List of Questions - Radiant Century Productions

Often Asked of Bahá’ís

GOD AND HIS MANIFESTATIONS

Q-1: How can we know if God exists? Can a Creator really be proven? 2
Q-2: What is God? How can one “know” God? What is a “Manifestation” of God? {What do Manifestations do for God? What does a Manifestation do for people? Are Manifestations like ordinary people?} 38
Q-3: What God do the Bahá’ís believe in, and how is He different from the Jewish / Christian / Muslim God? 58
Q-4: Why would a kind God allow undeserved suffering? Where is God when bad things happen to good people? 64
Q-5: Why does God allow evil to exist? If God created only good, where did evil come from? What is the nature of evil? {Why does God permit evil individuals to exist and to hurt or even kill others—including children and other innocents?} 85
Q-6: How can Bahá’u’lláh prove His claim to be a Manifestation of God? {How can one judge the truth of someone’s claim that he has been sent by God? How do I know Bahá’u’lláh is not a false prophet?} 101
Q-7: What do Bahá’ís mean by the “Oneness” of religion? How can the problem of religious prejudices be eliminated? 114
Q-8: If all religions come from One Divine Source, as Bahá’ís claim, then why are there so many religions and why are they so different? {What do Bahá’ís mean by “progressive revelation”? Historically, how have people changed religions?} 123
Q-9: What is the purpose of religion? What need is there for religion? Looking at all the conflicts caused by religion throughout history, what use is religion? Why do I need religion? 147
Q-10: Have there been Manifestations besides the Founders of the nine major religions you mentioned? Did Manifestations appear among the native peoples of Africa / Australia / the Americas? {Will Manifestations of God appear after Bahá’u’lláh?} 163

THE HUMAN CONDITION

Q-11: What is man? Is man an animal? {Do Bahá’ís believe in the evolution of species? How did humans come to be?} 171
Q-12: What is the “soul” (or “spirit”) of man? {How and when is the soul formed? What is the soul’s relationship with the body? Is one’s soul affected by illnesses? What is the difference between one’s soul and mind? Is the soul eternal?} 212
Q-13: What is the purpose of life? Why did God create humans? {How can one’s soul best prepare for the next life?} 225
Q-14: If man is essentially a spiritual being, as Bahá’ís claim, why does God make us go through this physical life with all its challenges / problems? {How does a soul best progress / develop in this life? Why do people experience so many difficulties and such suffering in this world? Why are people tested by God?} 242
Q-15: Do Bahá’ís believe in life after death? Can Bahá’ís prove the existence of the human soul and its survival after the death of the body? 263
Q-16: What is life after this life like? What do Bahá’ís think about “heaven” and “hell”? {Are there consequences in the afterlife for how one lives here? After death, does God punish people for bad things they did in this life? How do souls progress after death? In the next life will souls recognize and be with loved ones?} 278
Q-17: What are the Bahá’í teachings in regard to suicide? 302
Q-18: What do Bahá’ís think about reincarnation? Do Bahá’ís believe in the transmigration of souls? {How do Bahá’ís explain those individuals who claim to recall incidents from “previous lives”, or who display familiarity with places they have not been to or knowledge of people they never met?} 309
Q-19: What do Bahá’ís mean when you speak of “independent investigation of truth”? How can I find spiritual or religious “truth”? {Why is searching for religious truth necessary? What is “faith” for Bahá’ís?} 324
Q-20: If God wants us to be good, why didn’t He simply make everyone perfect? Why did God give man free will when He could foresee the mess that would lead to? 335
Q-21: What do Bahá’ís think of destiny / predestination / fate? How can one tell if an occurrence is God’s Will or the result of man’s free will? {Can one’s fate or destiny be changed?} 341
Q-22: What is the Bahá’í attitude towards wealth? {Do Bahá’ís consider material things “bad”?} 364
Q-23: How can humanity ever achieve true peace and lasting world unity? {What do Bahá’ís mean when you speak of the “maturity” of the human race? How can Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings resolve today’s global mess?}
Q-24: What makes Bahá’ís think world peace is even possible when aggression and conflict are such ingrained aspects of human nature, and history seems to be nothing more than a record of endless fighting? {Do Bahá’ís think man will ever destroy himself or the planet?} 393
Q-25: If people are hungry, how can they think about peace? Why don’t Bahá’ís provide more social/philanthropic services for the needy? {Bahá’í principles sound utopian—why don’t you get involved with practical ways of dealing with the world’s problems?} 409

