The following is from the Kashf al-Hiyal (pgs 25-7) of Ayati (aka Avarih), whom Abdu'l-Baha had called the "the chief of teachers":

The late Sipahsalar (the well-known Muhammad Vali Khan) recounted two stories that are relevant to mention. Firstly, he told of a merchant from Tehran known as Haj Husayn Sag-i Dandan, who managed the affairs of Mirza Buzurg Nuri: "During my childhood, my relatives and I frequented his house, especially because his wife was skilled at making baklava, which was one reason I loved going there to enjoy the sweet treats. After the death of Mirza Buzurg, his sons becoming Babis, and they had kept Qurrat al-Ayn in their house for a while and attracted some accusations to themselves and her and others until she too was killed. And then the shah was shot, and Baha was imprisoned. One day, I went to Haj Husayn's house and found him extremely angry and grieving while he gathered items for a journey. My companions, who were older and engaging in conversation, asked him about the matter. He said, 'Mirza Buzurg, with all his efforts, had saved and bought a property, but his sons could not maintain it, losing it all due to their misconduct. Recently, they got caught up with the shah and their political games, and their jesting with religion had reached a point where they were forced to leave the country by decree.'"

The second story, which I heard directly, was from Sipahsalar four years before his death, on a day when I went to his house with Sayyid Nasrullah Baqiraf, who wanted to teach Bahaism to him. Hearing this, Sipahsalar laughed and said, "My father talked about being at the house of Mirza Aqa Khan, the prime minister, when Mirza Husayn Ali Nuri was brought into custody on the day Nasir al-Din Shah was shot. "When Mirza [Baha] was brought in, the prime minister changed his tone and said, 'I was friends with your father because he was a good man and you could have taken his place in the court composing [documents] and receiving [the payments of creditors], but you are so unfortunate that you cling to Sayyid Bab who had some madness, and now you even incite murder of the shah!' Mirza immediately responded, 'I do not believe in Sayyid Bab or his forefather.' But then he immediately guarded his words. The prime minister scolded him to not be meddlesome and motioned for them to take him away. After Mirza was removed from the gathering and entered prison, the prime minister said, 'Mirza Husayn Ali involuntarily told the truth when he said did not believe in the forefather of the Bab because he [Baha] has never been in line with Shi`ism [u abadan dar khatt-i madhhab nist] and has no purpose other than personal benefit.'"

This conversation that Sipahsalar had was very upsetting to Baqiraf, to the point that his face turned red, but he did not dare deny it. I spoke soothingly to Baqiraf. Once again, the conversation heated up, and it reached the point where he [Sipahsalar] said, "I saw Abdul-Baha in Paris and asked him, 'What will be the fate of the Russian emperor in this world war?' He said, 'He will be victorious because the Blessed Beauty had prayed for him and promised him victory.' However, contrary to his statement, the emperor and his family were exterminated soon after, as you have seen." I laughed at Sipahsalar's words because I was aware of such cases [of failed prophecies], especially about this Russian emperor, details of which I will mention in future chapters. But at that time I was still affiliated with the Baha'is and my time of disaffection had not yet come, so I remained silent. When we came out, Baqiraf started abusing Sipahsalar and kept saying, 'So how can people say Sipahsalar is a Bahai?'

I told him many people make such accusations, now don't be upset. But in the end, Baqiraf did not believe Sipahsalar's account while I knew that all these words were true and correct. Affection, habit, partisanship, and good opinion of Baha'is do not allow them to believe such words, but again I am sure that the truth has an impact, and it indeed shook and changed Baqiraf's opinion.

As an aside, later in life Baha'u'llah wrote plainly several times that he did not believe the twelfth imam ever existed. He asserted the idea was a fabrication of some of his followers.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMiddleEast/comments/10hewlg/thoughts_on_the_bahai_and_the_bahai_faith/

Baha'is including Turnipsandleeks and senmcglinn attempt to defend their faith from Muslim critics.

https://www.reddit.com/r/religion/comments/12zqru3/what_exactly_is_bahai/

A question about the Faith turned the subreddit into a WAR ZONE once Baha'is and Ex-Baha'is had a massive throwdown over it. It was a painful lesson on what NOT to do.

Two much more recent, and productive, discussions in the same subreddit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/religion/comments/18e09cw/bahai_faith/

https://www.reddit.com/r/religion/comments/1beag1y/im_bahai_ama/

Meanwhile:

https://www.reddit.com/r/religion/comments/17d56gl/bahai_upbringing_and_the_lgbtq_issue_blocked_on/

A complaint about censorship in r/bahai leads the chief censor, t0lk, to shamelessly defend his actions. Damn him!

https://www.reddit.com/r/Judaism/comments/g7unu4/im_a_bahai_who_served_at_the_bahai_gardens_in/

A discussion in a Jewish subreddit......and over four years ago.

https://www.reddit.com/r/PoliticalCompassMemes/comments/18ddlij/bahai_faith_political_compass/

An attempt to poke fun at the Faith. One person described the Faith as, "Unitarian Universalism but less beige and less atheist/agnostic." NOT FUNNY!

https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2aybce/eli5_the_bahai_faith/

From TEN years ago. And no one uses the vocabulary a five year old would use to describe anything.

https://www.reddit.com/r/islam/comments/vktfw/what_is_islams_perspective_of_bahaullah_and_the/

From twelve years ago; it seems the OP was looking for reasons to justify Muslim hate towards Baha'is.

https://www.reddit.com/r/imaginarymaps/comments/19eztzr/the_bahaimas_what_if_the_bahamas_was_a/

Well, THAT is interesting....and more than a little silly.

https://www.reddit.com/r/DebateReligion/comments/yea6fi/some_homophobic_paradoxes_in_the_bahai_religion/

From two years ago. senmcglinn argues with critics of the Faith and then OfficialDCShepard drops a bombshell like the one at Hiroshima of 1945. LOL!

https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/aa0apc/til_that_rainn_wilson_dwight_from_the_office_is_a/

A discussion about a Baha'i celebrity that goes off the rails when Mormonism and Joseph Smith are brought up.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ArchitecturePorn/comments/1as5cf0/bahai_temple_santiago_chile/

A posting about a Baha'i House of Worship gets some negative reactions.

https://www.reddit.com/r/NewIran/comments/1bcece1/iranian_bahai_sentenced_to_16_years_in_prison/

A discussion about a news report about a persecuted Baha'i in Iran

https://www.reddit.com/r/Israel/comments/g2yf3j/bahai_gardens/

A discussion about the Baha'i World Center from four years ago.

https://www.reddit.com/r/delhi/comments/1apvb8z/the_symbol_of_bahai_religion_in_delhi/

A recent discussion about the Baha'i House of Worship in India.

https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/m4bruz/iranian_government_orders_teachers_to_identify/

aspiringglobetrotter defends his Faith from critics. Then someone says:

The incredible stupidity of Iran trying to suppress its Baha'i minority should be obvious; no one admires a bully and bullying is exactly what happens when a dominant religion attempts to crush its competition. That's all this is about.

It's even worse if you are an atheist in Iran. At least Baha'is and Muslims have their Allah and his Prophets (excluding Baha'i founder Baha'u'llah) in common. And yet:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMSvH7PAlny/

A survey of over 50,000 Iranians has found that a majority of residents in the "Islamic Republic" are not Muslim. These results conflict with earlier results by the Pew Research Institute, which claimed that Iran was 99.4% Shi'ite Muslim.The Dutch researchers who conducted the new study say that the older studies' results were essentially worthless, as they were conducted over the telephone, and non-Shi'ite Iranians could not be honest about their religious beliefs due to fear of negative consequences. The newer study contacted people through social media and guaranteed participants the ability to answer anonymously.

People who are atheist would find ALL god-centered religions equally suspicious, including the Baha'i Faith and Islam. So they would lie to their Muslim superiors in the government about their (lack of) religion. They have no reason not to.

Abdu'l-Baha, son of Baha'u'llah, addressed the hypocrisy of forcing people to only appear religious:

It has now by the above irrefutable proofs been fully established that the Faith of God must be propagated through human perfections, through qualities that are excellent and pleasing, and spiritual behavior. If a soul of his own accord advances toward God he will be accepted at the Threshold of Oneness, for such a one is free of personal considerations, of greed and selfish interests, and he has taken refuge within the sheltering protection of his Lord. He will become known among men as trustworthy and truthful, temperate and scrupulous, high-minded and loyal, incorruptible and God-fearing. In this way the primary purpose in revealing the divine law—which is to bring about happiness in the after life and civilization and the refinement of character in this—will be realized. As for the sword, it will only produce a man who is outwardly a believer, and inwardly a traitor and apostate.

-- The Secret of Divine Civilization

You'd think if the Baha'i leadership cared so much about Iranian Baha'is being persecuted, it would be doing everything possible to help them get out. However.....

https://bahai-library.com/uhj_dissimulation_iran_emmigrants

1. Letter from the Universal House of Justice, 3 July 1985

Those who have recanted their faith in order to come out of Iran should not receive the impression that after the passage of a year, by simply writing a letter of regret, they would be automatically admitted into the Bahá'í community. Each case has to be studied separately. The result of this study must be conveyed to the House of Justice, which will reach a decision on the case in question only after consultation with the friends in Iran. One of the reasons why the House of Justice is so particular about these cases is that it does not wish any person to be under the false impression that anyone can use the Faith for his own personal convenience whenever it suits his self-interest. The believers who have denied their faith in order to leave Iran should realize that they have betrayed the many steadfast Bahá'ís who, at the cost of their lives, have steadfastly refused to recant their faith.

