کافیه

Enough

I finally hit the wall with the dysfunction in this Bahai community. I'm an American and I live in another country. You name it, I've seen it. Financial corruption that would take your breath away. Almost every "active" Bahai is receiving a monthly stipend as wages to be of service to the Cause – probably at least 100 to 150 people. (I've stopped giving to the fund.) Blatant racism towards non-locals, whereby locals use political power to spread racist gossip, marginalizing those they gossip about. Willful decisions made to not follow Baha'i Administration. Communication willfully withheld from those outside the "favored insiders." There is so much disunity that all core activities and teaching efforts have stopped. The most bizarre part of this? The World Centre is fully aware and will do nothing. It's up to the national community to remedy. Brilliant, because the most corrupt are the ones who are in positions of power and access, but they are also supposed to remedy the issues? Huh?

I reached out to our new counselor to discuss what I've seen and told him that these conversations must be held in strict confidence. He acknowledged my concern and then went straight to the offenders to ask about my character, probably based on the racist backbiting that has created an atmosphere of suspicion directed at all non-locals. It got back to me. Now I trust no one.

So I finally made a decision. I confronted those who have impacted my own life with their backbiting. I've also told many Bahais that I will no longer participate in the community until things change and become healthy again, and I've taken into account that such change may not happen in my lifetime.

Ironically, and for those who also have gone through the decision to step away, did you, too, have a shift of well-being by doing so?

I sleep better, my health is better – such as my BP came down to normal, I don't live in constant fear as if I'm walking on eggshells. And most importantly, I've had the ability to take an objective view of the Baha'i community. It's a mess.

This horrific mess we've allowed to be created is not the practice of a religious faith, like the one I fell in love with in 1979. This is a beurocracy hellbent on numbers and statistics, devoid of any quality of spiritual life. I finished Book 7 of Ruhi and realized this is the most dangerous, flawed, reckless, irresponsible thing we've done in decades, leaving believers with an excuse not to read the Holy Writings and to have a warped, twisted version of what it means to be a Baha'i.

So, I'm done. I'm not ready to deny the Manifestations or the Message, but I'm definitely avoiding this mess of a community like it's the plague.