On Baha'i Youth: A Loving Response to Questions and Answers

This is the tale of two youth, Miss B and T-Mac. T-Mac was a ripe old 22 years of age, and Miss B was 19. Now T-Mac lived out in Oregon-land and, having attended a Baha'i devotional meeting, was apparently on the verge of declaration. Miss B lived in the Heartland and was a youth intern in the teaching office at the National Baha'i Center. Somehow the two of them teamed up to do a blog.

The name of their blog was Questions and Answers about the Baha'i Faith. Of course, with a name like that someone had to come up with the questions, and as T-Mac was the seeker, that was his job. Oh, was he good at asking questions!

He asked "regular" questions about the return of Christ, progressive revelation, and the Baha'i understanding of heaven and hell. But he also asked the hard questions like "Why can’t women be in the Universal House of Justice?" And what about the Baha'i position toward abortion. He asked, "Can you get kicked out of the faith?" And what about good works, as discussed in the opening paragraph of the Kitab-i-Aqdas? "Aren't good things still good regardless of who you believe in when you do them?" he asked. And what's the attitude of the Faith toward prayer in school?

Miss B was there to help with an answer or two, but mostly it was up to Baha'is on the 'net to come up with the asnwers. And answer they did.

Devoted souls came from far and wide. One might say "Q and A about the Baha'i Faith" became something of a lightning rod. The respondents ran the gamut, if their respective blogs were any indication. A few seemed to respond with what might be termed ruffled feathers.

How did Miss B handle ruffled reathers? With love. This youth, all of 19, was not afraid to set the record straight, as she saw it. "We all love Baha'u'llah and his Teachings here," she noted.

A key tenant of the Baha'i Faith is Obedience to the Covenant we each make with Baha'u'llah. Part of that includes obedience to the Administrative Order as set out by Baha'u'llah in many of His Writings. And 'Abdu'l-Baha further explains the Administrative Order, in his Will and Testament.

So, I'm not here to get in a bickering match or to debate anything, and I would like to fully disclose that many people that have become disenfranchised by the current Baha'i community may think that I "work for the system, or the man" or whatever you wish to call it (I work for the National Teaching Committee of the Baha'is of the United States, directly under the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States.)

However, if we all love Baha'u'llah and His Teachings here (as it clearly seems that we all do) and Baha'u'llah says that the Universal House of Justice is the "source of all good and freed from all error", as food for thought (not arguement or debate please) why would any of us purposely go against the Universal House of Justice?

Also, it's fine to disagree or express concern about a decision made, to me. We always have the freedom to ask institutions of the faith not only why they made a decision that they made, but also to request them to continue consulting on the matter. We must also keep in mind the ultimate aim of the Baha'i Faith. Unity. That doesn't mean play nice with those whom we agree with. That means all unity. Even if it is very difficult to agree.

For example, 'Abdu'l-Baha says that family unity is more important than love in saying that all living parents must consent to a marriage before the couple can be married. Sometimes that can be a very hard pill to swallow.

There is room for disagreements and differences of opinions and differences of interpretations in the Baha'i Faith. That's part of why it is so beautiful to me. We have consultation, and the beautiful way in which we create the Administration of the Faith (our electoral process), and we have Independent Investigation of the Truth. I'm not saying anyone should blindly agree with me at all. I'm just saying that everyone (myself included) needs to look at the basics and make our own decisions. For myself, it's pretty clear cut. We agree that Baha'u'llah is the Promised One of all Ages, we agree to follow Baha'u'llah's laws and teachings, therefore we agree to follow His Covenant and Administrative Order.

*Side Note: The House of Justice has the authority to reverse the decisions they make should they see things in a different light later on. And if anyone has been burned by community members, I am terribly sorry. That's not the fault of Baha'u'llah, the Faith, or the Administrative Order. That's the imperfections of that community member showing through (even if they serve on an institution). It's happened to me too, and it's very unfortunate, but, "Nothing that profitteth them not, should befall my loved ones." (There may be minor errors in that quote.)

I also hope, that everyone takes this with the tone in which it was intended. Loving and calm, I simply wish to explain a point of view that I feel is very important and has not been expressed here yet for fear of being burned or because it is very unfamiliar territory for many Baha'is.

Miss B, Comment to "So...What Do I do now?"

A postscript. T-Mac is a Baha'i now, of course. (Did you have any doubt?) And he's a funny guy, if his other blog is any indication. Read his a recent post entitled "Why I just force-fed myself a can of ravioli at 3:15 in the morning." Yup, he's fasting.

You can read Miss B at Adventures of a Youth Desk intern, although I hear she has been on pilgrimage of late. Good for her!