mystical intercourse between Baha'u'llah and Abdul Baha

This Will and Testament as Shoghi Effendi have said, is the child of the Covenant. He gives the analogy in his writings. He says that he here portrays Bahá’u’lláh as if Bahá’u’lláh... He says, as a mystical intercourse between the person of Bahá’u’lláh - I'm paraphrasing it for you - and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as the mother and Bahá’u’lláh here acting as the father. As a result of this mystical intercourse between the person of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, a child was born and that is the Will and Testament.

-Adib Taherzadeh in his lecture "Speaking about the development of Bahá’í administration, tests, and George Townshend"

https://bahai.works/Transcript:Adib_Taherzadeh/Speaking_about_administration,_tests,_Townshend

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Everyone wears robes of mourning on that day, ... Tahirih publicly bedecked herself in festive clothes.

There was much interest in the new religion and the new teachings, and it did not please the divines. They became worried, and above all afraid that they would lose their influence over the people of Karbila. That must definitely not happen. Angry, the mullas complained to the authorities. But Tahirih did not let it stop her. Not even during Ashura, the day on which Shia Muslims commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Husayn every year. Everyone wears robes of mourning on that day, and mourns the death of Imam Husayn. However, according to the Muslim calendar, the Birth of the Bab falls on the same day. While everyone was wearing robes of mourning, Tahirih publicly bedecked herself in festive clothes. How incredibly brave would you have to be to dare to do that! You can be very sure that you will then find yourself in trouble. And, predictably, that happened. The local authorities ordered her to be arrested.

(The Herald and His Heroes: Stories about the Báb by Hitjo Garst)

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his attitude toward the Jews was always excellent

He ('Abdu'l Baha) especially excelled in his tolerance for all religions, and his attitude toward the Jews was always excellent.

(Yeshayahu Karniel, Dar Hayom, 1921)

https://benyehuda.org/read/22503

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since the Promised One had now come, these days of mourning should be changed to days of joy.

He started by converting his wife, Mulla Fatimih, a learned woman who used to teach, translate and comment on the Qur’an for the women of the area. He then stopped attending his mosque and propagated his faith privately. On 26 November 1849 (the day of ‘Ashura, when the martyrdom of Imam Husayn occurred), a group of villagers came to his house and insisted that he come and preach to them. Since they would not relent, he reluctantly went to the Husayniyyih (building for the recital of the sufferings of Imam Husayn), which was the largest gathering place in the area and ascended the pulpit. He told them that since the Promised One had now come, these days of mourning should be changed to days of joy. As a result of this pronouncement, he was shunned by his former congregation and even attacked.

(Baha'i Communities of Iran 1851 to 1912, Vol. 1: The North of Iran by Moojan Momen)

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a state comprising a Baha’i majority

We can see that the basic positive spirit of the doctrine of toleration advocated by John Locke is far more strongly affirmed by Baha’u’llah and His successors. Not only must the state abstain from using coercion to force citizens to adopt a particular religion, but a state comprising a Baha’i majority would have an obligation to safeguard minority rights. We can see that this idea is one of the basic implications of the removal of the sword. However, Baha’u’llah’s message also cannot be equated with the liberal Western conception of civil society, religion, and state. If Baha’u’llah prohibits the use of coercion to enforce His religion, this does not mean that He therefore also accepts the Western—especially the American—idea of complete separation of religion from public life.

(Logos and Civilization: Spirit, History, and Order in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh. By Nader Saiedi)

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The Bahai Faith has hijacked the word "unity" to mean something else.

The Bahai Faith has hijacked the word "unity" to mean something else. For example religious "unity" actually means "we know more about your religion than you do and you're wrong about topic x,y,z" and "unity of the world" actually means a Baha'i hegemony where everyone has adopted their beliefs and are subjected to censorship and excommunication for stepping out of line. And "unity" in a Baha'i community is more about remaining silent, falling in line, and avoiding conflict. This is a horrible, Orwelian dystopia and not at all what normal people think of when they use the word "unity".

