Baha'i Temple: New Delhi
A Psychological Article on Solutions to Types of Discrimination
Baha’i or Baha’ism is a religion that is monotheistic and stresses the unity of all humanity as well as the abolishing all types of discrimination between peoples. It was founded during a tense period of time by a Persian aristocrat in the mid nineteenth century in an area that is in present day Iran and Turkey.
Bah-a-ullah, the founder of the Baha’i, taught that all mankind is the same with no distinguishes between race, gender or nation. Psychological articles regarding his thoughts tell us that he believed that over the ages, religions were but manifestations of the same faith; that differences were simply accommodations and requirements of the age and specific messengers ‘the manifestations of God’ which included Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, Abraham, Krishna and others. Bah-a-ullah saw himself as the last in the succession in the line of prophets until the advent of another a thousand years later. His message therefore is best suited for this day and age.
The word Baha’i is Arabic for ‘splendour’. The founder of Baha’i was persecuted in Iran by the Shia Muslim majority and its clergy which was the powerful force of Iran throughout the 19th and 20th century. Although Baha’i enjoys religious freedom in other countries, notably Israel, fundamentalist Iran still persecutes Baha’a as heresy as it is a monotheistic yet non Islamic religion, and therefore questions the finality of the Prophet Muhammad.
Baha’ism believes in unity in all aspects of reality: the unity of mankind, of God and of religion and is against any type of discrimination.
Psychological articles on this religion explain that in Baha’ism, God and his nature will be conveyed through the revelations of a messenger and will overwhelm ordinary men. God, in turn, expresses himself in attributes in order to show himself in human terms and make humanity pursue their own potential to attain spiritual heights; with the pathway to these spiritual heights being derived from the adoption of attributes of introspection and prayer.
Thus Baha’ism is a unitary religion as well as a syncretism or blending of other major religions. It believes in the afterlife, deeming that man enters that stage on the basis of the spiritual excellence he has attained in his life; with heaven and hell not similar to the Christian understandings, but rather states of being nearer or farther from God. Baha’ism further divides the relationship between God and humanity in the greater and lesser covenants. The greater covenants are the universal and timeless, and the lesser covenant between Bah-a-ullah’s teachings and mankind. Baha’i believe in the basic equality of all human beings and propagates the abolition of all types of discrimination and the need for world unity in order to bring this about. As a consequence, Baha’is also promote universal education, world organizations like the UN, a universal language, obeying of authority and economic egalitarianism.
There are approximately five to six million Baha’is with the majority living in Asia, Iran, Israel and the United States. India has the largest number counting 2.2 million. Nonetheless, Baha’is are established in 247 countries among a wide cross section of social groups and languages. Baha’is are also highly organized, educated, and financially well off.
The Psychological Article on An Introduction to Baha’ism is part of Boomer Yearbook’s continuing series of psychological articles on World Religions, Spirtuality, and Solutions to Types of Discrimination. We believe knowledge is power. We’d love to hear what you think.
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