Baha’i community members: Baha’is spreading misunderstandings and misinformation about the community

[Jim]

Maybe this type of advice is to where you are directing thought?

"...The authority to direct the affairs of the Faith locally, nationally and internationally, is divinely conferred on elected institutions. However, the power to accomplish the tasks of the community resides primarily in the mass of the believers. The authority of the institutions is an irrevocable necessity for the progress of humanity; its exercise is an art to be mastered. The power of action in the believers is unlocked at the level of individual initiative and surges at the level of collective volition. In its potential, this mass power, this mix of individual potentialities, exists in a malleable form susceptible to the multiple reactions of individuals to the sundry influences at work in the world. To realize its highest purpose, this power needs to express itself through orderly avenues of activity. Even though individuals may strive to be guided in their actions by their personal understanding of the Divine Texts, and much can be accomplished thereby, such actions, untempered by the overall direction provided by authorized institutions, are incapable of attaining the thrust necessary for the unencumbered advancement of civilization...."

19 May 1994 – The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States | Bahá’í Reference Library

Regards Tony

I’m reading that whole message now, and I’m loving it.

 

[Jim]

“... whatever be the immediate response to that Message, and however inadequate the vehicle that conveyed it, the power of its Author will, as He sees fit, enable those seeds to germinate, and in circumstances which no one can foresee enrich the harvest which the labor of His followers will gather.”

 

[TransmutingSoul]

“... whatever be the immediate response to that Message, and however inadequate the vehicle that conveyed it, the power of its Author will, as He sees fit, enable those seeds to germinate, and in circumstances which no one can foresee enrich the harvest which the labor of His followers will gather.”

".. The guarantee of well-being and success in all your endeavors to serve the Cause of God can be stated in one word: unity. It is the alpha and omega of all Bahá’í objectives...."

Regards Tony

 

[Dawnofhope]

Jim, if you do not mind, a question. Have you experienced life as a remote Baha'i?

I offer more thought. Coming from very active and larger communities, into a world of no Baha'i, or any organized activities, is in itself an event that changes ones relative understanding of a world embracing Faith.

In Australia and most likely all around the world, cities have attracted many of the believers and the world is much like a lumpy porridge. We have pioneering places in Australia that can not attract any Baha'is and they really are paradise places, great climate great facilities and great lifestyle. What about when you go even wide though. Well then you find a dot here and a dot there, mostly with no contact and little prospect for there to be some. My wife and I are dots, that even today, have no line of priority joining it to any large cluster. We are part of one, but not a priority area and anyway, where are they but over a 1000 of kilometers away? The closest Baha'i we have are 500km away, there is a group of 3 in a mining town called Mt Isa to our south. To the East it is 600km and that is to a struggling to keep numbers always Baha'i Assembly, not part of our area, go figure that, as they are the closest and would most likely be able to do something to help.

I say that only to indicate why I see the world is not embracing the required change on a rapidity that was required. When my wife and I came here firstly in the late 1980's (we left 1997 and returned 2016), it was actually a lot easier for a few years, as the support kept arriving, then by the 90's it slowly fizzled out to none at all.

Regards Tony

I can’t imagine really. We have a small town about an hour South where a family pioneered nearly 20 years ago. They’re still there but they have our small city nearby. We have about 60 Baha’is, an Assembly and even a Centre. There are different challenges though.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

I can’t imagine really. We have a small town about an hour South where a family pioneered nearly 20 years ago. They’re still there but they have our small city nearby. We have about 60 Baha’is, an Assembly and even a Centre. There are different challenges though.

Adrian, there is indeed and I know you will be very busy and the challenge is thena life and faith balance and finding time to sleep.

The centre is a great bounty, is it manned on a daily basis?

We have a storm happening, it is so good to get rain

 

[Jim]

".. The guarantee of well-being and success in all your endeavors to serve the Cause of God can be stated in one word: unity. It is the alpha and omega of all Bahá’í objectives...."

Regards Tony

I passed another test.

 

[Jim]

Jim, if you do not mind, a question. Have you experienced life as a remote Baha'i?

I offer more thought. Coming from very active and larger communities, into a world of no Baha'i, or any organized activities, is in itself an event that changes ones relative understanding of a world embracing Faith.

