Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Baha'i Faith or Universalism?

An ex-Baha'i speaks:

"Many people come to the Baha'i Faith because they are attracted to progressive, tolerant, universalist views of religion, and this is how the Baha'is present their faith in public. On the surface, the Baha'i Faith seems like an organized form of universalism because of its emphasis on the oneness of all religions, the oneness of mankind, race unity and peace among nations. It was primarily because of the appeal of a broad-minded, universalist philosophy that I decided to become a Baha'i. I wanted to believe that all people can go to heaven regardless of which specific religious faith they profess, and that all the world can be united as one global civilization despite our differences. As I got more deeply involved in the Baha'i community, my illusions about the Baha'i Faith as an open-minded and tolerant organization were shattered. What I found instead was an authoritarian, narrow-minded group hiding..."