Whenever you recognize the fault of another, think of yourself! ", " Vicious criticism is indeed a calamity. 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? [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". Message and data rates may apply. She agreed! 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. For most Muslims, the prophet Muhammad was the last and final prophet. 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. 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. The belief in fulfilled prophecies is presented by Bah' authors to demonstrate the validity of Bah'u'llh 's claim to divinity. Get in touch with the Bahais in your community. The Bahs must be distinguished from others of humanity. 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? 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.' 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? The Baha'i Faith is not just a collection of philosophical principles or an attempt to combine or conflate religions. Shoghi and the Grandsons of 'Abdu'l Baha; The Guardianship of Shoghi: Losses and Losses; Shoghi in the Will of the Master Abdu'l Baha; New History Society; Early Baha'is. But even if these are not taken from the records it still does not make them either true or false. "I hope that the believers of God will shun completely backbiting, each one praising the other cordially and believe that backbiting is the cause of Divine wrath, to such an extent that if a person backbites to the extent of one word, he may become dishonored among all the people, because the most hateful characteristic of man is fault-finding. His son and successor, Abdu'l-Baha, traveled to Europe and the United States to spread the faith. 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 primary functions of both groups are to propagate the Bah Faith and protect the community. Helen Hornby, "Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art thyself a sinner. Bah World News Service Bah' International Community, has confiscated properties from Baha'i families. I understand that I can withdraw my consent at any time. Its just spiritual, not practical, was one incorrect comment Ive heard about the Bahai Faith not once, but many times. Bah Allh was arrested in 1852 and jailed in Tehrn, where he became aware that he was the prophet and messenger of God whose coming had been predicted by the Bb. RELATED: What Happens When You Become a Bahai? Mirza Ahmad Sohrab; Lady Ruth White. Cults separate themselves from society, and Bahais take part in society. If he looks to this side and that to see how Tom and Harry are getting on and to criticise their ploughing, then his own furrow will assuredly become crooked. He must be a lover of the rose, no matter in what soil it may be growing. The Baha'is are among the most persecuted religious minorities in the world. 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. ", "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. [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. You will overcome self, you will not even have time to think of the faults of others'. 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. (Bnai Brith means children of the covenant.). For many, the Baha'i faith is one of the most universal religions. People often fear and denigrate what they dont understand, and anyone who says that the Bahai Faith is a cult definitely does not understand it. I composed that letter on my computer and mailed it in January of 2005. Soon the Bbs teachings spread throughout Iran, provoking strong opposition from both the Shii Muslim clergy and the government. "The only way jealousy or petty attitudes can be overcome is by the love and tact of the teacher; these are not things that can be solved by a 'ruling'.". Origin of the Baha'i Religion. (2) The absence of personal requirements (Baha'i demands) for the Manifestations. In a Tablet to an American friend the Master wrote: 'The worst human quality and the most great sin is backbiting, more especially when it emanates from the tongues of the believers of God. 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. 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. 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? In fact, the first school for girls in Iran was established by the Baha'is. He observed only the whiteness of the teeth and overlooked entirely the deformity of the body, the dissolution of its organs and the bad odour. Thank you so much! [21], In the Kitb-i-Aqdas, Bahu'llh prescribed the death penalty both for intentional arson and murder. The followers of such sects are labeled Covenant-breakers, shunned, and viewed as enemies of the faith. One must expose the praiseworthy qualities of the souls and not their evil attributes. I sometimes hear, from those without much knowledge of the Bahai Faith, that it is syncretic. Membership in the Bah community is open to all who profess faith in Bah Allh and accept his teachings. The ineligibility of women has caused discontent among small but vocal groups of western Bah intellectuals,[5][1] and criticism from others. [11], Bah authors have written in response that the contradictory teachings are either social laws that change from age to age, as part of a progressive revelation, or human error introduced to the more ancient faiths over time. The Bible provides ALL the answers, in my truly humble (!) But His Holiness Christ said: 'Look at its teeth! 