What does it take for a movement to evolve into a full-blown religion? For the Bahais, it was a combination of old religious beliefs added to a new message with a charismatic leader. Let's examine this below:The first thing to know about the Bahi faith is that it isn't entirely original. Although it breaks away from traditional Islam, it still contains many of the religious elements of that faith. In a sense, it's a tweaking of the Islamic faith to fit a new order. And what is this new order? Well, starting off with Baba and moving onto Baha'u'llah himself, the new order was the announcement that Baha'u'llah was the chosen one.
Which brings me to the second part of founding a new religion: Change. Once the basics of a new movement/religion are set in place, the next step is to start changing things and creating a new message that people want to believe in. But in order for this message to be heard, you have to have a leader that can draw people in. Which brings me to the third element of any successful religion: a charismatic leader. Choose any religion you like, and you'll find some type of leader leading the way...Jesus, Marcus Garvey, Baha'u'llah, etc. Whether they are the founder of a religion or one of its advocates, the importance of a leader cannot be overlooked...for they are the voice that speaks to the people. Remember what happened when Baha'u'llah went away for 10 years and wasn't leading the people? The number of his followers dwindled drastically and his faith was almost extinct!
So mix it all together and what do you have? A new religion that needs but one more element: time. In the case of the Bahi faith, it took a long time for it to blossom and get a large following. This is partially because Baha'u'llah took his time and didn't force a movement on his followers right away, and also because of political walls blocking his path. Like any strong religion, however, it prevailed and today we can see it flourishing.
I completely agree with you on the necessity of a charismatic leader to establish a new religion. The leader has to be both knowledgeable, likable, relatable etc etc. In addition, I understand where you are going with the idea of changing an old religion to develop something that is relevant to people of that time. It's making religion contemporary, but in a completely higher level.
ReplyDeletewow! really nice post! I like the clear concise mention of all the elements you noticed, if I was telling anyone how to start a religion, this is where I would start! Well done!
ReplyDeleteIndeed the lesson seems widespread. Keep in mind though that Baha'is don't go around thinking about our Charismatic Leader. We believe that Baha'u'llah spoke as God wished - and so if he was charismatic it was the effect of God. See how the prayers go.... You don't see a focus on Baha'u'llah - instead it's all about our relationship with God. The Bab, Baha'u'llah, and Abdu'l-Baha keep reminding us, encouraging us, pointing things out to us....
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