The Bahai Faith
The Bahá'í faith interests me a lot. I find myself agreeing with many of it's teachings, and I feel as though it speaks to what I already believe in.
Shoghi Effendi, the appointed head of the religion from 1921 to 1957, wrote the following summary of what he considered to be the distinguishing principles of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings, which, he said, constitute the bed-rock of the Bahá'í Faith:
"The independent search after truth, unfettered by superstition or tradition; the oneness of the entire human race, the pivotal principle and fundamental doctrine of the Faith; the basic unity of all religions; the condemnation of all forms of prejudice, whether religious, racial, class or national; the harmony which must exist between religion and science; the equality of men and women, the two wings on which the bird of humankind is able to soar; the introduction of compulsory education; the adoption of a universal auxiliary language; the abolition of the extremes of wealth and poverty; the institution of a world tribunal for the adjudication of disputes between nations; the exaltation of work, performed in the spirit of service, to the rank of worship; the glorification of justice as the ruling principle in human society, and of religion as a bulwark for the protection of all peoples and nations; and the establishment of a permanent and universal peace as the supreme goal of all mankind—these stand out as the essential elements [which Bahá'u'lláh proclaimed]."
The following 12 principles are frequently listed as a quick summary of the Bahá'í teachings. They are derived from transcripts of speeches given by `Abdu'l-Bahá during his tour of Europe and North America in 1912. The list is not authoritative and a variety of such lists circulate.
* Unity of God
* Unity of religion
* Unity of humankind
* Gender equality
* 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
With specific regard to the pursuit of world peace, Bahá'u'lláh prescribed a world-embracing Collective Security arrangement as necessary for the establishment of a lasting peace.
As far as I know, the Bahá'i Faith is very involved in the U.N. too, with quite some influence there. I am not religious officially, but I do strongly agree with the main points put forth here.
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