THE BAHÁ’Í FAITH AND BAHÁ’ÍS

Q-26: Who is Bahá’u’lláh? What can you tell me about Bahá’u’lláh? 427
Q-27: What is the Bahá’í Faith? What is “Bahá’í”? 446
Q-28: Is the Bahá’í Faith a “religion”? 461
Q-29: What is “a Bahá’í”? What does it mean to be a “Bahá’í”? 466
Q-30: Why are you a Bahá’í? How did you become a Bahá’í? 480
Q-31: How does a person become a Bahá’í? 483
Q-32: Can a child / youth become a Bahá’í? If I become a Bahá’í, are my children automatically considered Bahá’ís? 488
Q-33: Why should I be a Bahá’í if I live a good life and don’t hurt others? I don’t
want to join an organized religion; is there any problem with just following Bahá’í ideals but not becoming a member of the Bahá’í Faith? 493
Q-34: Can a person be a Bahá’í and a Christian [or whatever] at the same time? 505
Q-35: Can an alcoholic / a drug addict / a prisoner / a mentally ill person / a polygamist / someone living with someone else in an unmarried relationship / a homosexual become a Bahá’í? 511
Q-36: Are Bahá’ís truly free of racial, religious, and national prejudices? 520
Q-37: Why don’t Bahá’ís have clergy? {How has man corrupted religion?} 524
Q-38: Without clergy, how does the Bahá’í Faith function? 530
Q-39: Are Bahá’ís expected to give money to the Faith? {Why don’t Bahá’ís accept contributions from non-Bahá’ís who wish to support your objectives?} 549
Q-40: If I become a Bahá’í must I go to meetings regularly, or are there any “obligatory” activities I should do or participate in? {What types of meetings or activities do Bahá’ís have?} 557
Q-41: What is the “world order” Bahá’ís talk about building? What is the “World Order of Bahá’u’lláh”? {Why is “world order” necessary?} 564
Q-42: Over time, won’t the Bahá’í Faith be corrupted or split by individuals within it, as happened with other religions? Won’t the “winter” or decline that happened to all past religions also one day afflict the Bahá’í Faith? 583
Q-43: How can Bahá’ís say nine ordinary men become an “infallible” Universal House of Justice? {How is infallibility even possible?} 596
Q-44: Why can’t women be members of the Universal House of Justice, especially considering Bahá’u’lláh’s teaching about the equality of women with men? 605
Q-45: When so many people are suffering in the world, why do Bahá’ís spend on constructing expensive things like Bahá’í Temples, or the buildings and terraces in Haifa? 618
Q-46: Since Bahá’ís want to make this a better world, why don’t you get more involved in politics? 626
Q-47: Are there any rituals or ceremonies in the Bahá’í Faith? Why do the Bahá’í obligatory prayers require certain physical actions? 647
Q-48: What is the symbol of the Bahá’í Faith? 654
Q-49: Where do Bahá’ís meet? Do Bahá’ís have churches / mosques / synagogues? What is the purpose of a Bahá’í Temple? 657
Q-50: Why do Bahá’í Temples have nine sides? Why is the number “9”
important for Bahá’ís? 668

