On Tue, 21 Dec 2004 23:17:09 EST, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Gilberto: > "The Bahai faith says that the law of holy war has been blotted from > the book. But then in the Bahai writings I read about the Bahai > concept of "righteous warfare"." > Those aren't holy wars, Gilberto. A Holy War is waged in defense of > religion, not ones country. >
I don't think the Bahai writings limit the application of "righteous warfare" to only fighting for a country. If we focus on one passage, we'd even read: "A conquest can be a praiseworthy thing, and there are times when war becomes the powerful basis of peace, and ruin the very means of reconstruction. If, for example, a high-minded sovereign marshals his troops to block the onset of the insurgent and the aggressor, or again, if he takes the field and distinguishes himself in a struggle to unify a divided state and people, if, in brief, he is waging war for a righteous purpose, then this seeming wrath is mercy itself, and this apparent tyranny the very substance of justice and this warfare the cornerstone of peace. Today, the task befitting great rulers is to establish universal peace, for in this lies the freedom of all peoples. -- The Secret of Divine Civilization, pp. 70-71. " The text gives examples of what might constitute a "righteous purpose" but nothing here limits "righteous purpose" to only particicular kinds of activities. Also, why couldn't warfare in defense of religion be included under the principle of hikmat? PEace Gilberto __________________________________________________ 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
