Your ideas are irrational and silly, and a perfect reflection of the
brainwashing and groupthink that has “infected” haifan bahaism and made
it a dysfunctional religion full of empty promises.

haifan bahaism is culturally imperialistic and exploits the people that are converted to it.

I am sorry for writing in such stentorian terms, but if you wish to attempt publicly to unravel the tenets of this religion I feel that I must respond.   

”’The sacred and youthful branch, the Guardian of the Cause of
God, as well as the Universal House of Justice to be universally elected and
established, are both under the care and protection of the Abhá Beauty, under
the shelter and unerring guidance of the Exalted One (may my life be offered up
for them both). Whatsoever they decide is of God. Whoso obeyeth him not,
neither obeyeth them, hath not obeyed God; whoso rebelleth against him and
against them hath rebelled against God; whoso opposeth him hath opposed God;
whoso contendeth with them hath contended with God; whoso disputeth with him
hath disputed with God; whoso denieth him hath denied God; whoso disbelieveth
in him hath disbelieved in God; whoso deviateth, separateth himself and turneth
aside from him hath in truth deviated, separated himself and turned aside from
God. May the wrath, the fierce
indignation, the vengeance of God rest upon him! The mighty stronghold
shall remain impregnable and safe through obedience to him who is the Guardian
of the Cause of God. It is incumbent upon the members of the House of Justice,
upon all the Aghsán, the Afnán, the Hands of the Cause of God to show
their obedience, submissiveness and subordination unto the Guardian of the
Cause of God, to turn unto him and be lowly before him. He that opposeth him
hath opposed the True One, will make a breach in the Cause of God, will subvert
His Word and will become a manifestation of the Center of
Sedition.””

How can an institution and a man without any claimed of Divine revelation can be invested with such infallible power.?????

”’should they show their enmity be friendly towards them,
should they poison your lives, sweeten their souls, should they inflict a wound
upon you, be a salve to their sores. Such are the attributes of the sincere!
Such are the attributes of the truthful.”’

What contrast. If you disagree with them you will face the vengeance of God, because they are God’s reflection.
On the other hand if people inflicted you with so much harm show kindness to them.

How can a  so call prophet (Divine revelation) name a person to be His successor where the latter has no Divine claim.

And lest a Guardian.

This is still a problem today. There is a sense of political correctness lead by the ‘prominent’ members. Because of their ‘prominence’ their political views are seen as infallible. So, all who disagree with the ‘prominent’ ones are driven out of the faith. Not by the political ‘power’ of the ‘prominent’ ones, but by the persecuted one’s sense of not wanting to be a cause of disunity. 

In Bahaullah’s time, Mirza Yaya, held the reigns of political power. God allowed Mirza Yaya to mislead the faithful. 

Now the Bahai faith is infested with thousands of Mirza Yayas who drive out, in disgrace, all who disagree with them. The UHJ is doing nothing about it. Assuming that the UHJ is infallible, this is according to God’s Divine plan. Why? Who knows. It is just the way it is. Perhaps there is a Divine lesson to be learned? 

To all who think the administrators of the faith are ‘living the life’, think again. It is taught that the fortunes of the faith hinge upon the faithful ‘living the life’. The fortunes of the faith have stagnated and declined. Of this, there is no doubt in my mind. The Bahais remain largely ignored by the masses. Only the rare politician will be seen in the shadows quietly patting their backs to get votes. 

As, to the OP’s assertion of the administration’s obsession with numbers… I agree. They see the numbers as the objective and goal. The numbers are only a measuring stick for those qualities that cannot be measured. Those qualities, like ‘living the life’, are the real goal, but cannot be measured except by the Father himself. The numbers show stagnation and perhaps decline.

Where are the Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs? No where. Are there plans: nope. Why not? Hmmm. I guess it’s not important. There are other things more important. What, I have no clue. 

This is a curious state of affairs, since we were promised that the completion of the Arc would create a new momentum and power. I have to ask myself… The power was not to cause entry of troops. So, there must be some other power yet to be comprehended. We will find out in the years to come. 

Another thing that is interesting. As a seeker, I was showered with something that seemed like love (it wasn’t love). Throughout my term of membership I was seen as a threat. To what? I can only assume to their political power and ambitions. It is really laughable that members of such a small organization with virtually no power over anything is so obsessed with the accumulation of power. 

