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Baha'i Faith
The Baha'i Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahaullah in nineteenth-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Baha'i around the world in more than 200 countries and territories.
205 Questions
What are the followers of the baha'i called?
The religion is called the "Bahá'à Faith"; the followers are "Bahá'Ãs".
Is there a Bahai residence in Wilmette IL?
Yes, there are homes that belong to Baha'is in Wilmette, IL, as well as a Baha'i Home for the Aged. The Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette is located at Linden and Sheridan. See http://www.bahai.us/bahai-temple
What is the Baha'i attitude toward death?
The Baha'i Faith teaches that all souls, regardless of professed religion or even lack of religious beliefs, will have an eternal existence. "Heaven" and "hell" are considered as metaphors for either the soul's nearness to or distance from God in the next life, which is dependent upon man's free-will actions chosen during this lifetime. God is merciful but God is also just.
What is the book of seven values of bahai faith?
That would be "The Seven Valleys". It is a mystical book; not very big. You can probably find it online. See the link below where you will find different Bahá'í books (as well as books from other religions), including a program to search through them.
Since 1963, the leadership in the Bahá'í Faith is exerted by an institution called the "Universal House of Justice". The nine members of the Universal House of Justice are elected every five years, by the national governing bodies (which in most cases are called "National Spiritual Assemblies"), which are in turn elected every year by the believers in each country.
Why is there only 1 Baha'i temple in each continent?
Anticipating the future development of this
institution, Shoghi Effendi envisages that the House of
Worship and its dependencies "shall afford relief to the
suffering, sustenance to the poor, shelter to the wayfarer,
solace to the bereaved, and education to the ignorant". In
the future, Bahá'í Houses of Worship will be constructed in
every town and village. (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 191)
Is Bahai autonomous or hierarchical?
The Bahá'à Faith has a hierarchical administration: elected groups of people, one at the international level (the "Universal House of Justice"), one for every country, or in some cases other kinds of regions (currently called the "National Spiritual Assemblies"), and one in each city or town where there are 9 or more believers (the "Local Spiritual Assemblies"). I am not sure what you mean by "autonomous". The Bahá'à Faith is certainly not a branch of another religion; in this sense, it is independent, with its own laws, its own administration, etc.
What do you call a bahai minister?
There is no clergy in the Baha'i Faith. Baha'is believe, according to the Faith's Scriptures, that mankind has gone through many spiritual stages since its genesis, and is now sufficiently spiritually mature that clergy is no longer required to lead a "flock" like sheep. Every Baha'i is held personally responsible by God for studying the Scriptures and obeying God's laws.
That would depend what sort of event you need to notify about.
Do the bahai believe that Jesus is nthe son of GOD?
The Baha'i believe that the Lord Jesus Is a Manifestation Of God. They believe the same regarding Muhammad & their own prophet Bahu-llah.
What are the difference between Judaism Christianity Islam and Baha'i?
Answer
Comparison can be done only in similar things. Here there are no chances for comparison.
Between Christianity and Islam there are few things, such as birth of Jesus, to compare. Islam rejects trinity and crucifixion which are Christians major and strong beliefs. ==== Each of these monotheistic, Abrahamic religions were given the "Golden Rule" and prophecy of a Messiah figure. Judaism didn't accept the Christ; Christianity didn't accept Muhammad; Islam didn't accept Baha'u'llah. Because each rejected newer revelation, Judaism still lives by 3300 year-old Mosaic laws and its own calendar; Christianity still lives by 2000 year-old laws and its own calendar; Islam still lives by 1400 year-old laws and its own calendar. Baha'is live by laws given only 165 years ago that are applicable for the next 1000 and also have their own calendar.
Can you still believe in Jesus and be a Baha'i?
Bahais believe that there is a continual process of divine inspiration, all over the world, which (in the Middle East) has been manifested in the persons of Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, the Old Testament prophets, Jesus, Muhammad, the Bab and Baha'u'llah - and many other greater or lesser prophets, all over the world. A loving father doesn't leave any of his children without guidance.
So it would be rather odd to be a Bahai if you did notbelieve in Jesus. It would be a self-contradiction, because Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Bahai Faith, preached Jesus and the efficacy of his sacrifice on the Cross. Baha'u'llah writes:
We testify that when He came into the world, He shed the splendor of His glory upon all created things. Through Him the leper recovered from the leprosy of perversity and ignorance. Through Him, the unchaste and wayward were healed. Through His power, born of Almighty God, the eyes of the blind were opened, and the soul of the sinner sanctified.
(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 85)
If you've lost your faith in Jesus, you could try reading the "Christian topics" section of Some Answered Questions, found at the link below. Many of the things that are hard to understand and may make people lose their faith in Jesus, are explained there: the trinity, and the virgin birth for example. Seeing what the Baha'i scriptures say about Jesus might help you in living the Christian life too. The Baha'is believe that Christ is still at work in the world, and in the lives of Christians:
… the breezes of Christ are still blowing; His light is still shining; His melody is still resounding; … and it is the same with those souls who are under His protection and are shining with His light.
(Some Answered Questions, pg. 152)
Quotes can be found at the below link. Shine with His light. Then you will know what to do.
Sen McGlinn
In Judaism, the term "holy beggar" was first used in the summer of 1967 by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach (1925-1994) to describe the deep spiritual quest of the hippies in Haight Ashbury, San Francisco. Ostensibly, a beggar is impoverished and begs for sustenance. But the "holy beggar" is wandering the streets of the world, "begging not to take, but to give." He is begging "to turn over the whole world" and is offering a utopian gift of hope and redemption. In Reb Shlomo's kabbalistic-Hasidic vision, these are the "holy hippies" who despite the external disguise they are neither impoverished nor bewildered; they are on a truly momentous spiritual quest.
