Profiting from the freedom accorded the world center of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, ever since the ignominious defeat of the decrepit Ottoman empire during the war of 1914-18, the forces released through the inception of the stupendous Plan conceived by Him could now flow unchecked, under the beneficent influence of a sympathetic regime, into channels designed to disclose to the world at large the potencies with which that Plan had been endowed. The interment of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Himself within a vault of the Báb's mausoleum, enhancing still further the sacredness of that mountain; the installment of an electric plant, the first of its kind established in the city of Haifa, flooding with illumination the Grave of One Who, in His own words, had been denied even "a lighted lamp" in His fortress-prison in Adhirbayjan; the construction of three additional chambers adjoining His sepulcher, thereby completing 'Abdu'l-Bahá's plan for the first unit of that Edifice; the vast extension, despite the machinations of the Covenant-breakers, of the properties surrounding that resting-place, sweeping from the ridge of Carmel down to the Templar colony nestling at its foot, and representing assets estimated at no less than four hundred thousand pounds, together with the acquisition of four tracts of land, dedicated to the Bahá'í Shrines, and situated in the plain of 'Akká to the north, in the district of Beersheba to the south, and in the valley of the Jordan to the east, amounting to approximately six hundred acres; the opening of a series of terraces which, as designed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, are to provide a direct approach to the Báb's Tomb from the city lying under its shadow; the beautification of its precincts through the laying out of parks and gardens, open daily to the public, and attracting tourists and residents alike to its gates -- these may be regarded as the initial evidences of the marvelous expansion of the international institutions and endowments of the Faith at its world center. Of particular significance, moreover, has been the exemption granted by the Palestine High Commissioner to the entire area of land surrounding and dedicated to the Shrine of the Báb, to the school property and the archives in its vicinity, to the Western pilgrim-house situated in its neighborhood, and to such historic sites as the Mansion in Bahji, the House of Bahá'u'lláh in 'Akká, and the garden of Ridvan to the east of that city; the establishment, as a result of two formal applications submitted to the civil authorities, of the Palestine Branches of the American and Indian National Spiritual Assemblies, as recognized religious societies in Palestine (to be followed, for purposes of internal consolidation, by a similar incorporation of the branches of other National Spiritual Assemblies throughout the Bahá'í world); and the transfer to the Branch of the American National Spiritual Assembly, through a series of no less than thirty transactions, of properties dedicated to the Tomb of the Báb, and approximating in their aggregate fifty thousand square meters, the majority of the title-deeds of which bear the signature of the son of the Arch-breaker of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant in his capacity as Registrar of lands in Haifa.

Equally significant has been the founding on Mt. Carmel of two international Archives, the one adjoining the shrine of the Báb, the other in the immediate vicinity of the resting-place of the Greatest Holy Leaf, where, for the first time in Bahá'í history, priceless treasures, hitherto scattered and often hidden for safekeeping, have been collected and are now displayed to visiting pilgrims…. (God Passes By, p. 347)

Archives

Equally significant has been the founding on Mt. Carmel of two international Archives, the one adjoining the shrine of the Báb, the other in the immediate vicinity of the resting-place of the Greatest Holy Leaf, where, for the first time in Bahá'í history, priceless treasures, hitherto scattered and often hidden for safekeeping, have been collected and are now displayed to visiting pilgrims….(God Passes By, p. 347)

(Bahá'í Answers, compiled by Olivia Kelsey, 1947, APPROVED BY THE REVIEWING COMMITTEE OF THENATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA)

https://bahai-library.com/kelsey_bahai_answers

So the Baha'i Faith is popular in three states now?

I am not Baha’i. Baha’i members have told me how amazing the “consultation” process is and how they wish every interaction can be like that, in personal relationships, in the workplace, in public schools.

Of course I have also heard that it is (ahem) useless and nothing special.

It can be both - or something else. And of course, it could be right for some situations and not for others. What do you think?

