The Baha'i Faith & Religious Freedom of Conscience

 

From: Harold Shinsato <shinsato@inxight.com>
To: bahai-faith@makelist.com <bahai-faith@makelist.com>
Subject: Re: [bahai-faith] 1200+ hits: on "Bahai Faith & Religious Freedom of Conscience" in 1 month
Date: Monday, June 08, 1998 4:44 PM

Frederick,

I'm a newcomer to the Baha'i faith.

I've been reading your distribution list, about the censorship in the
Baha'i Faith that is accepted by the House.  And I can't help but wonder if
there's something amiss in the state of Denmark.

The messages from Juan Cole are particularly condemning.  What is the state
of the Covenant?  I've heard rumors that the writings predict a tribulation
would come over the Baha'i Faith, and it certainly seems that is what is
going on.

How could the House of Justice in anyway shape or form condone a
restriction of independent spiritual investigation?  I mean, to restrict a
message because some of the words were in all capitals?  To restrict a
message about Esperanto simply because someone had written something about
it before, even though the person was answering an inquiry.

There appears to be a near impregnable case for allowing Women on the UHJ. 
It's very suspicious that the Talisman list would be shut down because free
inquiry demonstrated this to be so.  From Juan Cole's description,
Abdul-Baha's disallowing of women on the UHJ was to address the
contingencies of the time.  If anything, it is extremely embarrassing in
this day and age that women would not be allowed on the UHJ.  What the heck
is going on?

It seems like there is an oppression over the Baha'i Faith, or this would
have been ironed out long ago.  And I think this is why there is so much
interest in your website.  If there is an oppression over the Baha'i Faith,
then the next step is to see if the interest in your website doesn't cause
you to be branded a Covenant Breaker if you don't shut down the website or
sanitize its content.  If there isn't an oppression, then SRB should be
opened up, and some dynamic free inquiry would be allowed, as the writings
demand!

Thank you for doing what you are doing.

Harold Shinsato

FG wrote:

> I'm a little surprised by the amount of interest on my web site
> during the last month.... It seems to be filling a real need among
> Bahais and non-Bahais....

> Any suggestions?

> I just recently added several links to the UN and other organizations
> interested in religious freedom and conscience and hope to
> add a few more....

> Soon too I hope to be able to upload 15k+ of back email on
> alt.religion.bahai and general discussion for talk.religion.bahai.
> Much of it is available on dejanews.com but there's no telling
> how long they'll preserve it and every effort should be made
> to ensure it survives for study by future Bahai scholars....

> I suppose other scholars might find some of it interesting too....

> Well, anyway, those are at least a few things in the works,
> so to speak.

> FG
> Usenet: alt.religion.bahai & talk.religion.misc

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> The Bahai Faith & Religious Freedom of Conscience:
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