers to be led by a cleric of some sort.

At this early stage of development of the Baha'i Faith (165 years), there are presently seven 'mother' Temples on seven continents. These Houses of Worship are open to all peoples of all faiths and receive millions of visitors annually. The provided link gives their photos and locations.

The Baha'i Faith is a global religion. Its Scriptures have been translated into more than 700 languages, so Baha'is can be found almost everywhere in the world from India and the U.S. to New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

Baha'is believe in the universal Creator that is God, known by many names in different cultures/languages. An English-speaking Baha'i will say "God," whereas an Arabic-speaking Baha'i will say "Allah" or a Sanskrit-speaking Baha'i will say "Vishnu." God's name shouldn't be confused with the names of the many Messengers who spoke God's Word to humanity (e.g., Krishna, Moses, Zarathustra, et al.).

There are several symbols used in the Baha'i Faith. Baha'is probably most often use a nine-pointed star or floret. In Arabic and Persian, among other languages, letters can stand for numbers. The number 9 is the numeric equivalent of the word "Baha" (signifying glory, light, or splendor). Baha'u'llah is the name of the founder of the Baha'i Faith, Whom Baha'is regard as the Manifestation of God for this dispensation. Nine is also the highest single digit, representing wholeness or unity. Baha'i councils currently have nine members and Baha'i Houses of Worship have nine sides.

Additional symbols include: the 5-pointed star, representing the Manifestations of God; the number 19 and 19-pointed stars, standing for the word "Wahid" meaning unity, as well as symbolically standing for the mystical meanings contained in the opening verse of the Qur'an, which has 19 letters. There are also two forms of the "Greatest Name" (the word Baha). One is a calligraphic representation of the phrase "Ya Baha'u'l-Abha" (O Thou Glory of the Most Glorious!); the other is called the ringstone symbol and includes the letters B and H in Arabic, stylistically organized to represent the world of God, the world of the Manifestations, and the world of humanity, with a vertical line representing the Holy Spirit descending from God through the Manifestations to humankind; on either side of this symbol is a five pointed star, representing the two Manifestations of God for this era, the Bab ("Gate", 1819-1850, the forerunner of Baha'u'llah), and Baha'u'llah ("Glory of God", 1817-1892, the Founder of the Baha'i Faith).

The Bahá'í Faith has its origins in Persia (now called Iran); the majority religion there is Shia Islam. However, the first official proclamation (the founder, Bahá'u'lláh, formally stated that he was the Messenger of God expected according to previous prophecies) was in Baghdad, which was then part of the Ottoman (Turkish) empire. The majority religion there is Sunna Islam.

Depends upon the category of "famous" since scientists might only be famous to other scientists, authors might only be famous to book lovers, etc., but here is a random sampling:

Dizzy Gillespie, jazz musician; Jim Seals & Dash Crofts (Seals & Crofts), singer/songwriters; Kevin Locke, Native American winner of 2009 NAAMI Award, best CD; Charles Wolcott, film composer (3 Academy Awards); Anthony Azizi, actor ("24"); Rainn Wilson, actor ("Six Feet Under"); Alex Rocco, actor ("The Godfather","Wedding Planner"); Cathy Freeman, Olympic gold-medal runner 2000; Khalil Greene, shortshop San Diego Padres; Robert Hayden, first black Poet Laureate; Juliet Thompson, playwright & author; Patricia Locke, activist (National Women's Hall of Fame 2003); Malietoa Tanumafili II, king of Western Samoa; Maria, queen of Rumania; ...

* Unity of God * Unity of religion * Unity of humankind * Equality between men and women * Elimination of all forms of prejudice * World peace * Harmony of religion and science * Independent investigation of truth * Universal compulsory education * Universal auxiliary language * Obedience to government and non-involvement in partisan politics * Elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty

There are no ritual "ceremonies" within the Baha'i Faith other than for burials and weddings. Dress for either of these occasions would depend solely on the customs/culture where these are being performed. In the U.S., for instance, you wouldn't be able to tell by the clothing any difference between a Baha'i and a Christian funeral or wedding.

