# Mary Bird in Persia

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-20 — 1 clipping.*

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Clara C. Rice, Mary Bird in Persia, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> Mary Bird in Persia
> 
> Clara C. Rice
> pp. 37-40
> 
> London: Church Missionary Society, 1916
> 
> [page 37]
> 
> The trend of Mohammedanism in Persia is towards Sufism
> and consequently mystic pantheism. At the present time many followers
> of the prophet are in revolt, some giving up all faith and becoming
> materialists; others secretly accepting Christianity, being intellectually
> convinced of its truth.
> 
> But the greatest leakage from Islam is caused by Bahâism,
> whose attraction for Moslems consists in the fact that it is
> promulgated by their own people, that it can be believed secretly,
> and that its professors may openly appear as good Mohammedans
> still. The Babis or Bahais were originally the followers of Mirza
> Ali Muhammad, who called himself the Bab, or gate, a holy man
> of Shiraz who lived during the first half of last century. The
> followers of his successor Baha'ullah, who claimed to be a manifestation
> of God the Father, increased in numbers and suffered much persecution.
> The present leader of the sect, Abdul Baha or Abbas
> 
> [page 38]
> 
> Effendi,
> figures as the divinely appointed "messenger" for this
> present age to all who are ready-to accord this character to
> him. In 1912 Abbas Effendi visited London, and in a West End
> flat men and women of note gathered to listen to this Eastern
> sage with his dignified personality. He spoke of the oneness
> of the human family, God being the Shepherd; and of international
> peace among nations and religions, the reality of religion being
> the cause of unity and love. Science, education, and civilization
> he regarded as necessary for full religion. Professor Browne
> speaks of "the supernatural claim — whatever its exact nature — which
> Abbas Effendi did and does advance," and elsewhere he says,
> "The only essential in Bahai eyes are the love of Baha'ullah
> and his accredited successor, Abdul Baha, the belief in their
> divine character, and the eager desire to listen to the reading
> of their words . . . which are for the most part rhapsodies interspersed
> with ethical maxims." It follows from these extravagant
> claims that the religion of which these men are the founders
> challenges the acceptance of all the world, or at least of all
> those who believe in God at all. For if God's essence has been
> mirrored in a perfect human being, no believer in God can afford
> to neglect these manifestations except at his peril. But it is
> scarcely wise to say this before its Western friends, and Bahaism
> in the West is careful not to make inconvenient demands which
> it shrewdly perceives will not be granted. Its teaching is essentially
> pantheistic and Sufiistic.
> 
> [page 39]
> 
> Bahâism assumes the main tenets of the religion of each
> man whom it hopes to gain. Thus, in the West it often uses Christian
> technical terms, such as "Logos," in quite a different
> sense. For instance, Bahâ'ullah is often meant when the
> Logos is spoken of; and "resurrection" means becoming
> changed in soul, or converted to this faith.
> 
> A characteristic of Bahâism is wilful misrepresentation,
> e.g., in regard to the number of its converts — millions is the
> word commonly used, even to "fifty million souls."
> Present authorities suggest one hundred thousand in Persia, and
> possibly fifteen thousand outside, of whom two-thirds are Shiah
> Mohammedans. Believers may be found among Buddhists, Taoists,
> Sikhs, Parsis, and Jews. A more intellectual form of the teaching
> has been adopted in America, Russia, France, and Germany, and
> even in England one hundred converts may be found.
> 
> There is to most Western minds a charm about anything which
> comes from the East. And, when the Orient claims once again to
> have given birth to a new religion — a great world-wide movement — the
> attraction seems to a few to be irresistible. Some Westerners
> are drawn to Bahaism by its supposed freedom from dogma; others
> through its teaching of unity, brotherhood, and tolerance; while
> to others its appeal comes through its claim to be a world-wide
> religion, capable of embracing and unifying all other great faiths.
> But while it is possible to be in sympathy with its social and
> 
> [page 40]
> 
> philanthropic propaganda, yet the philosophic basis and religious
> tenets of this new religion are subversive of the Christianity
> of the Gospel.
> 
> At one time this movement seemed likely in Persia to prove
> a half-way house towards Christianity, but now it has so developed
> as to be rather a barrier. Men are content to come into the twilight
> of this faith, and there to entrench themselves, and are less
> easy to move than if they had remained Mohammedans. Bahais have
> set themselves the task of believing all religions and uniting
> all men in a common brotherhood. They would do away with war
> and educate and elevate their womanhood. They are devoted to
> the person of their present leader; their periodicals are becoming
> numerous, and are printed in Persian and several European languages.
> They are a courteous people, free from contempt of others, and
> personally attractive. They often listen respectfully to the
> claims of the Gospel, yet the opposition of Bahai influence in
> Persia is considerable, and is increasing daily. In Teheran they
> have three women missionaries — a doctor, a nurse, and an educationist.
> It is an easy faith — easier to accept than Christianity, as a
> public profession is not needed, and its followers can still
> be loyal to Islam, while a deep self-satisfaction lulls the conscience.
> Like other human cults it values what is good and beautiful,
> and calls upon men to live noble lives, but it tells little of
> the power with which to carry out what it inculcates.
> 
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> Views5593 views since posted 2013-03-10; last edit 2022-02-08 19:29 UTC;
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> Citation: ris/2563
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> — *Mary Bird in Persia (Used by permission of the curator)*