The Baha'i Studies Listserv
I just thought of something I hadn't before, and while it is hypothetical I'm
fascinated to know the answer. Again the passage:
O ye beloved of the Lord! It is incumbent upon the Guardian of the Cause of God
to appoint in his own life-time him that shall become h
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
The Hands of the Cause of God must elect from their own number nine persons
that shall at all times be occupied in the important services in the work of
the Guardian of the Cause of God. The election of these nine must be carried
either unanimously or by majority fro
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
We see the Remeyites as ignoring or misunderstanding the Will and Testament.
Yet there is one key part they understand better than did the Hands of the
Cause and House of Justice. It is the 'in his own lifetime' part. I realize
their basis for claiming that Shoghi
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Not knowing either Farsi or Arabic is obviously a big disadvantage for anyone
wanting to contribute to Baha'i Studies. A number of questions I've asked
about the Writings here have been answered through recourse to the original
languages. So I'm interested in discu
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Dear Susan,
> I don't think it is the same person, but I'm wondering if it might be his son.
Actually I just noticed the person was in Young Concert Artists in 1971, so
would probably be born around 1950. Not the same person. Since the article
mentioned Symph
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
I found the answer to my own question. The site claiming to be the official
UHJ site is really referring to the supposed Second International Council,
although it doesn't say so. Presumably they neither mention this or names like
Mason Remey because they know Baha'
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
It turns out Wikipedia has an article on Orthodox Baha'is. It doesn't give any
certain figure as to their numbers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodox_Bah%C3%A1%27%C3%AD_Faith#cite_note-1
I haven't regularly checked articles in Wikipedia on the Faith. So I'm
w
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Dear Susan,
> There was a recent court case wherein our NSA sought to enforce and
> existing court order which prohibited the Remeyites from using our
> trademarks. This came about largely as a result of a Jensenite website
> which claimed to be the UHJ website.
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Dear Susan,
> I suspect Joel Marangella's group is the largest and I doubt if they
> number more than a couple of hundred. In a recent court case in the US
> they admitted to only having about thirty in this country.
Was Joel Marangella's move to Australia prompte
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Which is the largest covenant breaker group, and how many members does it have?
Perhaps we don't know for sure.
Regards,
David
_
View photos of singles in y
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Another question, there have been covenant breakers who rejected 'Abdu'l-Baha
or Shoghi Effendi. Do any of the covenant breakers today reject either, or are
they all in agreement with us up to Shoghi Effendi's successor? I'm not
counting Babi's in this question.
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Just looking at something in an old message I hadn't deleted concerning the
Universal House of Justice:
"Bahá'u'lláh responded by stating that the application of any of His laws was
conditional upon the exercise of wisdom. He explained that the establishment of
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
I take it that the inclusion of the Tablet in a collection of Tablets
post-dating the Aqdas means that the Research Department thought there was
compelling evidence that it was written after? Surely if they weren't sure
they would have left it out.
Regards,
Davi
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Dear Susan,
> Further to our letter dated 27 September 2009, we have been asked to
> inform you that
> the Research Department has become aware that one of the Tablets in
> the volume Tablets of
> Bahá’u’lláh Revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, A1l-i-Kullu’l-Khayr
> (W
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Does anyone have a figure for how many covenant-breakers there are currently?
Am I correct in stating that most countries have none?
Regards,
David
_
New Wi
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
I have heard it claimed that the covenant-breaker groups show the prediction
the Baha'i Faith would not become divided to be false. I'd like discussion on
what the texts actually predict. Do they actually say there will be no Baha'i
sects? I've often known Baha'is
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
I just thought of something else on this issue. Okay, so what I am told is that
the House has said nothing to indicate they mind Baha'is accessing untranslated
texts. But I wonder about this. The House clearly has no interest in having
Baha'i bookshops sell 'the rest
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
It says in the Aqdas work is forbidden on Holy Days. So what happens when all
the world is Baha'i? The Aqdas doesn't mention any exceptions, though one
would think some would be allowed. What about hospitals? Surely they couldn't
close. What about motels and hot
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
I asked a while back about what is available of Baha'i texts not yet translated
into English. I was told that it's pretty much the same as what is translated.
