On Organized Religion's Anesthetized Rhetoric: The Perception of Some
Although his mother was Baha'i, one dude breaking free from a blogjam writes that he was never cut out for organized religion. I am interested in the stories of people whose parents were Baha'i but who never became Baha'i themselves. There is much to be learned from their experiences. -gw 
Back in the day my family would drive up to Wilmette for a religious service at the Baha'i House of Worship. Wilmette rocks because its a progressive, scenic town -- and the home of Bill Murray & the FallOutBoys.
Never saw those guys at the Bahai Temple, but after the service we'd swing by a small International House of Pancakes that was down the road. It was the old, pre-IHOP one with the weird angled Scandanavian styled blue roof. Never saw Bill Murray & the FallOutBoys there either. The diner was designed as weird as the design of the Bahai House of Worship, which looks (and feels) like religious temples everywhere: a climate-controlled Spaceship of Worship.
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Consider me lulled into tranquility and sedation. No matter the landscape architecture, organized religion simply will never cut it for me. There is so much more to our wickedly magical universe than religion's anesthetized rhetoric can ever reveal. Growing up around Baha'i environments, my family and the annoying relatives could never understand how I didn't want to be a card-carrying "member" of ANY religion, especially one as 'organized' as theirs.
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That said, my mom Victoria snapped a photo in 1977 in Wilmette of me inside her belly as she posed for a pic with frequent Baha'i Temple-goer Dizzy Gillespie. He ruled. While the Dizster never got a chance to perform with Bill Murray & the FallOutBoys, I just might however.
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{Re-posted with permission}
{Re-posted with permission}
2 comments:
Dear Rebel,
The very concept of Unity means some kind of organised action and code of ethics. If you believe we can have Unity in the world without a concerted global effort, you are mistaken.
It seems you are living the typical homogenized urban bore, where "religion" is just another empty possession which your other possessions revolve around with you in the middle.
Try to come out of your shell , contribute and expand your horizon beyond IHOPs in Wilmette; try to travel the world to meet the millions of Bahais all over the planet from every background and try to see the real world examples of what you were so lucky to be born into, has achieved. I hope that as you grow you begin to appreciate the Gift, billions of people on the planet are destined to discover.
Do not confuse the hypocrisy and irrelevance of backward looking ecclesiastic organiastions and their self serving clergy with the an organic Divine institution such as the Bahai Faith with perhaps the most urgent agenda...Unity
The Bahai Faith is not a religion of empty words and beautiful temples.
Perhaps the best example of meaning in the life of a Bahai youth today is the selfless example of those young Bahais in Shiraz who have been arrested for helping their community and the destitute.
May be when in this country when people begin to pour in in and the establishment begins to single out Bahais and persecute them you will begin to have more appreciation for what your parents tried to give you.
Since I have been in email communication with this blogger, and I suspect he may come back to this post from time to time, and perhaps be put off this comment, I feel concern about leaving it up. I share, of course, a belief in the importance of unity and the significance of what the Baha’is are doing in the world, including the true sacrifice the youth of Shiraz are making, but I'm wondering if the blogger might not be more receptive to the content of the comments if they were not personally directed at him. (I had to write this comment over twice, because I thought my first take was too sharp. Geeesshh!)
8:20 PM
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