> JS: But Gilberto, none of the Laws of the Aqdas are enforced except a few
> related to prayer, marriage, burial, alcohol, opium, and a few others.
G: I don't see why that would be a relevant distinction. To make the
example more extreme. If your books said to round up Muslims in
concentration camps and put them in ovens (something which the Bahai
writings clearly do not say) it wouldn't be at all comforting to say
"But Bahais don't have a country yet so we can't enforce those right
now".JS: I didn't say it has anything to do with whether or not we have a country. The House of Justice still has the right to decide when to implement the law of burning the arsonist, it at all. I don't think it ever will be.
> Burtal Qur'an laws are, however, enforced by Muslim countries like Saudi
> Arabia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan, etc.
G: I wouldn't embrace any of them as truly Islamic. There is room for improvement.JS: So in the last 1000 years, has there been a single 'truly Islamic' nation? I don't think it is possible. What is possible is what Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism have done: Implement a secular nation.
G: And even if the Bahai writings didn't say what they did about
punishments for arson, how can you believe the Quran comes from God
and at the same time call it brutal?
JS: I think they are brutal today, though they would not have been brutal during the time of the Prophet. Maybe in 5000 years the Laws of 'imprisonment' will be considered brutal.
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