Baha’i Rants is back after a well deserved summer hiatus. There is a lot to catch up on so lets get started with a quick round up of what has transpired recently.
BAHA’I NEWS ROUNDUP
Another Baha’i has been unenrolled. Larry Rowe from Canada had his membership withdrawn by the National Spriritual Assembly of Canada. Its mind boggling how idiotic the NSA’s decision was because Larry clearly believes in Baha’u'llah and is a Baha’i. Rather than dealing with and talking about, the issues that he raised, the NSA decided to take the easy way and just boot him out. Hmmm…didn’t Shoghi Effendi say something about ‘dictatorial authority’ and ‘arbitrary power’? Larry worded his letter to the NSA in a very specific way to elicit a response to something which they vociferously deny and ignore. Rather than read the letter with wisdom, the NSA chose to read it like a heartless beaurocrat.
And sadly, another Baha’i may be destined for the same end. It all started when Brendan, a person I must confess impresses me with his eloquence and rapier sharp wits, started posting several essays on the internet (if curiousity is getting the better of you, they are in talk.religion.bahai and in the ‘Files’ section of Yahoo!Groups: Unenrolled Baha’i and Talisman). Of course, they are harmless opinions of one individual Baha’i. But since when did that stop the thought police? An alert and we must add, rather anal, Baha’i, breathlessly forwarded Brendan’s postings to the Auxilliary Board Member for Protection, Shahkar Arjomand. Arjomand swiftly countered Brendan’s words with his own. I feel it my duty - even though charges of cliche peddling will be levelled at me - to remind Brendan that when engaged in a battle of wits, one must have the compassion to abandon the field of battle when facing an opponent as utterly and wholly unarmed as Arjomand.
Being the good little trouper that he is, Arjomand went further and asked to meet Brendan to ‘talk about his views’. Needless to say, this invitation was for a ‘friendly and social’ visit and had nothing to do with Arjomand’s station as an ABM. Oh no, it was just a friend dropping by for a visit. Well, not exactly, as Brendan and Shahkar have never met. Lets say it was a friendly visit … that was scheduled like a dentists appointment three weeks in advance (August 14). Oh and Arjomand is ‘dropping by’ … by driving more than an hour. But its just a social visit! Oh, erm, but Brendan must meet with Shahkar alone. None of his friends can be there for this ‘friendly’ visit and neither can his fiance be there. I may be naive but it sure is building up to be one hell of a Code Red. If I may offer Brendan an observation; ABMs for protection come for social visits the same way that, oh say, a Tyrannosaurus Rex gets a might peckish.
On a lighter note, Sen McGlinn’s book on Baha’i views on theocracy has just been published by Kalimat Press. Its title, Church and State, is rather boring, but the content is sure to be anything but. Having read many of Sen’s postings on Talisman, I can’t wait to get my hands on this tome. I recommend that you buy this book, not only to learn about a very important and tragically misunderstood facet of the Baha’i Faith, but to also support a fantastic independent Baha’i publisher.
I couldn’t help but notice that Spritual Degrees hasn’t put out anything in over three months. I hope it wasn’t something I said.
And finally, its official; the end of the world is nigh. No, the four horsemen of the Apocalypse haven’t galloped down Main Street. Its worse. Baha’is in the US have been teaching by going door-to-door (as reported from American Baha’i magazine). Yup, you know, knocking on people’s door and starting a conversation with a total stranger about something as personal as their religious convictions. Some have defended this strategy saying technically, its not proselytizing. This reminds me of an obnoxious game my nephew used to play with me where he would hover his hand millimeters away from my face and add a raucous chorus of I’m not touching you, I’m not touching you….
GLOBAL ROUNDUP
Iran
Home to a lot of pistachios, murdering Mullahs, large deposits of oil, the two Baha’i sites for pilgrimage and just recently, a magnificently rigged election. Yes, ‘the election’ is over and Baha’i Rants has egg all over its face. Rafsanjani did not win. On the bright side, Baha’i Rants has a lot of company being completely wrong because everyone (except Khamenei) was surprised by this. Yet, after all the noise and clatter of views and counterviews, nothing elemental has changed. As I’ve repeatedly said, no structural change will occur in Iran with the price of oil where it is because it gives the ruling kleptocracts too much leeway to fill in the gaps of a corrupt and decaying regime with petrodollars. After all, the cash that was given to hordes of Basijis (the fanatical militia controlled by Khamenei) to bully voters into supporting a dark horse candidate, has to come from somewhere.
Iran also recently executed two young men for the crime of homosexuality. This appalying wrong against humanity is even more shocking when you consider that one of them was not even 18 years old. The execution of a minor is illegal in Iran but then again, when have things happened according to the law (either moral, domestic or international) in Iran? This tragedy gives the Baha’i representatives to the United Nations an opportunity to prove that they exist to implement the principles of the Faith, irregardless of partisanship and partiality. Human rights are exactly that, human. And we as Baha’is must fight for them for all of humanity. Not just for Baha’is.
Chile
Home to Pablo Neruda, world famous BBQ and gauchos … and the latest Baha’i Temple. Well, eventually it will be built, we hope, and pray. But don’t hold your breath. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts things got off to a rocky start. And things haven’t exactly gotten any better. The site that has been purchased is in the middle of nowhere and as such requires a lot of work to prepare. Ground breaking hasn’t happened yet and won’t for a good while. Part of the difficulties have to do with technical challenges (dragging construction equipment and crew out to the back country) as well as legal and procedural ones (permits for water, hydro, sewer extensions, etc.) as well as environmental assessment and permits. Its an uphill climb (pun unintended). Even with the reservations expressed, Baha’i Rants wishes the project all the best and at the same time, acknowledges that it probably won’t be finished for a good 2-3 years.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
Here is a small smattering of what you can look forward to in the following weeks and months:
What does Pythagoras have to do with the Baha’i Faith?
Continuing installments of Its a Little Known Fact
My pilgrima… I mean, visitation to Israel
Baha’i Speak
Reviews of Baha’i cyberspace discussion forums
Continuing installments of the LA Study Class Newsletter
It will take approximately two to three years to manufacture the pieces in Canada. Afterwards they will be shipped to Chile for final assembly. This may seem like an odd way to build such a structure but it turned out to be the most cost effective solution among the options considered. 
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