Bahá'í
Bahá'í Faith (mainstream)
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Founded by Bahá'u'lláh (1863), the Bahá'í Faith is a global religion teaching unity of religions and humanity. Administered through elected institutions (Local and National Spiritual Assemblies, the Universal House of Justice). Forbids partisan politics, alcohol, premarital sex, and homosexual practice.
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Low Control
BITE breakdown
Behavior Control4/10
Information Control2/10
Thought Control3/10
Emotional Control3/10
Modifiers (+0)
0 — globally administered religion with elected institutions; some patterns warrant moderate-low score.
Profile facts
Founded
1863
Members
7–8 million (per Wikipedia infobox, retrieved 2026)
Active in
Global, 200+ countries
In context
The Bahá'í Faith has no clergy and is administered by democratically elected Spiritual Assemblies and the elected Universal House of Justice in Haifa, Israel. The faith forbids alcohol, premarital sex, partisan politics, and homosexual practice. Members deemed seriously violating community standards may have voting rights removed (a form of 'covenant-breaker' shunning that is the most severe sanction). Severely persecuted in Iran since 1979.
Key control doctrines
- Authority of the Universal House of Justice
- Covenant-breaker shunning policy
- Manuscript review for authors
- Parental consent for marriage
Recovery resources
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
- INFORM (Information Network on Religious Movements) — LSE-founded UK research-based information service covering new religious movements.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; BITE-model resources and family-side exit guidance.
See the full curated list at /resources.
Notable public ex-members
- Juan Cole (academic critic, formally a covenant-breaker)
- Karen Bacquet
Legal cases & controversies
- Iranian state persecution of Bahá'ís (ongoing since 1979)
- Internal disputes around manuscript review and academic freedom
Evidence by BITE axis
Behavior Control
- 'Covenant-breaker' status results in mandatory shunning
- Marriage requires parental consent (all parents)
- Parental consent for marriage
Information Control
- Prohibition on partisan political activity
- Manuscript review of writings by Bahá'í authors before publication
- Authority of the Universal House of Justice
- Manuscript review for authors
- some patterns warrant moderate-low score
Emotional Control
- Covenant-breaker shunning policy
Timeline
- 1844The Báb declares his mission in Shiraz
- 1863Bahá'u'lláh declares his mission in Baghdad
- 1963First Universal House of Justice elected
- 1979Persecution of Iranian Bahá'ís intensifies after Islamic Revolution
Evidence matrix
Structured sources cross-linked to the claims they document. Tiered per the source hierarchy. For free-text citations see the Sources section below.
Sources
- Moojan Momen, 'The Bahá'í Faith: A Beginner's Guide' (2008) search ↗
- Universal House of Justice publications search ↗
- The World of the Bahá'í Faith (2021) — https://doi.org/10.4324%2F9780429027772 open ↗
- Bibliography — https://dx.doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvx06zsp.15 open ↗
- Religious Persecution & Oppression: A Study of Iranian Baha'ís' Strategies of Survival — https://doi.org/10.33972%2Fjhs.201 open ↗
- The Baha'i Faith Compared to Race in American Counties — https://sites.tufts.edu/gis/files/2014/11/Kolodner_Alex.pdf open ↗
- The House of Baha'u'llah and the Struggle for Religious Visibility in Mandatory Iraq — https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-middle-east-studies/article/house-of-bahaullah-and-the-struggle-for-religious-visibility-in-mandatory-iraq/DE009BC04E94728E68386D8C5BC9A2F5 open ↗
- Devotional Life — The World of the Bahá'í Faith (2021) — https://doi.org/10.4324%2F9780429027772-45 open ↗
- The Bahá’í House of Worship: Localisation and Universal Form — Handbook of New Religions and Cultural Production (2012) — https://doi.org/10.1163%2F9789004226487_025 open ↗
- Oceania — The World of the Bahá'í Faith (2021) — https://doi.org/10.4324%2F9780429027772-55 open ↗
- Global Religious Populations, 1910–2010 — The World's Religions in Figures (2013) — https://doi.org/10.1002%2F9781118555767.ch1 open ↗
- The Messiah of Shiraz (2009) — https://doi.org/10.1163%2Fej.9789004170353.i-740 open ↗
- Marriage and Family Life — The World of the Bahá'í Faith (2021) — https://doi.org/10.4324%2F9780429027772-36 open ↗