2. Letter of the Universal House of Justice, 8 July 1985

"It was the approved practice for many years for Bahá'ís to leave blank the space for religion on official forms in Iran. This was not a denial of their religion, it was merely a tacit refusal to state it. In recent times, however, the authorities refused to accept forms made out in blank, and would deny passports and exit visas to anyone who entered `Bahá'í' in the appropriate spaces. In order to get such documents a Bahá'í would either have to enter `Muslim' (or one of the other recognized religions) on the forms or would have to employ an agent to do it for him. This thus became a conscious act by the Bahá'í to deny his faith, and the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran at that point warned all the believers that such an action was unacceptable.
".it was permissible in Shi'ih Islam for believers to deny their faith in order to escape persecution. since the time of Bahá'u'lláh such an action has been forbidden for Bahá'ís. We do not defend our Faith by the sword, as was permissible in Islam, but Bahá'ís have always held to the principle that when challenged they should `stand up and be counted', as the modern expression is, and not purchase their safety by denying that which is most important to them in this world and the next. The principle is well known to the Iranian Bahá'ís and is upheld by the overwhelming majority of them when the penalty is martyrdom.

"Those Bahá'ís who have left Iran by official routes since the governmental regulations changed have made a conscious choice. While the majority of their fellow-believers have preferred to face all manner of difficulties, rather than deny their faith, these people have chosen to make this denial rather than face whatever problems were before them. They have left Iran freely, with the permission of the authorities as Muslims. They have chosen freedom and comparative ease at the cost of giving away their faith, and have got what they wanted. Some, however, once they are free, want to have their membership in the Bahá'í community back again. The attitude of the Bahá'í institutions in refusing to immediately readmit them should not be regarded as a vindictive punishment. These institutions are simply saying: `You have shown the insincerity of your belief by denying it for your personal advantage, we are not going to readmit you to the Bahá'í community until we have some confidence that you are sincerely repentant of such an act. In the meantime you can abide by the choice you yourself have made.'

So in a matter of Malicious Compliance, if I was an Iranian raised as a Baha'i, I would claim to be a Muslim on my passport, get out of Iran, and upon arriving in the USA or Europe would also reject the Baha'i Faith and declare myself an ATHEIST! Then I would have true freedom in my life. I shouldn't have to answer to leaders who just want to use me and other Iranian Baha'is as tools for propaganda while keeping us trapped and in danger!

Then some asshole replies:

You are talking about a period in the 1980s, not now or recent.. Baha'is are not allowed to lie about their religion. Baha'is are not allowed to lie or be dishonest or disobedient to ordinary laws. Moreover, many Baha'is were and are able to leave Iran via normal means of transport without lying about their religion, contrary to your false suggestion. The requirement to not lie about religion is a fundamental teaching of Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha. It was not some new policy of the House of Justice in 1980s.. There were persons who were not honest or sincere and tried to pose as Baha'is in.order to get treatment as refugees and asylum rights they did not have. There were also attempts to infiltrate the Baha'i community by Iran and Shi'ih groups in.order to identify and persecute Baha'is in Iran. It was very dangerous for the community and important to identify and know who was a sincere Baha'i as opposed to persons using claims of being Baha'i to claim falsely refugee and asylum status. So, you are twisting the facts to support a false narrative, as is your pattern and behavior.

Also, our leaders are elected by secret ballot through an electoral process that is entirely democratic and non-partisan. None of the elected leaders have individual authority and none receives more than a stipend to serve if required to give up employment. Most Baha'is elected serve as volunteers. All service is for limited terms.

You have been repeatedly caught lying about the Baha'i Faith numerous times on reddit and elsewhere. You are an anti-Baha'i troll and affiliate with persons from Iran to attack and misrepresent the Baha'i Faith repeatedly. You even had stuff published in Iran attacking the Baha'i Faith. So, you are part of the problem in spreading hatred and lies. You are promoting things about the Baha'i Faith that are flatly not true. You have little tolerance for persons who try to correct your misunderstandings and misrepresentations and scream to block or ban them and falsely accuse them of lying. Then you whine and falsely claim to be the victim when a Baha'i like me confronts you and calls you out.

You don't even understand the Baha'i Faith and misrepresent its teachings. Get over it and go fight some legitimate cause for once in your life.

One person quotes (and links to) directly actual Baha'i sources and the other person makes personal attacks and assertions with no proof of anything.

From Fazl Allah Subhi, Abdu'l-Baha's secretary:

Baha had a house in Akka where his first wife, known as Asiyyih Khanum, the mother of Abdul-Baha and Bahiyyih Khanum, resided. Baha used to visit that house once or twice a week. However, where he spent most of his time was in the Mansion of Bahji. The lady of the mansion was Fatimih Khanum, who was the mother of Mahd-i Ulya and the grandmother of Ghusn-i Akbar [Muhammad Ali], Samadiyyih Khanum, Mirza Ziya'u'llah, and Mirza Badi'u'llah. He also had a house in front of the Mansion of Bahji, where the third wife, Gawhar Khanum Kashi, a relative of ours, resided along with a daughter of Baha named Furughiyyih Khanum. Apart from these three wives, there was a beautiful girl named Jamaliyyih who was the concubine of the court [kaniz-i pishgah] and an attendant at the threshold [amadih-yi dar gah].

