ONE HUMAN FAMILY
We believe God created us to be one human family. Together, we are all citizens and caretakers of one planet.Every person comes into the world as a noble and beautiful creation of God.
Our purpose in life is to draw closer to God by offering selfless service to those with whom we share the planet.
This core belief in oneness calls us to actively root out our prejudices and the systemic inequalities that divide people of different ethnic backgrounds, national origins, genders and social classes.
GOD
We believe there is one God, a loving Creator. God is limitless, all-knowing, all-powerful, all-merciful. All the best human qualities are reflections of God’s divine attributes.
As God’s creation, we may never understand God completely. God communicates through Messengers, also referred to as Divine Educators. We can know God through studying the words and scriptures of these Messengers.
DIVINE MESSENGERS
Divine Messengers
The Baha’i Faith was founded by two Divine Educators, the Bab and Baha’u’llah. Both lived during the 19th century in Persia, in a time of great turmoil.
The Bab, whose name means the Gate, encouraged all to seek spiritual truth with independent hearts, by removing attachment to superstition and reliance on clergy.
Baha’u’llah, whose name means the Glory of God, envisioned a future where all of humanity operates as one family. His teachings help us create more harmonious relationships between women and men, black and white, rich and poor, East and West, friend and stranger.
SCRIPTURE
Baha’u’llah revealed over a hundred volumes of sacred texts, including prayers and meditations, a book of laws, mystical passages and the Book of Certitude, which covers theology.
Baha’u’llah’s Hidden Words are perhaps one of the most accessible scriptural collections, explaining the essence of faith in short and beautiful passages.
DAILY PRACTICES
Each Baha’i takes time every day to pray, read from scripture, meditate, and reflect on how to translate Baha’i teachings into action. There is no clergy or priesthood in the Baha’i Faith. Each person is responsible for his or her own relationship with God and spiritual development.
ORGANIZATION
Grab interest
Each year, the Baha’i community elects local and national councils, known as Spiritual Assemblies. All Baha’is 21 and older are eligible to both vote and be elected. Diverse membership, non-partisan elections, and collective decision-making are basic features of the Baha’i model of leadership. In place of a clergy or priesthood, these local assemblies ensure community members feel cared for and connected to one another.
An international council, known as the Universal House of Justice, is elected once every five years.
COVID-19
Due to COVID-19, though some meetings are being held at the Baton Rouge Baha'i Center, all activities are being held on ZOOM. See Calendar to see which meetings are being held at the Center. Stay Safe.