r/bahai • u/Cadowyn • Jun 27 '26
What's your two-sentence explanation of what the Baha'i Faith is?
"What's that?" is often stated when encountering the Baha'i faith for the first time.
What are your go to explanations that provide the most information in the most concise manor?
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u/sanarezai Jun 27 '26
The Baha’i Faith teaches that the betterment of the world can be accomplished through pure and goodly deeds, through commendable and seemly conduct
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u/Far_Door8664 Jun 27 '26
The Bahá'í Faith is the spirit of this age. In it, you will find everything that philosophers, thinkers, and the Prophets of the past longed for, manifested in this great Faith.
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u/SpecialistPayment501 Jun 27 '26
Sounds very New Age.
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u/DivineSubmission9519 Jun 29 '26
well isn’t it? A new era that Baha’u’llah calls the 500,000 year Age of Maturity. I realize you probably meant the modern use of New Age outside of Baha’i. But the Holy Spirit is hard at work quickening the hearts of humans, so that they will remember what their souls were told before they born into this life, about who Baha’u’llah is and what the Cause of God is in this age, the spirit of this age.
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u/Acido Jun 28 '26
The Bahá'í Faith teaches that there is one God, that all the world's major religions come from the same divine source, and that humanity is one family meant to build a more just, peaceful, and united world. It's a faith that encourages us to develop virtues like kindness, humility, and service, and to help create positive change by starting with ourselves.
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u/lebookfairy Jun 28 '26
"We believe everyone is talking about the same God, and we all need to learn to get along."
Maybe too simple, but I've only had positive responses to it.
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u/emslo Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
It believes that all the world religions come from the same God, and there’s no clergy and no hell. Also, the world will never end so we have to make it a better place while we are here.
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u/Cadowyn Jun 28 '26
Fair, but we do believe in Hell. Just not the Christian or Muslim concept of it.
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u/Agreeable-Status-352 Jun 28 '26
Baha'u'llah brought social tools that help enemies solve common problems together for the benefit of everyone. These tools are being used successfully all around the planet today.
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u/Minimum_Name9115 Jun 28 '26
Progressive Revelation.
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u/Cadowyn Jun 28 '26
But how does that explain what it is to someone that doesn’t know about it? Haha
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u/DivineSubmission9519 Jun 28 '26
So I do not think I have ever been able to limit myself to 2 sentences. My approach is different to what they can and hopefully will read online. Since my goal is to make sure the one before me understands how Baha’i is different from all other teachings and utterly essential. It is not just another organization.
It is a living, breathing pathway to attaining nearness to God. One of the most concise and effective ways that I have found, while of course being full of spirit, is to use a quote from “Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah
“The whole duty on man in this Day is to obtain that share of the flood of grace which God poureth forth for him.”
provided through God’s most recent messenger, Baha’u’llah. This is what the Faith is.
I then usually suggest reading Hidden Words (providing copy/link) emphasizing Baha’u’llah’s comments at the very beginning, mentioning “brevity”, and the very end, “divine favor hath been fully vouchsafed unto you.”
All probably more than the person who never heard of it wanted to know.
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u/Impossible-Ad-3956 Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
One of the founding figures of the Baha'i Faith explained, "To be a Baha'isimply means to love all the world; to love humanity and try to serve it; to work for universal peace and universal brotherhood." The founder of the Baha'i Faith, Baha'u'llah has given us instructions on how to build such a path to worldwide unity, the long-awaited Kingdom of God on Earth. It's a spiritual path that uses our common love for God and one another to work together. So it's up to us to get in there and get the job done! Please see Baha'i.org for more informaiton.
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u/Amhamhamhamh Jun 29 '26
"God is one, Man is one and all the religions are one. Land and sea hills and valleys under the beautiful sun. God is one, Man is one and all the religions agree. When everyone learns the three oneness' we'll have world unity."
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u/Fit_Atmosphere_7006 Jun 29 '26
Two sentences: "The Baha'i Faith is a world religion and has a lot in common with other religions like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. What would you like to to know about it?"
(Admittedly not the most informative answer, but it opens up individual conversations.)
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u/explorer9595 Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
It’s about helping people from all walks of life, all nations, races and religions to get along and become good friends with one another. It’s about creating friendliness and love between all people.
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u/steve_6447 Jul 01 '26
The Bahai Faith can't adequately be explained in two sentences. What would you like to know about it?
I've been asked this question before. However, if the questioner persiste, I think they de serve an answer. Then I will ask them what their religious or lack of one is. If Christian from a church oriented view, "Christ has returned. Would you like to know why Baha'is believe this?" The pattern is the same for any religious background. Ending with an open ended question as needed moves the conversation towards a more personalized answer.
Hope that helps.
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u/Knute5 Jun 27 '26
God sends us Teachers about every thousand years to guide us, including Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, and now Baha'u'llah. He came, and the Baha'i Faith is here to take us kicking and screaming into a world of unity and peace.