Edinburgh Bahá’í Community
What is the Bahá’í Faith?
Throughout history, God has sent to humanity, according to the needs of the time, a series of Divine Educators. These Divine Educators include Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Jesus, Muhammad, the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh. Their social and spiritual teachings have guided humanity’s efforts to advance civilisation.
Bahá'u'lláh, the most recent of these Divine Educators, teaches that humanity, having passed through the ages of infancy and childhood, now stands at the threshold of its collective maturity. The hallmark of humanity’s collective maturity will be the unification of humanity in a global civilisation that harmonises the material and spiritual dimensions of human existence. Much of the turmoil in the world today can be viewed as humanity passing through the turbulent period of adolescence.
The Writings of Bahá'u'lláh provide a wealth of teachings that assist us in progressing on this path towards maturity, and in building a peaceful and unified world. These teachings address such essential themes as the oneness of humanity, the elimination of prejudice of all kinds, the progressive revelation of religious truth, the integration of worship and service, the equality of the sexes, the importance of education, the centrality of justice to all human endeavours, and the harmony of science and religion.
Some of the core teachings of the Bahá’í Faith:
-
The oneness of humanity
-
The oneness of God and religion
-
The harmony of science and religion
-
The elimination of prejudice
-
The equality of men and women
-
Universal education
-
A universal auxiliary language
-
The promise of world peace
-
The abolition of extremes of wealth and poverty
To learn more about the Bahá’í Faith please visit www.bahai.org
History of the Bahá’í Faith in Edinburgh
In 1913, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the son of Bahá’u’lláh,visited Edinburgh, His presence being advertised in several Scottish newspapers, including the Edinburgh Evening News, Edinburgh Evening Dispatch, and The Scotsman. During His three-day visit, He met with several prominent figures in the city, including Sir Patrick Geddes, and was invited to give talks on spirituality and philosophy at various venues. More
The first Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Edinburgh was established in April 1948, which included among its nine members Dr. William Johnston, one of the first residents of Edinburgh to become a Bahá’í and who had met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during His visit to the city some decades previously.
In 1978, a Bahá’i Centre was established at 26 North Fort Street, in the Leith area of Edinburgh, with the first legally-recognised marriage ceremony in the United Kingdom outside the Christian Faith to take place there, attracting national publicity in both the press and radio.
In 1981 Rúḥíyyih Khánum, the wife of Shoghi Effendi, the great-grandson of Bahá’u’lláh and Guardian of the Bahá’i Faith, visited the centre, also travelling to the Shetland Islands, the Hebrides and Orkney.
On 23rd May 2011, a new Bahá’í Centre at 44 Albany Street was inaugurated, and is used for Bahá’í activities in Edinburgh.
