Lately I’ve been looking at a lot of religious websites, and it’s stirred up mixed feelings. I can only really comment on websites about the Bahá’í Faith, as it’s the only religion I know a lot about, but I’m certain this happens to a great number of other religions too.

There are a number of websites with negative content about the Bahá’í Faith. On the one hand, I don’t have a problem with this. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and everyone is entitled to express it. I think it’s pretty admirable when people care so much about their fellow humans that they go out of their way to protect them from something they perceive to be harmful. Although I think the Bahá’í Faith is a great thing, if you have reason to believe it’s harmful, then get that thought out there. We can’t independantly investigate a religion if all the information is coming from one source. That’s a pretty biased investigation. Well, the best way to find out about a religion is to actually read the writings on which it’s based, but if you’re going for human interpretation, it’s good to get a variety of opinions.

That said, I think there should be a level playing field. No lies, no quoting out of context, no manipulating the facts, no sneaky tactics to mislead people.

I’ll give an example from Bahai-Faith.com:

“What do Bahá’ís really believe about the founder of their religion, Baha’u'llah? Do they believe he is simply the latest bearer of divine teachings for humanity, equal to the founders of earlier religions such as Moses, Muhammad, Buddha, and Jesus Christ, each of them the “Manifestation of God” for a particular time and place? This is what Bahá’ís usually say, and probably this is what many of them believe. But is this is real doctrine of the Bahá’í faith? What do the Bahá’í scriptures say about Baha’u'llah’s station compared to other great prophets and spiritual leaders of the past?…”

I’m not going to get into the particulars of the Bahá’í view on this topic right now (ask me if you want a terrible ineloquent explanation, or go look it up), but basically no, I wouldn’t say that Bahá’ís believe that “he is simply the latest bearer of divine teachings for humanity”. I think one of the fundamental points of the faith is that He is the promissed one of all ages, and holds a unique station among the Manifestations. I’m sure most Bahá’ís would be happy to tell you that, and it’s pretty easy to glean from the writings, like the ones quoted on that site. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with stating the Bahá’í view of the station of Bahá’u'lláh, but I don’t approve of the suggestion that Bahá’ís try to hide this, which, in my experience, is just not true.

In a way, I’m kind of thankful for this sort of thing being out there, though the best case scenario would be different. I think I first came across this site just after I declared, and it shook my newly-discovered faith. It presented things I didn’t know about, and hadn’t thought about, and made me really seriously study the faith with a critical eye. I kept an open mind, and considered all opinions and came to my own conclusion that a lot of what’s presented on these sites is biased and manipulated. When I studied all the facts, not just what was presented on these sites, a lot of things made sense. For example, censorship of material published by Bahá’ís. What if I, as a Bahá’í, was to go and publish a book entitled “The Bahá’í Faith And Why Women Will Never Be Equal To Men In The Sight Of God”? That opinion is a direct contradiction to the principles of the Bahá’í Faith, and publishing that as the Bahá’í view couldn’t possibly be a good thing. (“Women and men have been and will always be equal in the sight of God.” - Bahá’u'lláh) Likewise, if I went around telling people that I’m a Bahá’í and I believe that men and women will never be equal, or acting on it, it would be a matter for concern. The point is not putting a Bahá’í label on un-Bahá’í things. I don’t think a group of any sort would like their label applied to things contrary to their principles: homophobia in the Gay and Lesbian Alliance, pork pies in the Vegan Society etc.

So yes, I’d like to thank these people for providing an alternative perspective on the Bahá’í Faith, and for making me investigate it critically, but I’m seriously worried that people will think that studying sites like these constitute a full investigation of all perspectives, because it really only presents an anti-Bahá’í perspective. Do lots of reading, don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions, and search within yourself. I think it’s really important to consider if your faith holds up without the love and support of Bahá’ís you may have come to know. See if there’s really a personal connection between you, God and Bahá’u'lláh. You may just find yourself lost and alone in the middle of Guangzhou, with no one but God on your side. (Trust me. It can happen.) I’m certainly not trying to put anyone off the faith, but as wonderful and important as community are, don’t allow yourself to simply fall in love with them for their own sake, but “Love the creatures for the sake of God…” (’Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 92).

The fact that so many things presented on these sites as things that came as a surprise to them well after they became Bahá’ís, leads me to suspect that they never fully investigated the Faith, maybe were too in love to consider anything that might discourage them.