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Bahai's population in India
- Thread starter GURSIKH
- Start date
Spirit of Light
Be who ever you want
GURSIKH
chardi kla
Data seems absurd. We have around only 90k Zoroastrians in India even then they are heard of.
Spirit of Light
Be who ever you want
That might be so
I have not been to India as a Baha'i so I can't say if the number actually are correct, I just answered according to the link
InvestigateTruth
Veteran Member
Zoroasterism is a very old religion. It has been around for thousands of years. At one point it was the official religion in Persia. In those days, even some of India was part of the Persian empire. Those Persian who had conquered parts of India were Zoroasterians.
It is obvious this remains in the historical memory of India! Because the Zoroasterians had invaded India.
But as for Bahais, they have a registration system. Every person who wants to become a Bahai member, registers. So, it is not hard to keep track of the numbers.
But 2.2 millions out of 1.4 billions, is like less than, 1 in 500 person. So, it is not surprising if you did not meet anyone.
Truthseeker
Non-debating member when I can help myself
Baháʼí Faith in India - Wikipedia.
The question of how many Baháʼís are in India has been the source of much debate.[35] From 1960 to 1990 the number of estimated Baháʼís went from under 1 thousand to as much as 2 million mostly poor, rural, and illiterate people from Hindu scheduled castes.[26] Unlike other religious conversions that require a rejection of Hinduism, Baháʼí teachers were affirming of Hindu beliefs, leaving some converts to continue with Hindu traditions side by side with the Baháʼí ones, each to varying degrees.[36] Without the need to change a convert's name, dress, or rituals, it is difficult to identify how many of the conversions were sustained and consolidated in the Baháʼí religion. The Baháʼís in India seem to have overextended themselves by accepting the large number of adherents and not having the resources to consolidate and maintain Baháʼí principles and practices among many rural villages.[37]
Based on activity data, about 100,000 Baháʼís in India were actively practicing the religion in 2001, representing an impressive growth of 10,000% in 40 years, but the larger number of self-identifying but inactive Baháʼís remains elusive to researchers.[35] According to the Annual Report from the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of India, there were 61,650 Baháʼí core activities taking place in July 2020, with 406,000 participants.[citation needed]
On the question of whether the number of Baháʼís in India was inflated by Baháʼí authorities, sociologist Margit Warburg studied the data and concluded that it was not. She wrote,[38]
Inactive Baha'is constitute a burden rather than a resource for the Baha'i administration... The Universal House of Justice would have to adopt the radical policy of instructing the national spiritual assemblies to remove inactive Baha'is from the membership lists, if the goal was to count only active Baha'is. I therefore conclude that the issue of inflated official membership data stems from the present practice of not expelling inactive Baha'is; the numbers are not rooted in any sinister manipulation of data.
I do accept this as being accurate. The Baha'is overextended themslves in India as it says to consolidate the Baha'is converted there. It's really hard to tell how many are Baha'is there are in India. We just know how many are active in Baha'i activities. It's the same in the U.S. also actually where I live.
arthra
Baha'i
Officially the
"In India, Bahá’ís hail from every conceivable background – from the jungles of the Andamans to the high rises of Mumbai, from the coastline of Tamil Nadu to the mountainous regions of Sikkim. Through opening their homes for gatherings for collective worship, for classes for the spiritual education of children, adolescents and adults, they are collaborating with the inhabitants of their localities in diverse settings to weave a pattern of community life characterized by unity, justice and devotion to the common good.
"As the vast, ancient and diverse nation of India courses its way majestically into the twenty first century, new horizons open before it. The opportunities and challenges that this future brings demands of individuals, institutions and communities new levels of spiritual maturity and intellectual capacity to thrive in a complex, highly interconnected world.
"The Bahá’í community of India is deeply committed to the processes of capacity building and learning that would equip the country’s masses with the spiritual insights and the scientific outlook needed to build a world based on justice and oneness."
