Hearst was raised a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian faith in the 1840s. In 1898 she converted to the Baha’i Faith, and undertook a Baha’i pilgrimage to Palestine to meet 'Abdu'l-Bahá with other American pilgrims, including Ibrahim George Kheiralla, Lua Getsinger and May Boles. It was during this trip, in Akka, that Kheiralla witnessed firsthand the conflict between 'Abdu'l-Bahá and his brothers, leading him, upon his return to America in 1899, to form the "Society of Baha’is" which would later be led by Shua Ullah Baha’i and to author a book, Beha'u'llah, wherein he states his belief that 'Abdu'l-Bahá was equal in rank to his brothers Mírzá Muhammad `Alí, Díyá'u'lláh, and Badi'u'lláh 

Phoebe Hearst helped play a key role in the spread of the Baha’i Faith in the United States. In October 1912 she invited 'Abdu'l-Bahá, who was travelling throughout the United States, to stay at her home for a long weekend, even though at that time she had become estranged from the Baha’i faith. During his stay 'Abdu'l-Bahá mentioned that anyone who tried to extort money or goods from others should not be considered a true Baha’i. Mrs. Hearst had been a victim of such an incident, which had caused her estrangement from the religion. 

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