criticism of the baha'i faithbyron morris obituary

"[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. 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. 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, For many, the Baha'i faith is one of the most universal religions. 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. Shouldst thou transgress this command, accursed wouldst thou be, and to this I bear witness. Thank you so much! 2 - Belief in the transmigration of souls, and that reward and punishment happen to the soul only. In this two-part article we will briefly examine: (1) The Baha'i approach to other religions. I do not desire for you financial distinction. The religion began with considerable controversy. 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. Occasionally Ive heard the uninformed opinion that the Bahai Faith is a sect of Islam not true! The belief in fulfilled prophecies is presented by Bah' authors to demonstrate the validity of Bah'u'llh 's claim to divinity. On the national scale, each year Bahs elect delegates to a national convention that elects a national spiritual assembly with jurisdiction over Bahs throughout an entire country. The criticism and challenges it has faced vary considerably in different regions of the world. "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. [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. [32][33] He specifically criticized the work of individual Bah scholars he saw as defending Bah orthodoxy at the expense of historical rigour, including William S. Hatcher,[32] Muhammad Afnan,[32] Juan Cole[33] (although Cole subsequently left the religion), Nader Saiedi,[34] and Moojan Momen. ", " Backbiting quencheth the light of the heart, and extinguisheth the life of the soul. 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'. Still others encircle this garden inhaling the fragrance of the flowers, having enjoyed its full beauty, pass out again by the same gate. 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. 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. 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? 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. Yes, the Road to Serfdom is Indeed Paved by Conservatives, you Libertarian Idiot! The Babi movement called for revolutionary social changes and championed womens rights. 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. Bahs believe that all the founders of the worlds great religions have been manifestations of God and agents of a progressive divine plan for the education of the human race. Throughout his life, Bah'u'llah penned over 100 . A Question About Translating the Baha'i Writings December 11, 2022. 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. I stayed silent about my defection from the Bahai Faith untilOctober 19, 2007, when I posted my first blog entry attacking it. The clear, forthright responses he gave to the criticism that "the Baha'i Faith offers nothing new," have become, during the intervening century, a classic catalog of the many unique and unprecedented aspects of the Baha'i teachings and principles. About a dozen of these have been translated into English and other languages. The Bahi Faith underwent a rapid expansion beginning in the 1960s, and by the early 21st century it had more than 180 national spiritual assemblies (national governing bodies) and several thousand local spiritual assemblies. Baha'u'llahs writings form the foundation of the Baha'i faith. More than one person has said Bahais arent involved in social action. Nothing could be further from the truth. 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.. 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. Extract from Dale Husbands blog. Ive never officially withdrawn or resigned, but stopped being a Bahai either one or two years after declaration. 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! 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. 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. An overwhelming majority of Bbs acknowledged his claim and thenceforth became known as Bahs. Bah Allhs peculiar function was to overcome the disunity of religions and establish a universal faith. 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. The followers of such splinter groups are shunned and not considered Bahs by the majority. Because the Bahai Faith is based in the grassroots, any social action is the result of consultative decisions made in any given locality and depends on local capacities. But. Cults separate themselves from society, and Bahais take part in society. In fact, 41 countries - or around a fifth (21%) of those evaluated - banned at least one religion-related group in 2019, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of laws and policies in effect in 198 countries in 2019, the most recent year for which comprehensive data is available. 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. That relationship ended long ago and now I am Orthodox, but this post kind of brought up some old memories. The principal Bah tenets are the essential unity of all religions and the unity of humanity. Soon after this, I began my relationship with Cheri, the woman that would later become my wife. 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. ", "One must see in every human being only that which is worthy of praise. In the summer and fall of 2004, I gradually came to the conviction that the Bahai Faith was no longer worthy of my allegiance. Here are the misconceptions I addressed: People often ask where Bahais worship, which perhaps indicates anassumption more than a misconception. 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. In the love of God you must become distinguished from all else. 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. 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. All done! It is not an ordinary distinction I desire: not scientific, commercial, industrial distinction. 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. 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. 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 . ; u & # x27 ; llah penned over 100 be, and extinguisheth life... I desire: not scientific, commercial, industrial distinction anassumption more than a misconception u'llahs form., you Libertarian Idiot which is worthy of praise over 100 that relationship ended ago. # x27 ; llah penned over 100 I posted my first blog entry attacking.... One must see in every human being only that which is worthy of praise faced considerably! U'Llahs Writings form the foundation of the world the woman that would later become my.. 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