tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449677811690616608.post586816552120902349..comments2023-12-15T21:49:46.651+01:00Comments on Pluralist Speaks: More BahaiPluralist (Adrian Worsfold)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01922153724523820866noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449677811690616608.post-13239940086629483832012-02-17T18:09:45.650+01:002012-02-17T18:09:45.650+01:00Dear Pluralist,
Please read more about the Baha...Dear Pluralist,<br />Please read more about the Baha'i Faith, and also history of the other religions.<br /><br />And I want to know about what do you mean by: "Comment moderation has been enabled. All comments must be approved by the blog author"?!!!<br /><br />thank you<br />HosseinTAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449677811690616608.post-73394934947979610772011-10-09T22:44:50.424+02:002011-10-09T22:44:50.424+02:00You need to do some fact-checking.
I don't k...You need to do some fact-checking. <br /><br />I don't know where you got the idea that the Guardian left a will but people didn't like what it said. Even those who imagine Mason Remey as the Guardian's successor, don't argue that he left a will. As for only the Guardian having the right to excommunicate people, I suggest that you read the Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Baha which clearly states the Hands of the Cause of God are supposed to do this. The Guardian only temporarily took this role upon himself.Susan Maneckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12808387897564447194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449677811690616608.post-49846533324428600762008-10-22T19:35:00.000+02:002008-10-22T19:35:00.000+02:00Greetings. I might quibble with a few details her...Greetings. I might quibble with a few details here and there, but overall I think you call it pretty well.Priscillahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04417812260334969884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449677811690616608.post-40835726789259710402008-10-22T04:09:00.000+02:002008-10-22T04:09:00.000+02:00I have little time for progressive revelation as a...I have little time for progressive revelation as a concept. It assumes a kind of evolution of revelation, that it gets better and better. But there is no such yardstick available. So much revelation is human religious culture anyway: I think there is a clearer and simpler explanation for Baha'i concepts via human religious culture. And such is good enough, whether one believes that there is some mystery behind all this kind of material or not.Pluralist (Adrian Worsfold)https://www.blogger.com/profile/01922153724523820866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449677811690616608.post-8189844482146949092008-10-22T03:34:00.000+02:002008-10-22T03:34:00.000+02:00Hi again Adrian,Just a weee bit more ...What drove...Hi again Adrian,<BR/><BR/>Just a weee bit more ...<BR/><BR/>What drove me from the Baha'i Faith more than anything was, under all its flowery and grandiose language, its intrinsic contempt for man. I'm no Christian, but I'll take original sin over utter blindness any day:<BR/><BR/>"Regard men as a flock of sheep that need a shepherd for their protection. This, verily, is the truth, the certain truth. We approve of liberty in certain circumstances, and refuse to sanction it in others. We, verily, are the All-Knowing."<BR/><BR/>--Baha'u'llah's "Most Holy Book"<BR/><BR/>Man's complete dependence on constant divine authority is the underpinning of the Baha'i "Covenant" as well as the Baha'i doctrine of "progressive revelation". It is fundamental to the religion, and quite naturally constricts the liberality out of its adherents.<BR/><BR/>Yours,<BR/>Dankaweahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13110699161070618600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449677811690616608.post-63884974351345927852008-10-22T02:20:00.000+02:002008-10-22T02:20:00.000+02:00This notion of misrepresenting a faith. We all do ...This notion of misrepresenting a faith. We all do it! Everyone sees different angles and some push boundaries. Faiths are not written in stone, they are about what we do not know. Well some like authority to breathe over them, and constrain, but in the end all it does is creates dissidents who, in a free society, continue as they were.<BR/><BR/>Denominations developed in the Reformation because they received political support at a time when there was little religious freedom, but now there is religious freedom in these parts of the world, yet the UHJ behaves as if it can just monitor and control. There is something called trust, something called allowing people to make mistakes, and there is debate including for when mistakes are made. What the UHJ proposes and acts upon is hardly a New Jerusalem, is it? It looks like institutional fear.Pluralist (Adrian Worsfold)https://www.blogger.com/profile/01922153724523820866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449677811690616608.post-30665213485875670192008-10-22T00:40:00.000+02:002008-10-22T00:40:00.000+02:00And another note on Baha'i review, know that its p...And another note on Baha'i review, know that its purpose is threefold:<BR/><BR/>1. To ensure the accuracy of the presentation of the teachings of the Faith.<BR/><BR/>"The function of reviewing is, essentially, to check the Author's exposition of the Bahá'í Faith and its teachings, which may include verification of any quotations from Bahá'í writings. This function should not be confused with evaluation of the literary merit of a work or of its value as a publication, which are normally the prerogative of the publisher..." (The Universal House of Justice: from a letter to the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles, March 11, 1965, reproduced in Lights of Guidance, p. 101.)<BR/><BR/>2. To protect the Faith from misrepresentation by its own followers.