1. What is a Baha'i?
2. What do Baha'is believe?
3. What do Baha'is believe about God?
4. How do Baha'is pray?
5. How do Baha'is worship?
6. What is the Baha'i view regarding politics?
7. What is the Baha'i vision for the future?
8. What are the Baha'i teachings regarding marriage?
9. What are the Baha'i teachings regarding the use of alcohol and/or drugs?
10. What is the Baha'i fast and what is its purpose?
11. Do Baha'is believe in Jesus Christ?
12. What do Baha'is believe about other religions?
13. How do I become a Baha'i?

A Baha'i is any person who believes that Baha'u'llah is the Manifestation of God for this day and age, and subscribes to His Teachings. The word Baha'i derives from the Arabic word Bahá meaning glory, or splendor. The Prophet-Founder of the Baha'i Faith took the title Baha'u'llah (literally the Glory of God) when He received His revelation. Top
 

Baha’is believe that there is one God, that all humanity is one family, and that there is a fundamental unity underlying religion. They recognize that the coming of Baha'u'llah has opened the age for the establishment of world peace, when, as anticipated in the sacred scriptures of the past, all humanity will achieve its spiritual and social maturity, and live as one united family in a just, global society. Top
 

God is the ultimate Reality, Creator of the universe, Whose nature is unknowable and inaccessible to humankind. Such designations as God, Allah, Yahweh, Brahma all refer to the One Divine Being. We learn about God through His Messengers, Who teach and guide humanity. Top
 

People commune with God through prayer and receive guidance through study of the Word of God. The Baha'i writings contain prayers for a wide range of purposes and occasions in addition to certain daily obligatory prayers. Moreover, Baha'is believe that work performed in a spirit of service is worship. Thus, together with active service, fasting, meditation, and obedience to spiritual and moral laws, prayer enables us to develop and grow closer to God. Top
 

Baha’is worship God through prayer and meditation, by participating in devotional gatherings, and through active service to their communities. They individually recite one of three obligatory prayers each day as prescribed by Baha'u'llah. The Baha'i scriptures offer much guidance on the uses of prayer and contain many prayers for various purposes and occasions. Moreover, work performed in the spirit of service is, according to the Baha'i teachings, a form of worshipping God. Top
 

Baha'is take their civic responsibilities seriously and uphold the authority of established governments through loyalty and obedience to the laws of their country. While participating in elections for their government, they abstain from partisanship, and so do not join political parties or factions. Baha'is may serve their government in administrative posts but do not accept political appointments or run for elected office. Such service reflects the practice within the Baha'i community, which holds elections for its administrative councils that are entirely without nominations or campaigning. Top
 

The Baha'i vision of the future derives from a fundamental understanding that human beings have been created to "carry forward an ever-advancing civilization." This advancement is impelled by the coming of the Messengers of God from age to age. Baha'u'llah proclaimed that the time has arrived for humanity in all its diversity to realize its potential to live as one united people, empowered through His Revelation to establish a world civilization based on justice and peace. Top
 

The family is the basic unit of social life, and the progress of society depends on soundly functioning families. Monogamous marriage between a man and a woman is the foundation of family life. Baha'u'llah described matrimony as "a fortress for well-being and salvation" and identified the rearing of children as the fundamental, though not the only, purpose of marriage. Top
 

Baha'is are forbidden from consuming alcoholic beverages or drugs of any kind. With regards to alcohol, Baha'u'llah writes "alcohol leadeth the mind astray and causeth the weakening of the body." Use of alcoholic beverages or drugs is permissible in the treatment of illness when prescribed by a "competent and conscientious physician." Top
 

Baha'is are required to fast each year from the age of maturity (15) during the last month of the Baha'i calendar which corresponds to the period from March 2nd to March 20 in the Gregorian calendar. The Baha'i writings indicate that the fasting period, which involves complete abstinence from both food and drink from sunrise to sunset, is "essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul. Its significance and purpose are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual in character. Fasting is symbolic, and a reminder of abstinence from selfish and carnal desires." -- Baha'i Writings Top
 

The Baha'i Faith upholds all claims of Jesus Christ as to His Station, and His Revelation. The Baha'i Writings are filled with references to the words of Jesus and praise of Him. In His time, His Holiness Christ was the greatest Messenger of God yet to have walked the earth. Baha'is believe that the promises of Jesus, as well as those of all the other religions are fulfilled in the Baha'i Faith. For more detail see the following question. Top
 

A key principle of the Baha'i Faith is that the source of all religions is one, and that the seeming differences are due to the time and place of revelation, the accumulation of traditions over time which corrupt the original revelation, and the maturity of humankind at the time of the original revelation. Bahá'ís believe that revelation is progressive. Think about raising a child. One gives information to children as they grow in ever increasing amounts according to their ability to absorb and understand more. One gives more information and responsibility to older children, and less to younger children. It is the same with religion. As humankind has developed and matured, God sends Messengers with successive, ever-increasing Revelations. Baha'is believe that humankind is just now emerging from it's turbulent adolescence into its maturity. The purpose of the Baha'i Faith is to facilitate this process. Top
 

A person becomes a Baha'i by recognizing Baha'u'llah as the Messenger of God for this age and accepting to follow His laws and teachings and the administrative institutions He established for the unification of humankind. People enroll in a Baha’i community by signifying such belief and commitment, orally or in writing, to the responsible Baha'i institution. Top
 

Reproduced from www.bahai.org, the official website of the Baha'i Faith. Visit there for more detailed information about the Baha'i Faith.