This raises a question. How is it that Baha'i scholars often show knowledge
of various untranslated texts
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
> What a way to turn things into knots! Why not let professionals define what
> is gambling. Contact Gamblers Anonymous in your area and ask them. I am sure
> they can determine very quickly if a family is being harmed by the gambling
> of one of it's members. Thereupon
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
I have another question. What happens if a Baha'i gets a gambling problem that
is negatively affecting the lives of the whole family and the person isn't
betting on horses? What can assemblies do to help? They can't say the person
has a 'gambling problem' as that
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
To me, the biggest mistake made in our campaign was the way most of us were
dressed. What happened at one house confirmed my suspicions. A person was out
back and without seeing us called out hello. As soon as he did see us he said
"We're not interested, thanks".
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Dear Susan,
> Did you the House's letter on this topic? They certainly didn't go
> along with in order not to stifle initiative, they went along with it
> because it appeared to be working in some areas. That doesn't mean
> that it will work everywhere, under all co
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
I just came back from a campaign requiring us to go to houses. I did a search
on Google and it appears Baha'i 'dissidents' are having a field day with the
topic!
I'd be interested in thought's on Alison Marshall's view:
http://meditationsonbahaullah.blogspot.
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
So is anything currently regarded as gambling?
Regards,
David
_
Feeling the financial pinch? Check on MSN NZ Money for a hand
http://money.msn.co.nz
__
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
The activities that are included in this prohibition have not
been outlined in the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh. As both
Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi have indicated, it is left to
the Universal House of Justice to specify the details of this
prohibition. In response to que
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
In a House of Worship only the word of God is spoken (as part of a program).
I'm wondering if there's anything saying whether Baha'i choirs are allowed to
add nonsense words (la's or da's etc) to their performance of the Word of God.
In Sydney the choir often adds
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
>We need to remember that there have only been a handful of such cases in the
>history of the Faith - 7 or 8, I believe.
Just wondering, are all of these cases during the time of the House of Justice?
Did Shoghi Effendi ever do this?
Regards,
David
__
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
I'm interested in what exactly the House of Justice considers private
information. Recently the subject of Sen being disenrolled came up, and Susan
suggested someone to write to the House if they wanted clarification about the
reasons. This must mean that the House
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Progressive revelation teaches that Prophets are sent in succession with a
message appropriate for the time. When the new Prophet comes, we should turn
to them. It appears to me that prior to Jesus the Baha'i Faith teaches that
this was not the case globally. In t
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
> He would have, during his lifetime, named his successor in his will. He would
> have called together the nine hands, and presented to them his will.
This leads me to a question. Shoghi Effendi was not a prophet. He didn't know
when he would die and wouldn't h
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
> > There is a dimension to this that hasn't been brought up. If the
> > Guardian were to nominate a successor in a Will, and this choice were
> > then rejected by the Hands, there would be no opportunity for the
> > deceased Guardian to nominate any other candidate, ..
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Dear Sen,
The Hands of the Cause of God must elect from their own number nine persons
that shall at all times be occupied in the important services in the work of
the Guardian of the Cause of God. The election of these nine must be carried
either unanimously or by m
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Moreover, that same Will had provided a clear means for the confirmation of the
Guardian's appointment of his successor, as you are aware. The nine Hands to be
elected by the body of the Hands were to give their assent by secret ballot to
the Guardian's choice. In 19
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
"The election of these nine... and these, whether unanimously or by a majority
vote, must give their assent to the choice of the one whom the guardian of the
Cause of God hath chosen as his successor."
I have a question as to the meaning of this passage. Let's sa
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Hi Susan,
(If you're around at the moment) This is a thread from a while back. We were
discussing who you might write to for answers to questions about the Faith
instead of or before the House. You suggested ABM's as a source with access to
a lot of House lett
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
There is a place I go to for a quiz night and I happened to find a quiz book
that they get a lot of their questions from. I studied up on it to learn the
answers. I've been discussing this on a quiz forum and many think its
unethical to look at a source they get th
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Here's part of an article from Baha'i Library about whether the Guardianship is
anticipated in the Aqdas:
Although there is no explicit reference to the Guardianship in the
"Kitab-i-Aqdas", the "Synopsis and Codification" lists "Anticipation of the
Institution of
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
> The very existence of the Guardianship was unknown, until the Will
> and Testament was read. It seems that Abdu'l-Baha had told no-one. so
> everyone was surprised
Now that I think of it, didn't 'Abdu'l-Baha say that Isaiah 11:6 (a little
child shall lead them)
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Dear Sen,
> The very existence of the Guardianship was unknown, until the Will
> and Testament was read. It seems that Abdu'l-Baha had told no-one. so
> everyone was surprised
Oh. That's an embarrassing mistake on my part. I don't know why I didn't
think of th
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
It puzzles me that Shoghi Effendi was so surprised to find that he had been
appointed Guardian. Wasn't it pretty obvious he was going to be the one
chosen? Who did Shoghi Effendi think was going to be chosen, if not him? Was
he the only person who was surprised?
