The Kingdom of the Cults
Walter Martin
Bethany Fellowship, Inc., Publishers
Minneapolis, Minnesota
August, 1977
Chapter 12 THE BAHAI FAITH pp 252-258
The Bahai Faith is a non-Christian cult of distinctly for-
eign origin, and began in Persia in the nineteenth century with a
young religious Persian business man known as Mirza Ali Muhammed,
who came to believe himself to be a divine manifestation project-
ed into the world of time and space as a Bab or Gate, leading to
a new era for mankind.
As Christianity almost since its inception has had heretics and
heresies within its fold, so Islam was destined to experience the
same fragmenting forces. Mirza Ali Muhammed, alias the "Bab,"
thus became one of the sorest thorns in the flesh of Islamic
orthodoxy, so much so, that he was murdered by Mohammedan fanat-
ics in 1850, at the age of thirty-one. He had derived much of
his early encouragement and support from the Shaykahis sect in
Persia, and was a prominent teacher among them for six years
prior to his death. Though Christians have not been known his-
torically for putting to death those who disagreed with them,
(notable exception are the Reformation and Counter-Reformation,
the Inquisition and certain phases of the Crusades), violence may
generally be said to follow in the wake of "new" revelations in
most other religions, and unfortunately, in the case of Mirza the
pattern held true.
The history of Bahai then, began with the stupendous claims
of a young Persian to the effect that "the religious leaders of
the world had forgotten their common origin...Moses, Jesus and
Mohammed were equal prophets, mirroring God's glory, messengers
bearing the imprint of the Great Creator..." [Source: Faiths,
Cults and Sects in America, Richard Mathison, page 105.]
Today this still remains the basic tenet of the Bahai faith,
albeit with the addition of Zoroaster, Buddha, Confucius, Krish-
na, Lao and Baha'u'llah, the last great manifestation of the
Divine Being, whose name transliterated means, "the glory of
God."
As Bahai history records it, the Bab was sentenced to death
and was executed July 8, 1850, at Tabriz. In the view of thou-
sands, as the Bahais tell it, 750 Armenian soldiers raised their
rifles and fired at the figure of the prophet. Alas, all this
was to no avail, for when the smoke cleared, the Bab had not only
emerged unscathed from the fusillade of bullets, but the bullets
had burned through the ropes which held him, and he stood unfet-
tered.
The story goes on to relate that he then disappeared from
their vision, but upon returning to his cell, the guards found
him lecturing his disciples. After he had finished his speaking
with them, he is reported to have said, "I have finished my
conversation. Now you may fulfill your intention."
He was then led out before the same firing squad and this
time they did not miss.
All of these events were accompanied by the cries of "Mira-
cle! Miracle!" from the assembled populace, who, though they
outnumbered the luckless Armenian soldiers, failed to rescue the
Bab from his appointment with the Dark Angel.
The Bahai history of the event also records that a fierce
black whirlwind swept the city immediately after the execution of
the Bab, somewhat reminiscent of the earthquake and darkness
which fell over the earth upon the death of Jesus Christ on
Golgotha, eighteen centuries before.
The death of the Bab however, did not dim the rising star of
the new faith. Instead, he had, according to his followers,
prophesied that "The oneness of all mankind" was an inevitabili-
ty, and that in time there would unify all the followers and
would himself be a manifestation of the only true and living God.
Modern Bahaism considers that the Bab's great prophecy has
been fulfilled by one Mirza Husayn Ali, better known to the
initiated as "Baha'u'llah," who succeeded the Messianic throne of
Bahaism upon the death of his unfortunate predecessor, the Bab.
In the year 1863 this same Baha'u'llah declared himself as
that one prophesied by the Bab thirteen years previously, the One
who was "chosen of God, and the promised one of all the
prophets." [Source: J.E. Esslemont, "Baha'u'llah and the New
Era", Bahai Publishing Company, Wilmette, Illinois, 1951, page
38.]
Apparently Baha'u'llah's conviction that he was to play
Christ to the Bab's John the Baptist, convinced the majority of
"Babis," as they were then known. However, his brother, Mirza
Yahya apparently did not receive the message clearly, for he
forth with renounce Baha'u'llah and allied himself with the
enemies of the new-found religion, the Ski'ihs.
