Thames Valley Bahá’í Community

Can there be a faith that sees all religions as part of one shared truth? The Bahá’í Faith offers exactly that perspective.

The Bahá’í Faith began in 19th-century Persia with Bahá’u’lláh, whom followers believe is a messenger from God in a long line that includes Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad. Instead of viewing these religions as separate or competing, Bahá’ís believe they are connected stages in one unfolding spiritual story.

A key teaching is the “oneness of religion.” This idea suggests that all major faiths come from the same divine source and were revealed to guide humanity at different times. Each religion, in this view, carries teachings suited to its era, all pointing toward love, justice, and unity.

Another central principle is the “oneness of humanity.” The Bahá’í Faith emphasizes that all people are equal, regardless of race, nationality, or background. It calls for the removal of prejudice and encourages the idea that the world is one human family.

The Bahá’í community is also unique because it has no clergy. Instead, leadership is based on elected councils, reflecting the importance of consultation and shared decision-making.

The faith also teaches that science and religion should work together, not against each other. Science helps explain the physical world, while religion provides moral and spiritual direction.

In essence, the Bahá’í Faith does not aim to replace other religions but to highlight their unity. It offers a vision of a world where different beliefs are not in conflict, but part of a larger shared journey toward peace and understanding.

“Among the hills, when you sit in the cool shade of the white poplars, sharing the peace and serenity of distant fields and meadows — then let your heart say in silence, “God rests in reason.”
And when the storm comes, and the mighty wind shakes the forest, and thunder and lightning proclaim the majesty of the sky — then let your heart say in awe, “God moves in passion.”
And since you are a breath in God’s sphere, and a leaf in God’s forest, you too should rest in reason and move in passion.”

Khalil Gibran

In the early twentieth century, New York City was a meeting point of artists, writers, reformers, and spiritual seekers, all responding to rapid social change. During Abdu’l-Baha’s 1912 visit to the United States, He spoke in churches, universities, temples, and at a peace conference, offering a vision of unity, justice, and spiritual renewal.

let your heart say in silence, “God rests in reason”, and in awe, “God moves in passion.”

Among those drawn to his message were Juliet Thompson and Khalil Gibran, both living in New York’s creative circles. Thompson, a painter and devoted Baha’i, hosted gatherings in her home where artists and thinkers discussed art, faith, and politics. She moved among spiritual and artistic communities that were searching beyond traditional religious structures for broader meaning.

Gibran, a Lebanese-born writer and artist, was also part of this intellectual climate shaped by spiritual exploration and social reform movements. He was deeply interested in questions of unity between religions and the nature of the divine. Through Thompson, he was introduced to Baha’i writings, including Baha’u’llah’s Hidden Words, which he called “stupendous literature.”

In His smile “there was the mystery of Syria and Arabia and Persia.”

Gibran later met Abdu’l-Baha and was profoundly affected by him, saying: “For the first time I saw form noble enough to be a receptacle for the Holy Spirit.” While painting a portrait of the Master, he heard Abdu’l-Baha say, “Those who work with the Spirit work well…”, and later wrote that in His smile “there was the mystery of Syria and Arabia and Persia.”

Sources:

Thompson, Juliet. The Diary of Juliet Thompson.

Ahdieh, Hussein. Abdu’l-Baha in New York.

Mahmud-i-Zarqani. Madmud’s Diary.