An in-depth Investigation of Baha’i Principles
Although `Abdu’l-Bahā announces that an auxiliary language is needed and will be “one of the great factors in the unification of man,” Baha’i scriptures have been authored in at least three different languages.
The problem of an Auxiliary language has existed ever since antiquity when people with different languages had engaged in trade with each other. Nicholas Olster’s Empires of the World: A Language History of the World, manifests great insight into this topic.
Baha’is claim that spiritual needs can only be addressed by God’s Prophets and Messengers, and it is because of this that there must be a continuation of Prophets and Manifestations that bring new religions.
The fact that humans always need a Divine Guide to show them God’s true path and message is nothing new. It has been the basis of all true religions and it was for this purpose that God had sent His Messengers and Prophets. This principle is a Basis of Shia Islamic doctrine and has been greatly emphasized in many traditions.
`Abdu’l-Bahā denies victims of abuse the right to self-defense. He believes that an abuser can only be punished by social institutions after they have committed their crime and the victims must make no effort to defend themselves during these heinous acts:
So, to attain peace, we must act, not just claim that peace is good. In this section we will analyze how Baha’i leaders implemented this principle with their actions.
In 1795, years before Bahā’u’llāh, Immanuel Kant published Perpetual Peace with two main steps and guidelines for achieving global peace. Can we believe that Bahā’u’llāh or `Abdu’l-Bahā had not heard of this famous philosopher or his article?
What `Abdu’l-Bahā is clearly claiming is that there is or must be complete and utter equality between men and women and their rights. This belief is illogical. Under no circumstances can two different groups with great differences in their emotional, psychological, and physical aspects be expected to be exactly equal and have perfectly identical rights.
Baha’is claim men and women are equal. On the subject of obedience, `Abdu’l-Bahā has clearly stated that women must obey their husbands
If a husband finds out his wife is not a virgin he can take back the dowry even though the marriage was not conditioned on the virginity of the spouse