BAHAISM, a religious movement started by Mirza All Mahomet (1819-50) in Persia about the middle of the 19th century. He preached that the Mohammedan religion had become corrupt and needed reformation, that the clergy were ignorant and vicious, that the Koran was not the final revelation, but that a new prophet was to come in the near future who should preach a new gospel to a new gen eration, which should conform to the needs of modern scientific knowledge and social ten dencies and should, therefore, be greater than any previous revelation made to any people at any time. He also proclaimed the spiritual equality of women with men. As his gospel appealed powerfully to the down-trodden masses, his success was immediate and so great that the Mohammedan priesthood became alarmed; and they used their influence with the government to have the daring preacher arrested on the charge of hostility to state and religion. Ali Mahomet, who had taken the religious name of °Bab° (the door or gate), foretold his own death at the hands of the authorities, but, at the same time, he comforted his followers with the assurance that another and greater than he would soon appear to carry on his work. After a mock trial, in which the mullahs of the Mohammedan Church did the prosecution, he was condemned and shot on the public square at Tabriz, July 1850. The immortality of the soul and the omnipotent love of God extended to every creature upon earth constitute the foundation of Bahai theology; but it reaches out and attempts to reform institutions of all kinds, including those of the state. It teaches that loyalty is due to institutions, causes and religious creeds only so long as they represent the cause of humanity and the progress and evolution of the race. While Bahaism pro claims no loyalty to any selfish or outworn creeds and organizations, its prophet issued a stern warning against mistaking the obstructive and destructive for the constructive. He held out the hand of friendship to all creeds, all religions,. all societies and all governments, proclaiming, at the same time, the necessity of a get-together movement for the regeneration of the race and of its institutions and beliefs. He foretold the coming of a new special order in which the development of spiritualized man was to be the primary purpose and all its ten dencies essentially creative. The Bahar Church possesses no ecclesiastical organization; it works socially and practically, through a popu larly elected °house of justice,° for the spirit ual, social and moral betterment of humanity, irrespective of creed, race or social standing But this °house of justice° has no inherent authority, since it is purely an advisory body in matters of doubt or urgency. Bahaism is, in no sense, destructive. It countenances all existing creeds, churches, societies, institutions and governments; but urges their reformation. It would work through them, patiently en deavoring to apply the golden rule for their betterment and final perfection. To this end each Bahai temple should have attached to it a college, a hospital, hospice and other social features which should be run as model institu tions. It insists upon the sanctity of the indi vidual and the spiritual and social equality of all. In this sense, it proclaims all men (and women) born free and equal, with the personal right and duty to disallow any vicarious spiritual agency. Each individual constitutes a divine creation not impeached, denied or hum bled by special privileges of any other human being. Self-expression is the supreme privilege and obligation of life; and this is afforded by life itself in the means for beautiful expression, noble conduct and great and inspiring art. The inability to recognize this is a sign of spiritual insufficency; for Bahaism proclaims spiritual development as the supreme purpose and obli gation of life. The state, as well as the indi
vidual, should experience spiritual growth, for without spiritual activity even social effort is sterile and self-destructive. Legislation not de rived from religious vision, laws not founded upon unselfish wisdom, obstruct our social evo lution; this is why social evolution moves so slowly. According to Bahaism there is no essential virtue in poverty nor essential evil in great wealth. Wealth used for the spiritual development of the possessor and the better ment of humanity is an exceedingly good thing, as are also the arts, sciences and forces of legitimate, healthful pleasure which feed the growth of the spiritual soul; for the one great thing in life is to submit all one's activities, talents and possessions to the spiritual agency, thus transferring the centre of consciousness from self to an outside point and thus chang ing egotism into service and creating the utmost sympathy for others, sundering every tie inher ently selfish, destructive or useless. The be lievers in Bahaism are enjoined not to with draw from present religious organizations but to stay in their midst, reinterpreting their functions in the light of social evolution and endeavoring to vitalize their activity and re move their prejudice and ignorance which are walling them off from social unity. As citizens they are bound to obey the laws of the land while endeavoring to improve them. They should labor to unite minor organizations to make them efficient so that their influence may eventually become world-wide. Therefore duty imposes upon the believer in Bahaism the study of social problems, advanced ideas in science, economics and government, and the creation in his own mind of a living social ideal, a divine civilization. Social ethics should pos sess the same foundations as personal morality and spirituality, for Bahaism malces the same appeal to the institution that Christ made to the individual, to put aside self in the interest of love of one's neighbor. Therefore churches should lay aside sectarianism and denomina tionalism.
Bahaism appealing through its gospel of equality, fraternity and service, to the masses of down-trodden Asia, has spread with wonder ful rapidity over Persia, India, Turkey and southern Russia. Most of its converts have been made among Mohammedans. In Persia alone there are said to be nearly 2,000,000 of the Bahai faith, which numbers several mil lions more in the other countries mentioned together with the Mohammedan states of northern Africa. Today Bahaism has its converts, its societies and its missionaries in almost every civilized country on the globe, including the United States, which has some two score centres of propaganda, proclaiming the doctrine that men should draw together for social and spiritual good and that there is little hope for the race so long as its members con tinue to live apart from one another, separated through fear, jealousy, shame or social inequal ity; for every personality overlaps every other personality, thus teaching that the one great, all-compelling aim and object of life is unity.
Bibhography.— Brown, E. G., 'A Tray eller'g Narrative' (Cambridge 1891), 'The Per sian Revolution of 1905-09) (Cambridge 1910) ; Dreyfus, Hipolyte, 'The Universal Religion) (London 1909) ; Bartley, L. C., 'Some Answered Questions) (London 1908) ; Mirza Abdul Fazl, (The Bahai Proofs' (New York 1902) ; Remey, C. M., 'The Bahai Movement) and (Observa tions of a Bahai Traveller) (Washington, D. C, 1914); (Bahaism the Modern Social Re ligion' (New York 1913). See MIRZA HUSSIN ALI ; RISO ABDUL BAHA.