I encourage you to look him up and see if it resonates with you. They and other UUs are destined to do the work of peace, unity, and freedom that Bahais cannot and will never do! The Bah community is governed according to general principles proclaimed by Bah Allh and through institutions created by him that were elaborated and expanded on by Abd al-Bah. The Baha'i Faith is not just a collection of philosophical principles or an attempt to combine or conflate religions. Vangelis was a Living Legend.and he Remains a Legend Forever! 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? 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] Central to Cole's complaints is the Bah review process, which requires Bah authors to gain approval before publishing on the religion. 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. But even if these are not taken from the records it still does not make them either true or false. It doesnt matter if you didnt formally withdraw because in practice you would have lost your administrative rights anyway, and since that is the only thing that a formal declaration providesadministrative rightsit really makes no difference anyway. [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. Throughout his life, Bah'u'llah penned over 100 volumes in Arabic and Persian. "You also ask what one should do to 'handle depression and anger with someone' one feels 'very positively about'. Your email address will not be published. Im lazy. Cults separate themselves from society, and Bahais take part in society. From my understanding, Baha'i Faith is an offshoot from Islam but still believes in Muhammad. The Christian Bible clearly displays this concept, as it includes the Old Testament prophets Moses and Abraham, along with the New Testament prophet Jesus Christ, all of whom Bahais revere and consider divine messengers. Its just spiritual, not practical, was one incorrect comment Ive heard about the Bahai Faith not once, but many times. 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. Ive never officially withdrawn or resigned, but stopped being a Bahai either one or two years after declaration. But His Holiness Christ said: 'Look at its teeth! For the first few months of our marriage, Cheri and I shared a home with my parents, until we had enough money to move out on our own. [6], The religion's rise in the Middle East and subsequent movement into the West has given rise to a body of anti-Bah polemic. Shoghi Effendi (Guardian of the Baha'i Faith) wrote about this. 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? Message and data rates may apply. It will endeavor to present criteria for the labels "world religion" and "new religious movement," as well as explore to what extent the Bah' Faith fulfils these criteria. Author Lil Abdo says that the Bah understanding of sexual equality is different from that of secular feminists. The official website of the Baha'i Faith is: Sign up for our newsletter and get all our latest content, 2023 BahaiTeachings.org All Rights Reserved. "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.". He was kept in an underground prison in Tehran, which Baha'u'llah describes in his writings as filthy, dark and foul beyond comparison.. This must be the point of distinction among you. Today, Baha'u'llahs shrine, now in Israel, is an important pilgrimage site. 6. The Nineteen Day Feast, originally instituted by the Bb, brings together the Bahs of a given locality for prayer, the reading of scriptures, the discussion of community activities, and the enjoyment of one anothers company. Instead, he joined a new religious movement, started by a young Iranian, known as the Bab. [16] Thus, authorities in the Muslim world have rejected the Bah Faith and regard Bahs as apostates if they had been Muslims before conversion. | 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. Someone from the Bahai community will contact you shortly. In brief, you must become distinguished in all the virtues of the human world; for faithfulness and steadfastness; for philanthropic deeds and service to the human world; for love toward every human being; for unity and accord with all people; for removing prejudices and promoting international peace. The first time I heard the word syncretic connected with the Bahai Faith was from a college professor who knew I was Bahai but wanted to instruct me about this particular weakness he perceived. 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. [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. An overwhelming majority of Bbs acknowledged his claim and thenceforth became known as Bahs. I was recently invited to participate on an interfaith panel where we all responded to this question: What are the truths and misconceptions about your Faith? There also exist in the Bah Faith appointive institutions, such as the Hands of the Cause of God and the continental counselors. Consider, that He did not look at all at the defects of that animal; nay, rather, He searched well until He found the beautiful white teeth. The principal Bah tenets are the essential unity of all religions and the unity of humanity. Baha'is are followers of the teachings of Baha'u'llah, who brought an entirely new, worldwide Faith to humanity. Your opinion is based on no facts whatsoever and therefore is not worth considering. There is no way Im going to use a strangers personal home as a house of worship. 9 Politics: Here a number of criticisms about the Bahai faith aligning itself with different historical superpowers are listed. Instead, I asked her to join with me in First Jefferson Unitarian Universalist Church, which I had belonged to before. [27] Soon after his resignation, Cole created an email list and website called H-Bahai, which became a repository of both primary source material and critical analysis on the religion. 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. [15] Douglas Martin wrote that Miller's writings were driven by animus against what he saw as a successful rival faith that was moving into Christian lands. Realizing that I had to remove myself from that community outright as a matter of honor, I wrote the following letter: To the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahais of the United States, Selfless Service to Humanity, Eco-Caskets: The Spiritual How - and Why - of Green Burials, Dr. Anthony Lee and the Excavation of Buried Racial Narratives. Quoted in, Last edited on 12 February 2023, at 13:17, Political accusations against the Baha'i Faith, "The Economist explains: The Bahai faith", "Possible Criticisms of the Baha'i Faith from a Feminist Perspective", "The Baha'i Faith in America as Panopticon, 1963-1997", "Fundamentalism in the Contemporary U.S. Baha'i Community", "Bah' Youth and Sexuality A Personal/Professional View", "Missionary as Historian: William Miller and the Bah' Faith", "Marginality and Apostasy in the Baha'i Community", "An Introduction to Bah' Law: Doctrinal Foundations, Principles and Structures", "A Short Introduction to the Bah' Faith", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Criticism_of_the_Bah_Faith&oldid=1138934100, This page was last edited on 12 February 2023, at 13:17. In 'Star of the West', Volume 8, No. Your details have now been sent. [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]. Baha'u'llahs writings form the foundation of the Baha'i faith. Being involved in interfaith work, Im constantly asked Whos your local spiritual leader, or priest, or pastor? The fact is, there isnt one. The Earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens, Committee Member - MNF Research Advisory Committee, PhD Scholarship - Uncle Isaac Brown Indigenous Scholarship. Syncretic means that a religion contains nothing original, but instead is a collection of teachings culled from other religions in an attempt to fuse them. Later, my mother, who was always hostile to the Bahai Faith because of her Baptist convictions, took those items and discarded them all without my consent. Pingback: Why I Abandoned the (Haifan) Bahai Faith? The religion officially formed in 1863, but a Shiite Muslim man in Iran began paving the way in 1844 by announcing a new prophet was to come - after Muhammad. The belief in fulfilled prophecies is presented by Bah' authors to demonstrate the validity of Bah'u'llh 's claim to divinity. The primary functions of both groups are to propagate the Bah Faith and protect the community. But. No, never! Its six years since I declared and four or five since I became an ex Bahai. 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. Does it really matter? 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. Thus you will grow, become more perfect. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, so to speak. "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. The faith has no priesthood and does not observe ritual forms in its worship. John Ankerberg) have attacked its history and founders, institutions, teachings, and use of prophecy. 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. Baha'u'llah encouraged Baha'is to cooperate with their governments and engage with the followers of all religions in a spirit of fellowship. Whenever you recognize the fault of another, think of yourself! They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Such passages as the following extract from one of the letters written on behalf of the beloved Guardian by his secretary will also be helpful: " 'Each of us is responsible for one life only, and that is our own. [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. Message and data rates may apply. After Islamic fundamentalists came to power in Iran in 1979, the 300,000 Bahs there were persecuted by the government. Baha'u'llah's writings form the foundation of the Baha'i faith. Would it please the Blessed Beauty, contribute to the lasting honour of the friends, promote the holy Faith, support the Covenant, or be of any possible benefit to any soul? I understand that I can withdraw my consent at any time. 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