“We, verily, have made music as a ladder for your souls.”— Bahá’u’lláh Music holds a special place in the Bahá’í teachings. Bahá’u’lláh describes music as a “ladder for your souls”, something that can lift the… More
Can Humanity Live Without Faith?
The religious landscape of England and Wales has been changing for decades. The Census offers a striking picture of this transformation: 59.3% of the population identified as Christian, while 25.1%—around 14.1 million people—described themselves as having “no religion.” Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Jews, Buddhists, and followers of other religions together form part of an increasingly diverse society.
These figures raise an important question: What place does religion have in the modern world? And what happens to a society when people gradually lose their connection with it?
For many, religion may seem outdated or associated with division, conflict, or rigid institutions. Yet the Bahá’í teachings invite us to consider religion from a different perspective—not simply as a collection of beliefs and rituals, but as a powerful force for transforming individuals and society.
From a Bahá’í point of view, religion awakens human capacities, develops moral character, and provides a foundation for collective life. Throughout history, the great religions have transformed human consciousness and contributed to the development of ethics, culture, community, and civilisation.
The Bahá’í Faith teaches that humanity has received divine guidance through a succession of Divine Messengers, including Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Buddha, Christ, Muhammad, the Báb, and Bahá’u’lláh. Their teachings are understood as part of progressive revelation: a continuing process of spiritual education suited to humanity’s changing needs.
Religion, therefore, is not simply a legacy of the past. It can be a force for the future.
The Bahá’í writings suggest that religion has a unique power to unite people around values that transcend individual interests. Scientific and material progress can tell us what we can do, but religion can help us ask what we ought to do.
This does not mean returning to outdated forms of religious authority. Rather, the Bahá’í vision calls for a renewal of religion, one that is compatible with science and reason, promotes equality, rejects prejudice, and inspires service to humanity.
Perhaps the growing number of people who identify as having “no religion” should lead us to ask not only why people are leaving religion, but also:
What kind of religion does humanity need today?
The Bahá’í answer is a religion that unites rather than divides, and that helps humanity discover its shared spiritual purpose.
National Youth Conference 2026
More than 400 young people from across the UK and Ireland came together this July for a national youth conference to reflect on how they can contribute to building a more just, united and hopeful society.
The gathering created a space for young people from diverse backgrounds to explore questions of purpose, friendship, education, service and community life. Rather than seeing young people simply through the challenges they face today, the conference focused on their capacity to become agents of positive change and to contribute meaningfully to the life of their communities.
Through consultation, learning, creative activities and conversations about service, participants explored how lasting social change can begin with small but meaningful actions at the local level. The conference offered a powerful message of hope: young people are not merely inheriting the future, they have an important role in shaping it and writing a new story for their communities and society.
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