I believe that man is born with the belief in one God. They even have a protection arm of the religion with people appointed to go to communities to warn them about outsiders (mainly former Bahais) who are dangerous to the religion. The Bah' Faith is a new religion God has sent to unify all nations and peoples of the world and to establish a global civilization based on justice, peace and harmony. Also, the Internet is rife with ex-Bahai stories, and I think the Bahai community can learn something from what these people are saying. This can drive some of the more talented members away from the Faith. b. [For a more detailed look at this issue, see my Themestream articleBut Some are More Equal than Others.]. What attracted me was their tolerance, their belief in racial equality, and the sense of belonging I felt when with them. Iam a proud Bah' but due to the nature of my job, I am abit stagnant but I know the truth which is the most comforting feeling you can have in our short stay in this relm, Great text. Secular organizations offer more effective models for world change. For a faith that is over 150 years old, it has gained little traction. . The Bahi Faith underwent a rapid expansion beginning in the 1960s, and by the early 21st century it had more than 180 national spiritual assemblies (national governing bodies) and several thousand local spiritual assemblies. It was a momentous event in my life, yet one I did not see coming. Carmel for about twice the length of the condition of advanced Israel has existed, this work having started in the 1880's s. . Despite the persecution, the Baha'i faith has attracted millions of adherents around the globe for its ability to transcend nationalism, racism and the like. Why Baha'i? Hi, I am a middle school student doing a research project on the Baha'i Faith. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Thats a great story, Rodney, and important for us to remember. and in fact, we were encouraged to donate to the building of the Bahai World Center buildings in Haifa, Israel, because the buildings would be needed to handle the entry by troops that was about to happen. l. Excessive paranoia about protection of the Faith Born a Jew, Jesus fulfilled Jewish prophecy and founded Christianity. Unregistered. How can they best reach you? All religions are equal but only the Bah' Faith is the correct one. [16] Thus, authorities in the Muslim world have rejected the Bah Faith and regard Bahs as apostates if they had been Muslims before conversion. Dear Ryan,This is a very important issue and rather than provide a simplistic yes or no answer, I would refer you to the following article that re-frames your question in an interesting way. One of the first was when I asked my mother at around the age of 15 why women were not allowed to be members of the Universal House of Justice. Opposition to the current head of the faith, the Universal House of Justice, is considered to be a spiritual illness, that could possibly be contagious, so the news that someone is reading their material and openly discussing it will almost certainly bring an ABM into the community who will investigate, warn, and threaten with shunning, a person who fails to abandon such contacts. I thought it would be helpful to give my plotted history of House Price Forums through the ages, as my account differs somewhat from geener's views. Belief in God should be as God wants us to believe Him and not the other wway around. He said God was unknowable and denied any relationship to God (first section of Gleanings) Im so glad I made that mental break from the religion 18 years ago! Learn about the meaning behind the symbols of the Baha'i . As a reality check against this tricky and wrong contention, this will totally clarify both why the Baha'i Faith is focused in Haifa . They have different values and beliefs. January 12, 2013 Leave a comment. Bah World News Service Bah' International Community, has confiscated properties from Baha'i families. One thing I love about bahullahs teaching is to investigate for the truth to discover god and to know , love and serve god by serving one and other . Although the prophet and founder of the Faith, Bahaullah, was born into a Muslim family, he went on to establish a completely independent religion. They followed a marketing selling tactic exactly like any pyramid scheme. Peoples of the world are urged to forsake evil and to hold fast that which is good. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your observations are dead on. He claimed to be a supreme manifestation of God but his life shows none of the qualities that made Jesus who He was: no miracles, no healings, no love, no gentle compassion, no life sacrifice. The Bah' Faith was founded in Iran in the mid-19th century by Mirza Hoseyn 'Ali Nuri, who is known as Bah'u'llh ("Glory of . Over the years though more and more Bahai contradictions began to pile up to the point where I could no longer ignore them. Bahaullah came to unite the religions: Christ was the Prophet of the Christians, Moses of the Jewswhy should not the followers of each prophet recognize and honor the other prophets also? If, on the other hand, God's own nature is said to be contradictory, that is, that God is both one God and many gods, that God is both able and not able to have a son, personal and impersonal, etc., then the Bahai concept of God is reduced to meaninglessness. There are a few things commonly told to converts that can hardly be seen as anything other than deceptions. One of the least understood aspects of the Bahai Faith by the general public is the central place administration holds in Bahai community life. [22] Bah scholar Udo Schaefer stated that the legitimization of the death penalty in cases of murder and arson is usually met with disapproval and suspicion in Europe. I attended many Bahai programmes inside and outside Egypt. And some take him as ammanifestation of God. I was a Bahai for a few years in the 70s and can testify that I departed for the first reason cited. I attended one meeting in Creston BC where members of the Doukabor community were invited. Just as the physical sun shines on the world, so the light of God is shed upon all Creation. Although he considered homosexuality as an "affliction to be overcome," he did not forbid gay people from a. The Baha'i Faith is monotheistic and you have a very non-theist view of Buddhism that is shared by many. The Bahai scholars say that if there are any cases of conflict, then it is because of human miscalculations as everything on earth is supposed to be in unison. Since i married in 1971 I've always cultivated a beard. , So while Bahais have no clergy at all, an elected, God has created in man the power of reason, whereby man is enabled to investigate reality. The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Baha'i Faith. 1. He must not be an imitator or blind follower of any soul. Is he God? Every year, Bahais democratically elect a Local Spiritual Assembly of nine individuals in each city, entirely without campaigning or politicking. The list of principles of the Bahai religion is a carefully crafted marketing plan to make the religion appeal to people in western countries such as the USA and Europe. The year was AD543. The religion began with considerable controversy. Bahais want to say they are the most wide-spread religion so they force members in the USA (not sure about other countries) to have a community in each and every locality even if it is only two people for example, say there are 11 people living in a city and 9 people living just outside the city limits. k. Some laws are irrational and some cause extreme emotional pain to those trying to follow them The Earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens, Events Coordinator - Melbourne Law School, Monash Business School - Senior Academic appointment opportunities, Lecturer (Level B) / Senior Lecturer (Level C) in Social Work Field Education. All who hold fast to the one reality will be in agreement and unity. Possibly fixed elections since admin people stay the same year after year The first is that they equate Krishna to many other prophets, as if somehow Krishna in either case is the main god or spokesperson or prophet of Hinduism as a monolithic religion. The Baha'i Faith does not support the view that one particular tradition alone teaches the truth and constitutes the way to salvation for an indefinite period of time. He remained there until his passing in 1892. How Bahais are trying to capture the MiddleEast.. He must not be an imitator or blind follower of any soul. In fact, Assemblies exist on paper that never actually meet because not enough of the people in the community are active. This section is about how the religion affected me. However as time passed, he realized that Bahais were not correct and then reverted to Islam. It is hardly surprising that some of them decide that theyve made a mistake. So a person who has perhaps always held a dim view of those who try to push their religious beliefs on others now must participate in exactly that type of activity. If men could only learn the lesson of mutual tolerance, understanding, and brotherly love, the unity of the world would soon be an established fact. c. He abandoned his family in Baghdad and his son died because of no medical care (ie: neglect) Abdo presented the following list of criticisms of the Bah Faith from a feminist perspective at an annual gathering for Bah studies in 1995: the ineligibility of women to serve on the Universal House of Justice--this is of particular interest to supporters of women priests within the Christian tradition; the intestacy laws in the Kitab-i-Aqdas; the dowry