دین ربات‌ها

I joined the Baha'i Faith at age 21 in a small town. Where we had real firesides in the woods, with a fire burning! It was pretty cool, I have to say.

Then I moved to a big city, and my world expanded. By age 32 or so, wasn't into the Faith too much. And pretty much stopped going to meetings. When I was in my early 50's I started going again to Ruhi. And I was kinda turned off by Ruhi deepenings. We were being trained to all think alike and go out to get converts. Then I remember one meeting when a Regional teaching committee guy came and gave a talk of sorts. And I remember feeling like, wow, this guy is so extreme. It was almost like a militaristic type of talk. And we were supposed to follow orders and convert the world, type of feeling.

Another huge turn off for me. I don't like groups as I am an introvert. And I did the street teaching thing in my early years, and went to a foreign country and did a short stint teaching the Faith. And now when I look back, I feel almost ashamed of doing that. It's embarassing to me.

So again I stopped going to meetings. And now in my mid 70s, I have not been to a meeting. And you know what? And this is a big turn off for me, I never heard from the Baha'i community except for a few emails here and there. Never got a phone call from anyone, or anything. So I think, all those years of service way back when, and I don't even rate a how do you do! That made me angry.

So the Faith is just a huge teaching/converting people machine. And I remember thinking in my 30s that the moral standard is so high, that it is unrealistic for mortal people to attain.

And after studying religion for 3 decades, taking Buddhist classes, studying atheism, deism, and listening to countless debates between Christians and Atheists, I have concluded that religion is man-made. And when I think of the Baha'i Faith, there are principles I agree with, but overall the control it exerts over its followers, as with all religions, makes me want to run and hide.

There are other things I could say, but I'll stop here.

Well, that's my 50 year story of my on and off relationship with the Faith.