Posted by Cxuristo (211.22.33.130) on February 02, 2002 at 18:38:50:

In Reply to: "Write Off" all Christians from all future teaching campaigns posted by Darrick Evenson on January 28, 2002 at 19:53:58:

And who saw them see it? Nope, what we have here are not eyewitness accounts, but shaggy-dog stories passed around for several generations before being written down by superstitious fanatics.

Baptists, etc. aren't going to become Baha'is anyway, not in significant numbers. Baha'i conversions (not looking at Iranian immigrants) in the U.S. tend to come from liberal intellectuals who want their religion to oppose racism and stuff, but without too many fantastic elements. (Sufi mystical type stuff would be fine, just not really irrational stuff like miracles.)

However, illiterate superstitious peasants *do* convert to the Baha'i religion in significant numbers. Millennarian fervor (Vaishnava flavor) helps the faith in India, other motivations include as a means of protest against enemy races (Indians on both American continents), and the hope of maybe getting money or something.

If you *really* want to choose what to preach on the basis of what will sell, here are a few suggestions:

(1) Beware of the coming catasrophe, which our prophecies predict!
(2) Heal your diseases!
(3) Get rich quick!
(4) Find true love, or at least a hot weekend.
(5) Jesus is coming--like, real soon!
(6) Instant answers to everything!
(7) Communicate with your loved ones beyond the grave, including pets!
(8) University degrees for hardly any work!
(9) Soon the evil-ethic-group-which-cheats-us-all-the-time will get what's coming to them!
(10) There is no sin, everything is permitted.

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