VALUES

WHAT ARE VALUES

Valuing is determining what is desirable or useful, which means choosing what is good for us and others, implying moral or ethical choices and actions. A sustainable society and planet require choices for the common good, now and for future generations.

Sources of values include Indigenous cultures that have learned over many generations to be socially cohesive and environmentally sustainable, religions that have periodically brought teachings and principles for the refinement of human character and the advancement of civilisation, and other forms of spirituality developing higher human qualities. The IEF, as a Bahá’í-inspired organisation, draws principally on the values and teachings of the Bahá’í Faith while accepting all the great religious traditions as progressive contributions to our collective social evolution.

Values are the most powerful lever for change in a system. The IEF brings science and religion together as two complementary realities in our society. Science without religious values falls into materialism, while religion without science tends to superstition. Values, both religious and secular, are essential to achieve balance in our society, and to set a clear direction for the future. The resources here contribute to that process.