Friday, March 14, 2008

On "Unenrollment" in the Baha'i Faith: Looking at the numbers


I Googled "Baha'i" and got...

Personalized Results 1 - 10 of about 967,000 for baha'i [definition]. (0.22 seconds)

I Googled "unenrolled Baha'i" and got...

Personalized Results 1 - 10 of about 1,700 for unenrolled Baha'i. (0.06 seconds)

I divided 1,700 by 967,000 and got 0.001758. It seem's to me that that's a pretty good indication of how insignificant an issue "unenrollment" in the Baha'i Faith really is, using the Internet to provide an unbiased view. -gw

4 comments:

Barmak Kusha said...

i.e. 0.1758 %.

GWD said...

So this percentage figure is not a reflection of percentage of "unenrolled" Baha'is to enrolled Baha'is, but a reflection of the significance of the subject in comparison to the mass of subject matter about "Baha'i" online.

Jim Habegger said...

I'm wondering if your recurring reference to oppositional campaigns is a sign of some kind of anxiety. I'm wondering if you've seen the reassurances from the House of Justice that there is nothing in those campaigns for any of us to be concerned about.

Also, I'm also wondering if you've seen these words from the Will and Testament:

"It is incumbent upon everyone to show the utmost love, rectitude of conduct, straightforwardness and sincere kindliness unto all the peoples and kindreds of the world, be they friends or strangers. So intense must be the spirit of love and loving kindness, that the stranger may find himself a friend, the enemy a true brother, no difference whatsoever existing between them."

"Should other peoples and nations be unfaithful to you show your fidelity unto them, should they be unjust toward you show justice towards them, should they keep aloof from you attract them to yourselves, should they show their enmity be friendly towards them, should they poison your lives, sweeten their souls, should they inflict a wound upon you, be a salve to their sores. Such are the attributes of the sincere! Such are the attributes of the truthful."

In the first paragraph Abdu'l-Baha speaks of "rectitude of conduct." Concerning rectitude of conduct, in The Advent of Divine Justice Shoghi Effendi call it one of the three most preeminent and vital prerequisites of success for the American community, and says that it "must be demonstrated in the impartiality of every defender of the Faith against its enemies, in his fair-mindedness in recognizing any merits that enemy may possess, and in his honesty in discharging any obligations he may have towards him."

Jim

Barmak Kusha said...

Jim, there is no anxiety on the part of george here. this blog is his personal living room space on the web, and he is free to talk about any and all things, and to talk about this aspect of the Baha'i faith is not only not a sign of anxiety, but an open and public exploration of an important topic. besides, it is such a small part of his hundreds of posts, which are about so many things... i know you think you do well and mean well, but sadly, quoting the teachings and writings of the Baha'i faith about love and unity alone does not change the fact that there are marginal and apostate Baha'is, they are few, they appear periodically at points of great change in Baha'i history, and as the very same teachings tell us, form one half of the dialectic of crisis and victory which is also a fundamental aspect of the Baha'i faith. individuals, yes, have the responsibility to act towards other individuals with love, but when a Ficcicchia spreads garbage lies about the Baha'i faith, you don't see Drs Schaefer, Towfigh et al. holding their pens still. NO, in obedience to the command of Baha'u'llah, the prophet founder of the Baha'i faith himself, they repudiate what is a lie, and they defend and uphold what is true. remember, the Hands of the Cause of God and now the Institution of the Counselors, existed and exist to protect AND propagate. that is not a sign of anxiety; that is being realistic.