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
I have read this booklet and didn't find myself that impressed. It seemed
lightweight and if I were a non-Baha'i it's difficult to imagine that I'd
suddenly feel reassured about the future. Can someone tell me what's so good
about it?
Regards,
David
_
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Hi Sen,
> Anyone who is willing to take the time > to study the examples can see that
> Abdu'l-Baha uses qarn and `asr, > often as a pair together, to refer to an
> age, era, dispensation etc; > and that Shoghi Effendi regularly translates
> this as age, era, > dis
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
>Religious and sectarian antagonism, the hostility of races and peoples, and
>differences among nations, will be >eliminated. All men will adhere to one
>religion, will have one common faith, will be blended into one race, and
>>become a single people. All will dwell
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
> The Universal House of Justice Date: 26 December 2002> From: Research
> Department> Transsexuality> The Research Department has studied the questions
> concerning the Bahá’í perspective> on the “medical and social treatments of
> transsexual people” raised by Mr. …
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
"This is the stage which the world is now approaching, the stage of world
unity, which, as Abdu'l-Baha assures us, will, in this century, be securely
established." (PDC)
How would one explain to a non-Baha'i that we already have world unity, that
the nations are al
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Let's say they had an election for the House and of the nine with the most
votes one is a man who was born a woman and had a sex change. Presumably the
House has not legislated on whether a former women is eligibible to serve. If
they haven't, what happens? Surely
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
I was looking through the letter from the research department on the Lesser
Peace and found something interesting. They say that the unity of nations
should not be regarded as being synonymous with the Lesser Peace, yet from a
House letter from the 80's it appears t
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Dear Susan,> Baha'is could generally save the World Centre a lot of trouble if
they> asked such questions of their ABM or NSA first. They generally have>
files of such documents and can produce them when the need arises.
So they have files of documents including stu
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
I brought this issue up some time back. If I'm not mistaken, it was agreed
that mental illnesses/disorders can be cured through prayer. Everything in my
experience has been that prayer doesn't work for this. I've got an anxiety
disorder and I gave up praying for i
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
It seems to me that it may be impossible to know whether someone you tell of
the Faith to is receptive, unless they ask to be invited to a meeting. The
fact that they show interest when you tell them about the Faith does NOT
necessarily indicate they are receptive.
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Some years ago I sent 'Abdu'l-Baha's proof of God's existence from SAQ to a few
atheists to see what they thought. It was not well received and they found a
lot of problems with it. I'm interested to know other people's experience. I
think 'Abdu'l-Baha's proofs in
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Dear Susan,> I presume you mean the children of Covenant breakers? Baha'is are>
asked to avoid them as well.
What about toddlers?
Regards,David
_
__
Yo
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
I was wondering if the prohibition on associating with covenant-breakers
includes people of all ages. If people reach maturity at 15 and decide to
become Baha'is then is it okay to associate with covenant-breakers who are less
than 15 years-old?
Regards,David
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Let me say firstly that I don't believe in astrology, lest it be assumed
otherwise. Shoghi Effendi is said not to be infallible when it comes to
science. Shoghi Effendi said that astrology is a pseudoscience. Is this to be
regarded as the Baha'i position, or somet
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
I am involved in quizzing and a few days ago I had the idea of writing a Baha'i
quiz book. I imagine I could do a good job but I'm doubtful as to whether
there would be the market. Obviously it would only be for Baha'i book stores
but I don't know if a publisher wo
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
It's been a while since I've reviewed all Baha'i passages on this subject. I
will do so again later today. When I did so last it seemed clear to me that
animals have no further existence after they die. Can people here site
passages they think most clearly answer
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
It is upsetting to me that animals do not go to heaven. It is difficult to see
heaven as that wonderful if I don't get to see the pets I've had. Can anyone
help me on this?
Regards,
David
_
The Baha'i Studies Listserv
> david,> i am tempted to wonder "why" you don;t ask the House this...:-)
If you're referring to the House and women issue, I'd prefer not to ask, since
I think I can guess basically what the letter would say. They wouldn't try to
give a reason.
Regards,
David
__
Dear Susan,
> That is correct. When Baha'i scholars are writing for a non-Baha'i> audience
> they often will not capitalize the pronouns. I certainly> don't when I am
> writing for a non-Baha'i academic journal.
