Comments on: The Covenant http://bahairants.com/the-covenant-5.html A personal Baha'i blog. Sun, 23 Nov 2008 11:07:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: The Situation is Hopeless, But Not Serious http://bahairants.com/the-covenant-5.html#comment-33142 The Situation is Hopeless, But Not Serious Fri, 15 Jun 2007 22:38:45 +0000 http://bahairants.com/the-covenant-5.html#comment-33142 [...] denounced on the floor of the US National Convention by a member of the NSA as “worse than covenant-breakers” and hounded within the Baha´i community, causing many to eventually leave. The Baha´i [...] […] denounced on the floor of the US National Convention by a member of the NSA as “worse than covenant-breakers” and hounded within the Baha´i community, causing many to eventually leave. The Baha´i […]

]]> By: Bahais Believe Only Good Exists http://bahairants.com/the-covenant-5.html#comment-32461 Bahais Believe Only Good Exists Sat, 21 Apr 2007 12:42:43 +0000 http://bahairants.com/the-covenant-5.html#comment-32461 [...] Maybe they should take a look at this. [...] […] Maybe they should take a look at this. […]

]]> By: Anonymous http://bahairants.com/the-covenant-5.html#comment-20 Anonymous Wed, 20 Apr 2005 00:16:00 +0000 http://bahairants.com/the-covenant-5.html#comment-20 "Whatsoever hath led the children of men to shun one another, and hath caused dissensions and divisions amongst them, hath, through the revelation of these words, been nullified and abolished." <I>Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah</I> (p. 94) “Whatsoever hath led the children of men to shun one another, and hath caused dissensions and divisions amongst them, hath, through the revelation
of these words, been nullified and abolished.”

Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah (p. 94)

]]> By: Anonymous http://bahairants.com/the-covenant-5.html#comment-19 Anonymous Thu, 31 Mar 2005 11:14:00 +0000 http://bahairants.com/the-covenant-5.html#comment-19 The acceptance and encouragement of shunning in the case of covenant breakers sometimes carries over to people who have broken Baha'i laws. I'm not sure why. Perhaps Baha'is feel that folks who openly, as opposed to secretly, break a law are covenant breakers too. They are not. They are simply imperfect. Why is there no room for imperfect souls in the Baha'i Faith? The acceptance and encouragement of shunning in the case of covenant breakers sometimes carries over to people who have broken Baha’i laws. I’m not sure why. Perhaps Baha’is feel that folks who openly, as opposed to secretly, break a law are covenant breakers too. They are not. They are simply imperfect. Why is there no room for imperfect souls in the Baha’i Faith?

]]> By: Dave Howden http://bahairants.com/the-covenant-5.html#comment-18 Dave Howden Tue, 29 Mar 2005 00:38:00 +0000 http://bahairants.com/the-covenant-5.html#comment-18 I am dismayed by a few things in this post: First of all, we are instructed to avoid any contact with covenant-breakers. "And now, one of the greatest and most fundamental principles of the Cause of God is to shun and avoid entirely the Covenant-breakers, for they will utterly destroy the Cause of God, exterminate His Law and render of no account all efforts exerted in the past." -Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 448 Second, Shoghi Effendi did not /need/ any scriptural evidence to move this authority from the Hands of the Cause to the Guardian. He was the Guardian of the Cause and had the right to translate and interpret the Writings. Also, perhaps he was preparing for the time when there would no longer be Hands of the Cause, and knew that if none of these posts were filled, no one could be removed from the Faith. It is a natural step for the UHJ to assume this role, because it is the head of the Baha'i Community of the World. The UHJ was created after years of deliberation by Hands of the Cause after Shoghi Effendi's death and we are to believe that the actions taken by these esteemed individuals were right. Lastly, you say that because the covenant-breaker population is so small it poses no threat to the Baha'i Community, but Abdu'l-Baha obviously states that it does and that it is because the method of absolute non-contact which has been adopted that the community has remained unified. On the subject of this blog I have to say that it does not seem to have the right focus. By christening it Baha'i Rant, you clearly are not looking for truth, but for a place to voice and strengthen any problems you may have with the Faith. This does not seem a ahealthy choice. It seems that the contents of this blog are directed purely to people who also have problems with the Faith, rather than its defenders. I am dismayed by a few things in this post:

First of all, we are instructed to avoid any contact with covenant-breakers.

“And now, one of the greatest and most fundamental principles of the Cause of God is to shun and avoid entirely the Covenant-breakers, for they will utterly destroy the Cause of God, exterminate His Law and render of no account all efforts exerted in the past.”

-Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith - Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 448

Second, Shoghi Effendi did not /need/ any scriptural evidence to move this authority from the Hands of the Cause to the Guardian. He was the Guardian of the Cause and had the right to translate and interpret the Writings. Also, perhaps he was preparing for the time when there would no longer be Hands of the Cause, and knew that if none of these posts were filled, no one could be removed from the Faith.

It is a natural step for the UHJ to assume this role, because it is the head of the Baha’i Community of the World. The UHJ was created after years of deliberation by Hands of the Cause after Shoghi Effendi’s death and we are to believe that the actions taken by these esteemed individuals were right.

Lastly, you say that because the covenant-breaker population is so small it poses no threat to the Baha’i Community, but Abdu’l-Baha obviously states that it does and that it is because the method of absolute non-contact which has been adopted that the community has remained unified.

On the subject of this blog I have to say that it does not seem to have the right focus. By christening it Baha’i Rant, you clearly are not looking for truth, but for a place to voice and strengthen any problems you may have with the Faith. This does not seem a ahealthy choice. It seems that the contents of this blog are directed purely to people who also have problems with the Faith, rather than its defenders.

]]> By: Anonymous http://bahairants.com/the-covenant-5.html#comment-17 Anonymous Thu, 30 Dec 2004 18:50:00 +0000 http://bahairants.com/the-covenant-5.html#comment-17 I loved your reflections on this subject. And I'm enjoying this blog immensely. thanks for sharing it. -L I loved your reflections on this subject. And I’m enjoying this blog immensely. thanks for sharing it.

-L

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