The religion of the Baha'is is brief. The Bahá'í religion in Voronezh

The Bahá'í religion is a new and young phenomenon in comparison with the largest and most widespread world religions on Earth, which have gone through a long way of becoming and developing. Bahaism originated in the 19th century and is not tied to the belief of some people. Followers consider their faith to be a separate, independent religion, and not a sect or branch. The total number of believers is relatively small and amounts to only a few million.

There is a Bahá'í religion in Russia, moreover, it appeared here before the events of the revolution. It is believed that its roots go to Persia, from where it spread to India and the Russian Empire. The Bahá'í religion was originally considered a Muslim by the Islamic sect, because its emergence and postulates were seriously influenced by the Shiite branch of Islam. Today, even in the Muslim world, a new religion was recognized as an independent religion.

Bahá'í religion: where it all began

The 19th century was a time when adherents of Christianity and Islam believed in the coming of the new prophet, and the latter were busy searching for a new Messiah. One of the seekers, Mulla Hussein, in 1844 accidentally met in Shiraz an unusual young man who believed that he was a new prophet. His name was Sayyid Al Muhammad, 25, he was short, handsome and devout. All his time he spent in thinking about the Koran and God. He composed poems and claimed that they are the divine revelation of Allah, bestowed upon him. He called himself a "Babi," that is, "indicating the gate to God."

In the same year the Prophet went even further. Holding the ring of the Kaaba's door, he declared himself to be the Messiah before the crowd. Saying this in such a sacred place was a real sacrilege. Despite the fact that the young man had followers, he was considered a troublemaker, who undermined the foundations of Islam, and was sentenced to imprisonment. Soon Sayyid was transferred to the fortress of Maku.

According to the authorities, the Kurdish community living here should have taken the boy's words with hostility. In fact, it turned out not at all, the Kurds were deeply imbued with his ideas. Transfer to a more remote area did not help - the sermons of Baba so captivated the minds of people that even the Kurdish commandant could not resist them. In order to stop the spread of teaching, the prophet was brought to justice. The verdict provided for corporal punishment. The reaction to these events was immediate. Babis organized an uprising, announcing the beginning of the era of the decline of Islam. The problem had to be solved, and the authorities sentenced Bab to execution. But this was only the beginning. The Bahá'í religion, the source of which is the works of the Bab, evolved into an independent stream through another person.

Bahá'u'lláh

It was he who continued the work of the Bab. He was from a wealthy, noble family, but after he believed in a new teaching, he gave up all his fortune. Engaging in the spread of Sayyid's ideas, he was sent to prison, where he received a revelation from God. After this, Baha'u'llah proclaimed himself a man, of whom the Bab spoke about coming. Subsequently, thanks to him arose the religion of the Bahá'ís. But before these events was still far away. Like his predecessor, he was exiled to a terrain with a very bad climate, and then to prison, where the most dangerous criminals were imprisoned. But Bahá'u'lláh survived.

Moreover, he managed to write the "Most Holy Book", which became the basis of the Baha'i faith. His sermons were heard here, and even the head of the local clergy fell under their influence. Pilgrims began to flock to the place of exile. Later, Baha'u'llah began to live in a private mansion, whose name in translation meant "joy." He died right there, picking up a fever.

Basics of Baha'i

Bahá'ís (religion) can be briefly represented by several simple postulates. Which are its essence. First, an axiom assumes that

There is only one God who created everything around. Secondly, it is believed that God did not distinguish ethnic groups and peoples by creating them. That is, all people are equal and have the same rights regardless of race, nationality and color. Thirdly, all religions are one whole. Baha'i followers are sure that the source of all religions is one, and this is God. The difference is due to the fact that religions developed under different conditions in different epochs. This is what caused the change and transformation of the original single idea.

Baha'is (religion) briefly says that people are equal regardless, not only from the ethnos, but also from the sex. That is, the equality of men and women is recognized as a matter of course. The fundamental difference between Bahaism and other religions is the existence of a concrete program, steps that must be taken to achieve a new world order. For example, one of these steps is the destruction of lack of education as a phenomenon. On a global scale, this is difficult to do, but within the community it is prescribed to give all children to schools. If the family does not have enough money for this, and the community for some reason can not provide financial support and allocate money for the education of all children, then the choice should be made in favor of the girls. This approach is considered the most rational, since the girl in the future will become a mother, namely the mother - the first mentor for the child.

That is, so care about the next generations is manifested. In addition, it is compensation for the oppression that women have experienced in the past.

Features of life

The world religion of the Baha'is has its own calendar. The year in it is divided into 19 months for 19 days in each of them. The symbol of faith is the nine-pointed star. In the place where the community lives, there is an organ called the House of Justice. Three people are elected from the community every year to conduct business and manage the lives of followers of the cult. Baha'is have a negative attitude towards alcohol and addictions. An important place in their value system is occupied by the institution of the family, and marriage as a union of a man and a woman is sacredly venerated.

Bahá'í Religion: Faith, Cult and Organization

Unlike other religions, the cult part in the Bahá'ís is minimal. Any action done with thoughts of serving God can be considered a divine service. It is mandatory to read only three prayers. At the general meetings that take place on the last day of the month, religious adherents read the texts of the Baha'i Scriptures, as well as the texts of other world religions. Fasting during the year is only one and is observed from March 2 to March 20 inclusive. Children, elderly people, pregnant and lactating women, as well as travelers are freed from it. To adhere to religion, a person who has reached the age of 15 must report his desire in a spiritual meeting. The process of leaving the community is the same.

Houses of worship

The so-called temples of Baha'i followers. They have one central dome as a symbol of the One God and nine arched entrances. They are a symbol of the unity and diversity of human thought in the world.

The houses of worship include not only a place for prayers and gatherings, but also various auxiliary institutes. They are of an educational, educational and administrative nature.

Clergy

The Bahá'í religion does not recognize the institution of the clergy as such. All decisions are made at annual spiritual meetings, and decisions are made by secret voting of all adult members of a particular community. Clergy as an institution of Bahaism is not needed, because for them any action accomplished with love for God and in the context of serving Him is already a cult practice that does not require intermediaries.

Leo Tolstoy on the Bahá'í religion

At the time of the writer, the Bahá'í religion in Russia was already known. Tolstoy and the Bahá'ís, if I may say so, knew each other very well. The writer, captured by a new idea, is in correspondence with followers of religion around the world. Bahaism spread very quickly, picked up by the intelligentsia of different countries. Tolstoy spoke positively about Babism and believed that he had a great future in the Muslim world as a moral teaching about life.

Gabriel Sasi wrote three letters. He expounded the postulates of the new religion, its significance and the plight of followers. In response, Tolstoy spoke in defense of the Baha'is in a letter that was to be published in the countries of the Arab world.

The Bahá'ís of Russia

The Bahá'í religion in Moscow also has followers, despite the fact that representatives of the Orthodox clergy consider religion a Muslim sect. Their number is not as numerous as in the Arab countries. Despite this, the community conducts educational activities and follows the tenets of faith. The religion of the Bahá'ís in Voronezh is only beginning to develop thanks to the activities of the followers of religion. They conduct classes in the spiritual education of the Bahá'ís not only in their own city, but also in Moscow. Most communities are not registered. Approximate number of followers in the main cities of Russia does not reach 100 people. The religion of the Bahá'ís in Voronezh is preached by Maria Skrebtsova and Alesia Lopatina.