from:"Brent Poirier Attorney"

Murad

2009-09-27 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney


The Baha'i Studies Listserv


>>There is a good chance Murad was not his real name in any case. >>

Susan makes an important point I had not thought of before -- 
Baha'u'llah gave people spiritual names. The Bab's Revelation 
demonstrated that all things on earth were to be reflective of the 
divine attributes, hence, a new calendar, with divine names for the 
months and for the days of the week (these are shown in the early 
volumes of The Baha'i World). Even all human beings in the future will 
be given spiritual names. The Bab wrote in the Persian Bayan:


/The best of all names are such as are related to God like Bahá’u’lláh 
and Jalalu'llah, and Jamalu'llah or Nuru'llah or Fadlu'llah, or 
Judu'llah, and the like of these and Abdu'llah and Dhikru’lláh. 
Gradually, in later Manifestations, all persons will be named with Names 
of God until all the Heaven and Earth and what is between them becomes 
filled with the Name of God. . . . He whom God shall manifest is like a 
touchstone, discriminating between pure gold and all beside. For 
instance if a person be named Bahá’u’lláh (the Splendour of God) and if 
he believes in the splendour (Bahá) of him who was the First to believe, 
then that Name becomes confirmed for him in Heaven .../


(The Persian Bayán, Vahíd 5, Chapter 4, E.G. Browne Translation, from 
"/Selections from the Writings of E. G. Browne/," Edited by Moojan 
Momen, pp. 362-3.)



The Master gave spiritual names to some of the believers, who thereafter 
tended to less frequently use their birth names -- Vafa and Safa Kinney 
come to mind; Thornton Chase was given the name Thabet, which he 
sometimes used in Baha'i correspondence; Ruth Moffet, "Ruhaniyyih" 
(given by the Greatest Holy Leaf); Shahnaz Waite, and so on. Ruhiyyih 
Khanum is the only person I know of, who was given a spiritual name by 
Shoghi Effendi.



Brent





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Re: Succession

2009-05-13 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

The Baha'i Studies Listserv

Gary wrote: "There is a dimension to this that hasn't been brought up. If the
Guardian were to nominate a successor in a Will, and this choice were then rejected by
the Hands, there would be no opportunity for the deceased Guardian to nominate any other
candidate... It was essential that the Guardian appoint the successor in his life-time in
order to allow for a second choice."

My personal reading of this, is that the Guardian would have followed the
pattern of his predecessors, and named his successor Guardian in his last will
and testament. The heart of Baha'u'llah's Will is His appointment of
Abdu'l-Baha as His successor. The heart of Abdu'l-Baha's will is His
appointment of His twin successors, the House of Justice and the Guardianship.
The heart of Shoghi Effendi's will would have been the same -- designation of
his successor Guardian. Since there were no candidates, he wrote no will. How
could he write a will giving away his paltry possessions? The will of the Head
of the Faith is not an ordinary will.

He would have, during his lifetime, named his successor in his will. He would have
called together the nine hands, and presented to them his will. This would avoid, after
his death, any issue about the authenticity of his will, such as Ruth White raised after
the passing of Abdu'l-Baha. Shoghi Effendi would also have designated his successor, and
after his passing, the nine hands would present the will and say, "This is the will
that Shoghi Effendi showed to us. And in that will he named so-and-so as his successor
Guardian, and we voted on this, and we assented to this selection during Shoghi Effendi's
lifetime. And now that Shoghi Effendi has ascended to the next world, we, the nine Hands
who worked most closely with him, we certify that this was his will, and we certify that
this is the person whom he chose as his successor, and we are the first people to turn to
and accept the new Guardian. We now present the new Guardian to you."

I think all of these provisions in the Will were to remove all doubt, so the
succession would move smoothly, and no one would question whether this was
Shoghi Effendi's will, whether this was his successor, etc.

So, the fact that Shoghi Effendi was to designate his successor during his lifetime, means that scenario to me.

The false claim that Mason Remey made 50 years ago, and that his followers make
today, is that Shoghi Effendi appointed Remey as his successor, hidden in one
of his messages he sent out to the Baha'i world during his lifetime. They say
that the function of the Hands was to search the messages of Shoghi Effendi and
look for hints and suggestions. And this is what Remey based his claim on --
hints and suggestions and innuendo. However, that's not how the Covenant
works. Baha'u'llah designated Abdu'l-Baha *by name*. Abdu'l-Baha wrote Shoghi
Effendi's *name*, and said to turn to him. There is *nothing* in Shoghi
Effendi's writings that says to turn to Remey, nothing that says Remey will be
his successor Guardian -- which is pretty obvious, because Remey wasn't a
member of the Holy Family.

Remey had himself repeatedly stated in writing that Shoghi Effendi named no Guardian, that he named no successor, that he could not name a successor because there were no men in Baha'u'llah's family who were candidates. Two years later he changed his tune, when he decided to try to claim the Guardianship.

I have written on these subjects in detail on my blog
http://bahai-covenant.blogspot.com look on the right for the links about Mason
Remey, and the Hands, and Shoghi Effendi not having written a will.

Best regards
Brent

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Re: Succession

2009-05-12 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney


The Baha'i Studies Listserv

The full quote about the authority of the Hands and the citation to 
Baha'i News is here:


http://www.usenet.com/newsgroups/talk.religion.bahai/msg07328.html

Brent

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Re: Succession

2009-05-11 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney


The Baha'i Studies Listserv


I believe that Susan is correct, there is a letter written on the 
Guardian's behalf that was published in US Baha'i News -- but Ocean does 
not include all of the years Baha'i News was published, and I don't have 
a copy handy. It was a letter addressed to, of all people, Rex King.  My 
recollection of the language was that the Master in His Will could not 
possibly have provided for a conflict of authority, and that  therefore 
the Hands could not over-ride the choice of successor the Guardian made.


This letter raises some interesting points, among them, the method of 
interpretation by the Guardian.  I had always thought that infallible 
interpretation would mean, he would look at the words in the original 
language, and he would be inspired as to their meaning. But this letter 
shows that there is something beyond that -- he also looked to the 
overall subject. In this case, the authority granted to the Hands could 
not contravene the authority given to the Guardian.  The House speaks of 
this same principle when it urges the friends to look for the "unity of 
meaning" in the Text. I've quoted that passage below, from a letter of 
the House. It has to do with the subject of the Guardian not being able 
to over-ride the decisions of the House of Justice.


This question about the nine hands not being able to veto the Guardian's 
choice of successor is, perhaps, an aspect of the other provisions in 
the Will stating that the Hands were under the direction of the 
Guardian, and also that all must turn to the Guardian. Also, when one 
thinks about it -- who are the Hands to decide who the next Guardian 
would be?  Do they possess the insight to know who can be the standard 
of loyalty, who meets the moral criteria set by the Master? 

I agree that the Text looks plain and clear, that the Hands did have 
this authority.  I also agree that the fact of secret ballot supports 
the view that they had the authority to veto the Guardian's choice of 
successor.  However, the letter from Shoghi Effendi is clear, and states 
that the nine Hands could not override the Guardian's choice of successor.


I have written a piece on this subject, on my blog: 
http://bahai-covenant.blogspot.com/ then scroll down and look on the 
right for Observations on Shoghi Effendi not having written a will.  It 
also addresses the question of what "in his lifetime" means, and it is 
my personal view that it means that he would designate his successor in 
his will, and show the will to the nine Hands during his lifetime; and 
that the purpose of all of this, including the assent by the nine hands, 
was to provide assurance of the integrity and authenticity of the 
Guardian's will, and remove all doubt as to who the rightful successor was.


Brent


"The first passage concerns the Guardian's duty to insist upon a 
reconsideration by his fellow-members in the Universal House of Justice 
of any enactment which he believes conflicts with the meaning and 
departs from the spirit of the Sacred Writings. The second passage 
concerns the infallibility of the Universal House of Justice without the 
Guardian, namely Shoghi Effendi's statement that "Without such an 
institution [the Guardianship] . . . the necessary guidance to define 
the sphere of the legislative action of its elected representatives 
would be totally withdrawn."


"Some of the youth, you indicate, were puzzled as to how to reconcile 
the former of these two passages with such statements letter addressed 
to a new believer as that in the Will of 'Abdu'l-Bahá which affirms that 
the Universal House of Justice is "freed from all error."


Just as the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá does not in any way 
contradict the Kitáb-i-Aqdas but, in the Guardian's words, "confirms, 
supplements, and correlates the provisions of the Aqdas," so the 
writings of the Guardian contradict neither the revealed Word nor the 
interpretations of the Master. In attempting to understand the Writings, 
therefore, one must first realize that there is and can be no real 
contradiction in them, and in the light of this we can confidently seek 
the unity of meaning which they contain."
(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1968-1973, p. 37; Messages 
1963-1986, paragraphs 75.2, 75.3, 75.4, p. 156)



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Re: Clashes

2008-03-28 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

Does anyone have a source/elaboration/explanation for the idea that

Adam was expelled from the Garden for disagreeing with Satan?>>

"Adam" has a lot of symbolic meanings in Baha'i interpretation.

There is a book published by Kalimat Press of essays by Mirza
Abu'l-Fazl. One of them is his interpretation of a verse from the
Qur'an about the angels quarreling with Adam. Fazl hinted that it had
to do with conflict in the Holy Family.

So in this instance "Adam" signified the Center of the Covenant, and the
"angels" meant those close to Him who wanted His position of leadership.

I don't have access to my copy of that book right now; maybe someone
else does.

Brent

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Re: Relativity of Truth

2008-03-27 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney


I didn't say what I meant very clearly.

I quite agree that the relativity of religious truth is not only in the 
Guardian's writings, but in the Iqan and elsewhere in the Text -- and I 
think he's using it to mean Progressive Revelation in the fullness of 
that meaning as explained in the Writings.


And I quite agree that for the most part, the truths we know are partial 
truths.  Not only partial truths; and as time goes on, hopefully we 
learn from experience and draw closer.


And in addition, the Tablet of Four Valleys is about four different 
kinds of seekers. People apprehend truth in entirely different ways, and 
one person's approach to reality may be widely different than another's, 
and well within the Text.  Further, there's a reference to this in the Iqan:


"We have variously and repeatedly set forth the meaning of every theme, 
that perchance every soul, whether high or low, may obtain, according to 
his measure and capacity, his share and portion thereof. Should he be 
unable to comprehend a certain argument, he may, thus, by referring unto 
another, attain his purpose. "That all sorts of men may know where to 
quench their thirst." (Iqan, p. 175)


So there are "all sorts of men."  Which may be a way of saying there are 
all kinds of ways of approaching Truth.


I just don't think that's the same thing the Guardian is talking about 
when he writes about the relativity of religious truth.  I'd come up 
with a different name for that, so the two don't get confused.


It may well be true that even when approaching the absolute, man can't 
know truth absolutely.  I don't know.  My point is that I would not 
equate that with what the Guardian is talking about when he talks about 
the relativity of religious truth.


I agree with a lot of what you write below.  I also think that 
maturation in spirituality is not focused so much on having the right 
thoughts, as it is having the right spirit, being detached from this 
realm, conduct in accord with the guidance in the Teachings.  It 
encompasses the entire human being.  Right beliefs is clearly a part of 
it; but I don't think it is all that's meant by approaching the 
absolute, which is more about Relationship than about being right.


I can't pull my thoughts together right now, let me think about this and 
see if I can any more clearly see these things.  Haven't had my morning 
coffee or Readings.


Brent


Sen & Sonja wrote:

On 26 Mar 2008 at 23:56, Brent Poirier Attorney wrote:


If one takes the statement that "religious truth is not absolute, but
relative" as a broad sweep about the nature of all Revelation, then
your 
  conclusions logically follow.  But I respectfully disagree with the

premise because:

- It has no antecedents in the Texts
- It is not found in the Iqan or in the design of the Mashriq
- It is taken out of context; and when context is provided, the
Guardian states plainly that he is talking about Progressive
Revelation.


We can agree to disagree, but it is not true that the relativity of 
religious truths has no antecedents in the Texts. It is only this 
particular formulation that is particular to Shoghi Effendi, but the 
concept is fundamental to much of the Writings, on various issues. 

- The doctrine of man (theological anthropology): What is the nature 
of the human being and his/her capacity to know things (ie, if there 
was such a thing as an absolute religious truth, would a human person 
be able to know it?). 

- The nature of religious language (metaphorical, symbolic, and 
multiple meanings)


- perspectivism: what is true for a person at one station may not be 
true in another; religious truth is individually relative


-- the concept of salvation: it is not an absolute, either heaven or 
hell, but relative: each individual grows through endless grades


- the "new heaven and new earth" model of radical religious renewal: 
evolution and reform is humanly possible, but what the Manifestation 
brings is a total renewal, the recreation of all things, i..e, the 
system of religious truths is treated as a whole (truths are relative 
to one another) rather than treating each religious truth as a 
separate item to be argued individually.


- progressive revelation as already discussed, but also prophetology 
(eg that the absolute does not incarnate itself)


- the doctrine of God: all absolutes are reserved for God alone, and 
are said to be unknowable. This relates to the nature of religious 
language - statements about God (the absolute) are understood as 
referring in fact to a historical manifesation of God (relative)


- the design of the religious community, with the Mashriq as its 
heart and crown. The mashriq has neither authority nor a doctrinal 
function, and is open to all religionists: it is an institution that 
does not make "statements" with claims that they

Re: Relativity of Truth

2008-03-26 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

Sen wrote:

>> . . . the statement "religious truth is not
absolute, but relative" is a meta-statement. It immediately
interprets and provides a framework for all Bahai truth-statements.
If a statement is absolute ("When Yahya Darabi arrived at Shiraz he
interviewed the Bab three times.") it is not a religious truth. This
statement is history: if it turns out to be wrong, that will not have
any religious significance. At most it would confirm what we already
know, that not everything stated in the Bahai writings is absolutely
true ! >>

My view is that to understand what the Guardian means by the relativity
of truth, we have to look at all of the passages where he made that
statement. Among these passages from him we see that he wrote that the
structure of the Mashriq incorporates this principle, and that it is a
major theme of the Iqan. The Guardian is not bringing up some entirely
new reality in the Faith; he is its Interpreter, not the Originator of
new teachings.

So whatever the Guardian means by this, has to have its seed in the
Writings of Baha'u'llah or the Master. And we don't have to scour all
of Their Writings to find what the Guardian is referring to; we can
sincerely look at the structure of the Mashriq and at the text of the
Iqan, and see what's there.

I don't see anything about relativity in the Iqan, in any sense except
that there is a succession of Prophets, and each Prophet changes the
laws in accordance with the needs of His age:

"in all Dispensations the law of prayer hath constituted a fundamental
element of the Revelation of all the Prophets of God -- a law the form
and the manner of which hath been adapted to the varying requirements of
every age." (Iqan, p. 39)

"That city is none other than the Word of God revealed in every age and
dispensation. In the days of Moses it was the Pentateuch; in the days of
Jesus the Gospel; in the days of Muhammad the Messenger of God the
Qur'án; in this day the Bayan; and in the dispensation of Him Whom God
will make manifest His own Book -- the Book unto which all the Books of
former Dispensations must needs be referred. . . " (Iqan, p. 199)

"By "heaven" is meant the heaven of divine Revelation, which is elevated
with every Manifestation, and rent asunder with every subsequent one. By
"cloven asunder" is meant that the former Dispensation is superseded and
annulled." (Iqan, p. 44)

If one takes the statement that "religious truth is not absolute, but
relative" as a broad sweep about the nature of all Revelation, then your
conclusions logically follow. But I respectfully disagree with the
premise because:

- It has no antecedents in the Texts

- It is not found in the Iqan or in the design of the Mashriq

- It is taken out of context; and when context is provided, the Guardian
states plainly that he is talking about Progressive Revelation.

Just my view.
Best regards
Brent

Re: Relativity of Truth

2008-03-25 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney


Matt Haase wrote:

>>I had a conversation like this with a friend of mine, who introduced 
me to his idea that the 'relativity of religious truth' meant more than 
another word to say 'progressive revelation'. He presented an eloquent, 
but unconvincing (to my mind) argument that boils down to the concept 
that since God is the Unknowable, whatever is said about Him in all of 
the Religious Scriptures is true. If the Hebrew Scriptures and the 
Qur'an proclain Monotheism, it is true. If the Hindu Scriptures proclaim 
Polytheism, it is true. If God condemns the belief in the Trinity in one 
scripture, it is true. But if God affirms the Trinity later on, it is 
true. I don't accept that kind of logic, personally.>>


I'm with you, Matt.  Whatever wacky opinions I may express, if I don't 
back them up with the Baha'i Writings, my listener should not attribute 
these statements as having any bearing whatever on what the Baha'i Faith 
stands for.  That's why, I feel, the Guardian wrote through his secretary:


"Divine Truth is relative and that is why we are enjoined to constantly 
refer the seeker to the Word itself -- and why any explanations we make 
to ease the journey of the soul of any individual must be based on the 
Word -- and the Word alone."
(From a letter dated 4 June 1957 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to 
the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada; from the Compilation, The 
Individual and Teaching - Raising the Divine Call, p. 39)


Best regards
Brent




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[Fwd: [EDSED] environmental education materials for junior youth]

2008-03-25 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
CC: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:27:34 -0500
Subject: [EDSED] environmental education materials for junior youth

Dear friends,

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the U.S. is
currently reviewing environmental education programs and materials
targeting junior youth (ages 12-15). The Office of External Affairs
is researching what currently exists as well as any statistics or
feedback on implementation.

If you know of or have developed such materials or programs, we
would be grateful to learn of them.  Please send any information to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]  with the subject
line: ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION.

Thanks for your assistance.

Warmest Bahá'í greetings,

Peter

Peter Adriance

NGO Liaison

National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the U.S.

1320 19th St. NW, Suite 701

Washington, DC 20036

202-833-8990 tel

202-833-8988 fax

_www.bahai.us/sustainable-development_

*Please consider the environment before printing this email. Thank you.*

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Re: Relativity of truth

2008-03-24 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

I don't feel it's in anyway improper to say the Guardian is drawing a 
logical conclusion; maybe he is. I just am unable to read his mind in 
that way, or draw that inference from what he has written.  But that 
might be correct; though I still tend towards the "synonym" approach.


This looks to me to be yet another passage where the Guardian is using 
the "relativity of religious truth" as a synonym for Progressive 
Revelation; that there are two aspects to Revelation -- the essence 
which remains unchanged from age to age, and the "non-essential" part of 
each Revelation which is subject to change in each Dispensation, as the 
Master explains in Some Answered Questions.  I think Shoghi Effendi is 
referring to that principle here:


"The mission of the Founder of their Faith, they conceive to be to 
proclaim that religious truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine 
Revelation is continuous and progressive, that the Founders of all past 
religions, though different in the non-essential aspects of their 
teachings, 'abide in the same Tabernacle, soar in the same heaven, are 
seated upon the same throne, utter the same speech and proclaim the same 
Faith.'"


There are plenty of absolute statements in Baha'u'llah's Writings, 
though I am not sure you are saying there aren't. I don't think that the 
principle of the relativity of religious truth means that He is asking 
us to see everything He writes, through that filter.  Again, I don't 
think that's what you're saying. It's just that when the Guardian says 
that the proclamation of the relativity of religious truth is the 
mission of Baha'u'llah; that it is a theme of the Iqan; and that it is 
embodied in the design of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar; I am chary of reading 
too much into the word "relative".  It looks to me to just be saying, 
what a Manifestation sets as a law in this Dispensation, may be annulled 
in a later Dispensation. I don't personally view the principle of the 
relativity of religious truth as a broad statement about the nature of 
all truth, or even of all Revelation, but only about that part of 
Revelation that is subject to change by the Manifestation.


Also, I don't know what you mean when you say that "truths are relative 
to one another." If you get too philosophical, you may quickly lose me.


Best regards
Brent

Sen & Sonja wrote:

On 24 Mar 2008 at 3:53, Brent Poirier Attorney wrote:


There are passages in the writings of the Guardian where he explained
that what he meant by the relativity of religious truth, is that
revealed truth is relative to the age in which it is revealed.  That
is, the Guardian used this phrase as a synonym for "Progressive
Revelation".


This is true, but I would rather say that the *logical implication* 
of progressive revelation is that religious truth must be relative. 
The Guardian is drawing a logical conclusion, rather than simply 
using a synonym. 

Having established that religious truth is relative, that conclusion 
has more applications: truths are relative to one another for example 
(when the paradigm changes, it is a switch from one coherent system 
of truths to another, not just a matter of this or that religious 
truth changing. 


Sen

--
--
Sen McGlinn   
***
Let the friends recall and ever bear in mind 
  the repeated exhortations and glowing promises of our beloved 
Master 
   with reference to the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar, 
 the crowning institution in every Baha'i community.


  (Shoghi Effendi, Baha'i Administration, page 
108)

--





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Relativity of truth

2008-03-24 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

One of the friends mentioned: "If all truth is relative then no proof is 
absolute."


There are passages in the writings of the Guardian where he explained 
that what he meant by the relativity of religious truth, is that 
revealed truth is relative to the age in which it is revealed.  That is, 
the Guardian used this phrase as a synonym for "Progressive Revelation".


For example:

"Repudiating the claim of any religion to be the final revelation of God 
to man, disclaiming finality for His own Revelation, Bahá'u'lláh 
inculcates the basic principle of the relativity of religious truth, the 
continuity of Divine Revelation, the progressiveness of religious 
experience."  (Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p. 108)


I think in that phrase he shows the point I am making.

He also writes that the Book of Certitude asserts the relativity of 
religious truth, and I don't personally know of any place in that Book 
where Baha'u'llah speaks of truth in a relative sense, but there is an 
abundance of explanation of Progressive Revelation:


"Within a compass of two hundred pages it proclaims unequivocally the 
existence and oneness of a personal God, unknowable, inaccessible, the 
source of all Revelation, eternal, omniscient, omnipresent and almighty; 
asserts the relativity of religious truth and the continuity of Divine 
Revelation . . . " (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 139)


Also, the Guardian writes that the House of Worship symbolizes the 
relativity of religious truth, and I don't personally know how it 
symbolizes truth being relative, other than as meaning Progressive 
Revelation:


"To them will the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar symbolize the fundamental verity 
underlying the Bahá'í Faith, that religious truth is not absolute but 
relative, that Divine Revelation is not final but progressive."

(Shoghi Effendi, Baha'i Administration, p. 185)

This is my personal understanding.
Best regards,
Brent




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Companion of My Throne

2008-03-23 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

Mr. Khadem stated that Shoghi Effendi referred to the Shrine of the Bab
as the "throne" of God mentioned in the Tablet of Carmel. In the
Kitab-i-Badi, Baha'u'llah interprets the "throne" as the Cause of God.
(Logos and Civilization p. 199)

Brent

Re: Joining Partners with God

2008-03-23 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

It is my understanding that this phrase, "joining partners with God,"
means making someone God's equal. In Section XCIV of the Gleanings,
Baha'u'llah addresses this subject.

In the Hidden Words "O Companion of My Throne," I personally think it is
Baha'u'llah addressing His followers. There are different ways of
viewing a "companion" to the throne. One way would be that someone is
seated on the throne with Him, but I have never viewed it this way. It
can mean someone who is before His throne, submissive to Him, yet near
to Him.

Also, the word translated here as "O companion" is translated as "O
friend" in the Book of Certitude. "O friend, it behoveth us not to
waive the injunction of God..."

Anyway, I do not personally view this use of "companion" to in any way
imply equality; but rather, as a loving admonition to a subordinate, an
encouragement intended to draw the believer closer.

On the subject of the Hidden Words, I met a woman -- Helen Bishop -- who
told us in 1983 at Bosch that when she was on Pilgrimage Shoghi Effendi
asked her, "Mrs. Bishop, do the friends realize that the condemnations
in the Hidden Words are not addressed to them?" "No, Shoghi Effendi, I
don't think so." Then the Guardian pointed out that in the Epistle to
the Son of the Wolf, Baha'u'llah quotes four of the Hidden Words and
says they were addressed to the clergy of Persia:

"These thick clouds are the exponents of idle fancies and vain
imaginings, who are none other but the divines of Persia.. . . By
"divines" in the passage cited above is meant those men who outwardly
attire themselves with the raiment of knowledge, but who inwardly are
deprived therefrom. In this connection, We quote from the Tablet
addressed to His Majesty the Shah, certain passages from the "Hidden
Words" which were revealed by the Abha Pen under the name of the "Book
of Fatimih," the blessings of God be upon her!

"O ye that are foolish, yet have a name to be wise! Wherefore do ye wear
the guise of the shepherd, when inwardly ye have become wolves, intent
upon My flock? Ye are even as the star, which riseth ere the dawn, and
which, though it seem radiant and luminous, leadeth the wayfarers of My
city astray into the paths of perdition."

And likewise He saith: "O ye seeming fair yet inwardly foul! Ye are like
clear but bitter water, which to outward seeming is crystal pure but of
which, when tested by the Divine Assayer, not a drop is accepted. Yea,
the sunbeam falls alike upon the dust and the mirror, yet differ they in
reflection even as doth the star from the earth: nay, immeasurable is
the difference!"

And also He saith: "O essence of desire! At many a dawn have I turned
from the realms of the Placeless unto thine abode, and found thee on the
bed of ease busied with others than Myself. Thereupon, even as the flash
of the spirit, I returned to the realms of celestial glory, and breathed
it not in My retreats above unto the hosts of holiness."

And again He saith: "O bond slave of the world! Many a dawn hath the
breeze of My loving-kindness wafted over thee and found thee upon the
bed of heedlessness fast asleep. Bewailing then thy plight it returned
whence it came."

(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 14-16)

The first two of these are very similar in tone and content to Christ's
condemnation of the Pharisees, see Luke Chapter 11.

Brent

TV

2008-02-18 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

David wrote: "I just wanted to get back to this as I was busy before.
What do people consider "according to the Teachings" as far as TV and
movies are concerned? If it means that they generally follow Baha'i
morals then that would exclude a large percentage of material."

I couldn't agree more. There's less and less TV worth watching. The
standard is now plummeting at an increasing rate of acceleration. I
often think of a dear friend pioneering in Africa, who has been absent
from the United States for more than 30 years, and that she would be
absolutely astounded at the trash on TV now.

A few additional thoughts, on the ways different believers have come to
terms in their own way with today's entertainment. I am thinking of
Stan O'Jack, a wonderful soul. I remember some years ago that several
of us were discussing going out to movies, and he said, "I only go to
G-rated movies." Period.

I recall when my wife and I went to a movie with the Knight of
Baha'u'llah Ted Cardell, a wonderful soul. Ted had met the Guardian, and
opened more than one country in Africa 50 years ago. During the
intermission they showed previews of upcoming movies, and though some of
the movies were PG or R rated, the previews were all rated G for a
general audience. There was a scene, I don't remember exactly what it
was, it might have been a couple kissing. I looked to my left, and
there was Ted, covering his eyes. He took literally Baha'u'llah's
guidance "guard thy eyes" and he was a better man for it.

In Islam there are institutions whose function it is to make
pronouncements on all the questions that arise in life. Detailed
pronouncements. Some "scholars" are people who have memorized all of
these decisions from ayatollahs and others, and they go through their
daily life with these pronouncements as the strictures of their conduct.
But Baha'u'llah approaches things in a more mature way. We have the
essential guidance from the House, and in the writings of the Guardian.
And it is up to us to strive to bring the standards of Baha'u'llah
into daily life.

Brent

Re: Crucifixion of Jesus Christ

2008-01-18 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

Gilberto wrote:
>>But then does it make sense to say that they "eventually crucified
that divine Spirit, the Word of God"? Wouldn't these terms apply to
the spiritual aspect?>>

I think that here, the Master is referring to Jesus by these terms, 
rather than only referring to His spiritual aspect; just as Muslims (and 
Baha'u'llah) often refer to Jesus as "Ruhullah" i.e. "The Spirit".

>>But doesn't the Quran say that "Jesus, the Son of Mary" was not
crucified? Wouldn't this term apply to the physical part of his body?
The human part?>>

This is not the only instance in the Muslim, Jewish or Christian 
scriptures where an event seems to be presented physically, where the 
Baha'i Writings say that nonetheless, the intent is entirely spiritual. 
Other examples would be, Moses striking the rock in the wilderness, the 
brothers of Joseph appearing before Him, Jesus raising the widow's son 
from the dead, Jesus giving bread to His disciples after His 
crucifixion.  All of these are presented in the Scriptures as physical 
events, but the Baha'i Writings give an allegorical / spiritual 
interpretation to them; and it is further my understanding that they 
never occurred in the physical sense.

Brent

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Crucifixion of Jesus Christ

2008-01-17 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

1. The Baha'i Writings state that Jesus was crucified:

When Christ appeared, twenty centuries ago, although the Jews were
eagerly awaiting His Coming, and prayed every day, with tears, saying:
'O God, hasten the Revelation of the Messiah,' yet when the Sun of Truth
dawned, they denied Him and rose against Him with the greatest enmity,
and eventually crucified that divine Spirit, the Word of God, and named
Him Beelzebub, the evil one, as is recorded in the Gospel.

(Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 44)

In this wise did they object to that Sun of Truth, although that Spirit
of God was indeed the One promised in the Torah. But as they did not
understand the meaning of these signs, they crucified the Word of God.

(Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 45)

Also see chapters 6 and 21 of Some Answered Questions, in which the
Master states that Jesus was crucified.

Just do a word search in Ocean for "crucified" and there is plenty on
the subject.

2. The verse in the Qur'an

The Qur'an states (Rodwell translation) "And for their saying, 'Verily
we have slain the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, an Apostle of God' Yet
they slew him not, and they crucified him not, but they had only his
likeness... and they did not really slay him, but God took him up to
Himself." (4:156)

Muslims generally understand this verse to mean that Jesus was not
crucified, that someone else (some say Judas) was crucified in His
place. Juliet Thompson asked Abdu'l-Baha about this verse, and received
this reply in a Tablet:

"In regard to the verse, which is revealed in the Koran, that His
Highness, Christ, was not killed and was not crucified, by this is meant
the Reality of Christ. Although they crucified this elemental body, yet
the merciful reality and the heavenly existence remain eternal and
undying, and it was protected from the oppression and the persecution of
the enemies, for Christ is Eternal and Everlasting. How can He die? This
death and crucifixion was imposed on the physical body of Christ and not
upon the Spirit of Christ."

(Star of the West, Vol. 2, No. 7, p. 13)

"Regarding your question relative to Surih 4, 156 of the `Qur'an' in
which Muhammad says that the Jews did not crucify Jesus, the Christ, but
one like Him; what is meant by this passage is that although the Jews
succeeded in destroying the physical body of Jesus, yet they were
impotent to destroy the divine reality in Him."
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual
believer, March 19, 1938; Lights of Guidance, Page: 498 #1669)

"...The crucifixion as recounted in the New Testament is correct. The
meaning of the Qur'anic version is that the spirit of Christ was not
crucified. There is no conflict between the two."

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual
believer, July 14, 1943; Lights of Guidance, Page 492)

There is also a Tablet from Abdu'l-Baha to Thornton Chase saying the
same thing, in response to a question about the verse in the Qur'an, but
I cannot find it.

Brent

Various

2008-01-04 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

Ron, you asked whether Sen's views are "problematic" since they are 
close to your own.  I can't approach these views that way.  I can say 
that there is some I agree with, and some I don't agree with.  But I'm 
no standard of anything.  You have to read the Writings for yourself and 
see what you come up with.


As to whether the Writings are a proof in the same sense as in Islam, or 
whether they are a third-tier proof. That's an interesting point, 
because it follows what Baha'u'llah says about His Person and His 
Revelation being superior proofs.  This is similar to the passage in SAQ 
where the Master says that if the Manifestation was alive, one could 
enter His presence and that would provide all proof needed; but since He 
has left this realm, logical proofs are needed. The Master then proceeds 
to present proofs from the Book of Daniel; and that's the chapter of SAQ 
His comment is in.


However, what does it mean that the verses of the Qur'an, for example, 
are a proof?  Abu'l-Fazl explained this very well in a book published by 
Kalimat, stating that it's not that there's some magic in the 
arrangement of word and letters, but rather (if memory serves correctly) 
that if one applies the Teachings of the Qur'an, spiritual changes 
occur, and these are the miracles and the proof of the verses of the 
Qur'an.  And this is similar to what the Guardian says, that we don't 
follow Baha'u'llah blindly, He asks us to consider His teachings in the 
light of current problems, then the truth is apparent; and I see this as 
essentially the same as Abu'l-Fazl's explanation of the nature of the 
proof of the verses of the Qur'an.  But exactly where the hierarchy is, 
what's 1 and 2 and 3 in the order of proofs I can't say for sure.  We 
are discussing something that is above human nature, so we have to be 
careful about any pronouncements, because our little minds can't wrap 
themselves around these things that are greater than our minds and 
spirits are.


2.  There are two different approaches mentioned in the Writings.  For 
example, in one place Baha'u'llah urges adoption of a universal 
auxiliary language, but in another place He writes:


"We have formerly ordained that people should converse in two languages, 
yet efforts must be made to reduce them to one, likewise the scripts of 
the world, that men's lives may not be dissipated and wasted in learning 
divers languages. Thus the whole earth would come to be regarded as one 
city and one land." (Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 68)


That it is His directive to have a transitional period of indeterminate 
length where there would be diversity of languages with one common world 
tongue; but ultimately have only one language for the world; seems to be 
what He expresses here:


"Second: Languages must be reduced to one common language to be taught 
in all the schools of the world." (Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 89)


"Likewise He saith: Among the things which are conducive to unity and 
concord and will cause the whole earth to be regarded as one country is 
that the divers languages be reduced to one language and in like manner 
the scripts used in the world be confined to a single script." (Tablets 
of Baha'u'llah, p. 165)


So, if my understanding is correct, first there will be a world 
auxiliary language; then later, the other languages will be dispensed 
with, and  there will be only one language for the entire world.


I read the admonitions related to diversity of religion in the same 
light.  We Baha'is are supposed to excel at promotion of tolerance and 
understanding among the religions:


"Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness 
and fellowship." (Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 95)


However, as Baha'u'llah reportedly said to E.G. Browne:

"We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the 
nations...that all nations should become one in faith and all men as 
brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men 
should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease...

(Baha'u'llah, quoted in The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 37)

Likewise He writes:

"The second question concerneth faith and religion. The Faith of God 
hath in this day been made manifest. He Who is the Lord of the world is 
come and hath shown the way. His faith is the faith of benevolence and 
His religion is the religion of forbearance. This faith bestoweth 
eternal life and this religion enableth mankind to dispense with all 
else. It verily embraceth all faiths and all religions. Take hold 
thereof and guard it well."  (Baha'u'llah, Tabernacle of Unity)


So it is my understanding that there is a period of transition, and that 
ultimately all will recognize Baha'u'llah.  He writes to Queen Victoria:


"That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest 
instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its 
peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith."

Re: Questions on the Aqdas

2008-01-03 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

Sen, I understood your point to be that since the Bayan permitted bigamy 
for a childless couple, the Baha'i Faith does also; and that the Master 
did not ultimately come down on the matter specifying monogamy.  I may 
have misunderstood.  I really am all in favor of analysis of the 
teachings and using our rational faculties. What I didn't see in your 
approach using the Bayan, was using the guidance of the Guardian and the 
House; and a conclusion that, using the Bayan, maybe there are 
circumstances when monogamy is not the Baha'i law.


That the laws in the Bayan are closely connected with the laws in the 
Aqdas is clear, and is explicit in one of the quotes I provided from the 
House of Justice from the Introduction to the Aqdas.


My personal understanding is that only when Baha'u'llah specifically 
endorses a law from a previous Dispensation, such as the Zakat and the 
Qur'an, or the Badi Calendar established by the Bab, or the 
specification of the Qiblih, is parsing of the specific wording from the 
prior Book appropriate.  My impression is that Baha'u'llah's endorsement 
of the law of the Qiblih in the Bayan was explicit and not implicit, as 
was His endorsement of the Quranic law of the Zakat; and since He 
accepted these laws by reference, then it's appropriate to do a close 
analysis of the wording in the Quran and Bayan.  It's further my 
impression that the House has always identified this in the Notes to the 
Aqdas where appropriate; and that for other laws of the Aqdas having 
Babi or Muslim antecedents what is in the Bayan and Qur'an is 
interesting, but not binding, and not determinative of the meaning of 
the verse in the Aqdas.


As to the source of the provision that two witnesses must witness the 
marriage vow, perhaps instead of the source of this being an implicit 
importing of the law from the Bayan, this is an extension of the verse 
in the Aqdas that two reliable witnesses must witness the beginning and 
end of the year of patience (Q&A 73), and also the end of a marriage by 
the death of a spouse, (K67).  Since Baha'u'llah also states in the 
Aqdas that the "justness" of witnesses is not dependent on their being 
Baha'is (Q&A 79), this may also be the source of the House of Justice' 
statement that the witnesses to a Baha'i marriage need not be Baha'is. 
So the law Baha'u'llah specifies for the end of the marriage is also 
applied to the beginning of the marriage.  Maybe that's it.



Brent


Sen & Sonja wrote:

On 2 Jan 2008 at 6:23, Brent Poirier Attorney wrote:


However, I have never seen either the Guardian or the House of Justice
perform an analysis of the law of the Bab, to determine what the
meaning of a law of Baha'u'llah was.  


This is a good point, but then, there are only a few places where 
Shoghi Effendi closely analyses texts from Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-
Baha to determine what the Bahai law is. The electoral law is one 
case, certainly, (Bahai Administration, p. 41) but there are not many 
like it. And in that case, he makes whatever he advises for the NSA 
subject to later review and alteration by the Universal House of 
Justice. The sparcity of examples of legal reasoning based on the 
Bayan -- or the Bahai writings -- is in part because the Guardian 
considered the making of Bahai laws to fall in the UHJ's sphere, not 
the Guardian's:


Though the Guardian of the Faith has been made the permanent head of
so august a body he can never, even temporarily, assume the right of
exclusive legislation. (The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 149)

However what about the law of the Qiblih? The law and its explanation 
are given in the Persian Bayan, and more briefly in the Arabic Bayan. 
The obligatory prayer says to "turn to God" and the Q&A explains this 
means the Qiblih, and the Aqdas says that after his death we should 
turn to the spot God has made the centre -- but what text tells us 
that the Qiblih is wherever the Manifestation is, during his life, 
and his burial place after death? Isn't it the Bayan (in Persian 
Bayan 5:1 for example)? It seems that Baha'u'llah, the Master, Shoghi 
Effendi and the UHJ all refer to the Bayan, directly or indirectly. 
It is true there is no extended argumentation on the point, but this 
is not needed: it is such a simple matter. 

Shoghi Effendi writes that, in the Aqdas, Baha'u'llah "'fixes the 
Qiblih" 	God Passes By, p. 214). If we look for a verse in the Aqdas 
that says where the Qiblih is, all we find is "turn your faces 
towards the Spot that We have ordained for you." Yet for Shoghi 
Effendi, this is 'fixing the Qiblih' -- and I think this is because 
the two texts and two systems of law are so intertwined, in Shoghi 
Effendi's thinking, that he sees no

Monogamy etc

2008-01-03 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

1. If a person wants to know what I think of his opinion, I'll offer my
own views, and my observations about where the opinion coincides with,
or veers from, the Baha'i teachings as I understand them.

I see that as quite different from being asked to pronounce on whether a
Baha'i is permitted to hold a certain view; that is, whether an entire
viewpoint is within the bounds of the Baha'i Faith. That's a much
bigger pronouncement; assumes a degree of authority; and is way above my
pay grade. It's a different approach, and one I won't do.

Besides, the Guardian gave the duty of compliance with the beliefs of
the faith to us individually to monitor for ourselves:

"This does not, however, mean that the absolute authority does not
remain in the revealed Words. We should try and keep as near to the
authority as we can and show that we are faithful to it by quoting from
the Works of Bahá'u'lláh in establishing our points. To discard the
authority of the revealed Words is heretic and to suppress completely
individual interpretation of those Words is also bad. We should try to
strike a happy medium between these two extremes."

(Compilations, Principles of Bahai Administration, p. 25)

"The believers should be careful not to deviate, even a hair-breadth,
from the Teachings. Their supreme consideration should be to safeguard
the purity of the principles, tenets and laws of the Faith"

- Shoghi Effendi, Dawn of a New Day, p. 61

So it is a very important subject, and a personal spiritual obligation.

And being asked whether I agree with a viewpoint (which I'll respond to)
is different from being asked whether it's a belief a Baha'i can hold
(which I don't think I'll respond to).

2. Baha'u'llah and the Guardian urged us to learn Persian and Arabic. A
decade ago the House of Justice urged the Persian friends to teach
Persian to their western-born children. Learning the original languages
of Revelation in order to more deeply appreciate their beauty; the
majesty and perfection of the Guardian's translations; to draw closer to
the spirit of the Manifestation -- all of this is great. But I think we
should monitor our own motives, and if there is to any degree in our
motive for acquisition of these languages, either a desire to show off
our knowledge, or a suspicion about whether the Guardian and the House
are giving us the straight stuff, and we want to look for ourselves;
then I think this is a dangerous road. Then, learning Persian and Arabic
can lead to the fulfillment of the Hadith Baha'u'llah quotes in the
Iqan, that knowledge is the most grievous veil between God and man.

3. The views Sen expressed about monogamy and the exception to it for a
childless couple, based on an analysis of the laws of the Bab, did not
directly criticize or seek to refute the pronouncements of the Guardian
and the House of Justice on the subject. It entirely ignored them; they
might as well not have existed. And the last words of the Master in His
Will are that the source of guidance for us, till the next
Manifestation, is the Guardian and the House.

4. I'd like to share a verse from Rumi that I find helpful.

Iblis asked, “Can you tell a lie from the truth, you who are filled with
illusion?” Muawiya answered, “The Prophet has given a clue, a
touchstone to know the base coin from the true. He has said, ‘That
which is false troubles the heart, but Truth brings joyous tranquility.’”

Rúmí “Daylight,” p. 162

Brent

Questions on the Aqdas

2008-01-02 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

There is one law of Baha'u'llah which refers back to the Qur'anic law. 
In the Tablet of Questions and Answers Baha'u'llah writes:


"And in the matter of Zakat, We have likewise decreed that you should 
follow what hath been revealed in the Qur'án." 	(Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 140)


However, as the House of Justice points out in Note 161 to the Aqdas:

"Since such issues as the limits for exemption, the categories of income 
concerned, the frequency of payments, and the scale of rates for the 
various categories of Zakat are not mentioned in the Qur'án, these 
matters will have to be set forth in the future by the Universal House 
of Justice." (Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 234)


That is, those matters the House mentions are gaps in the law of the 
Qur'an which were filled by statements in the Hadith and by principles 
of Islamic jurisprudence enunciated by Muslim scholars (differently by 
Shi'ah and Sunni in some respects).  The House of course does not 
indicate that it will to any degree be bound by or guided by the 
opinions of those scholars, but will itself make the deductions it is 
guided to make in those areas of exemption, categories of income, etc.


There are a few places where Baha'u'llah says expressly that a law He 
has revealed is as specified in the Bayan.  For example, in verse 137 of 
the Aqdas (also see Note 7) Baha'u'llah endorses the Bab's selection of 
the Qiblih.  During the lifetime of the Manifestation, He was Himself 
the Qiblih, and His resting-place is ordained after His passing.  There 
are instances in Baha'i history of believers attaining the presence of 
Baha'u'llah in His tent, and they circumambulated the tent.


Anyway, there are many more laws of the Aqdas which have their 
antecedents in the laws of the Bab. In the Notes to the Aqdas, the House 
of Justice states that Baha'u'llah's laws of the dowry, non-use of 
pulpits, and exemption from prayer and fasting have their antecedents in 
the laws of the Bab, and that certain aspects of the Baha'i law of 
ablutions have antecedents in the Qur'an and the laws of the Bab.  There 
are many other examples of Baha'u'llah's laws which have antecedents in 
the laws of the Bab, because the Bab revealed many laws, not so that His 
followers would follow them (His Dispensation being so brief), but so 
that Baha'u'llah would not need to trouble Himself revealing laws; He 
could instead endorse or somewhat modify laws of the Bab, and there are 
various instances of this.


However, I have never seen either the Guardian or the House of Justice 
perform an analysis of the law of the Bab, to determine what the meaning 
of a law of Baha'u'llah was.  While there are several instances where 
the House or the Guardian refers to the fact that there are antecedents 
in the Arabic or Persian Bayan, I cannot identify a case where the 
application or meaning of one of Baha'u'llahs laws is determined by a 
close analysis of a law by the Bab.  Rather, they rely on the text of 
the revealed verse, plus the interpretations by the Master.  I do not 
personally think, for example, that the provision in the Bayan regarding 
bigamy in the case of a childless couple is brought forward into the 
Baha'i Dispensation.  I think that despite the Tablets Sen has quoted 
from the Master, the entire issue of bigamy is settled by the Guardian's 
statement that the Aqdas prescribes monogamy, and the House's statement 
in the Note 89 to the Aqdas:


"While the text of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas appears to permit
bigamy, Bahá'u'lláh counsels that tranquillity and contentment
derive from monogamy. In another Tablet, He
underlines the importance of the individual's acting in such
a way as to "bring comfort to himself and to his partner".
Abdu'l-Bahá, the authorized Interpreter of the Bahá'í
Writings, states that in the text of the Aqdas monogamy is
in effect enjoined. He elaborates this theme in a number of
Tablets, including the following:

"'Know thou that polygamy is not permitted under the law of
God, for contentment with one wife hath been clearly stipulated.
Taking a second wife is made dependent upon equity and justice
being upheld between the two wives, under all conditions.
However, observance of justice and equity towards two wives is
utterly impossible. The fact that bigamy has been made
dependent upon an impossible condition is clear proof of its
absolute prohibition. Therefore it is not permissible for a man to
have more than one wife.'

"Polygamy is a very ancient practice among the
majority of humanity. The introduction of monogamy has
been only gradually accomplished by the Manifestations of
God. Jesus, for example, did not prohibit polygamy, but
abolished divorce except in the case of fornication;
Muhammad limited the number of wives to four, but
making plurality of wives contingent on justice, and
reintroducing permission for divorce; Bahá'u'lláh, Who was
revealing His Teachings in the milieu of a Muslim society,
introduced the question of monogamy gradually in accordance
with

Questions on the Aqdas

2008-01-01 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

I suggest that we may make assumptions about what "Most Holy" means. 
That is, that it is supposed to create a spiritual atmosphere upon our 
reading it.  Or, that it is more spiritual than His other Writings; but 
how could that be?  All of His Writings come from the same Source.


Personally I feel that the Aqdas is designated as the "Most Holy" Book 
because of its future effect on the world; that we can't determine its 
uniqueness by our reading it.  It will take its application to see that.


The Guardian wrote through his secretary:

"He does not ask us to follow Him blindly; as He says in one of His 
Tablets, God had endowed man with a mind to operate as a torchlight and 
guide him to truth. Read His words, consider His teachings, and measure 
their value in the light of contemporary problems and the truth will 
surely be revealed to you"
(26 February 1933 to an individual believer, published in "Bahá'í News" 
80 (January 1934), p. 5; The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 217, 
#470)


That is, the proof is not merely in our mental evaluation of His 
Teachings, but in applying them to the problems of the world. 
Baha'u'llah is the Divine Physician. He looked at our personal spiritual 
problems, our families in disarray, our ineffective governments and 
economic systems, and He prescribed -- the Obligatory Prayers, the 
Huquq, the Houses of Justice, and so on.  Though these are not 
confrontative approaches, though they may not bear the signs of 
modern-day remedies, when considered carefully, they address today's 
problems at their roots.


So I suggest trying to approach the Aqdas in that way.

Also, the laws are best understood not by reading them, but by carrying 
them out.  As the Guardian's secretary wrote:


"The Guardian particularly appreciates the fact that you have been 
faithfully observing Bahá'u'lláh's injunction regarding the recital of 
the daily obligatory prayers, and have thereby set such a high example 
before your Bahá'í fellow-youth. These daily prayers have been endowed 
with a special potency which only those who regularly recite them can 
adequately appreciate." (23 February 1939 to two believers) 
(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 240)


That is, the laws can only be fully appreciated when carried out; that's 
how to evaluate them.


However, for proofs, I suggest a different Book -- the Iqan.  He 
revealed it to bestow certitude on the reader.  Also as regards proofs I 
suggest reading the Master's comments on pages 368 and 369 of Baha'i 
World Faith (if using Ocean, do a word search for "rosy")


As to the lack of a central theme to the Aqdas, Shoghi Effendi pointed out:

"All Divine Revelation seems to have been thrown out in flashes. The 
Prophets never composed treatises. That is why in the Qur'án and our own 
Writings different subjects are so often included in one Tablet. It 
pulsates, so to speak. That is why it is 'Revelation'."	(From a letter 
on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, The Unfolding Destiny of the British Baha'i 
Community, p. 453)


Not all of the divine laws were revealed so that they would be carried 
out by the believers.  With respect to the laws of the Bab, the Guardian 
has written that they were revealed to create a tumult, to confront the 
orthodox religious powers, and to demonstrate the independent nature of 
the revelation of the Bab.


"The severe laws and injunctions revealed by the Báb can be properly 
appreciated and understood only when interpreted in the light of His own 
statements regarding the nature, purpose and character of His own 
Dispensation. As these statements clearly reveal, the Bábí Dispensation 
was essentially in the nature of a religious and indeed social 
revolution, and its duration had therefore to be short, but full of 
tragic events, of sweeping and drastic reforms. These drastic measures 
enforced by the Báb and His followers were taken with the view of 
undermining the very foundations of Shí'ah orthodoxy, and thus paving 
the way for the coming of Bahá'u'lláh. To assert the independence of the 
new Dispensation, and to prepare also the ground for the approaching 
Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, the Báb had therefore to reveal very severe 
laws, even though most of them were never enforced. But the mere fact 
that He revealed them was in itself a proof of the independent character 
of His Dispensation and was sufficient to create such widespread 
agitation, and excite such opposition on the part of the clergy that led 
them to cause His eventual martyrdom." (Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the 
Indian Subcontinent, p. 179)


Likewise the Master pointed out that the laws of intestate succession 
were revealed as an encouragement to the believers to write a will, or 
else their estates would be distributed in that way; and He also wrote 
that the Divine Law permitting polygamy but conditioned upon justice -- 
an impossible condition -- proves that this was actually intended as a 
law requiring monoga

Re: Majority

2007-09-16 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

In my view, for Assembly meetings to be properly held, not only should 
every Assembly member be informed of the date and time of the meeting, 
but of the agenda, and with sufficient detail to know what is coming up.


The quote from the House implies this -- that a draft of the agenda is 
to be sent to all LSA members a few days before the meeting.


In the world at large, before meetings of nonprofits are held, the full 
agenda is sent out so that everyone knows, and this is proper, and I 
think a good practice, and would avoid the situation David described.


Brent


"The Agenda is usually prepared by the Secretary, sometimes in 
consultation with the Chairman or other member or members of the 
National Spiritual Assembly. Immediately after a Spiritual Assembly 
meeting, all items not cleared should be transferred to a new draft 
Agenda in preparation for the next meeting. Then, as each new matter 
arises, it should be entered under the appropriate heading. In this way 
the Agenda can be built up gradually. A few
days before the Assembly meeting, the completed draft could be 
duplicated for the members. At the beginning of each meeting, any 
additional urgent items which have developed or items which individual 
members wish to raise can be added."
The Universal House of Justice, in "A Suggested Guide for National 
Secretaries" enclosed with a letter dated May 4, 1972


"The agenda should be reviewed and agreed upon by the entire Assembly at 
the beginning of each meeting, at which time additions and deletions can 
be made. The Assembly should agree upon which items of business have 
priority." (US NSA)


From "Developing Distinctive Baha'i Communities" the US LSA handbook





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Portrait of Baha'u'llah

2007-08-20 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

This is the first Dispensation in which the believers have the privilege 
of viewing the faces of the Manifestations of God -- the drawing of the 
Bab and the photographs of Baha'u'llah.


I know of no admonition to the Baha'is to not look at Baha'u'llah's 
picture on the internet.


I believe it is ill-advised to urge the Baha'is, at the top of a 
wikipedia page, to not look at the photograph that appears lower on the 
page, because it sounds weird.  Again, there is no such admonition or 
prohibition.


These statements from the Guardian may provide insight into the issues 
involved.  The statements about the film of the Master I feel provide 
the spirit behind the guidance regarding the portraits of the 
Manifestations.


Brent

Photograph of Bahá'u'lláh
"There is no objection that the believers look at the picture of 
Bahá'u'lláh, but they should do so with the utmost reverence, and should 
also not allow that it be exposed openly to the public, even in their 
private homes."
(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual 
believer, December 6, 1939)

(Lights of Guidance, p. 540)

Viewing the Film of 'Abdu'l-Bahá
"Regarding the use of the Master's film the greatest care must be 
exercised lest we cheapen its value by too frequent and indiscriminate 
exhibition either amongst the believers or the non-Bahá'ís. Only on 
special occasions, such as important anniversaries, should the film be 
shown and its solemn sacred character should be duly emphasized."

(From a letter of Shoghi Effendi, February 28, 1928)

Portrayal of any Manifestation of God Forbidden
"Your understanding that the portrayal of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh in 
works of art is forbidden, is correct. The Guardian made it clear that 
this prohibition refers to all Manifestations of God; photographs, or 
reproductions of portraits, of the Master may be used in books, but no 
attempt should be made to portray Him in dramatic or other works where 
He would be one of the 'dramatic personae'. However, there can be no 
objection to symbolic representation of such Holy Figures, provided it 
does not become a ritual and that the symbol used is not irreverent."

(From a letter of the Universal House of Justice, December 3, 1972)
(Lights of Guidance, p. 539)

Record and Film of 'Abdu'l-Bahá
The Guardian, when referring to this record [of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's voice], 
requested the friends "to exercise restraint and caution." "In my view," 
he added, "it should be used only on special occasions and be listened 
to with the utmost reverence. The dignity of the Cause, I am sure, would 
suffer from too wide and indiscriminate use of one of the most precious 
relics of our departed Master."
(Extract from a letter of the Universal House of Justice, quoting Shoghi 
Effendi's guidance, published in Developing Distinctive Baha'i Communities)










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Met the Master

2007-08-15 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

I know of two other people who are still alive who met the Master. I
heard of a woman living in Turkey who met the Master, though I have no
information at all about her -- where she is, where she met Him, her
name, etc.

About 3 or 4 years ago I was in touch with the family of a Christian
woman living in a nursing home in Chicago. She was the daughter of a
Russian man who emigrated, a Templar, who was appointed the honorary
American consul and lived in Haifa. She had a photo, and I saw a copy
of a copy of a copy of it, more like a silhouette, clearly the Master
seated in a chair in front of a window with two little girls on each arm
of the chair, the woman was one of those girls. She may still be alive.
I contacted Roger Dahl the US Archivist and he said that some years
earlier he had interviewed the lady.

I do not know if anyone is keeping track of the few people still alive
with memories of the Master. Since He passed nearly 86 years ago, and
since the person would need to have been 7 years old or so to have
cogent memories, that makes them all in their 90s, so there can't be many.

On a different subject -- does anyone here have any information about
the visits of any of the Hands of the Cause to the Navajo Reservation,
or know anyone who does? Thank you

Brent
attorney at newmexico dot com

Re: Infallibility of the Prophets

2007-08-12 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

There are several references in the Baha'i Writings stating that the 
Master says there are two Davids in the Bible. It could be found easily 
in Ocean.


Brent




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Islam and national government

2007-06-20 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

I would like to have a clearer general idea of Islam's contribution to 
government.  When listing Islamic contributions to civilization, I 
generally say that there is very little in the New Testament about 
government -- perhaps only this passage Baha'u'llah quotes:

In the Epistle to the Romans Saint Paul hath written: "Let every soul be 
subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God; the 
powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the 
power, resisteth the ordinance of God." And further: "For he is the 
minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." 
He saith that the appearance of the kings, and their majesty and power 
are of God.
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 91)

Whereas, the Master writes:

"In essence, the author shows how the totality of Europe's civilization 
-- its laws, principles, institutions, its sciences, philosophies, 
varied learning, its civilized manners and customs, its literature, art 
and industry, its organization, its discipline, its behavior, its 
commendable character traits, and even many of the words current in the 
French language, derives from the Arabs." (Abdu'l-Baha, The Secret of 
Divine Civilization, p. 93)

The Master's statement is broader than I intend -- because he speaks of 
the contributions of "the Arabs" and I am really trying to focus on what 
comes from the Qur'an itself, not so much from Muslims.

In trying to identify what Muhammad brought in the area of governance, 
these come to mind: Consultation, taxation, public funds for the needy 
and for the development of society, punishments, and treaties.

It seems to me that there is a lot in Islam and in the Baha'i Faith 
about the qualities of leadership -- trustworthiness, for example, but 
this could also be said about Christian social leaders, and I'm trying 
to identify what is unique about Islam's contribution, and directly 
traceable to the Qur'an.

Any thoughts?
Thanks
Brent


 
 
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Call for papers on boundaries

2007-06-09 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

5th Annual Conference in Citizenship Studies
  /The Boundaries of Citizenship/


  Call for Papers

http://www.clas.wayne.edu/unit-inner.asp?UnitID=43&WebPageID=1621&site=candle 

The Center for the Study of Citizenship (CSC) at Wayne State University 
invites papers, panels, and poster sessions for its 5th Annual 
Conference in Citizenship Studies to be held March 27-29, 2008.  This 
year's theme, "The Boundaries of Citizenship," explores the role of 
boundaries, both physical and conceptual, that shape the recognition and 
exercise of citizenship.  Boundaries that constitute and shape 
citizenship are ever shifting and contestable, and raise issues far 
beyond those associated with traditional legal categories. 

We welcome proposals from scholars and graduate students on topics 
dealing with boundaries of citizenship regardless of time period or 
geographic scope.  We invite presentations from among and across the 
widest range of disciplines, including but not limited to:  literature, 
philosophy, political science, history, anthropology, law, sociology, 
economics, geography, medicine, human biology, film studies, music and 
performance.

Issues associated with boundaries and citizenship include, among other 
matters:  the designation of the population and territory to be included 
within "the nation"; the enforcement, crossing, or questioning of 
national borders and identities; the qualifications for and entitlements 
conferred by accession to citizenship; the uses of gender, race, class, 
ethnicity, religion, caste, and other distinctions to restrict 
ascription of citizenship or access to its benefits; and the positing of 
limits to citizens' legitimate relationships with foreign nations, or to 
their activities in opposition to their own governments.  But the theme 
extends further to literal and metaphorical borders and border crossings 
of all kinds.  Topics may include phenomena as varied as:  relations 
between border nations and among residents of their border regions; the 
effects of internal boundaries (e.g., states/provinces, counties, 
municipalities, school districts) on allocations of rights and 
responsibilities; non-territorially-based communities facilitated by new 
modes of communication; non-territorially-bounded problems such as 
organized crime, environmental degradation, or epidemics; transborder 
and transcommunal adoption; exile and displacement; global or regional 
commerce and labor markets; corporate citizenship; the realization of 
human rights irrespective of citizenship; the extradition and 
extraterritorial prosecution of suspected criminals, including state 
agents accused of human rights violations.  These examples are meant 
only to illustrate possibilities, not to limit the range of potential 
subjects for scholarly inquiry.

The Center plans to publish a volume comprised of selected papers from 
the conference.  Deadline for submissions is October 1, 2007.  Please 
visit the CSC website for more information and for submission details.

We regret the Center does not provide funding for travel or other expenses.

Click here to submit your abstract 


All questions should be directed to the conference organizer, Renee 
Bricker - [EMAIL PROTECTED] 



 
 
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How to modify a business law course -- off topic

2007-05-10 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

This is not on a Baha'i subject. It has to do with teaching a college 
course, and I'm writing because I know there are college profs on this list.

I am teaching an online class in business law at NMSU. In my own legal 
education, I was furious because I didn't learn anything practical 
(didn't see a will, a trust, a deed, a promissory note, or a single page 
of a pleading during any law school class).  Law school prepared me to 
take the bar exam, not to serve clients.  I vowed that if I ever taught 
a law class, I'd do it differently.

I taught business law at NMSU last year, and have been invited to do so 
again this autumn.

Last year I came up with the idea of requiring every student to prepare 
a project.  The project was to locate and fill out all of the forms that 
would be needed for them to start a business -- leases, licenses, tax 
forms, mortgages, promissory notes, contracts, you name it.  I didn't 
ask for any real information, such as financials -- they were to make up 
all such personal data.  I wanted them to understand that in the real 
world, nobody would give them a multiple-choice exam.  They would need 
to know what legal forms to use for what purpose, how to prepare them, 
and when to call on an attorney.  I wanted them to get over their fear 
of legalities in the classroom, so they would be more calm in the real 
world as businesspeople.

At first the students raised absolute Cain about this project.  However, 
the great majority of them later said that it was the most valuable part 
of the course.  I said that in a few years when they were in business 
for themselves, they would see the real benefit of the course.  I felt I 
had done right by them.

I then explained this to my Department Head, who was a very skilled 
practicing attorney before entering academia, expecting praise.  
Instead, her reply was, "What does this have to do with the purpose of 
the course?"  She then lost me in a discussion of measurable outputs. 
Apparently, the accreditation bodies require that faculty devise a way 
of verifying, during the course and not two years later when the 
students are businesspeople, whether the students have gained the 
competencies the course was supposed to provide.

The textbook is a combination of an abbreviated law school case book, 
with pretty good explanations of the various legal matters to be 
covered.  However, it's not practical and real-world enough for me.  I 
want the students to sweat a bit, to go on to the websites of government 
agencies and see exactly what is going to be needed for them to function 
in the business law environment.  To some degree the forms are practical 
applications of the laws they learned about in the textbook.

But, the university has to ensure that its accreditation is secure, so 
these &^**$$#>?@@!! "measurable outputs" must be satisfied.

Any suggestions off-list, as to how I can modify my approach so the 
business school doesn't get de-certified, without selling my soul.

Thanks
Brent

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Re: Prayer by the Beloved Guardian found in a prayerbook Nasaimu'r-Rahman

2007-04-25 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

Shoghi Effendi wrote a beautiful prayer in Persian, enclosed with his 
Naw-Ruz letter to the Persian friends in I believe 1955, which the House 
of Justice translated for Mr. Khadem's article about the Mountain of God 
which was published in the U.S. Baha'i News more than 30 years ago.  It 
is published in Mrs. Khadem's book about Mr. Khadem, a wonderful book, 
and valuable reading before going on pilgrimage.
http://www.bahaibookstore.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=5736

Here is the translation of the Guardian's prayer.
 
Brent

This magnificent Edifice stands
facing Baha'u'llah's Most Great
Prison, extolled by the Pen of Glory
as the "Heaven of heavens," and looks
toward the Qiblih of the people of
Baha, that Spot within the Vale of
Security and Peace, the Plain of
`Akka, round which circle in adoration
the Concourse on high.  To her right
are the hills of Galilee in which
nestles the childhood home of the
beautiful Christ, and the locality by
the banks of the Jordan River where He
who is the Spirit [Jesus] was called
to prophethood; and on her left, on
the crest of Carmel, are to be found
the Cave of Elijah and the exalted
Spot which was blessed by the
footsteps of the Most Holy Abha Beauty
and was ennobled through the
revelation of the Tablet of Carmel
from the treasury of the Pen of
Glory

High, immeasurably high is this
Shrine, the lofty, the most great, the
most wondrous.  Exalted, immeasurably
exalted is this Resting-place, the
fragrant, the pure, the luminous, the
transcendent.   Glorified,
immeasurably glorified is this Spot,
the most august, the most holy, the
most blessed, the most sublime

Upon thee, O Queen of Carmel, be
the purest, the most tender
salutations, the fairest, the most
gracious blessings!  Glorified is He
Whose footsteps have ennobled the spot
whereon thou standest, Who ordained
thy Seat, and Who extolled thee in His
Tablet and Book.  How great is the
potency of thy might, a might which
has bewildered the souls of the
favored ones of God and His
Messengers.

Methinks I behold thee in my
dreams established upon thy glorious
throne, attired in thy white raiment,
crowned with thy golden crown,
resplendent with the lights shining
within thee and around thee, calling
aloud in ringing tones and raising thy
voice between earth and heaven.
Methinks I perceive the souls of
the holy ones and of the dwellers of
the realms above hastening toward thee
with utmost joy, eagerness and
ecstasy, pointing to thee, circling
round thee, inhaling the perfume of
thy flowers and roses, seeking
blessing from the earth of thy
precincts, bowing their foreheads to
the ground before thee in recognition
of the majesty and glory which
surround the Holy Dust reposing within
thee, the Pearl which is enshrined in
thy bosom.

Blessed, immeasurably blessed is
the person who visits thee and circles
around thee, who serves at thy
threshold, waters thy flowers, inhales
the fragrance of holiness from thy
roses, celebrates thy praise and
glorifies thy station for the love of
God, thy Creator, in this hallowed and
radiant, this great, august and
wondrous age.


 
 
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RE: Haifa gardens: Cost and utility?

2007-04-19 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney

My view:

1. Because the Manifestations of God deserve it.

In the Third Chapter of the Gospel of John it states:

"Then took Mary a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the 
feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was 
filled with the fragrance of the oil.  But one of His disciples, Judas 
Iscariot . . . said 'Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three 
hundred denarii [a man's wage for a year's work] and given to the poor?' 
. . . But Jesus said, 'Let her alone, she has kept this for the day of 
My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not 
have always.'" 
 
Jesus, who was poor and who was devoted to the poor, did not say, "This 
is a sacrament.  Once a year take oil of spikenard and anoint each 
other's feet." 

Rather, He reserved this act for Himself.  It was a sign of His 
sovereignty.  He deserved the best.

The same is true for the Shrines of the Manifestations in this Day.

As the Bab Himself wrote,

"Everything must be brought to its utmost limit of perfection... And 
anyone who has the power to perfect a thing and does not do so is 
culpable." "Everyone is bound to do everything in the most perfect way.  
For instance, it is very bad to begin to build a house and then not 
finish it in the most perfect way of which it is capable, for then it 
cries out to God for a curse on the maker who has failed to perfect it." 
(The Persian Bayan, pp. 355 and 376, "Selections from the Writings of 
E.G. Browne")

If a house for humans should be built to perfection, how much more the 
Tomb of Him "acclaimed by Bahá'u'lláh as the "Essence of Essences," the 
"Sea of Seas," the "Point round Whom the realities of the Prophets and 
Messengers revolve," "from Whom God hath caused to proceed the knowledge 
of all that was and shall be," Whose "rank excelleth that of all the 
Prophets," and Whose "Revelation transcendeth the comprehension and 
understanding of all their chosen ones," had delivered His Message and 
discharged His mission. He Who was, in the words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the 
"Morn of Truth" and "Harbinger of the Most Great Light," Whose advent at 
once signalized the termination of the "Prophetic Cycle" and the 
inception of the "Cycle of Fulfillment," . . .  He, as affirmed by 
Himself, "the Primal Point from which have been generated all created 
things," "one of the sustaining pillars of the Primal Word of God," the 
"Mystic Fane," the "Great Announcement," the "Flame of that supernal 
Light that glowed upon Sinai," the "Remembrance of God" concerning Whom 
"a separate Covenant hath been established with each and every Prophet". 
. . He the "Qá'im" (He Who ariseth) promised to the Shí'ahs, the "Mihdi" 
(One Who is guided) awaited by the Sunnis, the "Return of John the 
Baptist" expected by the Christians, the "Ushidar-Mah" referred to in 
the Zoroastrian scriptures, the "Return of Elijah" anticipated by the 
Jews, Whose Revelation was to show forth "the signs and tokens of all 
the Prophets", Who was to "manifest the perfection of Moses, the 
radiance of Jesus and the patience of Job" . . . The "Second Woe," 
spoken of in the Apocalypse of St. John the Divine. . . and the first of 
the two "Messengers," Whose appearance had been prophesied in the 
Qur'án. . . The first "Trumpet-Blast", destined to smite the earth with 
extermination, announced in the latter Book, had finally been sounded. . 
. . The "time of the end" had been ushered in, and the first of the "two 
Witnesses" into Whom, "after three days and a half the Spirit of Life 
from God" would enter, had arisen and had "ascended up to heaven in a 
cloud." . . .  The "Man Child," mentioned in the Book of Revelation . . 
. (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 58)


2. Because of the spiritual impact it has on pilgrims

Pilgrims are described by the Guardian as the "lifeblood of the Cause."  
The sanctity of the experience they have is very important not only to 
their own spiritual lives, but to the advancement of the Faith, and to 
the aims of the Faith.  The beauty, elegance and refinement of the 
terraces and gardens attracts the pilgrims to holiness, and a holy life 
is one of the keys to the advancement of the Cause (The Advent of Divine 
Justice, p. 29). 

God is extravagant in the beauty with which He endows the least of His 
creatures.  So the divine way is to make the Baha'i World Centre as 
beautiful as humanly possible.

3. Because the beauty attracts the people to the Teachings

More than 90% of the people of Israel, in a survey, said that they 
intended at some point in time to visit the Baha'i Gardens.  The 
Palestinians came too, they helped to build these terraces.  The Arab 
population of Israel loves the gardens; they come and take their wedding 
photos there.  As the beauty of the flower attracts the insect to 
propagate the pollen, so the beauty of the Shrines and the gardens 
attracts the people to the Call of God.  Everyone who enters these 
places is given an introductory

Re: to say the truth

2007-02-22 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law


It is almost impossible to say the truth everytime>>


There is the guidance in this Tablet from the Master that impacts on what 
can be said.

Brent

"'Not everything that a man knoweth can be disclosed, nor can everything 
that he can disclose be regarded as timely, nor can every timely utterance 
be considered as suited to the capacity of those who hear it.' Such is the 
consummate wisdom to be observed in thy pursuits. Be not oblivious thereof, 
if thou wishest to be a man of action under all conditions."

(Compilation, The Individual and Teaching - Raising the Divine Call, p. 13)





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Re: Subject: baha'i principles

2007-02-13 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

Husayn, I think that is a very good list, very complete.

However, I wish to suggest that listing these principles of the Faith still
does not give an accurate picture of what the Baha'i Faith is about.

In particular, these principles, which are mostly social principles, do not
speak of the relationship between the human being and God. The central
purpose of life is to know God -- at least, that's Baha'u'llah's statement
in the Short Obligatory Prayer.

Similarly, the very first passage in the Gleanings states that the purpose
of man is to know God, and that this is attained by knowledge of one's true
self.

This divine relationship is at the heart of the Baha'i Faith, like all the
divine revelations. Focusing on the principles you listed leaves this core
element out of the picture, and this can give the wrong impression about the
true nature of the Baha'i Revelation and the practice of the Faith.

Brent

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Passing of our brother Phil Lucas

2007-02-04 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

I have learned that following triple bypass surgery, Phil Lucas died earlier 
today.  God reward him for his services.


Brent 






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Status of Promulgation

2007-01-24 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law


A point of clarification on this:

This idea is from a passage in Promulgation of Universal Peace.  The talks 
in that book are not authenticated, so we cannot be sure exactly what 
Abdu'l Baha said.  I wouldn't put too much weight on a statement from 
non-authenticated texts.>>



The Guardian quotes a number of times from Promulgation in his letters and 
in God Passes By.  He does not regard it as unreliable.  The House includes 
quotes from Promulgation in any number of the compilations on various 
subjects it has prepared.


In a letter written on behalf of the House on the authenticity of various 
books, it is implied that some of the talks in Promulgation are not 
authenticated and some are:


Regarding the status of Abdu'l-Baha's talks published in "The Promulgation 
of Universal Peace" and "Paris Talks", original Persian transcripts of 
some, but not all, of the talks are available. We provide the following 
extract from a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice 
which indicates that "in the future each talk will have to be identified 
and those which are unauthenticated will have to be clearly distinguished 
from those which form a part of Baha'i Scripture:


"The original of "Some Answered Questions" in Persian is preserved in the 
Holy Land; its text was read in full and corrected by Abdu'l-Baha Himself. 
Unfortunately, Abdu'l-Baha did not read and authenticate all transcripts of 
His other talks, some of which have been translated into various languages 
and published. For many of His addresses included in "The Promulgation of 
Universal Peace" and "Paris Talks", for example, no original authenticated 
text has yet been found. However, the Guardian allowed such compilations to 
continue to be used by the friends. In the future each talk will have to be 
identified and those which are unauthenticated will have to be clearly 
distinguished from those which form a part of Baha'i Scripture. This does 
not mean that the unauthenticated talks will have to cease to be used --  
merely that the degree of authenticity of every document will have to be 
known and understood. (23 March 1987)"


Memo from the Research Department quoting a letter written on behalf of the 
House


http://bahai-library.com/uhj/authenticity.texts.html >>

Brent







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Baha'i guitar sheet music

2007-01-22 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

Is there Baha'i sheet music / tablature / chord sheets available for guitar, 
for purchase or downloadable from the Net?

Thanks
Brent 






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Scientific in its method

2007-01-16 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

I have not seen the Guardian use that phrase elsewhere, so that we could get 
an insight into what he means by it.


Perhaps these passages will be of use, maybe someone has a thought as to 
what he means by the Faith's "method" in these passages he wrote elsewhere.


Brent


Let us be on our guard lest we measure too strictly the Divine Plan with the 
standard of men. I am not prepared to state that it agrees in principle or 
in method with the prevailing notions now uppermost in men's minds, nor that 
it should conform with those imperfect, precarious, and expedient measures 
feverishly resorted to by agitated humanity.  (Shoghi Effendi, Baha'i 
Administration, p. 62)



It would, however, be helpful and instructive to bear in mind certain basic 
principles with reference to the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, which, 
together with the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, constitutes the chief depository wherein 
are enshrined those priceless elements of that Divine Civilization, the 
establishment of which is the primary mission of the Bahá'í Faith. A study 
of the provisions of these sacred documents will reveal the close 
relationship that exists between them, as well as the identity of purpose 
and method which they inculcate. Far from regarding their specific 
provisions as incompatible and contradictory in spirit, every fair-minded 
inquirer will readily admit that they are not only complementary, but that 
they mutually confirm one another, and are inseparable parts of one complete 
unit.   (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 3) 






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Re: Resurrection of Christ

2006-10-13 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law


Yes Susan, I am in agreement that visions are not

accepted as physical matter. Was it not the
misinterpreted "seeing of Him" that was understood to
be a physical body resurrected, rather than the
spiritual vision of spiritual "matter"?>>

There are three kinds of "seeing"

-- seeing a person in the physical sense, with physical eyes
-- seeing a vision
-- "seeing" meaning faith, meaning recognition of the station of the 
Manifestation.


It is this third kind that is referred to when Christ says "The people have 
eyes, but do not see.  Blessed are your eyes for they see."  This "seeing" 
and these "eyes" are not the physical eyes, and not seeing a vision.  It 
means perception.


(Respectfully, I personally do not see support in the Baha'i Writings for 
the appearances of Christ being visions of "spiritual matter".)


And in the Gospels, sometimes this third kind of seeing or recognition is 
referred to as recognition, as in the verse just quoted.  However, sometimes 
it is symbolically represented, by depicting a believer who sees Jesus, but 
does not recognize Him. This is presented as a physical thing, that the 
believer physically sees Jesus, but does not physically recognize Him.  The 
Guardian says these should be understood allegorically; though the text of 
the Gospel gives no hint that it should be understood allegorically; 
presenting it as a physical event.  So, the Gospel says that Mary Magdalene 
saw Jesus in the garden, but didn't recognize Him; and the disciples on the 
road to Emmaus saw him but their "eyes were holden" and they did not 
recognize Him until He gave them "bread."  Then their eyes were opened and 
they recognized Him.


In the paper I wrote, "The Kitab-i-Iqan, the Key to Unsealing the Mysteries 
of the Holy Bible" I go into this more fully, with more Bible quotations.

http://bahai-library.com/?file=poirier_iqan_unsealing_bible

For me, the key to understanding this is this letter on behalf of Shoghi 
Effendi:


"We do not believe that there was a bodily resurrection after the 
crucifixion of Christ, but that there was a time after His ascension when 
His disciples perceived spiritually His true greatness and realized He was 
eternal in being. This is what has been reported symbolically in the New 
Testament and been misunderstood. His eating with His disciples after 
resurrection is the same thing."  From a letter on behalf of the Guardian, 
"High Endeavours" pp. 69-70, "Lights of Guidance," 2nd Edition, p. 368


The only way that the disciples spiritually recognizing Jesus can be the 
"same thing" as "eating" with Him, is if the "seeing" and the "eating" are 
understood symbolically; such as when the disciples ate with Jesus after His 
resurrection, and recognized Him after they ate bread, and Mary told them 
what she had "seen."


And this is why the times when people "saw" Jesus after His crucifixion and 
resurrection, were all appearances to believers:  This is because these were 
not "appearances" in the physical sense of the word; nor were these visions. 
Rather, these are allegorical depictions of these believers regaining their 
faith and steadfastness, realizing the eternity of Christ, and "seeing" Him 
in that sense. In that sense, a non-believer could not "see" Jesus, by 
definition, because a person who "sees" Jesus means a person who believes in 
Him; and that is why the Bible contains no such reference. These are the 
appearances of Christ after His resurrection -- all to believers, which I 
copied from a study Bible:


To Mary Magdalene (Matthew 16:9, John 20:11-18);
To other women believers (Matthew 28:9-10);
To two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35);
To Peter (Luke 24:34);
To ten disciples (John 20:19-25);
To eleven disciples (John 20:26);
To the Apostles at the Sea of Tiberias (John 21:1-25);
The great commission to the disciples at Galilee (Matthew 28:16-20);
To five hundred believers (1 Corinthians 15:6);
To all the apostles (Acts 1:4-11);
To James (1 Corinthians 15:7);
To Paul (Acts 9:3-6, 1 Corinthians 15:8);
To John (Revelation 1:10-18).

Again, these "appearances" were neither physical events nor visions.  This, 
according to the quote from Shoghi Effendi above, means that these people 
"perceived spiritually His true greatness and realized He was eternal in 
being."


Brent







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and

Sale of cigarettes

2006-10-13 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

The US balance of trade is at the highest unfavorable level in history. So
the US government agencies assist the largest exporters to sell their
products overseas, because it has a crucial beneficial economic impact on
the US balance of trade. Among the corporations that have the most
substantial favorable impact on the balance of trade, are the cigarette
companies. They export vast sums of cigarettes around the world. Far from
outlawing their sale, the US Dept of Commerce encourages and facilitates
their sale through trade conferences and export promotion services.

So we have the spectacle (because of lawsuits) of US cigarette manufacturers
running ads on American television directly discouraging smoking among young
people. So this assuages the consciences of the American people, and cuts
down on the lawsuits in American courts. Yet these same cigarette companies
have huge foreign advertising campaigns designed to get many millions of
young people around the world addicted to cigarette smoking, particularly in
developing countries where they are the most vulnerable to the sophisticated
advertising. It is a moral crime of huge magnitude.

This is my understanding and my personal opinion.

Brent

Spirituality

2006-10-06 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

One can only hope those teenagers are looking for what we were looking

for 4 decades ago. Meaning! Genuine spirituality. A sense of the
mystic. None of which is really to be found in the world our
generation has build.>>

I am not very quick to elevate our generation to a more spiritual status
than the one before us, or the one after us. As a quick observation, we
seem more satisfied with a coherent belief system; kids want action.

The kids today seem more ensnared by peer pressure, but maybe that is not
true either. Our generation planted the seeds for the nihilism of today. I
for sure would not want to be a high school or college kid trying to see my
way through these times.

Also, as far as our generation being genuinely spiritual -- how many found
their way to Baha'u'llah? So can our generation be called so spiritual?

Each generation seems to have its own few qualities that it deems the most
important in character; they are different each generation, but they all
seem to be a small selection from the array of qualities which Baha'u'llah
calls us to. We claim to be more peace oriented, but a lot of that comes
from the foundation laid by our parents. In general I think that our
parents, individually and as a generation, had our generation in mind when
they took collective steps like creating and paying for a system of higher
education, creating the UN. Our generation has its virtues, but so do the
others. Ours just fit like an old sweater and seem more comfortable to us.

Brent

All are the leaves of one tree...

2006-09-03 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

There is a similar passage, but not identical, in Promulgation. Otherwise, I 
have no idea where the verse in question may have come from.  The standards 
for inclusion were apparently not very clear in "Baha'i Scriptures".

Brent


Other wars are caused by purely imaginary racial differences; for humanity 
is one kind, one race and progeny, inhabiting the same globe. In the 
creative plan there is no racial distinction and separation such as 
Frenchman, Englishman, American, German, Italian or Spaniard; all belong to 
one household. These boundaries and distinctions are human and artificial, 
not natural and original. All mankind are the fruits of one tree, flowers of 
the same garden, waves of one sea. In the animal kingdom no such distinction 
and separation are observed.


(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 118)



Here is the text of Message 157007:

Date: Sat,  2 Sep 2006 21:00:01 -
From: "Larry Marquardt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: All are the leaves of one tree...

Regarding this verse,
"There is no difference as regards creation and kind; all belong to one
household; all are the leaves of one tree; all are the fruits of one
branch; all are the flowers of the same garden; all are the waves of the
same sea".
(Compilations, Baha'i Scriptures, p. 313)
Paragraph #633.
Does anyone know the source of this verse? Is this from a talk/tablet by
'Abdul-Baha? Are these the actual words of 'Abdul-Baha?

Thank you,
Larry







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Emphasis

2006-07-25 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

The question was recently asked by Gilberto, what Baha'i teachings are 
emphasized.  I have done a brief scan of Ocean and found these quotes; far 
from a complete list.

Brent


The virtues and attributes pertaining unto God are all evident and manifest, 
and have been mentioned and described in all the heavenly Books. Among them 
are trustworthiness, truthfulness, purity of heart while communing with God, 
forbearance, resignation to whatever the Almighty hath decreed, contentment 
with the things His Will hath provided, patience, nay, thankfulness in the 
midst of tribulation, and complete reliance, in all circumstances, upon Him. 
These rank, according to the estimate of God, among the highest and most 
laudable of all acts. All other acts are, and will ever remain, secondary 
and subordinate unto them...

(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 290)

So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth. 
The one true God, He Who knoweth all things, Himself testifieth to the truth 
of these words.
Exert yourselves that ye may attain this transcendent and most sublime 
station, the station that can ensure the protection and security of all 
mankind. This goal excelleth every other goal, and this aspiration is the 
monarch of all aspirations.

(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 288)

One righteous act is endowed with a potency that can so elevate the dust as 
to cause it to pass beyond the heaven of heavens. It can tear every bond 
asunder, and hath the power to restore the force that hath spent itself and 
vanished...

(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 286)

The first and foremost duty prescribed unto men, next to the recognition of 
Him Who is the Eternal Truth, is the duty of steadfastness in His Cause. 
Cleave thou unto it, and be of them whose minds are firmly fixed and 
grounded in God. No act, however meritorious, did or can ever compare unto 
it. It is the king of all acts, and to this thy Lord, the All-Highest, the 
Most Powerful, will testify

(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 289)

The spirit that animateth the human heart is the knowledge of God, and its 
truest adorning is the recognition of the truth that "He doeth whatsoever He 
willeth, and ordaineth that which He pleaseth." Its raiment is the fear of 
God, and its perfection steadfastness in His Faith. Thus God instructeth 
whosoever seeketh Him. He, verily, loveth the one that turneth towards Him.

(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 291)

Among the greatest of all services that can possibly be rendered by man to 
Almighty God is the education and training of children, young plants of the 
Abha Paradise, so that these children, fostered by grace in the way of 
salvation, growing like pearls of divine bounty in the shell of education, 
will one day bejewel the crown of abiding glory.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 133)

This divine image betokeneth all the qualities of perfection whose lights, 
emanating from the Sun of Truth, illumine the realities of men. And among 
the greatest of these attributes of perfection are wisdom and knowledge.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 140)

Today the greatest of all affairs in the Cause is firmness and 
steadfastness. A tree will not give fruit unless it be firmly rooted. A 
foundation will not last unless it be firm. There is nothing in this world 
of man greater than firmness. A soul who is firm will become a son of the 
Kingdom of God and will be confirmed with the power of the Holy Spirit.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v2, p. 343)

No attribute is more commendable than faithfulness. It is of the greatest of 
the virtues in the world of humanity.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v3, p. 634)

O ye beloved of the Lord! The greatest of all things is the protection of 
the True Faith of God, the preservation of His Law, the safeguarding of His 
Cause and service unto His Word.

(Abdu'l-Baha, The Will and Testament, p. 3)

In these days, the most important of all things is the guidance of the 
nations and peoples of the world. Teaching the Cause is of utmost importance 
for it is the head corner-stone of the foundation itself.

(Abdu'l-Baha, The Will and Testament, p. 10)

They that have forsaken their country for the purpose of teaching Our 
Cause -- these shall the Faithful Spirit strengthen through its power. A 
company of Our chosen angels shall go forth with them, as bidden by Him Who 
is the Almighty, the All-Wise. How great the blessedness that awaiteth him 
that hath attained the honor of serving the Almighty! By My life! No act, 
however great, can compare with it, except such deeds as have been ordained 
by God, the All-Powerful, the Most Mighty. Such a service is, indeed, the 
prince of all goodly deeds, and the ornament of every goodly act. Thus hath 
it been ordained b

Re: Lincoln's statement

2006-07-22 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

It was clear to me on reading this article, that the reporter did not get a 
number of things right:


"There are 350,000 Bahai in Iran"
Instead of "Baha'is"

Speaking of Shoghi Effendi as "the Effendi"

But we should not lose sight that it is a wonderful article, it shows the 
Faith in a very good light, and it likely increased the esteem of the 
Baha'is throughout Israel; which is, after all, what good relations with the 
press is all about.  I would say that it was a spectacular result.


Brent







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Re: delivering wives in Bible texts

2006-07-07 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

I have the impression that the Shias have a "stronger" concept of the

sinlessness of prophets than most Sunnis. Is that generally true of
Bahais?>

My impression is that the Baha'i view of the sinlessness of the Imams and of
Fatimih is very much in accord with the Shiah approach.

I feel like I've asked this before, but would Bahais also reject the

other Biblical accounts along these lines? (i.e. Noah getting drunk,
Lot getting drunk and committing incest, David committing adultery and
murder, Solomon committing idolatry and murder, Jonah running away,
Moses committing murder) (peace be upon all the prophets).>>

I think that many of these are symbolic. However, interestingly Shoghi
Effendi responded to a question this way:

"Genesis XIX, 29-38-the text makes it quite clear that Lot was not
responsible for the action committed by His two daughters, as they gave him
wine and made him drunk." (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi
Effendi: Dawn of a New Day, p. 201; also Lights of Guidance, p. 5012 #1689)

Also an unrelated request, as some still are doing this. When responding to
an earlier post, please, please, please do not simply hit reply, and burden
us with all of those earlier messages to scroll through. Please edit them
out; that's a standard part of netiquette.

Thank you
Brent

Celebration of this day

2006-05-23 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

23 May 1912

Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Francis W. Breed

367 Harvard Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts

From Stenographic Notes

Scientific knowledge is the highest attainment upon the human plane, for
science is the discoverer of realities. It is of two kinds: material and
spiritual. Material science is the investigation of natural phenomena;
divine science is the discovery and realization of spiritual verities. The
world of humanity must acquire both. A bird has two wings; it cannot fly
with one. Material and spiritual science are the two wings of human uplift
and attainment. Both are necessary -- one the natural, the other
supernatural; one material, the other divine. By the divine we mean the
discovery of the mysteries of God, the comprehension of spiritual realities,
the wisdom of God, inner significances of the heavenly religions and
foundation of the law.

This is 23 May, the anniversary of the message and Declaration of the Báb.
It is a blessed day and the dawn of manifestation, for the appearance of the
Báb was the early light of the true morn, whereas the manifestation of the
Blessed Beauty, Bahá'u'lláh, was the shining forth of the sun. Therefore, it
is a blessed day, the inception of the heavenly bounty, the beginning of the
divine effulgence. On this day in 1844 the Báb was sent forth heralding and
proclaiming the Kingdom of God, announcing the glad tidings of the coming of
Bahá'u'lláh and withstanding the opposition of the whole Persian nation.
Some of the Persians followed Him. For this they suffered the most grievous
difficulties and severe ordeals. They withstood the tests with wonderful
power and sublime heroism. Thousands were cast into prison, punished,
persecuted and martyred. Their homes were pillaged and destroyed, their
possessions confiscated. They sacrificed their lives most willingly and
remained unshaken in their faith to the very end. Those wonderful souls are
the lamps of God, the stars of sanctity shining gloriously from the eternal
horizon of the will of God.

The Báb was subjected to bitter persecution in Shiraz, where He first
proclaimed His mission and message. A period of famine afflicted that
region, and the Báb journeyed to Isfahan. There the learned men rose against
Him in great hostility. He was arrested and sent to Tabriz. From thence He
was transferred to Maku and finally imprisoned in the strong castle of
Chihriq. Afterward He was martyred in Tabriz.

This is merely an outline of the history of the Báb. He withstood all
persecutions and bore every suffering and ordeal with unflinching strength.
The more His enemies endeavored to extinguish that flame, the brighter it
became. Day by day His Cause spread and strengthened. During the time when
He was among the people He was constantly heralding the coming of
Bahá'u'lláh. In all His Books and Tablets He mentioned Bahá'u'lláh and
announced the glad tidings of His manifestation, prophesying that He would
reveal Himself in the ninth year. He said that in the ninth year "you will
attain to all happiness"; in the ninth year "you will be blessed with the
meeting of the Promised One of Whom I have spoken." He mentioned the Blessed
Perfection, Bahá'u'lláh, by the title "Him Whom God shall make manifest." In
brief, that blessed Soul offered His very life in the pathway of
Bahá'u'lláh, even as it is recorded in historical writings and records. In
His first Book, the Best of Stories, He says, "O Remnant of God! I am wholly
sacrificed to Thee; I am content with curses in Thy path; I crave nought but
to be slain in Thy love; and God, the Supreme, sufficeth as an eternal
protection."

Consider how the Báb endured difficulties and tribulations; how He gave His
life in the Cause of God; how He was attracted to the love of the Blessed
Beauty, Bahá'u'lláh; and how He announced the glad tidings of His
manifestation. We must follow His heavenly example; we must be
self-sacrificing and aglow with the fire of the love of God. We must partake
of the bounty and grace of the Lord, for the Báb has admonished us to arise
in service to the Cause of God, to be absolutely severed from all else save
God during the day of the Blessed Perfection, Bahá'u'lláh, to be completely
attracted by the love of Bahá'u'lláh, to love all humanity for His sake, to
be lenient and merciful to all for Him and to upbuild the oneness of the
world of humanity. Therefore, this day, 23 May, is the anniversary of a
blessed event.

(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 139)

Recommendation of Roy Mottahedeh's Introduction on jurisprudence

2006-04-22 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

Roy Mottahedeh's translation of Muhammad Baqir as-Sadr's "Lessons in Islamic 
Jurisprudence" was published by Oneworld.  I wanted to recommend his 
Introduction to that book, which is a very cogent and helpful summary of the 
sources and history of Islamic law.  I am suggesting it not only when giving 
a course on Islam, but using its contents when giving talks on the Baha'i 
Faith; because sometimes it is the contrast between Islamic law and 
Baha'u'llah's approach, or how jurisprudential terms of art are used in 
Islam and the Baha'i Faith, that would clarify and provide perspective on 
Baha'i law for the friends.


I will admit that Sadr's writings on the foundations and dynamics of 
jurisprudence were far less accessible to me.


Brent 






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Ranking of Maxwell School

2006-04-13 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law


http://tinyurl.com/qjupo

Maxwell School ranked 64th out of 279 secondary schools in B.C. Canada; 
higher than all the public schools, and 3rd among the private schools in its 
area.


Brent






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Baha'is in solar and wind energy fields

2006-04-08 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

I am interested in connecting Baha'is and spouses of Baha'is who are 
familiar with wind and solar energy research and applications, to the Barli 
institute, an SED project of the NSA of India.  Please have them contact me 
and I'll put them in touch.

Thanks
Brent
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The falcon

2006-02-22 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

"Thus it hath been made clear that these stages depend on the vision of the
wayfarer. In every city he will behold a world, in every Valley reach a
spring, in every meadow hear a song. But the falcon of the mystic heaven
hath many a wondrous carol of the spirit in His breast, and the Persian bird
keepeth in His soul many a sweet Arab melody; yet these are hidden, and
hidden shall remain."

(Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys, p. 28)

"I am the Sun of Wisdom and the Ocean of Knowledge. I cheer the faint and
revive the dead. I am the guiding Light that illumineth the way. I am the
royal Falcon on the arm of the Almighty. I unfold the drooping wings of
every broken bird and start it on its flight."

(Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 169)

Baha'u'llah describes Himself as a very remarkable falcon. It sings; and it
doesn't catch birds and rip them apart, it helps the weak birds and
encourages them to fly.

Brent

Re: Quote about recognition

2006-02-10 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

Date: Thu,  9 Feb 2006 16:47:00 -
From: "Simeon Kohlman Rabbani" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: re: Quote about recognition

Is it this line from the Lawh-i-Aqdas?

"Verily, We behold all created things moved to bear witness unto Us. Some
know Us and bear witness, while the majority bear witness, yet know Us
not."

Peace,
Simeon

Simeon, that exactly states the principle I am thinking of, thank you; and I 
hadn't connected it.  However, it isn't the quote I'm thinking of, which as 
I recall comes from the Master.

Thank you
Brent

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Quote about recognition

2006-02-09 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

I am looking for a passage in the Writings -- I believe it is in one of the
Tablets or addresses of the Master; I thought it was in Some Answered
Questions but I can't find it there. It says something along the lines of
some people are under the sway of the Revelation and know it; and some are
under the sway of the Revelation and don't know it. Something like explicit
and implicit recognition.

It expresses this same principle, in different words:

"In such manner hath the Kitáb-i-Aqdas been revealed that it attracteth and
embraceth all the divinely appointed Dispensations. Blessed those who peruse
it. Blessed those who apprehend it. Blessed those who meditate upon it.
Blessed those who ponder its meaning. So vast is its range that it hath
encompassed all men ere their recognition of it." (Tablets of Baha'u'llah,
p. 200)

Thanks
Brent

A Prophet before one thousand years?

2006-01-28 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

The quotes the Guardian gathered in the Dispensation state as explicitly as 
any subject in the Baha'i Writings that it will be not less than 1000 years 
before the next Manifestation.  The Covenant, unlike other subjects in the 
Faith (like the mystical teachings) are not hidden and waiting to be 
discovered.  They are express.  The Covenant is absolutely crystal-clear, in 
explicit verses.  Not only Baha'u'llah's written Covenant to turn to the 
Master; and the Master's Covenant to turn to the House and the Guardian; but 
in addition Baha'u'llah's Covenant regarding the appearance of the next 
Manifestation.  The thousand years could not be more explicit. (WOB 132)


It should also be noted that the guidance is not that a Manifestation will 
come in a thousand years.  We do not know the time; only that it will be 
"not less" than a thousand years.  Maybe it will be five or ten thousand 
years.


"Maybe not all will follow it because they know the guidance will be there 
"until" the next Revelation, if I'm not wrong after that event, the House 
will be fallible. But, as the quote indicates the unity of followers is 
assured.">>



"I'm not sure if the Universal House of Justice would maintain its

authority once the next Manifestation appears. When Abdu'l-Baha was
asked about the meaning of "whoso layeth a claim to a revelation
direct from God,' He answered that for the next thousand years no one
should presume to breathe a word against the House of Justice. Might
this open up all kinds of possibilities as to what happens after those
thousand years?">>

The Master promised in His Will that both Manifestations guide the House of 
Justice.  I don't think the Master is saying that the Manifestations will 
stop guiding it in 1000 years.  I think this is another way of His saying 
that when the new Manifestation comes, He or She will have all power, and 
the reference to the thousand years is not to a time, but to an event, the 
coming of the new Manifestation, whenever it occurs.  The House itself says 
in its Constitution that it is the Writings themselves that are guaranteed 
authority until the next Manifestation; and by implication, the same is true 
of the House.


"The provenance, the authority, the duties, the sphere of action of the 
Universal House of Justice all derive from the revealed Word of Bahá'u'lláh 
. . .  The authority of these Texts is absolute and immutable until such 
time as Almighty God shall reveal His new Manifestation to Whom will belong 
all authority and power."  (The Universal House of Justice, The Constitution 
of The Universal House of Justice, p. 4)


The thing is that it is my understanding that the Guardian said that there 
will always be a Universal House of Justice.  This is not a temporary 
measure set up solely during the Dispensation of Baha'u'llah; but rather, a 
permanent feature in the world, a permanent part of the "machinery" brought 
by Baha'u'llah for the entire future of  the world:


"After Bahá'u'lláh many Prophets will, no doubt, appear, but they will be 
all under His shadow. Although they may abrogate the laws of the 
Dispensation, in accordance with the needs and requirements of the age in 
which they appear, they nevertheless draw their spiritual force from this 
mighty Revelation. The Faith of Bahá'u'lláh constitutes, indeed, the stage 
of maturity in the development of mankind. His appearance has released such 
spiritual forces which will continue to animate, for many long years to 
come, the world in its development. Whatever progress may be achieved in the 
later ages-after the unification of the whole human race is achieved -- will 
be but improvements in the machinery of the world. For the machinery itself 
has already been created by Bahá'u'lláh. The task of continually improving 
and perfecting this machinery is one which later Prophets will be called 
upon to achieve. They will move and work within the orbit of Bahá'í cycle." 
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer 
dated November 14, 1935; Lights of Guidance, p. 473, #1561; and Directives 
from the Guardian, p. 61, #164)


We have seen how the Universal Manifestation treats the laws of former 
Dispensations, in the Aqdas.  We have not yet seen how manifestations lesser 
in rank than a Universal Manifestation, will relate to the laws of a 
Universal Manifestation, when They come after Him.  Maybe they will treat 
Baha'u'llah's laws with a greater degree of deference, than Baha'u'llah 
treated the laws of Muhammad and the Bab and the earlier Prophets.


We have also never seen a situation where a Prophet appeared in the world at 
a time when an infallibly-guided person or body from the previous 
Dispensation was still in the world.  So our conjectures that the new 
Prophet would appear, and at His or Her appearance the rug is automatically 
pulled out from under the House of Justice, which is then blind to the new 
Manifestation -- is sheer conjecture based more

Nice article about a pioneer!

2006-01-25 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law


http://www.moscowtimes.ru/stories/2006/01/26/045.html




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Fw: Harvard Professorship of Science & Religion

2005-12-20 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

- Original Message - 
From: "Phillip Tussing" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2005 1:29 PM
Subject: Harvard Professorship of Science & Religion

This message comes to you from the history tarikh-list
No forwarding allowed

Please consider this, and pass to any Baha'is who may be interested to 
apply.
This would be a perfect seat for a Baha'i.  Even for the review committee 
to

become aware of Baha'i views would be a great accomplishment.

Richard T. Watson is endowing a Professorship of Science and Religion at 
the
Harvard Divinity School. A search committee is being assembled to identify 
a
permanent scholar, but a visiting professor in science and religion will 
be

funded in 2006-7.

I can't find a description of the search online.  I got my information 
from
Harvard Divinity Today (Fall 2005), a quarterly publication of the 
Divinity
School.  Contact William Graham, Dean of the Divinity School (my former 
thesis

advisor, and an Islamist),

Office Phone: +1 617 495 4513
Andover Hall 200
+1 617 495 5757
Semitic Museum
Office Fax:+1 617 496 8026
University Mailing Address:Harvard Divinity School
Andover Hall
45 Francis Ave
Cambridge MA 02138
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

Secretary to the Dean: Suzanne Rom ([EMAIL PROTECTED]), 
617.495.4513,

Phillip

URL to archives is http://listserv.buffalo.edu/archives/tarikh-list.html

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Article about a Baha'i on Emory University Faculty

2005-11-22 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

Article about a Baha'i on the Emory University faculty in the American 
Studies Department, Pellom McDaniels, who was previously a pro football 
player on the Kansas City and Atlanta football teams:

http://tinyurl.com/8vpw5

Here is a photo of him:

http://i.cnn.net/si/images/football/nfl/players/2446.jpg

Elsewhere on the Web I learned that some years ago he established the Arts 
for Smarts Foundation

http://tinyurl.com/b9rj3
which exposes underprivileged children to the arts, and also established the 
Fish Out of Water Writing Club which publishes student writing.  His work 
with children has been featured on the CBS Sunday Morning TV program.  He is 
the author of "My Own Harlem" which describes his own personal renaissance 
through poetry, and "So You Want to be a Pro" which gives advice on personal 
and professional success.


Brent





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Letter of the House of Justice regarding recitation of the Greatest Name

2005-11-16 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

Can someone direct me to an online source for the letter of the House of 
Justice instituting the binding practice of recitation of the Greatest Name 
95 times?

Thanks
Brent 






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Tree of fire

2005-10-29 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

In unraveling the mystery of the "Hidden Treasure" tradition, the Master 
explains that it refers to the gradual movement of the Manifestation from 
concealment to Manifestation, and that the tree aflame symbolizes one of the 
stages:




O wayfarer in the path of the Beloved! Know thou that the main purpose of 
this holy tradition is to make mention of the stages of God's concealment 
and manifestation within the Embodiments of Truth, They who are the 
Dawning-places of His All-Glorious Being. For example, before the flame of 
the undying Fire is lit and manifest, it existeth by itself within itself in 
the hidden identity of the universal Manifestations, and this is the stage 
of the "Hidden Treasure". And when the blessed Tree is kindled by itself 
within itself, and that Divine Fire burneth by its essence within its 
essence, this is the stage of "I wished to be made known". And when it 
shineth forth from the Horizon of the universe with infinite Divine Names 
and Attributes upon the contingent and placeless worlds, this constituteth 
the emergence of a new and wondrous creation which correspondeth to the 
stage of "Thus I called creation into being". And when the sanctified souls 
rend asunder the veils of all earthly attachments and worldly conditions, 
and hasten to the stage of gazing on the beauty of the Divine Presence and 
are honoured by recognizing the Manifestation and are able to witness the 
splendour of God's Most Great Sign in their hearts, then will the purpose of 
creation, which is the knowledge of Him Who is the Eternal Truth, become 
manifest.


(`Abdu'l-Bahá, quoted in The Kitab-i-Aqdas, pp. 175-176)



In the Iqan Baha'u'llah refers to Himself as the "flamelike Youth", and 
seems to be saying here that He is in the stage between concealment and 
Revelation in Iraq, prior to His declaration:




Say O people of the earth! Behold this flamelike Youth that speedeth across 
the limitless profound of the Spirit, heralding unto you the tidings: "Lo: 
the Lamp of God is shining," and summoning you to heed His Cause which, 
though hidden beneath the veils of ancient splendour, shineth in the land of 
Iraq above the day-spring of eternal holiness.


(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 147)



In the Revelation of John is promised the One with eyes of flame:



His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like 
a flame of fire


Revelation 1:14



And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him 
was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make 
war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and 
he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed 
with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And 
the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in 
fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that 
with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of 
iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty 
God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF 
KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.


Revelation of John 19:11 – 19:16



Baha'u'llah unseals this verse in Javahiru'l-Asrar:



He saith: "His eyes were as a flame of fire" … How could these words be 
literally interpreted? … Know then that He who uttered these words in the 
realms of glory meant to describe the attributes of the One Who is to come 
in such veiled and enigmatic terms as to elude the understanding of the 
people of error. Now, when He saith: "His eyes were as a flame of fire", He 
alludeth but to the keenness of sight and acuteness of vision of the 
Promised One, Who with His eyes burneth away every veil and covering, maketh 
known the eternal mysteries in the contingent world, and distinguisheth the 
faces that are obscured with the dust of hell from those that shine with the 
light of paradise. Were His eyes not made of the blazing fire of God, how 
could He consume every veil and burn away all that the people possess? How 
could He behold the signs of God in the Kingdom of His names and in the 
world of creation? How could He see all things with the all-perceiving eye 
of God? Thus have we conferred upon Him a penetrating vision in this day. 
Would that ye believe in the verses of God! For, indeed, what fire is 
fiercer than this flame that shineth in the Sinai of His eyes, whereby He 
consumeth all that hath veiled the peoples of the world? (Bahá'u'lláh, Gems 
of Divine Mysteries, pp. 52-54)




So the Light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame

Isaiah 10:17



And the verse from Revelation says that He had a name written, that no man 
knew.  In Revelation 3:12 Jesus refers to His return, and to the name of 
God, and the name of the City of God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from 
heaven, and to His own new name.  This verse is fulfilled

Re: Abdul-Baha and savages

2005-10-20 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

I recall something along that line but don't know where it was
Brent

- Original Message - 
From: "M Chase" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Baha'i Studies" ; "Brent Poirier" 
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2005 4:17 PM
Subject: Re: Abdul-Baha and savages

Dear Brent,

I found that same quote of Shoghi Effendi too after searching both of the 
sources you mentioned, but I am wondering did the House ever write a 
letter addressing this or am I mistaken in thinking such a letter ever 
existed?  Even if the House's letter cannot be found, does anyone else 
remember it ever existing?

Sincerely, Marleen 

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autocorrect Baha'I

2005-09-19 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law


In Word:

Tools
Autocorrect options

I think you will see that "i" is to be changed to "I" and if you delete that 
option then Baha'i won't become Baha'I.


You can also autocorrect Baha'i to change to Baha'i with the accent over the 
a and the i.


I wrote on this in much more detail in two messages on this list some time 
ago, but until Escribe comes back up you can't see them and I didn't save 
them:


http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist/m39795.html



http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist/m40756.html


Brent 






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Re: Religion and Law

2005-09-14 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

- Original Message - 
From: "Don Calkins" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The basic meaning is, I believe, very inexpensive, rough clothing. In 
relatively recent times, sackcloth was typically tho't of as feedsack 
material.  > From this, the meaning could be that the wearers would be 
poor and possibly outcast, not permitted to earn enough money for better 
quality clothing. The other possibility is that they would be in mourning 
for the people having fallen away from the religion of God. As I remember, 
some of the Old Testament prophets adopted sack cloth garb.


Strong's Concordance says that the Greek word here translated as "sackcloth" 
was "sakkos, i.e. mohair (the material or garments made of it, worn as a 
sign of grief): - sackcloth."


However, in connection with the Master's explanation that the meaning of 
sackcloth is more related to the garments being "old":


It is said they "are clothed in sackcloth," meaning that they, apparently, 
were to be clothed in old raiment, not in new raiment; in other words, in 
the beginning they would possess no splendor in the eyes of the people, nor 
would their Cause appear new; for Muhammad's spiritual Law corresponds to 
that of Christ in the Gospel, and most of His laws relating to material 
things correspond to those of the Pentateuch. This is the meaning of the 
old raiment. (Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 48)


... this statement by the Bab in the Book of Seven Proofs is illuminating:

"Indeed observe how He Who representeth the origin of creation, He Who is 
the Exponent of the verse, 'I, in very truth, am God', identified Himself as 
the Gate [Bab] for the advent of the promised Qa'im, a descendant of 
Muhammad, and in His first Book enjoined the observance of the laws of the 
Qur'an, so that the people might not be seized with perturbation by reason 
of a new Book and a new Revelation and might regard His Faith as similar to 
their own, perchance they would not turn away from the Truth and ignore the 
thing for which they had been called into being."   (Selections from the 
Writings of the Bab, p. 119)


Brent






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The Letter that proceeded

2005-03-16 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

This is a selection from one of the prayers for the Fast by Baha’u’llah:

"I beseech Thee, O my God, by that Letter which, as
soon as it proceeded out of the mouth of Thy will,
hath caused the oceans to surge, and the winds to
blow, and the fruits to be revealed, and the trees
to spring forth, and all past traces to vanish, and
all veils to be rent asunder, and them who are
devoted to Thee to hasten unto the light of the
countenance of their Lord, the Unconstrained, to
make known unto me what lay hid in the treasuries
of Thy knowledge and concealed within the
repositories of Thy wisdom. Thou seest me, O my
God, holding to Thy Name, the Most Holy, the Most
Luminous, the Most Mighty, the Most Great, the Most
Exalted, the Most Glorious, and clinging to the hem
of the robe to which have clung all in this world
and in the world to come."
(US Baha’i Prayers, p. 242)

This is an explanation of this prayer from a Pilgrim’s note reportedly from
`Abdu’l-Baha:

>Explanation of the First Portion of the Second Commune, which is taken from
the "Prayer of the Dawn."
  This "Letter" means a person. As the word came forth from the Mouth,
that person is the reflection of the Light of God. It is the Letter in which
are all the mysteries of the Holy Books. It is the Letter that came forth
from the Mouth of the Blessed Perfection.
  "The seas moved" - the seas of existence; the seas of life; the seas
of sciences; the seas of knowledge; the seas of understanding; the Seas of
the Love of God rolled.
  "The winds did blow" - these breezes are the causes of life to the
trees. These are the fragrances which will revive the beloved of the Kingdom
of God, and which will cause the fragrance to exhale from them.
  "The fruits appeared" - the new conditions upon the earth began to
manifest and appear.
  "The trees began to thrive" - the trees are the people in the Paradise
of Abha, who, through the fragrance of this Letter will be nourished.
  "The traces were destroyed" - these are the ancient traces which are
destroyed by the Light. For example, the radiance of the Sun will destroy
the sparkling of the star.
http://www.bahai-library.org/pilgrims/brittingham.html >

(Brent continued:) In general, a "letter" means a follower of the Word, a
follower of the Prophet. My own guess is that in this instance, the Letter
is `Abdu'l-Baha.  Who else would have such influence?

It is interesting that although in general only the Prophet is referred to
as the "Word" in one instance, i.e. in the Tablet of the Branch, Baha'u'llah
refers to the Master as a "Word". (WOB 135)

There is also this passage:

"It is evident that the Letter is a member of the Word, and this membership
in the Word signifieth that the Letter is dependent for its value on the
Word, that is, it deriveth its grace from the Word; it has a spiritual
kinship with the Word, and is accounted an integral part of the Word. The
Apostles were even as Letters, and Christ was the essence of the Word
Itself; and the meaning of the Word, which is grace everlasting, cast a
splendour on those Letters. Again, since the Letter is a member of the Word,
it therefore, in its inner meaning, is consonant with the Word."
(Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 60)

Brent





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Very interesting statistics

2005-03-05 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

 http://studycircle.angeltowns.com/worldwide_growth.htm 

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Attainment unto all good

2005-03-04 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

I am interested in the connection between "all good" in these verses.  I
know that Khazeh has written about the letter "sad" I believe, in connection
with the "good" in the New Testament Jesus spoke of, and I want that
connection, too.

Thanks,
Brent

"In the year nine ye shall attain unto all good."

"The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition
of Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation and the
Fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the
Kingdom of His Cause and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth
this duty hath attained unto all good"

"And now, concerning the House of Justice which God hath
ordained as the source of all good"

"And Jesus said unto him, "Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one,
that is, God."
(Luke 18:19)





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Fw: Dan Seals

2005-02-28 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law



> http://www.hiddengifts.org/we_are_one/

A very beautiful song with photo montage
Brent

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Fw: U.S. educators needed to assist with potential Baha'i-based public school

2005-02-28 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

- Original Message - 
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 

To: Baha'i Discuss 
Sent: Monday, February 28, 2005 6:59 PM
Subject: U.S. educators needed to assist with potential Baha'i-based 
public school

Dear Friends,
Jade has asked me to forward this, and requests that it be disseminated as 
widely as possible.  Please forward it if you know anyone who may be 
interested.  
All replies should be sent to her at [EMAIL PROTECTED].
Thanks
Becky

<<

Allah'u'Abha   Dear  Friends,  (LSAs, please forward to 
all community members)

I am an educational leader who has been eager to eventually open a 
public/charter school based totally on Baha'i principles.  I have written a 
charter school application and presented 
it in different states, not Colorado. I have focused on multicultural 
education, have Colorado licenses to be principal or superintendent, 
 and am bilingual in Spanish.  

Several days ago, the Denver Public School system put out an RFP (request 
for proposal) 
to convert a failing public school in Denver to a contract or charter 
school for grades PreK-8, and which will share a campus with Cole Middle School, 
which is now becoming a KIPP (Cole College Prep School).  It presently 
has about 325 students, PreK-5, but can accommodate over 
600.  Mitchell is predominantly Hispanic (82%) and over 13% African 
Americans;  95% of the students qualify for  free or 
reduced-price lunch; and about 45% 
are identified as English Language Learners.  This school has the 
lowest test scores in 
the entire state.  

This is a perfect opportunity for Baha'is to take 
over a public school and turn it around with our wonderful 
principles.

The deadline for this proposal is MARCH 18, 2005.   
There is almost no time to think about this for long.  NOW is the time for 
individual initiative and be willing to cooperate in any way you 
can.

I propose a school that follows Baha'i principles completely, a 
multicultural community 
center that supports the students and the parents, one that is bilingual 
for all students, or 
as close to that as possible, which teaches the spiritual principles of all 
world religions as part of the social studies curriculum, which is allowed, that 
promotes unity and a sense of world citizenship and leadership locally and 
globally, which totally integrates--in effect, not just in principle--the arts 
and technology , by teaching these subjects daily and within projects such as TV 
and video production to improve verbal skills as well as technology abilities; 
that promotes alternative types of physical education including meditation and 
Tai Chi, proven to improve academic performance.  I would also consider 
using the Montessori method in the early childhood phase (PreK-2) and perhaps 
the International Baccalaureate curriculum, which is compatible, 
in grades 3-8.  IN short, it would become an academy 
of rigor, while focused on the three types of education clearly outlined by 
'Abdu'l-Baha:  material, human and spiritual. 

INDIVIDUALS ARE NEEDED IN THE FOLLOWING 
AREAS:

  FOUNDING BOARD MEMBERS WHO WILL GIVE THE SCHOOL A LEGAL STRUCTURE 
  AND GUIDANCE 
  LEGAL ADVISORS TO FORM A NON-PROFIT AND OTHERWISE ADVISE 
  FINANCIAL ADVISORS INCLUDING ACCOUNTANTS, MBA, ADMINISTRATORS, 
  ETC. TO DIRECT THE ANNUAL BUDGET, (THIS IS STILL A PUBLIC SCHOOL 
  SO STRICT GUIDELINES MUST BE ADHERED TO), ENVISION 3 
  & FIVE YEAR GROWTH PROJECTIONS, ETC. 
  TEACHERS AND TEACHER AIDS, (SOME OF WHOM MAY COME FROM 
  SPANISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES),  ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO ARE 
  BILINGUAL, ALTHOUGH NO ALWAYS REQUIRED.  THOSE WHO ARE ALSO WILLING TO BE 
  TRAINED IN CORE CURRICULUM, MONTESSORI, ESL, IB AND OTHER APPROACHES AND 
  METHODS, WITH STAFF DEVELOPMENT FUNDS.  
  OFFICE SUPPORT STAFF 
  MAINTAINANCE STAFF 
  CAFETERIA SUPPORT STAFF 
  BUILDING CONTRACTORS, DEVELOPERS, ARCHITECTS, ETC 
  PSYCHOLOGISTS, SOCIAL WORKERS, NURSES, AND OTHER SIMILAR 
  SUPPORT STAFF 
  PUBLIC RELATIONS, DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC AND FUND RAISING 
  SPECIALISTS 
  VOLUNTEERS IN READING WITH CHILDREN, SCHOOL BUILDING, AND MANY 
  OTHER AREAS 
  COMMUNITY RELATIONS 
GOAL:  TO HAVE AS MANY BAHA'IS WORKING IN PAID 
AND VOLUNTEER POSITIONS AS POSSIBLE, TO HAVE A BAHA'I DOMINATED SCHOOL BOARD 
(CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE SCHOOL DISTRICTS UNTO THEMSELVES) 
& ADMINISTRATION.

If you are in support of creating a Baha'i PUBLIC 
SCHOOL, please respond to this notice ASAP and indicate in what way you are 
willing to serve.  I would like to call for a meeting within the next 10 
days in order to meet the March 18 deadline for a proposal.  

Kindest regards to all, 
Jade 
Amick-Fulgenzi
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Tawhid

2005-02-03 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law

Two of Baha'u'llah's Tablets are the Madinat Al-Tawhid, the City of the
Oneness of God; and the Lawh Al-Tawhid, the Tablet of the Oneness of God.

An excerpt from the first is selection XXIV in Gleanings, p. 59 and begins,

"Beware, o believers in the Unity of God* lest ye be tempted to make any
distinction between any of the Manifestations of His Cause, or to
discriminate against the signs that have accompanied and proclaimed their
Revelation.  This indeed is the true meaning of Divine Unity*, if ye be of
them that apprehend and believe this truth."

(* tawhid in the original)

The second is excerpt XXVI in Gleanings, p. 60 and begins,

"Praise be to God, the All-Possessing"

His elaboration of the meaning of tawhid is worthy of the most careful
reflection

Brent


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Re: Mr. Khadem's comment (was: Prophets seeing the future)

2005-02-03 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law




Tim, on further reflection I would like to say 
something about the legitimacy of Mr. Khadem's comment about 
Promulgation.
 
I would compare it first of all to Paris 
Talks.  Paris Talks is, to me, the simplest, least challenging of the 
Master's addresses or Tablets.  It is baby food.  The Master was 
displeased with Paris, with its unkindness to foreigners, its preoccupation with 
material things, etc.  The addresses in Paris Talks are not 
burdensome.
 
Promulgation is a step up from that.  However, 
most of it is appeals to unity.  Towards the end of it, there are a few 
addresses on the Covenant that are more challenging, more of a separating the 
sheep from the goats.  Commands.  
 
Paris Talks, and most of Promulgation, lacks 
command.  There is precious little about the laws of the Faith. 

 
I recall a pilgrim's note where Shoghi Effendi said 
to first give people milk, then meat (or maybe he said "hard bread") and that 
the laws were the hard bread.
 
Baha'u'llah didn't reveal His laws till the 
midpoint of His ministry.  Before that were mostly appeals to spiritual 
growth -- attraction.  The believers were not ready for the voice of 
command.  Attraction to the laws, to the voice of command, is, I believe, a 
sign of spiritual maturity.
 
I think that the community that had had the direct 
influence of the Manifestation for the longest -- Iran -- was the recipient of 
much more spiritually demanding material from the Central Figures.  People 
have to start someplace.
 
The main example from Promulgation would be, in my 
opinion, the address to the Open Forum.  This was a group that followed a 
socialist atheist advocate of free love from Scandinavia, whose name I have 
forgotten.  The Master very gently and humorously shows the people the 
folly of only pursuing the physical pleasures of life ("Why should we go to the 
colleges?  Let us go to the cow!")  Absolutely nothing demanding in 
that talk.
 
Also, the Master said to one of His companions that 
in His public addresses He gave the people no cause for opposition.  He was 
conciliatory in tone.  After people are attracted, then the more 
challenging aspects of the Cause -- the laws and institutions for example -- can 
be brought in.
 
So I think that there was a lot of merit to 
Jinab-i-Khadem's loving comment.  But, I freely admit that it was mostly 
meant for me.
 
Brent
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Re: Mr. Khadem's comment (was: Prophets seeing the future)

2005-02-03 Thread Brent Poirier Attorney at Law




Perhaps he had Yours Truly in mind, more than the American 
people as a whole!
 
Brent

  - Original Message - 
  From: 
  Tim Nolan 
  
  To: bahai-st@list.jccc.edu ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
  Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2005 5:08 
  PM
  Subject: Mr. Khadem's comment (was: 
  Prophets seeing the future)
  
  Dear Brent,
   
  >After a pause he asked, "Have you read the Promulgation of 
  Universal Peace, the Master's addresses to the American people?"Yes, I 
  said that I had.  He paused again for a courteous moment, then said, 
  "Have you noticed it was as if He was speaking to small 
  children?"<
   
  In what way are the talks in Promulgation  addressed to
  small children?  They don't look that way to me.
  How would Abdu'l Baha have spoken differently to
  mature adults?    I don't see why Mr. Khadem said 
  this.
  The talks in PUP seem very profound and illuminating to me,
  and aimed at adults.
   
  Tim Nolan
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