Reb Shlomo's mission was to reach out to "holy beggars" who are "hungry like no generation before" because they are thirsting to "bring the great day of love and peace". The attractiveness of this idea is that it unveiled a cosmic purpose in the hippie quest. It was interlaced with Shlomo's midrashic interpretation that even non-Jews, "hungry for God's presence," found their way to Mount Sinai, to join in receiving "the deepest secrets of the world."
Reb Shlomo's innovative creation of the term "holy beggars" may have been influenced by the Hasidic dramatizations of the image of the beggar as a disguise behind which hides a righteous saint or a miraculous miracle worker. A further development of the literary image of the beggar can be found in the tale by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1872-1910), The Seven Beggars (See translation by Aryeh Kaplan, Woodstock, Vermont, 2005. There the parable is how the beggars bring ultimate redemption.
What type of rock was the Chicago Baha'i Temple made out of?
The Temple itself is made of concrete. The cladding (overlay) of the building is composed of a concrete mixture of portland cement and two types of quartz.
What are the nine religions recognized by the bahai faith?
The nine religions recognized by Baha'is as having been "revealed" by God through a Manifestation/Messenger of God are Hinduism, Jainism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Babism and the Baha'i Faith.
Baha'is believe that God has always had a Covenant with His creation and that there were Messengers of God who preceded the written word and that their names and religions are thus lost to history. I would like to add that there have ben greater and lesser Prophets of God, as God has never left man unguided we have to believe that indigenous peoples had prophets as well.
What date and month is the nineteen day feast in Baha'i faith?
Every nineteen days - that's what the name means. There is a nineteen days feast on March 2, and every 19 days after that. Often it is celebrated the previous evening - for example, in the evening of March 1.
What is the purpose of life in baha'i faith?
The primary purpose of life to a Baha'i is to know and to worship God, and to contribute to an ever-advancing global civilization. Bahá'ís seek to fulfill this purpose in a variety of personal, family, and community activities.
Who are key people in the baha'i religion?
There are three central figures of the Baha'i Faith:
1. The Bab (which is his title that means "the gate") was the forerunner for the Baha'i Faith, transitioning between Islam and the new revelation. He is considered by the Baha'is as the Twelfth Imam. He said that another Messenger of God, the promised One, would be coming shortly....
2. Baha'u'llah (title for "the glory of God") was the Messenger of God and the founder of the Baha'i Faith. He is the Promised One of all the religions of the past (the messiah, the 'return' of Jesus, etc). His holy book is called the Kitab-i-Aqdas ("The Most Holy Book").
3. Abdu'l-Baha (title for "servant of baha") was the eldest son of Baha'u'llah and helped the religion to expand, to reach the West, and to many other things. He was chosen by Baha'u'llah to lead the religion after his passing.
There are other key people such as Shoghi Effendi (grandson of Abdu'l-Baha who was chosen by him to continue leadership and greatly elaborated and translated many of the teachings). These are some historic figures. The Baha'i Faith is now headed by the Universal House of Justice.
For more information, please visit: http://www.bahai.org/
How is Babism related to the Baha'i faith?
Although Babism and the Baha'i Faith share a history, they are two separate religions. In 1844 a young Persian merchant proclaimed himself to be "the Bab" (the Gate), a Messenger from God whose mission was to unseal the Sacred Texts of the past and to prepare the world for the imminent appearance of "One greater than" himself "Whom God will make manifest." His major Book was called the Bayan ("the Explanation"). His ministry lasted seven years and His followers were known as the Bab'is. Within a year after the Bab's martyrdom, in 1852, a descendant of Abraham (and Katurah) and the Sasanian kings of Persia proclaimed Himself to be Baha'u'llah (the glory of God), the "Promised One of the Age." His voluminous writings are the core of the Baha'i Faith. The only relativity now between the religions is that 1] the inception of the Baha'i Faith dates to 1844 with the appearance of the Bab; 2] Baha'u'llah instituted the calendar of The Bab, which Baha'is still follow; and 3] certain of the Bab's laws Baha'u'llah incorporated into His own Kitab'i-Aqdas (Book of Laws), while abrogating most of them.
The Wikipedia article on "Eid" lists several festivals which include "Eid" in their name, including:
"Eid-e Nowruz (Persian: عید نوروز eyde nowruz), celebrated on Nowruz and marking the first day of spring and the beginning of the Iranian year as well as the Baha'i year"
So, yes, Bahá'Ãs celebrate New Year (currently celebrated on 21. March), but we normally just call it "Naw Ruz". The Wikipedia article also mentiones "breaking of the fast"; New Year marks the end of the Bahá'à fast.
However, please note that Muslims have a different Eid festival (the end of the month of Ramadan).
Which holy book of non-Muslims has the Qur'an mentioned repeatedly in it?
In the Holy Book of Sikh Community-Granth Saheb.
There is a Baha'i mother temple on each continent, open to the followers of ALL religions for prayer/meditation, and there have been different architects and different builders. The only architectural prerequisite is that the temple must be nine-sided because of the association of 9 with perfection, unity and 'Baha' (ie., 'Glory').
What is the age of maturity in Baha'i Faith?
Dissimilar to most religions, children raised in a Baha'i household are NOT automatically counted as being adherents of the Baha'i Faith. The age of maturity (adulthood) in the Baha'i Faith, at which a youth may make a conscious and knowledgeable decision concerning his/her own path to God, is fifteen years of age.
