The writings and spoken words of the Bb, Bah Allh, and Abd al-Bah form the sacred literature of the Bah Faith. ", " If any soul speak ill of an absent one, the only result will clearly be this: he will dampen the zeal of the friends and tend to make them indifferent. The individual believer should seek to do this, whether he is consulting a friend, Bah or non-Bah, or whether the friend is consulting him. If the Bahs would follow the Bah laws in voting, in electing, in serving and in abiding by Assembly decisions, all this waste of strength through criticising others could be diverted into cooperation and achieving the Plan. People often fear and denigrate what they dont understand, and anyone who says that the Bahai Faith is a cult definitely does not understand it. Selfless Service to Humanity, In fact, Bahaullah mandated that his followers involve themselves in social action when he said, Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.. The stupidity of that idea should be obvious. But the enemies who call themselves friends and who persistently violate every fundamental law of love and unity, are difficult to be dealt with in this day, for the mercy of God is still great. No, never! At the time, I didnt care. Today, Baha'u'llahs shrine, now in Israel, is an important pilgrimage site. My future wife was a member of First Baptist Church of Dallas, a stronghold of fundamentalism. Bahs believe that all the founders of the world's great religions have been manifestations of God and agents of a progressive divine plan for the education of the human race. This is the conduct and the manner of the real Bahais (Bahs). The letters or contact of why you are withdrawing are also another reason why not to do so. Others step inside, behold its beauty, but do not penetrate far. Historical context. By clicking "Continue" "Submit" , I agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and consent to receive communications (email, telephone call, or text message) from Bahaiteachings.org about news, events and offers, including via automated technology and/or prerecorded calls or messages to the number and email provided above, even if my number is a mobile number or is currently listed on any state, federal or corporate Do Not Call list. In our group, the discourse enabled all participants to deal upfront with common misconceptions about their religions, and allowed panelists and audience members to be exposed to religions unfamiliar to them. "The question of dealing with those who call themselves Bahs but who act in ways which we believe to be detrimental to the interests of the Cause is a very difficult one. Your email address will not be published. On the contrary, it would make the dust to settle so thickly on the heart that the ears would hear no more, and the eyes would no longer behold the light of truth. ", "He feels that you should do your utmost to call the attention of the friends to these large things, and real triumphs, and away from their personal differences and petty pre-occupations. We should therefore, as tactfully as possible, but yet firmly, do our utmost to prevent others from making accusations or complaints against others in our presence.". He was released in 1853 and exiled to Baghdad, where his leadership revived the Bb community. Reading and Reacting to The Gadfly Molehill. Goodbye. But its root is lack of faith in the system of Bahullh, i.e., the Administrative Orderand lack of obedience to Himfor He has forbidden it! The followers of such sects are labeled Covenant-breakers, shunned, and viewed as enemies of the faith. This unique conception of religion which Abdul-Baha explained by saying These holy Manifestations of God are the Educators and Trainers of the world of existence, the Teachers of the world of humanity is not an artificial attempt to bring religions together, but instead a completely new way to see all Faiths as one organic whole rather than a collection of competing belief systems. The Bah Faith was first mentioned in the United States in 1893 at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago. Im lazy. In the West, liberals have criticized the Bah Faith for some of its conservative social practices, notably the prohibition on premarital or homosexual intimacy for Bahs. 2 - Belief in the transmigration of souls, and that reward and punishment happen to the soul only. Also, the lack of actual places of worship was another big shock. Also, tons of conservative, orthodox, even fundamentalist traditional morality in Bahai law. Beliefs, ideas and rituals of the Baha'is: 1 - Belief that Allaah is incarnated in some of His creation, and that Allaah was incarnated in al-Baab and al-Baha'. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. When Criticism and Harsh Words Arise "When criticism and harsh words arise within a Bah' community, there is no remedy except to put the past behind one, and persuade all concerned to turn over a new leaf, and for the sake of God and His Faith refrain from mentioning the subjects which have led to misunderstanding and inharmony. Subsequent public protests and mob violence claimed the lives of thousands of his followers. Christian apologist Francis J. Beckwith wrote of the Bah teachings: The fact that the various alleged manifestations of God represented God in contradictory ways implies either that manifestations of God can contradict one another or that God's own nature is contradictory. I decided that if she wanted to marry me, she would have to leave that church, because I would never join it and she still wanted us to worship together on Sundays. 10, on page 138, there is a record of a reply given by Abdul-Bah in a private interview in Paris in 1913. Yes, intermittent fasting has become pretty trendy, for this physical fast is a symbol of the spir, At the beginning of the 20th century, what did a P, One must see in every human being only that which, Every tender heart wonders What can I do to hel, Act in such a way that your heart may be free from, While sorrow and suffering seem to be inescapable, What is the Best Way to Worship? [25] Jason Boyett wrote in 12 Major World Religions that, "The [Bah] condemnation of covenant-breakers is immediate, absolute, andin a religion promoting love and acceptanceprofoundly disconcerting. [19] My life has changed in ways that I had hoped the Bahai Faith would help me do, but in 35 years has not. Theimplication is that Bahai is Jewish, which may also be mistakenly inferred by some because the world headquarters of the Bahai Faith is in Haifa, Israel. I stayed silent about my defection from the Bahai Faith untilOctober 19, 2007, when I posted my first blog entry attacking it. There were several completely inactive Bahais in the North Richland Hills, Texas locality who I never saw in the years I was a Bahai, but there was no talk of them not having administrative rights. IV. ", "It is obvious that if we listen to those who complain to us about the faults of others we are guilty of complicity in their backbiting. The friends must overlook their shortcomings and faults and speak only of their virtues and not their defects. Summed up in Baha'u'llahs words: The Earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.. He taught there is one God and one human family, and that the great religions of the world represent successive stages in the spiritual evolution of human society. We need not fear the enemies on the outside for such can be easily dealt with. Cults have charismatic leaders, and Bahais have no clergy or leaders at all. Each of us is immeasurably far from being 'perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect' and the task of perfecting our own life and character is one that requires all our attention, our will-power and energy. She agreed! 2,070. Bahu'llh's claim of divine revelation is in direct conflict with this common interpretation of Islam. Check your email for the latest from BahaiTeachings.org. While its true that a Bahai House of Worship exists on each continent, and several local Houses of Worship are also being built, theyre all meant as places where anyone can come to pray and meditate. The feasts are designed to ensure universal participation in the affairs of the community and the cultivation of the spirit of brotherhood and fellowship. In 1863, shortly before being moved by the Ottoman government to Constantinople (now Istanbul), Bah Allh declared to his fellow Bbs that he was the messenger of God foretold by the Bb. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). "On no subject are the Bah teachings more emphatic than on the necessity to abstain from fault-finding and backbiting while being ever eager to discover and root out our own faults and overcome our own failings. [1] Western academics have criticized the requirement for Bahs to seek pre-publication review when publishing on the religion[3] and the exclusion of women from serving on the Universal House of Justice. [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]. I am totally convinced that the Bahai Faith is doomed to fail in its mission to bring peace, unity, and a Golden Age to humanity and I therefore resign from my past membership in the Faith. Instead, the Bahai Faith operates administratively with a system of local, national and international nine-member governing bodies, all democratically elected without nominations or campaigns. If some means were devised so that the doors of backbiting could be shut eternally and each one of the believers of God unsealed his tongue in the praise of the other, then the teachings of His Holiness Baha'o'llah (Bahullh) would be spread, the hearts illuminated, the