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Baha'i electoral system

Baha'is can't even vote for the UHJ. They elect delegates (each NSA determines what geographic areas get delegates and how many) and the delegates elect the National Spiritual Assembly, and the National Spiritual Assembly members are the only ones who actually get to vote for the UHJ (and in practice they only vote for members of the International Teaching Centre... who are appointed by the UHJ). Baha'i democracy is basically a sham anyway, especially nowadays. It's an entirely top down system with 'campaigns' being forbidden so nobody elected has any accountability and nobody has any idea what people serving actually do. Appointed officers of the Faith like ABM's and Counsellors excercise most of the control over what Bahai's actually do nowadays, with LSA's being limited to organizing pot-luck dinners for the most part in practice.

The Faith's ultimate goal is unity through establishing an unchallengable global theocracy ruled by the UHJ, however a lot of Baha'is aren't really aware of this despite the UHJ very firmly stating this in this letter: https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal-house-of-justice/messages/19950427_001/1#985937741. Sen McGlinn wrote a book arguing that the Faith allowed for separation of Church and State and in response the UHJ released communications denouncing him and expelled him from the Baha'i community which is a nice preview of what Baha'i unity would be if they could get more than 0.000000001% of the population to convert. Despite this a lot of Baha'is, especially on reddit, seem to think the Faith believes in a seperation of Church and State, probably because the Ruhi books don't go into this and the Faith generally lets people believe whatever keeps them donating to the fund.

As to your question of how non-Baha'is not having a vote in their government in a hypothetical Baha'i state, as mentioned above the vast majority of Baha'is would also have no say in their government. While the Faith incorporates elections it believes in an unlimited totalitarian authoriatarian approach to governing society where the only protections from corruption and institutional abuse are the benevelonce of the institution itself and faith in divine intervention.

Quotes:

"That which beseemeth man is submission unto such restraints as will protect him from his own ignorance, and guard him against the harm of the mischief-maker. Liberty causeth man to overstep the bounds of propriety, and to infringe on the dignity of his station. It debaseth him to the level of extreme depravity and wickedness."

"True liberty consisteth in man's submission unto My commandments, little as ye know it." - https://bahaiquotes.com/subject/submission

"The Guardian believes that a great deal of the difficulties from which the believers... feel themselves to be suffering are caused by their neither correctly understanding or putting into practice and administration. They seem -- many of them -- to be prone to continually challenging and criticizing the decisions of their Assemblies. If the Bahá’ís undermine the very leaders which are, however immaturely, seeking to coordinate Bahá’í activities and administer Bahá’í affairs, if they continually criticize their acts and challenge or belittle their decisions, they not only prevent any real rapid progress in the Faith's development from taking place, but they repel outsiders who quite rightly may ask however expect to unite the whole world when we are so disunited among ourselves!"

"There can be no protection for the Faith unless the friends are willing to submit to their administrative bodies, especially when these are acting in good faith; the individual believers are not in a position to judge their national Body. If any wrong has been done we must leave it in the hands of god, knowing, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, that he will right it, and in the meantime not disrupt the Cause of God by constantly harping on these matters." - https://www.bahaiquotes.com/subject/assemblies-obedience

"Once a decision has been reached, all members of the consultative body, having had the opportunity fully to state their views, agree wholeheartedly to support the outcome. What if the minority view is right? “If they agree upon a subject,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has explained, “even though it be wrong, it is better than to disagree and be in the right, for this difference will produce the demolition of the divine foundation. Though one of the parties may be in the right and they disagree, that will be the cause of a thousand wrongs, but if they agree and both parties are in the wrong, as it is in unity, the truth will be revealed and the wrong made right.” Implicit in this approach to the social utility of thought is the profundity of the change in the standard of public discussion intended by Bahá’u’lláh for a mature society." - https://www.bahai.org/documents/the-universal-house-of-justice/individual-rights-freedoms

