arthra

A compendium of ethical principles was identified by Shoghi Effendi as revealed by Baha'u'llah and elucidated by Him. Here they are for us to use:

"The salutary and fundamental truths advocated by the Báb, that had either been obscured, neglected or misrepresented, were moreover elucidated by Bahá’u’lláh, reaffirmed and instilled afresh into the corporate life of the community, and into the souls of the individuals who comprised it.

The dissociation of the Bábí Faith from every form of political activity and from all secret associations and factions;

the emphasis placed on the principle of non-violence;

the necessity of strict obedience to established authority;

the ban imposed on all forms of sedition, on back-biting, retaliation, and dispute;

the stress laid on godliness, kindliness, humility and piety, on honesty and truthfulness, chastity and fidelity, on justice, toleration, sociability, amity and concord,

on the acquisition of arts and sciences,

on self-sacrifice and detachment, on patience, steadfastness and resignation to the will of God—

all these constitute the salient features of a code of ethical conduct to which the books, treatises and epistles, revealed during those years, by the indefatigable pen of Bahá’u’lláh, unmistakably bear witness."

- Shoghi Effendi

- pp. 133-134 in "God Passes By"

:wink

shathaway

See also my posting in the "General Discussion" group with a thread titled "Free Speech - Rules and Consequences."

That posting may as well be titled: The Free Speech Wars. Here are a couple of excerpts.

If we as persons live according to the Baha'i prescribed codes of conduct, we will make a difference. Be assured that such activities and voices are deviating from the norm of current political will, and such a moral and righteous life may fuel the anger and ire of those who have been blinded by the laws of political correctness in order to support debased agendas. It makes no difference whether the political society is of the western secular or a radical theocratic state.

In His Service,
Steven J. Hathaway

shathaway

As you mention, the Babi and Baha'i adherents are to refrain from every form of political activity and all secret associations and factions.

But does this mean also that we should not have a voice of discussion and reason when political questions require ethical and moral answers? Can we not be advisors in a political process without aligning ourselves with the partisanship of politics?

I have also heard from Christians that the Baha'i Faith looks much like a political organization.

Sincerely,
Steven J. Hathaway

arthra

Hey Steven...

Thanks for your posts!

I think I'll quote you and then see if I can respond in some way:

"Can we not be advisors in a political process without aligning ourselves with the partisanship of politics?"

My comment:

I think so... That is as long as it's clearly non-partisan. I volunteered for the past three years on a City Human Relations Commission and worked on subcommittees on homeless issues so from my personal experience I thnk yes... Baha'is can serve on non-partisan committees. We even had some Town Hall meetings and I presented to the City Council..but none of it was partisan.

"I have also heard from Christians that the Baha'i Faith looks much like a political organization."

Comment:

I can sorta see where they may be coming from because we're oragnized a lot differently than most churches are..so to them we seem probably super organized. The other issue is that because we support a world parliament, some of them may think we're in league with the anti-christ.

Thanks for your perspectives!

- Art

drhine

Hi Steven - One thing that I have had to remind myself of is that there is a difference between 'partisan politics' and 'politics'. The writings, as I recall, specifically forbid participation in 'partisan political' movements and not to 'politics' in general. This is because there is some sort of 'politics' in any organization including the Baha'i Faith. Consider for a moment any Spiritual Assembly or committee that is elected or appointed. By the strict definition they are 'political' but not 'partisan'. The Baha'i World Center has representatives at the United Nations that consult with members from all parts of the world. The National Assembly in the United States has an Office of External Affairs that works with the federal government here. Clearly, these too are 'political' but never 'partisan'.

As to how we appear to others, I am certain that some could look and see political organization because its there. However, that organization is not in place to take over other elected institutions nor to be secretive with few exceptions (personal issues and such). Nor are these institutions made up of people who are trying to maintain some personal power base but rather to serve the community. Big differences from where I sit

Just thoughts - Dennis Rhine

bwb

Do you have any of the other short summaries of books and Baha'i principles from God Passes by? It would be good to post those, too, because they give good short introductory material to the Baha'i Faith.

bwb

List of the basic Baha'i principles, copied straight out of Ocean 4 you.

The independent search after truth, unfettered by superstition or tradition;
the oneness of the entire human race, the pivotal principle and fundamental doctrine of the Faith;
the basic unity of all religions;
the condemnation of all forms of prejudice, whether religious, racial, class or national;
the harmony which must exist between religion and science;
the equality of men and women, the two wings on which the bird of human kind is able to soar;
the introduction of compulsory education;
the adoption of a universal auxiliary language;
the abolition of the extremes of wealth and poverty;
the institution of a world tribunal for the adjudication of disputes between nations;
the exaltation of work, performed in the spirit of service, to the rank of worship;
the glorification of justice as the ruling principle in human society, and of religion as a bulwark for the protection of all peoples and nations;
and the establishment of a permanent and universal peace as the supreme goal of all mankind

-- these stand out as the essential elements of that Divine polity which He ('Abdu'l-Baha) proclaimed to leaders of public thought as well as to the masses at large in the course of these missionary journeys.

(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 281)

bwb

Now if we could only get the Iranian goverment to realize this about Baha'i teachings so that they would stop persecuting Baha'is!

The dissociation of the Bábí Faith from every form of political activity and from all secret associations and factions;

the emphasis placed on the principle of non-violence;

the necessity of strict obedience to established authority;

the ban imposed on all forms of sedition, on back-biting, retaliation, and dispute;

earthling155

I think one of the most important issues related to our non-political culture, is that true Baha'is do not seek leadership. This seems to be a theme that is repeated often in the Baha'i Sacred Writings in various contexts.

Which brings up how we interact with the culture around us. Western civilization sometimes seems like a nonstop Darwinian struggle to be the leader of the tribe.

Should Baha'is strive for leadership in business?

We definitely can and should encourage people to transform our self interest and competition into cooperation, service and unity in diversity

Yeshua

81. Jesus said, "Let one who has become (spiritually) wealthy reign, and let one who has power renounce it."

(In the Gospel of Thomas 'wealth' refers to spiritual, inner peace in the knowledge that one has found rest in God and has discovered his/her true self).

Mdef

Well put.