Gilberto: Bahais claim that they don't prosyletize. And when I've looked into an explanation I've been told that it means that they don't threaten non-Bahais with hellfire for not believing. But then that's exactly what is found in the writings of the Bab.
Patti: I agree that there is a problem here. I've always winced when I hear Baha'is say that we don't proselytise, because a dictionary description (that is the one associated in my mind with the word) is: "proselytise v : convert to another faith or religion [syn: proselytise]" When we carry out "teaching" campaigns to share the faith we are certainly hoping that people will convert; however, I think that the problem is mainly just that many Baha'is don't understand this definition of proselytize (which is my primary definition and the reason I wince when someone tells a seeker that Baha'is do not proselytise). It is clear in the guidance from Shoghi Effendi that we should not "aggressively" proselytize, i.e. put people under undue pressure or threaten them with eternal hellfire. There is a big distinction between this and simply sharing the Faith and explaining it to people who are interested. Also, touching on another aspect of this thread, please note that (at least) from a Baha'i viewpoint it's a totally different thing for a Manifestation of God (i.e. Mohammad, the Bab, or Baha'u'llah) to threaten "hellfire" than it is for a human. The Manifestations are the only ones with the authority to judge. I think that most religious leaders, and most people for that matter, have a mix of good qualities and bad qualities. And., im the praises or condemnations of the Manifestations for a class of religious leaders, I think most fall somewhere in the middle. I suspect that there are very few who deserve complete condemnation and few who are truly and unequivocally Holy, but that in some cases the passages or praise or condemnation are directed at those extremes. In sharing the faith with others we, as individuals, have no authority to judge or threaten another. __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:archive@mail-archive.com To unsubscribe, send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, use subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu/read/?forum=bahai-st News - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Public - http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