"One delegate then asked about the income of NSA members and other employees of the Faith, inquiring as to whether some families earned large incomes from the Fund, and asking whether or not the Universal House of Justice could be consulted about what the delegate perceived as a widespread national concern over executive compensation. William Davis then replied, saying that the NSA reviews the financial needs of full-time executive employees annually, and that the UHJ is then apprised of the arrangements. Davis then expounded on the differences between the checks and balances in the "old world" US system, saying that lack of trust is endemic to it. He then questioned the faith in the Covenant of those who would mistrust the NSA, while saying that the question itself was a legitimate one." - https://bahai-library.com/langness_report_1995_convention

https://old.reddit.com/r/exbahai/comments/1lkmu1y/unity/

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19 reasons to hate Baha'u'llah

1. He hijacked the Báb’s movement.
   He dumped the rightful successor of the Báb and hijacked the whole movement for himself like a power-hungry opportunist.
2. He was abusive, foul-mouthed, and dangerous.
   This guy was a narcissist and a compulsive liar with a God complex. He cursed people out, abused Muslims, and even ordered hits on those who challenged him like the Azalis.
3. He lived like royalty but cried “prisoner.”
   While whining about being a “prisoner,” he lived in giant mansions with private gardens—one had around 30 rooms! Pure hypocrisy.
4. He claimed to be God.
   He didn’t just claim divine inspiration—he straight-up said there is no God but him. Full-blown delusion.
5. Failed family man with multiple wives.
   He married at least three times and completely failed at raising his kids. After he died, they went to war with each other—cursing and slandering like enemies.
6. His family was a disaster.
   The so-called “holy family” was the most fractured, toxic, and disunited mess imaginable.
7. Pretended to be Muslim his whole life.
   He kept up the act till the end—posing as a Muslim, performing Saum and Salah, and even getting buried the Muslim way. Fake to the core.
8. Faked divine knowledge.
   He studied Arabic, trained with Sufis, and had a big personal library—but had the nerve to claim his knowledge was “innate” and “divine.” Give me a break.
9. Ran away and left his family behind.
   When things got rough, he bailed. Fled to the mountains and left the women in his family to fend for themselves.
10. His cult contributed nothing to the world.
    His entire so-called religion gave zero value to humanity. Just empty words and cultish nonsense.
11. Started his movement after an erotic hallucination.
    He kicked off his “divine mission” after what sounds like a spiritualized wet dream about a “maiden of heaven.” Total creep vibes.
12. Let people worship him.
    His followers bowed to him, walked around him like he was the Kaaba, and he just soaked it up like a wannabe god.
13. Pimped out “believing women” to his brother.
    Yeah, he gave women from his cult to his brother. That’s not just twisted—it’s predatory.
14. Wrote long-winded trash.
    His writings are bloated with over-the-top hype and barely any real meaning. All noise, no depth.
15. Polluted a river with his garbage writings.
    He dumped thousands of his own writings into the Tigris River. People say the water actually changed color from the mess.
16. Let people kiss his hands and feet.
    He acted like a king, letting followers kiss his hands and feet—then called them “servants of God.” What a joke.
17. Claimed to be God but begged colonial powers for help.
    He preached he was divine, yet ran to imperialists and even The Times newspaper, begging for backup. So much for being all-powerful.
18. Wrote a law book full of holes.
    His so-called “book of laws” is a contradictory mess—flawed, inconsistent, and practically unusable.
19. Talked about religious unity while cursing everyone else.
    He preached unity, but anyone who didn’t worship him was called an infidel, a polytheist, or worse. Classic cult hypocrisy.

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teach 1000 people, train 100 youth and 100 children

The first time you visit an area, teach. The second time you visit, teach again. This teaching is, in itself, deepening.

It is good to ask one of the visitors to preside at public meetings.

When youth accept the Faith, it is good if their parents are visited so that the Faith can be explained to them. If they are angry, do not worry. Once they learn about the Faith they will not mind their children being Baha’is.

Everywhere that there are new Baha’is, organize children’s classes, prepare a programme of Baha’i education, help the Baha’is learn how to conduct an Assembly meeting, assist them to build a centre and visit their homes to say prayers.

When you visit the homes of new believers, avoid giving speeches. Talk to them and listen to them.

(Dr. Muhájir, Hand of the Cause of God, Knight of Baha'u'llah, by Írán Furútan Muhájir, BPT London, p. 104)

…concentrate in one area, teach 1000 people, train 100 youth and 100 children and the next year add to the number of pioneers and literature and expand the teaching to 2000 people.

