The Unreasonableness of the Baha\'i Faith

AZADEH HAIATI

Listening to Baha\'i proponents, one is constantly led to believe that the Baha\'i Faith is the latest Universal religion with superior omnipresent laws that replace all other teachings in order to establish a universal religion with universally applicable regulations and guidelines suitable for our time and place.

The Baha\'i Faith is also claimed to be just, rational and consistent -the only faith in perfect harmony with other Divine faiths like Islam, Judaism and Christianity- able to unite all religions and people.

Before looking into some of these highly rational and truly universal regulations, it might be interesting to know that The Universal House of Justice (UHJ), the supreme governing institution of the Baha\'i Faith, has forbidden Baha\'is to share the holy message of Baha\'ism with Israelis.

According to an edict issued by UHJ it is not permissible to teach the Baha\'i Faith to Israelites, and if an Israeli insists on asking questions about the Baha\'i Faith, the answer provided by the Baha\'i must be delivered in a manner that does not \"stimulate further interest\".

Let me quote part of this edict:

\"For your information, the people in Israel have access to factual information about the Faith, its history and general principles. Books concerning the Faith are available in libraries throughout Israel, and Israelis are welcome to visit the Shrines and the surrounding gardens. However, in keeping with a policy that has been strictly followed since the days of Bahaullah, Baha\'is do not teach the Faith in Israel. Likewise, the Faith is not taught to Israelis abroad if they intend to return to Israel. When Israelis ask about the Faith, their questions are answered, but this is done in a manner which provides factual information without stimulating further interest.\"

\"Whenever an Israeli citizen living in the West, irrespective of his background and religious affiliation, declares his belief and interest in becoming a member of the Baha\'i community, he should be informed that the Faith is not taught in Israel and that there is no Baha\'i community there apart from those who are associated with the Baha\'i World Center. He cannot be accepted into the Baha\'i community if he is planning to return to Israel to reside there. If he plans to continue to reside outside Israel, his enrollment can be accepted, but he will then be subject to the same restrictions about travel to Israel as any other Baha\'i, in that he could do so only with the express permission of the Universal House of Justice. In any event, the Universal House of Justice should be informed of any such declaration.”

The natural question that arises after taking part of this edict, that still exists today, is why the Jews of Israel are rejected from taking part of this \"universal\" faith? Wasn\'t Baha\'ism supposed to abrogate all other religions and unite all humanity, including the Jews of Israel? Then why discriminate and exclude Jews from the eternal happiness and peace that converting to the Baha\'i Faith brings? Or perhaps Jews, according to the Baha\'is are not worth being saved?

Now, before looking into some of these rational and universal directives, let us read some of Bahaullah\'s words of wisdom.

“The Universal House of Justice (UHJ)”

Bahaullah\'s lessons in Astronomy
\"Thou hast, moreover, asked Me concerning the nature of the celestial spheres...Know thou that every fixed star hath its own planets, and every planet its own creatures, whose number no man can compute.”

The SETI Institute (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence), whose mission is to explore the nature and prevalence of life in the universe, and spends billions of dollars on research for extraterrestrial life, is yet to find any trace of extra-terrestrial intelligence. Further he uses the phrase \'fixed star\', which is also erroneous as we today know that all stars are rotating as well as revolving around some point in their respective galaxies. The phrase \"fixed star\" was invented by ancient astronomers and natural philosophers who lacked access to precise astronomical instruments and measurements over long periods of time , however Bahaullah being God himself should have known this simple fact about his own creation?

I say \'God\' because that\'s what Bahaullah himself claimed to be when he wrote: \"Were any of the all-embracing Manifestations of God to declare: \"I am God\", He verily, speaks the truth, and no doubt attached thereto. For ... through their Revelation, their attributes and names, the Revelation of God, His names and His attributes, are made manifest in the world. …” And in the words of Abdul-Baha: \"Further than this (Bahaullah), man has no other point for concentration. He is God.”

Yet another confirmation for Bahaullah being God is found in Shoghi Effendi\'s works.
In his book \"God passes by\", Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha\'i Faith- from 1921 until his death in 1957 and the successor of Abdulbaha- claims that: \"To Israel He (Bahaullah) was neither more nor less than the incarnation of the \"Everlasting Father\", the \"Lord of Hosts\" come down \"with ten thousands of saints\"; to Christendom Christ returned \"in the glory of the Father,\" to Shiah Islam the return of the Imam Husayn; to Sunni Islám the descent of the \"Spirit of God\" (Jesus Christ); to the Zoroastrians the promised Shah-Bahram; to the Hindus the reincarnation of Krishna; to the Buddhists the fifth Buddha.”

