What is the Bahá'í faith?

The Bahá’í faith is the latest world religion, teaching world unity, understanding all religions as completing one big story and aiming for world peace. This finds practical expression in coming together for prayer, meditation, consultation and study, and education of the children and youth that will form the future of our world with an eye for and understanding of spiritual values and further developing them.

In the context of this spiritual education of the youth, a youth group in Alegrías, Colombia, made together this action statement:

We are no longer children and should seriously think about our future. The world in which we live is filled with suffering and afflicted with disunity. We want to build a new world where people live in harmony and where war and poverty no longer exist. In order to build a new world we should begin with our own community. That is why we now speak about material and spiritual progress in our small village, Alegrías. To progress materially, we should improve our agriculture, take better care of our health, have more schools and be active in business and industry. With the fruits of our labors, we should turn our homes, our village and our surroundings into places of great beauty, where we can all enjoy a clean and sanitary environment.

Material progress for all people is not attainable if we do not achieve spiritual progress. Without spirituality, a few become rich while the rest continue to live in poverty. To reach our goals as a community we should be united, act with justice, cooperate and be friendly with one another, and be generous, honest and trustworthy. Justice, generosity, love and kindness, honesty and trustworthiness are spiritual qualities through which we achieve both material and spiritual progress.

It is not only to build a better world that we need spiritual qualities. We also need them for the life of our soul which does not end on this earth. Material and spiritual progress means that each day we strive for excellence in the material and spiritual aspects of our lives, that we work hard to build a just and peaceful world, and that we prepare ourselves for an eternal life of joy and happiness.

For more information about the Bahá’í faith, contact us or take a look at bahai.org.

Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship.

–Bahá’u’lláh