Baha distributed the tasks as follows: Abdul-Baha was responsible for receiving and entertaining the dignitaries of the city, reporting news, and attending to people in the outer room of the office. Ghusn-e Akbar, on the other hand, dealt with internal affairs, received reports from the Baha'is, and wrote letters to various individuals.

Mirza Aqa jan Kashi, who was called Khadim Allah [servant of God] and Abd Hadir Lada al-Arsh (a servant present before the throne of God), wrote revelation, claiming to be the messenger of God and the recipient of fresh revelations.

We have drifted away from the topic. I wanted to say that the plurality of wives brings tension among the children, not only in Iran but perhaps in other countries where the head of the household had multiple wives. During the time of Baha, a woman who exerted her influence over everyone and was most beloved was Mahd-i Ulya, who, besides being Baha’s wife, had a close kinship with him. Baha'u'llah spent most of his time with her and her children, which made everyone envy her, harboring hidden grudges against her until the day they could reveal them openly.

Baha had given orders to prevent enmity among the children. One of these commands was that Ruha Khanum, the daughter of Abdu'l-Baha, should be betrothed to the son of Ghusn-i Akbar [Muhammad Ali], Mírza Shu'a'u'llah. They became engaged, but Lady Munírih, the wife of Abdu'l-Baha, did not allow this union to materialize.

Baha'i writers, who have been prolific in their reports and often embellished the events, have written things about Lady Munírih, the wife of Abdu'l-Baha, which I have found, upon examination, to be futile and inaccurate. They say that Lady Munírih, who was related to one of the prominent leaders of the Baha'i Faith, was overwhelmed with the desire to meet Baha. They claim that she came to Akka with her brother Sayyid Yahya, and before reaching Akka, Baha had conversations with the mother of Abdu'l-Baha about her, suggesting that such an exceptional girl who was to come here should be given in marriage to her son. They also say that Lady Munírih, during those days when she was departing for Akka, had a dream one night in which a string of precious pearls was around her neck and a table was set before her. Suddenly, amidst those pearls, she noticed a branch with an exceedingly bright gem that outshone the other pearls, and she was so amazed by them that she woke up from her dream. 

I do not now if these events were discovered or fabricated, but I am transcribing a letter for you in Baha's handwriting for your own judgment. Here is that letter:

"He is God, exalted be He!

The servant in attendance [Mirza Aqa Jan] suddenly took this particular tablet to deliver to the travelers, which is why there is no one named at the beginning of the tablet. As for the latest news, we entered the house of Kalim on Friday night unexpectedly and intended to return on Saturday night. Aqa Mirza Muhammad Quli asked us to stay, which was accepted. Now it is Saturday morning and this letter is being written in his house. Your presence is greatly missed. O Navvab! The climate of Haifa, as mentioned, did not grant any benefits. We beseech God to grant you success, protect you, and support you. O Samadiyyih leaf! This Isfahani woman, meaning Munirih, has forgotten your covenant and clung to the Greatest Branch like the tick of Edirne, paying no attention to you. However, as promised, I will send her. O Zia’u’llah! Present your petition to Badi'ullah and his secretary. Rest and abide beneath the shade of the Lote Tree of the Merciful’s compassion. Convey my greetings to all the men and women. Glory be upon you."

This letter, or as they call it, “tablet,” which Baha addressed to his wife and children, was written when they had all gone to Haifa. Baha mentions Kalim and Mirza Mohammad Quli, who were both brothers of Baha. Navvab was also one of Baha's wives.

We come then to the leaf, Samadiyyih. First, know that Baha referred to all the female followers as 'amma,' which means 'maid' in Persian, sometimes as 'ammat allah' meaning 'Maid of God', and sometimes as 'ammati' meaning 'My maid'. However, he called his children and close relatives 'varqih', which means a 'leaf' of God's tree. Samadiyyih, Baha's daughter, was from Mahd-i Ulya, and the "Isfahani woman," meaning Munirih, is the same person who came to Baha's household from Isfahan. From this letter, it is understood that she was sent from Isfahan to serve and obey Lady Samadiyyih, as they used to send [women] from other cities too. Baha here says she has forgotten her pledge [to Samadiyyih] and clung to the Greatest Branch like a tick of Edirne, and will not come to you [Samadiyyih] anymore. (Edirne, a city in the Ottoman Empire, is where Azal and Baha were exiled by the Ottomans and stayed for more than five years. The tick of that place is known for sucking blood and clinging to the body.) But as I have said, I will send her. This word became a nickname for Lady Munirih, and as Baha had said, she clung to Abdul-Baha in such a way that she never left. Most of the conflicts that arose in this family were attributed to her. As mentioned earlier, she prevented Abdul-Baha's daughter from being given in marriage to his nephew, which would have ended the heartache and strife. One of Baha's sons [Badi'u'llah] wrote a book about this, which is worth reading.

