List of former Baháʼís explained

Ex-Baháʼís or former Baháʼís are people who have been a member of the Baháʼí Faith at some time in their lives and later disassociated from it. The following is a list of notable ex-Baháʼís who have either converted to another religion or philosophy, or became non-religious. Baháʼís who are not in good standing, having lost their administrative rights for some transgression, are not considered ex-Baháʼís.

Converted to Christianity

• John Ford Coley (born 1948) – American musician.
• Francis Spataro – Became a follower of Charles Mason Remey. In the later years of his life, he became an archbishop of the Apostolic Episcopal Church and left the Baháʼí Faith altogether.^[1]

Converted to Islam

• Abd al-Hosayn Ayati (1871–1953) – Also known as Avarih. He spent 18 years as a Baháʼí travelling teacher and reverted to Shia Islam in 1921.
• Sobhi Fazl'ollah Mohtadi (1897–1962) – Secretary of 'Abdu'l Bahá, who was expelled after opposing the leadership of Shoghi Effendi and later joined a Shia-Sufi Order.^[2]

Others

• Denis MacEoin (1949–2022) – British academic, Baháʼí from about 1966 to 1980, he departed after disagreements with Baháʼís, mostly due to his research.
• Alden Penner (born 1983) – Canadian musician, left in 2013 after personal differences with other Baháʼís.
• Juan Cole (born 1952) – Having converted to the Baháʼí Faith in 1972, Juan Cole resigned in 1996 and became uninterested in organized religion.

See also

• List of Baháʼís
• List of converts to the Baháʼí Faith
• Covenant-breaker

References

• Encyclopedia: Afshar . Iraj . 18 August 2011 . ĀYATĪ, ʿABD-AL-ḤOSAYN . .
• Web site: Official response of the Encyclopaedia Iranica to the Associated Press article of March 25, 2007 entitled "U.S.-funded encyclopedia revels in Iran's greatness" . 2007-04-05 . Ashraf . Ahmad . Encyclopedia Iranica . PDF . https://web.archive.org/web/20121202082405/http://www.iranian.com/News/2007/April/Images/ReplyToAP.pdf . December 2, 2012 . live .
• Book: Balyuzi, H.M. . Hasan M. Balyuzi . 2001 . ʻAbdu'l-Bahá: The Centre of the Covenant of Baháʼu'lláh . Paperback . George Ronald . Oxford, UK . 0-85398-043-8 . 308–309 .
• Bruce . Billy . 31 August 2000 . Born-Again Rock Stars . Charisma Magazine . September 16, 2016 .
• News: Kissel . Chris . 14 January 2015 . Alden Penner: An Ex-Unicorn Goes It Alone . . December 8, 2016 .
• Momen . Moojan . 2007 . Marginality and Apostasy in the Baháʼí Community . Religion . 37 . 3 . 187–2009 . May 8, 2016 . 10.1016/j.religion.2007.06.008 .
• Book: Sohrab, Mirza Ahmad . 1959 . My Bahai Pilgrimage. Autobiography from Childhood to Middle Age. . New York . New History Foundation .

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2014-11-09. The Apostolic Episcopal Church, Part 4 – 1986-present. 2020-11-27. The Apostolic Episcopal Church. en.
2. Web site: ṢOBḤI, FAŻL-ALLĀH MOHTADI . Momen . Encyclopedia Iranica . 2015.