Bahais have no clergy, and in every location where they reside, Bahais live according to this administrative order, following the guidance given to them by the Universal House of Justice, the first truly democratic global system of governance. Despite their apparent differences, the worlds great religions, according to the Bahs, teach an identical truth. ", " Backbiting quencheth the light of the heart, and extinguisheth the life of the soul. Assistant Professor of History and Middle East Studies, Idaho State University. Finding out about what the Bahai Faith was actually about rather than all the stuff they like to advertise was a big shock. If any individual should speak ill of one who is absent, it is incumbent on his hearers, in a spiritual and friendly manner, to stop him, and say in effect: would this detraction serve any useful purpose? They and other UUs are destined to do the work of peace, unity, and freedom that Bahais cannot and will never do! The Baha'i Faith explained that away by claiming that while Jesus was indeed a Messenger (or Manifestation) of God, His faith had become corrupted over time and thus most Christians were not truly following him, but the doctrines of men. 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. 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. A primary theme of Baha'u'llahs teachings is achieving world peace through the establishment of unity, justice and equality. 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. ", " 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. Throughout his life, Bah'u'llah penned over 100 volumes in Arabic and Persian. ", "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. Extract from Dale Husbands blog. Its like Scientology in trying to manage apostasy in this way. "As to backbiting, the House of Justice points out that learning not to concern oneself with the faults of others seems to be one of the most difficult lessons for people to master, and that failing in this is a fertile cause of disputes among Bahs as it is among men and women in general. ThenI cut completely all personal ties to the Bahais in the Fort Worth area. 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. 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. ", "I desire distinction for you. [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]. What are my imperfections?and try to remove them. However, from a Bahai perspective if your relationship to God has not been directed by the revelation of Bahaullah than we are really talking more about ones own vain imaginings as opposed to reality. Baha'is were nonetheless subjected to persecution, as some Muslim clerics perceived their faith to be a heresy. (4) The Miller analysis of the Baha'i Faith. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Many things are preserved in records as matters of opinion; no one has given a verdict on this matter! 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. 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. Heaven and Hell and the Baha'i Faith. The primary functions of both groups are to propagate the Bah Faith and protect the community. The truth, on the contrary, is that the Bahai Faith teaches progressive revelation, which means, as Abdul-Baha said in a talk he gave in the United States in 1912, that: the divine religions of the holy Manifestations of God are in reality one, though in name and nomenclature they differ. (Dale Husband: How old are you? It is one of the functions of the older and the more mature Bahs to help the weaker ones to iron out their difficulties and learn to really function and live like true believers!". Does it really matter? It is the world's second-most widespread religion after Christianity, spanning the globe and working to unite it. Message and data rates may apply. BAHA'IS AND THE NATURE OF GOD Once they are ADULTS, they should be treated like adults, period. [12], Regarding the Bah teachings of peace and unity, E.G. "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. I should update this by noting that I separated from Cheri in December of 2011 and filed for divorce from her on May 7, 2012, finally getting the divorce granted on August 15, 2012. Pingback: Why peace activists (and critics of religion) sometimes fail Dale Husband's Intellectual Rants. Deborah Clark Vance earned a Ph.D. from Howard University in Intercultural Communication and served as Assoc Prof. and Chair of the Dept of Comm & Cinema at McDaniel College. Shouldst thou transgress this command, accursed wouldst thou be, and to this I bear witness. I resigned myself on 07/07/07. More recently I found that the Dalai Lama said something similar in just two paragraphs of his 10-chapter book, he says hes not an advocate of religious syncretism such as you find in Bahaism.. Subsequent public protests and mob violence claimed the lives of thousands of his followers. 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? Others step inside, behold its beauty, but do not penetrate far. 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. [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. 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. 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. In 1850, the Bab was charged by Shi'i religious officials with heresy and was put to death by firing squad. For backbiting is divisive, it is the leading cause among the friends of a disposition to withdraw. In 'Star of the West', Volume 8, No. Conservatives among Unitarian Universalists Still Feel Like Victims. "[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. In this article I will respond to these arguments as they relate to the different views held by Bah's and Christians on (1) the nature of God, (2) biblical prophecy, and (3) religious unity. The Bah religion originally grew out of the Bb faith, or sect, which was founded in 1844 by Mrz Al Moammad of Shrz in Iran. My life and Cheris together are proof that it can work! My family, like many Wilmette residents, witnessed its decades-long construction. 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. That looked like denial to me, so I dismissed it and threw away the letter. 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. | 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. Your message was successfully sent to BahaiTeachings.org. [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. Occasionally Ive heard the uninformed opinion that the Bahai Faith is a sect of Islam not true! ", " Each of us is responsible for one life only, and that is our own. Baha'u'llahs father was a minister in Irans government, which supported Shi'i Islam as the state religion. Rather, Bahais look to the spiritual teachings of the Bab and Bahaullah, as interpreted and elucidated by Abdul-Baha, for inspiration and guidance. He was kept in an underground prison in Tehran, which Baha'u'llah describes in his writings as filthy, dark and foul beyond comparison.. His son and successor, Abdu'l-Baha, traveled to Europe and the United States to spread the faith. Check your email for the latest from BahaiTeachings.org. Soon after this, I began my relationship with Cheri, the woman that would later become my wife. 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.. At the time, I didnt care. My life has changed in ways that I had hoped the Bahai Faith would help me do, but in 35 years has not. "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. 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. The Baha'i Faith is a dynamic world religion with several million adherents from a variety of different religious and cultural backgrounds. 3 - Belief that all religions are valid, and that the Torah and Gospel have . He must be a seeker of the truth, no matter from what source it come. "You also ask what one should do to 'handle depression and anger with someone' one feels 'very positively about'. "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.". After Islamic fundamentalists came to power in Iran in 1979, the 300,000 Bahs there were persecuted by the government. There are more than 100,000 local Baha'i communities in places as diverse as Chile, Cambodia and the United States. 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. "This is the attribute of the children of the Kingdom. Unfortunately, not only average people, but average Bahs, are very immature; gossip, trouble-making, criticism, seem easier than the putting into practice of love, constructive words and cooperation. The Bah's are fully entitled to address criticisms to their assemblies; they can freely air their views about policies or individual members of elected bodies to the assembly, local or national, but then they must whole-heartedly accept the advice or decision of the assembly, according to the principles already laid down for such matters in The religion began with considerable controversy. He was asked 'How shall I overcome seeing the faults of othersrecognizing the wrong in others? How very interesting,I too declared the same time but now find myself so spiritually down in the mouth, I take great objection to the anti-homosexual stance having got dear friends that are homosexual, also I actually enjoy the occasional glass of wine in the evening with my husband, the Bahai Calendar continues to baffle me and I cant get to grips with this fasting business, oh dear.Im not actually a bad person but find the faith quite difficult, I intend withdrawing from the faith as Im certainly not spiritually fulfilled, the people are nice but its not for me anymore. Its first leader, the Bb, was imprisoned and executed for heresy in 1850, and Bahu'llh, another central figure, was exiled from Iran and both the Ottoman and Persian Empires tried to destroy his movement. I am closer to God than I have ever been, and less confused than I have ever been. ", "One must see in every human being only that which is worthy of praise. 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