According to the Bahá’í Teachings, religion is a spiritual school in which mankind receives divine teachings and progresses in body and soul.
Bahá’u’lláh further explains: “O ye children of men! The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men…Whatsoever is raised on this foundation, the changes and chances of the world can never impair its strength, nor will the revolution of countless centuries undermine its structure.” – Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh
Baha’is believe that throughout the ages, God has sent a succession of Divine Messengers, known as Manifestations of God, to educate and guide humanity, awakening in whole populations capacities to contribute to the advancement of civilisation to an extent never before possible.
According to the Bahá’í teachings, God has only one religion that comes to us from time to time, and all the religions of the past are divine in origin. Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, explains this view in the following words: “The fundamental principle enunciated by Bahá’u’lláh…is that religious truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is a continuous and progressive process, that all the great religions of the world are divine in origin, that their basic principles are in complete harmony, that their aims and purposes are one and the same, that their teachings are but facets of one truth, that their functions are complementary, that they differ only in the nonessential aspects of their doctrines, and that their missions represent successive stages in the spiritual evolution of human society…” – The Promised Day Is Come
Baha’is believe that all the Prophets of the past are divine Gardeners helping the growth of both the spiritual and the material perfections of mankind, and protecting the happiness and the civilisation of society.
According to the Bahá’ís, the knowledge of the Manifestations of God creates the love of God in our hearts. The love of God is the source of our everlasting happiness.
The harmony of science and religion is one of the fundamental principles of the Bahá’í Faith, which teaches that religion, without science, soon degenerates into superstition and fanaticism, while science without religion becomes merely the instrument of crude materialism.
Bahá’í Teachings describe that we are now living in a new cycle of human power. This means that we are now living in a new age and we have greater powers and capacities than mankind has ever had before.
Bahá’u’lláh teaches us that all of the previous Manifestations of God, have given the glad-tidings that, in the fullness of time, the Promised One will come, Who will establish peace and unity in the word.
According to the Bahá’í Teachings, all the prophecies of former dispensations have been fulfilled by coming of The Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, and the chain of prophet-hood has now been linked through them.
Another important point highlighted in the Bahá’í writings is that religion must be the source of unity and fellowship in the world – but if it produces enmity, hatred and bigotry, the absence of religion would be preferable.
“If religion becomes a cause of dislike, hatred and division, it were better to be without it, and to withdraw from such a religion would be a truly religious act . . . Religion should unite all hearts and cause wars and disputes to vanish from the face of the earth . . . Any religion which is not a cause of love and unity is no religion”. – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá , Paris Talks
The Hills Shire Baha’i Community acknowledges the traditional custodians of The Hills Shire Land,the darug nation ,whose culture and customs have nurtured and continue to nurture, this land ,since the Dream-time,We pay our respects to the Elders past,present and future.