[quote comment=""]All this ranting gives much food for thought, but there is a danger of becoming overweight in the head and forgetting the most elementary basis of religious belief: God is there to help us and not us to save Him..[/quote]
Well said Farhan! About this ranting business, whenever reading/hearing the saying and writings of people, these Words of Baha’u'llah always come to my mind:
[quote comment=""]“Warn … the beloved of the one true God, not to view with too critical an eye the sayings and writings of men. Let them rather approach such sayings and writings in a spirit of open-mindedness and loving sympathy.”[/quote]
The tone of the above article (haven’t read other articles but I think I’ve got a general feeling now) and the comments that it’s generated so far however demanded a response in a similar tone.
If something bothers me I bring it up openly and in a respectful way and wait and pray that I’d be guided to hear my answer… no need to rant! It’s worked so far for me and I humbly suggest the same to others.
Loving greeting,
Mehyar

[quote comment="57621"]One little factor that is missing in the equation of yours is…. Baha’u'llah&Bab! Do you think that The Twin Manifestations who are clearly mentioned as Ones guiding the Universal House of Justice would have nothing also to do with the election of its members?[/quote]

Good point. Here’s what Baha’u'llah says:

“For instance, the Universal House of Justice, if it be established under the necessary conditions – with members elected from all the people – that House of Justice will be under the protection and the unerring guidance of God.”
(`Abdu’l-Baha: Some Answered Questions, Page: 172)

What Baquia is pointing out is that the members are not being “elected from all the people”. Effectively, a tiny nomination pool of House appointees are the ones being elected.

With the results we see today.

ka kite
Steve

Steve,

When you say:

“What Baquia is pointing out is that the members are not being “elected from all the people”. Effectively, a tiny nomination pool of House appointees are the ones being elected.”

You hit the nail on the head.

But why is this? My guess is that an election from all the people as Baha’ullah envisioned is not practicable. The Baha’i approach to elections is very high minded but doesn’t seem to work in practice.

Do you agree?

Frank

[quote comment=""][...]“What Baquia is pointing out is that the members are not being “elected from all the people”. Effectively, a tiny nomination pool of House appointees are the ones being elected.”[/quote]
Please lets leave dear Baquia out of this! From his/her earlier comments he/she would only be happy with the election of a person who does not serve on the institutions – as otherwise he would be promoting himself, right?! Whether we like it or not, membership on the House of Justice requires administrative and not only charity experience!

[quote comment=""]The Baha’i approach to elections is very high minded but doesn’t seem to work in practice.[/quote]
The way the House of Justice is elected is explicitly defined by the Master, so not much room for leeway there! With the creation of more and more international institutions (eg recently we have a new international Board for Huquq, with more surely to follow), together with more contact between the NSAs (eg at the international convention there are continental conferences and delegates are encouraged to come earlier and get to know each other) to name but two combined with delegates awareness of their sacred duty, will surely make the pool to choose from larger and larger.
What’s all this worry about the closed loop stuff anyway?! With this kind of talk aren’t you moving towards advocating voting based on a persons proposed agenda (eg against Ruhi, against Plans, against everything!). Isn’t this against the spirit and principles of the Baha’i election?
Please lets first look at into own local communities and see when voting for the LSAs and unit conventions (if applicable Councils and NSAs) if we ourselves are following the Baha’i principles! Doubt it very much!
Finally lets be patient with the evolving nature of the Administrative Order… lots of changes will be made till the Administrative Order becomes the World Order of Baha’u'llah! Till then rest assured and happy!
Loving greetings,
Mehyar

[quote comment="57643"]My guess is that an election from all the people as Baha’ullah envisioned is not practicable. The Baha’i approach to elections is very high minded but doesn’t seem to work in practice.

Do you agree?[/quote]

Hi Frank,

I prefer to wait until attempts have been made to observe the principle before commenting on whether it works or not.