Baha'is and Muslims, along with their spiritual cousins the Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians all follow Abrahamic faiths. The geneology of God's Messengers who founded these religions can be traced back to: Abraham & Sarah (Isaac) > Moses & Jesus

Abraham & Hagar (Ishmael) > Muhammad & The Bab (Siyyid 'Ali-Muhammad)

Abraham & Katurah (Jokshan) > Zoroaster & Baha'u'llah (Mirza Husayn-'Ali) While they are not the same, the few similarities the Baha'i Faith and Islam have in common are an annual fasting period, pilgrimage, and obligatory prayer.

Given that the total world population is in the billions, the percentage of Baha'is at this time in history (7+ million in less than two centuries), the answer is approximately 1/10 of a percent.

No, it isn't hierarchal. Baha'u'llah, Prophet-founder of the Baha'i Faith, provided in His Will for the establishment of an administrative order within the Faith. Elections are annually and uniformly held on a global scale for the nine members of each Local Spiritual Assembly and each National Spiritual Assembly, and every five years for the nine members of the Universal House of Justice on Mt. Carmel in Haifa.

The Baha'i Faith definitely believes in God's creation of the universe and this planet, but it also believes that science and religion must agree since both are from God. In those areas where they disagree, one must be in error. For this reason, creation as shown in Genesis should be viewed with an eye toward each "day" symbolizing each geological "age" of this Earth's evolution.

The Baha'i calendar contains nineteen months, each consisting of nineteen days, with four intercalary days immediately preceding the month of Fast. Although Baha'is consider every day to be for worship, monthly gatherings are held every nineteen days and are called Feasts. The three-part Feast opens with devotional readings, prayers, and often singing, followed by an administrative portion when community business is discussed/voted upon, and ends with socializing (usually around the pot-luck table).

A Baha'i day is hemmed with prayer and an obligatory prayer is said during each day. Worship and remembrance of God helps to guide the day of an average Baha'i, in order to live according to the tenets of his Faith.

Not all religions believe that there is only one God, e.g. Hinduism, Shinto, Taoism, Wicca, Buddhism, ancient Greek, Roman, and Scandinavian religion, etc. Even most forms of Christianity believe that the Diety is three persons in one (Father, Son, Holy Ghost); officially, Christians consider themselves monotheistic, but practitioners of other religions often view Christianity as polytheistic (so perspective plays a role). In Mormonism, any man has the potential to become a god (they believe that God was once a man like one of us).

The simple reason why there are numerous concepts or religions is simply because each religion is a reflection of the socioeconomic agenda of its human creator. Whenever beliefs are based upon imaginary concoctions as opposed to infallible and comprehensive data then obviously there would be numerous variations designed to satisfy the agenda of the person peddling it. It is similar to the many versions of the Santa story. Information that is reliable and accurate would be concurrent with similar information from alternative sources.

The craving for economic and social control is the most significant area of contention which results in new/altered religions popping up. Before science was able to debunk the fallacies of religion regarding the sun and the stars, there were numerous cultures with their fantastic inventions regarding the sun and the solar system. Almost every religion has similar heaven and hell concepts that outlines the pleasures or pains that await the dead. If there is a singular divine entity (God) pervading all substance causing it to have existence then it follows that it will be balanced/equitable in its administration in a similar manner as the sunlight, wind and rain. Therefore if there is only one God it is obvious that the only person/religion who truly knows him/her/it is the one that consistently demonstrates equanimity and any that purports chauvinism is absolutely fictitious.

The Baha'i Faith can be found around the globe. It's second only to Christianity in the number of locations where Baha'is practice their religion. International headquarters of the Faith is on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel.

Baha'is follow the teachings of the Messenger of God, Baha'u'llah (tr. the Glory of God). It is the Baha'i belief that Baha'u'llah was the spiritual fulfillment of the following prophesies: Christianity: return of the Christ in the "glory of the Father" / Kingdom on earth

Judaism: Messiah ben David or "Lord of Hosts" / Kingdom on earth

Zoroastrian: the "World Savior" Shah Bahram / age of peace

Shi'ah Islam: return of Imam Husayn / peace on earth

Sunni Islam: return of the "Spirit of God" (the Christ) / peace on earth

Hinduism: the Tenth Avatar or "Vishnu Yasha" (tr. Glory of God) / age of purity, righteousness

Buddhism: the Maitreya (or Fifth) Buddha / universal fellowship Baha'is believe in the authenticity of each of the above religions as having been revealed from the same divine Source.