Yes, I am one of those driven from the Faith and labeled a covenant breaker because, as the treasurer, I questioned the financial manipulations of the Bahai fund by a ‘prominent’ Bahai. Before I was elected treasurer the ‘manipulations’ were kept secret from the community. Even though the ‘manipulations’ were supposedly legal and ethical they were kept secret. If the ‘manipulations’ were so legitimate, why was not the whole community allowed and encouraged to partake in the financial gold mine as well? Even after I brought up the issue the community was kept in the dark about what happened. It seems that only the ‘prominent’ Bahais are allowed to manipulate the funds for financial gains. 

When I demanded the NSA send in a Continental Counselor to mediate they refused, saying my issue was too petty. I am being accused of covenant breaking and that apparently is too petty. When I demanded the NSA refund my contributions to the funds over the years because they breached their contract. They refused. Their money was too precious to them. They would rather keep the tainted money. 

I am not bitter about it. It is all part of God’s plan. The ‘prominent’ Bahais are not the enemy, they are the test. I left them with their misery and continued my spiritual journey. And, I will not come back until the time is right; until, they can learn to disagree with others without causing disunity. Until they feel that their financial dealings with the Funds can be brought out in the open. And, until then no one will pay a bit of attention to them.

I was a “Potential Bahai” for a few years, but alas could not sign the card because, like you, I wrestled with the same issues and drew similar conclusions. You are clearly a thoughtful, intelligent person.

With the publication at Ridvan of 2010 of an 8,000 word message from the Universal House of Justice–one of the longest messages of the Formative Age since a charismatic Force in the Person of Baha’u’llah was institutionalized in the Person of Abdul-Baha and then in the Guardianship and, in 1963, effloresced in that apex of Baha’i administration—the Universal House of Justice, there has been much added to this book.

In the time this book has been on the internet there have been many thousand views of this analysis, this statement on the new paradigm at the few sites where it has been posted. In addition to googling “Baha’i Culture of Learning and Growth” and accessing this article in the process at several internet sites, readers can find this piece of writing at BLO by clicking on the following:

bahai-library.org/file.php?file=price_culture_learning_paradigm

Readers can also access the latest edition of this article at BLO by taking the following steps: (i) type Baha’i Library Online or Baha’i Academics Resource Library into your search engine; (ii) click on the small box “By author” at the top of the access page at BLO; (iii) type “Price” into the small box that then appears and click on the word “Go;” and then (iv) scroll down to article/document item #44 and (v) click on that item and read to your heart’s content. When your eyes and your mind start to glaze over, stop reading. The article can be downloaded free and you will then have access to this book, this context for all this new paradigmatic terminology that has come into the Baha’i community in the last 15 years and especially, as I say, with an integration of relevant passages from the latest House message.

My statement, my book, is a personal one, does not assume an adversarial attitude, attempts to give birth of as fine an etiquette of expression as I can muster and, I like to think, possesses both candour and critical thought on the one hand and praise and delight at the many interrelated processes involved in the execution of this paradigm on the other. I invite readers to what I also like to think is “a context on which relevant fundamental questions” regarding this new paradigm may be discussed within the Baha’i community. But, in the end, my writing, my words and all of the quotations I place in contexts to illustrate what I want to illustrate–amount to my take on this new Baha’i paradigm after a decade and a half of its implementation. My book possesses no authority. Indeed, such a remark hardly needs saying.

One of the advantages of the BLO site is the freedom it gives to a writer to update his or her article or book right on the site in an ongoing process as new insights from major thinkers in the Baha’i community and information from the elected and appointed institutions of the Cause comes to hand. If time and the inclination permit, check it out. No worries, no obligation, just if it interests you. You may find the piece of writing too long as I’m sure many readers do. It is certainly a view from the inside, but it is just one person’s view building as it does on the ideas and writings of others: Bahá’í institutions and individuals. We each have a different experience on the inside of this paradigm, on the inside of this Faith or, indeed, living on the inside of our global society. You may find this book too personal due to the fact that I attempt to answer the questions: “where do I fit into this new paradigm?” “what have I done?” and “where am I going in my service to the wider community and in the exercise of my spiritual obligation to teach the Cause. After a few paragraphs of reading, you will get the flavour of the exercise. Just keep reading if your mind and spirit are enjoying the process.