ThenI cut completely all personal ties to the Bahais in the Fort Worth area. The Orthodox Bah Faith is an extremely small Bah sect that was formed in 1960 by Mason Remey, and subsequently was the name used by one of his disputed successors, Joel Marangella.The sect is defined by a belief that the Guardianship of Shoghi Effendi (1921-1957) continued with further appointees, whereas the mainstream Bahs follow a line of leadership that transitioned to . Origin of the Baha'i Religion. This body applies the laws promulgated by Bah Allh and legislates on matters not covered in the sacred texts. Its interesting how much confusion this lack of a fixed building in many Bahai communities can create for members of other Faiths who feel connected to their places of worship. Bahaullahs revelation has been recognized as an independent global Faith in most of the countries of the world. gss t ws mr lk prf tht yr prblms l lss n pltcs nd rlgn nd mre n mntal hlth sss? 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. No, never! 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 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. opinion. He appointed his eldest grandson, Shoghi Effendi Rabbn (18971957), his successor. Ive never officially withdrawn or resigned, but stopped being a Bahai either one or two years after declaration. How blessed are these aims, especially the prevention of backbiting! They and other UUs are destined to do the work of peace, unity, and freedom that Bahais cannot and will never do! 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, 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. Finally, you must become distinguished for heavenly illumination and acquiring the bestowals of God. In the summer and fall of 2004, I gradually came to the conviction that the Bahai Faith was no longer worthy of my allegiance. 6. [15], Islamic theology regards Muhammad as the Khatam an-Nabiyyin, the last prophet whom God has sent and Islam as the final religion for all humankind. But. Criticism of the Baha'i Faith I can only speak for myself, but I consider direct and detailed criticism of the Baha'i Faith to be an essential part of the recovery process involved in leaving it. It is the world's second-most widespread religion after Christianity, spanning the globe and working to unite it. Some discover a hornets nest in the garden and fearing being STUNG TO DEATH, run out of the garden in horror. 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. The central figure of the religion is Baha'u'llah, and Baha'is consider him to be the latest in a series of divine messengers. But ere long this merciful door will be closed and such enemies will be attacked with a madness. I read where it clearly said in the Bahai Writings you have to explicitly deny belief in Bahaullah to be removed from National Bahai membership rolls. Jehovah's Witnesses and Baha'is were among the most . 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. 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 . IV. In such cases, of course, the name of the person or persons involved will have to be mentioned. Message and data rates may apply. The seat of the Universal House of Justice is in Haifa, Israel, in the immediate vicinity of the shrines of the Bb and Abd al-Bah and near the Shrine of Bah Allh at Bahj, near Akko. The condemnation of backbiting could hardly be couched in stronger language than in these passages, and it is obviously one of the foremost obligations for Bahs to set their faces against this practice. Its like Scientology in trying to manage apostasy in this way. I am currently a skeptic who is looking at both UU and Bahai as a new place to find a community that thinks like I do. The Bb was arrested and, after several years of incarceration, was executed in 1850. December 8-10, 1995 (see list of papers from #8) The claim of the Baha'i Faith to uphold the equality of men and women as a principle attracts attention from others who would also claim to be advancing the cause of sex equality, albeit from different perspectives. 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'. Vangelis was a Living Legend.and he Remains a Legend Forever! Dale's Declarations. A third cried out: 'What a stench! "You also ask what one should do to 'handle depression and anger with someone' one feels 'very positively about'. Do this whenever you are tried through the words or deeds of others. 9 Politics: Here a number of criticisms about the Bahai faith aligning itself with different historical superpowers are listed. Abd al-Bah actively administered the movements affairs and spread the faith to North America, Europe, and other continents. The Bible provides ALL the answers, in my truly humble (!) [17], From 1980 onward, several well-educated Bahs left the religion and subsequently criticized it. In Iran, where the religion was founded, universities refuse to admit Baha'i students, Baha'i cemeteries have been destroyed and the countrys Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has confiscated properties from Baha'i families. In the early 21st century there were nine Bah houses of worship: in Australia, Cambodia, Chile, Germany, India, Panama, Samoa, the United States, and Uganda. Baha'u'llahs writings form the foundation of the Baha'i faith. [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. (5) Moral concerns. These are worded in a way to seem like crazy conspiracies. In this two-part article we will briefly examine: (1) The Baha'i approach to other religions. "This is the attribute of the children of the Kingdom. In the end (undefined in conventional thinking) all knees will bow before the King of all Kings, Jesus Christ. 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. Does it really matter? Updates? One of them said: 'How putrid has this animal become!' Mrz Al Moammad first proclaimed his beliefs in 1844 and assumed the title of the Bb. ", "Indeed the believers have not yet fully learned to draw on each other's love for strength and consolation in time of need. The Bahai House of Worship in North America is in the town where two generations of my family lived before me Wilmette, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. While Bahais dont have traditional churches or mosques, local Bahai communities may decide to rent or buy a meeting place, usually called a Bahai Center, depending on the size of the Bahai community and their circumstances. This is the conduct and the manner of the real Bahais (Bahs). The friends must overlook their shortcomings and faults and speak only of their virtues and not their defects. promoting the Baha'i Faith for twenty years. She agreed! 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. 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. Yes, the Road to Serfdom is Indeed Paved by Conservatives, you Libertarian Idiot! Message and data rates may apply. I resigned myself on 07/07/07. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. [27][31], Denis MacEoin, a scholar who had previously been a Bah, criticized what he saw as a threat to the impartiality of the academic field of Bb and Bah studies due to the dominance of practising Bahs in the field. (3) Anachronistic Baha'i scriptures. That Baha'u'llah was the Manifestation of God for this day and be obedient to the covenant. It is free information and it is offered without any coercion on your free will about what to do with it. [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. [1][2], The criticism and challenges it has faced vary considerably in different regions of the world. The Baha'i Faith is a dynamic world religion with several million adherents from a variety of different religious and cultural backgrounds. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bahai-Faith, The British Library - An introduction to the Bahai Faith, World Religious and Spirituality Project - Bahai Faith, Bahai Faith - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Bahai faith - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). ", "As regards backbiting, i.e., discussing the faults of others in their absence, the teachings are very emphatic. ', and He replied: 'I will tell you. I declared back in 2008 when I was a naive open eyed idealist about the principles without knowing about all the contradictions and stuff. 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). 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. If, however, we look at people from the standpoint of their faults, then being a friend to them is a formidable task. by Jeremy Butler | Mar 25, 2010 | Baha'i, World Religions. Though new, these beliefs originated in Twelver Shii Islam, which asserts a belief in the forthcoming return of the 12th imam (successor of Muhammad), who will renew religion and guide the faithful. I have been studying AJ Millers teachings for 17 months now. Baha'is believe that God has . ", "I desire distinction for you. 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. 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. 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? 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? [19] Since the Bahai Faith is a relatively young religion founded by Bahaullah in the middle of the 19th century not everyone knows a great deal about it, and some people have incorrect information. Someone from the Bahai community will contact you shortly. Eventually, what started as a compromise between us grew into a case of full blown allegiance to the UU church for both of us. Deeds not words are what they demand, and no amount of fervor in the use of expressions of loyalty and adulation will compensate for failure to live in the spirit of the teachings.". 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. The principal Bah tenets are the essential unity of all religions and the unity of humanity. Every attempted Bah schism has failed to attract more than a few hundred individuals and declined over time. You will overcome self, you will not even have time to think of the faults of others'. 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. The Bahs must be distinguished from others of humanity. Message and data rates may apply. 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