<BR/><BR/>"... The purpose of review is to protect the Faith against misrepresentation by its own followers at this early stage of its existence when comparatively few people have any knowledge of it. An erroneous presentation of the Teachings by a Bahá'í who is accounted a scholar, in a scholarly journal, would by that very fact, do far more harm than an erroneous presentation made by an obscure Bahá'í author with no pretensions to scholarship." (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, October 8, 1980 reproduced in Lights of Guidance, p. 101.)<BR/><BR/>3. To ensure dignity of the form.<BR/><BR/>"It is an obligation of all Bahá'ís to present the faith in a dignified manner and therefore when writing articles about the Faith they should take into consideration the type of magazine or other publication in which the article is to appear. Should there be any question about its character they should consult with the National Spiritual Assembly. In addition, all authors should bear in mind that anything written about the Faith for publication is subject to review before submission to the publishers." (The Universal House of Justice: from a letter written to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, September 15, 1968 reproduced in Lights of Guidance, p. 101.)AdibMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16837875423384399173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449677811690616608.post-39830357096287372202008-10-22T00:15:00.000+02:002008-10-22T00:15:00.000+02:00Adrian, I'm not sure if you're aware of the contex...Adrian, I'm not sure if you're aware of the context in which Making the Crooked Straight was written, but it was done so in response to a roughly 400-page German work by a Swiss ex-Baha'i, self-proclaimed "embittered enemy of the Faith". He asserts a lot of the things that you and many other non-Baha'is (and ex-Baha'is) do, especially with regard to the Universal House of Justice, and Schaefer properly addresses all of those points. Why does it matter who published the work if it responds to the raised concerns accurately?AdibMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16837875423384399173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449677811690616608.post-42008368885421294832008-10-21T21:36:00.000+02:002008-10-21T21:36:00.000+02:00Hey Pluralist,Welcome to the fray! Grab a pie!The ...Hey Pluralist,<BR/><BR/>Welcome to the fray! Grab a pie!<BR/><BR/>The Baha'i Faith has attracted many people with a rather liberal message, and Adib reminds me that it is not the only religion that proceeds to capture those same converts with a barbed hook called "Authority". Those who comply worship an idol they call Unity, and with all the bureaucracy, the whole scene smells of the inspiring unity message of Mao and Stalin; but unity without power is no threat, so no worries. Move on. -Dan (rather biased Baha'i apostate)kaweahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13110699161070618600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449677811690616608.post-77425314403458139782008-10-21T17:28:00.000+02:002008-10-21T17:28:00.000+02:00Yes, some people are like a hinge or bridge, that ...Yes, some people are like a hinge or bridge, that take hold of a faith at a time of crisis, make something other of it (or initiate) and then allows others that follow to shape and recommend. A Paul needs a Jesus but it takes a Paul to make a Jesus expand out of a local situation, and it takes an `Abdu'l-Bahá to make a Bahá’u’lláh. But after that comes tradition and formulation that is institutional.Pluralist (Adrian Worsfold)https://www.blogger.com/profile/01922153724523820866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449677811690616608.post-67283801571014318242008-10-21T15:42:00.000+02:002008-10-21T15:42:00.000+02:00Another spot-on post.My own view is that Baha'u'll...Another spot-on post.<BR/><BR/>My own view is that Baha'u'llah was a brilliant synthesiser and an archetypal Trickster (a pivotal figure) who initiated an eruption of spiritual insight and a regeneration of religious life. The first (and maybe only) post-modern shape-shifter messiah so to speak. That he is also the Manifestation of God for this age does not necessarily contradict this.<BR/><BR/>But the liberal and critical approach does not sit well with Baha'is (many of whom seem to have internalised the authoritarian defensiveness of the Faith). Baha'u'llah has become a plaster saint: suggest that he might on occasion have had some dictatorial tendencies or control issues and even the most "liberal" Baha'is will pounce. The inviolability of the idol is sacrosanct.<BR/><BR/>I will also mention (previous to your comments that the Baha'is have no time for homosexual relationships) that unlike the mainstream Baha'i community, the Tarbiyat Community welcomes homosexual singles and couples without preconditions. The way one lives one's life, regardless of sexual orientation or personal relationship status, is what matters. One should be known as a Baha'i who lives a life dedicated to the unity and betterment of mankind.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449677811690616608.post-29318232435988001952008-10-21T15:27:00.000+02:002008-10-21T15:27:00.000+02:00Published by George Ronald, that was set up to dis...Published by George Ronald, that was set up to distribute approved Baha'i texts. This is the problem, that the faith institutions have a system of approval over what subscribing Baha'is write. So people are suspicious: nor do I like the term "pseudo-academic attacks" as a defence. There are numerous people now who do academic work and these are neither attacks nor approvals. They just examine.Pluralist (Adrian Worsfold)https://www.blogger.com/profile/01922153724523820866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5449677811690616608.post-84754117379385777902008-10-21T14:34:00.000+02:002008-10-21T14:34:00.000+02:00I'd suggest reading Making the Crooked Straight by...I'd suggest reading Making the Crooked Straight by Udo Schaefer, it's a hefty book on Baha'i apologetics that addresses many of the qualms you've covered in this post.<BR/><BR/>Take care,<BR/>AdibAdibMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16837875423384399173noreply@blogger.com