Subhi, Payam-i Pidar, 63-4

Subhi reproduced Baha'u'llah's letter in Baha's own handwriting. It also appears in Phelps' Inventory as BH06757.

Belief is not a person. It does not deserve to be respected, because it has no feelings. Everyone has a right to challenge beliefs.

Belief is not a knowledge. It is not a science. It is not a truth. It is just a belief. People do not know if God exist, or doesn't exist. They just believe.

Belief is not a identity. It is not who you are. It is a belief, and beliefs change. If I challenge your belief, it is not to harm you.

Belief is not an organ. It is not a body part. If you remove your beliefs, you do not die.

Belief is not a merit. It is not a quality. It doesn't make you good, nor does it make you bad. People believe in many things, whether they are intelligent or dumb. There are highly intelligent people in every religion, in every field of study, in every political camp and in every country, and there are even more dumb people there.

Belief is personal. It has a history within you. People use it to make you do bad things, and sometimes, good things. But in the end, it's just an illusion.

People only believe in what they want to believe, even if belief harms them or the people around them.

People want to protect their beliefs. Everyone lies to save the illusion. The illusions are pleasing to the mind.

People love to believe. But do beliefs love them in return ?

This is the Telegram channel:

https://t.me/Nezamiyanbaha

It is in Persian. The documents are from the Savak (ministry of intelligence during the time of the Shah), court documents, and documents confiscated from the NSA of the Iran.

They contains numerous documents that show the staggering amount of Shoghis wealth and real-estate owned in Iran, internal NSA documents, documents related to the penetration of Baha'is in the Iranian Army, and a lot of more stuff.

Unfortunately all the scanned documents are in Persian but they are mostly typed and you could probably use google image tools or feed them to chatGPT and translate them.

I’ll be redoing my introductory Baha’i Ridvan livestream this weekend and keeping this vitriol in mind…

This is more of a frustration typing

Hello, I posted here a bit ago about questioning the faith. Well I just received confirmation from the NSA that my records have been removed.

I still agree with many of the core principles of the faith, though I don’t think many follow it truly including the UHJ.

I feel sad about leaving, but I know this is the correct path, because I can not believe in a faith or God that can not recognize love between people of the same sex.

I wish I could have made the faith work for me but I couldn’t. Luckily my friend in the faith was very supportive of this decision.

https://www.reddit.com/r/bahai/s/IQbBfFjPTA

I can’t understand how Bahá’ís can be so blind? I mean this boy is literally asking valid questions and if ur brain is functioning u will get the answers rationally… please do me a favor and if u guys have a choice to talk to people who are interested in this “faith“ stop them… it is really sad to see some 40 year old bahais clapping in circles and donating their money…

https://youtu.be/qlvx4P3bxoQ?si=x-d9g5juyhZDxZe4

More propaganda…

Here is a guide for effective consultation in the Bahai Faith. When someone brings up issues in the Bahai community, do the following:

1. Deny that the issue exists. Admitting that the Baha'i community has problems would be "negativity", which is inherently bad.

2. If it is something too difficult to deny, offer some fake solution for them to do, that is more easily said than done. Give them some insurmountable task that if they were to do would technically solve the problem, but which is unrealistic for them to actually do. By making them think the solution to the issue is in their hands, they will blame themselves for the issue, instead of blaming the Bahai community.

3. If they object, questioning the validity of the fake solution you gave them, label them as "negative", "bickering", and "mudslinging", and use this to justify censoring them and blocking them from further discussion.

It has been a long journey but now I can say that I no longer consider myself a Bahai. When I think “I am not a Bahai”, it is okay. I am okay with it. The only things holding me back now are my relationships. I haven’t told my friends and family about my long struggle with the faith, many of whom are very devout. If you have any experiences to share that might help me decide how to move forward, please do. I’d appreciate any bits of wisdom I can get.

From the Payam-i Pidar of Fazl Allah Subhi, Abdu'l-Baha's secretary:

The next day, when it was Friday, we went to the bathhouse, and before noon, we returned home from the bathhouse. We saw Abdul-Baha riding and going to the mosque. We asked someone and got an answer. Then he said, "I asked on your behalf, and they said you had gone to the bathhouse and Abdu'l-Baha had entered the mosque." We knew that since the day they moved Baha'u'llah and his companions to Akka, they observe the rituals and practices of Islam such as prayer and fasting and identify themselves as Muslims and follow the Hanafi school of thought. And every Friday, Abdul-Baha goes to the mosque and like others, he prays behind the Muslim leader.

