The Bahá'í Community

Dr. Moojan Momen

• Structures
  1. Nineteen Day Feast
  2. The Local and National Spiritual Assemblies
  3. The Universal House of Justice
  4. The Appointed Institutions of the Bahá'í Faith
  5. The Bahá'í World Centre
  6. The Bahá'í Calendar
  7. The House of Worship (Mashriqu'l-Adhkár)
• Principles of Bahá'í Administration
  1. The Covenant
  2. Consultation
  3. Power and Decentralization
  4. The Rights of Minorities
  5. Bahá'í elections

The Bahá'í teachings contain many high principles and ideals. The Bahá'í community is the attempt to put these principles into action. The principles of Bahá'í community life were laid down by Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá, but it was left to the time of Shoghi Effendi before most of its structure was actualized. This structure consists of a number of institutions which administer the Bahá'í community.

These Bahá'í institutions are necessary because the Bahá'í Faith has no clergy and no professional learned class. Bahá'u'lláh asserted that priests and other religious professionals had their role in former times when the majority of people were illiterate and needed guidance. Today, however, humanity has the ability to bring education and literacy to all. Therefore it is possible for all to read the scriptures themselves and come to their own understanding of them. Bahá'u'lláh has therefore abolished the priesthood and the professional religious class. It is still necessary, however, to fill the other function of religious professionals, the organization and administration of the Bahá'í community. The Bahá'í administrative order fulfils this function.