Understanding the Baha'i Faith

by Wendi Momen, Moojan Momen

The Baha'i Faith is the youngest of the world's independent religions and the second most widespread after Christianity. Dating from its Iranian origins in 1844, it has rapidly spread to every country of the world and counts more than five million adherents. The central teaching of Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'i Faith, is that it is imperative for humanity to recognize that is a single race so that it can act in unity as one global community to meet the challenges of the present day. The Baha'i scriptures provide a wide-ranging social programme designed for people living today coupled with spiritual principles that echo those found in the great faith traditions of the past. Understanding the Baha'i Faith focuses on the impact that the religion has, looking at what it has to say about personal life, the home, the community, social issues, global concerns, as well as the spiritual life The book provides a factual and straightforward account of the history, organisation, development and sacred texts of the religion, as well as a time-line of important events and a glossary. It is suitable for general audiences, students of comparative religion and teachers.

Genres: Religion

180 pages, Paperback

First published November 24, 2005

Reviews

[Abby]

Cheating a bit here because I only got half way through before the book had to be returned to its owner...I want to remember it in case I can find it at the library or something. A well-written introduction that filled in some gaps from Kenneth Bowers' God Speaks Again. She focuses more on the small-scale operations of the faith. I especially liked that she briefs some of the Baha'i-inspired social projects going on all over the world.

The breakdown of the book also encourages me as a reader to think about how I personally approach these various topics, from the role of the family to the trajectory of the soul. It implicitly gets you to ask the hard questions.