I'm just venting after decades as a member of the Faith, but 90% inactive. I'm just looking for what's true in life. No, the Faith isn't evil, but I feel it is on a deeply emotional level. Is it controlling? It feels that way to me. It's a converting machine. Every meeting ever went to was about teaching. I eventually felt it had nothing to do about spiritual learning or growth. Eventually after many years I just stopped going. I felt that the moral bar was set so high, that no human could possible jump over it. But I was just taking a walk thinking about it, and it just feels evil to me, very controlling, although one is free to follow or not follow. So I have been reinvestigating all it's claims. Just my thoughts.

One thing that bothers me is why on earth would the creator of the universe want us to offer up our lives for any religion? It makes no sense to me. The early Babi's gave their lives. I suppose in exchange for eternal life? Another example of an extremist religion, bordering on cultism. That's a tipoff to those with half a brain, not to join that faith. IMO

There's a lot of cope in that discussion. Bahá'ís are clearly conflicted and not without reason.

Nearly every question of justice — how the poor are treated, whether the vulnerable are protected, whether truth is told by those in power — is ultimately settled in the political arena. A faith that commands its followers toward justice, the elimination of prejudice, and the betterment of the world, yet forbids them the primary language in which societies negotiate those very things, asks them to will the ends while renouncing the means. Silence is not neutral: when good people abstain from political speech, the field is simply ceded to those with fewer scruples, and quietism becomes, in effect, an endorsement of whatever order prevails.

The whole point is to convert people and then once they convert then it’s like “alright yay onto the next victim we’re gonna manipulate and pretend to befriend but actually we’re two-faced and just want the numbers to grow.”

And don’t even get me started on how the basis of the religion makes no sense. How can Islam and Hinduism come from the same God? It really takes 2 seconds of critical thinking to know this is some made up bs.

Also they’ve got LSA and NSA leaders who are literally abusers at home. My father’s side of the family are like the ring leaders in our country’s Bahai community, meanwhile at home he’s beating his wife infront of his small children. How can men like this be admired and be the leaders of a religion claiming to treat men and women equally?

So glad I left this toxic cult.

I’m not Baha’i myself but was curious; from what I’ve read about the Baha’i, some of the holiest places in their faith are in Israel. And knowing how they’re strongly against Iran, it’s not bad to think many are Zionists. How true is it and to what degree? Or any other info?

Just wondering what you say to a person who approaches you now about the Baha’i Faith! Of course I mean to someone you don’t already know.

Sometimes you can feel when someone wants to talk about their faith or religious community, for whatever reason. They want to talk about what it means to them, or maybe they do want to proselytize. Do you try and shut down the conversation before it starts? Does that work? Or do you wait for the person to start being more overt and explicit? Are you kind or more aggressive?

Just wondering…

I joined the Baha'i Faith at age 21 in a small town. Where we had real firesides in the woods, with a fire burning! It was pretty cool, I have to say.

Then I moved to a big city, and my world expanded. By age 32 or so, wasn't into the Faith too much. And pretty much stopped going to meetings. When I was in my early 50's I started going again to Ruhi. And I was kinda turned off by Ruhi deepenings. We were being trained to all think alike and go out to get converts. Then I remember one meeting when a Regional teaching committee guy came and gave a talk of sorts. And I remember feeling like, wow, this guy is so extreme. It was almost like a militaristic type of talk. And we were supposed to follow orders and convert the world, type of feeling.

Another huge turn off for me. I don't like groups as I am an introvert. And I did the street teaching thing in my early years, and went to a foreign country and did a short stint teaching the Faith. And now when I look back, I feel almost ashamed of doing that. It's embarassing to me.

So again I stopped going to meetings. And now in my mid 70s, I have not been to a meeting. And you know what? And this is a big turn off for me, I never heard from the Baha'i community except for a few emails here and there. Never got a phone call from anyone, or anything. So I think, all those years of service way back when, and I don't even rate a how do you do! That made me angry.

So the Faith is just a huge teaching/converting people machine. And I remember thinking in my 30s that the moral standard is so high, that it is unrealistic for mortal people to attain.

And after studying religion for 3 decades, taking Buddhist classes, studying atheism, deism, and listening to countless debates between Christians and Atheists, I have concluded that religion is man-made. And when I think of the Baha'i Faith, there are principles I agree with, but overall the control it exerts over its followers, as with all religions, makes me want to run and hide.