laws with particular reference to the virginity refund clause; the exemption of menstruating women from obligatory prayers and the implication of menstrual taboo; the use of androcentric language and male pronouns in texts; the emphasis on traditional morality and family values[18]. Why I Know Bahaullah Isnt a Manifestation of God (by www.exbahai.com), Deprogramming from the Bahai WorldFaith, A Confession by an ex-Bahai (23 years! b. Weather Jesus was god,son of god, prophet, servent, or manifested. It means that we should worship Him the way He wants to be worshipped and not how we want to worship Him. Ive come to see that the actual pivot of the Bahai World Faith is not an inclusive and true oneness of humanity but an exclusive oneness of Bahainess, a false oneness based on the belief that all of humanity needs to believe as we Bahais believe. Apr 2021 . The Baha'is claim that Baha'u'llah is the fulfillment of the biblical prophecies of the return of Christ. Baha'u'llah encouraged Baha'is to cooperate with their governments and engage with the followers of all religions in a spirit of fellowship. Religion must be the Source of Unity 5. Baha'u'llahs followers disseminated his teachings in the Middle East and beyond. Im not sure if any of them knew that then, and I wonder if that played a role in how they treat me now. Tagged with Why I Left Bahai Faith, May 5, 2012 Bigotry and dogmatic adherence to ancient beliefs have become the central and fundamental source of animosity among men, the obstacle to human progress, the cause of warfare and strife, the destroyer of peace, composure and welfare in the world. Seriously, it been around for a century at least.. Baha'is were nonetheless subjected to persecution, as some Muslim clerics perceived their faith to be a heresy. Kirollos sergious: St. Antony of Egypt / Wikimedia Commons. Zackery M. Heern does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. May 13, 2018 Eventually such clear evidence of the Bahai Faiths cult status mounted until I could no longer in good conscience remain a Bahai. He must not rely implicitly upon the opinion of any man without investigation; nay, each soul must seek intelligently and independently, arriving at a real conclusion and bound only by that reality. Baha'is make a big deal about some aspects of human rights, like racism and sexism. e. Hypocrisy write one thing and do another; not a good sign Answer (1 of 11): Lifelong Baha'i, I've been around and do not sugarcoat. He was the grandchild of Sheikh Mohammad who was famous as Aaqa Bururg Tafti Yazdi. You know is easy to say bad things about your religion too and people are saying! [35] By contrast, MacEoin has generally praised the work in Bah studies of Bah historian Peter Smith and non-Bah sociologist Margit Warburg. I recall going to a ticket window to buy a train ticket and the ticket master informed me I had walked through the "wrong" door. To put you in touch with a Bahai in your area who can answer your questions, we would like to kindly ask for a few details about yourself. Filed under Bahai Faith, Why I Left Bahai Faith, March 26, 2017 [3][9], Christian author and missiologist Ed Stetzer rejects the Bah Faith as a syncretic combination of faiths,[10] while Christian author John Ankerberg points to discrepancies between faiths to contradict the idea of unity of religion.[8]. The key for any Bahai needs to be reading and reflecting on the Bahai writings and developing a relationship with Bahaullah and Abdul-Baha. People are not stupid. claimed the lives of thousands of his followers. August 15, 2012 All done! Summed up in Baha'u'llahs words: The Earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens., Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd. Constant self examination is essential. [4][5] These issues may be only marginal to the numerically dominant Bah community outside of Europe and North America. Bahais do not have any form of leader in order to tell them what the book says. Ottoman officials later moved Baha'u'llah to the prison city of Akka in Palestine. I want to expand on and write about all these items. b. 5 Comments. Your details have now been sent. Lovely to read your words Kathy. Race and genders. The Bahai religion is very paranoid and fearful about their reputation because they want people to join the religion. Through the teachings of the Manifestations of Godamong them Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Muammad, and, in more recent times, the Bb and . This is only one of many aspects of "information control" - a well-known sign of cult mind control, per many websites and books that expose cult methodology. I was indoctrinated into the Bahai Faith from the age of seven. My question is, do Baha'is believe in same-sex marriage? This is circular reasoning. 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