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. I would later realize how useful those books could have been as weapons against my former religion, but I also was able to find enough online resources for my purposes. 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. (Quoted in Star of West, Vol. Corrections? A Question About Translating the Baha'i Writings December 11, 2022. The electoral process excludes parties or factions, nominations, and campaigning for office. All national spiritual assemblies of the world periodically constitute themselves an international convention and elect a supreme governing body known as the Universal House of Justice. Bah Allhs peculiar function was to overcome the disunity of religions and establish a universal faith. In the temples there is no preaching; services consist of recitation of the scriptures of all religions. We need not fear the enemies on the outside for such can be easily dealt with. Bah's recognize the coming of Bah'u'llh as the latest expression of God's guidance . ", "He feels that you should do your utmost to call the attention of the friends to these large things, and real triumphs, and away from their personal differences and petty pre-occupations. ", "As regards backbiting, i.e., discussing the faults of others in their absence, the teachings are very emphatic. When not convened as a body, each member has no autonomous authority. Baha'u'llahs father was a minister in Irans government, which supported Shi'i Islam as the state religion. "[6] Former Bah William Garlington said the Bah position in the United States "can at most be characterized as one of sympathetic disapproval" toward homosexuality. 6. 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'. My future wife was a member of First Baptist Church of Dallas, a stronghold of fundamentalism. How cadaverous looking!' [19] Of course, because the Bahai teachings emphasize the oneness of all religion, Bahais believe in the Jewish prophets and revere their Faith. https://bahai.works/index.php?title=Lights_of_Guidance/Backbiting,_Criticism,_Faultfinding,_Gossip,_Lies,_Slander_Etc.&oldid=121304. The Baha'i faith. How white they are!' ", "an unwise act or statement by a Bah in one country could result in a grave set-back for the Faith there or elsewhereand even loss of the lives of fellow believers. He further argued that in the case of "Baha'ism, with its rather vague doctrines as to the nature and destiny of the soul of man, it is a little difficult to see whence the driving force to enforce the ethical maxims can be derived. The religion's governing institution is the elected Universal House of Justice, whose membership is male-only. Omissions? 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, Throughout his life, Bah'u'llah penned over 100 . Abstract This article will explore some of the issues involved in the sociological analysis of the status of the Bah' Faith. At the same time, the Baha'i faith has spread around the globe. Gods wisdom cannot always be seen by human eyes. [4][5] These issues may be only marginal to the numerically dominant Bah community outside of Europe and North America. 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. In 1850, the Bab was charged by Shi'i religious officials with heresy and was put to death by firing squad. Still others encircle this garden inhaling the fragrance of the flowers, having enjoyed its full beauty, pass out again by the same gate. Its like Scientology in trying to manage apostasy in this way. Without the support of the UUs at First Jefferson Church, I might have never had the courage to do battle against the corrupt, idiotic Haifan Bahai Administrative Order as I have done. [19] Abdu'l-Bah said that it would become clear in the future why the restriction was in place. Your opinion is based on no facts whatsoever and therefore is not worth considering. 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. Christian and Islamic authors (e.g. 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. Will and Testament of 'Abdul-Baha; Shoghi Effendi. Others step inside, behold its beauty, but do not penetrate far. That Baha'u'llah was the Manifestation of God for this day and be obedient to the covenant. Throughout his life, Bah'u'llah penned over 100 volumes in Arabic and Persian. Baha'is are followers of the teachings of Baha'u'llah, who brought an entirely new, worldwide Faith to humanity. 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. They also. The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Baha'i Faith. As a member of Irans nobility, Baha'u'llah was offered a government position. The more the friends argue back and forth and maintain, each side, that their point of view is the right one, the worse the whole situation becomes. Author Lil Abdo says that the Bah understanding of sexual equality is different from that of secular feminists. The individual believer should seek to do this, whether he is consulting a friend, Bah or non-Bah, or whether the friend is consulting him. Once they are ADULTS, they should be treated like adults, period. 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. Selfless Service to Humanity, Eco-Caskets: The Spiritual How - and Why - of Green Burials, Dr. Anthony Lee and the Excavation of Buried Racial Narratives. Baha'u'llah, whose name means Glory of God in Arabic, was born in Tehran in 1817. 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