Today has been a satisfying day, in which we played games and live streamed them.

But what I wanted to talk about today was the three onenesses, which are core principles of the Bahá’í faith. They are the oneness of God, the oneness of religion and the oneness of humanity.

So how do I explain them, well I will probably do so very badly but here goes.

Oneness of God

We Bahá’ís believe in a single unknowable God who is the source of all existence, a creator who created us to have the capacity to know and love him.

In our belief system, we believe that the beings worshiped as gods by other societies are all a reflection of this single Being, and rather than the differences being irreconcilable, we see them as simply aspects that are relevant to the time and culture in which they were revealed.

So to summarise that, there is one God, there has only ever been the one God and all people have worshiped that same God throughout history.

Oneness of Religion

We believe that there is only one religion, and that God has been progressively revealing that religion to mankind, depending on the needs of a society at a particular time and place which is why they have differences.

We believe that Bahá’u’lláh is the latest is in a long line of messengers which has included Buddha, Jesus, Mohammad and others. We believe that denying any one of these messengers is to deny them all, this we accept Zoroaster as much as we accept the Báb and Krishna.

Oneness of Humanity

The Bahá’í teachings tell us that there is only one humanity and that all people, regardless of race, nation, gender, class, and caste are equal in the eyes of God.

`Abdu’l Bahá stated that “the paramount issue and question in the religious and political conditions of the world.” And Bahá’u’lláh wrote –

“Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship.”

The differences we see in people are superficial, like skin colour, or a result of differences in education or background.

It is a guiding principle of the Bahá’í faith that we wish to eliminate all forms of prejudice and discrimination be that racial or other forms like gender discrimination.

We believe in a principle called “Unity in Diversity”, which means that whilst mankind is essentially one people we should also celebrate the cultural diversity that makes us all different, it’s often likened to the flowers in a garden, where when different varieties and colours are added to a garden it enhances its beauty.