---

On Fridays, before noon, Abdu'l-Baha would go to the mosque and pray behind the Sunni Muslim leader who followed the Hanafi school, presenting himself as a Muslim. During Ramadan, he also showed himself to be fasting. Sometimes, when he was in gatherings with Muslim scholars and dignitaries, he would speak of the superiority of the Islamic faith, behaving in such a way that the people of that land thought of them as Muslims and did not suspect that they had brought a new religion, concealing the commands of the Quran and replacing prayers, fasting, and other Islamic ordinances with new teachings. When asked why he called himself a Bahá'í, he said, "Bahá'ísm is not a separate religion but a branch of Islam." One day, in response to one of these questions, he wrote in Arabic: "Calling it Bahá'ísm is like calling it Shadhilism," implying that naming Bahá'ísm was like naming a group like the Shadhilis, who are a group of God-knowing people following Islam but have chosen to call themselves Shadhili. I saw the leader of this group in Akka, whose name was Sheikh Mahmoud Shamati, who had come to visit Abdu'l-Baha; they were like our own dervishes who considered themselves spiritually aware and enlightened.

​

​

In that communication, urging the American Community to press forward with the supremely important work of its second Seven Year Plan, he spoke of the future: "As the international situation worsens, as the fortunes of mankind sink to a still lower ebb ... As the fabric of present-day society heaves and cracks under the strain and stress of portentous events and calamities, as the fissures, accentuating the cleavage separating nation from nation, class from class, race from race, and creed from creed, multiply..." Far from having rounded the corner and turned our backs forever on our unhappy past, there was "a steadily deepening crisis". In March 1948 he went still further in a conversation I recorded in my diary: "Tonight Shoghi Effendi told me some very interesting things: roughly, he said that to say that there was not going to be another war, in the light of present conditions, was foolish, and to say that if there was another war the Atom Bomb would not be used was also foolish. So we must believe there probably will be a war and it will be used and there will be terrific destruction. But the Bahá'ís will, he felt, emerge to form the nucleus of the future world civilization. He said it was not right to say the good would perish with the bad because in a sense all are bad, all humanity is to blame, for ignoring and repudiating Bahá'u'lláh after He had repeatedly trumpeted to everyone His Message. He said the saints in the monasteries and the sinners in the worst flesh pots of Europe are all wicked because they have rejected the Truth. He said it was wrong to think, as some of the Bahá'ís do, that the good would perish with the evil, all men are evil because they have repudiated God in this day and turned from Him. He said we can only believe that in some mysterious way, in spite of the terrible destruction, enough will be left over to build the future."

https://bahai-library.com/khanum_guardian_bahai_faith&chapter=all/

And now that I have your attention, I’m planning on making a series of high-level livestreams on TikTok and posted to YouTube the next day talking about the Baha’i Faith from an atheist’s perspective, with a mix of my own opinion, careful sourcing of all perspectives and a focus on elevating opinions outside of mainstream Baha’i thought. One of those is likely to use Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 for Xbox as a virtual backdrop for flying over significant areas in Baha’i history, and one will most certainly be an interview with u/Cult_Buster2005. Let me know what you think, and what you’d like me to add!

At first, I was invited to all these dinners and things but over time it's like I felt invisible. Did anyone experience this as a Bahai?

Even if she did this for her own academic agenda, it was a refreshing surprise to see this Baha’i speak out about the genocide in Gaza. Her opinion does not represent the norm, as most Baha’is are either silent on the issue for ‘neutrality’ or blatantly support Israel. It was great to actually see a Baha’i publicly denounce the genocide.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5w_75QNEIA/?igsh=MW00Yzhscnd2NWRyNA==

Now I feel slightly less embarrassed being a Baha’i and being brainwashed that we should not focus on Israel’s atrocities and instead the greater good and overall peace process by teaching the faith, study circles and devotional gatherings full of gossip later by Bahais in the community.

TLDR: How to leave the faith?

Hello everyone, about two years ago I started to investigate the Baha’i faith, I was drawn to it because of its oneness of humanity and my belief that God has spoken to more than one group of people throughout time. I declared the faith in august of 2022 and felt very good about my decision.

Recently though I have questioned if the faith was true at all. This mainly started with going through the Ruhi books with others in my cluster, and I felt like the faith was a bit culty. I feel lost on how to actually leave the faith, I have gained great friendships but I know many will not talk to me if I do leave.

I’m posting this here because I do not want apologetics on the faith? Any help would be great. Thanks.