His nefarious plot however, miserably failed, and the Bahai
movement gradually evolved into what is known today as the Bahai
Faith, a worldwide religious organization which continues to
teach in the tradition of Baha'u'llah, who, despite his claims to
immortality, was rather unceremoniously deprived of his earthly
existence by the Angel of Death who overtook him in 1892 in Bahji
in Palestine. He was seventy-five at the time.
The Bahais have had their share of persecution, and more
than nine thousand were killed between 1850 and 1860. But in
their emigration to America, in the person of Abdul Baha, son of
Baha'u'llah, who arrived in the United States in 1912, Bahaism
truly received "a new birth of freedom," and today carries on its
work in more than 50 countries, claiming a world membership in
the millions. While actual membership statistics are not given
it would appear that in 1975 they had approximately 5,500 commu-
nities in the United States. Since the Bahais are not overly
strong in publication of statistics, and the information must
literally be ferreted out, it is hard to estimate their rate of
growth. However, they have gained some notable converts in the
past, and no less a figure than Count Leo Tolstoy spoke warmly of
their "spirit of brotherhood," and Woodrow Wilson's daughter
became one of the first converts to Bahaism through the work of
Baha'u'llah in the United States. Some members of the rock music
group, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, have shared their new
faith in Bahaism during public concerts and network television
talk shows.
The world headquarters of the Bahai Faith is in Haifa,
Israel, from whence are circulated the writings of Baha'u'llah
and Abdul Baha. Baha'u'llah reputedly left behind him 200 books
and tablets, which, along with the writings of his son,
constitute the final authority for religious faith and conduct
where members of the cult are concerned.
The writer had the opportunity to visit the famous nonagon
structure, or Temple, as it is known, Wilmette, Illinois, a
building which utilizes the symbolic number nine, sacred to
Bahais. Its architecture is a combination of synagogue, mosque
and cathedral, in which there are nine concrete piers, nine
pillars representing the nine living world religions, and nine
arches. The building is beautifully centered in a park having
nine sides, nine avenues and nine gateways, and containing nine
fountains. The worship service consists or readings from
Baha'u'llah, Abdul Baha, and whatever sources from the major
religions are thought to be meaningful for the worshipers that
day. Around the central dome of the building are various quota-
tions both inside and out, all of which emphasize the unity of
all the great religions of the world.
The Bahai cult also maintains schools for study in Colorado
Springs, Colorado; Geyserville, California; Eliot, Maine and
Davison, Michigan.
Bahaism then, is a Persian transplant to the United States,
a syncretistic religion which aims at the unity of all faiths
into a common world brotherhood, in effect, giving men a right to
agree to disagree on what the Bahais consider peripheral issues,
but unifying all on the great central truths of the world reli-
gions, with Baha'u'llah as the messiah for our age. Abdul Baha
did his work well, and when he died at the age of seventy-seven
in Palestine (1921), he bequeathed a budding missionary arm of
his father's faith to Shoghi Effendi (Guardian of the Faith),
whose influence continues in and through the teaching hierarchy
of the Bahai movement in America.
An Interview with a Bahai Teacher
In the course of researching the history and theology of
Bahaism the author had many interviews with adherents of the cult
during which direct questions were asked concerning Bahaism in
its relationship to Christianity. The following are excerpts in
question and answer form from a number of these interviews with
recognized Bahai teachers and leaders. The quotations are direct
in all instances and were compared with my notes after each
dialogue.
QUESTION: Do you in Bahaism believe in the Holy Trinity?
ANSWER: If by the Trinity you mean the Christian concept that
the three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are all the one
God, the answer is No.
We believe that God is one person in agreement with Judaism
and Islam. We cannot accept the idea that God is both three and
one and find this foreign to the Bible which Christianity claims
as its source. Not a few Jewish scholars are in complete agree-
ment with us on this point as is the Koran.
QUESTION: Is Jesus Christ the only manifestation of Deity, that
is, is He to be believed when He said, "I am the Way, the Truth
and the Life, no one comes to the Father but by Me?"
ANSWER: No, we believe that Jesus was only one of nine manifes-
tations of the divine being and appeared in His era of time to
illumine those who lived at that time. Today Baha'u'llah is the
source of revelation.
Jesus was the way, the truth and the life for His time but
certainly not for all time.