(Dr. Muhájir, Hand of the Cause of God, Knight of Baha'u'llah, by Írán Furútan Muhájir, BPT London, p. 120)

Dr Muhajir loved village Baha’is and they loved him in return. A rapport was always immediately established. He would say: ‘Friends, I was born in a mud hut like you. My grandfather was poor but wanted to give a university education to his children. He wrote to ‘Abdu’l-Baha and asked what to do. ‘Abdu’l-Baha replied, ‘Contribute to the Fund.’ He obeyed and all of us got a university education.’ Of course the friends loved it.

(Dr. Muhájir, Hand of the Cause of God, Knight of Baha'u'llah, by Írán Furútan Muhájir, BPT London, p. 108)

The June issue of Nairobi Baha’i News reports that when he visited the community he ‘shared his ideas of a progressive teaching plan which aims at teaching families, house by house, and thus building a unit of community. This ensures that consolidation and expansion go together.’ He also urged the Baha’is to teach the children, as one way to get their parents interested. He explained that these methods had been tried in West Africa with great success.

He encouraged those friends who had used such methods in other countries to travel and pioneer to Africa. He also encouraged the Iranian Baha’is to pioneer there.

(Dr. Muhájir, Hand of the Cause of God, Knight of Baha'u'llah, by Írán Furútan Muhájir, BPT London, p. 140)

Encourage them to read Nabil’s Narrative and The New Garden. Then encourage them to share what they have learned so as to show their understanding. Children must be taught the Faith the same way that others are taught, and when going out teaching, children should be taken along. This is how they learn to be teachers themselves ... Teach whole villages and families, teach everyone, so that all people are represented within the Baha’i community and we can build a solid foundation for the unity of mankind.

(Dr. Muhájir, Hand of the Cause of God, Knight of Baha'u'llah, by Írán Furútan Muhájir, BPT London, p. 147)

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Abdul Baha's love for abgusht

...at dinner time in the pilgrim house he (Abdul Baha) had himself a full serving of abgusht (a common Persian dish made of lamb, yellow split peas, beans, potatoes and tomatoes, with dried lemon) which he ate with great relish, and the next morning he felt no shame in putting away a good size breakfast either, after which he hastened to the darb-khanih.

(Memories of Nine Years in Akka by Youness Khan Afroukhteh)

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a stew of vegetables and lamb

Khan was often present at meals, at the luncheons or dinners in ‘Akká or Haifa. Various dishes would be served the guests, but ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself would have a bowl of ábgúsht, a stew of vegetables and lamb, very simple, and this plain stew was often the diet reserved for Him alone.

(Summon Up Remembrance, Marzieh Gail, p. 136)

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What is expansion?

Expansion means growth of the community: more individuals, more localities, more Assemblies. The major targets of this expansion are all strata of society; however, we must reach more people of capacity, specific minorities and the masses (middle-class America).

(National Bahá’í Review, Issue 110)

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Why Baha’is should know more about Christianity and other world religions?

‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the beloved Guardian state the followings on this matter:

"The Holy Books of all religions—the Bible, the Qur’án, and others—are the foundation of divine education. Whosoever desireth to be a teacher of the Cause must be familiar with these Books, so that he may speak in accordance with their contents and prove the truth of this Cause from the texts of the past. For instance, if he be among Christians, he should prove the truth of Bahá’u’lláh from the Bible; if he be among Muslims, from the Qur’án; and so forth. Thus he may become an effective teacher and a promoter of the Cause of God."

(From a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, translated and cited in Star of the West, Vol. 7, No. 10, September 8, 1916, p. 90 )

"You must be familiar with the Scriptures of other religions, for example, the Bible and the Qur’án, so that with wisdom and eloquence you may connect the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh with the words of the past prophets, and thus guide the people to the ocean of divine knowledge."

