Understanding the Baha’i writings requires literacy—and living in this material world requires financial literacy.

But financial literacy is taught rarely in schools. Here’s a financial literacy quiz—try to answer these three simple questions about personal finance:

1. Do you think that the following statement is true or false? Buying (a) a single company stock usually provides a safer return than (b) a stock mutual fund.

2. Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2% per year. After 5 years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the money to grow: (a) more than $102, (b) exactly $102, or (c) less than $102?

3. Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account was 1% per year and inflation was 2% per year. After one year, would you be able to buy (a) more than, (b) exactly the same as, or (c) less than today with the money in this account?

The correct answers are 1b, 2a and 3c. How did you do on the quiz?

You might be surprised, then, to learn that very few people follow these three basic financial recommendations: paying off debts in a timely manner, budgeting and living within one’s means, and setting aside savings for retirement. In surveys, only 25% of respondents knew the correct answer to those three simple questions—and only 3% followed the basic financial recommendations. How can we remedy these low levels of financial knowledge and behavior?

The Baha’i teachings have answers; and those answers focus on engaging in productive work, practicing economy and paying off debts:

Trust in God and engage in your work and practice economy; the confirmations of God shall descend and you will be enabled to pay off your debts. – Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith, p. 375.

Every person must have an occupation, a trade or a craft, so that he may carry other people’s burdens, and not himself be a burden to others. – Abdu’l-Baha, from a tablet to an individual Baha’i.

The Baha’i teachings ask us to avoid the lure of riches and be content with what we have:

O Son of Being! Busy not thyself with this world, for with fire We test the gold, and with gold We test Our servants. – Baha’u’llah, The Hidden Words, p. 16.

Put away all covetousness and seek contentment; for the covetous hath ever been deprived, and the contented hath ever been loved and praised. – Ibid., p. 39.

Of course, not everyone understands the ins and outs of modern finance, which means we need to ensure that our financial advisors are trustworthy and have no conflicts of interest:

He must not rely implicitly upon the opinion of any man without investigation; nay, each soul must seek intelligently and independently, arriving at a real conclusion and bound only by that reality. – Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 288.

Generally, the Baha’i teachings recommend a spiritual solution to the world’s economic problems that goes beyond materialistic considerations, and envision a unified future state of society where everyone will prosper:

… there will be a readjustment in the economic conditions of mankind so that in the future there will not be the abnormally rich nor the abject poor. The rich will enjoy the privilege of this new economic condition as well as the poor, for owing to certain provisions and restrictions they will not be able to accumulate so much as to be burdened by its management, while the poor will be relieved from the stress of want and misery. The rich will enjoy his palace, and the poor will have his comfortable cottage. – Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 132.

These Baha’i teachings on economics have a singular goal—that no human being will be destitute:

First and foremost is the [Baha’i] principle that to all the members of the body politic shall be given the greatest achievements of the world of humanity. Each one shall have the utmost welfare and well-being. … This system is all thus ordered so that in the village the very poor will be comfortable, the orphans will live happily and well; in a word, no one will be left destitute. All the individual members of the body politic will thus live comfortably and well. – Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 312.

Two hurdles need to be overcome for all humanity to learn financial literacy. First, we need to increase the general level of knowledge about financial affairs; and second, we need to increase the desire to learn. Of those who shun financial matters, spiritual people might be at the forefront. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The Baha’i Faithdoes not oppose wealth or financial security—in fact, wealth is encouraged providing it is used to achieve spiritual goals and not selfish desires:

Wealth is praiseworthy in the highest degree, if it is acquired by an individual’s own efforts and the grace of God, in commerce, agriculture, art and industry, and if it be expended for philanthropic purposes. – Abdu’l-Baha, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 24.

4 Ways to Stop Violence against Women and Girls

David Langness•Nov 4, 2016

Soon men will have to acknowledge women as their equals and there will be no need to struggle for their rights. – Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, Volume 2, p. 5.

In November of 2012, the Baha’i International Community contributed four specific recommendations to the 57th Session of the U.N.’s Commission on the Status of Women, as part of its larger statement called Towards the Eradication of Violence Against Women and Girls:

Prevailing conceptions of power and empowerment need to be redefined. The 2006 ‘In-depth study on all forms of violence against women’ stated that “structural imbalances of power and inequality between women and men are both the context and causes of violence against women.” Yet an improved balance of power will not suffice. The very conception of power needs to be seriously questioned and fundamentally redefined. Prevailing notions of power tend to focus on the ability to compete effectively, to dominate, and to gain ascendancy over others. These essentially adversarial expressions of power do not provide society with the tools needed to create institutions and processes that foster the progress of all members of the community. The dominant thinking of power as ‘power over’ must be replaced with the concept of ‘power to’—power as a capacity of the individual or of the collective. We need a broadened appreciation of the sources of power available to humanity, such as power that comes from the bonds of solidarity and mutual concern, and power that emanates from unity of thought and action, and the promotion of such qualities as justice, honesty, and integrity.

The Commission has repeatedly noted that the empowerment of women and girls is key to protecting their human rights and breaking the cycle of violence. Empowerment is a process of recognition, capacity building and action. Individuals become empowered as they come to recognize their inherent worth, the fundamental equality of all human beings, and their ability to improve their own condition and that of the wider society. At the collective level, empowerment involves the transformation of relationships of dominance into relationships of equality and mutuality.

The role of men in addressing this violence and exploitation has been recognized as a key aspect of prevention. Men and boys must be encouraged to speak out strongly against violence and exploitation and not to protect perpetrators. They must make a conscious effort to understand fully the principle of the equality of women and men and its expression in both private and public life. At home, men must come to understand their role in modeling healthy relations and respect for male and female members of the family. It is often in the home that boys and girls first learn about the nature of power and how it is expressed. Distorted expressions of power and authority promote in children attitudes and habits that are carried to the workplace, to the community, and to public life.

The international community and the State must shift from reactive approaches to ones that focus on prevention of violence.  Prevention must begin by identifying and addressing the underlying causes of the violence rather than its symptoms. Efforts aims at prevention must consider the prevailing conceptions of gender identity and of power, and the forms of discrimination and disadvantage that place women and girls at risk of violence. While States have initiated various prevention programs, these have been hampered by an overall lack of societal transformation. Such transformation involves changes at the level of attitudes, culture, community life, as well as in the structures that sustain and normalize violence and exploitation. To date, the majority of prevention activity has been carried out by civil society organizations, with limited resources. States need to assume greater responsibility for the implementation of policies and programmes that such transformation requires and support the initiatives of civil society. In addition, more research is needed to determine strategies to prevent violence against girls and women in States that are fragile or in the midst of conflict or post-conflict recovery.

One approach towards social transformation is through the education and training of children and youth in a manner that cultivates in them a sense of dignity as well as responsibility for the well-being of their family members and for the wider community. Drawing on the experiences of the worldwide Baha’i community in promoting social transformation, we note a number of elements in educational endeavors that support such transformation: a conviction that happiness and honor lie in integrity; the ability to act with moral courage; the ability to participate in non-adversarial decision-making; a degree of excellence in a productive skill through which one can meet one’s needs with dignity; the ability to analyze social conditions and understand the forces that shape them; the ability to express ideas eloquently and wisely; the capacity to foster collaboration; and an emphasis on service to the community. While emphasis must continue to be placed on girls’ access to quality education, due attention must be given to the education of boys particularly with respect to issues of gender equality.

No custom, tradition, or religious interpretation that sanctions any form of violence against women and girls should be allowed to outweigh the obligation to eradicate violence against women and girls. The regrettable practice of hiding behind cultural and religious traditions that permit violence against women perpetuates a climate of legal and moral impunity.  The responsibility of States to protect women and girls from violence must take precedence over any such customs.  Religious leaders, who play an instrumental role in shaping attitudes and beliefs, must also support unequivocally the principle of the equality of women and men.  Practices and doctrines which condone or promote violence against women and girls need to be eliminated.  It must also be remembered that all religions contain the voices of women. Too often, due to ignorance, lack of education or lack of opportunity to be heard, the views of women have been absent from the definition of what religion is and how its teachings bear on public and private life.

States must take comprehensive measures to eradicate the culture of impunity.  The individual, her family and her community are under the protection of the State. Yet, a culture of impunity persists in many territories: perpetrators of violence against and exploitation of women and girls go unpunished (or inadequately punished). The victims of such acts have little or no means of redress and or access to support services. More needs to be done to prevent the violence and exploitation of women and girls. All too often, for example, inadequate resources are allocated to implement laws that protect women and specialized services for victims do not exist. In many cases of violence and abuse, the web of actors is extensive and the pressures to remain silent about the abuse are strong. Penalties for perpetrators must be accompanied by measures to ensure the security of victims, who often need protection from retribution. The incorporation of commitments made in [United Nations] Security Council resolutions related to women, peace and security, into national action plans has been a positive step in this regard.

Read the entire Baha’i statement.