I left bahai principally for politics reasons. I share many things of their doctrine, but I keep me fare FROM their groups. I know that Bahaullah was involvend with Great Britain and also Abdul Baha. I know that Abdul Baha support the colonization of Palestine, I'm against this, but most of their principles I share with them. My friend Say that they have many power in Iran and that they are close to USA and Israele. If It where born a group of dissidents bahai that take distance FROM UHJ and other bahai groups, and affirm their solidarity with iraniani governament maybe I joint with them. The problem Is that they have created a clergy

Hi, I'm Mario, I'm from Italy, I'm a former bahai. What have you became after leaving bahai faith? I'm coming back and I'm discovering bayani religion

When Baha'i youth grew disillusioned with the Faith after the Guardian's appointment, they asked Fazl Allah Sobhi what they should do. He answered:

Since I had a significant standing among the Baha'is, enthusiastic Baha'i youth who were disillusioned with their leaders and were seeking fresh ideas and modern methods would come to me with their questions and bring up pointless discussions, surprisingly seeking correct answers. My heart ached for them, wondering why they wasted their intelligence and capacity on pointless activities. I would tell them: 'Today is not the day for us to sit and call on people to tell them that a certain Muslim leader has said in some book that in the end times someone will come from God with four signs from four prophets, and then falsely claim that these four signs were present in someone, thus you should follow him. And once we've deceived a simple person, we rejoice that, thank God, one person has joined our ranks, and then we do nothing further to educate them or truly guide them and make them men of the day.' Or we might think that if we excessively praise someone we believe to be divinely chosen, and regard him as higher than God, angels, and prophets, we have pleased God and bought our way into heaven. I would say: 'Strive to develop commendable traits, admirable behavior, good deeds, and modern methods in yourselves. What benefit do you gain from excessively praising a man whom you have not seen or known? Do you not know that he, like you, is helpless and desperate in the face of the forces of innate nature and disposition? Why not take a step towards knowledge and understanding instead?'

Sobhi, Payam-i Pidar, 113

OK so I can't find anything about the shrine of the Bab or not.

You've all doubtless seen the speculation that the Guardian was gay. One of the sources of that speculation is the account of Fazl Allah Sobhi, Abdu'l-Baha's secretary who fell out with the Guardian after Abdu'l-Baha's passing. This is the passage that is usually cited:

"During the early days among Abdu'l-Baha's grandchildren, I became acquainted with Shoghi, who had a particular nature that I cannot quite describe accurately to you. He lacked masculine traits and consistently sought to befriend and mingle with strong men and young men! One night, we were together in Akka with Dr. Zia Baghdadi, a son of a renowned Baha’i who was a doctor in America and had come to visit Abdu'l-Baha in Haifa. We were joking around as young men do. During the conversation, I stepped out of the room for a moment and when I returned, I saw Dr. Zia doing something inappropriate...

I was upset and said, 'Doctor! What are you doing?' Shoghi turned to me and said, 'If you are also a man, prove it!' I heard and saw such words and actions from him several times and realized that there must be something lacking in him."

Baha'is naturally dismiss this account as biased, but if you read the entire book, you'll see Sobhi is pretty fair to his subjects. He was also in a position to know: he was friends with Shoghi, and he was with Abdu'l-Baha every day and heard a lot of the family gossip.

People who read the passage interpret it to mean that Shoghi was gay, which is a reasonable reading. But if you read it in the larger context, you could also interpret it to mean that Shoghi had gender dysphoria:

During the early days among Abdu'l-Baha's grandchildren, I became acquainted with Shoghi, who had a particular nature that I cannot quite describe accurately to you. He lacked masculine traits and consistently sought to befriend and mingle with strong men and young men! One night, we were together in Akka with Dr. Zia Baghdadi, a son of a renowned Baha’i who was a doctor in America and had come to visit Abdu'l-Baha in Haifa. We were joking around as young men do. During the conversation, I stepped out of the room for a moment and when I returned, I saw Dr. Zia doing something inappropriate...

I was upset and said, 'Doctor! What are you doing?' Shoghi turned to me and said, 'If you are also a man, prove it!' I heard and saw such words and actions from him several times and realized that there must be something lacking in him.

Although I am embarrassed to recall this story and I know that such things should not be spoken unless absolutely necessary, I feel the need for you to understand Shoghi well and to know that people like him have deficiencies such that they cannot be simply classified as men nor counted among women. They neither possess the scent, attachment, and affection typically found in women, nor the wisdom, alertness, and kindness seen in men. People like this have peculiar attachments that are difficult for others to comprehend. Have you heard? Sometimes medical intervention puts a man on a table and transforms him into a woman, or a woman into a man, and sometimes a person who has a male body but is undeveloped possesses feminine traits and surgery is used to enhance his masculine strength.

I wish that in his youth, Shoghi had encountered a knowledgeable doctor who could have corrected his condition. What you see now—he has no attachment to his father, does not mourn his brother and sister, does not remember his mother's suffering in raising and caring for him, nor is he grateful to his devoted friends; he gives orders that are not the actions of a wise man, and makes excuses that show a lack of awareness—all stem from this.

