Baha'i Awakening : "I feel like my NSA is asking me to be their puppet in political campaign."



By tgisfw

Once again I got a letter asking me to call my political representatives regarding a resolution. I don't think this is a good tactic. But more than telling me what to to - they also say what "not" to do.

The NSA says :

As this is a telephone campaign, do not send requests in writing, whether by email or otherwise. Further, do not attempt to engage your representative’s or senators’ office staffs in conversation beyond a simple request for cosponsoring the resolutions. Each call should take only a few minutes.

To my mind unless someone is really familiar with the resolution you should not support it. Politicians are tricky and there may be things "attached" to the resolution that may not be good at all. And what about other resolutions they make that I don't agree with ? It seems like if this is a practice that Baha'is feel is good - should not I also write or call-in in regards to resolutions that I don't like when it involves war or bombing or occupation of countries with military force or sanctions ? I think we need consistency. If we are to support or not support resolutions then allow us to do so in a manner that the constitution allows, not simply in a way the LSA thinks is good. I don't think the NSA should determine the Baha'i communities political POV.

I think the LSA at most should say there is the resolution in question and encourage the friends to study it and explain why they think it is important. But to say when and how we should respond to this in my mind is dangerous practice. Are we to be like sheep and just do what they say? What if I want to write a letter instead of calling. Are they saying I can't ? There are many "sheep" in our communities and with all good intention will simply obey - but This is what is known as "slippery slope." Instead of telling the friends what to do , the friends should be empowered to know how to say aware of these types of actions in congress and act appropriately as they see fit. This would be creating better Baha'is and more valuable resources and seems to be goal or core activities.

This entire approach needs to be studied with some consultation with the community. The idea of asking the friends to contact a political leader or representative with a specific message - I don't see this as part of what I understood to be my responsibility or duty of LSA when I became a Baha'i.

It would be nice to have a deepening first on why they do this. And how they determine what resolutions are important.

In general I think this is the final result of this kind of letter: Baha'is are saying things that may not be genuine to what they feel about the resolution. I think the NSA should emphasize don't do anything until you read the resolutions for yourself.

Some Baha'i will say " well just don't do it " but I feel that the community is being groomed for "brain washed" type actions.

It does not seem right at all. I would never say I support this or that to a political leader unless I was fully up to date on the resolution of alternative POV on how to handle the issue in political manner.

How 'Baha'i Diplomacy' and 'Baha'i Wisdom' works ?




Here is information from the manual on public affairs published by the NSA of the US. I have highlighted areas that might help you with your concerns:
CONTACT WITH GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND OFFICIALS

Regarding Bahá’í Matters

The relationships between the Bahá'í community and the government are the responsibility of the elected institutions of the Faith. Local Spiritual Assemblies are responsible for Bahá'í contact with local government agencies and officials (city councils, mayors, etc.) and, where appropriate, with local representatives to the state legislature. The National Spiritual Assembly, through its Washington, D.C., Office of Public Affairs, is responsible for all Bahá'í contact with federal or state government agencies and officials (the president, the State Department, senators, congressional representatives, governors, state government agencies, etc.). Bahá’ís who wish to contact government agencies or officials on Bahá'í matters or to mention or discuss the Bahá'í Faith must first ask the appropriate Bahá'í institution for permission.
The National Spiritual Assembly occasionally requests that Local Spiritual Assemblies or individual Bahá'ís contact federal or state government officials to ask their assistance on a particular issue that the Bahá'ís have chosen to promote. In these instances, Bahá'ís should call or write their legislators on behalf of the Bahá'í Faith, being mindful to refrain from quoting the Bahá'í writings or using the opportunity to teach the Faith. Meeting with Government Officials Regarding Bahá'í Matters here may be times in meetings when local Bahá'ís will discuss the Faith in response to questions from a government official, but it is important to exercise caution to ensure that the official does not develop the impression that the Bahá'ís’ visit and proposals are only a means of teaching the Faith. Local Bahá'ís engaged in public affairs work will have to gauge each situation on its merits, determining what and how much information on the Faith to share in a given meeting. They will make these determinations with increasing ease as their experience grows.
REFERENCE: Bahá'í International Community, External Affairs Manual – Bahá'í Diplomacy, p. 32.

Regarding Non-Bahá’í Matters

Of course, Bahá’ís can contact government representatives and express their views on non-Bahá’í matters as their consciences dictate, provided they do so as an individual and do not identify themselves as Bahá’ís.
Participation in Petitions and Letter Writing Campaigns
The believers are free as citizens to sign petitions or write letters to bring certain matters to the attention of the public and public officials. However, they should not identify themselves as Bahá’ís, unless encouraged to do so by a Bahá’í institution. The decision to participate in the myriad petitions and letter-writing campaigns in progress at any given time is largely left to the individual, to be made in accordance with his or her understanding of the teachings and the dictates of his or her conscience. However, if the friends have questions about particular issues or initiatives, they are encouraged to contact the appropriate institution for guidance — the Local Spiritual Assembly for local petitions and campaigns, and the National Spiritual Assembly’s Office of Public Affairs for national or international petitions and campaigns.

Recently retrived Baha'i censuses from several countries exposes Baha'i lies more...

