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. The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Baha'i Faith. 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. People who leave the religion, transgress community standards, or attack it externally are not considered Covenant-breakers. He teaches that God is a loving Parent who never uses threats or fear or guilt or shame in relating to Her/His children. 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. If you dont recognize Bahaullah as a manifestation of God then you arent really a Bahai whether or not you happen to be part of the Bahai Administrative Order. "You also ask what one should do to 'handle depression and anger with someone' one feels 'very positively about'. 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. I have been studying AJ Millers teachings for 17 months now. [19] Bahs believe in the oneness of humanity and devote themselves to the abolition of racial, class, and religious prejudices. That looked like denial to me, so I dismissed it and threw away the letter. You may know of some other misconceptions, and I learned on our interfaith panel that they can be a wonderful topic for public discussion. Every Bah, however, is under the spiritual obligation to pray daily; to abstain totally from narcotics, alcohol, or any other substances that affect the mind; to practice monogamy; to obtain the consent of parents to marriage; and to attend the Nineteen Day Feast on the first day of each month of the Bah calendar. 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. 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'. Assistant Professor of History and Middle East Studies, Idaho State University. By clicking "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. "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. "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.". Pawel Szul heterodoxy religion of Bayan, Unitarian Baha'i Discussion Forum Yahoo. Does it really matter? Ratings: +1,422. In the love of God you must become distinguished from all else. Actually, Bahais have been imprisoned and martyred since their Faith began in Persia, because of the persecution of the powerful Islamic clerics who consider the Bahai Faith and its progressive principles a threat. 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. I resigned myself on 07/07/07. All done! 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 majority of Baha'is, however, live in the global south. In any case, good luck to you and God Bless. We need not fear the enemies on the outside for such can be easily dealt with. | 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. You will overcome self, you will not even have time to think of the faults of others'. 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. 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.". Oral reports, although they exist, are considered too unreliable to be fully authoritative and are to . Your email address will not be published. The Bb was arrested and, after several years of incarceration, was executed in 1850. Baha'u'llah's writings form the foundation of the Baha'i faith. As a member of Irans nobility, Baha'u'llah was offered a government position. She agreed! Cults often promote violence, and Bahais are peaceful, non-violent citizens. 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. In 1850, the Bab was charged by Shi'i religious officials with heresy and was put to death by firing squad. ", "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. 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. 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 Bah Faith is a relatively new religion teaching the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. And actually the Bahais are far more interested in growing their numbers than spending time and money on charitable work. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Since then, the Bahai International Community, as a non-governmental organization with a permanent seat at the United Nations, has consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council. ', and He replied: 'I will tell you. Bahu'llh's claim of divine revelation is in direct conflict with this common interpretation of Islam. 2,070. 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. My life and Cheris together are proof that it can work! 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. 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. Your opinion is based on no facts whatsoever and therefore is not worth considering. 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. It has an office on the environment involved in sustainable development. Select search scope, currently: articles+ all catalog, articles, website, & more in one search; catalog books, media & more in the Stanford Libraries' collections; articles+ journal articles & other e-resources It was during this exile that he publicly announced the establishment of the Baha'i faith. Cheri came to love the freedom of thought in that church, despite still being a strong Christian, while I came to love the powerful community the church provided, despite my agnosticism. "he suggests you write the National Spiritual Assembly in a loving spirit, and point out to them how it distresses you to think that, after so many years of service, statements about you which you consider unjustified should be preserved. 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. What are my imperfections?and try to remove them. Heaven and Hell and the Baha'i 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. How white they are!' Parental consent should only be an issue if the married partners are still minors. One of the first Bah institutions in the U.S. was established in Chicago and . Many of the Bahai writings are mystical and tell us a great deal about spiritual reality but others lay the foundation for an elegant and very practical democratically-elected global administrative order, designed to gradually unfold and help bring humanity to a permanent world peace. Your details have now been sent. Your message was successfully sent to BahaiTeachings.org. As part of its crackdown on the followers of the Bab, the Iranian government incarcerated Baha'u'llah. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 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. "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. A third cried out: 'What a stench! The Quran puts forth the same idea, because along with Muhammad it includes the Old Testament prophets and also Christ. There is, of course the right of appeal from the Local to the National Assembly, and from that to Shoghi Effendi,* but the matter ought to be dealt with, in the first instance, by the Local Spiritual Assembly. 6. It really doesnt matter what one calls oneself, it only matters what ones relationship is to God in reality. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Ive never been into having to jump through hurdles to withdraw. I do not desire for you financial distinction. Soon after, early American converts began embracing the new religion. Some discover a hornets nest in the garden and fearing being STUNG TO DEATH, run out of the garden in horror. [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". [17], Bahu'llh's teachings on the equality of men and women, and that slavery should be banned, were controversial ideas in the nineteenth century Middle East that contributed to attempts to destroy his movement.[16]. You know nothing about why my marriage failed and it had nothing to do with lack of parental consent. Hi, exmuslim atheist here. These are worded in a way to seem like crazy conspiracies. 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. 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. [35], Christian Research Journal, Winter/Spring, 1989, p. 2. 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. The last claim is partially rooted in the presence of the Bah World Centre in northern Israel. IV. In all other levels of administration (other than the UHJ), however, women have always been eligible to serve, often contrary to prevailing cultural or societal norms. Baha'u'llah, whose name means Glory of God in Arabic, was born in Tehran in 1817. 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.' Thank you so much! 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). Velma A Good Reason to NEVER Subscribe to HBO Max! Do it yourself clergy aka the horrible administrative order, no politics allowed aka also another side effect of the administrative order as a model for the world at large, no alcohol drugs gambling gossip sex outside of heterosexual monogamy aka loads and loads of rules, etc are all drawbacks of being a Bahai. 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 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 followers of such sects are labeled Covenant-breakers, shunned, and viewed as enemies of the faith. "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. 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. Many things are preserved in records as matters of opinion; no one has given a verdict on this matter! ". Lights of Guidance Backbiting, Criticism, Faultfinding, Gossip, Lies, Slander Etc. 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. 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. (5) Moral concerns. If capable, those between the ages of 15 and 70 are required to fast 19 days a year, going without food or drink from sunrise to sunset. Extract from Dale Husbands blog. One of the Bbs earliest disciples and strongest exponents was Mrz osayn Al Nr, who had assumed the name Bah Allh when he renounced his social standing and joined the Bbs. Dale's Declarations. Finding out about what the Bahai Faith was actually about rather than all the stuff they like to advertise was a big shock. Abstract This article will explore some of the issues involved in the sociological analysis of the status of the Bah' Faith. 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. Mrz Al Moammad first proclaimed his beliefs in 1844 and assumed the title of the Bb. "You are quite correct in your understanding of the importance of avoiding backbiting; such conduct strikes at the very unity of the Bah community. ", "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. Here are the misconceptions I addressed: People often ask where Bahais worship, which perhaps indicates anassumption more than a misconception. 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