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The Baha'i world headquarters is in Haifa, Israel, a religious metropolis that has been compared to the Vatican and to Mormon headquarters in Salt Lake City. Danish sociologist and non-Baha'i Margit Warburg studied at this thriving religious center and brings a unique insider/outsider view to a growing, global religion. With its origins in Islam, this one-time Iranian religion has gained a foothold in Europe -- surprisingly by way of the United States. Warburg discusses the conflict between academicans and Baha'i leaders as well as Baha'i doctrines and rituals, demographics, and cultural background. She compares Iranian Baha'is with those in the West.As a sociological approach, Warburg's overview is descriptive and comparative. Her intent is to help us understand our Baha'i friends and neighbors and perhaps to better understand -- or begin to formulate -- our own religious beliefs.