The Baha'i Studies Listserv This has been my experience. I understand we are to be obedient, and we are not to take offense, but this dogmatic approach raised bitterness, resentment and resistance in me. I started 1, 2 & 3 three times each before finally completing 1 & 2 in an intensive. Many years later, that is where I am stalled. After a decade as a Bahai, I still did not have what I considered a solid enough grounding in Baha'u'llah to share the Faith with others. I wanted Book 4 badly and was delighted when we started it. Then, we were told we must complete the books in order. I love children & support their activities financially as often as possible, and I'm a board member for a community theater which has provided 17 years of classes for kids & teens (including 3 absolutely amazing now young adult Bahais!) but I will never, ever teach children's classes. I haven't got physical health & energy even to babysit. Finally, as an isolated believer, I have an opportunity to do Book 8 with a tutor while we wait for a group to finish book 2 so we can do Book 4 together with a new believer. I can't wait!
I'm frustrated with the way information still lags in getting to everyone. It's been a few years now since I read the House of Justice's clarification that we are not completely bound to Ruhi, that we have the freedom to use whatever works best in the situation, whether Firesides or Core Curriculum or Virtues. I'd like to see more of us loving, respecting and supporting each other for what we *can* do instead of "tsk, tsking" and shunning those who can't do what we think they ought to be doing. Kathryn On Wed, Dec 15, 2010 at 08:09, Susan Maneck <sman...@gmail.com> wrote: > The Baha'i Studies Listserv > > Then again there is a wisdom in the sequence of books so actually im not > > sure. p: > > Keep in mind that these books were designed for Baha'is, not seekers. > We start with Book one because the first thing we want a new Baha'i to > do is to pray. But there are some seekers for whom Book One works > best. I find the ones that are drawn in through the children's classes > is one example. > > In any case, if I had had to do the books in order like is being > dogmatically pushed in some areas I never would have completed the > sequence. I did Book One, then Book Four, then Book Seven. Then I > started tutoring Book Four. I picked up the other books as I felt I > needed them, but I didn't finish the sequence until they appointed me > Cluster Development Facilitator. > > __________________________________________________ > You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:allaboutjoye1...@gmail.com > Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto: > leave-546823-2241165.3afeac45296046c4e2352da3d7e8d...@list.jccc.edu > Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to > ly...@list.jccc.edu > Or subscribe: > http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st > > > Baha'i Studies is available through the following: > Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu > Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st > > > News (on-campus only) - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st > > > Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net > > > New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu > > > __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:arch...@mail-archive.com Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:leave-546849-27401.54f46e81b66496c9909bcdc2f7987...@list.jccc.edu Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to ly...@list.jccc.edu Or subscribe: http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st News (on-campus only) - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
