Baha'ism

Beliefs

Moral & Social Teachings

Baha’is have similar moral teachings to those of Islam. The Baha’i faith eschews murder; arson; lying; adultery; sodomy; theft; slave-trading; racism and prejudice; use of intoxicants; gambling; cruelty to animals; idleness and sloth; backbiting and calumny among other things.47

It also encourages friendly association with others; honouring parents; developing spirituality; studying arts and sciences beneficial to humanity; consultation in decision-making; quick and honest repentance to God after sinning; to be truthful, trustworthy, faithful, righteous, God-conscious, just, fair, tactful, wise, courteous, hospitable, persevering, detached and submissive to the will of God.48

Basic principles of Baha’i social teachings include: elimination of prejudice and racism; equality of men and women; elimination of extremes of poverty and wealth; harmony of science and religion; independent investigation of truth; universal education; use of a universal auxiliary language and economic and social justice.49

Baha’is place great emphasis on spreading their moral and social teachings with particular emphasis on elimination of prejudice and working towards world peace. To this end, Baha’i individuals and communities often undertake charitable work to improve the lives of the people in the wider communities in which they live.50 Because Baha’is are prohibited from ‘proselytising’ which they interpret to mean inducing conversion, programmes to attract new believers (called ‘'teaching the faith’) often revolves around introducing others to the religion through contact with their charitable work in the community. At times this has meant a blurring of the line between offering their services to humanity for the sake of making the world a better place, and offering their services simply in order to bring in new converts.51 Nevertheless, on the whole the Baha’is have a well-deserved good reputation of being peace-loving, generous and hard working members of society.

Next > Baha'ism: Practices: Declaration

References

47See Bahá’u’lláh, “Synopsis and Codification of the Laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas”, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas 157-158.

48See Bahá’u’lláh, “Synopsis and Codification of the Laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas”, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas 159-160.

49See Effendi, God Passes By 281.

50For examples of the types of projects organised by Baha’is see “Training for HIV prevention”, Bahá’í World News Service, 6 Jun. 2003, <http://www.bahaiworldnews.org/story.cfm?storyid=217>; “Festival attracts crowds of children”, Bahá’í World News Service, 6 Jun. 2003, <http://www.bahaiworldnews.org/story.cfm?storyid=212>; and “New Approaches to Old Problems”, The Bahá’ís, Bahá'í Publishing Trust of the United Kingdom, 1992, 6 Jun. 2003, <http://www.bahai.com/thebahais/pg63.htm>.

51For example, the author knows of one local assembly who discouraged a Baha’i women’s group from doing volunteer work at a nursing home which had a rule against talking about religion, given that there would be no opportunity to introduce the Baha’i religion to the nursing home residents or staff.

Next > Baha'ism: Practices: Declaration