Baha’is believe that God has addressed humanity through a sequential series of divine messengers and prophets—and that the latest one, Baha’u’llah, was born 200 years ago.

On October 22, 1817, a newborn named Mirza Husayn Ali came into the world. The son of a notable landowner and provincial governor of Persia named Abbas Nuri Mirza Buzurg and his wife, Khadijih Khanum, this infant had a remarkable lineage. Descended from both the prophet Abraham through his wife Keturah and from Zoroaster, the founder of Zoroastrianism, his ancestry also traced back through the line of Persia’s ancient Sassanian kings, who ruled their extensive pre-Muslim Empire for centuries.

From the time of his early childhood, prominent figures in the Persian government and clergy expected Mirza Husayn Ali to do great things. Many reached that conclusion because, although he never attended any school, he seemed to possess a preternatural intelligence and extraordinary powers of perception from his earliest ages. At the age of seven, for example, he appeared before the court of the Shah to argue a legal case on behalf of his father—and won.

Mirza Husayn Ali grew up in relative luxury, accustomed to the environs of the royal court. When his father died in 1839, he was only 22 years old—but he was offered his father’s former post in the royal court. He refused the appointment, and the Grand Vizier reportedly said:

“Mirza Husayn-Ali was intended for a work of greater magnitude, and the arena of government was too small a field for his capacities.” – H.M. Balyuzi, Baha’u’llah, p. 10.

Instead of pursuing the lucrative political career his government offered him, Mirza Husayn Ali had already turned his attention toward the pressing social problems he wanted to address—chiefly the poverty and privation that surrounded him in Tehran, Persia’s capital.

When his father passed away, Baha’u’llah freed his father’s indentured servants; and then opened his large home to feed and house the poor and homeless. He and his wife Navvab soon became known throughout the country as “The Father of the Poor” and “The Mother of Consolation” for their kindness, altruism and philanthropy.

One prominent Persian described Mirza Husayn Ali this way:

“He is one of the noble class, but above all ostentation, seldom attending stately functions. Extremely wealthy, but caring naught for luxury and sumptuous faring. Full of a marvellous wisdom is he, yet he has never been instructed of men, even when a young boy, not consenting to receive lessons from the usual teachers of youth. He is the helper of all in need of succour. A refuge for those in sorrowful weariness; a comfort to all the afflicted. A strong champion of those who suffer wrong. to the shelter of his house all who hunger or thirst are warmly welcomed. His hospitality is given freely to every comer. His doors are always opened to the friendless, and his heart to every tale of grief.

The people say: He refuses all the lucrative posts which are offered to him; surely even his wealth must diminish, if he despises all means of adding to it, whilst he continues to bestow his goods so lavishly on these worthless poor creatures.” – quoted by Lady Blomfield in The Chosen Highway, p. 23.

Mirza Husayn Ali’s daughter, Bahiyyih Khanum, later recounted that period of her mother’s and father’s life like this:

“Even in the early years of their married life, they, my father and mother, took part as little as possible in State functions, social ceremonies, and the luxurious habits of ordinary highly-placed and wealthy families in the land of Persia; she, and her noble-hearted husband, counted these worldly pleasures meaningless, and preferred rather to occupy themselves in caring for the poor, and for all who were unhappy, or in trouble.

From our doors nobody was ever turned away; the hospitable board was spread for all comers.

Constantly the poor women came to my mother, to whom they poured out their various stories of woe, to be comforted and consoled by her loving helpfulness.” – Ibid., p. 40.

But then, in 1844, when Mirza Husayn Ali was just a young man of 27, everything began to change. A revolutionary, charismatic new religion rose up in the midst of Persia’s very traditional and hidebound Muslim culture and proclaimed its advent, led by The Bab(which means The Gate). Mirza Husayn Ali recognized its mystical truths and became a Babi.

This new prophet, The Bab, with his role as the herald and forerunner of “Him whom God shall make manifest,” assured his followers that soon the “Promised One of All Ages” and “the Glory of God” would emerge, bringing an entirely new global Faith. The Bab counseled all people to “seek the presence of its author:”

Whenever ye learn that a new Cause hath appeared, ye must seek the presence of its author and must delve into his writings that haply ye may not be debarred from attaining unto Him Whom God shall make manifest at the hour of His manifestation. – The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 144.

Although they never met in person, the Bab wrote to Mirza Husayn Ali and began referring to him as Baha’u’llah (which means the Glory of God). That title, given by one prophet to his successor, became the basis for the name Baha’i—a follower of Baha’u’llah, and a lover of the Glory of God.