Baha’i

The term Baha’i literally means a “follower of Baha,” referring to Baha’ullah, the founder of the religion. Baha’i has about 6 million adherents (placing it outside the top ten religions), but it is represented in well over 200 countries in the world.

Baha’i originated in 1844 in Iran when a pious man declared himself to be a Bab, or “gate,” by which God was communicating his message to the people. The Bab’s followers said he was the long-awaited Islamic Mahdi, the future leader Muslims were waiting for. The government executed the Bab. In 1863, a young man declared himself to be the rightful successor to the Bab; he called himself Baha’ullah. After Baha’ullah’s death, his son, who had grown up with him in prison, took over the leadership of the Baha’i flock. He took on the name of Abdul Baha. Before Abdul Baha died in 1921, he appointed his grandson, Shoghi Effendi, as his successor. Upon Shoghi’s death in 1957, the administration of the faith moved into the hands of the nine-member Universal House of Justice.

The most distinctive symbol for Baha’i is the nine-pointed star. Nine represents the diversity that is enmeshed with unity (the oneness of a single number).

People of this faith believe there are many ways to God, but there is ultimately only one God and one truth. Baha’is accept the scriptures of all major faiths as holy, inspired writings, and they are encouraged to study them. According to Baha’i teaching, there were nine Great Manifestations of God: Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, the Bab and Baha’ullah. Major beliefs are the oneness of humankind, independent investigation of truth, common foundation of all religions, essential harmony between science and religion, equality of men and women, elimination of prejudices of all kinds, universal compulsory education, a spiritual solution to economic problems, a universally auxiliary language, and a universal peace upheld by a world government. Basically, it is believed that the world can achieve a utopian state.

For Baha’i, family is extremely important, the home is focused on the faith, they do not partake of alcohol or illegal drugs, there should be chastity before marriage, and marriage is supposed to be the opportunity for both partners to help each other with their spiritual development.

Baha’i has its own complex calendar divided into 19 months of 19 days each, adding up to 361 days. The remaining 4 (or 5 if leap year) days are added as special days between the 18th and 19th months.

Temples do exist but are not essential for this religion. One feature shared by all Baha’i temples is that they have nine sides, incorporating the familiar theme of diversity-in-unity.

My Final Thoughts:

Religious pluralism is the belief that every religion is true. Relativism claims that there are no criteria by which one can tell which religion is true or best. There is no objective truth in religion, and each religion is true to the one holding it. This is self-refuting because many beliefs contradict each other. Therefore, if all are true, yet each one will negate the others, none of them will end up true.

Something to ponder: Baha’i’s tolerance to relativism and pluralism is an intolerance to Truth. They claim their views are true to the exclusion of opposing views (including exclusivism). And they certainly would not tolerate the position that pluralistic and opposing nonpluralistic views are both true. Beneath the pluralists’ assertion that all major religions have equal claim to the truth is a relativistic view of truth. But the denial of absolute Truth is self-defeating. It claims that relativism is true for everyone, everywhere, and always is an absolute truth. Therefore, the relativist claims that relativism is absolutely true; relativism is true and they are absolutely sure about that.

Conclusion:

A “coexist” bumper sticker on a vehicle should be interpreted as “All of these opposing religions contradict each other yet I aspire to tolerate all lies in order to attain peace at the expense of losing Truth. I am comfortable in my complacency and I choose to be ignorant so long as it will make others around me happy.”

Baha’i proclaims one God and one Truth; however, this religion accepts multiple religions and allows multiple contradictory beliefs in order to obtain its truth. Nine contradictory manifestations cannot become one harmonious GOD.  I reject religious pluralism; therefore, Baha’i must be rejected as Truth and eliminated as a choice.

(My next argument will be on Hinduism…)