From: Michael McKenny <bn872@FreeNet.Carleton.CA>
Subject: Re: Saddened
Date: Saturday, July 10, 1999 9:24 AM
Greetings, Patrick.
When Juan is speaking from within the Baha'i Faith, then your words
will have meaning. These things did happen in the mid 90s. These people,
including Michael McKenny, so I know something about it, were pressured
to leave the Baha'i Faith, because of expressing their personal views on
private e-mail lists. And, it was not only that some prominent Baha'is as
individual list members flamed me and told me to leave this religion. It
was that there was official meeting and exchange of e-mail messages, and
then when I was too thick to get it and shut up, there was, without a
clear, "You must shut up or else," warning a bolt from the blue from the
UHJ saying that I was out of the Baha'i community. That was not quite two
years ago, so it is hardly the remote past I am raising.
The archives of this newsgroup contains references to other people who
were not so thick and who resigned as a result of the pressure brought to
bear on them, because they said what they thought. And, there are those
who have fallen silent. I do not see them posting here.
The threat is held over peoples' heads that the UHJ may call them CBs
and thus (what a wonderful, modern spiritual path is this) all the Baha'is
they've known will shun them as spiritual lepers. Yum. And, you think it is
unappetizing for me to write this. What is more unpalatable, the writing
down of this medieval recipe or the cooking of this stale meal?
I have been very busy doing other spiritual stuff during these past
few days, and only you would think otherwise as it was my holidays so I
could also spend a little more time here. I post here to demonstrate now
opinions may be posted openly, to deny the patriarchs a successful attempt
to silence me, but, as the holidays end it is not possible to maintain an
equal level of participation in what, frankly, I perceive as quite a sad
and oppressive place. There is that charming letter from the UHJ in April
of 1999 showing how the thinking of the UHJ about freedom of thought and
expression has not much changed. There is that holiday message which Juan
posted showing that people posting to a private e-mail list are having
their messages sent to Hooper, a member of the UHJ, whose holiday, if I
recall correctly, is to end on July 12, 1999, so it is not distant history
I am citing. There was the letter of resignation posted here only a month
or two ago, showing the same forces at play.
So, I wish you well, really, and hope that the environment in which
you grow and the food that is placed before your eyes is most worthy of
human beings in this modern age. I will continue to post here, and I will
continue to hope that what has such wonderful principles will soon see
them more closely followed.
And, remember you can hardly argue convincingly to me that things are
rosy within the Baha'i Faith, and these principles are being followed
until you have Juan speaking freely from within a harmonious group which
includes women ruling at the top. Do not be unclear. I write nothing about
my personal spiritual beliefs when I say this. I have been quite adequately
convinced that true spiritual harmony was more closely achieved by our
distant ancestors than by the monotheistic paradigm imposed and maintained
often quite oppressively upon them. This does not prevent any monotheistic
path from producing for those who'd follow it roses of fellowship, rather
than the thorny gruel of closed-minded, exclusivist fundamentalism.
May today find you very well, may tomorrow treat you even more kindly
and may each day after that be better than the one it succeeds.
All the Best,
Michael
(patk9018@my-deja.com) writes:
>
> I concur w/ Roger. The message is illogical and even distasteful. Its
> repetition fails to improve it.
>
--
"My name's McKenny, Mike McKenny, Warrant Officer, Solar Guard."
(Tom Corbett #1 STAND BY FOR MARS p2)
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