I was friends with Shoghi and we often hung out together until a few months before Abdu'l-Baha's death, when he went to London. During that time, we corresponded with each other, and instructions from Abdu'l-Baha on how to interact and converse with people reached him through writings I sent. I distinctly remember that in one letter, written by me but dictated by Abdu'l-Bahá, he mentioned Professor Edward Browne and instructed: When you see him, do not bring up the Baha'i Faith, and if the Professor asks about Baha'u'llah and says, 'What do you know about him?' respond with, 'We consider Baha'u'llah a teacher of admirable traits and a nurturer of people,' nothing more. He also advised to be tactful in conversations with others and not to say anything that might upset them.

Fazl Allah Sobhi, Payam-i Pidar, 84-5

https://www.quora.com/unanswered/What-is-the-significance-of-Bahaullah-for-followers-of-the-Bahai-faith

It will be interesting to see what Baha'is says in response to this. Meanwhile....

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-meaning-of-Baha-in-the-Bahai-faith?topAns=383833481

Scott Hakala · Ph.D Econ, Baha'i, interest in morals and religion

Baha is the Arabic word for Glory. The i at the end of Baha'i means “of” or follower of. Thus, Baha'i means a follower of Glory. It is short for follower of the Glory of God. Baha'u'llah (ministry 1853 to 1892) is the title given to the Founder and Messenger of God in the Baha’i Faith.

Prophesies of have a hidden meaning test test us but also as hints. The phrase Glory of God appears repeatedly in both the Hebrew and Christian Bible in the context of the Holy Spirit, a Messenger of God who will appear at the “end of time” (end of one Age of human history) and usher in the Day of Judgment/Day of Resurrection promised in multiple religious traditions. The Glory of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible causes the return of a “remnant” to Israel and the desert to bloom but initially they will not recognize Him as the Cause. Jesus tells us He will return in the “Glory of the Father”. The Psalms speak as well of the Glory of God being the Lord of Hosts.

The Glory of God comes to Israel from the East from a far away place through a Gate. He comes out of Persia and Baghdad to Israel by way of the sea. Baha'u'llah was exiled from Tehran to Baghdad then Istanbul and Edirne and finally exiled to Palestine in 1868 by way of the sea. He way imprisoned in the prison city of Akka on the coast. Some scholars interpreted that prophesy literally to mean the Great Messiah would come to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem by way of thr Golden Gate ( which faces East and is currently bricked up). But the Bab (ministry 1844 to 1850) was a Messenger of God who descended from the Prophet Muhammad and proclaimed His purpose was to usher in a New Age and prepare the way for an even greater Messenger, the Glory of God. The Bab declared Himself in 1844 in Shiraz, Iran. Thus, Baha'u’llah came to Israel by way of the Gate of God, the Bab.

Likewise, there are hints in Islamic traditions and Shi'ih prayers of the name Baha and the Greatest Name of God to be revealed by the Mahdi or Return of Jesus.

Some short notes on Biblical references:

Baha'u'llah is referred to as the angel Michael (the "prince" who comes out of Persia at the end of time; Daniel 10:13, 21, and 21:1 and Revelations 12:7), the Glory of God, the Lord of Hosts, and the King of Glory. The Bab is the Lamb in The Revelation of St. John. Abdu'l-Baha is the Branch.

He, the Promised One, will have a New Name: Isaiah 30:27; 62:2*; Revelation 2:17; 3:12*.

References by Name (Glory) to Baha'u'llah

In the Old Testament

Exodus 16:7,10; 24:16,17; Numbers 14:10; 16:19,42; 20:6; I Kings 8:11; Psalms 19:1; 24:7-10*; 29:2,9*; 57:5,11; 72:19*; 79:9*; 96:2,7-8*; 102:15-16*; 104:30-31*; 108:5; 138:4-5*; 148:13*; 149:5; Isaiah 10:16*; 24:15*,23*; 28:5*; 35:2*; 40:5*; 58:8; 60:1*,13*; Ezekial 1:28*; 3:12,23*; 8:2-4*; 9:3*; 10:4*,18*; 39:13,21; 43:1-9*; 44:4*; Habakkuk 2:14.

In the New Testament

Matthew 16:27*; 19:28*; 25:31*; Mark 8:38*; Luke 2:14; John 11:4; Acts 7:2*,55*; Romans 5:2; 6:4; 8:18; 15:7; I Corinth 10:31; II Corinth 1:20; 3:18*; 4:4*,6*,15; Philippians 2:11; I Timothy 3:16; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1.3; James 2:1*; I Peter 4:13*; 5:4*; Revelation 15:8*; 21:11,23*.

II. References to the Bab (Gate and Lamb)

Psalms 24:7; Ezekial 43:1,4; Malachi 3:1; 4:5; John 10:2; Revelation 5:13; 7:9; 12:11; 21:22; 22:3,23.

It's always interesting to see our friendly neighborhood Baha'i apologist at work. I hope the UHJ pays him well.