On Blog-searching Ruhi Study Circles: A Lot So Fast
London Ruhi 6 last session, uploaded on March 25, 2006
I am doing Book 1 again tonight. I am actually looking forward to it. Anyone in my group who isn't family is a seeker or a new Baha'i, which is so awesome because they are really excited about learning about the Faith. Lots of great stories, especially from one guy who has been investigating the Faith for about 2 years. It seems the only reason he hasn't signed his card is because his parents are really adamant Christians, as in they would probably disown him if he changed religions. Not so much about what makes him happy, but what makes them happy. I know how that is.
A blogger, "My new minimum wage job!" LiveJournal
{Re-posted with permission}
7 comments:
Bob and I love Ruhi. Thanks so much for suggesting it to us, George. I feel like the Baha'is in our group are part of our family now and we have only been studying with them for three short months!
I don't know if this person should be so quick to judge the Christian parents since Baha'i parents take their children out of their will if their children become Christians.
My dear Anonymous,
It is simply incorrect to say that "Baha'i parents take their children out of their will if their children become Christians." It is only fair that a Baha'i would provide for his non-Baha'i family in his will.
As it correctly states in Wikipedia, "In the Kitáb-i-Aqdas it is stated that all Bahá'ís must write a will. The other Bahá’í laws of inheritance in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas apply only in case of intestacy, that is, when the individual dies without leaving a will."
As Fazel states: "the Bahá'í Writings specifically state that every Bahá'í is obliged to leave a will, disposing of one's wealth in any way one wishes. Nowhere does Bahá'u'lláh suggest or advise that the intestacy pattern should be used as a model for wills. Rather, it has been argued that the intestate inheritance laws should be viewed in their historical context. This is suggested by considering the intestate provisions for non-Bahá'í inheritors. The Aqdas states that non-Bahá'ís do not inherit when a Bahá'í dies intestate and the entire estate reverts to the House of Justice. A non-Bahá'í wife, son, daughter, grandchild, teacher or any other non-Bahá'í who would normally be a beneficiary from the will receives nothing. Shoghi Effendi, in a letter written on his behalf, has stated that, 'it is always possible for a Bahá'í to provide for his non-Bahá'í wife, children or relatives by leaving a will. And it is only fair that he should do so.' Therefore, by stating that 'it is only fair' for Bahá'ís to provide for non-Bahá'í relatives in their wills, the Guardian highlights the principle of justice, and indicates that the intestate provisions in the Aqdas are not normative."
Fazel's entire article is worth reading and may further clarify your misconception.
http://bahai-library.com/?file=fazel_inheritance_bsr
Perhaps I should correct my statement. There are some Baha'is who leave their non-Baha'i children in the will but do not leave anything for them, they are merely mentioned. As you have stated here a Baha'i is allowed to do what he wishes with his will but this does not negate the fact that I know of Baha'i parents who has left one or more of their non-Baha'i children out of the will specifically because they are Christians. I know now that this is not the case for all Baha'is. Thank you for clarifying that fact for me. But it also still does not justify this person judging these Christian parents when I have been witness to Baha'i parents doing the exact same thing.
Dear Anonymous,
This post is not about wills, so I doubt whether this discussion is relevant here to many readers or meets the purpose of this blog. Consequently, I will probably delete these comments after a bit. But it is clear that this is a personal issue that deeply bothers you. If you have further thoughts on the matter, feel free to e-mail me.
The dear young soul who gave me permission to re-post from her blog would probably be the first to say that she is not perfect, just as her Baha'i parents are not perfect, and that it is wrong to judge. I somehow doubt that your issue is really with her.
I apologize if I a have offended. Of course the deeper issue is not with the person who wrote the post or about wills but with the fact that we all tend to so quickly judge eachother without first looking at our own lives and seeing whether or not we are guilty of the same thing in our own way. I just hope that we all will be more careful when we start to make harsh judgements about someone else. We are all in the same boat together.
So true.
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