Independent Thinking Skills and World Government

By:Kristine

From a book on recovery from cult mind control:

“Cults tend to assault and strip away a person’s independence, critical-thinking abilities, and personal relationships.”

– Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships

by Janja Lalich and Madeleine Tobias; Kindle loc. 106

From the Baha’i Writings:

“…if the Manifestation says something, or gives a command, or performs an action, and believers do not understand its wisdom, they still ought not to oppose it by a single thought…”

‘Abdu’l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, page 174

Repression of independent thinking skills. This means that for Baha’is, independent and critical thinking should be repressed. All writings of Baha’u’llah are considered infallible. They “ought not to oppose” anything in the Baha’i writings “by a single thought.”

Also the writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi, plus the vapid and ridiculously adjective-heavy letters and other writings of the Universal House of Justice are all considered infallible. There’s a lot there to accept unquestioningly.

No dissension is allowed, on threat of expulsion from the Faith.

Just read, and accept, every word that is written.

Many Baha’is live this way and accept repression of their independent thinking skills for decades, as I did. I bought into the “total loyalty” idea for about thirty years, until I noticed it wasn’t working well for me, and never would.

An Example: World Government

There are a lot of strange things in the Baha’i writings, but the most dangerous idea, in my opinion, is that there should be only one government for the entire earth.

World government is not a bright idea, but when I became a Baha’i at the age of seventeen, I thought it sounded cool. That would certainly end war, and everyone knows that war is a terrible evil.

I grasped onto the Baha’i teachings and would not let go, even when a Libertarian friend told me the “New World Order” was evil and dangerous. As a Baha’i, I believed Hitler and President Bush ripped off the Baha’i terminology. I could not believe that Baha’u’llah’s “New World Order” would be as bad as one promulgated by politicians.

Over the course of the next ten years, my thoughts on this issue changed dramatically. I finally realized that a world government will lead to corruption.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is true.

A world government would lead to tyranny, and any dissent would be punished, probably by death.

If there’s only one government, where would a dissenter flee to for safety?

I question the rationality of any religion that promotes this idea.

Baha’is want the “oneness of humanity” and the intent is to bring all people of the world into the Baha’i religion so religious contentions will end.

One world religion called “Baha’i.”

One world government presided over by the Universal House of Justice, which has already shown itself to be intolerant of dissension.

Scary.

Develop and Strengthen Independent Thinking Skills

If you’re recovering from Baha’i membership, you may need to develop or strengthen independent thinking skills. They may have been repressed due to warnings in the writings that you must unquestioningly accept everything said by the “infallible” leaders of the religion.

Try making a list of all the things that bother you about the Baha’i Faith . . . for example, lack of true equality for men and women, or the unbelief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, or hypocrisy in the Kitab-i-Aqdas about male hair length when obviously both Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha had long hair.

Whatever your issues are, set them down on paper and think about what kind of religion would tell its followers to “not … oppose … by a single thought” anything written in the religious texts.

http://exbahai.com/