Mark,
>On what basis could someone refuse to accept another person's
self-definition?<
self-definition?<
I don't usually refuse to accept someone's self definition, because
in most cases, their self-definition has no consequences that
I care about. A person is the best judge of what he or she believes,
and I don't care for arguments, especially not religious arguments.
Normally, if a person says he is a Baha'i or Muslim....etc.
I take his word for it. However, if the person wanted to attend
Feast, or give money to the fund, then I think an institution,
such as an LSA, has the right to verify that the person meets
the qualifications of membership in the organization.
In other words, I personally would not object to or reject a person's
self definition, as long as the person did not use that self-definition
to gain the rights of membership in the Baha'i community.
If he did that, I think the right thing to do is refer the person to
the nearest LSA.
MF>As I said, I am not talking about organizational membership. I am
referring to religious identification.<
referring to religious identification.<
The Covenant and the administrative system are integral parts of
the Baha'i Faith; it's not possible to separate them without
causing mutiliation. In my view, the mystical and the organizational
parts of Baha'u'llah's cause go hand in hand, you can't have one without
the other. But as far as someone's self-definition goes, I would not
argue with a person; that would be rude and fruitless.
Tim Nolan
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