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From: Juan Cole <jrcole@umich.edu> To: talisman@umich.edu <talisman@umich.edu> Cc: bahai-faith@makelist.com <bahai-faith@makelist.com> Subject: Re: [bahai-faith] mutilation theology Date: Friday, September 04, 1998 2:06 AM Someone asked where Shoghi Effendi spoke of the administrative order being mutilated without a Guardian. It is World Order of Baha'u'llah p. 148: "An attempt, I feel, should at the present juncture be made to explain the character and functions of the twin pillars that support this mighty Administrative Structure--the institutions of the Guardianship and of the Universal House of Justice. To describe in their entirety the diverse elements that function in conjunction with these institutions is beyond the scope and purpose of this general exposition of the fundamental verities of the Faith. To define with accuracy and minuteness the features, and to analyze exhaustively the nature of the relationships which, on the one hand, bind together these two fundamental organs of the Will of `Abdu'l-Bahá and connect, on the other, each of them to the Author of the Faith and the Center of His Covenant is a task which future generations will no doubt adequately fulfill. My present intention is to elaborate certain salient features of this scheme which, however close we may stand to its colossal structure, are already so clearly defined that we find it inexcusable to either misconceive or ignore. 13 It should be stated, at the very outset, in clear and unambiguous language, that these twin institutions of the Administrative Order of Bahá'u'lláh should be regarded as divine in origin, essential in their functions and complementary in their aim and purpose. Their common, their fundamental object is to insure the continuity of that divinely-appointed authority which flows from the Source of our Faith, to safeguard the unity of its followers and to maintain the integrity and flexibility of its teachings. Acting in conjunction with each other these two inseparable institutions administer its affairs, cöordinate its activities, promote its interests, execute its laws and defend its subsidiary institutions. Severally, each operates within a clearly defined sphere of jurisdiction; each is equipped with its own attendant institutions--instruments designed for the effective discharge of its particular responsibilities and duties. Each exercises, within the limitations imposed upon it, its powers, its authority, its rights and prerogatives. These are neither contradictory, nor detract in the slightest degree from the position which each of these institutions occupies. Far from being incompatible or mutually destructive, they supplement each other's authority and functions, and are permanently and fundamentally united in their aims." The uhj tries to interpret this passage away by pointing out that the Guardianship operated just fine without a house of justice, so obviously the house of justice can operate without a living Guardian. Moreover, the lack of a living guardian does not detract from the fact that the guardianship did exist at one point, leaving a great deal of guidance. The problem is that the Guardian *did* think it essential that a house of justice come to be asap, and he constantly put things off or made rulings provisional upon their future acceptance. Obviously, this schema cannot work the other way around--the uhj cannot put things off or rule only provisionally on issues in hopes of a future guardian arising, since there can be no further guardians. Moreover, it is also clear from his diction that he felt that key checks and balances in the Baha'i system were provided by a *living* Guardian. On pp. 154-155 of World Order of Baha'u'llah, Shoghi Effendi continues, "The hereditary authority which the Guardian is called upon to exercise, the vital and essential functions which the Universal House of Justice discharges, the specific provisions requiring its democratic election by the representatives of the faithful--these combine to demonstrate the truth that this divinely revealed Order, which can never be identified with any of the standard types of government referred to by Aristotle in his works, embodies and blends with the spiritual verities on which it is based the beneficent elements which are to be found in each one of them. The admitted evils inherent in each of these systems being rigidly and permanently excluded, this unique Order, however long it may endure and however extensive its ramifications, cannot ever degenerate into any form of despotism , of oligarchy, or of demagogy which must sooner or later corrupt the machinery of all man-made and essentially defective political institutions." Shoghi Effendi is referring to Aristotle's division of government into rule by the one, rule by the few, and rule by the many. Aristotle thought each of these forms of government, in turn, had a virtuous and corrupt form. Rule of the one is ideally a virtuous monarchy, but it could deteriorate into despotism. Rule of the few is ideally a noble aristocracy, but it could deteriorate into oligarchy (we would say a junta). Rule of the many is ideally a just Republic or Polity that protects the rights of minorities; but it could deteriorate into demagoguery and a tyranny of the majority. Shoghi Effendi was saying that the Baha'i system had all three elements: rule of the one was the Guardianship, rule of the few was the Hands (?), and rule of the many was the elected officers of the houses of justice (including NSAs and LSAs). Now, according to Aristotle, the rule of the many, i.e., the rule of the houses of justice, was liable to deteriorate into demagoguery and the tyranny of the majority (a sort of populist fascism, we might say). Shoghi Effendi says explicitly that it is the hereditary principle of the Guardianship (i.e. the Baha'i equivalent of monarchy) that keeps this deterioration from occurring. Obviously, in the absence of a living Guardian and with the end of the institution of the hands of the cause, the Baha'i system no longer has a living, breathing representative of the monarchical principle nor of the aristocratic. This means that the houses of justice have become a Republic. And according to Shoghi Effendi's analysis, this Republic is open to going bad and becoming demagogic. Notice that he does *not* say that what prevents the uhj from becoming tyrannical is its own infallibility, or divine guidance, or anything so airy fairy. He is concrete and explicit. It is the simultaneous presence of the monarchical, aristocratic and republican forms of governance that act as institutional brakes on one another. That institutional brake is no longer effectively present. And this is the only way I can understand how things have gone so wrong in the Baha'i faith. Things are so corrupt that people like Firuz Kazemzadeh go about publicly and explicitly identifying the elected officials of the faith with an "aristocracy!" This does so much damage to both Aristotle and Shoghi Effendi (not to mention common sense) that one cringes. I suppose it must be nice for Firuz, though. And one of the reasons I left was that in spring of 1996 the uhj mangled the interpretation of this passage by insisting that *it* is the 'rule of the one'! Well, of course, they aren't authorized to interpret things, though, are they? What would replace the role of the Guardian in keeping the elected officials from becoming demagogues? Well, maybe nothing can. But maybe public opinion could. Just the censure of ordinary Baha'is. And the wonderful thing for the Baha'i faith at this juncture, and the thing that gives even me hope for those still clinging to the crimson ark, is that cyberspace is creating a Baha'i public opinion, and the uhj and the nsa's are beginning to feel pressure from it. They hate it. They had liked thinking of themselves as 'aristocrats' (or actually oligarchs given how they often have behaved). But they had better shed the velvet robes and dump the silver wine goblets, with the $200 million palaces, and get back to being plain democratic representatives of the Baha'i Republic or eventually they will lose all their power and perquisites, altogether. cheers Juan Homepage |