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What do you think about the Bahai faith?
- Thread starter Starlight
- Start date
What I know about the Baha'i Faith is limited to what I've learned from its followers here. Based on this, my assessment is that they like to proselytize by trying to shoehorn the paradigms of others into their own belief system in their quest to bring unity to humanity to save it. I've only met one Baha'i here that does not make a practice of doing this.
Pete in Panama
Well-Known Member
Perhaps there may be a misunderstanding of what you're asking for and what you won't tolerate.
Do you find it objectionable and undesirable to be exposed to someone who likes "to proselytize by trying to shoehorn the paradigms of others into their own belief system in their quest to bring unity to humanity to save it"? If you're talking one on one then I'd imagine that stating you won't tolerate the approach should put an end to it.
otoh w/ a forum like this you might have a problem when the Baha'i is responding to someone else.
You've made a couple of unfounded assumptions here...
I didn't make any mention of asking for anything or made any mention of my degree of tolerance. I merely responded to a question with my own observations.
I'm stable enough in my views that proselytizing doesn't bother me. However, I do take issue with people proselytizing to those who already established in a religion or are still seeking. Sharing ideas about one's religion is fine, but religion shouldn't be a sales pitch to a potential buyer.
Jedster
Flying through space
@Starlight
I agree with this.
However, irl, I have spent time with Bahais in Israel and the UK and never experienced them as proselytizers.
Soandso
ᛋᛏᚨᚾᛞ ᛋᚢᚱᛖ
I'm fairly ignorant to the bahai faith. I will say that trying to incorporate several related and unrelated religions under one religious umbrella would require a lot of mental gymnastics to make work. Also, history is full of prophets who try to incorporate several religions together to varying degrees of success. Manichaeism comes to mind
As for bahai people? They are nice enough, but I would avoid talking religion or theism with them as the discussion tends to veer towards how the religion relates to their own. That's been my own experience, at least
As for bahai people? They are nice enough, but I would avoid talking religion or theism with them as the discussion tends to veer towards how the religion relates to their own. That's been my own experience, at least
I don't know a whole lot about it. It seems like 'Abrahamic Faith, Book 4' to me.
I don't like the proselytizing that some(but not all)adherents participate in, but they're not the only faith to do it. I find it curious that they sometimes make mention of Krishna, but seldom have much idea of who he is within Hinduism.
I don't like the proselytizing that some(but not all)adherents participate in, but they're not the only faith to do it. I find it curious that they sometimes make mention of Krishna, but seldom have much idea of who he is within Hinduism.
A path that works for some people. If they don't harm anyone or try to force the religion on others, their beliefs are none of my concern.
Some Baha'is do emphasize proselytizing, but I don't see that as fundamentally different from the preaching within certain other religions. I have the same general reservations about it in all of those cases, especially since most of the common religious sects or denominations that emphasize preaching also tend to have beliefs that I find to be harmful or demonizing toward certain groups (e.g., non-believers and LGBT people).
The ideas themselves don't seem bad, but are way too idealistic, and don;t offer any realistic path to acheive it's aims. That's a liability.
I didn't have a bad impression of Baha'i until I engaged with members of that faith. I often assess how effective a religion is by how its believers behave, and I think Baha'i fails to help it's members. I think it fails in the same way other Abrahamic faiths fail, that being it offers fantactic and implausible concepts to believe in, doesn't offer members a path to rational thinking, and is a religion of identity that apeals to the weakness of the ego. These religions allow believers undisciplined thinking and feeling. The discussions regarding Baha'i have revealed the egocentic nature of the religion, and also how members can't defend criticism and hard questions. The primary flaw in the religion is the prejudice against gays, and the hierarchy of the Baha'i faith won't eliminate this bigotted view.
Sand Dancer
Currently catless
A lot to like, but I don't think any god would be so picky as to have certain things you say and do at certain times of the day. Also, it's against gay marriage, and women have to do something different while menstruating. Otherwise, the unity and progressive revelation are nice.
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Muffled
Jesus in me
From what some have said on here, I would assume there is a trend toward Universalism within the Bah'ai faith.
Muffled
Jesus in me
I believe God is opposed to gay marriage so at least they got that much right. No doubt Christianity and Islam are on the same page with that.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
At least they have a real person to model their religion over.
At the end of the day, they are no better or worse than any other theistic religion out there.
Muffled
Jesus in me
I believe if one has a Jim Jones one can be in a heap of trouble.
It had good intentions on its origin, but loses its way something fierce because it insists on conforming to Abrahamic expectations.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
It's just was another man who was afflicted with dreams of grandeur and self importance.
In light of other cult members, at least Bahai's are reasonably peaceful, if not for their constant proselytizing with a compulsory need to interject the word "Bahai" into conversations into just about every two or three sentences. Heh.
I agree with @F1fan that the Baha’i religion is too idealistic and also prejudiced.
From my perspective, the world is one family, but that doesn’t necessitate having one language and one government.
I am entirely indifferent towards it
It doesn't bother me at all yet neither does it appeal to me
It has some very ambitious aims though which is neither good nor bad
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Secret Chief
Veteran Member
Not much. It says that 535 million Buddhists are incorrect in their understanding of their own religion, in an attempt to fit the Bahai narrative. The Buddha was not a messenger of any deity. End of.