The Baha'i Faith & Religious Freedom of Conscience

From: Ron House <house@usq.edu.au>
To: bahai-faith@makelist.com <bahai-faith@makelist.com>
Subject: Re: [bahai-faith] This email list
Date: Sunday, July 12, 1998 10:58 PM
Manley, Timothy/CVO wrote:
> 
> Is this list for discussing the Baha'i Faith -- and the Writings of the
> Faith?
> 
> Or is this list for bashing the Baha'i Faith and its followers?
> 
> So far I'm afraid I've seen only the latter -- but, I have only been
> signed up for a couple of days.......
Well, if the only mainstream newsgroup refuses to accept
these kinds of things, there will obviously be a head of
steam that has to blow off in the only forum it can get.
Unfortunately the Baha'i communities are really loaded
with intolerance. I know many, many people who consider
themselves sincere, believing Baha'is (unlike a no
hoper like me!) who nevertheless don't attend feasts
and the like because they find the closed-minded
attitudes there just too unbearable and they don't
have the confidence to be the only person standing up
and saying "look, let's open our minds a bit!" You see,
when we join the Faith, we are full of enthusiasm and
we meet others who are ditto. But when we have a
misgiving, or a criticism, or a complaint, we have it
alone; the chances of everyone in the room having the
same problem at the same time is low. So if the
current state of affairs can't make people with
problems feel welcome, they will leave. And then if
they find a forum where others are saying the same
kinds of things they have felt, they will get
involved. It's only human nature.
But to me the interesting question is not whether this
list is only for bashers, it is: are the accusations
being made true? Because if they are, then the mainstream
Baha'is have caused the problem in the first place. But
remember, here, unlike at SRB, you have as much right
and ability to make your views known as anyone else.
If the denizens here are way off base, tell us why.
-- 
Ron House            house@usq.edu.au
Speed bumps are installed in the belief that if a road is
unsafe at 50, we should make it unsafe at 30.
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