Abdul Baha points out that we are to honor all the major
prophetic voices, not just one of them. He said: "Christ was
the prophet of the Christians, Moses of the Jews---why should not
the followers of each prophet recognize and honor the other
prophets?" [Source: Wisdom of Abdul Baha, page 43]
Abdul Baha also occupied an exalted place in the thinking of
Bahais, It was he who said: "The revelation of Jesus was for His
own dispensation,k that of the Son, and now it is no longer the
point of guidance of the world. Bahais must be severed from all
and everything that is past---things both good and bad---every-
thing...Now all is changed. All the teachings of the past are
past. Abdel Bahai is now supplying all the world." [Source:
Star of the West, official Bahai publication, December 31, 1913.]
QUESTION: Since you believe that Jesus spoke to His own dispen-
sation, how do you account for the fact that in numerous places
in the New Testament both He and His apostles and disciples
asserted that He was the same "yesterday, today and forever"
(Hebrews 13:8), and that His words were binding and "would never
pass away"?
ANSWER: You must realize that many of the things written in the
New Testament were written long after Jesus died, hence it is
impossible to have absolute accuracy in everything. It would be
natural for His followers to assert such things, but the revela-
tion of Baha'u'llah supersedes such claims.
QUESTION: Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the true
foundation of Christian experience. Does Bahaism accept His
bodily resurrection and ascension into heaven, and do you believe
that He is indeed a high priest after Melchizedec's order as
intercessor before the throne of God for all men?
ANSWER: The alleged Resurrection of Jesus and His Ascension into
heaven may or may not be true depending upon your point of view.
As I said before, we are concerned with Baha'u'llah and the new
era or age, and while we reverence Jesus as we do the great
prophets of other religions, we do not believe that it
necessarily important that the Bahai faith recognize every tenet
of a specific religion. We believe that Jesus conquered death,
that He triumphed over the grave, but these are things which are
in the realm of the spirit and must receive spiritual interpreta-
tion.
QUESTION: Then you do not actually believe in the bodily resur-
rection of Christ?
ANSWER: Personally, No. But we do believe that resurrection is
the destiny of all flesh.
QUESTION: In Jewish theology and Christian theology much stress
is laid upon sacrificial atonement for sin. The theology of
Christianity in particular emphasizes that Jesus Christ is the
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. It was John the
Baptist who so identified Him, and the New Testament gives ample
testimony to His substitutionary atonement for the sins of the
world. If, as Christianity maintains, "He is the satisfaction
for all our sins, not for ours only, but for the sins of the
whole world" (I John 2:2), why, then, is Abdul Baha, or for that
matter, Baha'u'llah important? If God has revealed Himself
finally and fully as the New Testament teaches in Jesus Christ
(Colossians 2:9), why should further manifestation be necessary?
ANSWER: But you see that is precisely our position. God has not
finally and fully revealed Himself in any of the great manifesta-
tions but through all of them culminating in Baha'u'llah. A
Christian may find spiritual peace in believing in a
substitutionary atonement. In Bahaism this unnecessary. That
age is past. The new age of spiritual maturity has dawned
through Baha'u'llah, and we are to listen to his words.
QUESTION: If, as you say, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Confucius,
Christ, Mohammed, Krishna, Lowe and Baha'u'llah are all equal
manifestations of the divine mind, how do you account for that
fact that they contradict each other, for we know that God is not
the author of confusion, or is He?
ANSWER: While it is true that there are discrepancies between
the teachings of the great prophets, all held to basic moral and
spiritual values. So we would expect unity here, and in the
light of man's perverse nature, variety of expression in the
writings and teachings of their disciples.
QUESTION: Jesus Christ taught that salvation from sin could be
effected only by acceptance of Him as the sin-bearer mentioned so
prominently in the 53rd chapter of the Prophet Isaiah. Just how
in Bahaism do you deal with the problem of your own personal sin?
ANSWER: We accept the fact that no one is perfect, but by the
practice of principles laid down by Baha'u'llah and by making
every effort through prayer and personal sacrifice to live in
accord with the character of the divine being revealed in him, we
can arrive at eventual salvation as you like to term it.
QUESTION: What you mean then is that you, yourself, are cooper-
ating with God in working for your salvation?
