From: FG <FG@hotmail.com>
Subject: To UHJ #8 (Juan Cole: mutual tolerance)
Date: Thursday, December 18, 1997 9:01 AM
Dear Members of the Universal House of Justice:
I believe this message speaks well to the lack of tolerance
by some Bahais during the now much too long discussion
period for talk.religion.bahai and the resulting abuse of the
Usenet voting system....
FG
UseNet: alt.religion.bahai
The RFD for talk.religion.bahai can be found on news.groups,
news.announce.newgroups, or at <https://www.baha.demon.co.uk/rfd.htm>
-----------begin forwarded message from talisman:
"If men could only learn the lesson of mutual tolerance, understanding, and
brotherly love, the unity of the world would soon be an established fact.
Bahá'u'lláh spent His life teaching this lesson of Love and Unity. Let us
then put away from us all prejudice and intolerance . . ." `Abdul-Baha,
Paris Talks
Would not mutual tolerance and brotherly love require that we all listen
respectfully to one another, without charging anyone with being a covenant
breaker simply because he or she seems to be saying new things? Recognizing
that there are conservative and liberal Baha'is, is it really "mutual
tolerance," "brotherly love" and "unity" for conservative Baha'is to employ
their control of the central institutions to declare the liberals "not
Baha'is" or guilty of "making statements contrary to the covenant?" Isn't
it a form of prejudice and intolerance for conservative Baha'is to wax
suspicious of Baha'i academics, to mutter about "intellectual pride" (while
ignoring the greater problem of institutional pride), and to attempt to
silence them? Is this "tolerance"? Or is it intolerance? Is this to be
free of "prejudice" or is it anti-intellectual bigotry? Notice that
Baha'u'llah "spent His life" teaching this "lesson of Love and Unity." What
love have Baha'i liberals found at the hands of the conservatives? Have
they been unified with them or excluded from their midst? How can Baha'is
hope to bring Christians and Muslims together if they cannot even bring
devoted Baha'is of various opinions together? Is unity really achieved
through intimidation, threats, sanctions, and expulsion? What sort of
fascist unity is that? Does this sound like "brotherly love" to any of you?
cheers Juan
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