Progressive Revelation
God sends Messengers throughout history — Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, and Bahá'u'lláh — each bringing teachings suited to the age and capacity of humanity at that time.
The Bahá'í principle of Progressive Revelation holds that all the world's great religions come from the same divine source and represent successive chapters in a single unfolding story of human spiritual development. God does not reveal His full truth in one moment; rather, He sends Messengers — called Manifestations of God — at different times in history, each one building upon and extending the teachings of those who came before.
Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, the Buddha, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, and — most recently — Bahá'u'lláh are all regarded by Bahá'ís as genuine Messengers of the same God. Their different laws and social teachings reflect the different needs and capacities of the peoples and ages to whom they were sent, not any fundamental disagreement about divine truth.
This understanding dissolves the apparent contradiction between the world's religions. A Bahá'í does not say that one religion is true and the others false, but that all are expressions of one evolving truth — like different grades in a single school. Just as a teacher does not give a university lecture to a six-year-old child, God has progressively revealed more of His truth as humanity has grown in its capacity to understand and apply it.
The coming of Bahá'u'lláh in the nineteenth century represents, in the Bahá'í view, the revelation appropriate to humanity's current stage: the age of its collective maturity, when the unity of the entire human race becomes the central spiritual and social challenge.
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Core Principles of the Faith
Oneness of Humanity
The human race is one. The rich diversity of cultures, races, and nations is a source of beauty. Prejudice in any form must be abandoned as a relic of an immature age.
Explore this principle →Equality of Women and Men
Women and men are equal before God. Until women participate fully in all domains of society, the world will not attain the peace and prosperity it seeks.
Explore this principle →Harmony of Science and Religion
Truth is one. Any religious teaching that contradicts science is superstition. Any science without moral foundation is a danger to humanity. Both must be pursued together.
Explore this principle →World Order and Peace
Humanity is evolving toward a global civilisation. Just institutions — democratic, transparent, guided by collective decision-making — must be established at every level of society.
Explore this principle →Economic Justice
The extremes of poverty and wealth are unjust. Economic systems must be reformed to provide for all, while rewarding initiative and discouraging exploitation.
Explore this principle →Universal Auxiliary Language
The adoption of a universal auxiliary language would eliminate one of the great barriers to human communication and the unity of the world's peoples.
Explore this principle →Compulsory Education
Education is a fundamental right. Parents and society share the duty to ensure all children — regardless of gender or background — receive a full and meaningful education.
Explore this principle →Elimination of Prejudice
Racial, religious, class, and national prejudice must be overcome. Independent investigation of truth — not blind imitation — is the path forward.
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