BAHÁ'Í FAITH

BELIEF IN GOD

• Believe in one God.
• Believe God is incomprehensible and unknowable.
• To get a better understanding of God you must look to the teachings and messages of his prophets.
• The Bahá'í Faith has a religious tolerance and accepts all religions to be true. They believe all religions come from the same divine source.

HISTORY

• The Bahá'í Faith was founded in Iran in the mid 19th century.
• The founder was Mirza Hoseyn 'Ali Nuri.
• Comes from the Shi'ite branch of Islam.

HOLY TEXTS

• Bahá'u'lláh, Abdu'l-Bahá, and the Báb's writings
• The Bahá'í Faith accepts scriptures from other world religions. They are seen as Divine Revelations from God to his prophets.

Main Purpose of the Bahá'í Faith

• The main purpose is to love God and bring peace and tranquility to the world.
• The main ways to obtain this goal is in prayer, meditation, and fasting.

SACRED PLACES

• The Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh: Is said to be the holiest and the point of devotion for the Bahá'í Faith. This Shrine is where Bahá'u'lláh's remains are kept.
• The Shrine of the Báb: This Shrine is where Bahá'í's go to pray and is where the Báb's remains are kept.

SHRINE OF BAHA'U'LLAH

SHRINE OF THE BAB

RITUALS

• The Bahá'í Faith does not have rituals or sacraments.
• Daily prayer, a prayer said for the dead, at a funeral and a marriage rite are the only rituals associated with this faith.
• The reason behind this faith not having rituals is because they recognize that they can lose their meaning and then they are often carried out for no purpose at all

SYMBOLS

• Nine Pointed Star: The main symbol for the Bahá'í Faith. Symbolizes the nine years until the Bábs revelation.
• Ringstone: Appears on jewelry and signifies Gods plan for creation.

FASTING

• In the Bahá'í Faith fasting is a way to connect better with God and become closer to him.
• Also fasting is seen as a way to concentrate more on yourself.
• The elderly, the sick, and the young are excused from fasting.
• Nineteen Day Fast: 19 days of fasting before the New Year as to prepare for the upcoming year. Bahá'u'lláh created this.

AFTERLIFE

• In the Bahá'í Faith they believe when you die your soul is separated from your body.
• The soul then goes through a spiritual journey towards God.
• They do not believe in a actual place like Heaven and Hell.
• Heaven could be referred as the souls growth to God and Hell as the souls decline from God.

CALENDAR

• The Bahá'í calendar was created by the Báb.
• Calendar consists of 19 months with 19 days in each.
• The new year starts on March 21st.

Holy Days

• May 23- Bab's declaration of his mission
• July 9- Martyrdom of the Bab
• May 29- Passing of Baha'u'llah
• October 20- Birth of Bab
• November 12- Birth of Baha'u'llah
• May 2- Baha'u'llah's declaration to his mission

RELIGIOUS LEADERS

• The Báb proclaimed himself as a messenger. He said he had a message that would change humanity.
• His message was equality and unity.
• The Báb announced there would be a prophet or a Manifestation of God that they needed to be prepared for.

CONTINUED...

• Bahá'u'lláh was that Manifestation of God.
• He was seen to have brought God's latest message to the world.
• He was imprisoned, tortured, and then exiled.

Main Festivals

• Rezwan- seen as the most important festival in the Bahá'í Faith. It celebrated the 12 days Bahá'u'llah spent in the Najibiya Gardens near Baghdad.
• Nowruz- Bahá'í's new year celebration.

Work Cited

• BBC News. BBC, Web. 19 May 2015. .
• "History of the Baha'i Faith - Bahai History." History of the Baha'i Faith - Bahai History. Web. 19 May 2015. .
• "Library." Baha'i Origins, Baha'i History, Baha'i Beliefs. Web. 19 May 2015. .

Continued..

• "The Bahá'í Faith." - The Website of the Worldwide Bahá'í Community. Web. 19 May 2015. .
• "Bahá'i Holy Places in Haifa and the Western Galilee." - UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Web. 19 May 2015. .