James wrote: "Paul is very aware of the tendency for the American community to become gemicky.....he seeks a sustained process. Let's start out by focusing on one set of materials; after we have mastered that, then we move on."
Gimicky? Work had been done on the Fundamental Verities program long before Ruhi arrived on the scene. At the time, though, it didn't quite fit the House's latest criteria for Study Circles. So the next few years were spent modifying it for that purpose. Then when the revised program was ready to launch it was torpedoed. What really bugs me James, is that just after this happened Doug Martin went around the country talking about how Ruhi hadn't come from the Universal House of Justice but people had voted for it with their feet. How can he say that when the only chance we might have had to 'vote' was just taken away? "I know there is more to his thinking than simply Ruhi." Yeah, there is. His argument was that the ITC's research indicated there needed to be 50 believers in each locality who had completed the entire sequence for there to be sufficient human resources to sustain large scale. The fear was that having two different sequences might slow down the process of communities reaching that goal. Maybe that is a legitimate concern. But if Ruhi is being imposed from above, at least they should admit that is what they are doing rather than tell us we voted for with our feet. "I have never felt that Ruhi has been "imposed" upon me....only that a process has been encouraged." I'm glad you haven't. But that isn't the case everywhere. Study Circles (unlike CDP) have been made the center of Baha'i community life and those who don't participate are naturally going to feel marginalized. At the Nashville Conference a couple of years ago, for instance, Ruhi was all the speakers talked about, so if your one of those who really can't stomach it you are bound to feel alienated. Also, I've heard Counsellor insist that to be a homefront pioneer requires that one be prepared to set up study circles, and in the absence of an alternative curriculum, that means Ruhi. I know there are areas in the Pacific where Baha'is trying to teach other kinds of deepenings have been told to stop for fear it might detract from Ruhi. In other places Ruhi has been made the prerequisite for other kinds of service to the Cause, such as teaching children's classes or participating in teaching projects. Right now I'm teaching children's classes so all the other adults can do Book 3, when they finish I suppose I will no longer be qualified to teach childrens classes, after all, I haven't done Book 3. ;-} "Susan, this is one point that concerns me: internet lists have, at times, raised eyebrows precisely because someone makes a comment that is derrogatory about an institution or individuals on an institution. IMO, to make such a comment is never acceptable." Derogatory is a bit too broad a term and could be applied to anything that is the least bit critical. But I think we do need to avoid saying things which on anyone's integrity without the strongest proof. We also need to avoid undermining the authority of the institutions, which I grant you has been fairly liberally interpreted on this list. 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