"During my time as a Baha'i, I saw potential converts lied to by Baha'is regarding the membership of the Faith. The Baha'is, especially the Baha'i leadership, have always grossly inflated the 'official' numbers in order to present an inaccurate picture to the world (as well as to individuals considering conversion) and to make the Faith seem much more successful and influential than it really is. " --Scott

Professor Juan Cole of the University of Michigan commented in April 2001 that, since 1968, 50% of the people who entered the bahai faith have left it. According to him, the usual figure for most Christian denominations is approximately 80% retention, meaning about only 20% decide to leave once they become a member. See Professor Cole's comment below that even 5 million Baha'is worldwide is exaggerated by the Baha'i administration.

50% is truly a remarkably high number and reveals emphatically that something is indeed wrong about the atmosphere within the bahai faith. Often the new adherent quickly comes to realize someting is wrong behind the facade of love and brotherhood.

The FULL TEXT of the New Mexico lawsuit reveals what many of the problems are that are driving sensitive and thoughtful people out of the bahai faith in droves.

Juan Cole has also stated that according to the official census figures of India there are approximately only 5,000 bahais that they were able to find in the country compare with the millions claimed by the bahai administration, a fact worth lingering on....


Nation
Census data
Bahá'í-cited data
Barbados
178[1]
3,138[2]
Belize
202[3][4]
7,776[2]
Canada
18,945[5]
30,000[6]; 46,587[2]
Guyana
500[7]
13,045[2]
India
4,572[8][9]
1,880,000[2]
over 2,000,000[11]
Mauritius
639[10]
23,703[2]

Sources:
  1. "Redatam". Census. Barbados Statistical Service. 2010. Archived from the original on 4 October 2010. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  2. "Most Baha'i Nations (2005)". QuickLists > Compare Nations > Religions >. The Association of Religion Data Archives. 2005. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  3. "2010 Census of Belize Overview". 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  4. "2010 Census of Belize Detailed Demographics of 2000 and 2010". 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  5. "2011 National Household Survey: Data tables". Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  6. "The Bahá'í Community Canada, Facts and Figures". The Bahá’í Community Canada. Bahá’í Community Canada. 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  7. "Chapter II, Population Composition, 2002 Census" (PDF). Statistics Bureau. 2002. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  8. "C-01 Appendix : Details of Religious Community Shown Under 'Other Religions And Persuasions' In Main Table C-1- 2011 (India & States/UTs)". Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  9. "Population Enumeration Data (Final Population)". Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  10. "Resident population by religion and sex" (PDF). Statistics Mauritius. pp. 68,71. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  11. "Baha'i Faith in India". Official Website of the Bahá'ís of India. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India. 2010. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
Discuss this : https://www.reddit.com/r/exbahai/comments/67o11y/national_census_data_compared_to_bah%C3%A1%C3%ADcited/


This is also interesting : https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/FalseStats.htm

Influence of Sufism on Baha'i Cult

Several Dervish friends of Baha'u'llah.
From left to right Dervish Yoghdeh, Dervish Teighoor, Dervish Moones, Dervish Moosadeh, Dervish Tavangar, the first person from the right is unknown.
On April 10 in 1854, Bahá'u'lláh left Baghdad for the mountains of Kurdistan almost one year to the date of his arrival in Baghdad from Iran on April 8, 1953. Bahá'u'lláh spent two years using the name Darvish Muhammad-i-Irani studying with various Sufi sheikhs. His studies with the Sufis led to his writing the Four Valleys in 1857 and Seven Valleys in 1860. Both books are usually published together and their contents are largely based on the experiences he had as Darvish Muhammad-i-Irani. Similarly, the Kitáb-i-Íqán, written in 1861, contains many themes common to Sufi teaching. Finally, Bahá'í cosmology is largely a reflection of Sufi cosmology.

'Mother of Baha'is' alienates herself from the Bahá’í cult due to shameless behaviour of Bahá’ís

Phoebe Hearst - 'Mother of the Faithful'

On April 13, 1919, Phoebe Hearst passed away. She was an early Bahá'í who later became estranged from the Bahá'í Faith due to being extorted for money by other Bahá'ís. She was also a wealthy philanthropist, the wife of Senator George Hearst, and the mother of publisher William Randolph Hearst.


Hearst was raised a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian faith in the 1840s. In 1898 she converted to the Bahá'í Faith, and undertook a Bahá'í pilgrimage to Palestine to meet 'Abdu'l-Bahá with other American pilgrims, including Ibrahim George Kheiralla, Lua Getsinger and May Boles. It was during this trip, in Akka, that Kheiralla witnessed firsthand the conflict between 'Abdu'l-Bahá and his brothers, leading him, upon his return to America in 1899, to form the "Society of Behaists" which would later be led by Shua Ullah Behai and to author a book, Beha'u'llah, wherein he states his belief that 'Abdu'l-Bahá was equal in rank to his brothers Mírzá Muhammad `Alí, Díyá'u'lláh, and Badi'u'lláh

Phoebe Hearst helped play a key role in the spread of the Bahá'í Faith in the United States. In October 1912 she invited 'Abdu'l-Bahá, who was travelling throughout the United States, to stay at her home for a long weekend, even though at that time she had become estranged from the Bahá'í faith. During his stay 'Abdu'l-Bahá mentioned that anyone who tried to extort money or goods from others should not be considered a true Bahá'í. Mrs. Hearst had been a victim of such an incident, which had caused her estrangement from the religion.

Source : https://www.reddit.com/user/A35821361
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