(From a talk given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Paris, October 1911, recorded in Paris Talks, p. 143)

"The Bahá’ís should be well acquainted with the Scriptures of both Christianity and Islám, as these two great systems have influenced and still influence the majority of the world’s population. A thorough knowledge of the Bible and the Qur’án will enable the Bahá’í teacher to meet the inquirer on his own ground and to present the Bahá’í Faith as the fulfillment of the hopes and promises enshrined in these Holy Books."

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, dated March 13, 1939, published in The Light of Divine Guidance, Vol. 2, p. 79)

"He feels that the mastery of such subjects as the Bible and the Qur’án will immensely enhance the scope and effectiveness of your teaching work, as these Books contain innumerable points of contact with the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, and a proper knowledge of them will enable you to present the Cause in a more convincing and appealing manner to the Christian and Muslim elements."

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, dated May 10, 1936, cited in The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. 2, p. 295)

https://www.facebook.com/ShahramMoosavii/posts/pfbid0vGfFb3trmQpKVjzjLKzcjQ8ytdcPGBYwypWRHYQ7Aqf2TRvvDS461hhqQmJXJFg1l

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Baha'i growth!!!

The increased intensity with which programmes of growth around the world are being pursued tells an impressive story of its own. In this five-year span, we had called for growth to be accelerated in every one of the 5,000 clusters where it had begun. This imperative became the impetus for earnest endeavour throughout the world. As a result, the number of intensive programmes of growth more than doubled and now stands at approximately 4,000. Difficulties involved in opening up new villages and neighbourhoods to the Faith in the midst of a global health crisis, or expanding activities that were at an early stage when the pandemic began, prevented an even higher total from being reached during the Plan’s final year. However, there is more to tell than this. At the outset of the Plan, we had expressed the hope that the number of clusters where the friends had passed the third milestone along a continuum of growth, as a consequence of learning how to welcome large numbers into the embrace of their activities, would grow by hundreds more. That total then stood at around 200, spread across some 40 countries. Five years on, this number has risen to an astonishing 1,000 in nearly 100 countries—a quarter of all the intensive programmes of growth in the world and an achievement far surpassing our expectations. And yet even these figures do not reveal the loftiest heights to which the community has soared. There are over 30 clusters where the number of core activities being sustained exceeds 1,000; in places, the total is several thousand, involving the participation of more than 20,000 people in a single cluster. A growing number of Local Spiritual Assemblies now oversee the unfoldment of educational programmes that cater to practically all the children and junior youth in a village; the same reality is beginning to emerge within a few urban neighbourhoods. Engagement with the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh has, in notable instances, transcended individuals, families and extended kinships—what is being witnessed is the movement of populations towards a common centre. At times, age-old hostilities between opposing groups are being left behind, and certain social structures and dynamics are being transformed in the light of the divine teachings.

https://bahai-library.com/pdf/uhj/uhj_nine-year_plan_2022.pdf

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The first Bahá'í funeral

Lorol Schopflocher arrived back in Haifa from another trip to India and Persia on 8 May 1927 and told many stories of her adventures. She stayed until 28 May when she departed for Cairo, Alexandria and Paris. Another pilgrim asked the Guardian when he would come to America. His frank and very clear answer was, 'When you have learned to obey the National Spiritual Assembly." At about the same time, Mírzá Mohsen Afnán, a resident believer, passed away and his funeral was the first entirely Bahá'í funeral held in Palestine, showing the independence of the Faith.

(Shoghi Effendi Through the Pilgrim's Eye, Volume 1 - Building the Administrative Order, 1922-1952 Earl Redman)

First Bahá’i Funeral Service in the East

From Miss Effie Baker, at the American Pilgrim House, Haifa, we learn the significant fact that the services held to observe the passing of Mirza Mohsen Afnan were entirely Bahá’i without admixture of Moslem elements—the first entirely Bahá’i funeral service to be held in a Moslem environment. Thus slowly but surely the Cause asserts itself as an independent Religion founded upon new laws and teachings and giving rise to new customs and observances not reflecting superstition and man-made tradition.

(Baha’i News Letter, The Bulletin of The National Spiritual Assembly of The Baha’is of The United States and Canada, August, 1927)

https://bahai.works/Bahá’í_News/Issue_19/Text#First_Bahá’i_Funeral_Service_in_the_East

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