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From: K. Paul Johnson <pjohnson@vlinsvr.vsla.edu> Subject: Undermining others' faith Date: Monday, June 07, 1999 1:40 PM I take rather seriously the accusation that by criticizing some aspects of Baha'i belief and practice, I am out to "undermine" the faith of Baha'is. Pat's accusation seems parallel to the accusation made by the House through its spokesman on April 7: that a *conceivable implication* of a course of action can be assumed to be a *deliberate objective*. It's certainly conceivable that some Baha'i's faith might be getting undermined lately, but I think the actions of the NSA and House would be far more potent in that regard than *any* commentary some long-ago ex-Baha'i might make. Still, it's also conceivable that some Baha'i might find his faith undermined by something I write. It's a huge leap to conclude that is the intention behind my participation in discussion here. There are four major reasons I participate, off the top of my head: 1. Baha'i is the newest world religion, and the Internet is the newest change in the global religious environment. Discussing here gives one a front row seat at a process with important implications for everyone. 2. I was once helped and encouraged, when writing a book touching on Baha'i, by several of the people who are now under attack from the administration. I am far more motivated to *support* them and *defend them against unjust attack* than to try to change how Baha'is see the House or their belief system. 3. As an ex-Baha'i, I know how painful and difficult it was to free myself from the belief system. One of my intentions behind posting here is to help those Baha'is who are on the way to becoming ex-Baha'is, to give information and commentary that will help them understand what they are going through. No need to recruit *new* ex-Baha'is, nor do I have any interest in doing so. There are plenty being "recruited" by the behavior of the leadership and some of the believers. That's not to say there aren't some other motives of which I'm not conscious. But if, as Pat says, I were out to convert Baha'is to either Christianity or Edgar Cayce's approach to same, you'd have seen a vastly different posting profile. I've said very little that could be construed as proselytizing for any belief system. (Unlike some other non-Baha'i posters, BTW.) There is no reasonable hope of converting anyone, and I wouldn't want to do so anyhow. Cheers, PJ Homepage |