The Baha'i Studies Listserv At 01:46 AM 4/15/2014, David wrote: >We now have regional deputization funds, which >can support living costs for pioneers. My >suspicion is that sooner or later the system >will be abused, prompting more scrutiny in how funds are distributed...
If there is anything new about this it might perhaps only be that it is now being done on a "regional" basis. Otherwise the same situation has applied since at least the 1930's when Shoghi Effendi dealt with it in some detail in his letters. A collection of some of those and also some words from the Universal House of Justice can be found at: http://bahai-library.com/hornby_lights_guidance_2.html&chapter=4 Specifically #1937, pages 572 and 573. It was such concerns that were being directly addressed in these letters. Obviously there is always an opportunity to abuse the process, but since the whole enterprise is rooted in an explicit exhortation of Baha'u'llah, I don't see any immediate prospect of eliminating the practice. Quoting from one of those letters: "Bahá'u'lláh Himself has not only enjoined on every one the duty of teaching His Faith, but stated if you cannot go yourself, to send someone in your stead." Which I assume is a reference to these lines: "...Center your energies in the propagation of the Faith of God. Whoso is worthy of so high a calling, let him arise and promote it. Whoso is unable, it is his duty to appoint him who will, in his stead, proclaim this Revelation..." (Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, pp. 196-197) John B. __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:arch...@mail-archive.com Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:leave-749214-27401.54f46e81b66496c9909bcdc2f7987...@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
