However, one point needs to be noted very strongly. Most
> of the firesides I attended were not really for presenting the
> Faith to non-Baha'is (personally I dislike being called a "Seeker"). The
> overwhelming majority of them (including the one I was asked to
> co-present three times) were really deepening sessions for Baha'is. If
> there were any non-Baha'is there for the first time, the speaker would
> tend to give a cursory, even superficial, overview of the Faith -- and
> sometimes not even say when the Central Figures lived! (A hundred years
> ago? A thousand years ago? Last week?) -- and then the speaker was
> off and running with the pre-announced topic, largely of interest to
> those who were already Baha'is. Maybe my experiences at firesides in
> my area were not typical of those in other parts of the world, but I
> can understand why they did not draw in too many.
Dear Paul,
I think the quality of firesides varies a great deal from place to
place. Right now, however, in a lot of these communities with
intensive growth they are emphasizing the use of a script taken from
Ruhi Book Six entitled Anna's Presentation. Personally, this bothers
me because I feel like firesides should be centered around the
questions of the seeker (sorry for the use of that term, but
non-seekers aren't likely to have questions.) But I'd like you to take
a look at the presentation yourself and hear how you as a non-Baha'i
would find this presentation superior to what you've seen happen at
the firesides you've attended? You can read the presentation here:
http://www.bostonbahais.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3%3Aanna%5C's+presentation&Itemid=13
> > Certainly in densely populated areas this could be practical, but in
> other areas not. When I was taking Ruhi Book One, my car was in the
> shop one night. I am a great exercise-walker, but it took me three
> quarters of an hour to walk to the session. Not many people are going
> to do that many times.
When Baha'is first get started with the Study Circles there is likely
to be only one in each community. It is only after a substantial
****tion of the Baha'is have completed the sequence of courses that
they are likely to move out into the neighborhoods.
>
>Home visits? That is a new one to me. I never heard of such a thing
> in my area. At least not to inquirers.
I guess you never got to Book Two.:-) That's where Home Visits are
introduced. They are new to the Baha'i community as a whole.
warmest, Susan
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