The official website:
Bahá'í's Of India
Wikipedia has the following:
During the lifetime of its founder, Baháʼu'lláh, several Baháʼís settled in Mumbai, and the community in India remained relatively small but active for its first 100 years.[4] Baháʼís in India were mostly urban and of an Islamic or Zoroastrian background until teaching efforts in the 1960s gained numerous enrollments in rural areas, initially in the state of Madhya Pradesh.[5][6] By the mid-1990s the Baháʼí community of India claimed a membership of 2 million,[7] the highest of any country, though the active participation was only about 5% (100,000) in 2001,[8] the lowest of any region. According to the Annual Report of the Baháʼí community, there were 61,650 Baháʼí core activities taking place in July 2020, with 406,000 participants.[citation needed]
Baháʼí Faith in India - Wikipedia
"In India, Bahá’ís hail from every conceivable background – from the jungles of the Andamans to the high rises of Mumbai, from the coastline of Tamil Nadu to the mountainous regions of Sikkim. Through opening their homes for gatherings for collective worship, for classes for the spiritual education of children, adolescents and adults, they are collaborating with the inhabitants of their localities in diverse settings to weave a pattern of community life characterized by unity, justice and devotion to the common good.
"As the vast, ancient and diverse nation of India courses its way majestically into the twenty first century, new horizons open before it. The opportunities and challenges that this future brings demands of individuals, institutions and communities new levels of spiritual maturity and intellectual capacity to thrive in a complex, highly interconnected world.
"The Bahá’í community of India is deeply committed to the processes of capacity building and learning that would equip the country’s masses with the spiritual insights and the scientific outlook needed to build a world based on justice and oneness."
The official website:
Bahá'í's Of India
Wikipedia has the following:
During the lifetime of its founder, Baháʼu'lláh, several Baháʼís settled in Mumbai, and the community in India remained relatively small but active for its first 100 years.[4] Baháʼís in India were mostly urban and of an Islamic or Zoroastrian background until teaching efforts in the 1960s gained numerous enrollments in rural areas, initially in the state of Madhya Pradesh.[5][6] By the mid-1990s the Baháʼí community of India claimed a membership of 2 million,[7] the highest of any country, though the active participation was only about 5% (100,000) in 2001,[8] the lowest of any region. According to the Annual Report of the Baháʼí community, there were 61,650 Baháʼí core activities taking place in July 2020, with 406,000 participants.[citation needed]
Baháʼí Faith in India - Wikipedia
Thank you for visiting.
I have a thought to offer about Numbers, as a Baha'i is someone that practices Faith in the Love of God."It makes no difference whether you have ever heard of Baha’u’llah or not,” was the answer, “the man who lives the life according to the teachings of Baha’u’llah is already a Baha’i. On the other hand a man may call himself a Baha’i for fifty years and if he does not live the life he is not a Baha’i. An ugly man may call himself handsome, but he deceives no one, and a black man may call himself white yet he deceives no one: not even himself! (Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p.470)
As such this was also offered.
"When Christians act according to the teachings of Christ, they are called Baha’is. For the foundations of Christianity and the religion of Baha’u’llah are one. The foundations of all the divine Prophets and Holy Books are one. The difference among them is one of terminology only. … Whoever acts completely in accordance with the teachings of Christ is a Baha’i. The purpose is the essential meaning of Christian, not the mere word. The purpose is the sun itself and not the dawning points..." (Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, p.127)
So if you live in India and you see the following principles are valid, then you are already are a Baha'i, albeit if you are following another 'Name of God'.
"A Baha’i denies no religion; he accepts the Truth in all, and would die to uphold it. He loves all men as his brothers, of whatever class, of whatever race or nationality, of whatever creed or colour, whether good or bad, rich or poor, beautiful or hideous. He commits no violence; if he is struck he does not return the blow. He calls nothing bad, following the example of the Lord Baha’u’llah. (Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, p.127)
All the best
Regards Tony