spirits glorified and the human world would attain to everlasting felicity. ", "Indeed the believers have not yet fully learned to draw on each other's love for strength and consolation in time of need. Occasionally Ive heard the uninformed opinion that the Bahai Faith is a sect of Islam not true! The Bah' Faith is a world religion based on the teachings of Bah'u'llh. "Thou hast written regarding aims. Like all Bahai Houses of Worship, it welcomes everyone, and its nine entrances symbolize the many legitimate paths to the Creator. Extract from Dale Husbands blog. But there are always some who enter and, becoming intoxicated with the splendor of what they behold, remain for life to tend the garden.. He proclaimed a spiritual doctrine emphasizing the forthcoming appearance of a new prophet or messenger of God who would overturn old beliefs and customs and usher in a new era. I understand that I can withdraw my consent at any time. We were married the following year. [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. p. 192) Bahullh says in the Hidden Words: 'Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art a sinner. Baha'u'llahs writings form the foundation of the Baha'i faith. Perhaps youll be inspired to organize a similar discussion where you live. When we did, I left behind at the house most of the Bahai books and other literature I had collected from my eight or nine years as a Bahai. Without the support of the UUs at First Jefferson Church, I might have never had the courage to do battle against the corrupt, idiotic Haifan Bahai Administrative Order as I have done. I am totally convinced that the Baha'i Faith is doomed to fail in its mission to bring peace, unity, and a Golden Age to humanity and I therefore resign from my past membership in the Faith. He must be a seeker of the truth, no matter from what source it come. Eventually, what started as a compromise between us grew into a case of full blown allegiance to the UU church for both of us. Dale Husbands Sound-Bites for an Idiotic Age, Reliable sources of science news and data, Why peace activists (and critics of religion) sometimes fail Dale Husband's Intellectual Rants, Why I Abandoned the (Haifan) Bahai Faith | Dale Husband's Intellectual Rants, Why I Abandoned the (Haifan) Bahai Faith? He observed only the whiteness of the teeth and overlooked entirely the deformity of the body, the dissolution of its organs and the bad odour. RELATED: What Happens When You Become a Bahai? For the most part, though, individual Bahai communities do not have a Bahai House of Worship, which are actually more like a gift to the community, not for exclusive use by Bahais. Now is certainly not the time for any man to think of himself, or busy himself with the weaknesses of his brother; but, rather each and every Bah must concentrate on the tasks ahead and be reborn in the service of Bahullh. Actually, when I was Bahai I was dating a nominal Christian, and I had suggested the UU church as a possible place that we could go for worship together if we got married. That looked like denial to me, so I dismissed it and threw away the letter. "[13], William McElwee Miller (18921993) was a Presbyterian missionary in Iran who published a polemic titled The Baha'i Faith (1974), in which he attacked the religion by promoting the views of individuals opposing Bah leadership. Thanks for the post. [14] For example, the perspectives of Subh-i-Azal, Mrz Muhammad Al, and Mason Remey, the most prominent covenant-breakers of the religion, were all upheld by Miller in an attempt to show its adherents as deceived, its teachings superficial or irrelevant, and its administration "a dictatorship". Baha'u'llah encouraged Baha'is to cooperate with their governments and engage with the followers of all religions in a spirit of fellowship. I cant remember if it was one year or two years, but it was probably closer to one year. They also. On January 18, a court in Iran's Mazandaran province ordered that property belonging to Bahai citizen Sheida Taeed be confiscated and transferred to the "Execution of Imam Khomeini's Order," a committee controlled by . Heaven and Hell and the Baha'i Faith. Get in touch with the Bahais in your community. I resigned myself on 07/07/07. [20] Particularly in the United States, Bahs have attempted to reconcile the immutable conservative teachings on sexuality with the otherwise socially progressive teachings of the religion, but it continues to be a source of controversy. Ironic, considering that many Bahais have non-Bahai parents who may even be racist, and thus object to their children marrying members of a different race. Velma A Good Reason to NEVER Subscribe to HBO Max! The Earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens, Committee Member - MNF Research Advisory Committee, PhD Scholarship - Uncle