Using Bahai way of Election in a country

InvestigateTruth said:

This question is primarily for the Bahais, but also whoever is familiar with how the Bahai Elections are performed at the Local, and National levels.

The Question is, can this method be practiced in a country, not as a Bahai Election, but rather for choosing their own government?
For example, if people in USA, were to substitute the President, with a group of 9 people, whose overall decisions would be the highest authority, is this practical, considering that in each city, there are millions of people?
In Bahai Faith, each locality chooses the local members from typically between a few hundreds to a few thousands members. Now, considering that if each locality had a few millions of people to choose from.

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Dawnofhope said:

Its an interesting question. Baha'i elections are fundamentally different from Western style democratic elections in a number of ways.



1/ There is no nomination or self- promotion. Every Baha'i in good standing is eligible to vote or be voted for.

2/ Choice of candidates are based on the moral and spiritual attributes.

3/ Authority rest with elected institutions, not with individuals.


Applied on a national level would require the election of delegates from local communities, and those delegates would vote for members of Assemblies.

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InvestigateTruth said:

Because there is an uprising in Iran. People are doing a lot of effort and putting their lives in risk to get rid of Islamic dictatorship in Iran. So, I was thinking if they could succeed eventually, can they apply the Bahai method for the next government. I even wrote that to some of the oppositions TVs, and suggested the Bahai way might be the right way, and asked them to discuss this in their TV programs if they want. I don't know if they do though.

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Dawnofhope said:

I can't imagine the people's of Iran turning to the Baha'is for advice about how to run the country or any other country for that matter. Don't get me wrong. The Baha'i model is effective, simple and proven in real life. I just don't see leaders of any country interested in turning to the Baha'i community as a model as this time in history. The rapid way the world is changing, its anyone's guess where we'll be in a few decades. Things that seemed obscure now could became mainstream.

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InvestigateTruth said:

Well, my understanding from the Writings is, the destiny that Muslims will go through after killing the Bab, and banishing Baha'u'llah is very identical to the events happend to the Jews after Crucifixion of Christ. So, as Jews were exiled and scattered for many centuries, that also will happen to the Muslims, as Shoghi Effendi said. If that also includes Iran, we will see Iranian people scape and immigrate all, for many centuries, and when a few more Manifestations come, the Iranians will return to their homeland, just the Jews did return.

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Dawnofhope said:

What passage from Shoghi Effendi did you have in mind?

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InvestigateTruth said:

"Islam, at once the progenitor and persecutor of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, is, if we read aright the signs of the times, only beginning to sustain the impact of this invincible and triumphant Faith. We need only recall the nineteen hundred years of abject misery and dispersion which they, who only for the short space of three years persecuted the Son of God, have had to endure, and are still enduring. We may well ask ourselves, with mingled feelings of dread and awe, how severe must be the tribulations of those who, during no less than fifty years, have, "at every moment tormented with a fresh torment" Him Who is the Father, and who have, in addition, made His Herald--Himself a Manifestation of God--to quaff, in such tragic circumstances, the cup of martyrdom."

(28 March 1941, written by Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá'ís of the World, published in The Promised Day Is Come (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1980), pp. 99-100) [3]

Holocaust, the Greater Plan of God, and the Destiny of the Jewish People


There are also Hadithes that says, everything that happend to the Jews will also happen to Muslims.

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InvestigateTruth said:

Well, my understanding from the Writings is, the destiny that Muslims will go through after killing the Bab, and banishing Baha'u'llah is very identical to the events happend to the Jews after Crucifixion of Christ. So, as Jews were exiled and scattered for many centuries, that also will happen to the Muslims, as Shoghi Effendi said. If that also includes Iran, we will see Iranian people scape and immigrate all, for many centuries, and when a few more Manifestations come, the Iranians will return to their homeland, just the Jews did return.

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TransmutingSoul said:

Yes there is a few passages about this.

There is also the promise that Iran has a great future, we can only hope that all Nations rule with justice and allow the voice of the people to be heard.

The times are changing quickly now.

Regards Tony

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InvestigateTruth said:

Well, to my understanding the passage from Shoghi Effendi suggests that, the Jews were punished for 1900 years, because they Prosecuted Jesus for 3 years. How much more severe or longer the Iranians (or Muslims) will be punished since they killed the Bab and Prosecuted Baha'u'llah for fifty years.
I see the suffering has just stared for Iranians, and probably will continue for many more centuries. I hope I am wrong, but cannot imagine the suffering will end now, and things become great anytime soon.

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TransmutingSoul said:

Yes it is all a viable view, we just do not know in the end.

Is it possible we can turn back from all the civil unreast, will the Baha'i in Iran suffer injustice for centuries as well?

Regards Tony

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