do you see any reason in the Constitution of the Universal House of Justice, to disagree with my view that it pleases God for each of us to promote the best interests of the peoples and kindreds of the earth, to the best of our knowledge, understanding, and capacity, even if it means promoting ideas that seem to us to contradict what God Himself has said?
Jim "To put that in context, I could say with equal confidence that it pleases God for each of us to promote the best interests of the peoples and kindreds of the earth, to the best of our knowledge, understanding, and capacity, even if it means promoting ideas that seem to us to contradict what God Himself has said." Jim Jim with all due respect and courtesy you cannot work with this contradiction. Let me first give you an interesting historical account which is in all the Shi'ih Books [and the essence of which is quoted by His holiness Baha'u'llah] In Islam there is a call to prayer [an adhaan] in the wording of which the caller [the mu'adhdhin] testifies on behalf of himself and the Community [the ummat] that God is One and that Muhammad is God's Rasuul [Messenger] For adhaan see http://www.islamsa.org.za/library/books/bzewar/part2/adhaan_call_to_prayer.h tm Now in Shi'ah Books it is recorded that one day a Caller to Prayer was in the presence of the 8th Imam the Imam Rid.a and the Caller said I have been calling to prayer for seventy years. And is that not a wonderful thing to have done for my fellow human beings? The Imam replied: Did you utter this call to prayer with its "necessary pre-conditions and requirements"? = be-shart.ihaa wa shuruut.ihaa The Mu'adhdhin replied: What do you mean? What are its necessary pre-conditions and requirements"? = be-shart.ihaa wa shuruut.ihaa? The Imam Rid.a replied: ana min shuruut.ihaa= I am one of its necessary pre-conditions [and in one of His very early Tablets Baha'u'llah says exactly the same: = be-shart.ihaa wa shuruut.ihaa wa ana min shuruut.ihaa http://reference.bahai.org/fa/t/b/MR/mr-373.html#pg372 on the first line of this page http://reference.bahai.org/fa/t/b/MR/mr-373.html#pg372 also here: line 8 http://reference.bahai.org/fa/t/b/DD/dd-146.html#pg143 in recounting the above my intention is for us to see the identity /the holistic purpose/ of the good that should emanate from our commitment to the source and centre. That they are one. In fact Universal in the Original is 'Umuumi [ie for all]. Say all are of God. In fact in Their most recent Document humanity is invited to see things with the EYE OF BAHA'U'LLAH ****Freed from the thickets with which theology has hedged religious understanding about, the mind is able to explore familiar SCRIPTURAL PASSAGES THROUGH THE EYES OF BAHÁ'U'LLÁH. (Commissioned by The Universal House of Justice, One Common Faith) *** Section 19 of that Document is also most relevant for you 9 The problem is, of course, twofold. The rational soul does not merely occupy a private sphere, but is an active participant in a social order.... (Commissioned by The Universal House of Justice, One Common Faith) Jesus Christ addressed his disciple and said be fishers of individuals...Baha'u'llah invited them to be the life-givers=quickeners of mankind What other interpretation can be given to these words, addressed specifically by Baha'u'llah to the followers of the Gospel, in which the fundamental distinction between the Mission of Jesus Christ, concerning primarily the individual, and His own Message, DIRECTED MORE PARTICULARLY TO MANKIND AS A WHOLE, has been definitely established: "Verily, He [Jesus] said: `Come ye after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.' In this day, however, We say: `Come ye after Me, that We may make you to become the quickeners of mankind.'" (Shoghi Effendi: The Promised Day is Come, Pages: 119-120) __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:archive@mail-archive.com Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe: http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/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