Isaac Brown Indigenous Scholarship. Quite controversially, the Bab claimed that his teachings were a revelation from God and predicted that a new prophetic figure, or manifestation of God, would soon appear. "If we profess loyalty to Bahullh, to our Beloved Master and our dear Guardian, then we must show our love by obedience to these explicit teachings. | The Bahai Insider, Dale Husband: Why I Abandoned the (Haifan) Bahai Faith Bah Censorship, Another reason to despise Michael Shermer | Dale Husband's Intellectual Rants, A Critical Analysis of the The Kitb-i-Aqdas, Part Three | Dale Husband's Intellectual Rants, A Conversion to Mormonism | Dale Husband's Intellectual Rants, Featured in a magazine critical of the Bahai Faith | Dale Husband's Intellectual Rants, Why I Rejected the Bahai Faith, 4th Edition | Dale Husband's Intellectual Rants. In this two-part article we will briefly examine: (1) The Baha'i approach to other religions. Bahais believe in the agreement of science and religion; and accept that religion must have practical benefit for humanity in fact, Abdul-Baha said, otherwise it would be preferable to have no religion. Instead, I asked her to join with me in First Jefferson Unitarian Universalist Church, which I had belonged to before. You will overcome self, you will not even have time to think of the faults of others'. "When a difficulty is brought out into the daylight and freely discussed by a duly authorized and responsible group of people who are sincerely desirous of finding the best solution and are free from prejudice or personal motive, then there is a good chance of overcoming it, but discussion of the faults of others behind their backs by unauthorized people who have no authority to take action in the matter, is surely one of the most fertile causesprobably THE most fertile causeof disunity, and the importance of putting an end to this practice should be impressed on all Bahs.". This page was last edited on 31 December 2020, at 01:55. Despite their apparent differences, the worlds great religions, according to the Bahs, teach an identical truth. Bahaullahs revelation has been recognized as an independent global Faith in most of the countries of the world. His son and successor, Abdu'l-Baha, traveled to Europe and the United States to spread the faith. Located there long before Israel became a nation, it happened because Bahaullah had been exiled to the prison city of Akka in Palestine, then part of the Ottoman Empire, about 85 years before the state of Israel was founded. Someone from the Bahai community will contact you shortly. SOLanding, a Possible Cryptocurrency Scam Site? A comparative analysis of the Baha'i and Christian views of heaven and hell. But this distinction must not depend upon wealththat they should become more affluent than other people. [26], Bahs have been accused, particularly by successive Iranian governments, of being agents or spies of Russia, Britain, the Shah, the United States, and as agents of Zionismeach claim being linked to each regime's relevant enemy and justifying anti-Bah actions. The Christian Grace Network on YouTube November 23, 2022. The Bah Faith is a relatively new religion teaching the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. Parental consent should only be an issue if the married partners are still minors. This must be the point of distinction among you. After years of investigation and soul-searching, I have finally come to the sad understanding that I can no longer bring myself to believe in Bahaullah or any of the institutions established in His name, including the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice. On the 200th anniversary of the birth of Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'i faith, the question remains: What is the reason for their persecution? If some Islamic countries were confused about how to classify the Bahai Faith, why have many of them officially recognized it as an independent religion distinct from Islam since early in the 20th century? "It is related that His Holiness ChristMay my life be a sacrifice to Him!one day, accompanied by His apostles, passed by the corpse of a dead animal. [21] The Universal House of Justice stated in 1995, and has repeated since, that the teachings on sexuality are laid down in the faith's scripture and that, "the House of Justice has no authority to change this clear teaching on homosexual practice. [21], In the Kitb-i-Aqdas, Bahu'llh prescribed the death penalty both for intentional arson and murder. Baha'u'llah, whose name means Glory of God in Arabic, was born in Tehran in 1817. Extract from Dale Husbands blog. My family, like many Wilmette residents, witnessed its decades-long construction. The Baha'i Faith, the world's newest independent global belief system, teaches the oneness of God, the unity