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Bahaism

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

a which teaches the unity of all religions and the final oneness of religion and reason. It originated in Persia under Mirza Houssein Ali, who called himself the Baha Ullah, meaning "The One Whom God Should Manifest," and it has spread to many countries, including the United States, where there are over twenty societies professing the beliefs of Bahaism. Its recognized leader, Abdul Baha Abbas, visited the United States in 1912. He died Nov. 30, 1921. Bahaism forbids the denunciation of any of the established creeds, recognizing Christ, ing load. Similarly the current from an electrical transformer is kept constant by inherent electro-magnetic reactions; and automatic regulation is also applied to adjust or to stop manufacturing maaccident or congestion chinery in case of occurring. AUTOMATIC TELEGRAPHY, the system employed in telegraph offices of large cities whereby messages are transmitted by means of perforated tapes, these tapes being first written out (in perforations) on specially equipped highspeed typewriters, after which they are fed through sending machines which transmit the messages automatically. On the receiving end, the messages are written out for delivery on automatic typewriters operated by means of the perforations made on the receiving tapes, so that the only manual part of the entire operation is the writing out of the original message on the perforating typewriter and the placing of the tape in the sending machine. AUTOMATIC TELEPHONY, a system whereby the user of the telephone effects his or her own connections by pressing the desired succession of numbers on a dial provided with the telephone instrument. The connection is automatically made at the central station without the intervention of any switchboard operator. The automatic system has been in successful use in the Middle West for several years and is rapidly . being introduced into Eastern cities AZERBAIJAN. Under Soviet Russia since 1920. Local Soviet government established at Baku. Included in new Transcaucasian Federation under Russian control (October, 1921). B Moses, and Mohammed all as prophets; but it counsels its followers to lay aside superstitions and ecclesiastical dogmas in favor of individual investigation and thought. It is opposed to all forms of harshness and hatred, including war. It teaches monogamy, equality of the sexes, and universal education, and forbids the use of intoxicants and drugs and of gambling.

What Has Changed in the Last Century

Collier's caught Abdu'l-Bahá's death of Nov. 30, 1921 just as it went to press, and could count only "over twenty societies" in the United States. Leadership passed to his grandson Shoghi Effendi, and since 1963 the faith has been directed by an elected Universal House of Justice at Haifa; adherents now number in the millions across nearly every country, and the shrines at Haifa and Acre were named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008. Two details would now be corrected: "Baha Ullah" means "Glory of God" (it was the Báb who foretold "He whom God shall make manifest"), and believers reject the term "Bahaism" in favour of the Bahá'í Faith. The teachings Collier's lists — unity of religions, opposition to war, equality of the sexes, universal education, abstention from drink — are still recited in much the same terms, but in Iran, the religion's birthplace, Bahá'ís have faced systematic persecution since the 1979 revolution.

Written for this edition, 2026.