1. Introduction: The Two Faces of Baha'i Childhood
If you read a Baha'i brochure, you will see a lot of nice words about kids. They claim children should have an "independent investigation of truth." They even say it is "futile" to force a kid to follow a religion. It sounds like a lovely, free-thinking playground where every child is a little seeker of light.
But behind the scenes, Baha'i leaders are shaking in their boots. While they talk about freedom in public, they have unhinged rules about who Baha'i kids can talk to in private. It turns out that for a group that claims to love everyone, they are terrified of "spiritual germs." They have a long list of "scary" kids—like the "descendants of Azal"—who must be treated like a biological hazard.
2. The "Good" Kids: Holy Lights and Animal Lovers
The Baha'i big-shots want their own kids to be "brilliant lights" in a "dark world." The "real object of life" for these children is to grow up and support Baha'i institutions. To get them ready, the leaders give them some very specific instructions on how to be "tender."
For example, Baha'i kids are taught to be "infinitely tender" to animals. If a bird is hungry, they should feed it. If a dog is sick, they should try to heal it. But there is a creepy catch. You are not allowed to be nice to "bloodthirsty wolves" or "poisonous snakes." The leaders claim being kind to a "pernicious creature" is an "injustice." This is a great lesson for a five-year-old: only be nice to the things we tell you are good!
3. The "Scary" Kids: Inherited Disease and Poisoned Milk
This is where the hypocrisy gets real. Baha'i kids are told to heal a sick animal, but they are ordered to "strenuously avoid" a classmate if that child has the wrong parents. The leaders call this an "inherited spiritual disease." They aren't just afraid of people who disagree with them; they are afraid of their "grand-children" too.
According to official Baha'i letters, these "bad" kids have "imbibed" a false concept of the Faith since they were babies. They literally claim these children sucked down hatred with their "mother's milk." The leaders argue that these kids have a "lifelong habit of wrong thought" and that it takes a literal "miracle" for them to ever be normal. Imagine telling a ten-year-old that their desk-mate's brain is full of "poison" just because of who their grandpa was.
4. Schoolyard Spies: How to Shun Your Classmates
So, what happens if one of these "poisoned" kids shows up at your school? Baha'i leaders released a "how-to" guide on playground shunning in 1976. They told Baha'i students that they "must not choose" these children as personal friends.
But they want you to be sneaky about it. They tell students to avoid "companionship" without making an "open issue" in front of the school. It is a policy of stealth shunning. If a Baha'i kid is too weak to ignore the "poisoned" classmate, the leaders suggest an extreme move: the Baha'i child should just change schools. They would rather pull a kid out of class than risk them catching "wrong thoughts" from a "diseased" peer.
5. The Only Way Out: Saying Sorry for Your Parents' Sins
If one of these "poisoned" kids wants to join the Baha'i club, they can't just sign up. They have to "repudiate" their own family. That is a fancy word for disowning your parents and admitting they are "sinners."
It gets even weirder. High-level officials called the "Hands of the Cause" have to step in and conduct an interrogation. They have to "ascertain" if the child truly "understands the sin" of their parents. You aren't "clean" until a committee of grown men decides you have successfully squeezed all the "poison" out of your head and cut ties with your own flesh and blood.
6. Conclusion: Fear is the Greatest Name
Baha'is love to talk about the "independent investigation of truth." But how can a kid investigate the truth when they are told that certain people are "poisonous snakes"?
If Baha'i kids are supposed to be "brilliant lights," why are they so afraid of catching "germs" from a kid on the playground? It seems the Baha'i version of "freedom" comes with a "keep away" list. In this religion, you are free to choose any path you want—as long as it is the one the leaders picked for you, and as long as you never talk to the "diseased" kids in the back of the room.
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