Here is the measuring stick by which Baha'is are measured by Esperantists:

Persia--Abdul Baha, the present head 
of the Bahai movement, which seems to 
be rapidly growing in importance, has sent 
a communication to Dr. Ameen Fareed, 
who greeted the Sixth International Es-
peranto Congress in behalf of the Bahai 
movement, as follows (translation):

His Honor,

Dr. Fareed--

Upon him be Baha-el-Abha!

O Servant of the Holy Threshold! You 
have written in regard to Esperanto and 
your speech before the Congress. It was 
most appropriate and acceptable. ...

If possible meet with Dr. Zamenhof and 
show him the Kitab-el-Akdas (Book of 
Laws) and translate the verse which con-
cerns the Universal Language and tell 
him:  This clear verse which was revealed 
forty-five years ago, will prove the cause 
of spreading your Universal Language in 
all the East. The Bahais shall consider 
the study of this language as an in-
cumbent duty upon them, and it will be to 
them a religious duty. Therefore, men, 
women and children, all will acquire it.

The sentences from the Kitab-el-Akdas re-
ferred to in this communication or 
"tablet" may be translated as follows:
O ye representatives of the Parliaments 
of Nations! Choose one tongue from among 
the languages, so that the inhabitants of 
the earth my convers therein, likewise 
communicate in writing... This 
is the cause of the union, if you could 
realize it, the greatest means of concord 
and civilization, if you comprehend it.

(from the publication, *Amerika Esperantisto,* Vol. 8 N. 6 (January 1911)

It is very clearly an official communication from Abdu'l-Baha, and I assume there must be official Baha'i record of it, but I've never seen anything to indicate that is has been officially Authenticated.

The problem is, the outside world doesn't make any distinction between Authenticated and not authenticated. They merely see communication of an official nature delivered by (at the time) a reliable Baha'i representative from the most official Office (Abdu'l-Baha) and published in a reliable journal of that timeframe.

So, how do we deal with situations where the rest of the world can clearly perceive the Authenticity of a letter from Abdu'l-Baha or Baha'u'llah, and we are actively judged by the world to be failing to follow its Command, but we ourselves (as a whole) neither know of its existence, nor if we did, would believe it is true and binding?

Lest you think I'm simply over-inflating the importance of the article, I should say that this article is part of why I became a Baha'i; I had to investigate for myself why Baha'is, normally so steadfast in their beliefs, and willing to commit to great sacrifice to follow the Commands of their Faith, would not follow the (to an Esperantist, very obvious) Command to learn Esperanto? Subsequent study led me to get past the idea that "Baha'is don't practice what they preach" and grasp that the Faith itself is real.

But always, I come back to this. Sometimes an Esperantist will mention it, either by reference directly or as a matter of Esperantist "common knowledge." Other times I stumble across it again myself. There's no getting around it: this lack of action/comprehension by the Baha'i collective is the stumbling block preventing Esperantists from joining a Faith so in tune with the ideals of the Esperanto Movement that one naturally grasps the concept that both are Divinely inspired.

I feel stupid and don't know what to say when this topic comes up. I know what is right. But I can't explain why Baha'is in general don't and, frankly, won't come to terms with it. This isn't a Faith where superstition and ignorance have any place, but science and investigation are required. Yet there is no attempt by Baha'is to live up to the obligation; there are fewer Baha'i Esperantists per-capita than Esperantists as a whole. I simply can't explain that, and so from the average Esperantist's perspective, we Baha'is are pretenders, and there's nothing even possible to say to sway the notion.

Thoughts? This eats at me often. Very likely my greatest challenge as a Baha'i is seeing Baha'is fail to grasp what Esperanto's relationship to the Faith really is. Sometimes I can squint and come to terms with it. Now is not one of those times.