An in-depth Investigation of Baha’i Principles
Is this principle something new? Had it not been heard before the Baha’is declared it?
If this principle means that God is the creator of all humans, that Adam and Eve are the father and mother of all people, and that God wishes that all persons be inclined towards goodness, then this is not a new belief nor a novel teaching.
Seeking the truth is most definitely logical, and reasonable; blind imitation is also an inappropriate and irrational action. But just as was determined in the second perspective, this principle is not exclusive to Baha’i sect.
For reasons still unknown, Bahā’u’llāh had prohibited his followers from teaching Baha’ism to the people of Israel. In a letter dated 23/6/1995 the Universal House of Justice replies to an individual believer:
What most Baha’is do not know today, is that `Abdu’l-Bahā had prohibited his followers from sending their children to non-Baha’i schools.
Baha’is actively engage in proselytizing missions that are utterly against the investigation of truth. In these campaigns— that continue with great force today—illiterate masses in third world countries that have no means of investigating the truth whatsoever, are converted to Baha’ism under the disguise of education and humanitarian relief.
The greatest obstacle in the path of investigating the truth is not hiding the material that can be used to do so, rather, it is deceiving the investigator by distorting and creating an inverted image of the truth.
Suppose someone uses the limited means at hand to investigate the truth about Baha’ism and, based on his investigation, reaches a conclusion that goes against official doctrine. If this conclusion is publically announced, that person will be shunned.
To investigate the truth about anything, we must first obtain knowledge about it then use our reason to reach a verdict and conclusion. If a Baha’i wants to research his or her religion, there are three sources from which he or she can seek knowledge:
Learning a new language is no simple task and can only be justified when there is a need or necessity for such an action. Currently, there are millions (if not billions) of people in the world who do not need to learn a new language for it has no benefit to them. Why force a peasant or farmer working in a remote part of Africa or South America to learn a second language?
Lacking the linguistic means to investigate the truth, non-Farsi speaking audiences are usually presented with distorted facts about the Baha’i creed. This is not peculiar to ordinary Bahā’īs but is an act that was also performed by `Abdu’l-Bahā.