Posted by Misagh (137.122.14.20) on January 09, 2003 at 10:25:16:

In Reply to: A subtle yet brilliant question! posted by Stuart Gilman on January 09, 2003 at 06:44:41:

A good question indeed, as I believe that there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers :) I hope this isn't a stupid answer!

But, just a small comment about laws and ordinances in general... in the Faith, we have the Kitab-i-Aqdas, which codifies laws and ordinances. However, the Book is much more than a mere "code of laws". I believe that the way the laws have been presented by Baha'u'llah is unique and a source of enlightenment and inspiration for Baha'i scholars. I wish I could say more about this, but I haven't really studied the Kitab-i-Aqdas in depth...

Also, only the Central Figures of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi, and the Universal House of Justice can make authoritative statements concerning the laws. There is no clergy in the Baha'i Faith. Thus, an individual Baha'i stating that such-and-such is forbidden for all Baha'is, etc. in my opinion is not right. We as Baha'is are encouraged to use the Teachings as our guide in life, and we are encouraged to follow the Laws as set by Baha'u'llah and elucidated by Abdul'Baha, Shoghi Effendi, and Universal House of Justice. I know that sometimes when a question is posed to the Universal House of Justice about a specific issue, they will first refer to the Writings to see if anything specific or related has been mentioned, and if not, either a decision will be made by the House of Justice, or the individual who asked the question will be encouraged to interpret the law his/herself while keeping the necessary principles in mind.

Whatever interpretation a person may come to, this is not authoritative for all individuals... unless the Universal House of Justice says it is, no interpretation is authoritative.

This ability to apply the Teachings and Laws to our lives individually, while keeping the Covanent firmly in mind, is not only unique but perhaps an indication of the steady maturation of humankind...

The moral of this spiel is... look to see if anything authoritative has been said about this. If so, Baha'is should follow that. If not, one has two choices: 1) Write the House of Justice and ask about this, or 2) Study the principles and other Laws related to it and formulate a personal interpretation... one that cannot be forced onto others. I suspect that a question similar to this has already been asked, and/or the necessary fundamental principles have already been elucidated by Shoghi Effendi and/or the Universal House of Justice.

Hope this helps...

Peace out y'all...

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