There are other things I could say, but I'll stop here.

Well, that's my 50 year story of my on and off relationship with the Faith.

Hello

I met a bahai some years ago. After the initial love bombing phase which really captured me came the truth. The backbiting, the deciet etc.

I now realise Bahais groom people, take their money and give it directly to the faith. I am involved in a legal case to recover funds stolen from an elderly couple.

If anyone has similar stories please get in touch. This must not be allowed to carry on. The lsa and nsa are complicit as they closed me down quickly refusing to hear true versions.

I have nothing against the faiths founders but this group is spiraling out of control and must be stopped.

Honestly! This religion is so corporate. Why is it "teaching" and "pioneering" instead of proselytizing?Why is it "declaring" instead of converting? "Service" instead of volunteering? There are more that don't come to mind. But I hated how it was all about the specific wording or else they'd play dumb and go actually Baha'is don't do x we do y. The whole religion feels like a company... anyone else feel this way?

Happy Pride everybody! Even though the Baha'i Faith technically allows trans people to exist (AFTER they get expensive-ass HRT, surgery, and legal ID changes which could be dangerous to try to undertake in certain jurisdictions; i.e. nonbinary people like me are not allowed to cross-dress due to the "impression of homosexuality"), the Universal House of Justice's insistence on there only being two sexes is imperialistic and scientifically unsound. Specific quotes I use in this section of the video (which I hope you can leave a like on to help me fight this hypocritical cult until the administration is defeated once and for all and LGBTQ Baha'is can finally live in peace) include:

On February 4^th, 2021, the UHJ affirmed that "...the Bahá’í writings affirm the generally held perspective that there are two sexes, male and female. This, of course, is not in conformity with some recent social theories that divide gender into multiple types."

“The Local Spiritual Assembly also expresses concern about his current behaviour which gives the impression of homosexuality, and thus places in question the morality of his having roommates of either sex, no matter what stage the sex-change procedure has reached. An example is his dressing as a woman while still, apparently, being a man. Such actions could well be regarded as giving the appearance of immoral behaviour and as having the potential for bringing the community into disrepute."

“If a person does undergo the medical procedures required to change his or her sex and the change of sex has been legally recognized, the spiritual, moral, and legal prerogatives and obligations relevant to that sex would apply, and marriage to a person of the opposite sex would be permissible.”

“A Bahá’í considering a change of sex is advised to carefully and prayerfully weigh the medical opinion received in the light of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings and not be swayed by contemporary notions that regard gender as something to be altered as a matter of personal preference or intuition. In addition to considering the medical factors, the believer would wish to reflect on how perception of the issue has been influenced by powerful, contemporary forces affecting society. Most importantly, the believer ought to take into account the spiritual teachings bearing on such a decision. These relate to such matters as the purpose of life, the twofold nature of human beings, the soul’s lack of gender, and the role of tests in an individual’s spiritual development. Depending on circumstances, consideration of relevant spiritual teachings might prompt questions such as the following:

“How best may one fulfill the spiritual purpose of life? Will one’s spiritual happiness result from the material solution of a sex change, or might one be pursuing a chimera, which will result in a new set of problems? Is it possible to view the challenge of gender identity as a test that one can come to grips with and manage? What will be the impact of such a decision on one’s family members, including any spouse or children?”

This reminded me of a Netflix documentary I watched recently about the FLDS cult. It takes a lot to escape this.

For asking about Leila Shahid, great great granddaughter of Bahá’u’lláh, and first woman ambassador for Palestine. When she died by suicide recently, I read about her life. Then I found myself believing the faith. But her parents were so called covenant breakers, spiritual poison.

Ban me, fair enough.

Leila was a martyr and true guardian. No world peace without justice in Palestine.

Shoghi was struck down for a reason. And the UHJ is complicit in genocide.

The funny ending is still believing. I also learned from old friends that one of their parents works in Haifa. My story could go on… but here we are.

This is a confusing spiritual experience. I have not told anyone about it. I would be interested in a Baha’i gathering, but it seems I am unwelcome.

Anyone else feel similar?