Interestingly Khan encourages others to keep working on this theological problem, if only to present it more palatably:
"These are the kind of things we need to be thinking about and developing thoughts about this. Of course the question of the composition of the Universal House of Justice. We do need further thought on this subject, Janet and I devoted about 20 pages to that in our book on Advancement of Women, but we need more people to develop other ideas and to think further how can we can present our teachings on the subject of the male membership of the Universal House of Justice." Sydney talk August 2002.
This is interesting to me, because apart from giving our own views on the issue in discussion with other Baha'is, without trying to represent our opinions as the truth, I thought we weren't supposed to say more than that we don't know the reason, perhaps adding that in the Faith "Equality of men and women, except in some negligible instances, has been fully and categorically announced." It seems from what Peter Khan says here that we could write articles suggesting reasons for the exclusion of women on the House of Justice. I thought that was to be avoided. When I spoke to a Counsellor as to what I could say if asked about the composition of the House of Justice he said to say that we don't know, but that membership on the House of Justice is not a spiritual but administrative station. I haven't read the book by Peter and Janet Khan. I gather that it suggests reasons for the exclusion of women, and that the "other ideas" mentioned above are related to the exclusion of women. Thoughts, anyone?
David
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