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The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Baha'i Faith.
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14 MINS

What is the Baha’i Faith? An Introduction by Rainn Wilson

PRESENTED BY Rainn Wilson | Mar 28, 2020
14 MINS

In the Baha’i Faith, an introductory discussion about the Faith, its teachings, concepts, truths and mysteries, is called a “fireside.” 

I’ve attended hundreds of Baha’i firesides in my day. I’ve personally spoken at or presented dozens and dozens as well – in people’s homes, at churches, in community halls, as well as in larger venues. In truth, a fireside does not need to be any kind of formal conversation. It can be two friends or acquaintances having a chat about spiritual topics in a park, coffee shop or bus stop, as long as it includes the important parts of a Baha’i fireside: love, heart-felt connection and some sharing of concepts about the divine reality. The Baha’i writings say:

May you become thirsty for the water of reality. May you become hungry for the bread of the kingdom; for as His Holiness the Christ said, "He that drinketh the water that I shall give him shall never thirst." This means the apprehension of the ideals of the human world and of the heavenly realm. Day by day may you receive these concepts; day by day may you inherit this new state of consciousness till you become immersed in the sea of divine light.

Over the years, after creating the digital media company SoulPancake and after speaking across the country to young people at universities about all manner of topics, including the Baha’i Faith, I started to think about what an online Baha’i fireside might look like. 

How, I wondered, can one have an intimate conversation about the spiritual concepts and framework of the Baha’i Faith with viewers or friends on the internet? After all, isn’t that where most of the conversations, hang-outs, and sharing of information now happens?  At the same time I started thinking about what might be the best way for me to present the key beliefs of my Faith, a Faith that many Americans know little to nothing about. How do I formulate a heart-felt summary of an extraordinarily complex world religion, that has in its library hundreds of books, tablets and prayers, sophisticated social teachings and a rich, complicated history that could (and does) fill volumes?

RELATED: What do Baha’is Believe?

As I became better and better known as an actor (particularly as that eccentric beet farmer/paper salesman) I started zeroing in on a key idea in the talks I gave. I realized that if I didn’t provide context about the beliefs of a follower of the Baha’i Faith, that listeners would often become quite lost and confused. That’s when I stumbled upon the idea of setting up, for the purposes of comparison, the over-arching beliefs of some other systems that the attendee might be more familiar with – such as atheism and Christianity, perhaps the two most popular world views that exist in the United States today.

By comparing the Baha’i “cosmology” or grand, sweeping belief system, to the cosmologies of these other ways of seeing the world, I found that folks at some of these fireside gatherings were much more able to digest and process the information. In other words, I saw light bulbs go on. That led me to distill the conversation and write it up as something to share online.

RELATED: Why the World Needs Meaningful Conversation

This realization formed the genesis of a short 14-minute animated presentation about the Baha’i Faith – a fun, low-key, intimate talk that people can share and discuss. Ok, so maybe it’s not really a conversation, or even really a fireside, (I mean it is a bit one-sided, what with me yappin’ the whole time) but hopefully it’s a conversation and even a fireside starter

I hope you enjoy this little labor of love, coming out during the sacred bicentenary celebration of the birth of one of the founders of the Baha’i movement, The Bab. Pass it around! Thanks for watching! Special thanks to my collaborators, BahaiTeachings.org, Baha’i Blog and Swiss VBS!

Rainn Wilson is an actor who has been nominated for three Emmy Awards for his role as Dwight Schrute on 'The Office' on NBC. He's also appeared in many other plays, shows and movies such as "6 Feet Under", "Juno", "Super", "The Rocker" and "Hesher"....

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Comments

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  • inkcade inkcade
    May 16, 2023
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    thanks
  • Tokyo Rio
    Apr 4, 2023
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    thanks for this postt
  • talley chan
    Aug 31, 2021
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    I always enjoy reading your articles since they are usually useful. Thanks!
  • Hooman Katirai
    Mar 23, 2020
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    One of the best presentations of the Baha'i teachings I have ever seen. Thank you Rainn for putting this together!
  • tyron woodley
    Mar 4, 2020
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    nice post
  • Na An
    Jan 14, 2020
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    A very creative and wonderful idea, I think your ideas will be implemented and invent many other ideas. atari breakout
  • jack Price
    Dec 19, 2019
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    I'm going to be honest I've gotten these news articles everyday in my mailbox about the Bahai faith. The only thing that I see is a bunch of self-help books. Or somebody trying to tell somebody else how to treat people the sad part about it is all of you a grown ups if you don't know how to treat people with respect be courteous and with dignity, by now I don't think a thousand books is going to help you that's just my Baha, I believe you look for truth wherever you can find it I honestly believe what ...I just said is the truth
    Read more...
  • James Barnes
    Dec 17, 2019
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    This is a wonderful introduction. I have been a Baha'i for 45 years and I have nothing but praise for your efforts. As William Sears would say... Bravo!
  • Rachel Roberson
    Nov 15, 2019
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    I always like your article because you have provide every time informative post..Thanks! the impossible quiz
  • Brian Petty
    Nov 3, 2019
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    Do all the prophets and teachers of earlier religions verify the notion of “Progressive Revelation”? Is there a cohesive narrative in which they say “I bring the latest revelation from God, but others will come along later to update it”? I know this is just a 14 minute video, but to best answer this, you must wonder outside the Baha’i cosmology and deeper into the older faiths and compare the differences even more critically.
    • James Barnes
      Dec 17, 2019
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      From the Bible, John 12. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. Similarly in the Quran it talks about a new book and a new law. They await the "Al-Qu'im" (the Riser)
    • James Barnes
      Dec 17, 2019
      -
      From the Bible, John 12. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. Similarly in the Quran it talks about a new book and a new law. They await the "Al-Qu'im" (the Riser)
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