Tuesday, January 20, 2009

The Baha'i Community, and people who are interested in Baha'u'llah's writings

As I see it, the Baha'i community which is currently administered by the Universal House of Justice on Mount Carmel was created by and for people who have agreed to put what Baha'u'llah says about Himself at the center of their common ground. I'll call that "the recognition community." Its supreme stated purpose is, and always has been, to put that agreement into practice, to serve Baha'u'llah's purposes, in accordance with His prescriptions. All other purposes are, and always have been, subordinated to that, in the administration of that community. Apart from some mismanagement of some "mass teaching" projects, accepting that has always been a clearly stated requirement for membership.

Some people who agree with some of what Baha'u'llah says, but who disagree with what He says about Himself, might want to be part of a community of like-minded people, possibly including some members of the recognition community. It seems unfair to me (in both senses), unhealthy and contrary to *everything* Baha'u'llah was promoting, to insist on using the recognition community itself for that purpose, against its constitution and the will of its administrators.

A question arises about how such communities might develop without being stigmatized in the recognition community. My first thought is that it might not be possible for any collective activity associated with Baha'u'llah to develop outside the recognition community without being stigmatized within it. In my experience it's hardly even possible for any new activity associated with Baha'u'llah, collective or not, to develop *inside* the Baha'i community without being stigmatized. Short of that, I have some ideas about how to minimize adverse reactions to alternative Baha'i communities.

Some people who agree with some of Baha'u'llah's purpose might themselves have doubts about creating alternative communities, because of its potential divisiveness. I don't see that it has to be divisive, if it's done in the right spirit, certainly not in terms of Baha'u'llah writings. As for what Abdu'l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi said about schisms, that might be more debatable, but I still don't see that it excludes alternative communities for people who are interested in the writings of Baha'u'llah.

Another question is what to do for people who were raised in the recognition community, who disagree with the whole reason for its existence. It isn't enough for me to say that they are welcome to withdraw. It seems to me that the community has some responsibility to sympathize with their dilemma, and help resolve it.

No comments: