Bahá'í Faith

Bahá’í Temple in Haifa

Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas in America

In 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the son of the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, traveled extensively across the United States.

In 1937, when Sidney A. Cook was president of the Theosophical Society in America,The American Theosophist published this account of an anniversary celebration:

When Abdu'l-Baha Abbas visited America twenty five years ago, The Theosophical Society opened its platform to him. Therefor, in response to an invitation by the Baha'i Movement in Chicago, Prof. R. Brenes-Mesen, at the request of the National President, attended their twenty-fifth anniversary celebration and delivered the following greeting:

"Out of the Morning of Eternity, where infinite wisdom and all-embracing love abide, at intervals, when duty weakens and nations decline, splendorous souls come to this earth again to grace mankind with a new spring of faith, with a new ray of hope. They come forth to enkindle the dormant fires in the souls of men, to point out once more the guiding star rising on the horizon of a new humanity. Such are the Masters of Wisdom and Compassion, manifestations of the Omnipotent Love the Holy Spirit.

"To this saintly lineage belong Bahau'llah, the Splendor of God, and Abdu'l-Baha, the Servant of God. They have brought before the eyes of men, amidst a divided world, the principles of the unity of mankind; and in the midst of so many sects, the salutary doctrine of the common foundation of all forms of religion in the manifestation of the Holy Spirit; and amidst the contentious social and economic conflicts of our epoch they remind us of our obligation to do some fruitful labor in the spirit of service, of the need of voluntary sharing of our wealth with others to foster universal peace and that we may realize the brotherhood of men.

"Knowing and with stint admiring those principles, when Abdu'l-Baha set foot in the United States The Theosophical Society bestowed on him the gracious hospitality of its platform. he was a teacher and a brother, he had our heartfelt welcome.

"The achievements of Baha'ism in this country, so magnificently embodied in this Baha'i House of Worship, are proclaiming the satisfaction that so many souls find in the beauty, the truth, and the transcendence of the teachings flowing from this wellspring of wisdom.

"In behalf of The Theosophical Society in America, and at the request of its national President, I tender to you, with our congratulations, our cordial wishes for your spiritual prosperity, for we are one in our endeavors of spiritualizing the world."

The speaker, Professor Roberto Brenes-Mesen, was Secretary of Public Instruction for Costa Rica, a member of the International Council of the World's Court League, and a well-known lecturer on modern languages.

Additional resources

Websites

• The Bahá’í Faith - the official website of the world Bahá’í community.
• Bahá’ís of the United States.
• BahaiTeachings.org.
• Baháʼí Faith in Wikipedia.

Video

• Behind the Bahá'í faith, one of the fastest growing religions - "CBS This Morning" presentation in its World of Worship series. Dec 18, 2019.
• Baha'i: A look into the world’s newest religion, and why followers find it appealing - ABC News presentation. March 18, 2022.
• What Is Bahai? (World's Newest Major Religion) - a personal account by Drew Binsky.

Audio

• BahaiLibrary.com - over 270 audio presentations and lectures.
• BahaiWorks - library of audio files and transcripts.
• BahaiBookstore.com - free Bahá'í audio books.
• One Common Faith - Bahá'í Blog provides an audio recording of One Common Faith, a text prepared under the supervision of the Universal House of Justice. this document reviews relevant passages from both the writings of Baha’u’llah and the scriptures of other faiths against the background of the contemporary religious crisis.

Books, pamphlets, and articles

• BahaiBookstore.com - free downloadable books.
• 10 Great introductory Books on the Bahai Faith - brief reviews with links to purchase.
• Authoritative Texts - downloadable texts from Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, Abdu’l-Bahá, and more.
• Bahai Faith in Theosophy World.