Actually, if I may correct the \'infallible\' Mr. Effendi , the phrase \'no more\' serves no purpose here as none still knows a position higher than God! The words \'no less\' here though means that Bahaullah was not less than God! Not less than God, means Bahaullah was at least God! Very interesting claims indeed!

Now let\'s read another scientific wisdom:

Copper converted to gold
In Kitab-i-Iqan or the Book of Certitude, Bahaullah claims that copper, in a span of 70 years would be converted to gold.

\"For instance, consider the substance of copper. Were it to be protected in its own mine from becoming solidified, it would, within the space of seventy years, attain to the state of gold. There are some, however, who maintain that copper itself is gold, which by becoming solidified is in a diseased condition, and hath not therefore reached its own state.

Be that as it may, the real elixir will, in one instant, cause the substance of copper to attain the state of gold, and will traverse the seventy-year stages in a single moment. Could this gold be called copper? Could it be claimed that it hath not attained the state of gold, whilst the touch-stone is at hand to assay it and distinguish it from copper?\"

Certainly interesting for Alchemists who have turned into Biochemists!

Regarding Bahaullah\'s scientific wisdom, I can only add that such ignorant and incorrect statements, presented by Bahaullah as solid and clear facts, naturally questions his credibility and mental sanity.

Now let\'s look into some of Bahaullah\'s and Baha\'ism\'s universal and superior directives.

The punishment of theft

In the Kitab-i-Aqdas, Bahaullah instructs his followers to punish thieves .

On the first offence the thief is exiled, on the second, imprisonment is prescribed and on the third offence a mark is placed on the thief\'s forehead. This means that if a thief is caught for the first time, he is to be exiled. In the new city he continues to steal and when caught people will not know of his past, so he will be exiled to another city and will keep on stealing.

Let\'s though assume that a thief is recognized and caught on the third offence, will the mark on his forehead now prevent him from stealing if exile and imprisonment did not? Is the mark on the thief\'s forehead a license to continue his crimes? What about those caught for the fourth time? How will they be punished?

The punishment for adultery

Adultery and fornication according to Bahaullah is punishable by a fine paid to the Universal House of Justice, (UHJ). On page 15 of Kitab-i-Aqdas (The Most Holy Book), he writes, \"It is a must for every adulterer and adulteress that they must pay to the Universal House of Justice and give 9 mithqals of gold. And should they repeat the act, the atonement will be doubled.” However if the adulterer/adulteress cannot afford it, then \"the poor are the trust of God in your midst.” This means that the rich will easily commit adultery and the poor who can\'t afford the adultery penalty, will still very easily commit adultery as they are \"in the protection of God\"!

Further, I am very curious to know why adultery and fornication have the same punishment- are both crimes considered equally destructive and injurious to the society and the individuals involved?

Also what an honorable way for the men of Universal House of Justice to fill their coffers and \'fulfill their responsibilities\'! (The UHJ consists only of Baha\'i men since Bahai women are not allowed to participate in the law making process in their faith\'s supreme governing institution…Now, that\'s called gender equality!)

Although Baha\'i proponents seem to preach \'unity, peace and equality among mankind\' their history, marred by violence, and their teachings, which are in fact twisted and changed Islamic laws, contradict their averred concept of world peace and gender equality.

Looking into Baha\'i laws, one will very soon realize that they originate from Islamic values and principles, though altered so as to completely lose their meaning, function and spirit; reflecting the corrupt mindset of the Baha\'is whose sole objective is to deceive and misguide the Muslim community and destroy the pure and perfect message and teachings of Islam.

\"They wish to put out Allah\'s light with their mouths. But Allah will continue with His light, even if the rejecters dislike it. He it is Who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the Religion of truth, that He may cause it to prevail over all religions, however much those who associate partners with Allah may dislike it.\" The Holy Quran (61:8-9)

يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطْفِئُوا نُورَ اللَّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ(8) هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَى وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ (9) )صف/8-9(

Source: www.bahaiawareness.com