BahaiRaelian
03-11-2010, 09:06 AM
I am a member of a Unitarian Universalist church, a practioner of elements of the Bahá'í faith and Raëlism. These two religious denominations, little known to begin with, suffer unjust persecution at the hands of government authorities in many places around the world.
The Bahá'í Faith teaches that all the religious prophets in the world are inspired by a single God, and the fanaticisms and sectarianism is a corruption of the true meaning of the inspired text. It strictly forbids fanaticism, religious, national or racial hatred and the use of aggressive violence.
Raëlism teaches that humans are the product of extraterrestrials called the Elohim, and that all the messages of the prophets and creation stories are actually knowledge and messages from the Elohim. It believes in personal and technological freedom, opposes bigotry and war and espouses peace, love and cooperation for the ultimate enhancement of all human life.
Persecution of the Bahá'í Faith:
Bahai.org Persecution Page (http://www.bahai.org/dir/worldwide/persecution)
Wikipedia on Persecution of the Bahai Faith (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs)
"Throughout the history of the Bahá’í Faith, the Bahá’ís of Iran have been persecuted. In the mid-1800s, some 20,000 followers were killed by the authorities or by mobs who viewed the infant movement as heretical to Islam."
"In the twentieth century, periodic outbreaks of violence were directed against Bahá’ís in Iran, and the government often used Bahá’ís as a scapegoat. The persecution came in waves; in 1933, for example, Bahá’í literature was banned, Bahá’í marriages were not recognized, and Bahá’ís in public service were demoted or fired. In 1955, the government oversaw the demolition of the Bahá’í national center in Tehran with pickaxes."
"Bahá'ís as well as the United Nations, Amnesty International, the European Union, the United States and peer-reviewed academic literature have stated that the members of the Bahá'í community in Iran have been subjected to unwarranted arrests, false imprisonment, beatings, torture, unjustified executions, confiscation and destruction of property owned by individuals and the Bahá'í community, denial of employment, denial of government benefits, denial of civil rights and liberties, and denial of access to higher education."
Persecution of the Raëlist Religion
While Raëlism has thankfully not suffered as harsh a faith as the Baha'i faith, it too has been subject to persecution and legal discrimination.
"The government of France classifies the Raelian Movement as a "secte" (French word for cult)."
"Their message is that minors and adults should not be mixed in the act of sex. On the other hand, Raëlians claim children should have "complete sexual liberty" and be provided positive and healthy messages about sexuality providing it is legal. Therefore, authorities in the Swiss canton Valais denied an application by Raël to live in their area."
"In response to Raël's association with Clonaid (a pro-cloning group founded by Rael), South Korean immigration authorities at the airport denied him entry into their country in 2003. This decision led to the quick cancellation of the planned Raëlian seminar which seven hundred registered for."
The Bahá'í Faith teaches that all the religious prophets in the world are inspired by a single God, and the fanaticisms and sectarianism is a corruption of the true meaning of the inspired text. It strictly forbids fanaticism, religious, national or racial hatred and the use of aggressive violence.
Raëlism teaches that humans are the product of extraterrestrials called the Elohim, and that all the messages of the prophets and creation stories are actually knowledge and messages from the Elohim. It believes in personal and technological freedom, opposes bigotry and war and espouses peace, love and cooperation for the ultimate enhancement of all human life.
Persecution of the Bahá'í Faith:
Bahai.org Persecution Page (http://www.bahai.org/dir/worldwide/persecution)
Wikipedia on Persecution of the Bahai Faith (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Bah%C3%A1'%C3%ADs)
"Throughout the history of the Bahá’í Faith, the Bahá’ís of Iran have been persecuted. In the mid-1800s, some 20,000 followers were killed by the authorities or by mobs who viewed the infant movement as heretical to Islam."
"In the twentieth century, periodic outbreaks of violence were directed against Bahá’ís in Iran, and the government often used Bahá’ís as a scapegoat. The persecution came in waves; in 1933, for example, Bahá’í literature was banned, Bahá’í marriages were not recognized, and Bahá’ís in public service were demoted or fired. In 1955, the government oversaw the demolition of the Bahá’í national center in Tehran with pickaxes."
"Bahá'ís as well as the United Nations, Amnesty International, the European Union, the United States and peer-reviewed academic literature have stated that the members of the Bahá'í community in Iran have been subjected to unwarranted arrests, false imprisonment, beatings, torture, unjustified executions, confiscation and destruction of property owned by individuals and the Bahá'í community, denial of employment, denial of government benefits, denial of civil rights and liberties, and denial of access to higher education."
Persecution of the Raëlist Religion
While Raëlism has thankfully not suffered as harsh a faith as the Baha'i faith, it too has been subject to persecution and legal discrimination.
"The government of France classifies the Raelian Movement as a "secte" (French word for cult)."
"Their message is that minors and adults should not be mixed in the act of sex. On the other hand, Raëlians claim children should have "complete sexual liberty" and be provided positive and healthy messages about sexuality providing it is legal. Therefore, authorities in the Swiss canton Valais denied an application by Raël to live in their area."
"In response to Raël's association with Clonaid (a pro-cloning group founded by Rael), South Korean immigration authorities at the airport denied him entry into their country in 2003. This decision led to the quick cancellation of the planned Raëlian seminar which seven hundred registered for."