", " Each of us is responsible for one life only, and that is our own. IV. He teaches that God is a loving Parent who never uses threats or fear or guilt or shame in relating to Her/His children. 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. 6. Handwriting Analysis of the Will of Abdu'l Baha by Dr. Mitchell; Hermann . Paradise and Paradigm - Christopher Buck 1999-01-01 Comparing paradise imagery in two Persian religions, early Syriac Christianity and the Baha'i Faith, this work contributes to religious studies methodology by introducing "symbolic paradigm analysis." The Baha'i Faith in Africa - Anthony Lee 2011-10-28 There are more than 100,000 local Baha'i communities in places as diverse as Chile, Cambodia and the United States. My future wife was a member of First Baptist Church of Dallas, a stronghold of fundamentalism. He concluded from this that the Bah' World Faith must be God's religion. 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. Its six years since I declared and four or five since I became an ex Bahai. Pingback: Why I Abandoned the (Haifan) Bahai Faith? [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]. Vangelis was a Living Legend.and he Remains a Legend Forever! 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. 2,070. 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. 10, on page 138, there is a record of a reply given by Abdul-Bah in a private interview in Paris in 1913. [12], Regarding the Bah teachings of peace and unity, E.G. Perhaps youll be inspired to organize a similar discussion where you live. [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]. ", "The worst enemies of the Cause are in the Cause and mention the Name of God. Goodbye. In 'Star of the West', Volume 8, No. The criticism and challenges it has faced vary considerably in different regions of the world. 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 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. Its just spiritual, not practical, was one incorrect comment Ive heard about the Bahai Faith not once, but many times. What are my imperfections?and try to remove them. 2 - Belief in the transmigration of souls, and that reward and punishment happen to the soul only. 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. Bahu'llh's claim of divine revelation is in direct conflict with this common interpretation of Islam. 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). You must become distinguished for loving humanity; for unity and accord; for love and justice. 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. We need not fear the enemies on the outside for such can be easily dealt with. '", "What the believers need is not only, as you state, to really study the teachings, but also to have more peace-makers circulating among them. The last claim is partially rooted in the presence of the Bah World Centre in northern Israel. Still others encircle this garden inhaling the fragrance of the flowers, having enjoyed its full beauty, pass out again by the same gate. Updates? The electoral process excludes parties or factions, nominations, and campaigning for office. Being involved in interfaith work, Im constantly asked Whos your local spiritual leader, or priest, or pastor? The fact is, there isnt one. gss t ws mr lk prf tht yr prblms l lss n pltcs nd rlgn nd mre n mntal hlth sss? Mrz Al Moammad first proclaimed his beliefs in 1844 and assumed the title of the Bb. SOLanding, a Possible Cryptocurrency Scam Site? 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. And actually the Bahais are far more interested in growing their numbers than spending time and money on charitable work. Baha'u'llahs writings form the foundation of the Baha'i faith. The Bahs must be distinguished from others of humanity. Throughout his life, Bah'u'llah penned over 100 volumes in Arabic and Persian. His writings, which promote peace and unity, are at the heart of the . Out of the frying pan and into the fire, so to speak. If some means were devised so that the doors of backbiting could be shut eternally and each one of the believers of God unsealed his tongue in the praise of the other, then the teachings of His Holiness Baha'o'llah (Bahullh) would be spread, the hearts illuminated, the spirits glorified and the human world would attain to everlasting felicity. read more. In the love of God you must become distinguished from all else. "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. If we allow our attention and energy to be taken up in efforts to keep others right and remedy their faults, we are wasting precious time. Gods wisdom cannot always be seen by human eyes. The Baha'i faith. An overwhelming majority of Bbs acknowledged his claim and thenceforth became known as Bahs. Abd al-Bah actively administered the movements affairs and spread the faith to North America, Europe, and other continents. 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. You know nothing about why my marriage failed and it had nothing to do with lack of parental consent. https://bahai.works/index.php?title=Lights_of_Guidance/Backbiting,_Criticism,_Faultfinding,_Gossip,_Lies,_Slander_Etc.&oldid=121304. 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 writings and spoken words of the Bb, Bah Allh, and Abd al-Bah form the sacred literature of the Bah 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. That relationship ended long ago and now I am Orthodox, but this post kind of brought up some old memories. 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. He proclaimed a spiritual doctrine emphasizing the forthcoming appearance of a new prophet or messenger of God who would overturn old beliefs and customs and usher in a new era. But ere long this merciful door will be closed and such enemies will be attacked with a madness. Thank you so much! [23], The Bah teachings emphasize the need for unity, and have an official line of succession of leadership to prevent schism. [27] Cole went on to criticize the Bah Faith in three articles written from 19982002,[28][29][30] describing a prominent Bah as "inquisitor" and "bigot", and describing Bah institutions as socially isolating, dictatorial, and controlling, with financial irregularities and sexual deviance. (Dale Husband: How old are you? This must be the point of distinction among you. In fact, the first school for girls in Iran was established by the Baha'is. 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. 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'. But this distinction must not depend upon wealththat they should become more affluent than other people. [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". Baha'u'llah encouraged Baha'is to cooperate with their governments and engage with the followers of all religions in a spirit of fellowship. The principal Bah tenets are the essential unity of all religions and the unity of humanity. The global Baha'i community is not just a group of well-meaning people. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. 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.' 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. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). Thus you will grow, become more perfect. I understand that I can withdraw my consent at any time. Corrections? 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.". Abstract This article will explore some of the issues involved in the sociological analysis of the status of the Bah' Faith. 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? Christian and Islamic authors (e.g. 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. He was asked 'How shall I overcome seeing the faults of othersrecognizing the wrong in others? On the 200th anniversary of the birth of Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'i faith, the question remains: What is the reason for their persecution? He must be a lover of the rose, no matter in what soil it may be growing. Of course, because the Bahai teachings emphasize the oneness of all religion, Bahais believe in the Jewish prophets and revere their Faith. 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