What about quoting from the Writings? Do you un-capitalize letters? Is that
allo
I raised this question some time ago, but I thought I would again. From the
Baha'i quotations I've seen I don't see any exceptions allowed regarding
Baha'is capitalizing pronouns relating to Manifestations or 'Abdu'l-Baha. I
have seen works from eminent Baha'is in which they did not capitalize
Dear Susan,> David, they are very busy at the World Centre. You shouldn't be>
bothering them with question just to satisfy your curiosity. You don't> have
any children, do you? How then does this question concern you?
It doesn't currently, but I was interested to know for when I do have children.
Dear Ben,
>It seems to me the point of the first letter is that the Universal House of
>Justice does not want to legislate every part of Baha'i life, including what
>movies you should/should not watch. In response, essentially, you've again
>asked them to legislate upon an issue (should Baha'
http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/
__
You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to
I sent another letter to the House because there was something I wasn't sure of
from their last letter. They felt they had already addressed those issues in
their last letter:
"Regarding the questions raised therein, it is
felt that the answers provided to your previous questions in our email
I guess really it wasn't so much the rebuttal but that I didn't see it as being
a strong proof of the validity of the Faith.
Regards,David
The information contained in this e-mail and any attachments thereto ("e-mail")
is sent by the Johnson County Community College ("JCCC") and is intende
I have read this treatisebefore. It was praised by 'Abdu'l-Baha but I didn't
think it was that great. What's so good about it?
Regards,David
The information contained in this e-mail and any attachments thereto ("e-mail")
is sent by the Johnson County Community College ("JCCC") and is int
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Re: House letter to meDate: Wed, 2
Jan 2008 08:07:14 -0800
Yes. It is very interesting.
"guard your eyes against that which is not seemly."
(Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 27)
- Original Message --
> I've never seen anything along those lines.
I saw it in a book at the Wilmette gift shop a while back. Probably just a
letter to an individual.
Regards,
David
The information contained in this e-mail and any attachments thereto ("e-mail")
is sent by the Johnson County Community Colleg
The pilgrim's note reports the Master as saying: 'Women and men must not
embrace each other when not married, or not about to be married. They must not
kiss each other... If they wish to greet each other, or comfort each other,
they may take each other by the hand.' In a letter to an individual
I saw a letter by Shoghi Effendi in a book some years ago, and it isn't
anything you'd find on MARS. In it he says we should be married by 25 at the
latest. Does anyone have the passage? I'm almost 30 and not yet married so
starting to get a bit worried!
Regards,David
The information con
Well, Deborah was a 'prophetess' in the Old Testament...
Regards,
David
The information contained in this e-mail and any attachments thereto ("e-mail")
is sent by the Johnson County Community College ("JCCC") and is intended to be
confidential and for the use of only the individual or enti
I had a look at the passages on cremation, and while I can't find anything
direct it looks to me like the following indicates Baha'is should not cremate
pets:
Concerning your question about cremation, the Baha'i law stipulates burial. The
instructions of Baha'u'llah contained in His Most Holy
You may find this interesting.
Dear Bahá’í Friend,
Your email letter of 7 December 2007 requesting guidance has been received by
the
Universal House of Justice and referred to our Department for response.
Your letter seeks guidance concerning films and television programmes that a
Bahá’í
should
I had always thought of the Ten Commandments as laws that will always be
upheld. But then I thought of the one commandment saying to keep the sabbath
holy and not work on it. Baha'is don't abide by that one. Are Baha'is
supposed to follow all of the Ten Commandments? I can't see anything on
A while ago I was part of a Baha'i history discussion forum. To my surprise I
found that there was full agreement from a number of prominent Baha'i scholars
that the number of Babi/Baha'i martyrs was much less than the normal figure of
20,000, probably two or three thousand if I recall. I had
I am interested to know if the House has the authority to officially declare
someone a martyr. Shoghi Effendi was careful in who he applied the word to. I
know of a situation a while back where a Baha'i died for their faith, and the
House said that person was a martyr. This didn't sit well wi
A true and adequate knowledge of the Cause is, indeed, indispensable to every
one who wishes to successfully teach the Message.
(From a letter dated 2 December 1935 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an
individual believer)
[Bahá'í Library CD-ROM: Compilations: Teaching, Page: 46]
Sho
Shoghi Effendi has for years urged the Baha'is (who asked his advice, and in
general also) to study history, economics, sociology, etc., in order to be au
courant with all the progressive movements and thoughts being put forth today,
and so that they could correlate these to the Baha'i teachings
At this point in time much of the world have not heard about the Baha'i Faith.
