Baha'i Faith Requirements

Baha'ullah made me stop and think about how a religion is founded. It almost seems like the Baha'i faith had it easier than the older religions (Islam, Judaism). Basically, Baha'i is an offshoot of Islam. I haven't read a lot about the Baha'i faith, but it seems as though it might be ready-equipped with certain traditions and practices, yes? There was some variation with the basic tradition; for example, women are not required to wear veils. So there are changes to the religion, but some traditions are still upheld. In any case, I'm not sure how Judaism began; there must have been some kind of founder, someone similar to Baha'ullah.

So that's the first necessity; a founder. A leader is necessary for a religion to begin; people need to be united by (and believe in) a charismatic person. Baba was the founder of the previous religion out of w hich Baha'i morphed, but after Baba was imprisoned and later executed, Baha ended up with a pretty huge leadership role. He initially taught the writings of Baba but, after he was exiled to the Ottoman Empire, began writing and teaching his own words. His first followers were previously followers of Baba who went to Baha for Bab's teachings, but many became so devoted to Baha that they followed his faith. However, this did not happen overnight. It was a long process; Baha's ideas began as a child, and he didn't even begin teaching his own work until at least his 40s or 50s (from what I gathered in the book). His ideas developed. It seems that it takes a long time for ideas to meld into a faith base. I don't think that it takes such a long time to create a base of followers, the fact that it only took 20 or 30 years for people to become devoted shows how easily religion can influence people when it has something attractive to say. In addition this, I think that time and experience affect religious ideas; it is probably true that the devotees of Baha'i faith became even stronger believers after their persecution in Iraq and the Ottoman Empire. Sometimes persecution can form an even strong feeling of identity. Baha'i is no different from other religions in that it requires a set of tools to be strong; a founder, traditions, and time to grow.