The chronicles
My friends from the Talisman list, and some other people, called themselves "liberal Baha'is," and called some other Baha'is "fundamentalists." They said that Baha'i institutions have been taken over by fundamentalists, who are impeding the progress of the Faith, and who persecute liberal Baha'is and censor and repress their ideas. They told stories of wrongdoings of the House of Justice and other Baha'i institutions, including threats and administrative actions against liberal Baha'is. They argued that the infallibility of the House of Justice applies only to legislation, and not to everything it says and does.
I'll list here some highlights of their stories, and recent developments. There are links to some related documents in an appendix.
1976 to 1983:
A newsletter about Baha'i social issues, circulated by a group of
Baha'is in the Los Angeles area, attracts unfavorable attention from
Baha'i administrators.
1986 to 1988: "Dialogue," a subscription
magazine about Baha'i social issues, published in Los Angeles,
attracts unfavorable attention from Baha'i administrators.
1988:
"A Modest Proposal," an article written for dialogue Magazine,
proposing some administrative reforms as possible remedies for
stagnation in the American Baha'i Community, is
followed by series of unfortunate events, including discontinuation of the
magazine. The article is never published.
1988: A paper entitled
"The Service of Women on the Institutions of the Baha'i Faith," signed
by some people associated with dialogue Magazine and arguing that the
exclusion of women from the House of Justice may be a temporary
provision, is followed by another series of unfortunate events, and
allegations that circulation of the paper was repressed by the House of
Justice.
1995: A post on the Talisman discussion list, about
previous unfortunate events, is followed by another series of
unfortunate events, including the removal of the administrative rights
of the originator of the post.
1996: A message sent to the
Talisman list by mistake, proposing a "winning strategy" against "the
scoundrels," is followed by another series of unfortunate events,
including an investigation of some people as possible Covenant
breakers. Some of them withdraw from the Faith.
1997: Someone who has been posting on the Talisman list about his
disagreements with the House of Justice, is removed from the membership
of the Faith by a decision of the House of Justice.
1999: The
House of Justice sends a compilation to all spiritual assemblies, with
a cover letter about a "campaign of internal opposition to the
Teachings" being carried on through the use of the Internet. Without
naming any names, it refers to the Majnun post, and to some
of the ideas and activities of people associated with events described
above.
2000: Another person who has been posting on the
Talisman list about her disagreements with the House of Justice, is
removed from the membership of the Faith by a decision of the House of
Justice.
2005: Another person associated with Talisman liberals
is removed from the membership of the Faith by a decision of the House
of Justice.
2005: The US National Spiritual Assembly instructs
all national and local Baha'i agencies in the US to cease distributing
books and other items marketed by Kalimat press, which has been
distributing some of the writings of Talisman liberals.
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