The
Worldwide
Bahá'í Community
Partial view of the Bahá'í House of Worship in New Delhi, India, described by some as the Taj Mahal of the 20th century.
THE
WORLDWIDE BAHÁ'Í COMMUNITY
The Bahá'í community, comprising members of
the Bahá'í Faith from all over the globe, now numbers some
five million souls. They represent 2,112 ethnic and tribal groups and
live in over 116,000 localities in 191 independent countries and 46 dependent
territories or overseas departments. What was once regarded by some as
an obscure, tiny sect is now recognized by the Encyclopedia Britannica
as the geographically second-most widely spread independent religion in
the world, after Christianity. Its membership cuts across
all boundaries of class and race, governing itself through the establishment
of local
and national elected bodies known as Spiritual Assemblies. Haifa, Israel,
is the
site of its international center and the seat of its world-governing council,
known as the Universal House of Justice.
The worldwide Bahá'í community may well be the
most diverse and widespread body of people on earth. It is also among
the world's most unified organizations, a
feature that is perhaps its most distin-guishing characteristic.
Bahá'í the world over come from all religious
backgrounds: Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Zoroastrian,
animist, and non-religious.
Yet they study a common set of sacred writings, observe a unifying code
of religious laws, and look to a single international administrative system
for continuing guidance.
Their sense of unity goes beyond a shared theology. It is expressed
in an abiding commitment to a global program for moral, spiritual and
social progress that
represents many of the finest ideals of civilization.
Promoting equality of women and men is
a primary goal, as are ending racial and
ethnic strife, promoting economic justice
for all peoples, and ensuring access to
good education for all. The community eschews all forms of superstition,
emphasizes the importance of an
unfettered search for scientific and
religious truth, and sets for its followers
the goal of meeting the highest moral standards. World peace and the establishment
of a united global commonwealth have been and remain distinguishing concerns.
