The Bahá’í Faith is a worldwide religion based on the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh (1817-1892).
Bahá’u’lláh is the most recent in the series of Divine Messengers who founded the world religions as part of the progressive revelation of God’s guidance to humanity.
A central theme of the Bahá’í Faith is that humanity is one family bound together in a common destiny: a global society. Recognition of the oneness of humanity is the key feature of this age, an age in which humankind is approaching its collective maturity.
Basic Teachings
• Independent investigation of truth
• Elimination of prejudice
• Racial and social justice
• The nobility of each human being
• Equality of women and men
• Harmony between science and religion
• Universal education
• Spiritually guided solutions to economic inequality
• Justice and equity as foundations for world peace
The Bahá’í Faith was introduced in America in 1893. There are Bahá’ís across all regions of the United States. There are more than five million Bahá’is spread worldwide and in every country.
The Báb
Two hundred years ago, the Báb appeared, inaugurating a new Dispensation and preparing humanity for the light of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation.
Dawn of the Light portrays several individuals from different continents as they relate their own personal search after truth and meaning. They share their discovery that God has sent two Divine Manifestations—the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh—Whose teachings are revolutionizing human thought and behaviour, changing darkness into light.
There is a story unfolding. It is a story of humanity’s progress through history, propelled by the teachings of Messengers of God Who have guided humanity through its stages of development, and now to the dawn of its maturity.
Two hundred years ago, such a prophetic Figure appeared: Bahá’u’lláh. He brought teachings for this age that represent an end to division and otherness, through which–at long last–the oneness of humankind can be realized.
Discover more through accounts of people from diverse nations whose lives have been transformed by the light that Bahá’u’lláh brought to the world.
One hundred years ago, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the son of Bahá’u’lláh and the perfect example of His teachings, passed from this world.
Exemplar follows the life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the profound effect He had on people both past and present. A sense of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s unique function as a shelter, a shield, a stronghold for all humanity is captured in vignettes of some of the souls whose lives were transformed for the betterment of society through their association with Him. The film reflects a few of the universal principles embodied, both in word and deed, by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—principles that animate a global movement of individuals, communities and institutions striving to emulate His example in service to humanity.
In 1921, at the time of the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, a relatively small Bahá’í community, though grieving, looked to the future with faith and courage, focused on the instructions that had been left by Him, the Centre of Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had provided clear guidance for how the Bahá’í community was to grow, develop and increasingly serve humanity. Since that time, the followers of Bahá’u’lláh have been striving, with unimaginable sacrifice, to implement that guidance, reaching the farthest corners of the globe. This film provides glimpses into a hundred years of endeavour and learning, carried out by a burgeoning Bahá’í community, and outlines the journey that has led to the community’s current efforts to contribute to the emergence of a world based on the principle of the oneness of humanity.