Oneness of God
God is unknowable in His Essence.
God is:"dwelling in unapproachable light where no man has ever seen or even can see him" (Timothy 6:16)
This means that no matter how intelligent or wise we are, we cannot understand the nature of God and should not make images of God in our mind, thinking of Him, for example, as a man. In general, that which has been created cannot understand its creator. For instance, a table cannot understand the nature of the carpenter who made it. In the same way, we humans who are created by God cannot understand our creator.
God is the creator of all things.
He has made the heavens and earth, with its mountain and valleys, its deserts and seas, its rivers, its meadows and trees. God has created the animals and God has created the human being. The reason behind our creation, we are told by Baha'u'llah, is love. He says: "O Son of Man! I loved thy creation, hence I created thee. Wherefore, do thous love Me, that I may name thy name and fill thy soul with the spirit of life".- Baha'u'llah -
The Foundation of all Religions is One
The Covenant
Altough God's existence is far bey ond our understanding, His love touches our lives and our beings ceaselessly. The way this love flows to us is through His Eternal Covenant. Covenant means a pact or promise between two or more persons. According to this Eternal Covenant, God never leaves us alone and without guidance. Whenever mankind moves away from God, forgets His Teachings and is in need of His help, He provides us with one of His Manifestations, Who makes His Will and Purpose known to us. "Then it is plain and evident that man needs an educator, and this educator must be unquestionably and indubitably perfect in all respects and distinguished above all men". `Abdu'l-Baha
Manifestation
To understand the concept of "Manifestation", let us use an example. In this world, the sus is the source of all warmth and light, and without the sun there would be no life on earth. Yet the sun itself does not descend to earth, and we cannot go near the sun itself without being burnt and perish. However, if we take a well-polished mirror and point it towards the sun, in it we can see the perfect image of the sun without it having to descend to earth. In this manner, God is the sun and the mirror His Manifestations. Thus while God is beyond our reach, the Manifestations come to us from time to time, live among us, give us guidance, and fill us with the energy we need to progress, materially and spiritually. As Paul explained: "Christ is the image of the invisible God" (Col., 1:15)
Oneness of Mankind
The aim of the Baha'i Faith is to unify mankind. In the Baha'i Teachings we are told that we are the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch. Although we differ from one another physically and emotionally, although we have different talents and capacities, we all spring from the same root; we all belong to the same human family. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness". (Genesis 1:26)
Humanity can be likened to a vast garden in which grow side by side flowers of every form, color and perfume. The charm and beauty of the garden lie in this diversity. Sadly, many wars were fought and conflicts arose among nations and peoples driven by hatred, ignorance, prejudices and selfish interests. "Baha'u'llah has drawn the circle of unity, He has made a design for the uniting of all the peoples, and for the gathering of them all under the shelter of the tent of universal unity" `Abdu'l-Baha
In the Baha'i Community, we strive to bring our thoughts and actions in line with our belief in the oneness of mankind. We should do everything possible to overcome our prejudices. "When the thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love" `Abdu'l-Baha.
