Non-Bahai observers may read many other stories of the
shunning of individuals and families at Shunning > Menu
http://www.fglaysher.com/bahaicensor****p/Shunning.htm
"Baha'i Censor****p - See Website" <bahaicensor****p@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote
in message
news:spSd****6PK1J6YnVnZ2dnUVZ_hSdnZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Jeffrey,
>
> Upon further reflection this morning, I would emphasize that
> what is of concern is not vengance nor money but justice--
> and defending the weak, the vulnerable, the uninformed,
> the deceived, the simple, the trusting, the unsuspecting
> from such trauma as many thousands, if not tens of thousands,
> of American citizens have been subjected to in one way or
> another by the spiritually sick and corrupt organization that has
> imposed itself upon Baha'u'llah's Faith, subverting it into a fanatical
> system of oppression almost beyond what the average person can
> imagine, as recounted below in your own words in the court do***ents:
>
>
> http://www.truebahai.com/court/obf-goldberg.pdf
>
> "26. On May 27, 1997, my wife and I were declared to be
covenant-breakers
> and all of my friends in the Faith were instructed to shun me entirely
and
> never to have any contact with me or face the same expulsion themselves.
A
> true and correct copy of the NSA's letter of May 27, 1997, and the front
page
> of The American Bahá'í for June 24, 1997, are attached as Exhibit 5).
>
> 27. My wife did not join the OBF at that time but she was also expelled
and
> shunned because she refused to take my children and divorce me as they
had
> insisted she must.
>
> 28. The NSA organization claims that shunning us as covenant-breakers is
> required to maintain the unity of the Faith. The OBF believe, on the
other
> hand, that unity in the Faith is achieved and maintained by obedience to
the
> Center of the Cause, the living Guardian, and that a
> covenant-breaker is one who rejects the authority of the Guardian.
>
> 29. Only one member of my former community, the Bahá'ís of Barrington,
> Illinois, was willing to speak with me (Janice Franco). At first, I was
> reluctant to tell Ms. Franco what I had learned because I did not want
her
> to face the same dilemma that I now faced. She insisted,
> however, that I explain to her what I discovered. I then carefully
explained
> the situation using only materials officially accepted by the NSA to
show
> her my belief that the Hands wrongfully usurped authority and that their
> Universal House of Justice should have the Guardian as its head. Ms.
Franco
> was declared to be a covenant-breaker and shunned after she dared to
share
> these arguments with the rest of the community. The other community
members
> rejected these arguments after they were threatened by a representative
of
> the NSA's organization that they too would be shunned and cut off
forever
> from many of their friends and family unless they rejected these ideas
and
> shunned my family and I, and Ms. Franco.
>
> 30. Just before I had declared my acceptance of the Guardian****p, my
> brother, who was not a Bahá'í at all, coincidentally became engaged to
marry
> a believer under the NSA's organization.
>
> 31. I was not permitted to attend my brother's wedding, and my family
> thereafter had to hold separate family functions so that I would not be
> present at the same time as brother's wife who literally held the belief
> that I was satanic and my breath was poisonous so that mere contact with
me
> would be dangerous.
>
> 32. After the birth of my nephew, I was not allowed to see him at all,
nor
> does he even know of the existence of his uncle and the rest of my
family.
>
> 33. My story is by no means unique. Many of my fellow believers within
the
> OBF re****t similar experiences. Juan Cole, a professor of modern Middle
East
> and Southeastern Asian history for the History department of the
University
> of Michigan has written about the fanatical shunning behavior exhibited
by the
> NSA and its organization, characterizing it as "cultlike." Attached as
Exhibit 6
> are emails written by Dr. Cole. Attached as Exhibit 7 is an article by
Dr Cole
> detailing the shunning practices."
>
> http://www.truebahai.com/court/
Related do***ents regarding nsa lawsuit
in
> 2007 against the Orthodox Baha'i Faith
>
>
> In a different context, Baha'u'llah wrote "crush the oppressor who
flourisheth with
> the rod of the commandments of your Lord," addressing the leaders of the
> United States. Admittedly referring to international conflict, he
nevertheless
> allowed and presupposed there are times when force must be used for
> the benefit of social order and preservation of the values of a humane
> society. There are despots in this world who understand nothing but
force.
> The perverted organization of the Wilmette nsa and Haifan uhj has beyond
> doubt demonstrated for many decades its toxic corruption to the body
> politic and its own members for whom it has very little regard.
>
> In my view, it would be a mistake to treat it in a manner better than it
deserves,
> for it will only continue to malign and persecute other innocents if not
brought
> to bar of justice under the full force of the law. The heavy burden
Baha'u'llah
> places on secular and religious leaders is to understand the widsom that
> there are times when they must "crush the oppressor who flourisheth,"
for
> the common good.
>
> If you didn't notice the sneering and contempt, I would say you either
missed it
> or misread it.
>
> --
>
> The Baha'i Faith & Religious Freedom of Conscience
> http://www.fglaysher.com/bahaicensor****p/
>
>
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