Baha'i: the Faith that Embraces the World
Have you ever heard of the Baha'i Gardens? That's what many of us think of when we hear "Baha'i." It's a fascinating, loving religion!
Baha'i is a very young, broad faith. The ideal is to embrace the world; that's the core of the teachings. The Baha'i faith historically came from Persia in the 19th century. The founders were born there and included Persian and Arabic references in the earliest teachings. Persia, or modern-day Iran, still has many people of the Baha'i faith. There are currently 230,000-300,00 of them there.
While you'd think that would mean most of the Baha'i people are in Iran since it was founded there, there's actually the most in India, The U.S., and Kenya, totaling nearly 5 million people. The goal of this religion is really to unite everyone, and the teachings are very positive and unifying. Like many major world religions, there is one G-d. But there's a focus on bringing together all religions and people, fighting prejudice and separation. The point is to be one.
Oh, and the Baha'i Gardens themselves? They surround the "Shrine of the Bab" where the founder of faith just BEFORE Baha'i is buried. For them, it's the second holiest site in the world. If you haven't been there, we recommend checking out the lush, intricate gardens in Haifa, Israel.
