-----Original Message-----
From: George Demas <gjdemas@ap.net>
To: FG <FG@hotmail.com>
Date: Wednesday, January 28, 1998 7:46 PM
Subject: Re: talk.religion.bahai
>Get a life.
>
>Nobody is obligated to be a Baha'i. If you want to be one, you must live
by the rules set down by God.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: FG <FG@hotmail.com>
>Newsgroups: alt.religion.bahai,news.groups
>Date: Thursday, January 22, 1998 4:28 AM
>Subject: Re: talk.religion.bahai
>
>
>>Thanks, Emma. As background information, I'll
>>quote a few things that seem relevant to the discussion
>>for talk.religion.bahai and might help set it in a fuller
>>historical context here on news.groups....
>>
>>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>
>>
>>------------------------------------
>>Quoted material begins from https://www.religioustolerance.org/bahai.htm
>>
>>
>>Freedom of Expression within the Baha'i Faith
>>
>>Although Baha'is have been very active in the promotion of freedom of
>>expression around the world, there are significant restrictions on
>>freedoms of individual members. These are enforced through
>>shunning or expelling non-conforming adherents. Some examples are:
>>
>>[clip]
>>
>>The Baha'i authorities impose prepublication censorship on all material
>>written by members about the Faith. All such material must first be
>>scanned by a review committee of the Baha'i National Spiritual
>>Assembly of the country in which the text is to be published. This was
>>a temporary policy introduced many decades ago, which is still in force.
>>
>>The authorities closed down the "Talisman" mailing list. This was
>>created by a professor at Indiana University, John Walbridge, in
>>1994-OCT. The list had 175 subscribers. In early 1996, the Baha'i
>>World Center in Haifa, Israel ordered the first of a series of
>>investigations.
>>One sensitive topic debated on "Talisman" was the exclusion of women
>>from the Universal House of Justice which some subscribers felt was i
>>ncompatible with the importance given to the equality of the sexes
>>within the Baha'i Faith. Some postings argued that the body be opened
>>up to women; they based their beliefs on their interpretation of
>>Baha'u'llah's writings. "Talisman" was closed on 1996-MAY. Juan Cole,
>>now an ex-Baha'i, opened a new Talisman list the following month. Its
>>e-mail address is talisman@umich.edu.
>>
>>[clip]
>>
>>Michael McKenny, a fantasy writer from Canada was expelled because
>>of his views expressed in Emails.
>>
>>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
>-
>>----
>>Internet References and Mailing Lists
>>
>>Jonah Winters' Baha'i Academics Resource Area is at:
>>https://www.interlog.com/~winters/
>>
>>[clip]
>>
>>Material on freedom of expression within the Baha'i Faith is available at:
>>https://www.interlog.com/~winters/newspapers/gnosis.talisman.html and at
>>https://www.interlog.com/~winters/newspapers/chafe.html
>>
>>An official response from the US National Spiritual Assembly to the latter
>>item is available at: https://www.interlog.com/~winters/uhj/attacks.html
>>
>>Paul Johnson authored an article on the Talisman discussion group in
>>1997-Winter edition of Gnosis Magazine.
>>
>>--------------
>>Emma Pease wrote in message ...
>>
>>>Emma
>>>
>>>Possible interesting website written from a somewhat neutral point of
>>>view
>>>
>>>https://www.religioustolerance.org/bahai.htm
>>>
>>>ps. Some of the Baha'i sites are extremely difficult to navigate with
>>>lynx (or for that matter monochrome netscape) and don't seem to be
>>>coded right. https://www.bahai.org/ is a case in point.
>>>--
>>>\----
>>>|\* | Emma Pease Net Spinster
>>>|_\/ emma@csli.stanford.edu Die Luft der Freiheit weht
>>
>>
>