of humanity , and the essential harmony of religion. Baha'i Viewpoint Heaven and Hell are not seen as literal places that the soul of man goes after physical death but are seen as the . [27] For example, Juan Cole converted to the Bah Faith in 1972, but later resigned in 1996 after conflicts with members of the administration who perceived him as extreme. Still, when I left the Administration I formally withdrew but this had more to do with the sanctity of the rites of initiation in the Christain Church than it did with the Administration of the Bahai faith. The Bahs use a calendar, established by the Bb and confirmed by Bah Allh, in which the year is divided into 19 months of 19 days each, with the addition of 4 intercalary days (5 in leap years). As Abdul-Baha, the son and successor of Bahaullah, explained: The original purpose of temples and houses of worship is simply that of unity places of meeting where various peoples, different races and souls of every capacity may come together in order that love and agreement should be manifest between them that all religions, races and sects may come together within its universal shelter. Origin of the Baha'i Religion. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, so to speak. The Baha'i Faith is not just a collection of philosophical principles or an attempt to combine or conflate religions. Shoghi Effendi (Guardian of the Baha'i Faith) wrote about this. The exclusion of same-sex marriage among Bahs has garnered considerable criticism in the Western world, where the Bah teachings on sexuality may appear to be unreasonable, dogmatic, and difficult to apply in Western society. Baha'u'llahs father was a minister in Irans government, which supported Shi'i Islam as the state religion. I am closer to God than I have ever been, and less confused than I have ever been. But ere long this merciful door will be closed and such enemies will be attacked with a madness. Religion: Kashmir Shaivism (Trika) I've always found some issues with the main idea of the Baha'i faith, for a few different reasons. Before Bah Allh died in 1892, he appointed his eldest son, Abd al-Bah (18441921), to be the leader of the Bahi community and the authorized interpreter of his teachings. Baha'is were nonetheless subjected to persecution, as some Muslim clerics perceived their faith to be a heresy. If we allow our attention and energy to be taken up in efforts to keep others right and remedy their faults, we are wasting precious time. There also exist in the Bah Faith appointive institutions, such as the Hands of the Cause of God and the continental counselors. Another Haifan Bahai Gets Busted on Reddit, A Challenge Leads to a Peaceful Resolution, The Next UUA Presidential Election Seems to be in Trouble, An unethical teaching from the Caleb and Sophia Series, A Question About Translating the Bahai Writings. A third cried out: 'What a stench! I, too, am considering resigning my membership. "The only way jealousy or petty attitudes can be overcome is by the love and tact of the teacher; these are not things that can be solved by a 'ruling'.". "[25] Excommunication among Bahs is rare and reserved for those actively promoting schism. ", "The worst enemies of the Cause are in the Cause and mention the Name of God. Browne wrote that while he found them admirable, in his view they are inferior to the simplicity and beauty of the teachings of Christ. The followers of such splinter groups are shunned and not considered Bahs by the majority. "You ask in your letter for guidance on the implications of the prohibition on backbiting and more specifically whether, in moments of anger or depression, the believer is permitted to turn to his friends to unburden his soul and discuss his problem in human relations. Backbiting, Criticism, Faultfinding, Gossip, Lies, Slander Etc. About 5 million people worldwide adhere to the Baha'i faith, according to Patheos.com, but other sources say there are as many as 7 million around the world.. The Baha'i Faith is a dynamic world religion with several million adherents from a variety of different religious and cultural backgrounds. In a letter written to an individual believer on behalf of the Guardian it is stated: 'If we are better, if we show love, patience, and understanding of the weakness of others, if we seek to never criticize but rather encourage, others will do likewise, and we can really help the Cause through our example and spiritual strength. The Baha'i faith. The global Baha'i community is not just a group of well-meaning people. Lack of actual places of worship criticism of the baha'i faith another big shock parental consent should only be an issue if married. Continental counselors, but do not penetrate far and spoken words of the Baha & # x27 ; Faith... 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