Myth: Bahari worship Lilith.
Truth: We do not worship Lilith. The Dark Mother does not wish us to worship her. She wants us to follow her example: to live, learn, suffer and transcend. Many people look at cults of Lilith and think that all Bahari are the same. The fact is that many of the cults haven't the first clue as to who the Dark Mother truly is. They have gained some notoriety and suddenly all Bahari must be like them.

Myth: Bahari are sadomasochists.
Truth: To label Bahari as nothing more than sadomasochists displays an ignorance of both what a Bahari is and what a sadomasochist is. It is true that we do use pain, but we use it as a means to an end, not as an end unto itself. By experiencing pain and anguish we can reach a state of enlightenment we call 'Sa'. Only when we reach that fleeting moment sometimes called the 'short dawn' can we truly hear Lilith's song. Many people investigate Lilith cults believing that it is a way to explore BDSM, never realizing that there is far more to being a Bahari, indeed far more to BDSM, than merely being tied down and whipped. One must remember pain is worthless unless the sufferer learns something in the aftermath.

Myth: All Bahari are Vampires.
Truth: For some reason this is a very common myth. You can find the followers of The Dark Mother everywhere, among mortals, magi, and elsewhere. To dismiss us as just another vampiric (gehenna?) cult is to miss the true extent of The Dark Mother's influence. In fact not all followers of Lilith are Bahari. Any group, mortal or otherwise, that celebrates The Dark Mother's example, strives for enlightenment, and hears Lilith's song in their blood are followers of Lilith, whether they know it or not. Furthermore a vampire Ba'ham is designated with the term Lhaka. We do not label ourselves with terms such as Cainite or Kindred, for we have drunk the blood of The Dark Mother, and severed our ties with Caine and his progeny.

Myth: Lilith is the mother of all vampires.
Truth: I suppose that would depend on what one means by that. Revelations of The Dark Mother and The Book of Nod make it clear that Lilith is the one who taught Caine his powers, so in that sense I suppose you could consider her the 'mother' of vampires. However, in neither book is it asserted that she was/is a vampire. Indeed the narrative of both would seem to indicate that she was a mage of some sort. Now this does not preclude the possibility of her being a vampire, in fact an associate of mine who has studied both narratives believes that the account in The Rape of D'hainu implies that Caine embraced Lilith at this point, I personally believe that Lilith would never have allowed this to happen. I guess we will have to wait until Gehenna to know the truth.

Myth: Bahari are infernalists.
Truth: Of all the myths surrounding us, this has got to be the most laughable. The Dark Mother's is a message of freedom. To enslave ourselves to infernal powers would defeat her purpose. The simple fact is we have no dealings with the infernal, and our attitudes towards those that do range from pity to contempt to outright hostility.

Myth: Lilith has a small following.
Truth: As I pointed out earlier there are many who follow The Dark Mother's teachings without realizing it. But this does not make them any less followers of Lilith. Admittedly, true Bahari are not very common — we make up only a minuscule fraction of Lilith's followers. Simply put, all Bahari are followers of Lilith, but not all followers of Lilith are Bahari. I think this myth stems from a misunderstanding of what it means to be a follower of Lilith. Lilith does not desire our worship, merely that we follow her example. Consequently many of her followers are not recognized as such by those who go looking for Lilith's name.

Myth: Bahari are a recent phenomenon.
Truth: Hardly. In a way, Bahari have been around since Lilith. In fact, one could say Lilith was the first Bahari. The tenets of the Bahari can be seen in many ancient religions, and the beliefs known to vampiric society as the Path of Lilith has been around for roughly a millennium. I was initiated into the Bahari over 800 years ago. I believe the reason for this myth is many of the more visible Bahari are members of the Sabbat which is a recently formed sect that consists mainly of neonates.

Myth: All Bahari are members of the Sabbat.
Truth: As if. As I pointed out before, the simple truth is while the Bahari of the Sabbat are the most visible, they are hardly the only Bahari — or for that matter even the majority. Remember that many mortals are Bahari, and the Sabbat consider mortals good for nothing but food and entertainment. The Sabbat is simply the only place where we can practice our beliefs openly, but it is hardly the only place we can be found.