Is the Baha'i Faith a cult?

by Dr. Naghmeh Moshtael-Hill

Oneness of all religions

Most of my acquaintances, colleagues, neighbors and friends are aware that I am a Baha’i. Often I am asked to differentiate between independent world religions and cults and more specifically, whether the Baha’i Faith is a cult.

The brief answer to the last question is: No, the Baha’i Faith is not “a false religion or extremist group outside of conventional society, living under the direction of a charismatic leader.”  Far from it. In fact, the Baha’i teachings affirm and respect all religions as sources of Divine Truth. For a fuller picture of this perspective, it’s important to understand the following concepts:

• Oneness of Religion

• Purpose of Religion

• Baha’i Faith: an Independent Religion

Oneness of Religion

Baha'is firmly believe that there is just one God. Though we may call Him by different names, God is the Unknowable Essence, the Creator of all life. Baha’is also believe that God has revealed His teachings to mankind in a series of chapters—what we have come to know as the different religions of the world.

God has an eternal covenant with us, His creatures. In this covenant, or agreement, He has agreed to never leave us alone. Through His spiritual Teachers, He provides us guidance. These Spiritual Teachers educate us about our Creator and teach us how to conduct ourselves. Together, the world's great religions are expression of a single unfolding divine plan. In return, our part of the agreement is to recall that God created us because He loves us and to recognize the Spiritual Teacher for the time and age in which we live.

This concept of the eternal covenant of God goes far beyond mere tolerance of other religions. Baha'is respect and revere all the Founders of the world's great religions. These Founders or Spiritual Teachers are called Manifestations of God (to manifest is to reveal that which is hidden, i.e. the nature of God which we humble creatures cannot comprehend on our own). Bahá'u'lláh, Founder of the Baha’i Faith, is the latest in this line of Spiritual Teachers and is the Manifestation of God for this day.

Baha'u'llah said:

This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future. Let him that seeketh, attain it; and as to him that hath refused to seek it -- verily, God is Self-Sufficient, above any need of His creatures.

Purpose of Religion

The purpose of religion is to establish peace and harmony for all mankind. Individually, religion offers each one of us a way to relate to our Creator and to draw nearer to Him. Practically, religion reminds us of the importance of acquiring God-like attributes and to let go of the more materialistic and animal-like impulses of human nature. We pray and meditate. We try to reflect the light of God in our hearts. Just like the unborn child acquires all the physical attributes he needs in the womb (limbs, senses, etc.), we strive to acquire the spiritual qualities we need in this world and the world to come—justice, kindness, truthfulness, humility, and generosity, to name a few. As we develop these qualities in ourselves, we are able to work together better as a human family and build a society that truly reflects our spiritual nature.

Baha'u'llah said:

The Great Being saith: O ye children of men! The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men.

All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization.

Interestingly, religion not only impacts the "believers" or followers, but the entire society. With the coming of every Manifestation of God, our world experiences tremendous changes and advancements. For example, the progress achieved after the coming of Mohammad during the Islamic civilization included the creation of universities as centers of higher education, establishment of lending libraries, scientific advancements that we continue to use today (e.g. such as rubbing alcohol!), and modern mathematics thanks to Hindu-Arabic numbers.

Since religion impacts the entire world, whether individuals have recognized the coming of that Manifestation of God or not, these days are surely wonderful days to be alive. Just consider the quantum leaps of progress that science and technology have been made in the last 150 years since the coming of Baha’u’llah! Consider the social progress too. Many ideas that are now generally accepted, such as the equality of men and women, were revealed by Bahá'u'lláh over 150 years ago and actively taught in Baha’i homes around the world.

Baha'u'llah wrote:

Through the movement of Our Pen of Glory We have, at the bidding of the Omnipotent Ordainer, breathed a new life into every human frame, and instilled into every word a fresh potency. All created things proclaim the evidences of this worldwide regeneration.

Baha’i Faith: an Independent Relgion

As previously mentioned, every Manifestation of God renews the religion of God and foretells the coming of the next Spiritual Teacher. If we think of religion as the sun, it is the same sun that rises and shines every day. At the same time, every day is different from the day before and the day after. It has its own unique characteristics. Viewed in this light, the Baha’i Faith shares a common foundation with all the other great religions. At the same time, it is also an independent religion, with its own unique laws, teachings and institutions.

For instance, the principle of unity is common to all religions. Past religions have introduced unity in gradual steps. Moses taught the unity of the family. Christ taught the unity of the city-state. Mohammed taught the unity of the nation. For this age, Baha’u’llah’s teachings aim to unite the world.

Baha’u’llah said:

We desire but the good of the world and happiness of the nations … That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease, and differences of race be annulled -- what harm is there in this?... Yet so it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the "Most Great Peace" shall come…

One of the unique teachings of Baha’u’llah is the Baha’i administration. The Baha’i Faith has no paid clergy. Each individual has the capacity understand Baha’u’llah’s Writings for himself. Each Baha’i is responsible for sharing the news of Baha’u’llah’s coming with others and spreading the teachings of the Baha’i Faith to those who wish to hear. To administer the affairs of the Baha’i Faith, Baha’u’llah has provided a framework of elected local, national and international bodies. The members of these administrative bodies are elected in a prayerful environment without any campaigning or electioneering.

So when my friends ask me whether the Baha’i Faith is a cult: the answer is much richer than a simple “no.” The Baha’i Faith is part of the eternal, unfolding, single religion of God. The purpose of religion is to bring peace and harmony to all. The Baha’i Faith offers unique spiritual solutions to the challenges that we face in this world, for this day and this age.

I also invite my friends to take a closer look at the message of Baha’u’llah, since independent investigation of the truth is a fundamental principle of the Baha’i Faith. Baha’u’llah emphasized the essential obligation of human beings to acquire knowledge with their "own eyes and not through the eyes of others. "As each of us contributes to the betterment of society, we can look to a world where “peace is not only possible but inevitable.”

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Born in Tehran, Iran in a Bahá’í family and raised in Cameroon, Africa, Dr. Naghmeh Moshtael-Hill is a Pediatrician with the Kartini Clinic – a Portland clinic that helps children and adolescents with eating disorders. She is married to Larry Hill and they live in SE Portland. While the Bahá’í Faith has no clergy, Dr. Moshtael-Hill currently serves on the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Portland – the nine-person elected body that administers the affairs of the Bahá’í community in the City of Portland.