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The National Baha'i Center in Wilmette, IL claims that there are 140,000 Baha'is in theUnited States. However, it is almost axiomatic among Baha'is that half of the Faith'senrolled members are inactive. In fact, the reality may be even worse than that. Oneindependent poll on American religions estimated that there are only 28,000 people inthis country who consider themselves Baha'is.One reason for this huge discrepancy is that no one is ever removed from the membershiprolls unless they write a letter to the National Center renouncing their belief. So a personwho becomes disillusioned and simply drifts away can remain on the rolls indefinitely.While the 28,000 figure is probably low, the Baha'i assumption that there are thousandsof people who consider themselves Baha'is but have no contact with the community isnot realistic. (There is the possibility that some do maintain their belief in isolation, butthere are not likely to be many who do so.)What I propose to examine here are the possible reasons for that. This article is not basedon scientific data, but my own observations. I would not have the resources to researchsomething like this, even if I had the training. However, I did spend thirteen years in theBaha'i community, and watch a lot of people come and go. Also, the Internet is rife with"ex-Baha'i" stories, and I think the Baha'i community can learn something from whatthese people are saying. The teachings of the Baha'i Faith -- the unity of religion, theindividual's right to investigate truth, racial harmony , and the agreement of reason andreligion -- have a wide appeal. The Baha'i Faith appears to be a religion that is wasting its potential.I have no way of knowing which of the problems I mention is responsible for the greatestamount of convert dissatisfaction, I have therefore put them in the order that a convert islikely to encounter them:THE FALSE FRONTThe Baha'i Faith, in its public presentations, emphasizes the more broad and tolerantaspects of Baha'u'llah's teachings. The itself is not dishonest, since those liberal teachingsare actually present in Baha'i scripture, and historically, converts into the Faith have beenfrom among more open-minded and educated people. However, these free-spiritedseekers often do not find out about the more authoritarian and exclusive aspects of Baha'i
 
thought until after they have enrolled.There are a few things commonly told to converts that can hardly be seen as anythingother than deceptions. (To be fair, however, Baha'is often convince themselves that theyare true.) One example is that the public is told that Baha'is do not proselytize; theymerely teach the Faith as long as a person is interested. However, the new believer soondiscovers that community life is centered around the need to gain new converts, and findshimself pressured into "teaching" plans and projects. So a person who has perhaps alwaysheld a dim view of those who try to push their religious beliefs on others now must participate in exactly that type of activity. It is hardly surprising that some of them decidethat they've made a mistake.One convert who rapidly left after discovering this called the Baha'i Faith "the Amway of religions." Another more bluntly said "No proselytizing, my rear end!"Another example is the exclusion of women from the Universal House of Justice, thereligion's supreme governing body, even though equality of the sexes is promoted as afundamental principle. That fact also can come as a shock to a new convert, and perhapscause them to leave. [For a more detailed look at this issue, see my Themestream article"But Some are More Equal than Others".]UNSATISFYING COMMUNITY LIFEOne of the least understood aspects of the Baha'i Faith by the general public is the central place administration holds in Baha'i community life. Life as a Baha'i can seem like anendless series of frustrating committee meetings. Building a multitude of LSAs scatteredgeographically all over the country has taken priority over building solid communities.Once a community has the nine adults necessary to form an Assembly it can be leftvirtually on its own. In fact, Assemblies exist on paper that never actually meet becausenot enough of the people in the community are active. But such Assemblies are countedin the impressive statistics given to the public.The vast majority of Baha'i communities are too small to offer much in the way of services. In an era when megachurches that provide something for everyone are all therage, the Baha'is look pretty thin. In a very small community, sometimes just gettingtogether for any activity at all can be difficult. Baha'is are often enjoined to be patient,and told that the Faith is only in its infancy. Realistically, however, a religious movementthat has been part of the American scene for the last 100 years can hardly continue theclaim that it is "embryonic". The simple fact is that the Baha'i Faith has just done aterrible job in creating a rich and rewarding community life for its members, and many of them drift away for that reason.On the bright side, however, there has been some recognition of this problem on the partof the Baha'i institutions, and in some areas, greater efforts towards communitydevelopment have been made.SANCTIONS AND PUNISHMENTSLike Judaism and Islam, the Baha'i Faith has a religious law code that adherents are
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