This blog post is a response to a friend of mine who, upon hearing criticisms of the Baha'i Faith from his friends, decided to investigate matters for himself and join a Ruhi Study Circle. I have copied my response below:
Great to hear from you too. I think you are quite wise in discovering the truth of any matter with your own eyes and ears. That is actually the nature of a study circle. Far from being a forum whereby someone with an agenda attempts to impose a belief upon another, it is a loving and trusting environment wherein we all embark on a collaborative quest for truth and understanding. Questioning is an integral part of the independent investigation of truth, yet we must always be so careful to avoid imposing our opinion upon another, either in the form of a criticism or that of praise. Though often well-meaning, this is essentially an arrogant act since it fails to acknowledge the sovereignty of the individual's will through the operation of his own mind and soul. You have a soul that is of God, you are a child of God, and one of the tools the All-Mighty has blessed you with is a sound mind. This allows you to form your own opinions and as such I look forward to learning from you as much as I do to sharing with you my humble understanding of the Baha'i Writings.
Abdu'l-Baha, son of Baha'u'llah and the authorized interpreter of His Writings equates the investigation of truth with the expression of free will so far as to say that its absence indicates the absence of will itself!
"O ye two blessed souls! Your letters were received. They showed that ye have investigated the truth and have been freed from imitations and superstitions, that ye observe with your own eyes and not with those of others, hearken with your own ears and not with the ears of others, and discover mysteries with the help of your own consciences and not with those of others. For the imitator saith that such a man hath seen, such a man hath heard, and such a conscience hath discovered; in other words he dependeth upon the sight, the hearing and the conscience of others and hath no will of his own."
And in the words of Baha'u'llah
"Purge your sight, that ye may perceive its glory with your own eyes, and depend not on the sight of any one except your self, for God hath never burdened any soul beyond its power. Thus hath it been sent down unto the Prophets and Messengers of old, and been recorded in all the Scriptures."
I greatly look forward to learning with you, and actually I am going to miss this week as well, so we will start the study circle together. Perhaps when I arrive we could get together to go over what we've missed so we can enter the study circle on the same page as the rest of them. Of course, in the interim, I would be thrilled to continue a dialogue over e-mail. Thanks for your refreshing sincerity, I really consider it an honor to be in the company of those who walk through life in a humble posture of learning.
Sincerely,
Todd Khozein
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