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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