Baha'i Faith, Most people seem to think it is flawed, so in what way is it flawed?

I just got an interesting email about it. The Baha'i Faith that is. I thought I would throw it out here. I do not know much about it. Your thoughts, experiences? Is it satanic?
Squishy, I have read at least some of the material on gays that you referred to. I do not see that Baha'is are anti-gay, just anti sex outside of marriage for anyone, gay or straight. Quite a different thing in my book and seems to me that it is not a bad idea at all. But thanks for the link. I will read it more later. Not really sure how I feel right now.

I have studied more religions than most people know exist. The Baha?i Faith is the only one I ever found to be error-free, and to have no illogical claims, discrepancies, contradictions or inconsistencies. That is part of the vast body of proof it is from God, but only a part of it. Were there any errors, my belief is that would be conclusive proof it came not from God at all. But there are none.

What he said..

Here ya go. They are anti-gay, which in this day and age is really close minded

"The Baha'i faith and GLB issues:

The Baha'i Faith teaches that homosexual behavior is unacceptable among its members. Voting rights of some of their lesbian, gay and bisexual members (LGB) who are out of the "closet" have been suspended; some memberships have been terminated.

Baha'i beliefs concerning sexual orientation are quite similar to those of the conservative wings of Christianity, Islam, Judaism and other religions.

The Baha'i faith is in a unique position because it has no mechanism by which it can authoritatively change the interpretation of its holy texts."

When we are connected with our physical selves, sexual expression flows from our deepest selves and reflects our wholeness. However, whenever we lack a sense of connection with the physical self, sexuality can more easily be viewed as a mere mechanical act, separate from our spiritual self. Religious teachings and societal attitudes that diminish the sacred nature of the physical self and sexual expression make it easier to justify exploitation of the body in many forms, including sexual abuse.

Same-sex civil marriage is now legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, Norway, Sweden, South Africa and Nepal, with many other countries ready to adopt it. All *accredited* American medical and psychological institutions agree there is no medical, psychological, or even social reason to believe that sexual conduct between persons of the same sex is immoral or unhealthy. These accredited institutions are the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychoanalytic Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics as well as the National Association of Social Workers to name but a few. Only religious dogmatists think it immoral.

If one believes that the Bah??? International Community of Haifa and ?Akk? headed by the Universal House of Justice on Mount Carmel constitutes the only valid form of the Bah??? Faith and that this cannot under any circumstances be challenged or changed, and if one also interprets the Bah??? Covenant as unswerving obedience and total submission to the Baha'i ecclesiastical authorities, then one must choose a life of chastity or pursue a life of affections fulfillment outside of the mainstream Bah??? community, which recognizes heterosexual marriage as the sole context for sexual activity.

If however this is not what one chooses to believe then there are other options available for one to choose from: Both the Tarb?yat Bah??? Community and the Unitarian Bah??? Fellowship welcome gay men and lesbians (both singles and couples) as members; these faith communities do not attempt to micromanage the lives of gays and lesbians through "counseling," "sanctioning" (dis enrolling) or otherwise silencing them. See for example:

http://unitarianbahai.org/

"We find community in the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) ... the Unitarian Bahai Fellowship welcomes openly gay and lesbian people."

In the words of former Catholic and well-known actress Anne Hathaway: "The whole family converted to Episcopalianism after my elder brother came out. Why should I support an organization that has a limited view of my beloved brother?"

It would be wrong to assume that Bah??u?ll?h (the prophet-founder of the Bah??? Faith) failed to mention homosexuality due to his ignorance of such matters. In his Kit?b-i-Aqdas (Most Holy Book), Bah??u?ll?h explicitly forbade pederasty, but Shogh? Effend?, the Guardian of the Baha?i Faith, is presumed to have interpreted this (in a letter written on his behalf [not all of which letters were as carefully scrutinized as one is often told they were]) to imply a general prohibition on all forms of homosexual activity. He did not, however, wish Bah???s to treat the words written by his secretaries as possessed of the same authority as his own letters: they are authoritative for the person to whom they are addressed in the situation in question, but they were not intended to establish general principles universally applicable to particular situations.

Gays and lesbians who wish to self-identify as Bah??? without living in the closet or allowing, accepting, condoning, or enabling toxic, abusive, disrespectful, non-honoring attitudes and behaviors to continue now have at least one truly viable alternative to choose from (the Unitarian Bah??? Fellowship), should they wish to do so. The choice is entirely theirs to make. Those who knowingly choose to join a religious organization or faith community which teaches that the only acceptable form of sexual expression is within heterosexual marriage bear the full responsibility for their choice.

I've been a Baha'i for 37 years and haven't found anything flawed about it. If you'd like, you're welcome to either contact me directly, or you can visit WNW.bahai.us for more information.
Valerie