Sunday, July 13, 2008

Baha'i Covenant Website

Here is an interesting website on the Baha'i Covenant,

http://covenantstudy.org

I reviewed the website and had some concerns, so I wrote to the author the following comment,

John Taylor (badiblog.blogspot.com) wrote:
Here is a suggestion: Since there is so much material on the web written by covenant breakers, a loyal believer needs to be cautious about the source. Often something looks
legit and turns out on further reading to come from an enemy.

That is why it is surprising and -- no offense -- suspicious, that, although this site seems to be from an official source, you leave no hint as to who wrote it, no links to Baha'i institutions or anything. Part of firmness in the covenant is paying due attention to sources. For that reason I hesitate to
recommend what looks like a good resource on my blog until this is rectified.

The (still anonymous) author of the website replied promptly, saying:

==========

Thank you for expressing your concerns about the site. In an effort to clarify things a bit more I have added an "About" page

http://covenantstudy.org/about

I've also made sure that the links to the official Baha'i sites appear on all pages (not just the homepage).
BTW, I have done a number of other efforts on the web and prefer to do them anonymously -- but at the same time I certainly don't want to raise doubts about my intentions. So this "About" page tries to be the most clear and unambiguous statement on any blog or Web site out there :-)
I also share your discomfort with the sites on the web -- both by covenant-breakers and those who claim to be "Baha'is in good standing" -- that make attacks on the Institutions of the Faith. This site was created in response to their efforts and I hope it will provide a place where people can deepen their understanding on the aspects of the Covenant -- and enable us to see them for what they truly are.
Warmest thanks and regards!

==========

This is a good response, so yes I recommend the site, though if any readers finds anything of concern I hope they will let me know.

Just a note about anonymity. Before I "moved" my writing onto the Web, I edited and wrote for a newsletter for a fairly large Baha'i community. I too wanted to be anonymous with what I wrote, in view of the Teachings on humility, self-effacement, etc. But after a couple of years I found that it is just not practical. Humility is one thing, justice is another, and it trumps humility in many cases. Not saying who wrote something causes endless confusion about who who said what and why.

That is why, you will notice, on almost every blog entry, especially every essay, I start right off with "by John Taylor."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi John,

I have found the new blog The Covenant of Baha'u'llah to be so valuable and fascinating, too, in part, because it consists just of the Writings. It's amazing to me to continue to rediscover the fact that we Baha'is are replete with very specific and relevant guidance in the Writings on just about any subject, the subject of the Covenant being the most important.

I, too, made the move from semi-anonymous-ness, using just my first and middle name, to using my full name in my blogging. I have posted on it.

http://www.bahaiviews.net/2008/03/03/on-living-transparently-as-a-bahai-god-knows-you-have-an-ip-address/

http://www.bahaiviews.net/2008/03/13/on-real-name-attribution-more-on-living-transparently/

Obviously your feedback led the blogger of The Covenant blog to create an "about" page which will be helpful for purposes of discernment.

All the best to you for your wonderful postings on Badi Blog.