In Australia and most likely all around the world, cities have attracted many of the believers and the world is much like a lumpy porridge. We have pioneering places in Australia that can not attract any Baha'is and they really are paradise places, great climate great facilities and great lifestyle. What about when you go even wide though. Well then you find a dot here and a dot there, mostly with no contact and little prospect for there to be some. My wife and I are dots, that even today, have no line of priority joining it to any large cluster. We are part of one, but not a priority area and anyway, where are they but over a 1000 of kilometers away? The closest Baha'i we have are 500km away, there is a group of 3 in a mining town called Mt Isa to our south. To the East it is 600km and that is to a struggling to keep numbers always Baha'i Assembly, not part of our area, go figure that, as they are the closest and would most likely be able to do something to help.

I say that only to indicate why I see the world is not embracing the required change on a rapidity that was required. When my wife and I came here firstly in the late 1980's (we left 1997 and returned 2016), it was actually a lot easier for a few years, as the support kept arriving, then by the 90's it slowly fizzled out to none at all.

Regards Tony

Tony, I’m feeling a lot of sympathy for you in your circumstances. I think that it might be good for you to discuss your circumstances and your possibilities with your auxiliary board member, and to consult about it with the National Spiritual Assembly or one of the Local Spiritual Assemblies. If you can’t go to them, they might send representatives to consult with you then with them, so they can advise you. They might welcome that, and be glad to help you in that way. If I were on a spiritual assembly, it would be a joy for me to see a request like that from an isolated believer.

 

[Jim]

“In your openness and candor you will, no doubt, avoid ineptitudes that pass as norms in the freedom of speech practiced in your nation.”

 

[Jim]

I’m posting this for my own reference later, and not to preach at you.

“A new burst of energy would accrue to the operation of the Three Year Plan if the friends, both individually and collectively, could feel a greater sense of freedom to engage in a wide range of activities originating with themselves.”

 

[Jim]

Maybe this type of advice is to where you are directing thought?

"...The authority to direct the affairs of the Faith locally, nationally and internationally, is divinely conferred on elected institutions. However, the power to accomplish the tasks of the community resides primarily in the mass of the believers. The authority of the institutions is an irrevocable necessity for the progress of humanity; its exercise is an art to be mastered. The power of action in the believers is unlocked at the level of individual initiative and surges at the level of collective volition. In its potential, this mass power, this mix of individual potentialities, exists in a malleable form susceptible to the multiple reactions of individuals to the sundry influences at work in the world. To realize its highest purpose, this power needs to express itself through orderly avenues of activity. Even though individuals may strive to be guided in their actions by their personal understanding of the Divine Texts, and much can be accomplished thereby, such actions, untempered by the overall direction provided by authorized institutions, are incapable of attaining the thrust necessary for the unencumbered advancement of civilization...."

19 May 1994 – The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States | Bahá’í Reference Library

Regards Tony

I’ve finished reading that now, and got some wonderful new ideas from it. I’ve read that letter before, but I’m really glad that you brought it to my attention again. It’s timely for me, and very relevant to my current interests.

 

[Jim]

@Tony Bristow-Stagg I’d like to try a different kind of discussion with you. I’d rather do it privately, but I’m not able to start a new discussion with you.

The last few weeks I’ve been trying some ideas for responding to what looks to me like misunderstandings about Baha’i communities being spread by people promoting and defending their Baha’i beliefs in Internet discussions, but that isn’t what I mostly want to do. Mostly what I want to do is practice and promote spiritual growth and community service in whatever online communities I’m posting in. My priority was going to be Facebook, but I keep finding new things to do here.

One way that I was going to practice and promote spiritual growth and community service in these forums was going to be looking for them happening, and trying to find friendly and helpful ways to respond.

I’ll be looking through your posts now, trying to see better what you might be trying to do here for Baha’u’llah’s purposes.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

Tony, I’m feeling a lot of sympathy for you in your circumstances. I think that it might be good for you to discuss your circumstances and your possibilities with your auxiliary board member, and to consult about it with the National Spiritual Assembly or one of the Local Spiritual Assemblies. If you can’t go to them, they might send representatives to consult with you then with them, so they can advise you. They might welcome that, and be glad to help you in that way. If I were on a spiritual assembly, it would be a joy for me to see a request like that from an isolated believer.

I over the years, there has been interesting replies to requests sent.

I have accepted that to attract help, one must first help themselves. Thus I see a wisdom in our remoteness and I see the stillness is given to learn from.

Regards Tony

 

[TransmutingSoul]

I’m posting this for my own reference later, and not to preach at you.

“A new burst of energy would accrue to the operation of the Three Year Plan if the friends, both individually and collectively, could feel a greater sense of freedom to engage in a wide range of activities originating with themselves.”

The 200th anniversary events offered great opportunity for this energy to be dispensed. The Assembly I mentioned that is 600km East of us have been strong and active for 30 years, it is now the same people 30 years older, children have left gone elsewhere and over that time a handful have joined in.

