Bahá'ís have lived in Cincinnati since 1898. We are one of the ten oldest Bahá'í communities in the United States. Àbdu'l-Bahá, the son of Bahá'u'llah (the founder of the Bahá'í Faith), actually visited Cincinnati in November, 1912.

See the Calendar for information on the Centenary Celebration of the Visit of 'Abdu'l-Baha to Cincinnati in 1912.

The Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Cincinnati was incorporated in 1938. The Local Spiritual Assembly is the elected body of Believers which guides the faith in any given locality, as we have no clergy.

23 December 2001 - At this time of world turmoil, the United States Bahá’í community offers a perspective on the destiny of America as the promoter of world peace.

"The American nation, Bahá’ís believe, will evolve through tests and trials to become a land of spiritual distinction and leadership, a champion of justice and unity among all peoples and nations, and a powerful servant of the cause of everlasting peace. This is the peace promised by God in the sacred texts of the world’s religions."

1991 - The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States has released a new phamphlet on the issue of racial equality in America, calling the struggle "...America's Most Challenging Issue..."

Read the entire pamphlet, "The Vision Of Race Unity - America’s Most Challenging Issue - A Statement by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States"

"Notwithstanding the efforts already expended for its elimination, racism continues to work its evil upon this nation. Progress toward tolerance, mutual respect, and unity has been painfully slow and marked with repeated setbacks. The recent resurgence of divisive racial attitudes, the increased number of racial incidents, and the deepening despair of minorities and the poor make the need for solutions ever more pressing and urgent. To ignore the problem is to expose the country to physical, moral and spiritual danger."

New York, 15 May 2002 (BWNS) -- Decrying the persistence of religious prejudice as a barrier to global peace and prosperity, the international governing council of the Bahá'í Faith has addressed a message to the world's religious leaders. Bahá'í communities around the world are conveying it to religious leaders in all their countries, thus transmitting its appeal that they act decisively on the need to eradicate religious intolerance and fanaticism.

October 1985 - Haifa, Israel
"The Promise of World Peace"
A Statement by the Universal House of Justice
Bahá’í World Center

"It is out of a deep sense of spiritual and moral duty that we are impelled at this opportune moment to invite your attention to the penetrating insights first communicated to the rulers of mankind more than a century ago by Bahá’ú’lláh, Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, of which we are the Trustees.
“The winds of despair”, Bahá’ú’lláh wrote, “are, alas, blowing from every direction, and the strife that divides and afflicts the human race is daily increasing. The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing order appears to be lamentably defective.” This prophetic judgement has been amply confirmed by the common experience of humanity."

March 2002 - Jerusalem
Bahá’í New Year brings spring to Jerusalem
Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, the guest speaker at the New Year celebration, thanked the Bahá’ís for "bringing beauty to our lives... At a time when we are digging trenches," he added, "You are planting gardens."

22 May 2001 - Official Opening of the Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb extending from the foot to the crest of Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel.