Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ucla-cs.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!trwrb!trwrba!cepu!ucla-cs!ellen From: ellen@ucla-cs.UUCP Newsgroups: net.religion Subject: Ba'hai response and questions Message-ID: <2558@ucla-cs.ARPA> Date: Mon, 3-Dec-84 17:00:50 EST Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.2558 Posted: Mon Dec 3 17:00:50 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 6-Dec-84 03:42:28 EST Reply-To: ellen@ucla-cs.UUCP (Ellen Perlman) Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department Lines: 49 [hail to thee, bugs of the watchtowers...] when i was a kid (adolescent... about 14), and beginning my conscious search along the paths of spirituality (as distinct from spiritualism :-), i came across Ba'hai in a book writting by ?Leo Rosten?, something like that, which sought to compare major religions in a non-judgemental way . i no longer remember the scope of the work, that is, whether or not it covered religions outside the range of Judaeo-Christian-Islamic faiths. anyway, i was trying to see if there was a religion around which i could find acceptable, one which DID NOT say, "only those who believe in MY GOD are right!" of the MANY discussed in the book (after all, there are SO MANY different X-ian religions, each claiming to be the only one that's true/right)(and Judaism was included, i just can't remember which others; Islam must have been), Ba'hai seemed to be the best of the bunch because it didn't claim exclusivity to god and accepted that there could be truths within the teachings of other previously established religions. this makes sense to me to a certain point. there are numerous books, for example those by catholics, often clergy, who have found valuable teachings in Hinduism, Buddhism, for example. Bah'hai still seems pretty good, from the above-mentioned Judaeo-Christian- Islamic point of view, but my beliefs, [see previous comments i have made regarding the position of the feminine within many establishment religions] leads me to reject Ba'hai. the prophets mentioned are all MALE. nothing against men (i find them useful :-) but where are the spiritual WOMEN? the three above mentioned groups, and Buddhism and most forms of Hinduism put the MALE at the pinnacle of spiritual life; the female is not as spiritually advanced. women are considered the cause of all sin by Christians; Jewish men thank G-d that that they were not born female; Buddhists consider women unable to reach release, because life in this wheel of suffering is born of the female body, so women are obviously closer to suffering and causing it than men (be good in this life and maybe in your next you'll get to be born a man); Islam so obviously subjugates women, that i have a hard time being at all objective about it in its most traditional/orthodox forms (Sufis seem to be better about it). so, what exactly is the position of Ba'hai about the place of women on its spiritual path. no nice, comforting remarks; give me some quotes out of the basic texts that Ba'hais look to as guide-posts. in the name of the Goddess in Her triple aspect, and the Horned One ///|\\\ /// \\\ //{o} {o}\\ ll " ll 'll ~ ll` lll lll ''' ```