- The History of the BáBí and Bahá'í Faiths — The World of the Bahá'í Faith (2021) — https://doi.org/10.4324%2F9780429027772-48 open ↗
- The Bahá'í Faith, Violence, and Non-Violence (2020) — https://doi.org/10.1017%2F9781108613446 open ↗
- The Writings and Utterances of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá — The World of the Bahá'í Faith (2021) — https://doi.org/10.4324%2F9780429027772-9 open ↗
- Baha'i — Encyclopedia of Global Religion (2012) — https://doi.org/10.4135%2F9781412997898.n61 open ↗
- The Specter of Ideological Genocide: The Baháʼís of Iran — http://www.altoona.psu.edu/journals/war-crimes/articles/V1/v1n1a3.pdf open ↗
- THE BAHÁ'Í FAITH AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO ISLAM, CHRISTIANITY, AND JUDAISM: A BRIEF HISTORY — https://www.jstor.org/stable/41887188 open ↗
- The Baha’i Faith: A Case Study in Globalization, Mobility and the Routinization of Charisma — Journal for the Academic Study of Religion (2016) — https://doi.org/10.1558%2Fjasr.v28i3.28431 open ↗
- Unveiling the Hurí of Love — https://doi.org/10.31581%2Fjbs-15.1-4.1%282005%29 open ↗
- An Introduction to Baha'i Law: Doctrinal Foundations, Principles and Structures — Journal of Law and Religion (2002) — https://doi.org/10.2307%2F1602268 open ↗
- B abi– B aha'i Expansion and “Geo‐Cultural Breakthroughs” — Journal of Religious History (2015) — https://doi.org/10.1111%2F1467-9809.12280 open ↗
- The Baha'i faith 1957–1988: A survey of contemporary developments — Religion (1989) — https://doi.org/10.1016%2F0048-721X%2889%2990077-8 open ↗
- The Economist explains: The Bahai faith — https://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2017/04/economist-explains-7 open ↗
- Iran's arrest of Baha'is condemned — http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/05/16/iran.bahais/ open ↗
- Trial underway for Baha'i leaders in Iran — http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/01/12/Iran.bahai.trial/ open ↗
- Sentences for Iran's Baha'i leaders reportedly reduced — http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/09/16/iran.bahai.sentences/index.html open ↗
- For Bahais, a Crackdown Is Old News — https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/27/us/27religion.html open ↗
- Iran Razing Dome of Bahai Temple — https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1955/05/24/83358481.html?zoom=14.63 open ↗
- Court sentences leaders of Bahai faith to 20 years in prison — http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2010/08/iran-court-sentences-leaders-of-bahai-faith-to-20-years-in-prison.html open ↗
- Iran detains 5 more Baha'i — https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Iran-detains-5-more-Bahai open ↗
- Banning the Baha'i — https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944604_1944622,00.html open ↗
- The Global Religious Landscape: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Major Religious Groups as of 2010 — https://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/centers/jesinst/pdf/Grim-globalReligion-full.pdf open ↗
- Bahāʾī Faith — https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bahai-Faith open ↗
- BBC Religión and Ethics Special: bahaí — https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/bahai/ open ↗
- BAHA’I HISTORY — https://web.duke.edu/bahai/Site/Bahai_Faith/Entries/2007/11/15_Baha%E2%80%99i_History.html open ↗
- The Baha'i faith 1957–1988: A survey of contemporary developments — Religion (1989) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2F0048-721X%2889%2990077-8 open ↗
- Baha'i Faith and Peace Education — http://www.tc.columbia.edu/centers/epe/PDF%20articles/GervaisBahaiFaith_22feb08.pdf open ↗
- A Discussion with Farida Vahedi, Executive Director of the Department of External Affairs, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India — http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/interviews/a-discussion-with-farida-vahedi-executive-director-of-the-department-of-external-affairs-national-spiritual-assembly-of-the-bahais-of-india open ↗
- Global Religious Populations, 1910–2010 — The World's Religions in Figures (2013) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1002%2F9781118555767.ch1 open ↗
- Estimating the Religious Composition of All Nations: An Empirical Assessment of the World Christian Database — Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (2008) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1468-5906.2008.00435.x open ↗
