Emergence of Bahai'ism

[CG Didymus]

Every time they lived the life of service to all humanity A Christian is one who follows the example of Christ for the love of God.

The rest as you have noted, causes division.

Regards Tony

But, the "us", the saved ones, versus "them" the lost or even worse, the followers of other religions, is built into the teachings of Christianity. Division is part of it. Sinners are going to be separated out and cast into hell. But you know that, you probably heard it enough. Hopefully, your Mom is lightening up and can appreciate you and your religion. Oh, and by the way, pace yourself this time, so you don't get burnt out. Your voice is needed here.

 

[Dawnofhope]

There is substantial reason to believe that the Baha'i numbers are actually dwindling now. The UHJ is afraid to post the real numbers, because they wouldn't want to disappoint everyone. But that too is common for certain religious folks, exaggeration of numbers. Exaggeration seems to be a mainstay, unfortunately. Exaggeration of abilities, exaggeration about persecution, exaggeration about lovey-dovey 'unity'.

I don’t believe this is true at all for the Baha’i Faith.

As with most religious groups, organizationally reported adherent counts include significant numbers of nominal members, or people who no longer actively participate, yet still identify themselves as adherents. There are valid arguments that some of the "mass conversions" have resulted in adherents with little or no acculturation into the new religious system. As is typical with a religious group made up primarily of converts, Baha'is who drift from active participation in the movement are less likely to retain nominal identification with the religion -- because it was not the religion of their parents or the majority religion of the surrounding culture. On the other hand, there are no countries in which people are automatically assigned to the Baha'i Faith at birth (as is the case with Islam, Christianity, Shinto, Buddhism, and other faiths), so their numbers aren't inflated with people who have never willingly participated in or been influenced by the religion while adults.

On balance, while official Baha'i figures are not a measure of active participants, the proportion of participating adherents among claimed adherents is thought to be higher than average among the "major religions" on this list. The Baha'i community is remarkably active and influential in religious matters on both global and local levels, especially given their relatively small numbers compared to some other religions.[7]

Bahá'í statistics - Wikipedia

 

[Dawnofhope]

How did you become aware this is how most people that are not Baha'i think? Please provide the source.

If there is no source, is this an attempt to impart your thoughts on to others?

In this post, I am only trying to attempt to point out that these are your views as I am able to quote many sources that show many people see the Baha'i Faith as an independant World Religion.

Regards Tony

It’s great to have you back Tony. I really like having you here.

I wonder if you and Vinayaka tend to wind each other up and maybe it’s best to have a short break from each other.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

Major religious groups - Wikipedia
It's called a faith here. I can provide more sources if you wish. I understand why you would consider this important.

I see no need to pursue that further, you can see it in any way you wish to.

What I see as important is working for the good of the community and all Humanity.

Regards Tony

 

[TransmutingSoul]

But, the "us", the saved ones, versus "them" the lost or even worse, the followers of other religions, is built into the teachings of Christianity. Division is part of it. Sinners are going to be separated out and cast into hell. But you know that, you probably heard it enough. Hopefully, your Mom is lightening up and can appreciate you and your religion. Oh, and by the way, pace yourself this time, so you don't get burnt out. Your voice is needed here.

Personally when I read the Bible, I read it in a context of what is applicable to me, I do this with all writings of all Faiths.

I can not change anyone but my own self, thus if I change, others may see this and want to know how it was done.

If I look back I can note the change, I know how far the journey has taken me and know how much further I have to go. This is the greatest proof and confirmation for ones own self. If we have not changed, we must ask, why not?

Regards Tony

 

[TransmutingSoul]

It’s great to have you back Tony. I really like having you here.

I wonder if you and Vinayaka tend to wind each other up and maybe it’s best to have a short break from each other.

Ha ha, yes it is most likely that is so and that may have been posted to provoke more than was needed.

When I posted that one.....it took a while to hit post reply.

Im a big teddy bear though, get hot then cool just as quick. It must be the climate here, could not be me....!!

Regards Tony

 

[Vinayaka]

I don’t believe this is true at all for the Baha’i Faith.

False Statistics for Baha'i Membership in the USA, India, & Elsewhere

There are many more sites disputing Baha'i exaggeration, but you most likely wouldn't read them.

 

[CG Didymus]

False Statistics for Baha'i Membership in the USA, India, & Elsewhere

There are many more sites disputing Baha'i exaggeration, but you most likely wouldn't read them.

