That most of Baha’u’llah‘s social principles were adopted by the forward-thinking nations of the world without the Baha’i religion ever really catching on should be a telltale sign that something went wrong. For the most part, people decided that the principles of progressive modernity were better embraced without a divine commander-that the power of human reason is sufficient to inspire us to create a better world on our own.
However, it would stand to reason that a religion whose ideals are largely in harmony with the consensus of modern times should have grown quite a hit more than the Baha’i faith has done, if for no other reason than would reinforce and provide confirmation of what people have already decided to believe.
Many progressive people continue to believe in God, yet struggle to reconcile their modern values with the outdated teachings of the major religions that founded many centuries ago. People like to think that God is on their side, that their values are approved by the Almighty. Yet for some reason, modem progressives by and large choose not to become Baha’i.
Lack of exposure cannot be used as an excuse the Baha’i faith has had plenty of time to penetrate into the awareness of society. Over a hundred years ago, the wife of a United States Senator and mother of newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst joined the Baha’i cause.[1] The Lieutenant Governor of the State of New York, likewise, became a devotee of Abdul-Baha.[2] Many important people in those days dabbled in Baha’ism. In retrospect, in some respects, the early 1900s were the high-water mark of this faith.
Its numbers have continued growing slowly, but even today, only one tenth of one percent of the world’s population in Baha’i.[3] And the Baha’i faith is considerably less influential now than a century ago, when it captured the imagination of spiritual progressives and was regarded as one of the most exciting new movements of the period. Clearly, the Baha’i moment has passed.
Nevertheless, one might expect the Baha’i faith to regain some appeal-at least as something of a countercultural vehicle for spiritually inspired change-of extreme relativism and secular materialism in the West, resurgence of religious fundamentalism in the Middle East, and the retreat of progressive in many parts of the world from a full-throated advocacy of idealistic visions for society and into a defensive pasture of cynicism.
What better time for a faith tradition which eloquently cries out to humanity that there is a God, but not a God of hatred or division that God has called un to build a world of peace equality, and justice for all? Bahaullah’s support the representative democracy, concern about the dangers of unchecked industrialization and technology, opposition to military aggression and the international arms race, and prescription for a new geopolitical order to prevent war and promote consciousness of the oneness of humanity are especially important teachings that should be at the forefront of the 21st century mind. No other religion was founded on these principles.
Although it remains uniquely relevant to modern times, the Baha’i faith has failed to live up to its potential. This persistent disconnect between potential and reality has long been a cause of frustration among Baha’is. Prophecies of “entry by troops the mass conversion of millions of souls, as dreamed of by members of the Baha’i community for decades- go unrealized. Baha’i evangelists wonder, perplexed and in anguish, why the people of the world are not flocking to their faith, which they believe to be God’s latest revelation and so well suited to the time is which we live.
There are reasons for this failure-reasons which should not be a mystery to anyone who has studied Baha’i history and teachings with an open mind. As Shua Ullah Behai wrote 70 years ago:
It is nearly half a century since [the Baha’i principles were introduced in the United States of America, but with all the efforts that have been made we have ant progressed as we should… The time has come that we should arise from our slumber and pull the wool off our eyes and set the defect which is causing our stagnation. Avoiding questioners, and excommunications, are signs of weakness and anti-Baha’i principles, Independent investigation of truth should replace these flaws.[4]
For me, editing the hook has been a profound exercise in independent investigation of truth in doing so, I have read numerous other books and articles from various points of view, in order to reflect as objectively as possible on the issues at hand, properly annotate the manuscript, and write this concluding essay. I can honestly say that it has been a religious experience. I have discovered the faith that I rejected aver ten years ago-its richness, its beauty, is worthiness to be considered and its tragic flaws which have practically destroyed it, preventing it from achieving anything close to its truly great potential.
As Baha’u’llah’s grandson points out, the main problem is that the Baha’i community stifles independent thought and purges itself of people who insist on asking difficult questions, whose conclusions don’t always agree with the established dogma and historical narrative of the religion. One relatively recent example of this is the excommunication of Pauline Smith, a Baha’i from New Zealand, simply because she dared to “maintain contact and association with… some of the relatives of Shoghi Effendi” who are considered “Covenant-breakers” by the leaders of the Baha’i faith. 603 In a letter to the Baha’is of New Zealand, the Baha’i National Spiritual Assembly of that country wrote these chilling words:
A fundamental principle of the Faith is that no believer can have any contact or association with a believer who has been deemed by the Head of the Faith to break the Covenant, whether by correspondence, telephone, or in person. Strict adherence to this rule is obligatory.[5]
It would be difficult for Baha’is to pursue an “independent investigation of truth” in order to decide what to believe about the history of their own religion if they are not allowed to associate with any of the descendants of Baha’u’llah, and thus unable to ask them questions about their unique memories and historical perspectives. For obedient members of the Baha’i community, the “fundamental principle” of shunning heretics takes precedence over an open-minded search for truth. Even the writings of excommunicated Baha’is are largely avoided by those within the fold, for fear of contaminating their minds with ideas that dissent from the party line.
The fatal flaw of the Baha’i faith is that it has created a highly questionable mythology and a culture of conformity, in an era of unprecedented access to information available to anyone with an internet connection. The advent of the Information Age has ensured that the challenges faced by previous generations of Baha’i evangelists are more challenging today, and will likely become even more so as more primary source documents become available and are discussed by people interested in discovering the truth for themselves.
A thousand years ago, a new religion could carefully construct a narrative to its liking, by simply destroying documents that didn’t fit the story and preventing dissenting voices from gaining a platform to be heard. The Baha’i faith is just young enough that it can’t take advantage of that option. It will either have to confront the truth about itself or lose credibility among spiritual progressives-those who would otherwise be most likely to join it-not to mention the public at large.
No movement can be truly progressive if it refuses to look honestly at its history and beliefs, question its own assumptions, consider alter-native points of view, tolerate differences of opinion within its ranks, and make changes when necessary. And no movement, progressive or otherwise, can ever be taken seriously by people of conscience if it claims to be one thing yet does another. The Baha’i faith has failed both of those tests, because it clings to myths of perfection and stifles much- needed reform. In the rest of this Epilogue, we’ll deconstruct the Baha’i mythology on some key issues, and then consider how the Baha’i faith could reinvent itself for a positive future.
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[۱] See Chapter 25, note 17.
[۲] See the last section of Chapter 21
[۳] Adherents.com estimates that there are about 7 millions in the world (http://www. Adherence.com/Religions. Html, accessed January 12, 2014). There are just over 7 billion people in the world in 2014.
[۴] Chapter 37, p.485.
[۵] National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of New Zealand, letter dated 16 December, 1996, reproduced online at http://www.fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship /shum.htm Ibid.
