One Common Faith

Bahá’í International CommunityProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 99K words
Chapters: 10

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.One Common Faith by Bahá'í International CommunityAuthor: Bahá'í International Community,Language: English, Class: BP: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Islam, Bahaism, Theosophy, Other and new beliefs, Release Date: Sep 17, 2006

Editor's review

This is a short public letter issued by the Bahá'í International Community, but its focus is concentrated: in a modern world of religious diversity and divergent values, can one speak of a common faith, and how does such a common faith connect to the oneness of humanity? Its value lies not in offering a doctrinal manual but in bringing the common anxiety of whether faith must inevitably divide humanity into the open, and in offering a Bahá'í response centered on the oneness of humanity. The prose carries the solemnity of a public document from a religious community; its arguments proceed from principles and vision rather than cumbersome academic annotation, so it reads more like an appeal addressed to the world. Its strength is that it shifts the question of faith from a dispute over who is right to the practical concern of how humans can live together, making it suitable as a clearly positioned document for interfaith dialogue, global ethics discussions, or introductory Bahá'í studies. One caveat: it is a text with an explicit faith stance, not a neutral survey of comparative religion.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginning readers interested in the Bahá'í Faith and global ethics
Practitioners involved in interfaith dialogue or multicultural education
Readers who want to understand how a religious community responds to the divisions of modernity

Not a good fit for

Academic researchers expecting a systematic comparison of religious doctrines
Readers seeking strictly neutral writing without a faith stance
Readers who want only lengthy theological argument or commentary

Reading tips

Read the whole text first to grasp the line of argument linking the oneness of humanity and common faith
Note passages you disagree with as you read, then revisit whether their premises hold
Read alongside a general introduction to the Bahá'í Faith to reduce background gaps

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book an introductory primer on Bahá'í doctrine?

Not exactly. It is more a public-facing statement of position, appealing around common faith and the oneness of humanity, rather than a systematic introduction to Bahá'í teachings, laws, or history. For a systematic introduction, pair it with an introductory text.

Can readers without a religious background understand it?

Yes. The text argues mainly from principles and vision, with a low threshold of terminology, and ordinary readers can grasp its basic claims. But because it carries an explicit faith stance, readers should keep a comparative and critical awareness rather than treating it as a neutral survey.

How should the length and reading pace be arranged?

The text is short, suitable for reading through once and then returning to sort out the arguments. On the first pass seek an overall impression; on the second, question paragraph by paragraph the basis and boundaries of common faith, and note what you accept and what you reserve, forming your own judgment.

Comments

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About the author

Bahá’í International Community Author

The Bahá’í International Community is an institution that represents the global Bahá’í community in international affairs. It was registered under this name with the United Nations in 1948 as an international non-governmental organization and has offices in New York, Geneva and elsewhere. Its writing and publishing focus on the exposition of the Bahá’í Faith and its response to contemporary social issues, issuing statements on peace, human rights, women and sustainable development. Four of its works are held in this collection: One Common Faith, Century of Light, Statement on Bahá’u’lláh and The Prosperity of Humankind. These works combine religious reflection with commentary on public issues and address the international community and general readers, serving interfaith understanding and discussions of global governance. Public information on the institution’s detailed history and composition is limited, so no speculation is offered here.