The Baha’i faith is perhaps the newest world religion. Their beliefs are distinctive for their lack of specificity. They believe that each of the monotheistic religions are progressive revelations of the one God and that all these religions point to the same end.
Baha’i grew out of Islam in the mid-nineteenth century when the prophet Bab (gate) stated he had come to announce the new religion.
The details of the religion were soon revealed by Baha’u’llah, who taught the unity of all religions and all mankind. Followers thus attempt to promote the agreement of all men and women in a system which upholds the essential goodness of mankind. They proclaim themselves as lovers of all humanity with a complete striving for universal peace.
Baha’i is a today a world wide religion with five to seven million followers. A large number of Baha’is reside in Iran where they have undergone variable levels of persecution. The Iranian government does not accept Baha’i as a particular religion, but rather considers its believers as apostate from Islam.