ANSWER: Yes, in a sense I suppose you could say this is true,
though God in the end must be merciful to us or no one would be
fit to escape the divine judgment.
QUESTION: Then you do believe in final judgment and the exist-
ence of paradise and hell?
ANSWER: Yes, the Bahai faith recognizes divine judgment though
not in the graphic terms which Christians portray it. We know
nothing of eternal flames where sinners will be confined forever
without respite. We do believe in the paradise of God which will
be the abode of the righteous and in the resurrection and the
final writing of all things.
QUESTION: Putting this on a personal basis without meaning to be
offensive, might I ask you if you personally this moment believe
that you are a good practicing disciple of Baha'u'llah, and this
being true, do you at this moment know with certainty that your
sins have all been forgiven you, and that if you were to be
called to accounting tonight before the throne of God, you would
be adjudged fit and worthy to enter His kingdom?
ANSWER: I don't believe any person can make that statement, for
no one is perfect or holy enough to merit the paradise of God,
and those who so claim to have attained this exalted position are
in the eyes of the Bahai faith presumptuous, to say the very
least. I could not at the moment say this for myself, but I hope
that this will be the case when I die.
QUESTION: Does the Bahai faith recognize the personality and
deity of the Holy Spirit of God as revealed in the New Testament?
ANSWER: I believe it is in your Gospel of John that Jesus
promised another Comforter who would abide always. We understand
this to be the coming of Baha'u'llah, a direct fulfillment of the
words of Jesus.
QUESTION: Is it not true that a great deal of your theology is
borrowed from Islam and that Mohammed where Christ's prophecy in
John 14 is recorded as you have for Baha'u'llah?
ANSWER: There is no doubt that we reverence the Koran as one of
the divine manifestations of illumination and Mohammed as one of
the nine revelators, but Islam historically has persecuted us, in
fact, it was followers of Islam who killed the Bab and persecuted
Baha'u'llah.
With reference to the Mohammedan claim in John 14, I believe
it is true they also make this claim.
The foregoing interview is better than a hundred statements
of a non-member of the cult and most clearly expresses what
separates Bahaism from historic Christianity. No true follower
of Baha'u'llah, by his own admission, can claim this moment peace
with God and the joy of sins forgiven, an experience which be-
longs only to those who have put their faith and trust in the
grace and sacrifice of the Son of God (John 5:26; 6:47; Ephesians
2:8-10).
The fact that the major prophets of Bahaism contradict each
other is paradoxically overlooked by Bahaism, which in its quest
for an ecumenical syncretism prefers to avoid rather than explain
the great contradictions between the major faiths.
As do most cults, the Bahai faith will pick and choose out
of the Bible that which will best benefit the advancement of
their own theology, irrespective of context or theological
authority. The author was impressed during this interview with
the fact that the Bahai teacher who granted it had been a
disciple for more than fifty years and was certainly in a posi-
tion to understand the historic views of Bahaism. Throughout the
course of the interview which was held at a Bahai meeting in her
home, we had the opportunity time and time again to present the
claims of Jesus Christ, and it became apparent that her god was
Baha'u'llah. The Bahai plan of salvation in faith in him plus
their own good works. Their concept of hell is largely remedial
not punitive. Their eschatology, a combination of Islam, Judaism
and Christianity, and their authority the writings of Baha'u'llah
and Abdul Baha.
All of the some thirty persons present took extreme pride in
the fact that they had arrived at a faith which was progressively
superior to all other religions and which magnanimously was
willing to embrace the truth that was in every one of them to
bring about the new era of which their leader had prophesied.
There was no virgin born Son, there was only a Persian
student; there was no miraculous ministry, there was only the
loneliness of exile; there was no power over demons, there were
only demons of Islam; there was no redeeming Saviour, there was
only a dying old man; there was no risen Saviour, there was only
Abdul Baha; there was no Holy Spirit, there was only the memory
of the prophet; there was no ascended High Priest, there were
only the works of the flesh; and there was no coming King, there
was only the promise of a new era. In that room the words of the
Lord of hosts were fulfilled with frightening accuracy: "This
people honor me with their lips but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the command-
ments of men" (Matthew 15:8,9).
