On 7/17/06, Tim Nolan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Hi Gilberto,
I think it's a mistake to focus on Jamal Effendi. As far as I know he died
many years ago, so it isn't possible to ask him why he did this or that. If
he was dishonest, that reflects on him, not on the Baha'i Faith.
I don't think I'm focusing on Jamal Effendi. I just think he's a
spectacular example. He tried to convert Muslims to the Bahai faith by
pretending to be a Sufi Shaykh.
>But there are multiple examples of encouraging a certain amount of
ambiguity when >it comes to religious identity based on Bahai texts and
teachings.
I am not a scholar, and I don't know Arabic or Persian, so I can't respond
to this in detail. The Baha'i Faith teaches us to be honest and truthful.
If individual Baha'is fall short of that, well we all have weaknesses.
It's not just that, it is actually connected to Bahai doctrines.
For example, check out "Wisdom and Dissimulation: The Use and Meaning
of Hikmat in the Baha'i Writings and History" which is Susan's paper
at
http://bahai-library.org/articles/hikmat.html
"Hikmat" or "Wisdom" is a concept which takes on a specific meaning in
the Bahai faith. Susan says:
"Observing wisdom' in practice often involved acts which would not
ordinarily be regarded as praiseworthy.' These included: denying or
misleading people regarding one's Baha'i identity, concealing
inconvenient aspects of the Baha'i teachings, and compromising certain
Baha'i principles."
>if there is a situation where candor and forthrightness are in
>conflict with unity, a Bahai might be more likely than the next person
>to choose unity.
> It seems to me that you are positing two choices: either one can be candid,
or one can strive for unity, with the implication that putting unity first
will sometimes entail being dishonest. I don't see it that way.
What I'm saying is that there are *some* situations where we actually
are presented with that choice.
-G
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