RE: authenticity vs authoritative
Hi Mark! You wrote: However, Shoghi Effendi appears to have believed in degrees of authenticity. The Qur'an is more authentic (from a Baha'i, not necessarily an academic, viewpoint) than the Bible, just as the actual writings of Shoghi Effendi are more authentic than letters written on his behalf. authentic 1 obsolete : AUTHORITATIVE 2 a : worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact paints an authentic picture of our society b : conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features an authentic reproduction of a colonial farmhouse c : made or done the same way as an original authentic Mexican fare 3 : not false or imitation : REAL, ACTUAL based on authentic documents an authentic cockney accent Lest there be any misunderstanding concerning the authority as opposed to authenticity of letters written on behalf of the Guardian I'm providing this link from a post to this list in April 2000 which includes this closing comment from the Research Department to the Universal House of Justice: From the above extracts it seems fairly clear that letters written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi related strictly to the Cause and interpretation of the teachings constitute authoritative Baha'i text, while any personal advice which they may contain is not binding. The Guardian's statement that he reviewed every letter written on his behalf without exception makes it clear that the authority of the letters was independent of whatever personal sufferings might have been caused by certain secretaries, and that there was no delegation whatsoever of his interpretative authority, but merely a use of secretarial assistance for his huge burden of correspondence. http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist/m16252.html Lovingly, Sandra __ 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
RE: authenticity vs authoritative
Hi, Sandra, Here are the passages I had in mind: ... the Qur'an ... is more authentic than the Bible including both the New and the Old Testaments. The Bible is not wholly authentic, and in this respect is not to be compared with the Qur'an, and should be wholly subordinated to the authentic writings of Baha'u'llah. -- From a letter dated July 28, 1936, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada (Lights of Guidance, p.502) Although the secretaries of the Guardian convey his thoughts and instructions and these messages are authoritative, their words are in no sense the same as his, their style certainly not the same, and their authority less, for they use their own terms and not his exact words in conveying his messages. He feels that in any future edition this fault should be remedied, any quotations from Baha'u'llah or the Master plainly attributed to them, and the words of the Guardian clearly differentiated from those of his secretaries. -- From a letter, dated April 23, 1951, written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual Baha'i (Unfolding Destiny, p.260) When I used the term authentic, in reference to the second quotation, I meant the degree to which a message represents the actual words of the Guardian. With regards, Mark A. Foster 15 Sites: http://markfoster.net Sacred cows make the tastiest hamburger -- Abbie Hoffman __ 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
