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Los Angeles
Bahá'í
Center
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Bahá'í Faith
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Bahá'í
Publications |
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Frequent Asked
Questions |
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| Q1 |
How can I get more
information about the Bahá'í Faith? |
| Q2 |
Speaking of
finances, may I contribute or donate money to the Bahá'í
Faith? |
| Q3 |
What are the
Devotional Services like, and why do you have them? |
| Q4 |
Why is there a Bahá'í
only section? |
| Q5 |
I don’t live in
Los Angeles. How can I get in touch with the Bahá'ís where I
do live? |
| Q6 |
I’ve never heard of the
Bahá'í Faith. Is it a sect, church or cult? |
| Q7 |
What are the Bahá'í
teachings on morality, drugs, alcohol, etc.? |
| Q8 |
Is there a clergy or
priesthood in the Bahá'í Faith? |
| Q9 |
I am a devout Christian.
What does Bahá'í offer that Christ doesn’t? |
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| Q1 |
How can I get more information about
the Bahá'í Faith?
There are many ways to increase your knowledge of the Bahá'í
Faith. Reading material is available from numerous sources,
and there are "firesides"
(informal discussions) held throughout the county where one
may ask questions directly. The Sunday Devotional Service in
the Los Angeles Center is an excellent way to experience
firsthand the Bahá'í attitude towards God and mankind. Check
the Fireside page for information on activities in your
community.
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| Q2 |
Speaking of finances, may I contribute
or donate money to the Bahá'í Faith?
Contributions of money are only accepted from individuals who
have registered themselves as members of the Bahá'í Faith.
If money is received, it will of course be accepted with
loving gratitude, and will in turn be used for charitable
purposes to the community at large.
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| Q3 |
What are the Devotional Services like,
and why do you have them?
While no specific form is mandated, the devotional services
held on Sundays at the Bahá'í Center
are an effort to bring people from the surrounding community
and Bahá'ís together in an atmosphere of joy and love. There
are music, guest artists and speakers, and there is food.
There is no attempt to proslytize or convert, nor are
donations or money requested or accepted. The goal is to
create a loving, peaceful, joyous environment.
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| Q4 |
Why is there a Bahá'í only section?
Most individuals tend to keep certain elements of their
personal lives private, finances for one example. In the life
of the Bahá'í community, there are certain elements that are
of interest and concern only to Bahá'ís, and for that reason
are kept separate from the general interest section of this
site.
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| Q5 |
I don’t live in Los Angeles. How can
I get in touch with the Bahá'ís where I do live?
Check the white pages of your local telephone book under the
heading "Bahá'í".
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| Q6 |
I’ve never heard of the Bahá'í
Faith. Is it a sect, church or cult?
The Bahŕ'í Faith is a world Religion, whose spiritual and
administrative center is located upon Mount Carmel in Haifa,
Isreal. It is organized in over 200 countries of the world,
and is legally recognized by most governments, allowing
Baha’is to have Baha’i weddings and funerals. "Baha",
the root word, means Glory or Light in English. "Bahá’u’lláh"
means "the Glory of God".
Therefore, Baha’i means, follower of Bahá’u’lláh, as
Christian means follower of Christ. The Bahá'í Faith sprang
out of Islam in the middle of the last century (1844), but is
not a sect or branch of that Religion, just as Christianity is
not now considered a branch of Judaism. The Bahá'í Faith has
sacred texts, laws, ordinances, holy days, and a calendar.
Finally, while it is considered a separate Religion, its roots
go back through Islam, Christianity and Judaism to Abraham.
The concept is that there is only one God, and only one
Religion, but that God periodically renews His Religion
as humanity’s needs change over time. The Bahŕ'í Faith
fulfills and extends the previous Revelations of God, rather
than competes with them.
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| Q7 |
What are the Bahá'í teachings on
morality, drugs, alcohol, etc.?
Human society can only exist and flourish if its members learn
and obey the very real laws (as against manmade ordinances)
that govern its existence. "Morality" is a code of
conduct, which if followed by the generality of society, will
allow that society to flourish, and if not, will cause it to
collapse. The Bahá'í ethical teachings toward which the
Baha'is reach, include a high degree of moral behavior. Bahá'ís
are not allowed to lie, are required to abstain from alcohol
or drug use, unless ordered by a doctor; and are instructed to
lead a chaste and holy life and abstain from sex outside the
bonds of matrimony.
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| Q8 |
Is there a clergy or priesthood in the
Bahá'í Faith?
The central Teaching underpinning all the Writings in the Bahá'í
Faith is the oneness, the essential unity of the human race.
Out of that one principal all the others devolve: All humans
have the same spiritual obligations, privileges and rights;
the belief that all humans are created to know and to worship
God; that women and men must have equal rights and privileges.
For these reasons, as well as others, in the Bahá'í Faith
there is no clergy or priesthood whose responsibility it is to
guide the rest of humanity.
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| Q9 |
I am a devout Christian. What does Bahá'í
offer that Christ doesn’t?
The healing message of Christ is a gift from
God to man. As such, it is perfect, and free from error.
However, the needs and abilities of the human race differ
radically today from those of two thousand years ago.
If one studies the course and history of
religion, one can see an astonishing similarity between
religion and a ‘school’. In a school, there are numerous
teachers, each one instructing one age group – one grade.
Philosophically, all the teachers are the same, in the sense
that they all have earned the same teaching credentials. The
teachers instruct according to the capacity and needs of the
students, not their own. At the beginning of the school year,
the teacher introduces him/herself, gives the students a
‘book’ and begins instructing them. At the end of the
year, the teacher leaves, telling the children that next year
a new teacher will come, bringing a new book. If the teacher
has been successful, the students will be ready and prepared
to accept the new teacher the following year, and the new
book. Education is a process of moving progressively from book
to book, and teacher to teacher, each one advancing the
student forward and building on the previous foundation. The
first grade teacher can teach at the sixth grade level,
but the student could not understand, and could be harmed.
Religion has progressed from Book to Book as
well, and Teacher to Teacher. Abraham established the
foundation for Religion by teaching that there is one God.
Moses followed by telling us that God has laws that we must
follow. Christ gave us essential Teachings on our own
spiritual reality. He taught us to love our fellow man. But
He did not tell us everything. In the Book of St. John
(16:12-13):
12 "I have yet many things to say unto
you, but ye cannot bear them now."
13 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of
Truth, is come, he will guide you unto all truth: for he shall
not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall
he speak; and he will shew you things to come."
Baha'is believe that Bahá’u’lláh
(a title meaning "the
Glory of God") is that Spirit of
Truth, spoken of by Christ. He has given to us what our Father
commands – He has shown us the things to come. In Him the
Message of Christ has been fulfilled, just as Christ fulfilled
the Message of Moses, and Moses, that of Abraham.
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One
Planet
One
People
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