List of former Baháʼís
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.[1]
- 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.[2]
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.[3]
- 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.[4]
Others
- Denis MacEoin (1949–2022) - British academic, Baháʼí from about 1966 to 1980, he departed after disagreements with Baháʼís, mostly due to his research.[5]
- Alden Penner (born 1983) - Canadian musician, left in 2013 after personal differences with other Baháʼís.[6]
- Juan Cole (born 1952) - Having converted to the Baháʼí Faith in 1972, Cole resigned in 1996 and became uninterested in organized religion.[5]
- Gretchen Felker-Martin (born 1989) - American writer raised Baháʼí, later becoming an atheist.[7]