The emphasis in the Bahai Faith (that is, the sans-Guardian organization of Baha'is now occupying Haifa and Wilmette) on its Administration, obedience to its leadership, the constant flow of rules and regulations, the spying and paranoia over its members. and petty enforcement of laws regulating the private lives of its believers, has caused that organization to enter into a winter of spiritual ossification.
It seems this organization has forgotten that it is first and foremost a religious faith. Instead it has become preoccupied with itself as a corporate entity, with its trademarks, copyrights, market share, and advertising, as if the Message of Baha'u'llah was a commodity to be marketed and sold in the marketplace.
Shoghi Effendi, the first Guardian of the Cause, saw this was coming and tried to warn the Baha'is that spiritual death would come without a mystical relationship with God born of prayer and meditation:
"For the core of religious faith is that mystic feeling which unites Man with God. This state of spiritual communion can be brought about and maintained by means of meditation and prayer. And this is the reason why Bahá'u'lláh has so much stressed the importance of worship. It is not sufficient for a believer merely to accept and observe the teachings. He should, in addition, cultivate the sense of spirituality which he can acquire chiefly by means of prayer. The Bahá'í Faith, like all other Divine Religions, is thus fundamentally mystic in character. Its chief goal is the development of the individual and society, through the acquisition of spiritual virtues and powers. It is the soul of man which has first to be fed. And this spiritual nourishment prayer can best provide.
"Laws and institutions, as viewed by Bahá'u'lláh, can become really effective only when our inner spiritual life has been perfected and transformed. Otherwise religion will degenerate into a mere organization, and becomes a dead thing. The believers, particularly the young ones, should therefore fully realize the necessity of praying. For prayer is absolutely indispensable to their inner spiritual development, and this, as already stated, is the very foundation and purpose of the religion of God." Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 86-87
Thankfully, in the Bahai revelation, matters of spirituality are left to individual choice. Except for the revealed prayers, there is no established methods of prayer and meditation. The individual is left to choose spiritual practices according to his or her own level of spiritual growth. Since prayer and meditation is strictly a matter between God and an individual, there is no congregational or other organized forum for prayer. Instead, the practice of briefly reciting prayers at meetings is used. This freedom in matters of spirituality is one of the distinguishing features of the Baha'i religion, and because of this freedom the Baha'i religion is accessible to people of a variety of backgrounds. Regardless of one's past religious history or level of spiritual development, one can join the Faith and participate in its community, while pursuing one's own individual relationship with God. A Zen Buddhist and a Christian laymen can join side by side, each with his or her own spiritual practices and yet united within a common faith. At least, that was one of the promises of the Bahai Revelation.
Unfortunately, for those Bahais who are shallow and have merely scratched the surface of this Revelation (and those who know a community of these Baha'is will attest that this applies to the vast majority of them) they have no other spiritual life than the brief recital of a revealed prayer at a Feast, or Bahai school, or other function. That is the extent of their religious service. Since everything in their Bahai life is otherwise strictly regulated and controlled, there is no one telling them to pray at home and so most probably do not do so. It appears anyway that this is the case. The Bahais seem to give lip service to their spirituality but otherwise treat their religious activities as cold and calculating meetings designed to attract more members so that a larger pool of fanatical contributors can be obtained in order to further their goals of growth and consolidation. It is nothing more than a corporate business mentality. It has ceased to be a religion.
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