A number the Baha'is should be able to provide is active members. If a person isn't participating at all, or can't be located, then they shouldn't count anyway.

 

[Dawnofhope]

False Statistics for Baha'i Membership in the USA, India, & Elsewhere

There are many more sites disputing Baha'i exaggeration, but you most likely wouldn't read them.

There is an obvious disparity between the numbers of the Baha'is considered enrolled by the NSA of the Baha'is of India and the census figures of India. It's hard to know why that is.

I did some research and found this on Quora that makes sense but is in no way authoritative:


The exact, official numbers are not known. The Baha’i Faith has been growing in India and is widely respected. The Baha’i “Lotus” Temple near New Delhi is one of the most visited sites in India.

Currently, the Baha’is of India state that they have over 2 million members. (www.bahai.in) The reported number exceeded 1 million quite some time ago. Bahá'í Faith in India - Wikipedia

Baha'is of India

There are over 10,000 registered and officially recognized Baha’i communities in India and the numbers of members in some of those communities are quite large. There have been conferences with thousands of Baha’is attending in some states in India. A local House of Worship is planned in the State of Bihar due to the progress there and in neighboring states. The Baha’i community tends to be conservative for credibility and integrity reasons if it issues any estimates at all. It is not possibly to estimate the proportion of “enrolled” Baha’is that remain active. Typically, numbers of National Assemblies, Regional Assemblies, Local Assemblies, and registered locations are sometimes provided because they can be clearly documented.

The Baha’i Faith has existed in India since the mid 1800s. It is one of the longest standing and most respected Baha’i National communities in the world. The Lotus Temple in India is a place for private prayer and meditation for persons of all faiths and has specific religious significance even for Hindus. Bahá'í House of Worship, India The Lotus Temple is a noted contribution to India, has won international architectural recognition, is one of the most widely visited temples and sites in India, and appears on tourism promotions from India.

The Baha’i Faith emphasizes unity, non-violence, tolerance, respect, and recognition of the major religions of the world, including Hinduism and Buddhism. There are texts linking the Baha’i Faith and Baha’u’llah to some writings and traditions in both of those religions. Baha’i teachings on morality and other matters do find resonance in India. Baha’is are very active in promoting tolerance and non-discrimination, social and economic development, promoting education, promoting the advancement of women, and in other aspects of Indian society.

There have been efforts to put out contrary information on the Internet on this issue based on Indian census data. The Indian census was not designed to count the number of Baha’is in India and does not list Baha’i as an option on the census form. It has to be written in on the form. Many census workers in India (and Baha’is) filling out the census forms, therefore, either guess, assume (based on the predominate religion in that locality), or choose another religion (their family religion, ancestral faith, or historical faith), Other Persuasion, or Not Specified. This is a well-known problem in census-taking and statistical sampling. This leads to serious undercounting, particularly in India. (This is true in many other countries as well.) The Baha’i Faith is included as part of 7.94 million people of other religions and persuasions, but most Baha’is are counted in the census (mistakenly) as Hindu, Muslim, or other Faiths if they were formerly of those religions or have names consistent with those religious traditions. Because Baha’is are more universal in their beliefs, many will simply pick a listed religion listed closest to their beliefs or historic beliefs. Even though they have long-standing and well-known (small) and strong religious traditions and communities in India, the members of the Parsi and Jewish faiths are also substantially undercounted on some reports for this and other reasons. This is generally true for most of the other religions or beliefs not listed on the Indian census form.

https://www.quora.com/How-many-Baha’is-are-there-in-India

There is excellent concordance between numbers of enrolled Baha'is in New Zealand and our census figures. I imagine that administrative procedures would not be so good in India either with the census or the Baha'i administration.

 

[Marcion]

Personally I see all founder's support each other.

You perhaps mean that parts of their teachings and instructions may overlap.
The founder of my path said on different occasions that he did not only work through his own organisation but also through others, without going into any details.
This gives the idea that many organisations are involved with improving the human condition in their own way no matter what their more superficial differences may be.

I think that most members of all of these organisations will somehow feel that their own organisation is best suited to tackle the task, for different reasons.
Perhaps it is best to not discuss such reasons in too much detail because that could lead to false feelings of superiority or even inferiority and irritation. Besides that, people have different personalities and therefore often feel more comfortable in an organisation that fits them better (for as long as it lasts).

Of course new organisations keep evolving that can slowly replace ones that are less suited to modern times and people may also choose to switch if that suits their development better.