BAHÁ’Í PRINCIPLES, LAWS, AND BELIEFS

Q-51: Why is religion so involved in regulating people’s actions? {Of what benefit are religious laws that seek to control human behavior?} 675
Q-52: How can one judge if something is “good” or “bad”? With so many disparate beliefs and moral systems, how can people ever agree on one standard in preference over another? What standard determines “rightness”? 688
Q-53: Can you give me examples of some “new” teachings of Bahá’u’lláh which Bahá’ís say were not revealed in any past religions? 697
Q-54: What do Bahá’ís mean by the “Oneness of Humanity / Mankind”? 713
Q-55: How are the Bahá’í Teachings regarding the oneness of mankind different from other religions? 723
Q-56: Racial prejudices are such a big problem, how can they ever be resolved? {What do Bahá’ís think about inter-racial marriage?} 728
Q-57: What do Bahá’ís mean by “unity in diversity”? 737
Q-58: How can the problem of national prejudice or extreme patriotism ever be resolved? 744
Q-59: What do Bahá’ís mean by “equality” between women and men? How is this teaching “new” compared to other religions? 750
Q-60: I hear Bahá’ís promote universal education, but also say, when a choice must be made, that girls should be educated in preference over boys— why is that, and isn’t such an idea unfair to boys? 760
Q-61: What do Bahá’ís mean by a “universal auxiliary language”? What are the benefits of having an international auxiliary language as taught by Bahá’u’lláh? 777
Q-62: It seems implementing Bahá’u’lláh’s mandate of an international auxiliary language might actually foster the destruction of small indigenous cultures and their languages which are today on the brink of extinction—do Bahá’ís think that is the “Will” of God? Doesn’t promoting use of an international language undermine or contradict Bahá’u’lláh’s principle of “unity in diversity”? 783
Q-63: How can Bahá’ís say science and religion must “agree” when they so obviously don’t? 795
Q-64: Where do Bahá’ís stand on various environmental issues? 810
Q-65: What do Bahá’ís think about the problem of global over-population, especially considering the planet’s dwindling resources? 820
Q-66: How do Bahá’ís think the world’s economic problems can be solved? Can problems stemming from the great disparity between “haves” and “have-nots”—the extremes of wealth and poverty we see between individuals as well as nations—ever be fairly resolved? 827
Q-67: What is the importance or purpose of prayer? Why has Bahá’u’lláh made prayer a daily obligation? 843
Q-68: What do Bahá’ís mean by “meditation”? How do Bahá’ís meditate? {What are some benefits of meditation?} 858
Q-69: What is the Bahá’í fast? Why do Bahá’ís fast? {Is fasting healthy or safe?} 863
Q-70: Why do Bahá’ís think it is wrong for a couple to live together before they are married? Why are Bahá’ís opposed to pre-marital sex? {Why is chastity before marriage important?} 869
Q-71: What are the Bahá’í teachings regarding homosexuality? 888
Q-72: What do Bahá’ís believe to be the purpose(s) of marriage? Do Bahá’ís have any special requirements for marriage? 915
Q-73: Why must Bahá’ís obtain parental consent for marriage? If you’re fifty, what is the point of getting parental consent for marriage? What can a Bahá’í do if a parent refuses to consent to your marrying someone? 926
Q-74: What is the Bahá’í position on birth control / sterilization / abortion? 932
Q-75: Is divorce allowed in the Bahá’í Faith? What is the Bahá’í attitude
towards divorce? 936
Q-76: What is the Bahá’í attitude towards the use of alcohol? {What is the Bahá’í attitude towards the use of mind-altering drugs?} 942
Q-77: Do the Bahá’í Teachings say anything about smoking? 948
Q-78: What do Bahá’ís believe about psychic phenomena? 950
Q-79: Do Bahá’ís believe life exists elsewhere in this universe? 953

THE BAHÁ’Í FAITH AND OTHER RELIGIONS

Q-80: What is the Bahá’í attitude toward other religions? 961
Q-81: Is the Bahá’í Faith a sect or offshoot of Islam? What is the connection between the Bahá’í Faith and Islam? 978
Q-82: What is the difference between the Bahá’í Faith and Christianity [or any other religion]? 984
Q-83: Why do Bahá’ís think world unity cannot be achieved through the teachings of any of the other religions? 992
Q-84: What do Bahá’ís believe about the Trinity? What do Bahá’ís believe regarding Jesus being the “Son of God”? Did Bahá’u’lláh claim to be God, like Jesus? {Do Bahá’ís accept that Jesus is God?} 1000
Q-85: Do Bahá’ís believe in Jesus’ bodily resurrection and ascension? Through His resurrection Jesus proved His power over death; what about Bahá’u’lláh? 1022
Q-86: Do Bahá’ís believe Christ will return? The Bible associates certain signs with Jesus’ return—but these have not yet all happened, so how can
Bahá’ís say Christ has “already returned”? {Why did Bahá’u’lláh claim to be the “return of Christ” when He was obviously not Christ? What do Bahá’ís think of Bible prophecies?} 1045
Q-87: What do Bahá’ís think about the “judgment day” / “end of the world” spoken of in various scriptures? Do Bahá’ís think God will one day destroy the world? 1065
Q-88: Do Bahá’ís believe in the story of Adam and Eve as related in the Bible, and in the biblical account of creation? 1072
Q-89: What do Bahá’ís think about Salvation and the need to accept Jesus as one’s personal Savior? Do Bahá’ís believe Jesus died to atone for our sins? {Do Bahá’ís think they are saved and others are not?} 1082
Q-90: Do Bahá’ís get baptized? What do Bahá’ís think about baptism? {How do Bahá’ís understand Jesus’ call for a person to be “born again”?} 1107
Q-91: Jesus performed many miracles, proving He had the power of God— what about Bahá’u’lláh, did He do any miracles? 1119
Q-92: What do Bahá’ís think about Satan / the Devil, his leading people astray, and his fight against God? {Do Bahá’ís believe “evil spirits” exist?} 1125
Q-93: What do Bahá’ís believe regarding the Christian claim that Jesus is the only “way” to God? 1135
Q-94: Do Bahá’ís consider the Bible authentic / absolutely true? 1141
Q-95: The Bible tells us it is complete in truth, that nothing needs to be or should be added unto it—so why would a Christian need Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings? 1149
Q-96: How can Bahá’u’lláh be considered “like Jesus” / “a Manifestation of
God” when He got married and had children? {Do Bahá’ís think priests or nuns should marry?} 1161
Q-97: How can Bahá’ís say Moses is equal in greatness to Christ when Moses was a murderer? {Why does God place stumbling blocks in the way of recognizing His Manifestations?} 1166
Q-98: Do Bahá’ís believe in Jesus’ virgin birth? Since a virgin birth is contrary to science, isn’t acceptance of Jesus’ virgin birth against the Bahá’í Teaching that religious beliefs must be provable by science? 1181
Q-99: Do Bahá’ís celebrate Christmas? 1187
Q-100: Do Bahá’ís consider the founder of Mormonism [or whatever] a Prophet? {Do Bahá’ís accept Confucius or Lao-tse as Prophets?} 1191
Q-101: I am happy and feel spiritually secure as a Christian [or whatever], is there any reason I should learn more about Bahá’u’lláh? 1194

