Posted by BK (63.197.53.200) on July 07, 2002 at 16:03:59:

In Reply to: Re: arson, terrorism, burning, torture posted by Brett Zamir on July 07, 2002 at 13:36:03:

Hey Brett,

Same to you friend. And don't worry about it. I realize you were commenting on my points, not me as a person and it didn't sound critical. Anyways, I see what your saying about fudging the writings. Yeah, I wouldn't want a seeker to think this was what Baha'is actually thought, so I should clarify that these are only my theories on the matter. Because this is an acedemic site and all I forgot that people might be looking at it to understand the Faith more subjectively, so, you're right, we should be as precise in distinguishing between what we think and what is the established fact, according to authoritative writings, just like I hope we would when teaching someone one on one.

Now, back to that ambivalent word, "reform". I meant that reform, specifically for terrorists who commited heinous acts, would be almost impossible, but I suppose there's always a chance. I just think that, if there were a world court and they got a hold of one of these guys he would be very unrepentant about what he had done. The insanity of these guys is that they think they are completely sane. Look at the Nuremburg Trials and what Milosavic has been saying. God only knows what ridiculuos nonsense bin Laden would spout if he was ever captured and brought to trial.

Thanks for the links to "Turning Point" and "Warwick". I'm gonna study those extensively to try to come up with new ideas about how to translate my service in that direction because I want to work for the UN in some capacity in the not-too-distant future.

You hit the nail on the head again about teaching the Faith. The Covenant of Baha'u'llah is the Panecea, the cure for all ills, that the world so desperately needs. And I couldn't agree more about teaching westerners about true Islam, but I am somewhat bias because this is my history degree's focus. I think when educating westerners about true Islam we have to focus on three things. 1. The Station of Muhammud as the Manifestation of God 2. The great civilizing influence Islam had on the world, such as the scientific and philosophic advancements it brought and 3. The spirit and the essence of Islam, that it is a religion of peace and the affirmation of life and happiness. Many westerners believe the exact opposite of these three things, which has been the cause of great disunity for over a millenium and peace on earth will not be possible until the west completely appreciates true Islam. Whether the Islamic world will ever truely appreciate the west is a different story, but education is the key.

Thanks again Brett for your practical applications. I look foward to hearing more from you and others on this site.

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