From: McKenny Michael <bn872@FreeNet.Carleton.CA>
Subject: Re: Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Freedom of Conscience
Date: Tuesday, February 09, 1999 7:07 PM
Greetings, Susan.
Well, of course, we're too democratic a country to hound someone out of
it for his opinion of the Prime Minister. A darn good thing that as Brian
Mulroney achieved the remarkable feat of a fifteen per cent approval rate,
and held that for the last two years of his period in office. And, do you
think we'd be bragging about the difference between the individual who'd
utterred his opinion of the Prime Minister having to apply again for his
citizenship, and how it's perfectly reasonable he would only get it, if he
apologized to the Prime Minister and we could be sure he would never again
say anything nasty about Mr. Mulroney or any of his successors.
The United Nations didn't say this was one of the nicest places to
live because we treat people like that. The Baha'i leaders might think
a little bit about that.
Now, as for that pact with the devil you cite (Whenever you get a long
paragraph so emphatically worded, even if it's the Ottawa/Japan Karate
Company or whoever the folks are that run the place a block down the street
my son was interested in, but he, we, or our heirs, rather than the
"blameless" people at the karate place would have been responsible
whether they or anyone else hurt our son before or after class, on or off
the premises, etc., you have me automatically thinking I'm being asked to
sign a pact with the devil, and whatever rich and varied harvest this
family tree has produced, it's yet to generate anyone foolish enough to
do that) look at that "Whatsoever has been revealed by their sacred pen".
If you have fundamentalists getting their literal hands on that then
your poor human signing her pact with Satan is committing himself whether
she knows or it not to all sorts of things contrary to reason
and principle. Do you really think, if it's really spelled out, that
anyone of sound mind and a decent heart could possibly sign such a pact?
You will get some. There's some will join any cult. But, the more
you spell out what's meant by the words, and, believe me, women on the
universal house of justice, or rather women not being allowed on, in a
religion that preaches equality, well, the fewer will be the dupes.
I ought to make it clear that, in my opinion, this quote of yours
comes from a certain context, and that while and where it was in operation
there were very few dupes, to such an extent that Shoghi Effendi himself
instructed Baha'i teachers not to continue keeping people out of the
Baha'i Faith, because of literal attention to such tremendous obstacles
to membership as the quoted passage.
It is very clear that the current spirit, or the lack of it, in the
Baha'i Administration has everything to do with those who are now alive
and in a position to impose their literalist fundamentalism on today's
functioning of the Baha'i Faith.
Sorry, but I'm not the kind of guy to blame my mother or Adam and Eve
for the way I turned out. And, I'm not going to blame poor Shoghi Effendi
who, in case the news missed you, passed away more than forty-one years
ago for what the Universal House of Justice is doing and not doing now.
No, the literalist fundamentalism that has the Universal House of
Justice casting aside the essential Baha'i principles and seeking to run
the Baha'i Faith as a cult is their own responsibility, and they or their
successors (Parliament cannot bind its successors) are perfectly free to
deal with it.
To the Future,
Michael
Smaneck (smaneck@aol.com) writes:
>
> Dear Michael,
>
> It wasn't a question of Dr. Cole "retaining" his membership. He had already
> resigned and was examing the possibility of re-enrolling. As in the case of
> Darrick I think the Institutions had every right to ascertain t
--
"My name's McKenny, Mike McKenny, Warrant Officer, Solar Guard."
(Tom Corbett #1 STAND BY FOR MARS p2)
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