Monday, December 03, 2007

On Tenets of an Uncommon Religion: Those who are not "us" are not considered necessarily bad, and those who are "us" are not always deemed good

Below is the description. Guess, what is the religion? And then, to what is the description an explanation? -gw

The morality it preaches is traditional. Converts are encouraged to maintain their ties with their families. Converts are not kept in any long-term communal residences. The outlook is not strongly dualistic: those who are not ‘us’ are not considered necessarily bad, and those who are ‘us’ are not always deemed good. Those who wish to leave can do so freely. There is a strong leadership, but it is largely vested in elected councils rather than in charismatic leaders. Individuals are free to hold their own theological opinions as long as they do not press them to the point of schism.

1 comment:

GWD said...

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The religion is the Baha’i Faith.

This is an explanation as to why the Baha’i Faith is not considered a cult.

From "Marginality and apostasy in the Baha'i community" by Moojan Momen
Religion, Volume 37, Issue 3, September 2007, Pages 187-209

The terminology used in this quote may reflect academic discourse, but the unique and wonderful qualities of the Faith shine through in academic discourse as well as in common vernacular.