Teaching and Sharing the Faith
Sharing the teachings of the Bahá'í Faith is a spiritual obligation; it must be done with wisdom, patience, and respect for others' freedom.
Bahá'u'lláh called every Bahá'í to share the teachings of the Faith with others — not through aggressive proselytizing but through the excellence of one's character, open and honest conversation, and invitation to investigate truth for oneself. Teaching must always respect others' freedom of conscience and never use coercion or manipulation.
The most vital duty, in this day, is to purify your characters, to correct your manners, and improve your conduct.
Bahá'í teaching ethics — emphasizing personal example and respecting freedom of conscience — represent a distinctive approach to religious outreach.
Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Bahá
Written about in
- What the Bahá'í Faith says about what to say and what to leave unsaid
Sharing the Faith is an obligation to speak — and the same teaching forbids coercion and manipulation and requires respect for the other person's freedom of conscience. Abdu'l-Bahá put correcting one's own character first, which makes conduct the argument and speech the footnote to it.