They don't mention that Counsellors 'out-rank' the democratically elected Assemblies.

The Faith's promotional materials always hype up that it's a democratic faith, and neglect to mention that Counsellors 'out-rank' the democratically elected Assemblies.

The appointed Counsellors and Auxiliary Board members are responsible for the 'spiritual well-being' of the community and 'advising' Assemblies, and in practice they fulfill all the functions of priests while the Faith also claims to have abolished clergy. The main difference as I see it is that usually clergy have to academically prove themselves knowledgeable about the religion in a formalized way, whereas in the Faith it is as you say an opaque process mostly built on brown-nosing and interpersonal politics in order to work ones way up the appointment lists.

Around the time I resigned a lot of very sincere young active Baha'is were cutting themselves off from the religion as well, not formally resigning since they still believed, but creating space due to immense stress from pressure being put on them by ABM's and Counsellors to try and get numerical results. In my opinion the KPI's of the Faith represent the ABM's and Counsellors 'job application' to get appointed to higher honors so they have a vested interest in crushing the spirit of people under them to try and get good numbers and a promotion like any good (bad?) capitalist enterprise.

The whole religion has become even more bureaucratic and opaque as in my country at least, and I assume most of the Western Baha'i world since Area Teaching Committees have been established. These committees appointed on the advice of a Counsellor. Another new-ish administrative body are Regional Baha'i Councils. Area teaching committees informally "outrank" Assemblies, calling meetings of LSA members in an area to coordinate them on teaching campaigns. The Regional Councils are elected by LSA members in an area (or are just straight up appointed by the NSA) and of course it is no surprise that ATC members are the people elected to the Regional Council. Following on from that of course it is Regional Council members who are elected to the NSA, so what it accomplishes is an ouroboros of administration where appointments control elections and ideological purity can be maintained.

The punchline of the Faith is that despite the complex multi-layered bureaucracy with dozens of institutions and roles constantly expanding and more firmly asserting its centralized control, the community is still shrinking year on year in most western countries and hemorrhaging active Baha'is.

https://old.reddit.com/r/exbahai/comments/1mc8u8p/uhj/

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All UHJ members since the 80's are members of the International Teaching Centre

All UHJ members since the 80's are members of the International Teaching Centre which is a body appointed... by the UHJ established in 1973. I think the only exceptions have been Douglas Martin, who was appointed by the UHJ as their international public relations officer prior to being elected, and Paul Lample who was appointed by the UHJ to head their social and economic development body.

A year or so before the UHJ term ends they usually have the ITC members tour the world which in my mind is a fairly transparent way to give them face time with NSA members (who form the electoral college who votes for the UHJ). Prior to this is was usually the Secretary of the US NSA that was elected to fill open slots, since pre 1963 the US NSA was responsible for coordinating the NSA's of Europe and Central & South America.

While it isn't formally spelled out it is fairly obvious the UHJ and ITC members each have a portfolio of a part of the world they are responsible for, given the pipeline is Continental Counsellor, then ITC member, then UHJ member, so active community members are usually at least somewhat familiar with the UHJ member that was Counsellor for their Continent prior to getting elevated up the pipeline. The active community is also incredibly tiny, at least in the west, so if you were at all active a decade ago there's a good chance you will have been in at least one meeting where a current ITC has given a talk or participated in a consultation. Twenty or thirty years ago? Make it a current UHJ member.

Baha'is don't display photographs of UHJ members or anything like that, but verbally I'd say UHJ members have historically been pretty deified by the rank and file Baha'is part of this is because a lot of them were pretty talented public speakers, and it used to be that elevation up the appointed ranks was in part based on existing popularity in the community. On the deification it is noteworthy I think that no UHJ member has ever been voted out of office, they have either died in office or announced their retirement.

Ali Nakhjavani, Adib Taherzadeh, and Peter Khan were especially popular figures. It's a bit of a conspiracy theory but Farzam Arbab (the inventor of the Ruhi system) seems to some to have sort of 'taken over' the UHJ in the mid 2000's and Counsellor/ITC picks became more about adherence to the Ruhi philosophy than popularity in the community so the current crop of administrators is a bit less well known in the community at large (but doubtless they are all very familiar to the people that serve in the Institute Process).

https://old.reddit.com/r/exbahai/comments/1mc8u8p/uhj/

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Baha'i faith growing in the US?

Baha'is with known addresses in the United States
2020 - 77290
2021 - 76965
2023 - 74933
2024 - 75350
2025 - 74773

(Annual Ridvan Reports published by the NSA of the US)

https://old.reddit.com/r/exbahai/comments/1lukdea/latest_us_bahai_statistics_from_ridvan_report_2025/

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The Office of Membership and Records

The Bahá’í Center Assistance Corporation (BCA) works with offices of the National Assembly to update and maintain data related to all Bahá’í properties requested by the Office for the Development of Administrative Systems at the Bahá’í World Center. BCA also worked with the IT department at the Bahá’í National Center to ensure that all relevant data requested by that office could be included in the properties database. This year, database fields were updated and modified so that the data spreadsheet could be populated by a query of the database. This includes all properties owned or rented by the National Assembly, Regional Bahá’í Councils, Local Spiritual Assemblies, and registered Bahá’í groups. National and regional offices can add to and update this information through UnityWeb, and Local Assemblies and registered groups can add or update properties through eMembership2.

(Ridvan Annual Report 2024)

The Office of Membership and Records plays a crucial role in maintaining the official records of all Bahá’ís, Local Spiritual Assemblies, and registered groups within the US Bahá’í community. In fulfilling this mandate, the Office is responsible for a range of essential functions:

• processing enrollments, child registrations, and international transfers to and from the United States

• facilitating UnityWeb access for Auxiliary Board members and individuals designated by Regional Bahá’í Councils

• providing UnityWeb and national website access (bahai.us/community) for approved foreign Bahá’ís

• updating the membership database to reflect changes in locality boundaries

• entering results for Ridván elections, Spiritual Assembly officer elections, and by-elections

• maintaining accurate records of contact information, postal addresses, marriages, and deaths

• issuing marriage and birth certificates

• distributing digital welcome letters and instructions for accessing virtual Bahá’í identification cards via bahai.us/community to new enrollees and new arrivals to the US Bahá’í community

• sending hard copy welcome packages to newly registered Bahá’í youth turning 15, including a welcome letter, Bahá’í ID card, a booklet of prayers titled Strive, and guidance on creating a Bahá’í Online Services Account (BOSA)

• cataloging correspondence exchanged between individuals, institutions, and the National Spiritual Assembly and its agencies

(Ridvan Annual Report 2025)

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the parents may refuse consent for marriage on any ground

...the parents “may refuse consent on any ground and that they are responsible to God alone.” Baha’is who marry without providing verified parental consent are subject to deprivation of their Baha’i administrative rights and privileges.

-The Universal House of Justice

https://file.bahai.media/e/e7/The_American_Bahá’í_Vol5_No1.pdf

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And friends if we did not have this Administrative Order of Bahá’u’lláh,

And friends if we did not have this Administrative Order of Bahá’u’lláh, do you know what would have happened today? None of us would be sitting in this room. None of us, the Baháʼí community would have completely defused itself in such a way that it would have completely evaporated. We owe this Faith of Bahá’u’lláh to Shoghi Effendi, who built for us this marvelous system of the administrative order of Bahá’u’lláh.

-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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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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