I live in area that I am the minority and a well despised minority at that. Just recently while attending a function if looks could kill I would not be here to write this. It doesn’t matter what fuels hate whether it is race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, hate is hate. I could not imagine the ramifications of an action to one of those mom’s who didn’t think that I or my children belonged there by telling them in WORDS that as much as they hate me I love them. I respect their right to hate me for my color, key word is “right”.

I most certainly would follow the directions of my grand father, serving me well this far which it to kill with kindness. Living kindness and finding a compassion for those who suffer from affliction are Writing found in the BR. I contend that hate is an affliction. The only method I have found that really works is allowing them their right to hate and living the example and teaching my son’s that it doesn’t pay to hate back or even for that matter point out that I don’t have hate because it is who I am and what I do and not what I say that matters. Love is a wordless and it is soundless, at least I think it started that way. Now with the word LOVE defined by man, it is a word used as both a sword and a salve.

I pointed out I did not read the book, however the tone in the story really appealed to something that didn’t feel like LOVE, allowing her her G-d given right to hate with dignity in her mind she thinks she LOVES G-d and her “hate” for Abdul’Baha may just have been her way to show G-d how much she LOVES Him by her despise for the Master. Whether right or wrong her story of hating something she does not understand is not unique and did the Master win her heart? (Please share since you read the book)

I wonder how the story would have read it the Master acted instead by asking for a fragrant rose to be secretly laid on the path he knew she would take for her to discover, privately and pick up for it’s beauty. Is it likely without knowing who put it there that she would thank G-d for the gift and the giver whom ever it may be that left it there for her. Would her despise for something she doesn’t understand begin to get a different view when she smelled the roses on her path as she walked by him? Might the smell of the rose distract her hate, at least for a moment?

I think there are many ways to abolish hate but none of them involve WORDS.

I agree to “mock” would be uncharacteristic of the Master which is why I commented on it.

Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.-Bahá’u'lláh

What was the deed of this story?

I do find the story you quoted somewhat difficult to believe that Abdul’Baha would not only mock this woman at a time she looked upset, but do so in the presence of others and intentionally add to her discomfort…

Mock? It is beyond me how anyone could get the impression that Abdu’l-Baha was mocking her. She was obviously bothered because of her prejudice and He attempted to let her know that He recognized her prejudice and hatred but that He loved her. None of us were there at the time of this anecdote but to characterize the Master’s behavior as ‘mocking’ is a stretch, to say the least, and also completely and categorically uncharacteristic of Him.

Baquia,

It is questioning to think of what could be gained with this type of anecdote quoted where more vanity then humility is taught.

This is a great point, Bird.

I am soooo glad you are up and running, I thought for a minute the BIA (Bahà’í Internet Agency) pulled the plug..lol. One never knows where Counselor Birkland may be hovering with his wand to magically make “free thinkers” disappear. I bought the book, Memories of Nine Years in Akka, for stiff price of $50+ shipping and I had just begun reading it when I put it down because I wasn’t getting into it from the first few pages. I was advised to read it because I was told I have the same fire as some of the American Bahà’í women mentioned, however, it along with all my library went back to the BF on 02.05.08. I never read it and by the sounds of it I am not sure I would really enjoy it. I would not find “back biting” an attractive read nor the alleged spiritual demise of people labeled “CB’s”.

I do find the story you quoted somewhat difficult to believe that Abdul’Baha would not only mock this woman at a time she looked upset, but do so in the presence of others and intentionally add to her discomfort and contribute to his muse and any witness. It is questioning to think of what could be gained with this type of anecdote quoted where more vanity then humility is taught.

Frank,
this is way off topic and is more of a personal “email” to you, but I was just reading up on Unitarianism and I find that many of the Unitarian tenets are quite close in spirit to the Baha’i teachings. Would you agree?
(I feel like I’m hijacking this thread - sincere apologies Baquia, but I recall reading somewhere that we shouldn’t put personal info in our posts)

Hello Ismaël,

I think you are correct if you replace the ‘many’ in your question with the word ’some.’ BTW I am still learning about Unitarianism so my answer might not be completely accurate according to some others.

