Baha’i activities, Baha’i friendship for what?

Hi, I’m new to this but I wanted to speak about my recent experiences with the local Baha’i cluster, their activities and how I lost most of my friends after I decided to stop participating in their events.

Firstly, I wanted to mention that I’m an atheist, I always have been and I imagine I always will be. I’m not sure if any of them knew that then, and I wonder if that played a role in how they treat me now. Although I dislike religion and what my friends did over the past year, I was never traumatised or severely upset by anything that happened and I can’t say I dislike any of these friends even if I disagree with them now.

At the start of 2016, my close friend invited me to a youth gathering which she described was for “community building activities” and “empowering youth,” with absolutely no mention of any religious component. I attended, we only discussed the societal potential of young people and by the end of the day some older youth I met had already signed me up to start the Ruhi Institute books despite the fact that I’d never heard of them and they didn’t show them to us or tell us what they were about.

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What made me leave the Baha’i faith ?

…I do agree though that the Baha’i Faith, in all it’s various incarnations, is a cult.

I was indoctrinated into the Baha’i Faith from the age of seven. I grew up believing that I was one of the chosen. Over the years though more and more Baha’i contradictions began to pile up to the point where I could no longer ignore them.

One of the first was when I asked my mother at around the age of 15 why women were not allowed to be members of the Universal House of Justice. Her response made me think. She said that women were not allowed to be members of the Universal House of Justice because of their monthly periods where they might be too emotional to made good decisions. I laugh now when I think back on that answer.

Such contradictions continued to mount for many years. At one event sponsored by the Regional Teaching Committee on the lower mainland in BC I attended a meeting where they advised the particapants to befriend people of Chinese ancestor for the purpose of converting them to the Baha’i Faith. We were cautioned to not reveal at first that Baha’u’llah was a prophet and Baha’i a religion but to say that Baha’u’llah was a social reformer and Baha’i a social movement. I immediately developed a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I felt like I’d walked into a Scientology meeting by mistake. I left that meeting without saying goodbye and the Faith was never the same for me after that Baha’i cult experience.

I did attend meetings in other Baha’i communities after that eye opener but the evidence that Baha’i is a cult simply mounted.

I attended one meeting in Creston BC where members of the Doukabor community were invited. The Doukabor folks shared some lovely singing after which the traveling Baha’i teacher gave a short lecture about the Baha’i Faith. At the end of her lecture this Baha’i teacher broke out the conversion cards she had with her and invited the lovely Doukabor folks to sign time. I had to speak out. Proselytization isn’t allowed in the Baha’i Faith and this was a clear case of proselytization.

The host was taken off guard when I mentioned the Baha’i prohibition on proselytization, especially after the fine Doulabor folks agreed that a clear attempt to convert them had been made. They had shared lovely singing the Baha’is has shared nothing but a shallow attempt to convert.

The traveling Baha’i teacher shot daggers at me when I apologized for raining on her parade.

Eventually such clear evidence of the Baha’i Faith’s cult status mounted until I could no longer in good conscience remain a Baha’i. I resigned from the Baha’i Faith after 45 years of being Baha’i.

Cheers

Larry Rowe

https://www.reddit.com/r/exbahai/comments/60619t/what_make_you_leave_the_faith/