I am assuming more than half, though I could be wrong. Baha'is could have done
things differently with proclamation so that the vast majority would have heard
of the Faith already. I am interested to know why we ha
It could potentially be the case that 6 members on an Assembly disagreed with
an Assembly decision. This would happen if a decision were carried by a
majority of 3 when 5 members were present and the four who were absent would
not have agreed. My question is, are those who weren't present and
While we're on the subject, in 1998 Time Magazine had voters vote the 100 most
influential people of the twentieth century. I happened to see a letter from
the House on the internet in which they told Baha'is not to vote for
'Abdu'l-Baha. I mentioned it to an NSA member who had also seen it.
I just looked at the article and notice it has a photo of Baha'u'llah. I think
it's presence would certainly constitute a public display to non-believers.
Has the House of Justice ever given their thoughts on whether anything should
be done? Does the House of Justice want Baha'is to edit the
One big difference between Baha'is and Christians is our understanding of the
word 'prophet.' The Christian usage is with a lower case p and is not meant to
indicate moral perfection on the part of such a person whereas Baha'i usage
indicates infallibility in every respect. All the Christian m
Dear Susan,> Recently the church announced that purgatory isn't> > biblically
based.> > Dear David,> > Do you have a link to this? My understanding is that
the Pope recently> argued that limbo for non-baptised babies is not biblically
based, not> purgatory.
My mistake. I got confused.
Regar
I hope this is allowed though it's off topic. I figure people here can answer
it.
The Catholic church has made many changes in doctrine and administration. I'm
interested in how Catholics see these changes in light of their belief in Papal
Infalliblity. Recently the church announced that purg
I looked at 'new world order' in Wikipedia and it says "The phrase "new world
order" was first explicitly used in connection with Woodrow Wilson's designs in
the period just after World War I, during the formation of the League of
Nations." Baha'u'llah mentions the term in the KA. Does no one
I'm just wondering if there is anything in the Writings in regards to parental
responsibilities in relation to the age of the offspring. When the children
are young the parent will discipline the child when they do something wrong or
tell them they have done something wrong. Surely they aren't
He [Baha'u'llah] has ordained and established the House of Justice, which is
endowed with a political as well as a religious function, the consummate union
and blending of church and state. This institution is under the protecting
power of Baha'u'llah Himself. A universal, or international, Hous
I may be wrong, but I believe the current attitude of the House is that Ruhi
isn't for everyone and that if a person doesn't like it they don't have to
do it. I want to clarify this is correct. If it is I'm wondering if this
is just all they feel prudent to say, that they would really prefer e
Hi Tim,
Disunity comes out of fanaticism, bigotry, narrow mindedness and so
forth.
True religion - that is, the authentic teachings of the Manifestations
of God -
are not the source of strife. The perversion of religion, adding on
man-made doctines, that is the cause of disunity, not tr
Hi Chase
If you just think about the statement a little more carefully it is
pretty
clear that it is not referring to religion as a whole but individual
religions. So that if the Baha'i Faith, for instance, began to have the
same
kind of effects that Islam is having it would be in line with
It says in the Writings that if religion should cause unity. If there is
not unity that it is better to have no religion. This sounds good to say,
but would we as Baha'is willing to back up this tenet by our actions?
Certainly we can all agree that in Iran religion is not the cause of unity.
I know that the infallibility of the House is dependent on the information
received. There's something that ocurred to me recently that I had never
thought of before. People sometimes write to the House in languages none of
the House members can speak. These are translated for the House whose
Dear Susan,
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.
Dear David,
Why is that certain?
It m
Dear Susan,
The Guardian doesn't have to have mentioned those. Electorial
proceedures fall ultimately under the purview of the authority of the
Universal House of Justice, not the Guardianship.
Interesting. So then the House are introducing something new now?
Regards,
David
The informati
Dear Scott,
If a man and woman have a tie for the ninth seat, it goes to the woman
with no tie breaker.
Where did Shoghi Effendi say that?
Regards,
David
The information contained in this e-mail and any attachments thereto ("e-mail") is sent
by the Johnson County Community College ("JC
I have now read the letter. Surprisingly I still can't see how it is in
accord with what Shoghi Effendi said. If I understand correctly, since this
relates to interpretation the House could be wrong. I would not expect
that. There are two things I don't get from the letter. Firstly, the Hou
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 Ba
At the Feast tonight we were told about a recent House letter giving
guidance about voting in Baha'i elections. It is a March 25 letter that
others here must have seen. What we were told about it makes me think it
has been totally misunderstood because the House of Justice advice about
voting
1 - 100 of 241 matches
Mail list logo
