About the Bahá’í Faith
Throughout history, God has sent to humanity a series of divine Educators—known as Manifestations of God—whose teachings have provided the basis for the advancement of civilization.
These Manifestations have included Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Muḥammad. Bahá'u'lláh, the latest of these Messengers, explained that the religions of the world come from the same Source and are in essence successive chapters of one religion from God.
Bahá’ís believe the crucial need facing humanity today is to find a unifying vision of the future of society and of the nature and purpose of life. Such a vision unfolds in the writings of Bahá’u’lláh.
Translating Bahá’u’lláh’s Vision into Reality
The problems facing the world are manifold, and Bahá’ís are under no illusions that solving them will be simple.
Indeed, one of the fundamental challenges that Bahá’ís and those who are likeminded face in every facet of life is how to translate the lofty vision of humanity presented in the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh into tangible reality. Learning how to do this is a preoccupation of the community.
At the neighborhood level, these efforts find expression mainly through four activities, referred to as the core activities.
These activities: Devotional Gatherings, Children’s Classes, Junior Youth Groups, and Study Circles, provide spaces for people of various ages to explore fundamental questions of the spiritual life of humanity, such as the nature of the soul and the relationship between one’s inner life and external conditions.
The Universal House of Justice, the governing body of the Bahá’í world community, enumerated the core activities in this way:
“… meetings that strengthen the devotional character of the community; classes that nurture the tender hearts and minds of children; groups that channel the surging energies of junior youth; circles of study, open to all, that enable people of varied backgrounds to advance on equal footing and explore the application of the teachings to their individual and collective lives…”
“That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith.”
~ Bahá’u’lláh
Activities in the LA Community
The core activities of the Bahá’í community take place across the city, in homes, parks, and community centers.
At any one time, you might find junior youth groups happening in Canoga Park, children’s classes taking place in Silver Lake, study circles going on in North Hollywood, and devotional gatherings being held in Los Feliz.
All of these activities are open to all, and people of all social and religious backgrounds have been participating in and offering them.
Some residents have been engaged in a particular activity for a while, while others are taking their first tentative steps in this direction, accompanied by those with a little more experience.
Regardless of their experience, all are contributing to a body of knowledge that seeks to balance both the material and spiritual prosperity of the community.