> <<Perhaps it is because the Order of > Baha'u'llah is purging the cult of the individual and that is a good > thing in the long run. Or perhaps it is because we aren't attracting > this type of capacity into the Faith. Still deciding. >> > > Well, I have no doubt that we attract the same kind of capacity.
A few thoughts . . . . One way of bringing people of capacity into the faith is developing the capacities of Baha'i children; sometimes we forget that we are generally working with a time frame of centuries and millennia, rather than weeks or months (note that 2 of the first 7 Ruhi books are devoted to the education of children). And, on the subject of Ruhi, I believe it will work, if the community unites behind it, not necessarily because of any innate superiority of the method, but because of the focus and opportunities it provides. In the long run nothing and no opportunity for advancement will work unless there is love and unity among the members of the community. It is genuine love, caring, service and friendship that attracts people. If people simply go through the Ruhi books by rote, to check off that they have done them, without memorizing passages or doing the service and practice portions of the study, they are not on a direct path to success. Additionally, an attractive/spiritual setting for meetings, with good hospitality, also draws people and invites participation. Why else would Shoghi Effendi have devoted so much time to gardens at the World Center and stressed the importance of gardens at the House of Worship in Wilmette? One doesn't necessarily need to spend a lot of money to provide a welcoming atmosphere in one's home or local center. Also, I was reading through some of Citadel of Faith last night and the following passage resonated with some concerns stated about Ruhi previously in this thread. "Above all, the paramount duty of deepening the spiritual life of these newly fledged, these precious and highly esteemed co-workers, and of enlightening their minds regarding the essential verities enshrined in their Faith, its fundamental institutions, its history and genesis -- the twin Covenants of Bahá'u'lláh and of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the present Administrative Order, the future World Order, the Laws of the Most Holy Book, the inseparable institutions of the Guardianship and of the Universal House of Justice, the salient events of the Heroic and Formative Ages of the Faith, and its relationship with the Dispensations that have preceded it, its attitude toward the social and political organizations by which it is surrounded -- must continue to constitute the most vital aspect of the great spiritual Crusade launched by the champions of the Faith from among the peoples of their sister republics in the South."(Shoghi Effendi, Citadel of Faith, p. 76) This passage was specifically directed to the American believers; however, it appears to me that not all of the areas mentioned are covered extensively, if at all, in the current Ruhi books. For example, the fundamental institutions, the twin Covenants, the administrative order, the future world order, the laws of the Aqdas, and the Faith's relationships with preceding Dispensations. Perhaps most of these will be covered in upcoming Ruhi books, for example book 8 is "The Covenant". Until then, Ruhi is only one tool, and while it is admittedly the current focus, it is not forbidden for individuals or groups to meet and study additional topics whenever they may wish (what else is there to study when one has finished the current Ruhi sequence? ;-)). For example, the Wilmette institute currently is hosting a study of the "The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh" Another passage in one of Shoghi Effendi's final letters to the American community, concerning the individual believer and the vitality of the community, is the following: "Neither the local nor national representatives of the community, no matter how elaborate their plans, or persistent their appeals, or sagacious their counsels, nor even the Guardian himself, however much he may yearn for this consummation, can decide where the duty of the individual lies, or supplant him in the discharge of that task. The individual alone must assess its character, consult his conscience, prayerfully consider all its aspects, manfully struggle against the natural inertia that weighs him down in his effort to arise, shed, heroically and irrevocably, the trivial and superfluous attachments which hold him back, empty himself of every thought that may tend to obstruct his path, mix, in obedience to the counsels of the Author of His Faith, and in imitation of the One Who is its true Exemplar, with men and women, in all walks of life, seek to touch their hearts, through the distinction which characterizes his thoughts, his words and his acts, and win them over tactfully, lovingly, prayerfully and persistently, to the Faith he himself has espoused. "The gross materialism that engulfs the entire nation at the present hour; the attachment to worldly things that enshrouds the souls of men; the fears and anxieties that distract their minds; the pleasure and dissipations that fill their time, the prejudices and animosities that darken their outlook, the apathy and lethargy that paralyze their spiritual faculties -- these are among the formidable obstacles that stand in the path of every would-be warrior in the service of Bahá'u'lláh, obstacles which he must battle against and surmount in his crusade for the redemption of his own countrymen. "To the degree that the home front crusader is himself cleansed of these impurities, liberated from these petty preoccupations and gnawing anxieties, delivered from these prejudices and antagonisms, emptied of self, and filled by the healing and the sustaining power of God, will he be able to combat the forces arrayed against him, magnetize the souls of those whom he seeks to convert, and win their unreserved, their enthusiastic and enduring allegiance to the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh. "Delicate and strenuous though the task may be, however arduous and prolonged the effort required, whatsoever the nature of the perils and pitfalls that beset the path of whoever arises to revive the fortunes of a Faith struggling against the rising forces of materialism, nationalism, secularism, racialism, ecclesiasticism, the all-conquering potency of the grace of God, vouchsafed through the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, will, undoubtedly, mysteriously and surprisingly, enable whosoever arises to champion His Cause to win complete and total victory."(Shoghi Effendi, Citadel of Faith, p. 148) Finally, I think I saw this last thought in my reading last night, but can't find the exact passage at the moment, is the importance of the individual utilizing the institutions to help both strengthen and grow. One thing that I have seen sap the vitality of a community and bring rapid advance to a halt, is when individuals, or groups of individuals, take it upon themselves to try to correct or direct the actions of other individuals based on their particular understanding of what the Writings say (or in some cases what they think the Writings should say). It is vitally important for the individual to follow up on serious problems or concerns that cannot be resolved between individuals by taking them to the institutions (and not taking them to any and all other individuals in the community--that rarely solves any problem and generally creates more). And, if the problem is with a local institution or an interpretation by the local institution, the individual should take it up the line to the House of Justice if necessary (preferably after doing a search of the Writings on their own first to see if the issue can be answered that way--I’m certain that most indivdual Baha'is or local institutions will happily change their mind if someone shows them an unambiguous passage in the Writings that directly contradicts their first understanding :-)) Patti __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 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/[EMAIL PROTECTED] New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]
