Some wonderful potential

I see some wonderful potential in the diversity of Baha'is, to help improve many people's lives and to help improve the world, being restrained by popular forms of idolatry, religious and other prejudices, sectarian attitudes and practices, personality cults, celebrity worship, bandwagon oppression, self-repression, and other shackles.

I've been experimenting with various ways to help release that potential. I would like to exchange ideas and experiences with others who are working on that, but I haven't found any who want to discuss it with me. I'm tossing out this message in a bottle, hoping it will wash up some place where someone will find it who would like to have that discussion with me.

I'll describe three of my ideas, that might appeal to different audiences:

1. Practice and promote people learning to love and trust Baha'u'llah more, and learning to better understand and wholeheartedly serve the interests of the House of Justice. I've gathered some ideas about that from some of my friends, and made some progress in practicing them.

2. Practice and promote more open, frank and unfettered discussions among Baha'is everywhere, about whatever anyone wants to discuss, whether it conforms to the views of the House of Justice or not, without anyone's views or interests being stigmatized. Two ways I see for that to happen are for more non-members to participate in core activities, and for more people with unpopular views to be trained as tutors.

3. Practice and promote more and better independent investigation, and individual initiatives.

Jim's Baha'i studies project: framework

Contents:
1. What it's about
2. Some of my current ideas about Baha'i training

1. What it's about

I was thinking that some friends of mine might do more good with the writings of Baha'u'llah if they had a better vision of possibilities, and if they were less distracted by Baha'i feuding. That led to the idea of helping to transmit encouragement, support and learning through walls of prejudice and over gulfs of estrangement. That led to the idea of reading and commenting thoughtfully and sympathetically on people's writings.

I think it might help me to be looking for ideas to improve Baha'i training. I haven't considered how any of this might actually be incorporated into Baha'i training. Some possibilities do come to mind, but the value of this for me doesn't depend on that.

I might also look for ideas about how to improve the framework of this project.

2. Some of my current ideas about Baha'i training

It might help me to set this in a context of learning and teaching resources in general, for Baha'u'llah's purposes. Examples of resources might include models, study materials, workshops, classes, mentoring, divine institutions, prayer and other spiritual practices, consultation, encouragement skills, fellowship, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, spiritual qualities and Neo-Pagan concepts and practices.

I might generalize what I'm looking for in my reading to any ideas that might help improve any kind of learning and teaching resource for Baha'u'llah's purposes.

Considering the content and methods of training, my thoughts have mostly revolved around mentoring, Baha'i training institutes, and the Ruhi courses as a starting point for widespread training for general purposes. I'm imagining an evolution in mentoring, in the Ruhi courses, and in other training programs which will respond to all of the current possibilities for serving Baha'u'llah's purposes; and to the whole range of interests, concerns and capacities of all the people who are trying to serve them.

Examples of evolution might include improvement in concepts, in ways of developing skills, and in ways of developing our relationships with Baha'u'llah.