Re: Politics and bigotry

Hi Susan, I am wrong about what? That the NSA lays in wait for people to
declare their candidacy?

I think I said "one will stop me unless and until I start bringing to the
Baha'i Faith things that are counter to Baha'i principles." That " we are
expected to act like Baha'is merely because we are Baha'is, not because
someone is watching."

You: "Ultimately it is the institutions and not the individual who decides
the applicability of Baha'i law."

Of course. As I said "A Baha'i institution ... might intervene if publicity
which associates our Faith with these un-Bahai principles (like prejudice or
partisanship) appears" They have every right to protect the Faith I love,
and are empowered to do so by the Covenant of Baha'u'llah.

--Kent


"Susan Maneck" <smaneck@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:lZ-dnV9NHL8GVeHVnZ2dnUVZ_qLinZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Sun, Jul 13, 2008 at 8:23 AM, Kent Johnson <kent@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
We are not to be involved in partisan politics. That is a principle of ou
r
faith. How we interpret that is up to us. If I think I can run for Presid
ent
of the US without being involved in partisan politics no one will stop me
unless and until I start bringing to the Baha'i Faith things that are
counter to Baha'i principles.


Dear Kent,

I think you are wrong about this. Dick Gregory tried to run for
president in this manner and I'm pretty sure the NSA stopped him.
Ultimately it is the institutions and not the individual who decides
the applicability of Baha'i law. As Abdu'l-Baha wrote:

Briefly, this is the wisdom of referring the laws of society to the
House of Justice. In the religion of Islam, similarly, not every
ordinance was explicitly revealed; nay not a tenth part of a tenth
part was included in the Text; although all matters of major
importance were specifically referred to, there were undoubtedly
thousands of laws which were unspecified. These were devised by the
divines of a later age according to the laws of Islamic jurisprudence,
and individual divines made conflicting deductions from the original
revealed ordinances. All these were enforced. Today this process of
deduction is the right of the body of the House of Justice, and the
deductions and conclusions of individual learned men have no
authority, unless they are endorsed by the House of Justice. The
difference is precisely this, that from the conclusions and
endorsements of the body of the House of Justice whose members are
elected by and known to the worldwide Bahá'í community, no differences
will arise; whereas the conclusions of individual divines and scholars
would definitely lead to differences, and result in schism, division,
and dispersion. The oneness of the Word would be destroyed, the unity
of the Faith would disappear, and the edifice of the Faith of God
would be shaken.

(The Universal House of Justice, 1966 May 27, Guardianship and the U
HJ)


warmest, Susan





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