Yes, the Baha’i Faith is special in the sense that it is the “current” Truth from God that God wants everyone to follow in this new age....
Most of the world's "real" religions consider Baha’i to be a cult.
Why does it matter what these religions think? The Baha’i Faith was either revealed by God to Baha’u’llah or not. That is the ONLY THING that matters and the only thing that God expects us to determine, and for which we are all responsible... Since we all have the capacity to recognize Baha’u’llah we will all be held accountable.
“...... Suffer not yourselves to be wrapt in the dense veils of your selfish desires, inasmuch as I have perfected in every one of you My creation, so that the excellence of My handiwork may be fully revealed unto men. It follows, therefore, that every man hath been, and will continue to be, able of himself to appreciate the Beauty of God, the Glorified. Had he not been endowed with such a capacity, how could he be called to account for his failure? If, in the Day when all the peoples of the earth will be gathered together, any man should, whilst standing in the presence of God, be asked: “Wherefore hast thou disbelieved in My Beauty and turned away from My Self,” and if such a man should reply and say: “Inasmuch as all men have erred, and none hath been found willing to turn his face to the Truth, I, too, following their example, have grievously failed to recognize the Beauty of the Eternal,” such a plea will, assuredly, be rejected. For the faith of no man can be conditioned by any one except himself.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 143
I think Bahai fits into the commonly accepted definition.
The Baha’i Faith does not “fit” the definition of a cult any more than Judaism, Christianity or Islam fit that definition. There is really no difference between these religions. All have a Prophet Founder and scriptures they follow. The only difference is that the Baha’i Faith is new, but all religions were new shortly after they were first revealed.
RE: What He was like as a person (His character);
How do you know what his character was? What do you have to go on besides what his early followers want you to believe?
We know because it is in the recorded history of the Faith so people who knew Baha’u’llah wrote about Him.
This article is an overview of Baha’u’llah’s early life and it reflects on his character.
Early Life of Bahá'u'lláh
His character is also addressed in the four volume set entitled “The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh” which covers the 40 years of His Mission, after He realized he was the chosen one in 1853.
Volume 1: Baghdad 1853-63
Volume 2: Adrianople 1863-68
Volume 3: Akka, The Early Years 1868-77
Volume 4: Mazra'ih&Bahjí 1877-92
Please tell me why people who wrote about Baha’u’llah would lie about Him. What would be their motive? When a person become a suspect of a crime, the first thing law enforcement does is look for a motive. This is how rational people reason things out. Also, they do not just assume someone is guilty before they have evidence to prove that. So far none of the naysayers have been able to prove that Baha’u’llah was not who He claimed to be.
RE:The predictions He made that have come to pass;
Care to list a few very specific predictions.
In this book is a list of 30 things that Baha’u’llah predicted that actually came to pass:
The Challenge of Baha'u'llah
I'm sure that David Koresh met most of your "qualifications".
I hope you are just trying to be funny and not serious.
David Koresh
I am sure Koresh did not meet any of the following qualifications that Baha’u’llah met.
He did not have a good character.
He did not have a mission on earth that was successful.
He did not have a history or a Cause that moved forward.
He did not have scriptures.
He did not fulfill any Bible prophecies.
He did not fulfill the prophecies of any other religions.
He did not make any predictions that later came to pass.
He did not establish a religion in his name.
How can truth be abrogated? Thoughts, philosophies, religions, concepts can be abrogated. Truth can not.
I did not say that Truth was abrogated. I said that the older religious dispensations have been abrogated by the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh.
“In conclusion of this theme, I feel, it should be stated that the Revelation identified with Bahá’u’lláh abrogates unconditionally all the Dispensations gone before it, upholds uncompromisingly the eternal verities they enshrine, recognizes firmly and absolutely the Divine origin of their Authors, preserves inviolate the sanctity of their authentic Scriptures, disclaims any intention of lowering the status of their Founders or of abating the spiritual ideals they inculcate....” God Passes By, p. 100
The Spiritual Truths (eternal verities) of the older religions will never be abrogated. These Truths are the same in every true religion of God, but they need to be renewed in every age because people lose sight of them. Also, humanity needs a new religion in every new age because God has a new message to impart, and the social teachings and laws need to be updated to suit the present times.
“The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy. Every age hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspiration. The remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require. Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 213