Dear Susan,
Look at the last sentence from the letter written on the Guardian's
behalf and its emphasis on 'varied.' It seems to me this is very much
in accord with the House's letter:
> The
> Assembly should be representative of the choicest and most varied
> and
> capable elements in every Baha'i community." (From a letter of the
> Guardian
> to an individual believer, August 11, 1933: The Spiritual
> Character of
> Baha'i Elections, p. 3
Hmm. I did see that word 'varied' there, yes. But I fail to see how we can
be sure that's what Shoghi Effendi meant when he used that word. He gave no
explanation. The other two words relate solely to abilities. My guess of
what Shoghi Effendi meant when he spoke of varied elements in the community
would relate to the skills different people can offer. Certainly not to
making sure we have a diverse mix of ethnic groups on the Assembly.
Furthermore, I should think the following letter from Shoghi Effendi shows
that we aren't to strive for variety but just on who is most capable:
"If we but turn our gaze to the high qualifications of the members of Baha'i
Assemblies, as enumerated in Abdu'l-Baha's Tablets, we are filled with
feelings of unworthiness and dismay, and would feel truly disheartened but
for the comforting thought that if we rise to play nobly our part every
deficiency in our lives will be more than compensated by the all-conquering
spirit of His grace and power. Hence it is incumbent upon the chosen
delegates to consider without the least trace of passion and prejudice, and
irrespective of any material consideration, the names of only those who can
best combine the necessary qualities of unquestioned loyalty, of selfless
devotion, of a well-trained mind, of recognized ability and mature
experience."
I can't see how Shoghi Effendi could have been more clear. He says "only"
those who best combine the qualities. I can't see how the new advice is not
disregarding this? And it does sound to me like it directly contradicts
what the House said before:
"It is a basic principle of elections for Baha'i Spiritual Assemblies that
each voter must vote for the nine people who, in his or her opinion, are
best suited to serve. He may have a low opinion of all those who are
eligible, but his duty is to vote for those nine from among them who, in his
estimation, best meet the standards for service on a Spiritual Assembly.
(From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an
individual believer, October 26, 1983)
If what I'm hearing is correct the House is now saying that we don't have to
vote for the best nine people. Again, Shoghi Effendi said:
"...I do not feel it to be in keeping with the spirit of the Cause to impose
any limitation upon the freedom of the believers to choose those of any
race, nationality or temperament, who best combine the essential
qualifications for membership of administrative institutions. They should
disregard personalities and concentrate their attention on the qualities and
requirements of office, without prejudice, passion or partiality. The
Assembly should be representative of the choicest and most varied and
capable elements in every Baha'i community." (From a letter of the Guardian
to an individual believer, August 11, 1933: The Spiritual Character of
Baha'i Elections, p. 3)
From what I hear now, it would sound like the House isn't following it's
advice and is trying to impose limitations on freedom and tell us to regard
personalities (to achieve diversity). I realize the House isn't infallible
as far as interpretation, but I wouldn't expect them to err. I'll now have a
read of their message.
Regards,
David
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