Abrahamic · macro
Bahá’í Faith
One unknowable God revealed progressively through a succession of messengers, of whom Bahá’u’lláh is the most recent — so the world’s religions are stages of one revelation rather than rivals. Highly inclusive about other paths and highly centralised about its own administration.
What makes it unusual
The axes on which this tradition sits furthest from the middle of the matrix — which is to say, the positions that actually distinguish it.
- E2 Origin of the cosmosan intentional actFurther toward "an intentional act" than most traditions in the matrix.
- C2 Shape of timeone life, then judgmentFurther toward "one life, then judgment" than most traditions in the matrix.
- B3 Institutional authorityclergy and tradition decideFurther toward "clergy and tradition decide" than most traditions in the matrix.
- A3 Pluralitystrictly oneFurther toward "strictly one" than most traditions in the matrix.
All seventeen positions
Each cell carries a centre, a dispersion — how much internal variation the tradition genuinely tolerates — and the source the position rests on. Disagree with one? Say so; corrections are public and recorded.
The same seventeen values as a single shape, read clockwise from A1 at the top. The outline is where the tradition sits; the wider band around it is the variation it genuinely tolerates, so a tight outline is a tight tradition.
- position
- tolerated variation
A · The divine
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Divine realitynothing beyond the natural → a divine reality certainly exists | a divine reality certainly existsBahaʼuʼllah, Kitab-i-Aqdas and Kitab-i-Iqan | 1.00 | 0.03 |
| A2 Personhoodimpersonal principle or order → a personal being one can address | leaning a personal being one can addressBahaʼuʼllah, Kitab-i-Aqdas and Kitab-i-Iqan | 0.82 | 0.08 |
| A3 Pluralitystrictly one → many powers and spirits | strictly oneBahaʼuʼllah, Kitab-i-Aqdas and Kitab-i-Iqan | 0.02 | 0.03 |
| A4 Locuswholly beyond the world → fully present within it | between wholly beyond the world and fully present within itBahaʼuʼllah, Kitab-i-Aqdas and Kitab-i-Iqan | 0.45 | 0.13 |
B · Knowledge and authority
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1 Source of truthrevealed and fixed → reason and direct experience | leaning revealed and fixedBahaʼuʼllah, Kitab-i-Aqdas and Kitab-i-Iqan | 0.25 | 0.12 |
| B2 Reading of sacred textliteral and binding → metaphorical, or no text at all | between literal and binding and metaphorical, or no text at allBahaʼuʼllah, Kitab-i-Aqdas and Kitab-i-Iqan | 0.55 | 0.13 |
| B3 Institutional authorityclergy and tradition decide → individual conscience decides | clergy and tradition decideBahaʼuʼllah, Kitab-i-Aqdas and Kitab-i-Iqan | 0.12 | 0.08 |
C · Self and destiny
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 Survival of the selfends at death → continues in some form | continues in some formBahaʼuʼllah, Kitab-i-Aqdas and Kitab-i-Iqan | 0.98 | 0.02 |
| C2 Shape of timeone life, then judgment → cyclical return | one life, then judgmentBahaʼuʼllah, Kitab-i-Aqdas and Kitab-i-Iqan | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| C3 The human conditionfallen and in need of rescue → ignorant but fundamentally sound | leaning ignorant but fundamentally soundBahaʼuʼllah, Kitab-i-Aqdas and Kitab-i-Iqan | 0.68 | 0.12 |
D · Practice
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| D1 Mechanism of the ultimate goodgiven as grace → achieved by effort or insight | between given as grace and achieved by effort or insightBahaʼuʼllah, Kitab-i-Aqdas and Kitab-i-Iqan | 0.55 | 0.14 |
| D2 Centrality of ritualessential and prescribed → optional or absent | leaning essential and prescribedBahaʼuʼllah, Kitab-i-Aqdas and Kitab-i-Iqan | 0.28 | 0.12 |
| D3 The bodyto be disciplined → to be celebrated | between to be disciplined and to be celebratedBahaʼuʼllah, Kitab-i-Aqdas and Kitab-i-Iqan | 0.38 | 0.13 |
E · World and others
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| E1 Exclusivityone true path → many valid paths | leaning many valid pathsBahaʼuʼllah, Kitab-i-Aqdas and Kitab-i-Iqan | 0.68 | 0.13 |
| E2 Origin of the cosmosan intentional act → beginningless or natural | an intentional actBahaʼuʼllah, Kitab-i-Aqdas and Kitab-i-Iqan | 0.05 | 0.04 |
| E3 Locus of belonginga people, inherited → an individual choice | leaning an individual choiceBahaʼuʼllah, Kitab-i-Aqdas and Kitab-i-Iqan | 0.68 | 0.12 |
| E4 Standing of naturecreation, given for use → animate and itself sacred | between creation, given for use and animate and itself sacredBahaʼuʼllah, Kitab-i-Aqdas and Kitab-i-Iqan | 0.52 | 0.13 |
Further reading
- Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitáb-i-Íqán — Progressive revelation, which is what the E1 value of 0.68 rests on.
- Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh — The administrative order behind B3.
Compared with
The questionnaire places your own answers on these same seventeen axes and reports how close you are to this tradition and to 64 others. Take it — eight to fourteen questions, nothing transmitted.