But yes, it’s a big challenge to follow Baha’i principles rather than “priests of error who have hindered the progress of the people in past dispensations and who will continue to do so in future cycles” (Gems of Divine Mysteries, paragraph 54)

Reporter: What do you think of western civilization?
Mahatma Gandhi: I think it would be a very good idea.

ka kite
Steve

[quote comment=""][...]What Baquia is pointing out is that the members are not being “elected from all the people”.[/quote]
That’s not what s/he wants (see his/her last response). S/he won’t be happy until someone who is not on the Baha’i administration gets elected to the House. Unfortunately, the membership on the House requires administrative/consultative capacity… whether one likes it or not! The same with membership on the ITC, NSA, LSA, …! After all, what use is there to have a person on a committee who although very “spiritual” cannot articulate, consult, see the truth in others’ sayings,…?
[quote comment=""][...]Effectively, a tiny nomination pool of House appointees are the ones being elected.[/quote]
Sorry, but I have to point out what is subtly implied when we make such a statement with reference to “House appointees”: that we don’t trust the intention/decision of the House of Justice in appointing someone to serve in a certain capacity! Isn’t this the beginning of the sawing the seed of doubt in ones heart? Anyway, no big deal, serving on the House of Justice is not the only way to serve!

As to the “tiny nomination pool”, the pool is that of all the male Baha’is over 21 in the world! That, many delegates turn to the ITC as the first place is understandable. They are the right hand of the House of Justice, for goodness sake! Now also we have the Board of Trustees of Huquq which can also serve as a future “pool”! In the future we will have many more such additions. However, if still not happy with these friends being appointed by the “source of all good and freed from all error” (ie House of Justice!) then when anyone of us becomes a delegate (=NSA member) in 2012 then we should start worrying! Till then why worry and waste precious time?! This time the worry is about the House members coming from the ITC, next Convention the worry will be that there are no changes on the House,… worrying it seems never stops for some people!
[quote comment=""][...] an election from all the people as Baha’ullah envisioned is not practicable.[/quote]
Election from all the people is not what was envisioned by Baha’u'llah. Abdu’l-Baha’s reference to “all the people” made in Some Answered Questions and quoted by Steve is further clarified in His Will and Testament:
[quote comment=""]House of Justice which God hath ordained as the source of all good and freed from all error, it must be elected by universal suffrage, that is, by the believers. Its members must be manifestations of the fear of God and daysprings of knowledge and understanding, must be steadfast in God’s faith and the well-wishers of all mankind. By this House is meant the Universal House of Justice, that is, in all countries a secondary House of Justice must be instituted, and these secondary Houses of Justice must elect the members of the Universal one. Unto this body all things must be referred…[/quote]
All that’s being done by the House of Justice is in strict accordance with the guidance in the tablets and letters of the Central Figures of the Faith. If the election of the House was to take place through direct election by all the believers wouldn’t have we already had it for the past 40 years?!
[quote comment=""]The Baha’i approach to elections is very high minded but doesn’t seem to work in practice.[/quote]
The approach to elections is also: very simple! It however requires more responsibility on behalf of the voter and a larger pool of “human resource”. Be patient friends! There will be a lot of changes on the way before the Administrative Order evolves into the World Order of Baha’u'llah… relax and stay tuned!

Loving greetings,
Mehyar

[quote comment=""]But yes, it’s a big challenge to follow Baha’i principles rather than “priests of error who have hindered the progress of the people in past dispensations and who will continue to do so in future cycles” (Gems of Divine Mysteries, paragraph 54)[/quote]
Steve! I don’t know who who and you are referring to by “priests of error”, but from its context in the Tablet itself those priests/learned/”ulama” who prevent the recognition of the next Manifestation of God are implied. The Tablet was also revealed before Baha’u'llah’s proclamation in Iraq… there were a few “priests of error” at that time as there are now!
Loving greetings,
Mehyar

“Be patient friends! There will be a lot of changes on the way before the Administrative Order evolves into the World Order of Baha’u’llah.”

Yes, there will be many changes; but first, High Commander Megazord must return from his sojourn to his home planet Gamma Vile to help usher in the age when all humankind will acknowledge the revelations of Baha’u'llah and his invisible lieutenant Phuyado Fasha Zhagamod III.

In the interim, we can all enjoy relax and enjoy a good joke:

http://www.deism.com/bahaitodeist.htm

Religion from Man, not from God! Oh, these silly Deists! Just wait until they meet Queen Ghazopo Soghi Shebigizh and Her Divine Consort Kufor Xer Ghunub, and then they will know the Holy Power Terror Redemption Ray of vogaxo suqi vejolheph jelhulhu mahe faxepozh!

[quote comment="57673"]“Be patient friends! There will be a lot of changes on the way before the Administrative Order evolves into the World Order of Baha’u’llah.”

Yes, there will be many changes; but first, High Commander Megazord must return from his sojourn to his home planet Gamma Vile to help usher in the age when all humankind will acknowledge the revelations of Baha’u'llah and his invisible lieutenant Phuyado Fasha Zhagamod III.

In the interim, we can all enjoy relax and enjoy a good joke:

http://www.deism.com/bahaitodeist.htm

Religion from Man, not from God! Oh, these silly Deists! Just wait until they meet Queen Ghazopo Soghi Shebigizh and Her Divine Consort Kufor Xer Ghunub, and then they will know the Holy Power Terror Redemption Ray of vogaxo suqi vejolheph jelhulhu mahe faxepozh![/quote]

Man, I just love Thomas Paine’s “The Age of Reason”. Keep it by my bedside and read it every morning and evening. I really do. Where did I get that habit? Sometimes I meditate on a passage and then listen to this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wG6Cgmgn5U

Henry McCullough’s famous version with that overdrive C-D-E intro lick always makes me feel better. That’s him om his Gibson Les Paul Gold Body back in ’69.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FMq0iDX1yE

As to all this discussion on here of late about the Institutions of the Baha’i Faith, you can end all the anguish by just switching over to a more Shirley MacLaine oriented analysis. Baha’u'llah was a person in the 19th century who went through a New World Age Cosmic Stargate. No big wup. That was then. This is now after two tragic World Wars and endless growth of the Military Industrial Complexes of all the nation state systems out there. It is all about the innate powers of the souls of people born into this world now to deal with this situation with nuclear weapons and institutionalized dysfunctional fundamentalist and ideological stupidity everywhere. It is all basically about brain chemistry. Who is on the “paper” physical “Universal House of Justice” is completely irrelevant now. All that is all even a kind of cosmic joke now. Just a study in esoteric archetypal dofussness.

What counts is the SPIRITUAL Cosmic Universal House of Justice. That Cosmic membership is everywhere and changes hourly. That is the nine best souls on the planet at any given time who are ACTUALLY GOOD AT SOMETHING! ANYTHING! Today, for me, it is the nine best guitarists on the planet. Monday when I go to work it will be the nine best software engineers on the planet whose handiwork on the Internet is bringing down all systems of people with their heads completely up their asses regardless of race, color, creed, sexual orientation, or national origin. And that includes deluded people of impaired cosmic perception who think they are serving on the “actual” Institutions of the Baha’i Faith. The “Baha’is” are the people doing the ACTUAL WORK of the World Age whether they ever heard of Shirley MacLaine or not.

I spent all last night in a restaurant talking at an impromptu dinner with eleven Obama campaign workers. It was like being in the Baha’i Faith back in 1971! What an empowering evening! I think I will spend today playing my guitar.

Everyone have a nice weekend!

[quote comment="57668"][quote comment=""][...]What Baquia is pointing out is that the members are not being “elected from all the people”.[/quote]
That’s not what s/he wants (see his/her last response). S/he won’t be happy until someone who is not on the Baha’i administration gets elected to the House.[/quote]

You’re mistaken. Baquia’s last response is here and he says no such thing.

[quote]Unfortunately, the membership on the House requires administrative/consultative capacity… whether one likes it or not! The same with membership on the ITC, NSA, LSA, …! After all, what use is there to have a person on a committee who although very “spiritual” cannot articulate, consult, see the truth in others’ sayings,…?[/quote]

That’s not what you were saying earlier:

[quote]“I propose even if the NSAs elect you [Baquia] and I to the House, His Will will continue to unfold even through us two exceptionally wonderful and eligible Baha’is. The election procedure outlined by Abdu’l-Baha is to me understood as like the procedure to fertilise an egg, follow the steps and the result is a baby!”[/quote]

[quote][quote comment=""][...]Effectively, a tiny nomination pool of House appointees are the ones being elected.[/quote]
Sorry, but I have to point out what is subtly implied when we make such a statement with reference to “House appointees”: that we don’t trust the intention/decision of the House of Justice in appointing someone to serve in a certain capacity! Isn’t this the beginning of the sawing the seed of doubt in ones heart?[/quote]

Nonsense. I’m stating a fact in neutral language. The ITC members are appointed by the House, and, effectively, that’s the pool from which new House members have been coming from. This isn’t about who is appointed; it’s about the results at election time. Any negative implications you may see in the appointment process — which no-one has commented on, except you — are yours alone.

[quote]As to the “tiny nomination pool”, the pool is that of all the male Baha’is over 21 in the world![/quote]

I agree, although I’d add “in good standing” to your list of requirements. What I’m talking about is the effective nominating pool. Your comprehension will improve if you don’t skip important words.

[quote]However, if still not happy with these friends being appointed by the “source of all good and freed from all error” (ie House of Justice!)…[/quote]

Again, no-one has expressed unhappiness with the appointments. The problem is that these appointments have effectively become a nominating pool, resulting in ideas being recycled in a closed loop, as Baquia puts it.

[quote]All that’s being done by the House of Justice is in strict accordance with the guidance in the tablets and letters of the Central Figures of the Faith. If the election of the House was to take place through direct election by all the believers wouldn’t have we already had it for the past 40 years?![/quote]

Tautology.

My advice to you: Try to see the words that do exist, and try to miss the words that don’t exist.

ka kite
Steve

[quote comment="57668"][quote comment=""]What Baquia is pointing out is that the members are not being “elected from all the people”.[/quote]
That’s not what s/he wants (see his/her last response). S/he won’t be happy until someone who is not on the Baha’i administration gets elected to the House.
Mehyar[/quote]

[quote comment="57661"][quote comment=""][...]“What Baquia is pointing out is that the members are not being “elected from all the people”. Effectively, a tiny nomination pool of House appointees are the ones being elected.”[/quote]
Please lets leave dear Baquia out of this![/quote]

Ummm… I’m a little confused. You want to leave me out of this but then go ahead and ascribe motivations and aspirations to me?

Just so that it is clear, all I’m doing is pointing out a factual, historical event: that the highest elected Baha’i administrative body has moved from one where it was comprised of NSA members to one where it is comprised of ITC members.

This is relevant and important change to be cognizant of for primarily one reason: the UHJ itself appoints the ITC members which creates an organization which has its tail firmly planted in its mouth.

As well as not being appointed but elected by Baha’is of each ountry, the NSA pool is a much larger one than the ITC one.

I fail to see how you have deduced my private thoughts about who should be elected to the UHJ. What I’m pointing out is a much more important and broader theme.

As a corollary, I’m also interested to know what, if any, effects such a change in organizational behavior will bring to bear upon the wider Baha’i world.

One which is self evident is a narrower and narrower focus on activities which are dictated from the ITC/UHJ whereas before Baha’is would undertake projects and teaching efforts based on the needs of the country and region. As well, we are confronting a potentially damaging ossification of Baha’i culture when fewer and fewer ideas are allowed to enter the administrative bodies because of their closed loop nature.

In effect, this is creating the real possibility of “group think”. The same fallacy which lead the US government to “make up” evidence and to disregard opposing evidence in the run-up to the Iraq war. I bring that analogy up with reluctance because I fear it will be misinterpreted. But as a case study of group think, the Bush administration is above none.

[quote comment="57621"]Sorry I offended you. As I said I do like the chart. I remember something similar (actually a long detailed analysis) was done in the UK many years back by the late Rama Krishnan, which was published in the UK’s Baha’i Journal. That helped change the voting pattern in the UK. Your chart can be of benefit to the delegates as I’ve already said. The brilliance referred to two areas only: the “feedback loop” conclusion and ECBC membership being “not technically ITC”?![/quote]

I wasn’t offended but thank you for your consideration Mehyar What I was pointing out was that it was all factual. The feedback loop is real. It is a fact. Whether you think it is a good thing or a bad thing or neutral is another matter. It is however, very real and based on the evidence. As well, the ECBC is not the ITC “technically” but it does act with similar purpose and it is similarly, appointed, not elected. Hence, Adib Taherzadeh was, as I wrote: “Adib Taherzadeh – member of ECBC (also appointed by the UHJ but not technically member of ITC)”

Perhaps my wording is clumsy but again what I wrote is 100% factual. I get the impression that you don’t like the facts and therefore wish to ascribe some sort of negative motivation to me. But I could be wrong there

If you want to share the document, feel free. You can embed it, email it, print it, etc. Check out the tools and menu options.

Here is a link to an article that offers an excellent analysis of the current state of Baha’i (realistic observation rather than wishful thinking)

“Declaring Covenant breakers becomes effectively uniformity rather than unity … The Bahá’ís cannot allow such diversity. Yet diversity is a product of maturity and confidence … In a hundred years there may be less paranoia in the Bahá’í community, that is within its make-up, coming from having excommunicated so many competitors for leadership in its reasonably short history and its subsequent maintenance of uniformity from the time of Shogi Effendi.”

Baha’i Boosters will howl, of course. If a dog barks in the woods, and a tree falls on it, how will a True Believer react when he burns his tongue on his porridge?

Please pardon my lack of correct ending of quotations with its resulting consequence… maybe a preview button would be good! Anyway, dear Baquia, I hope you can remove my previous message. Thanks.

Dear Baquia,
Thanks for your kind response.
[quote comment=""]I fail to see how you have deduced my private thoughts about who should be elected to the UHJ.[/quote]
Sorry, but my conclusion was based on the following section of your email in which you basically reduced the work of the ITC/counsellors to those mostly “social climbers” attending “endless meetings and coming up with inane jargon” unlike those who are “busy actually doing something to help the world” in which you gave the example of a friend doing charity work. Most of the friends on administration are by the way also talking about the “pyramids” (and not the ones in Egypt) so most of them are by this token like the counsellors. Hence we are left with the “ones who are busy actually doing something to help the world”, ie the charity workers.
[quote comment=""]the majority of those serving on the ITC/counsellor, etc. have accomplished that position by being very good social climbers[...]Those that are busy actually doing something to help the world are far too busy to spend their valuable time in endless meetings and coming up with inane jargon like “What does the pyramid look like in our cluster?”[/quote]
Anyway, why not make the same charge of “social climbers” against the members of the NSA, Council, LSA, committee, etc?! Sometimes I think if the “holy people” foretold by Baha’u'llah (http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/SAB/sab-205.html) were to appear now in our communities there would be the same accusations against them. As to the NSA members that you regard so highly from which you suggest the House members should be elected, let’s not forget that they are the same ones who vote in the House members… maybe we should trust their decision a little bit, no? … or do we have a problem with them too?! Finally, as to this NSA pool, could it be that the ones most highly regarded and visible by the Baha’ world (UK, USA, Canada and India in the absence of an Iranian NSA) don’t have any suitable candidates serving on them at present?!
[quote comment=""]is a narrower and narrower focus on activities which are dictated from the ITC/UHJ whereas before Baha’is would undertake projects and teaching efforts based on the needs of the country and region. As well, we are confronting a potentially damaging ossification of Baha’i culture when fewer and fewer ideas are allowed to enter the administrative bodies because of their closed loop nature.[/quote]
Sorry, but when was the last time you were involved in your cluster activities?! Projects and teaching efforts have been based on the needs of the clusters (much smaller than regions!) for more than 10years! The core activities are not to the exclusion of other activities and they have been named as “portals to entry by troops”… what’s wrong with focusing on opening our devotional meetings, children’s classes, study of the Word of God (Study Circles), junior youth groups to all the people?… many had been doing that for years now the World Centre is asking all the friends to develop experience in these areas and to share their successes with others so that a new Baha’i can faster and with more confidence and skill be involved in the life of the community and its expansion and consolidation…. that the past 10 years of guidance regarding the “advancement in the process of entry by troops” has been caused by membership to the House of Justice of ITC members is simply to ignore the urgency of the times that we are living in and lack of appreciation of the maturity of the friends around the globe to take charge of the Faith in their back yard without meeting with this or that LSA or committee… anyway that’s another subject of contention it seems!
[quote comment=""]I get the impression that you don’t like the facts and therefore wish to ascribe some sort of negative motivation to me. But I could be wrong there[/quote]
What I notice, is how nicely you’ve written your responses (at least to me) compared to, may I say, sensationalist way you write your articles in general! Nothing wrong with the facts, actually much appreciate them, my personal problem is just with the tone of the articles and the subsequent responses it attracts which I notice includes those from a learned Wizard… I suppose the site would not be Baha’i Rants otherwise, ha?!
Take care dear Baquia, good luck and stay well,
With loving greetings,
Mehyar

ps thanks for sharing your thoughts and opinion… I wish you were in my community… we could do with your critical thinking (a little bit mellowed out would do no harm!)

Mehyar wrote:

[quote post="488"]Sorry, but when was the last time you were involved in your cluster activities?![/quote]

Yay cluster meetings, one of the reasons I became inactive. Who wants to go to badly run happy clappy meetings where they make you do skits all the time, sing happy clappy songs, and draw pretty pictures, all the while getting badgered into dragging your poor innocent friends along to dreadful Baha’i activities for the sole purpose of conversion, doing more and more Ruhi, and praising the lord until the cows come home or entry by troops happens (the former is more likely). Yeah right!

[quote post="488"]Projects and teaching efforts have been based on the needs of the clusters (much smaller than regions!) for more than 10years![/quote]

Bollocks! Needs of the clusters never came into it. It was always 5 year plan, 5 year plan, 5 year plan, and a bunch of dumb spuds up the front with their Ruhi pyramid preaching Ruhi, devotional meetings, and kiddies classes. And the concept of clusters has not been around for over ten years, it came into being during the last 5 year plan.

[quote post="488"]The core activities are not to the exclusion of other activities and they have been named as “portals to entry by troops”…[/quote]

Bollocks! many good activities have been sacrificed in the name of the “three portals”.

[quote post="488"]what’s wrong with focusing on opening our devotional meetings, children’s classes, study of the Word of God (Study Circles), junior youth groups to all the people?…[/quote]

Oh yay, just what society needs, more born again Christians, oops, sorry Baha’is, preying on, oops, praying for their souls. When will we start door knocking? Oh no! for shame! we’ve already started! When will we start hand clapping? Oh no! for shame! Thats what we do at Cluster meetings! When will we start talking in tongues? oops, better keep quiet about that, but I’m sure some bright spark somewhere will be going “what a good idea!”

[quote post="488"]many had been doing that for years now the World Centre is asking all the friends to develop experience in these areas and to share their successes with others so that a new Baha’i can faster and with more confidence and skill be involved in the life of the community and its expansion and consolidation….[/quote]

Aka develop novel (if it is remotely possibly in the Baha’i Faith) or use existing indoctrination techniques (Aka Ruhi = Truth Study) for preying on the weak minded just like many charismatic churches. Watch out! watch out! Here come the drooling hoards of lobotomised Baha’i zombies on the prowl, wanting to feast on our flesh! Wife! wife! get me the shotgun now!

[quote post="488"] that the past 10 years of guidance regarding the “advancement in the process of entry by troops” [/quote]

Rebranded from Entry by Troops because no masses were entering the Faith. Bugger, that really bolloxed up the Baha’is grand plans for conquest. When the world is fighting against obesity, Baha’is are promoting it because their definition of a person of capacity is someone with a large appetite for Tardiq (crispy bits in Persian rice if you didn’t know) [I borrowed this from somewhere, can't remember where, but if you invented the definition, full credit to you].

[quote post="488"]urgency of the times that we are living in [/quote]

Wooo, sounds like a Jehova’s Witness now. Good God! Knock knock! Hello! Do you believe the world is getting worse today? Join the Baha’i Faith. Would you like to read our Watchtower, oops sorry, Ruhi magazine?

[quote post="488"]and lack of appreciation of the maturity of the friends around the globe to take charge of the Faith in their back yard without meeting with this or that LSA or committee… [/quote]

Yes because we’re all horrible intellectual philosophisers with covenant breaking and independent thinking tendencies with a large capacity for Tardiq! Hence Ruhi and cluster meetings to break our spirits, lobotomise our brains and fill our minds with trash.

Welcome to the real Baha’i Faith. Bright and glossy on the outside, rotten and ugly on the inside. You can shove your clusters and portals up where the sun don’t shine!