All the Bahai temples in the world and all the quotations
from sacred books cannot alter the fact that the heart of man is
deceitful above everything and desperately wicked. Who can
understand it? Baha'u'llah could not, but could his disciples
today? Penned in the words of our Lord:
If ye were blind ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We
see; therefore, your sin remaineth....Ye are from beneath, I am
from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I
said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if
ye believe not that I am he, ye will die in your sins. ... When
ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am
he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught
me, I speak these things... He that believeth on me, believeth
not on me, but on him that sent me...if any man hear my words,
and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the
world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and recei-
veth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I
have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I
have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave
me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever
I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak
(John 9:41; 8:23,24,28; 12:44,47,48-50).
CONCLUSION
Looking back over our survey of Bahaism, we can learn a
number of things about this strange cult. First, we can discern
that, although it is Oriental in its origin, Bahaism has careful-
ly cloaked itself in Western terminology, and has imitated
Christianity in forms and ceremonies wherever possible in order
to become appealing to the Western mind.
Second, Bahaism is eager NOT to come into conflict with the
basic principles of the Gospel, and so, Bahais are perfectly
willing that the Christians should maintain their faith in a
nominal sense, just so long as they acknowledge Baha'u'llah and
the general principles of the Bahai Faith.
Third, Bahaism deliberately undercuts the foundational
doctrines of the Christian faith, by either denying them out-
right, or by carefully manipulating terminology so as to "tone
down" the doctrinal dogmatism which characterizes orthodox Chris-
tianity.
Bahaism has few of the credentials necessary to authenticate
its claims to religious supremacy. An honest Bahai will freely
admit that in not a few respects, their system was patterned
after many of the practices of Islam and Christianity.
Bahais will quickly draw upon the scriptures of any religion
of their sacred nine to defend the teachings of Baha'u'llah and
Abdul Baha. In this they have a distinct advantage, because not
a few of them are well informed concerning the Scriptures of the
religions of the world, particularly, the Old and New Testaments
and the Koran.
Thus, it is possible for a well-trained Bahai cultist
literally to run the gamut of theological quotations in an eclec-
tic Mosaic design to establish their basis thesis, i.e., that all
men are part of a great brotherhood revealed in this new era by
the manifestation of Baha'u'llah.
The cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith, including the
absolute authority of the Bible, the doctrines of the Trinity,
the Deity of Jesus Christ, His Virgin Birth, Vicarious Atonement,
Bodily REsurrection and Second Advent are all categorically
rejected by Bahaism. They maintain that Christ was A manifesta-
tion of God, but not the "ONLY manifestation" of the Divine
Being.
There is very little indeed that a true Christian can have
in common with the faith of Bahai. There is simply no common
ground on which to meet, or to talk once the affirmations have
been made on both sides of Jesus Christ, as opposed to
Baha'u'llah. Of course, there is the common ground of Scripture
upon which we can meet all men to proclaim to them the
indescribably gift of God in the Person of Christ, but there can
be no ground for fellowship with the Bahai Faith, which is, at
its very core, anti-Christian theology.
Finally, as is always the case with non-Christian cults, the
refutation of Bahaism must come from a sound knowledge of doctri-
nal theology as it appears in the Scriptures. No Christian can
refute the perversions of the Bahi Faith unless he is first aware
of their existence and of their conflict with the doctrines of
the Bible. We must therefore be prepared to understand the scope
of the teachings of the Bahais, their basic conflict with the
Gospel and the means by which we may refute them as we witness
for Christ. The United States has become a great battleground
where the cults are concerned. More and more new varieties are
springing up each year, many of them drawing heavily upon Orien-
tal sources to convert the naive and the uninformed. It is for
these people that we must have a deep compassion, and we must not
only be actively engaged in refuting that which is false in their
teachings, but we must also be giving ourselves constant to the
cause of evangelizing them, that they may find the truth of God
as it is in Scripture.
* References *
- Richard Mathison ,FAITH,CULTS AND SECTS IN AMERICA, New York:
Scribners, 1952, p. 105
- J.E. Esslemont, BAHA'U'LLAH AND THE NEW ERA, Wilmette,IL:
Baha'i Publishing Committee, 1951, p. 38
- THE WISDOM OF BAHA'U'LLAH, Wilmette, IL: Baha'i Publishing
Committee, n.d., p. 43
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