- This article refers to the Bahá’í principle of oneness. For other uses, see Oneness (disambiguation).
Oneness and unity refer to the quality of being one, of being undivided, and of being a complete and harmonious whole, though composed of many, perhaps dissimilar parts.
The Bahá’í writings state that there is a single, all powerful God, revealing His message through a series of divine messengers or educators, regarding them as one progressively revealed religion, to one single humanity, who all possess a rational soul and only differ according to colour and culture. Shoghi Effendi summarized this reality as "the Unity of God, the Unity of His Prophets, the Unity of Mankind", characterising these as "the three fundamental verities animating and underlying the Bahá’í Faith".[1] These three principles—the oneness (or unity) of humanity, of religion, and of God—are considered central to the Bahá’í Faith,[2] and are often prominently cited together, being known as "the three onenesses".[3]
The principle of oneness is fundamental not only to explaining Bahá’í beliefs, but explaining the attitude Bahá’ís have towards other religions, which they regard as divinely inspired. The acceptance of every race and culture in the world has brought an incredible diversity, becoming the second most widespread Faith in the world,[4] and translating its literature into over 800 languages.[5]
Oneness of God[edit]
The Bahá’í belief in one God means that the universe and all creatures and forces within it have been created by a single supernatural Being. This Being, Whom we call God, has absolute control over His creation (omnipotence) as well as perfect and complete knowledge of it (omniscience). Although we may have different concepts of God's nature, and although we may pray to Him in different languages and call Him by different names--Allah or Yahweh, God or Brahma--nevertheless, we are speaking about the same unique Being.[6]
Oneness of Religion[edit]
When Bahá’ís say that the various religions are one, they do not mean that the various religious creeds and organizations are the same. Rather, they believe that there is only one religion and all of the Messengers of God have progressively revealed its nature. Together, the world's great religions are expressions of a single unfolding Divine plan, "the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future."[6]
Oneness of Humanity[edit]
The oneness of humanity "implies an organic change in the structure of present-day society, a change such as the world has not yet experienced.... It calls for no less than the reconstruction and the demilitarisation of the whole civilized world - a world organically unified in all the essential aspects of its life, its political machinery, its spiritual aspiration, its trade and finance, its script and language, and yet infinite in the diversity of the national characteristics of its federated units."[7]
Unity in diversity[edit]
Unity in diversity describes a sense of oneness despite physical or psychological barriers, emphasizing the fact that a whole entity may be composed of dissimilar parts which nonetheless operate in harmony with each other. Bahá’ís affirm the desirability of the principle of unity in diversity, stating that while recognizing the unity of humankind, cultural diversity should be celebrated.
Notes[edit]
- ↑ The Guardian’s message on the occasion of the dedication of the Mother Temple of the West.
- ↑ Hutter, Manfred (2005). "Bahā'īs". In Ed. Lindsay Jones. Encyclopedia of Religion. 2 (2nd ed. ed.). Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA. pp. p737-740. ISBN 0-02-865733-0.
- ↑ The American Bahá’í (1992). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. Volume 23, Issue 6, pg(s) 3. View as PDF.
- ↑ "The Bahá’í Faith". Britannica Book of the Year. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1988. ISBN 0-85229-486-7.
- ↑ The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States (2006). "Bahá'í scripture". bahai.us. Archived from the original on 2008-01-03. Retrieved 2006-08-03.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Worldwide Bahá’í Community 2023, Revelation
- ↑ National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia. Oneness of humanity.
References[edit]
- Shoghi Effendi, cited in The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1956). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. Wilmette, Ill. Volume 12 (1950-1954), Pg(s) 141. View as PDF.
- Bahá’í International Community (2023). "The Bahá'í Faith". The Official Website of the Worldwide Bahá’í Community. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
