© 2010 French-speaking Association of Readers of the Urantia Book
Bahaism, also known as the Baha’i religion or Baha’i faith, was founded by the Persian Mirza Husayn 'Alî̀ in 1863. This name is derived from the nickname given to its founder: Bahá’u’lláh (in Arabic, “Glory of God” or “splendor of God”). Bahá’is are the disciples of Baha’u’llah. This religion has around a few million members. Its world center is located in Haifa, Israel.
Benchmarks for evolving, in the long term, towards a society worthy of the name. It is the Baha’i approach that traces our path towards a transformed world, based on ethical and spiritual values, the only ones capable of curbing global problems, the effects of which man has accentuated, both in the area of pollution and climate, as well as in the disappearance of resources and biodiversity.
Every age has its own problem, every soul its own aspiration; the remedy that is appropriate for the afflictions of the present day cannot be that which the ills of a later age will demand. Inquire carefully into the needs of the age in which you live, and let all your deliberations be on what that age requires. (Bahá’u’lláh)
Today, it is no longer enough to enact standards, or even to try to strengthen the legislative arsenal; the problems are known and suffered by humanity. The time has come to operate a revolution in behavior, so that man can take his place in nature, find respect for his environment and give meaning to his life.
We cannot separate the human heart from the external environment, and declare that once one element is corrected, everything will improve. Man is part of the world. inner life modifies the environment and is in turn profoundly affected by it. Their action is interdependent and every permanent change in a man’s life results from these mutual reactions. (Shoghi Effendi)
Therefore, it is in our capacity to transform ourselves that we can leave to future generations the hope of envisioning life on our planet with a vision of balance and well-being.
…sustainable environmental development must be seen not as a discretionary responsibility, which humanity can balance against other competing interests, but rather as a fundamental obligation that must be fulfilled—a prerequisite for the spiritual development as well as the physical survival of the individual. (Baha’i International Community)
One of the fundamental principles of Bahá’í ethics is moderation. Bahá’u’lláh said: “Civilization, carried to excess, proves as prolific a source of evil as it is of good when it remains moderate.” He also said: “Draw from this world only as much as you need, and renounce what is superfluous. Be equitable in all your judgments, do not transgress the bounds of justice and be not of those who deviate from its path.”
Another challenge for economic thought: the environmental crisis. It has now been coldly demonstrated that theories based on the belief that nature has an unlimited capacity to respond to all human requirements are fallacious. A culture that attaches absolute value to expansion, acquisition and the satisfaction of needs is confronted with the obvious: such goals are not sufficient, in themselves, to determine a coherent policy. (The Baha’i International Community)
Excerpt from a Baha’i pamphlet