Unitarians believe that truth can be found in all religions except those that are negative or violent. They use sacred scripture from many religions as well as poetry and prose from almost any source that is consistent with a spiritual outlook. So in this way they have similar beliefs to Baha’i.

But Unitarians don’t believe in the divinity of Christ or any other religious leader, nor do they accept dogma of any kind. This is very different from Baha’i, I believe. The Unitarian faith is not creed based but is organized around principles of behavior, not theological belief. Jesus is generally understood as a wise teacher and leader, similar to Buddha, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King. Unitarians value outreach and social action. The clergy do not have authority, rather that is held by the local congregation.

I don’t think it is necessary to believe in God the way Christians and Baha’is do to be a Unitarian. The church I joined is not only Unitarian it also has an affiliation with The United Church of Christ, a more traditional church. The church does meet for the worship of God (not all Unitarian churches would say they do that I believe) and the churches covenant is: “In the love of Truth, and in the spirit of Jesus, We unite for the worship of God, and the Service of all.”

I hope this answers you question.

Peace,
Frank

Praising someone’s effort in spite of a lackluster performance - be it in giving a talk, presenting a play or whatever the situation may be - is in fact an excellent strategy when it is done publicly. Mr. Winters, I know exactly how you felt when that senior course member offered what you thought were undue praises. But publicly underscoring the shortcomings of an individual is the province of shock television and politics, not Baha’i social life. This of course has no relationship to voicing constructive criticism in the context of consultation. I see it more like telling a host that the roast and soup were delicious even though I had a real hard time to swallow them. There’s no point in being negative in a social context, quite the contrary, negativity breeds contempt and had feelings.

This reminds me of moments when, coming home from Feast, I think to myself: “There is no way I’m ever taking a new believer to Feast, it’s going to turn them right off.” Yet I always have to remind myself that Feast is only as “good” as the effort I put into it myself. If I don’t like it, I invest efforts in making it better. If you think the quality of the sessions at GA is dwindling, you should absolutely contact people in charge and offer to facilitate one of your own. Too many people complain about things that are almost inherent to social life without making true and honest efforts to correct them, me included. That’s what’s “shameful and lazy”, not praising someone for an effort that fell short…

Dear Ismaël,

I think you make some excellent points and I tend to agree with you. However in the case of my Greenacre experience the praise was so high and the performance so poor that I still wonder exactly what happened. I do not advocate public criticism in such a social situation, rather I advocate more moderate, appropriate thanks for the effort. I did voice my opinion when the administrator in charge asked me about the session, but i did not blast it, I merely recounted what happened.

As to running sessions at GA myself, I no longer am a Baha’i so that might not be possible. I did join a Unitarian church recently and am running an Emerson discussion group. The Minister told me she may ask me to give a talk on Baha’i. If this happens I will be fair and will let the local Baha’is know about it as well.

As to making an honest effort to correct social or other mistakes, I do speak out and have always attempted to face facts and be honest in my expressions of belief and in my actions. But I did not counter the praise given that day at GA. I had been quite vocal during the entire session and I’m certain the other participants knew how I felt. The praise that was given was ridiculous.

Peace,
Frank

This reminds me of moments when, coming home from Feast, I think to myself: “There is no way I’m ever taking a new believer to Feast, it’s going to turn them right off.” Yet I always have to remind myself that Feast is only as “good” as the effort I put into it myself. If I don’t like it, I invest efforts in making it better. If you think the quality of the sessions at GA is dwindling, you should absolutely contact people in charge and offer to facilitate one of your own. Too many people complain about things that are almost inherent to social life without making true and honest efforts to correct them, me included. That’s what’s “shameful and lazy”, not praising someone for an effort that fell short…

Baquia,
Can you remove my comments from the “transparency” blog.