FOUNDED: 1863 C.E.
RELIGION AS A PERCENTAGE OF WORLD POPULATION: 0.1 percent

Overview

The Bahá'í faith, which developed in nineteenth-century Iran, is relatively new, compared with other major world religions. It has only five million members, but it is, after Christianity, the second most widespread religion in the world, with adherents in 218 countries and dependent territories. The term Bahá'í derives from the Arabic word Baha, meaning glory, splendor, or light.

The Bahá'í faith was founded by Bahaullah (1817–92), an Iranian noble, who claimed to be the latest of God's messengers. Over a 40-year period Bahaullah penned the core texts of the Bahá'í scriptures and defined such basic Bahá'í beliefs as the oneness of God, the need for divine messengers or manifestations of God to guide humanity, and the unity of the world's major religions. He taught the...