“This man knows
nothing. True happiness is only achieved through Baha’u’llah.”

Yup, the above sums up
my own experience with the vast number of Baha’i I’ve known and it’s pretty
much stuff like this which ultimately led to my decision to distance myself
from the Baha’i community.

Glad to see that you
don’t seem to agree with the other Baha’is regarding Mathieu. Also, while it’s impossible
to know what AB’s reaction would actually be, I agree with your assessment.

Thanks for the interesting post. 

In any case, meditation is an often forgotten component of spirituality. One that, unlike prayer, has been shown to have beneficial effects and to ‘rewire’ the human brain.

Oh and I’ve updated the post above to provide a link to Ricard’s book.

Thanks for stopping by

“Where there is love, nothing is too much trouble, and there is always time” – The Master.

Cheers

yes, haifan bahaism is a religion that is culturally imperialistic. as is islam and christianity.

the metaphysical framework in the judeo-christian-islamic religions (including bahai) is “universalist”, which means that it is premised on building empire, and creating slave classes, and oppressing serfs and peasants in the maintenance of such an empire.

in reality there are many valid paths to spirituality and transcendence, and some of them are far better than haifan bahaism for people that are not interested in limited models of “cultural imperialism” such as are maintained in bahai theology.

if you can somehow stomach reading the horrid stuff, the late writings of shoghi effendi (world leader of haifan bahaism from 1930s to 1950s) contain explicit statements that were hostile to national liberation movements after WWII (formerly colonized people fighting for basic human decency and the right to form democracies). in those same materials shoghi states that his dismal vision of a bahai-domininated future global society was for there to be a hybrid global bahai empire that combined the isalmic and christian empires and subjugated cultures and religions that would not conform. it is clear that democracy is not compatible with haifan bahaism's sick vision of a “spiritually pure” society ruled by “infallibles”.

the ultimate absurdity of such backward theology is the bahai concept of infallibility of haifan bahaism's incompetent bureaucratic leadership.

there are many corrupt ideas in haifan bahaism, and many bizarre inconsistencies.

it is a religion that praises some high ideas and priniciples (which were invented by others), and still maintains many many many other ideas that are backward and medieval.

haifan bahaism will never be a religion at the leading edge of emergent culture or social evolution or enlightened thought.

thanks for the contribution to the discussion.

you are correct in observing that many bahais are only narrowly interested in people that are potential “converts”, or that otherwise act in a manner that supports an atmposhere of “bahai superiority”.

the religion has scriptures that exhort followers to be detached from ego. this was obviously just copied from previous religion, but is a correct spiritual principle. however, many bahais have inflated egos and other psychological pathologies that arise from the cultural imperialism that the religion was founded on.

thanks for dedicating yourself to both selfless service to humanity and to intellectual integrity.

the reality is that most people like yourself that are in the bahai faith are used and exploited to main a system of “haifan bahai royalty” and dehumanizing bureaucracy.

you are almost certainly far better off not being in the haifan bahai organization.

have a nice day.

Ok. main point: have you guys ever read the beginning of the bahai “most holy book”, the aqdas?

At least in the official english translation, the triumphalism and exclusivism pretty much jump right off the page:

all belief is subsumed under the image of bahaullah as prophet.

do “ifs”, “ands” or “buts”.

http://bahai-library.com/writings/bahaullah/aqd…

excerpt:
| The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of
| Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His
| laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom of His
| Cause and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth this duty hath
| attained unto all good; and whoso is deprived thereof hath gone
| astray, though he be the author of every righteous deed.

The above is clearly yet another refresh of the basic blueprint for religious insanity that has been present in western religion for thousands of years.

It is completely incoherent with reference with other humanitarian principles used to “market” the relion to potential converts, and can not be rationally reconciled with the “love” theme, or the universal evolution of spirit toward compassion and altruism.

The problem is that bahai universalism isn't really universal.

The philosophical underpinning of bahai universalism itself has major problems, as explained by Ken Wilber:

http://www.vastsky.org/Audio_Video.html

click “Four Paths Four Destinations”

| Ken Wilber discusses the popular idea that the worlds religions all have
| a transendant unity, that the forms are all different but their inner
| emptiness is the same. Its just not true!

Pure (gross)
Illumine (subtle)
Causal (formless, very subtle)
Unification (nondual, suchness)

Note: compare this scheme with the bahai ring symbol.

Wilber mentions “Zen At War”.

Ok. main point: have you guys ever read the beginning of the bahai “most holy book”, the aqdas?

At least in the official english translation, the triumphalism and exclusivism pretty much jump right off the page:

all belief is subsumed under the image of bahaullah as prophet.

do “ifs”, “ands” or “buts”.

http://bahai-library.com/writings/bahaullah/aqd…

excerpt:
| The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of
| Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His
| laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom of His
| Cause and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth this duty hath
| attained unto all good; and whoso is deprived thereof hath gone
| astray, though he be the author of every righteous deed.

The above is clearly yet another refresh of the basic blueprint for religious insanity that has been present in western religion for thousands of years.

It is completely incoherent with reference with other humanitarian principles used to “market” the relion to potential converts, and can not be rationally reconciled with the “love” theme, or the universal evolution of spirit toward compassion and altruism.

The problem is that bahai universalism isn't really universal.

The philosophical underpinning of bahai universalism itself has major problems, as explained by Ken Wilber:

http://www.vastsky.org/Audio_Video.html

click “Four Paths Four Destinations”

| Ken Wilber discusses the popular idea that the worlds religions all have
| a transendant unity, that the forms are all different but their inner
| emptiness is the same. Its just not true!

Pure (gross)
Illumine (subtle)
Causal (formless, very subtle)
Unification (nondual, suchness)

Note: compare this scheme with the bahai ring symbol.

Wilber mentions “Zen At War”.