Re: Religion and State

[Smaneck]

In a message dated 1/14/2005 3:47:37 P.M. Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: At the top of the document Jonah states "Note: the article "Church and State in the World Order of Baha'u'llah," by Sen McGlinn, also addresses these issues."  Is this the document that the Universal House of Justice is refuting? Dear John,   I think that article was written after Sen McGlinn received this letter but Sen had expressed these arguments earlier on the internet. When Sen subsequently wrote the World Centre  asking for information regarding certain documents on this topic, the House of Justice apparently took advantage of that opportunity to correct his errors. However, Sen never refers to this letter in any of his later articles on the same topic which argue the same position as he had before; a position which the House also disallows in the April 7, 1999 letter where they write the following:   "The effort, rather, has been to sow the seeds of doubt among believers about the Faith's teachings and institutions by appealing to unexamined prejudices that Bahá'ís may have unconsciously absorbed from non-Bahá'í society. In defiance of the clear interpretation of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the Guardian, for example, Bahá'u'lláh's limiting of membership on the Universal House of Justice to men is misrepresented as merely a "temporary measure" subject to eventual revision if sufficient pressure is brought to bear. Similarly, Shoghi Effendi's explanation of Bahá'u'lláh's vision of the future Bahá'í World Commonwealth that will unite spiritual and civil authority is dismissed in favour of the assertion that the modern political concept of "separation of church and state" is somehow one that Bahá'u'lláh intended as a basic principle of the World Order He has founded." http://bahai-library.com/?file=compilation_issues_study_bahai.html   The latest incarnation of Sen's argument is the article: "Theocratic Assumptions in Bahá'í Literature"  which was published in the book *Reason and Revelation*. You can read my review of that article here: http://theocracy.susanmaneck.com/   Because Sen has made the same argument in so many forms, which got published in a couple of places, and because those same articles were distributed  widely on the internet many of the friends have accepted this position unaware that the House has refuted it.   warmest, Susan __________________________________________________ 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