The Baha'i Faith is an independent religion. Its founder, Bahá'u'lláh, lived in the 19th century. The Baha'is believe that all religious leaders (such as Moses, Christ, Mohammed, Krishna) are messengers of God and that all religions are unified. According to the website cited above: "Bahá'u'lláh's message is that humanity is one single race and that the day has come for its unification in one global society."
The Baha'i World Centre in Haifa includes administrative buildings for the faith (which has no clergy, by the way) and the world-famous Baha'i gardens. My mother and I recently had a private tour of the gardens, given by a 6th generation Baha'i. It was fascinating to learn more about this very unique religion.
Particularly interesting was the fact that there were no pictures of Bahá'u'lláh in the museum we visited. This is deliberate, according to our guide. I guess it is left up to each person to envision the founder of the religion in the way they choose. Likewise, it was interesting to learn that though the Baha'is have a general guideline as to what percentage of a person's disposable income should be given to the World Centre, it is not obligatory by any means and it is something Baha'is never talk about amongst themselves. It is a deeply personal decision and simply is not discussed.
If you feel like learning more about the Baha'i faith, check out their website or the site listed above.
At any rate, the gardens are absolutely stunning and I only wish we could have spent longer there. I could have stayed there all day!
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