- Worldwide Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-2002 — http://www.britannica.com/eb/table?tocId=9394911 open ↗
- Afghanistan: International Religious Freedom Report — https://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2009/127362.htm open ↗
- Indonesia: International Religious Freedom Report — https://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2001/5686.htm open ↗
- Indonesia: International Religious Freedom Report — https://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2009/127271.htm open ↗
- Iraq: International Religious Freedom Report — https://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2009/127348.htm open ↗
- Egypt: International Religious Freedom Report — https://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35496.htm open ↗
- Egypt: International Religious Freedom Report — https://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2001/5636.htm open ↗
- Congressional Human Rights Caucus, House of Representatives — http://lantos.house.gov/HoR/CA12/Human+Rights+Caucus/Briefing+Testimonies/11-17-05+Testimony+of+Kit+Bigelow+Egypt+Briefing.htm open ↗
- Challenging apostasy: Responses to Moojan Momen's ‘Marginality and Apostasy in the Baha’i Community’ — Religion (2008) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.religion.2008.08.009 open ↗
- lire en ligne — http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1016/j.religion.2008.08.009 open ↗
- lire en ligne — https://www.britannica.com/biography/the-Bab open ↗
- lire en ligne — https://www.britannica.com/topic/spiritual-assembly open ↗
- The Baha'i faith and Caodaism — Journal of Sociology (2007) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1440783307080108 open ↗
- lire en ligne — https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1440783307080108 open ↗
- The Baha'i faith 1957–1988: A survey of contemporary developments — Religion (1989) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0048-721X%2889%2990077-8 open ↗
- Religion (detailled) 2021 census — https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS031/editions/2021/versions/1 open ↗
- The second-largest religion in each state — https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/06/04/the-second-largest-religion-in-each-state/ open ↗
- lire en ligne — https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/items/7d28b1e0-b968-4d77-a647-27f8014b81e5 open ↗
- Marginality and apostasy in the Baha'i community — Religion (2007) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.religion.2007.06.008 open ↗
- South Asia — The World of the Bahá'í Faith (2021) — https://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780429027772-56 open ↗
- lire en ligne — https://www.economist.com/obituary/2007/05/24/malietoa-tanumafili-ii open ↗
- lire en ligne — https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2005/12/15/laissez-les-baha-is-etudier_721710_3232.html open ↗
- Iran : la minorité religieuse bahaïe, l’éternel «bouc émissaire» du régime — https://www.rfi.fr/fr/moyen-orient/20220813-iran-la-minorit%C3%A9-religieuse-baha-ie-l-%C3%A9ternel-bouc-%C3%A9missaire-du-r%C3%A9gime open ↗
- Zu fortschrittlich für den Mullah-Staat. — http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/verfolgte-bahai-minderheit-in-iran-zu-fortschrittlich-fuer-den-mullah-staat-1.1617577 open ↗
- Encyclopedia Britannica 2014 — https://www.britannica.com/topic/classification-of-religions/Conclusion open ↗
- Kit Bigelow, Director of External Affairs, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of the United States — http://lantos.house.gov/HoR/CA12/Human%2BRights%2BCaucus/Briefing%2BTestimonies/11-17-05%2BTestimony%2Bof%2BKit%2BBigelow%2BEgypt%2BBriefing.htm open ↗
- “International Religious Freedom Report for 2013” — https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.htm#wrapper open ↗
- doi:10.1111/J.1467-9809.2012.01224.X — https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/J.1467-9809.2012.01224.X open ↗
- Bahá'í House of Worship, India — http://www.uga.edu/bahai/india.html open ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Mainstream-comparator lighter.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
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Disclaimer. This profile is an educational summary based on publicly available reports. Many members of this group do not experience the patterns described. Individual congregations and chapters vary widely. If you or someone you know needs support, contact a licensed therapist or the International Cultic Studies Association.