| RESIGNATION |
| Clearly this is an important decision that one does not enter into lightly. There is one relatively new development which might affect your decision. It does not seem to be the case that one has to renounce faith in Baha'u'llah in order to have one's resignation accepted, at least in the United States and Canada. It probably still helps, but it does not seem to be a requirement. So, if you still believe in Baha'u'llah, you are no longer required to say that you do not to have your resignation accepted. In fact, Paul Dodenhoff, an assistant auxillary board member, resigned in 1999 and not only did he say in the letter that he still believed in Baha'u'llah, he even recognized the authority of the Universal House of Justice. However, Mr. Dodenhoff, clearly had lost trust in the Administrative Order and no doubt after much soul searching he resigned. As for the mechanics, the most straightforward way is to send a hard copy letter to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States which states your desire to withdraw from the Faith. If you no longer believe in Baha'u'llah, you should probably say so. However, if you still believe in him, you can also mention that and still have a good chance of getting your resignation accepted. The address of the Assembly is: National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States 112 Linden Ave. Wilmette, IL 60091-2849 If you do this, you probably should cc your LSA so they will know what is going on. If you want to do it by email, you can probably use the U.S. Baha'i administrative website. You will need your Baha'i identity card number to log on. The site is at: www.usbnc.org. |
| Options: Resignation can come in more than one form. Already above two forms have been mentioned. One is to resign and to renounce belief in Baha'u'llah. If one then no longer feels any ties of significance to Baha'u'llah, then one is out of the faith entirely. The second option is to maintain belief in Baha'u'llah. If your resignation is accepted, you will be out of the offical version of the faith and will be considered an apostate just like anyone else who has resigned. However, if you maintain some strong religious ties to Baha'u'llah, you can probably call yourself a Baha'i and not get called a covenant breaker, at least for a good long while. Already, some have been doing this and have even particpated in Baha'i discussion groups on the Internet and stated there that they do believe in Baha'u'llah. So far, I've not heard of them being called CBer's by the authorities just because they've told the AO to go take a flying leap. That doesn't mean it won't happen to them eventually, but so far, it does not seem to have happened. |
Another option is just to become inactive for a while, maybe a long while, as you try to decide what direction(s) you wish to take. Many Baha'is probably have left the Faith this way entirely, never even bothering to let the National Spriitual Assembly know they have quit. This option also makes it easier should you with to renter official Baha'i life since you'll still have your card and ID number. A forth option is to resign oneself, not from the Faith, but to the fact that it needs serious rebuilding from within and to then work within the system to change it. Believe me, it's been tried before. Remember Dialogue? (If you don't, search for it on the net. I'll put up a link to it soon.) The earthly domains of the Abha Kingdom are littered with the remains of those who have tried to get the AO to be anything but the arrogant, stifling, self-centered and sanctimonious amalgamation of stuffed shirts that it is. Still, if you have it in you, go fight'em. When you give up, go back and take at look at options one and two. |
| Another thing to consider: I can't resist this. You might want to think of which option will rankle the AO the most. Would it bother them more if you quit offically, but still called yourself a Baha'i, or would they be even more upset if you stayed with the AO and just made a huge pain in the ass of yourself trying to contructively engage them over wasteful endeavors like the 60 million dollar Kingdom project? Of course, you'll need to take into consideration the wear and tear either option may have on you and possibly your family. Still, it is something to consider. |
| Just say 'no' to the Baha'i AO. |