The central teachings of the Bahá’í Faith are the oneness of God, the oneness of religion, and the oneness of mankind. The fundamental principles proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh are that religious truth is not absolute but relative; that Divine Revelation is a continuous and progressive process; that all the great religions of the world are divine in origin; and that their missions represent successive stages in the spiritual evolution of human society. Since Bahá’u’lláh teaches that the purpose of religion is the promotion of concord and unity and that religion is the foremost agency for the achievement of peace and orderly progress in society, the Bahá’í writings provide the outline of institutions necessary for the establishment of peace and world order. These include a world federation or commonwealth, with executive, legislative, and judiciary arms; an international auxiliary language; a world economy; a mechanism for world intercommunication; and a universal system of currency, weights and measures.

The Bahá’í writings also provide specific guidance that helps Bahá’ís (followers of Bahá’u’lláh) fulfill the basic purpose of human life—knowing and worshipping God and “carrying forward an ever-advancing civilization”—while they strive to bring about the unity of mankind, world peace, and world order. For example, the Bahá’í writings call for the fostering of a good character and the development of spiritual qualities such as honesty,