Posted by Stuart Gilman (67.68.69.75) on October 29, 2002 at 05:52:03:

In Reply to: Re: Query - East Asian religious history from a Baha'i perspective -resources? posted by Kendal on October 25, 2002 at 20:31:59:

Kendal concludes: "... For me, studying other Faiths has really helped me to think less about the "words" that Baha'u'llah uses and more about the "spirit" he conveys using those words... "

If Kendal continues down this path he will eventually transform the faith like a blacksmith, fashioning from pure steel a form that suits him. The "pure steel" is the words, the prayers, the sermons, the talks of Bab, Baha'u'llah, The Guardian and the House of Justice. While I have mentioned several times that there are serious problems with translation and translators when we who read English study Arabic or Persian texts, these translations have been given a "seal of approval" by authorities. My argument is not major, it is simply an indirect way of exposing how we want IT two ways - first, that we accept the words of our prophets as absolute; but we are not reading those words in their original languages (except for Guardian) and should be mildly cautious. Better yet, we should learn Arabic and Farsi!

As pointed out by Denis MacOIEN, modern Baha'is have moved totally away from the Bab's neo-Islamic Babism and have distanced themselves from the pure Faith of Baha'u'llah to adapt to their current cultural conditions - geographically and historically.

I, myself, mentioned awhile ago that the Baha'is I know, Canadian and American (Non-Persian), pick and choose their portions of Baha'i.

Those who know me as a psychologist and psychotherapist must have already guessed that I am allowed into the hearts and minds of men and women, including Baha'is. North Americans in general, at least before becoming Baha'i, are probably the most decadent, hedonistic and sinful people are on earth. It is natural that many of the precepts in Baha'i are de-selected, because they cannot or will not be followed.

Conversion to Baha'i is a deeply serious matter. If one begins, like Kendal, by choosing the "spirit" and not the "letter" of the WORD, where does it end? My friends, it ends with the end of Baha'i.

STUART

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