From: wahidazal66@gmail.com   
      
       "Letter Two, from Maneck to the Universal House of Justice   
       To: Bahai World Centre   
       Subject: Addendum to Sept. 21 letter   
       Date: Mon, 17 Nov 1997   
      
       Dear Universal House of Justice,   
      
       I am writing this letter as an addendum to the letter I sent you dated   
   September 21, 1997. There was a question I still had in regards to your   
   message to me dated 20 July 1997 which I did not ask because at the time I   
   could not decide how best to    
   articulate it in a befitting manner. You will recall that I had suggested that   
   many of the difficulties had arisen because many Baha'i historians and Middle   
   East specialists had exceeded the proper bounds of their calling as scholars   
   by interfering in    
   administrative affairs with their constant criticisms of the institutions. You   
   responded by stating that there were far greater problems involved, referring   
   to "the behavior of a very small group of Baha'is who . . . aggressively   
   sought to promote their    
   misconceptions of the Teachings among their fellow believers." You further   
   refer to attempts "to alter the essential nature of Baha'u'llah's message."   
      
       While I recognize that in some cases certain Baha'is have done precisely   
   that, these statements were troubling to me inasmuch as they raised questions   
   in regards to the limits of tolerance within the Baha'i Faith. Specifically,   
   as you are no doubt    
   aware, Dr. ... has been vigorously insisting that the investigation which was   
   launched by the International Teaching Center against himself and others was   
   motivated by a desire to impose a rigid doctrinal conformity on Baha'i   
   scholars which would be    
   inconsistent with our ability to function as academics. I had argued, to the   
   contrary, that the investigation was largely launched in reaction to what was   
   seen as an attack on the Institutions themselves. For this reason your letter   
   of 20 July created    
   much confusion for me because it seemed to vindicate Dr. ...'s perception of   
   these events.   
      
       My question is, to what extent does the House see these problems as issues   
   of doctrinal heresy which must therefore be suppressed and to what extent are   
   the Institutions empowered to do this? I am aware, for instance, of the verse   
   in the Will and    
   Testament which reads: "To none is given the right to put forth his own   
   opinion or express his particular conviction. All must seek guidance and turn   
   unto the Centre of the Cause and the House of Justice." I note, however that   
   the term for opinion here    
   is rai which is one of the principles (usul) of Islamic jurisprudence. Given   
   the juridical language of this entire section of the Will and Testament I   
   would assume that `Abdu'l-Baha was speaking here largely of opinions in regard   
   to matters of Baha'i law    
   and practice rather than doctrine.   
      
       If the Universal House of Justice does regard the imposition of orthodoxy   
   on the Baha'i community as within the purview of the authority of the   
   Institutions I wonder if you could explain to me how this fits in with the   
   tolerance which `Abdu'l-Baha    
   calls for elsewhere within the Writings. I am thinking for instance of the   
   passage in Kitab-I Bada'i al-Athar 1:294 where `Abdu'l-Baha insists that there   
   must be no interference in beliefs or conscience. I also note that in another   
   Tablet `Abdu'l-Baha    
   states that so long as courtesy is maintained that in the Faith no one can   
   rule over a persons conscience. He goes on to say that such freedom does not   
   extend to matters of divine law. (Ma'idih-yi Asmani 5:17-18.) I also have in   
   mind Baha'u'llah's Tablet    
   to Bourjerdi where even over the vital issue of the station of the   
   Manifestation, Baha'u'llah refuses to allow the imposition of rigid dogma.   
      
       Thank you for your careful consideration of the issues I raise and for   
   your continued prayers at the Sacred Shrines.   
      
       Obediently yours,   
       Susan Maneck   
   https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Talk:Susan_S._Maneck   
      
   See also, https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/Maneck8.htm   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)