Bahai

The Bahá'í faith is a monotheistic religion that was founded by Bahá'u'lláh in Persia during the nineteenth century, emphasizing unity with the spirit of all humankind. it is estimated there are five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries.

Bahá'í teachings emphasize unity of the major world religions. Religious history has been seen to have unfolded through a series of divine messengers, each establishing a religion suited to the needs of the time and also the capacity of the people. These messengers include Abraham, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad and others, including the most recently Bahá'u'lláh. In Bahá'í belief, each messenger taught of the next, and Bahá'u'lláh's life and teachings fulfill end-time promises of all previous scriptures. Humanity is understood to be involved in collective evolution, and the need of the present time is for the establishment of peace, justice and unity on a global scale.
The word "Bahá’í" is either used as an adjective to refer to the Bahá'í Faith or for a follower of Bahá'u'lláh. The word is not a noun meaning the religion as a whole. It is derived from the Arabic word Bahá’, meaning "glory" or "splendour". The use of the term "Bahaism" (or "Baha'ism") has been used in the past, but is fading from use.

Beliefs

Three core principles establish Bahá'í teachings and doctrine: the unity of God, religion, and of humankind. From these stems comes the belief that God reveals his will through divine educators, with the purpose of transforming the character of humankind and developing, within those who respond, moral and spiritual qualities. Religion is thus seen as unified and progressive from age to age.

God

Bahá'í writings describe a single, inaccessible, omniscient, omnipresent, and almighty God who created all things in the universe. The existence of God and the universe is eternal, without beginning or end. Though inaccessible directly, God is seen as conscious of creation, with a purpose that is expressed through messengers termed Manifestations of God.
Bahá'í teachings state God is too great for humans to comprehend, or to create an accurate image of; human understanding of God is through revelation through his Manifestations of God. In the Bahá'í religion, God is commonly referred to by titles and attributes (e.g. the All-Powerful, or the All-Loving). There is a significant emphasis on monotheism. Doctrines such as the Trinity contradict the Bahá'í view that God has no equal and is single. Their teachings state that the attributes applied to God are used to translate Godliness into human terms and to help individuals concentrate on personal attributes in worshipping God, in order to develop their potentialities on their spiritual path. According to the Bahá'í teachings, human purpose is to learn to know and love God through prayer and reflection.