The Baha'i Studies Listserv 342. Dramatizing Historic Episodes of the Faith "As to your question concerning the advisability of dramatizing Baha'i historic episodes: The Guardian would certainly approve, and even encourage that the friends should engage in such literary pursuits which, no doubt, can be of an immense teaching value. What he wishes the believers to avoid is to dramatize the Personages of the Bab, Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha, that is to say to treat Them as dramatic figures, as characters appearing on the stage. This, as already pointed out, he feels would be quite disrespectful. The mere fact that They appear on the scene constitutes an act of discourtesy which can in no way be reconciled with Their highly exalted station. Their message, or actual Words, should be preferably reported and conveyed by Their disciples appearing on the stage." (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, July 25, 1936)
343. If Light Suggests Personification of the Manifestation, It Should Not Be Used "The use of light, either of great intensity or in different colours, needs your careful consideration. If the use of light in any way at all suggests a personification of the Manifestation of God it should not be used, but if it can be done without in any way giving the impression that the Prophet is being represented or personified then there is no objection to its use." (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, August 12, 1975) 344. Prohibition on Representing Manifestations of God in Paintings or Drawings Applies to All Manifestations "The prohibition on representing the Manifestation of God in paintings and drawings or in dramatic presentations applies to all the Manifestations of God. There are, of course, great and wonderful works of art of past Dispensations, many of which portrayed the Manifestations of God in a spirit of reverence and love. In this [100] Dispensation however the greater maturity of mankind and the greater awareness of the relationship between the Supreme Manifestation and His servants enable us to realize the impossibility of representing, in any human form, whether pictorially, in sculpture or in dramatic representation, the Person of God's Manifestations. In stating the Baha'i prohibition, the beloved Guardian pointed out this impossibility." (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, March 9, 1977) 345. Need for Skill to Produce an Effective Film about History of the Faith "As you are no doubt aware, it is not permissible to portray the Manifestations of God in dramatic works and it can be understood that great skill will be needed to produce an effective film about the history of the Faith in which neither the Bab nor Baha'u'llah could actually appear. Because of the overwhelming significance of the Baha'i message and the Baha'i Revelation, any such film produced under the aegis of the Baha'i community would have to be of the very highest quality in all respects." (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly, September 24, 1978) All above fm Lights of Guidance. Don C On May 12, 2013, at 9:02 40PM, Hasan Elías wrote: > The Baha'i Studies Listserv > Hi all, > > I know that we can't represent the Central Figures in any film or theatre > work. But if someday we want to make a film, could be like this (not showing > the face)? > > Al-Nebras (The Lantern) > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3ParUemvKY#t=5m0s > > Thanks > > Hasan ------------ He who believes himself spiritual proves he is not. __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:arch...@mail-archive.com Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:leave-701800-27401.54f46e81b66496c9909bcdc2f7987...@list.jccc.edu Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to ly...@list.jccc.edu Or 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 (on-campus only) - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
