Moral & Spiritual Qualities

A Bahá’í considers the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh to be the message of God for today. As the major religions are all thought to be part of one progression, these Teachings naturally reflect those of the earlier religions. So the spiritual qualities: honesty, trustworthiness, truthfulness, kindness, compassion, etc., are present in all religions, although the mode of expression may differ from age to age. In addition to these timeless values, each religion will have social teachings suited to the age. These will relate to social questions such as marriage or crime and punishment.

Human beings are thought to have two sides to their nature. The body has obvious material needs, while the soul should be acquiring higher qualities. Bahá’ís tend to use the words “good” and “evil” in the context of whether people are behaving as they are exhorted in religious codes or whether they are following the selfish dictates of their lower natures.