Baha’i Prayers

https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/prayers/bahai-prayers/1

Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah

https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/hidden-words/1#308215887

Some Answered Questions

‘Abdu’l‑Bahá

Collected and translated from the Persian by Laura Clifford Barney

Newly Revised by a Committee at the Bahá’í World Centre

Foreword

Author’s Preface to the First Edition

Part 1: On the Influence of the Prophets in the Evolution of Humanity

Nature Is Governed by a Universal Law
Proofs and Arguments for the Existence of God
The Need for an Educator
Abraham
Moses
Christ
Muḥammad
The Báb
Bahá’u’lláh
Rational Proofs and Traditional Arguments from the Sacred Scriptures
Commentary on the Eleventh Chapter of the Revelation of John
Commentary on the Eleventh Chapter of Isaiah
Commentary on the Twelfth Chapter of the Revelation of John
Material and Spiritual Cycles
True Felicity

Part 2: Some Christian Subjects

Intelligible Realities and Their Expression through Sensible Forms
The Birth of Christ
The Greatness of Christ
True Baptism
Baptism and the Changing Law of God
The Bread and the Wine
The Miracles of Christ
The Resurrection of Christ
The Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles
The Holy Spirit
The Second Coming of Christ and the Day of Judgement
The Trinity
The Pre-existence of Christ
Sin and Atonement
Adam and Eve
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
“Many Are Called, but Few Are Chosen”
The Return of the Prophets
Peter and the Papacy
Free Will and Predestination

Part 3: On the Powers and Conditions of the Manifestations of God

The Five Kinds of Spirit
The Connection between God and His Manifestations
The Three Stations of the Divine Manifestations
The Human and the Divine Stations of the Manifestations
The Knowledge of the Divine Manifestations
Universal Cycles
The Power and Perfections of the Divine Manifestations
The Two Kinds of Prophets
The Rebukes Addressed by God to the Prophets
The Most Great Infallibility

Part 4: On the Origin, Powers, and Conditions of Man

Evolution and the True Nature of Man
The Origin of the Universe and the Evolution of Man
The Difference between Man and Animal
Evolution and the Existence of Man
Spiritual Proofs of the Originality of Man
The Appearance of the Spirit and the Mind in Man
The Appearance of the Spirit in the Body
The Connection between God and His Creation
The Procession of the Human Spirit from God
Spirit, Soul, and Mind
The Outward and the Inward Powers of Man
The Differences in Human Character
The Extent and Limitation of Human Comprehension
Man’s Comprehension of God
The Immortality of the Spirit (1)
The Immortality of the Spirit (2)
The Infinite Perfections of Existence and the Progress of the Soul in the Next World
The Progress of All Things within Their Own Degree
The Station of Man and His Progress after Death
Faith and Works
The Subsistence of the Rational Soul after the Death of the Body
Eternal Life and Entrance into the Kingdom of God
Two Kinds of Fate
The Influence of the Stars and the Interconnectedness of All Things
Free Will and Its Limits
Spiritual Disclosures
Healing without Medicine
Healing by Material Means

Part 5: Miscellaneous Subjects

On Good and Evil
Two Kinds of Torment
The Justice and Mercy of God
The Punishment of Criminals
Strikes
The Reality of the World of Being
Pre-existence and Origination
Reincarnation
The Unity of Existence
The Four Criteria of Comprehension
Good Deeds and Their Spiritual Prerequisites