From: gary tripp (gtripp@ica.net)
Date: Fri Dec 24 1999 - 09:16:42 MST
Hi Jeff,
Some 27 years ago, I chanced to hear of the Bahai Faith. I must confess
that having grown up in a Christian family (Anglican) and having been
exposed to all of the idiotic claptrap that prevails in Christianity I was
and remain deeply offended intellectually by the religious morons that seem
to abound in this world. Thus it came as a surprise to me that the Bahai's
that I met were not morons and indeed appeared open minded and rational.
The principle theme of their religion appears to be that the final
consumation of the evolution of human organization consists of a global
civilization. Consequently they often remarked "the earth is but one country
and mankind its citizens" (if I recall correctly). They spoke of
unity in diversity which, if I understand correctly, endorses human
diversity within a wider framework of one humanity - fairly advanced
thinking for a religion founded about 150 years ago in Persia. The Bahai's
and their faith are something of an enigma to me. In my book, religion in
many cases has become a most prolific source of evil while, at the same
time, men of science have systematically built an ordered cosmos from the
conceptual fabric of mathematics. Prior to hearing of the Bahai faith
I had always perceived this strict dichotomy between science and religion
with the great triumphs of the former eclipsing everything of
the latter. Yet the Bahai's appear rational and open intellectually to
freedom of enquiry(?) I remember looking at the Bahai literature and
reading "the scientist is the true index of humanity". Thus, to play
the devils advocate, I say you can't make generalizations when it comes
to human beings.
/gary
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