tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510761613406111002.post111701463653086954..comments2023-09-25T12:44:07.828-07:00Comments on Baha'i Faith - Its origin and its role: A 'concerned' ex-Baha'i writes about his experienceNaser Emtesalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11174192365767859976noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510761613406111002.post-70529658246715523712013-10-25T19:03:10.286-07:002013-10-25T19:03:10.286-07:00I'm not a Baha'I, so don't take this t...I'm not a Baha'I, so don't take this the wrong way, but I don't see Baha'Ism diminishing any time in the near future. They've spread rather aggressively, and they're in general quite nice. I'd say about half the ones I've known are either Iranian refugees themselves, or the children of Iranian refugees. The rest are American, with a German or two. They're friendly, they're open, and because they're foreign and exotic, they're automatically less creepy than heterodox domestic groups like Mormons and Scientologists. Both those groups are growing, despite a ton of bad press. No one really says anything bad about Baha'I, so why should their growth taper off?<br /><br />That said: I find the obsession with uniformity concerning. I'm a Christian myself, and any close reading of scripture shows the schisming of Christianity into sects happened almost immediately - arguably it started before Jesus was even crucified ("Master, we have seen people casting out demons in Your Name, but they are not a part of us"), and I have to think this is a good thing. Denominationalism is good, as it allows a believer to find the 'brand' of Christianity that's best suited for their spiritual needs. <br /><br />Attempts to force a religion into a one-size-fits-all box would seem to me to lead to legalism and a kind of authoritarian clerical dictatorship. Those strike me as bad things. So I do find this trend in the Baha'I rather concerning. Kevin Longhttp://www.kevin-long.comnoreply@blogger.com