FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions for Alt.Religion.Bahai,
Talk.Religion.Bahai
This FAQ will be reposted approximately every four weeks.
See also
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/FAQ2.htm
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Free reading and posting, including the largest Usenet archive:
https://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&group=talk.religion.bahai
Alt.religion.bahai and talk.religion.bahai are available on
America Online (AOL) Keyword, Newsgroups, then search for
alt.religion.bahai or talk.religion.bahai An unmoderated Italian
Bahai newgroup is now available: it.cultura.religioni.bahai
If your ISP does not offer talk.religion.bahai, follow this
news.groupie advice: "If your ISP doesn't have the group shortly,
I suggest that you ask the newsmaster there to add it (Try
news@isp.net, or newsmaster@isp.net)
Ask politely. Include
the msg ID of the results posting, and of the newgroup msg."
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NOTE: Not all people agree on the interpretations given below.
Question #1 "Why create arb or t.r.b.?"
ANSWER #1: Because many people believe they experienced or
are continuing to experience censorship when attempting to post to
soc.religion.bahai. See the quotations from Abdul-Baha:
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/
ANSWER #2: Because the Bahai writings support free speech and
religious conscience.
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/
ANSWER #3: [fill in the blank according to your own opinion.]
Question #2: "Why do the srb moderators oppose trb?"
ANSWER: Perhaps they'll supply an answer to place here.
(Three years later their NO votes are their only answer.)
Question #3: "Are Bahais opposed to freedom of speech andconscience?"
ANSWER: Despite glowing words of love and support for
other people's opinions, despite the Universal House of Justice
stating at least publicly it is not opposed to an unmoderated forum,
the record of actual behavior by Bahais and on soc.religion.bahai
and the experience of TENS of THOUSANDS of Bahais and
people who have left the Bahai Faith give serious reason for concern.
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Chronology of major events: talk.religion.bahai & alt.religion.bahai
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January 17, 1997: The 1st proposal for talk.religion.bahai was
submitted to news.announce.newgroups.
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/1stRFD.htm
Early March 1997: Mark Towfiq, chairman of the BCCA, the
Bahai Computer and Communication Association, posts to
three Bahai-only mailing lists a call for Bahais to vote NO
against talk.religion.bahai.
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/Towfiq.htm
March 1997: soc.religion.bahai bans all discussion of
talk.religion.bahai from its newsgroup. This ban is still in
effect more than a year and a half later.
March 31, 1997: The 1st proposal was defeated 157 YES to
691 NO.
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/1stRESULT.htm
April 3, 1997: Jonathan Grobe, a non-Bahai, creates
alt.religion.bahai.
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/arb.htm
October 14, 1997: The Universal House of Justice releases
a message stating it has no objection to unmoderated
newsgroups:
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/UHJ1.htm
November 1997: At a time when discussion was highly
favorable in support of talk.religion.bahai, the BCCA deprives
FG of access to the private Bahai-only mailing
list bahai-discuss and all of its other lists, inflaming Bahai
passions against trb. See bahai-discuss archived files and
correspondence between FG and the BCCA committee:
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/archive.htm
December 19, 1997: The Universal House of Justice releases
a message that suggests it does not understand the nature of
Usenet interest polling:
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/UHJ2.htm
January 12, 1998: The 2nd proposal for talk.religion.bahai was
submitted.
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/2ndRFD.htm
February 22, 1998: The 2nd proposal was defeated 109 YES
to 65 NO.
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/2ndRESULT.htm
May 25, 1998: srb bans all messages from FG
that contain his signature file:
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/srb23.htm
September 9,1998: America Online (AOL) places a
Bahai-inspired TOS against FG; AOL
removes the TOS after considering both sides of the
issue, i.e., Bahai messages attacking and threatening
him and the experience of others:
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/AOL.htm
September 14, 1998: soc.religion.bahai extends its ban on
FG's signature file to include all signature
files and URLs from all posters, allowing only email addresses
and the name of the poster:
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/srbban.htm
October 14, 1998: Soc.religion.bahai moderator Bill Hyman
backbites and casts aspersions on proponent Ron House
and attempts to undermine the new support for the
"neutral" RFD:
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/srb67.htm
December 3, 1998: The Call For Votes (CFV) was posted
to news.announce.newgroups and news.groups for the
3rd interest poll for talk.religion.bahai.
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/3rdRFD.htm
December 7, 1998: Bahai scholar Susan Maneck begins
her NO vote campaign on AOL and
alt.religion.bahai. https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/Maneck1.htm
January 10, 1999:
Talk.religion.bahai passes 218: 63.
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/3rdRESULT.htm
It should be noted that talk.religion.bahai eventually passed
despite of the opposition of Bahais. The annotated RESULT
may be read at
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/3rdRESULT.htm
The annotated NO voters list may be read at
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/NOvoters3rd.htm
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For past discussion of censorship on soc.religion.bahai and
other issues, including censorship within the Bahai community,
see the website The Bahai Faith & Religious Freedom of Conscience:
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/
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Professor Juan R. I. Cole, University of Michigan,
"Fundamentalism in the Contemporary U.S. Baha'i Community,"
Religious Studies Review, Vol. 43, no. 3 (March, 2002):195-217:
https://www-personal.umich.edu/~jrcole/bahai/2002/fundbhfn.htm
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Karen Bacquet, "Enemies Within: Conflict and Control in the
Baha'i Community." Published in American Family Foundation's
Cultic Studies Journal, Volume 18, pp.109-140:
https://www.angelfire.com/ca3/bigquestions/enemies.html
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