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The Bahá’í faith began
in Iran in 1844 by Mirza Ali Muhammad, who is known as “The
Bab.” He wrote one hundred books and was the forerunner
of Bahá’u’lláh, the Promised One
of all ages and religions. As the founder of the faith, Bahá’u’lláh
taught, “The earth is but one country, and mankind its
citizens.”
Bahá'ís and their families
approach community health and well-being in practical and
spiritual ways. For the individual, the day-to-day practice
of the Bahá'í faith is an all-encompassing way
of life. It is considered a religious obligation for Bahá'ís
to pray and meditate every day, and they are also expected
to be wholly engaged with the world at large. In particular,
Bahá'u'lláh (The Prophet) asks that Bahá'ís
view service to humanity as among their highest priorities.
In this regard, Bahá'ís outwardly
appear to lead a life that is conventional in many respects.
On another level, however, the nature and quality of their
personal relationships and social interactions provide vitality
in their approach to challenges and difficulties, and an overall
feeling of well-being, even in the face of obstacles. Faith
for a Bahá'í is a life-long process. Whether
in terms of spiritual practice, moral behaviour, social activism
or community participation, Bahá'ís seek to
continually improve themselves and the world around them.
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Beyond the essentials of prayer, meditation
and fasting, Bahá'ís view good deeds and service
to humanity as the most important elements of spiritual training
and progress. Bahá'ís understand that it is
through service to others that they can best develop their
own selves and reach the highest levels of human happiness.
Many Bahá'ís are involved in
restorative justice, health and education organizations, community
coalitions, peace organizations and their professional associations,
working to make systems healthier and fairer.
There are many extensive voluntary Bahá'í
service projects around the world, covering many different
areas of development projects in schools and education programs,
as well as the third world. Many Bahá'ís volunteer
their time for a period of months to several years in service.
Youth are encouraged to do a year of service nationally or
internationally.
Bahá'ís focus on family relationships,
where the goal is to serve one's spouse, children and parents,
as well as the community at large, where the goal is to promote
the well-being of others, either through their professional
work or volunteer efforts.
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To engage the Bahá'í community in your area,
check the white pages of the telephone directory. There might
also be listings under “churches” or “religious
organizations” in the yellow pages.
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