Independent investigation of truth is one of the Bahá’í principles. In order to seek the truth we must abandon preconceived ideas and use our reasoning capacities, not accept without question the opinions and ideas of others. Independent investigation of truth enables individuals to understand why they adhere to a given belief system.

Bahá’u’lláh wrote:

“The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor…”
(The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Part I – From the Arabic, # 2)

“…He hath…ordained that His Cause be taught through the power of men’s utterance, and not through resort to violence…”
(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 278)

“…When a true seeker determineth to take the step of search in the path leading unto the knowledge of the Ancient of Days, he must, before all else, cleanse his heart, which is the seat of the revelation of the inner mysteries of God, from the obscuring dust of all acquired knowledge, and the allusions of the embodiments of satanic fancy. He must purge his breast, which is the sanctuary of the abiding love of the Beloved, of every defilement, and sanctify his soul from all that pertaineth to water and clay, from all shadowy and ephemeral attachments. He must so cleanse his heart that no remnant of either love or hate may linger therein, lest that love blindly incline him to error, or that hate repel him away from the truth…”
(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 264)

‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:

“…it is imperative that we should renounce our own particular prejudices and superstitions if we earnestly desire to seek the truth.  Unless we make a distinction in our minds between dogma, superstition and prejudice on the one hand, and truth on the other, we cannot succeed. When we are in earnest in our search for anything we look for it everywhere. This principle we must carry out in our search for truth…It means, also, that we must be willing to clear away all that we have previously learned, all that would clog our steps on the way to truth; we must not shrink if necessary from beginning our education all over again. We must not allow our love for any one religion or any one personality to so blind our eyes that we become fettered by superstition!”
(Paris Talks by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 136-137)