Atherton Tableland Bahá’ís

Australia basically calls itself the lucky country, that luck has removed community based thought to individual successes and that is a hard mindset to overcome.

In my area the issues are complicated. Having left this community and returned 19 years later, added to the complexities.

Being part of and helping in any way possible m the community and individuals, is what we can and try to do.

Regards Tony

 

[TransmutingSoul]

I’ve finished reading that now, and got some wonderful new ideas from it. I’ve read that letter before, but I’m really glad that you brought it to my attention again. It’s timely for me, and very relevant to my current interests.

It was full of great balanced advice.

Baha'u'llah warns us we are not exempt from the influences of materialistic tenancies and it those tenancies that will creep into the system given in the writings, if we are not very, very careful.

The problem is, it is hard for us to see how bad that cancer is.

Regards Tony

 

[TransmutingSoul]

I’ll be looking through your posts now, trying to see better what you might be trying to do here for Baha’u’llah’s purposes.

For me Jim it is a no obligation posting of ideas that others can consider, if they so choose. In that way, I see the responses are a bounty for me to learn from.

The diversity and complexities of Hinduism was a great thing to start to understand, one may say a embryonic form of a Unity in a Diversity.

Regards Tony

 

[Jim]

For me Jim it is a no obligation posting of ideas that others can consider, if they so choose. In that way, I see the responses are a bounty for me to learn from.

The diversity and complexities of Hinduism was a great thing to start to understand, one may say a embryonic form of a Unity in a Diversity.

Regards Tony

Part of what unity means to me is friendliness and fellowship. Another part of it is embracing our diversity, including diversity in our ideas and interests. Another part of it is learning to encourage and support each other in what each of us is trying to do. Another part of it is combining our efforts in ways that will make them more fruitful than what what we can do separately. One way that I would like to combine our efforts would be to look together at what the House of Justice is promoting, discussing its aims and purposes, and what we’re doing and what else we might want to do for those.

 

[Jim]

For me Jim it is a no obligation posting of ideas that others can consider, if they so choose. In that way, I see the responses are a bounty for me to learn from.

Do you have some ideas about how that might serve Bahá’u’lláh’s purposes? I like the idea if learning from other people.

The diversity and complexities of Hinduism was a great thing to start to understand, one may say a embryonic form of a Unity in a Diversity.

I like it that you’re learning things from people’s responses.

 

[Jim]

".. The guarantee of well-being and success in all your endeavors to serve the Cause of God can be stated in one word: unity. It is the alpha and omega of all Bahá’í objectives...."

Regards Tony

Part of what unity means to me is combining our efforts in ways that make them more fruitful than they would otherwise be. I think that’s part of what spiritual assemblies are designed for by God (Intelligent Design! ). I don’t know of any spiritual assembly at any level that has goals and plans that you and I could apply directly to what we do on the Internet. What I’ve been doing is trying to understand the aims, purposes and principles of what the House of Justice is promoting offline, and apply those to what I’m doing online.

Another possibility I see would be to discuss the aims, purposes and principles of what your National Spiritual Assembly is promoting offline, if that would be more interesting to you, and discuss how we might apply those to what we’re doing online.

Apart from that, I would like to learn to encourage and support what you’re trying to do. At the same time I see some side effects that look harmful to me, and I’ve been trying some ideas about how to reduce and counteract those effects.

 

[Jim]

@Tony Bristow-Stagg @adrian009 This is about some things I might want to do.
- Discuss with you how we might adapt the aims, purposes and principles in what the Universal House of Justice and your National Spiritual Assembly are promoting offline, to what we’re doing online.
- Learn to encourage and support what you’re doing online.
- Discuss with you possible ways of responding if we ever saw a Baha’i in these forums promoting everything that was being promoted in the campaign of internal opposition.

 

[Jim]

I over the years, there has been interesting replies to requests sent.

I have accepted that to attract help, one must first help themselves. Thus I see a wisdom in our remoteness and I see the stillness is given to learn from.

Regards Tony

I might not have explained clearly enough what I was thinking. I wasn’t thinking of asking for people to come and help you. I was thinking of asking for ideas about what you can do in your circumstances, for the national goals and plans. The idea would be to write to the national spiritual assembly, explain your circumstances like you’ve explained them to me, and ask for ideas about what you can do. Also do the same with your Auxiliary Board Member.

If nothing else, you could study the Web site of your national spiritual assembly to see what they’re promoting, and pray for that to happen, and for you to be able to help it happen.