Authoritarianism, Totalitarianism and the Bahā'ī Faith

As the Baha’i religion has become better known, it has been the target of numerous attacks as well as rational criticisms by non-Baha’is, former Baha’is and by Baha’is who remain in the community but feel that their religion is becoming more authoritarian or even totalitarian. These criticisms need to be addressed as they are quite valid to those who accept the ideas and institutions of the European Enlightenment. The disparagement tends to fall into three general categories: personal, political and academic.

This paper presents a discussion of the meaning of the terms ‘authoritarianism’ and ‘totalitarianism’ from the point of view of political theory, then lays out arguments that the Baha’i Faith does not fit either of those classifications but rather that the Baha’i Faith in every way conforms to the Weberian concept of voluntarism. Further, the relation of the individual Baha’i with his community is a form of social contract predicated on freedom of choice with the responsibility to abide by the conditions of that contract as they are expressed by the institutions of that Faith. Only those who have freely chosen to enter that community by way of the contract are subject to the laws and ordinances of that community; there is no intention of imposing them on humanity at large.