Mehyar wrote:[quote comment="57740"]Projects and teaching efforts have been based on the needs of the clusters (much smaller than regions!) for more than 10years![/quote]

Are you sure? My understanding is that the concept of clusters was introduced for general consumption by the House in 2001:

“During the coming months, you will be helping national communities, whose circumstances differ widely, to formulate plans for systematic growth. There are many countries where increased institutional capacity, particularly at the level of the region, now makes it possible to focus attention on smaller geographical areas. Most of these will consist of a cluster of villages and towns, but sometimes, a large city and its suburbs may constitute an area of this kind. Among the factors that determine the boundaries of a cluster are culture, language, patterns of transport, infrastructure, and the social and economic life of the inhabitants. The areas into which a region divides will fall into various categories of development. Some will not yet be open to the Faith, while others will contain a few isolated localities and groups; in some, established communities will be gaining strength through a vigorous institute process; in a few, strong communities of deepened believers will be in a position to take on the challenges of systematic and accelerated expansion and consolidation.”
9 January 2001, from THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors

I remember when that letter came out, and I thought, “Well that’s a big change from what we’ve been doing.”

ka kite
Steve

Steve wrote:
I remember when that letter came out, and I thought, “Well that’s a big change from what we’ve been doing.”

Steve, I would say a great *addition* to what we have been doing, although by defining new priorities, we are obviously attracting people into new activities and crowding out (temporarily) from many previous activities.

The structure of the elected and appointed pillars will continue unabated, but now, the teaching work is being systematised and organised. This new activity does not need to be systematised on administrative structures as before, but on practical basis of who can meet easily and work in small groups, within neighbourhoods, families and friends.

In France it is working beautifully well and the teaching work is showing unprecedented growth. Fire-sides, study circles, children’s classes, devotional prayers are flourishing, and new Baha’is are no longer abandoned to themselves but swiftly empowered into activities.

Dozens of previously inactive baha’is and non-Baha’is are taking the teaching work into their own hands. This is especially important amongst youth. Previously hardly 50% of kids from Baha’i families were becoming active, whereas now kids are dragging their parents into activities.

Baquia,

Great chart. Thanks for putting it together. I believe there is one error though, Hugh Chance retired in 1993.

Nice catch David. The year is written incorrectly as 1998 but the chart does show his service ending correctly on 1993.

[quote comment="49412"]Hi Baquia,
I have been following your blog for a couple of months now, as far as I’m concerned you and some of your regular commentator are the few remaining sensible voices in a Faith totally weighed down by its administration and ham-fisted attempts at indoctrination (eg Ruhi Process) which are in total contradiction to the Baha’i principles of equality and independent investigation of thought.
Regarding the Universal House of Justice, I have to admit to me, as a woman, it will never be a true and transparent representation of all Baha’is because it can only ever be all male. Yes, yes, before everybody replies with various references to the Writings, I know that it has been decreed so and so it shall be. I also know that when asked to explain WHY, Shogi Effendi basically couldn’t give a straight answer, instead it was one of those we-can’t-explain-the-mystery-that-is-God replies. I’m interested to know what your thoughts are?[/quote]
[quote comment=""][...] To celebrate this and to “deliberate on its exigencies” the Universal House of Justice today called for 41 regional conferences to be held around the world. Check the last paragraph to see if your city is on the list. Each of the regional conferences will have 2 ITC counsellors as representatives of the UHJ. And Baha’is wonder why there is a revolving door between the two administrative bodies! [...][/quote]

Perhaps the most reasonable explanation about the Men of the House of Justice was given to me in a personal conversation with Bill Hatcher. He suggested, which is all anyone can do from our positions of ignorance, that the emancipation of women would be resisted by traditional cultures around the world if it was seen, or argued to be simply a “feminist agenda”. The principle of the full emancipation of women in the Baha’i World Faith is driven at the highest administrative level by men.

I will also take this opportunity to express my dismay and bewilderment at the tone of some of the comments I have read in this forum. There is a very good reason why the future is “unknown and unknowable” – it is in the Hands of the Creative Spirit of the Universe and will most likely bear little resemblance to anyone’s opinion.

What do you hope to establish with your rants?

You might find this article, The Service of Women on the Institutions of the Baha’i Faith, written in 1988 of interesthttp://www.h-net.org/~bahai/docs/vol3/wmnuhj.htm