Bahaikipedia:Today's featured article/September

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September 1

An Auxiliary language in the Bahá'í Faith focuses on a particular teaching; that the world should adopt an international auxiliary language. The aim of this teaching is that the adoption of an international auxiliary language will improve communication and foster unity among peoples and nations. The Bahá'í writings state that the lack of communication between peoples of different languages undermines efforts towards world peace due to misunderstandings of language, and that adopting an international auxiliary language would help reduce the number of misunderstandings, and would facilitate the transition to a global society. (more...)
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September 2

The Bahá'í Faith emphasizes the unity of humanity transcending all divisions of race, nation, gender, caste, and social class, while celebrating its diversity. Bahá'u'lláh wrote: "The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens." 'Abdu'l-Bahá adds that the "unification of mankind" has now become "the paramount issue and question in the religious and political conditions of the world." The Bahá'í writings affirm the biological, political, and spiritual unity of humankind, while noting that they are not necessarily expected to arise simultaneously. (more...)
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September 3

A fundamental principle of the Bahá'í Faith is the harmony of religion and science. The Bahá'í Faith teaches that properly appreciated, science and religion will never conflict, as each are complementary ways of explaining truth, which on any issue must necessarily be singular. The teachings state that whenever conflict arises between religion and science it is due to human error; either through misinterpretation of religious scriptures or the lack of a more complete understanding of science. 'Abdu'l-Bahá explained that religious teachings which are at variance with science should not be accepted; he explained that religion has to be reasonable since God endowed humankind with reason so that they can discover truth. (more...)
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September 4

The Bahá'í teachings state that there is but one religion which is progressively revealed by God, through prophets/messengers to mankind. As humanity matures and its capacity to understand also grows, and the Bahá'í writings state all Manifestations come from the same God and expound His teachings, Therefore they can be seen in the same light, but at the same times they are separate individuals known by a different name, who fulfills a definite mission, and is entrusted with a particular revelation. (more...)
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September 5

September 6

Baha'i sacred history has been divided into a number of Ages and Cycles by 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi. 'Abdu'l-Bahá describes vast "Universal Cycles," stretching over hundreds of thousands (perhaps millions) of years, at the end of which "great events" take place as a result of which all traces of the previous cycle are obliterated and a new cycle begins. Within each Universal Cycle, many Manifestations of God appear, each linked to a cycle. Thus each of the religions founded by one of these Manifestations goes through a period of growth, reaches its zenith or maturity, and then declines. When the decline is complete and the religion is no longer capable of guiding humanity spiritually, another Manifestation comes (more...)
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September 7

September 8

September 9

A cluster is a small geographic location in to which Bahá'ís are separated. There are close to 17,000 clusters worldwide and exist in all countries where the faith is permitted to operate. Clusters most closely resemble counties that exist in many countries in the world.

In 2001 the Universal House of Justice instructed the Continental Board of Counsellors to assist the National Spiritual Assemblies around the world in dividing the localities they govern in to smaller, manageable regions. The criteria laid out by the Universal House of Justice were based on "culture, language, patterns of transport, infrastructure, and the social and economic life of the inhabitants." (more...)
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September 10

Progressive revelation is a core teaching in the Bahá'í Faith that suggests that religious truth is revealed by God progressively and cyclically over time through a series of divine Messengers, and that the teachings are tailored to suit the needs of the time and place of their appearance. Thus, the Bahá'í teachings recognize the divine origin of several world religions, asserting that God is one and His religion is one, while believing that the revelation of Bahá'u'lláh is the most recent (though not the last), and therefore the most relevant to modern society. (more...)
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September 11

Bahá'í marriage is union of a man and a woman. Its purpose is mainly spiritual and is to foster harmony, fellowship and unity between the two partners. The Bahá'í teachings on marriage call it a fortress for well-being and salvation and as an eternal bond that survives past the lives of the partners in the physical life, and into the spiritual worlds and place marriage and the family as the foundation of the structure of human society. (more...)
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September 12

One of the main teachings of the Bahá'í Faith is gender equality; that men and women are equal. The equality of the sexes is seen by Bahá'ís as a spiritual and moral standard that is essential for the unification of the planet and the unfoldment of world order, and in the importance of implementing the principle in individual, family, and community life. Although men and women are equal in the Bahá'í Faith, this equality does not imply sameness. Men and women are seen as having different strengths and abilities that enable them to better fill different roles. (more...)
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September 13

September 14

September 15

A fundamental principle of the Bahá'í Faith is the harmony of religion and science. The Bahá'í Faith teaches that properly appreciated, science and religion will never conflict, as each are complementary ways of explaining truth, which on any issue must necessarily be singular. The teachings state that whenever conflict arises between religion and science it is due to human error; either through misinterpretation of religious scriptures or the lack of a more complete understanding of science. 'Abdu'l-Bahá explained that religious teachings which are at variance with science should not be accepted; he explained that religion has to be reasonable since God endowed humankind with reason so that they can discover truth. (more...)
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September 16

Unity in diversity is a socio-ecological philosophy that describes a sense of oneness despite physical or psychological barriers. Bahá'ís affirm the desirability of the principle of unity in diversity, stating that while recognizing the unity of humankind, cultural diversity should be celebrated. Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, states that the purpose of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings is not to stifle national autonomy or to suppress diversity, but to create a wider loyalty to that of humankind. (more...)
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September 17

September 18

September 19

September 20

September 21

September 22

The Covenant is the spiritual contract binding God and humanity. The Bahá'í Faith recognizes two covenants: first, the greater covenant, between God, represented by the Manifestation of God, on the one hand, and humanity on the other, in which God promises to continue to send guidance to humankind, while humanity, on its part, promises to obey and follow these teachings when they come. Part of this greater covenant is the obligation which each Manifestation of God places upon his followers to accept the next Manifestation. Second, the lesser covenant, which obliges individual Bahá'ís to accept the leadership of Bahá'u'lláh's appointed successors and the administrative institutions of the Faith. {more...}
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September 23

The theme of education in the Bahá'í Faith is given emphasis. The Bahá'í teachings focus on promoting a moral and spiritual education, in addition to the arts, trades, sciences and professions. The emphasis on education is a means for social and national improvement. Since all Bahá'ís have the duty to do work that is useful to humanity, Bahá'í education is meant to prepare Bahá'ís to perform such work. Bahá'u'lláh wrote: "Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom."
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