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A Religion Out of Balance
"I believe in Baha'u'llah; I just don't believe in that other stuff" is a common refrain heardamong disillusioned, inactive, and unenrolled Baha'is. To believe in Baha'u'llah is toaccept His Writings as the Revelation of God. The "other stuff" is Baha'i administration.How did administration come to hold such a central place in the Baha'i community? Thefirst generation of Baha'is in this country were free-wheeling seekers of truth, who lookedupon their new-found faith as "the spirit of the age", and thought nothing of participatingin the worship services of Christian churches, or in mixing with Theosophists and other  New Thought groups. How did their descendents become servants of an inward-looking bureaucracy?To answer that question requires a quick look at Baha'i history:Baha'u'llah had two concerns when he laid out the instructions for how his religion was to be governed: The first was that it was not to be ruled by professional clerics, but by theconsultations of elected bodies. So he instructed his followers, in his Writings, to elect"Houses of Justice"(currently called Local Spiritual Assemblies) to consist of nine peoplein every city. The religion as a whole would be governed by a Universal House of Justice.The second concern was for the unity of his faith, that it would not be divided intovarious sects. In his will, called "The Book of the Covenant" he appointed his eldest son,'Abdu'l-Baha, to be the leader of his faith and the interpreter of his Writings. Theexistence of a scripturally mandated central authority was meant to prevent major schisms in the religion, and has, for the most part, been successful.(There have been,throughout Baha'i history, small groups that have challenged the central Baha'i authority, but none of these have ever been viable threats to the Baha'i mainstream.)There was little administrative development under the ministries of Baha'u'llah or 'Abdu'l-Baha. However, 'Abdu'l-Baha, in His Will and Testament, established theinstitution of the Guardianship, a hereditary office whose occupant is both the chief executive of the religion and the authorized interpreter of the Writings. The Guardian,along with the legislative body, the Universal House of Justice,would work together ingoverning the affairs of the Faith. This Will also appointed his eldest grandson, ShoghiEffendi Rabbani, as the first Guardian. Since all of Shoghi Effendi's relatives wereexcommunicated, and he had no children, there was no one left to fill this hereditaryoffice when he died in 1957. The Universal House of Justice was elected in 1963, but theadministrative directives laid down by Shoghi Effendi are still closely followed. It is, infact, very difficult to reform any of them, since as Guardian, he is popularly regarded asinfallible.
 
Baha'i administration does not develop according to the needs of the community for organization, but exists as a goal in itself. In fact, many Baha'is believe that theseinstitutions will evolve into a future world theocracy, so that in creating them, they areactually engaged in "saving" the world.Baha'i scholars, however, have questioned this theocratic model, pointing to evidence thatBaha'u'llah himself actually supported the separation of church and state. (See Juan R.I.Cole's book "Modernity and the Millennium" for an excellent presentation of Baha'u'llah's political thought.)A Local Spiritual Assembly(LSA) will be formed as soon as there are nine adultmembers in a locality, so it is not uncommon for virtually all the active communitymembers to be serving on it. (It is also not unheard of for inactive members to be electedto an LSA, if the community is so small there is no one else to elect.)In such a situation, itis almost impossible to be an active member and not be involved in the administration.Even brand-new converts are frequently put on Assemblies.There are warnings against over-administration in Shoghi Effendi's writings, but it canscarcely be avoided when the formation of an Assembly is the first thing a community isexpected to do. In fact, Baha'i missionaries, called "pioneers" will relocate primarily inorder to help form an LSA -- going to a community that already has seven or eightmembers. (Those with less than nine members are encouraged to organize as a "group",which includes electing officers.)Another very odd regulation is the way that localities are divided up. Localities aredetermined by already existing government bounderies, so that the Baha'i population, nomatter how small, existing within a city limit makes up one Baha'i community. Baha'iswho reside outside that city limit make up another, separate community. For example,during my first year as a Baha'i, there were eight Baha'is in the city, and three in thesurrounding court district that were expected to organize separately. Yet, so importantwas the formation of the city Assembly considered, that the first question I was askedwhen I was showing an interest in the Baha'i Faith was whether or not I lived in the citylimits.I personally know of people that have begged the National Spiritual Assembly to do awaywith this ridiculous and unnecessary roadblock in the way a small, strugglingcommunities. But such pleas have fallen on deaf ears. It is difficult not to believe that thisis done primarily to make the statistics look good. The Baha'i Faith claims to have over 1700 LSAs in this country, and no one on the outside would ever suspect that many, perhaps most, of them really have no community to manage, except for the Assemblymembers themselves.Finally, administration invades even occasions that are primarily for worship. One-thirdof the main devotional service, the Nineteen Day Feast, is devoted to the discussion of community issues. It is this administrative portion that makes the gathering off-limits tonon-Baha'is. This time is usually devoted to reading letters, listening to tapes, or watching videos sent from the National Center. Ideally, this period is supposed to be usedfor community consultation, and recommendations are to be given to the LSA. (Rather 
 
redundant when everyone is already on the LSA.) However, anecdotal evidence suggeststhat this time period is not often used very effectively, and that believers seldom feel thattheir suggestions are being taken seriously. Also, a long period spend discussing businessnegates the spiritual atmosphere that is supposed to attend such an occasion.Baha'u'llah, besides ordaining the election of a "House of Justice" for every city, alsomandates the building of a "House of Worship" in every city. This institution, more properly known as the "mashriq'u'l-adhkar"(meaning roughly "dawning place of God'sremembrance), is supposed to be the center for Baha'i worship and charitable giving.Various humanitarian services (schools, clinics etc.) are an integral part of the mashriq.The House of Worship and its charities are to be open to all humanity, whether they areBaha'is or not.So, just like its sister religions, Christianity and Islam, the Baha'i Faith was intended to bea religious community that centers on worship and charitable giving, and yet one canhardly spend five minutes as a Baha'i without realizing that neither of these things aregiven top priority.A reorientation of the Baha'i community towards this center of worship and charitywould restore some of the openness that was present in the early Baha'i Faith. To participate in administration, a person must be an enrolled Baha'i in good standing, andeven many of these are not suited for administrative work. Members of the communityassociated with the mashriq'u'l-adhkar do not even need to be Baha'is. This fact isrecognized even in current practice, since non-Baha'i scriptures are commonly read in theexisting Houses of Worship, which are open to all.There are Houses of Worship in the Baha'i World -- in the U.S., Germany, India. Uganda,Australia, Samoa, and Panama. A person can hardly encounter an introductory pamphletabout the Baha'i Faith without seeing pictures of one or more of them. However, these beautiful buildings are not practical places of worship for the vast majority of the world'sBaha'is. They are showplaces for curious tourists; they are another opportunity to "teachthe Faith"; they give us pretty pictures used to prove that the Baha'i Faith is indeed a"world religion". But they are only the shiny wrapping on a box that remains mostlyempty.The major obstacle, at least in the West, to the creation of local Houses of Worship is the pattern of Baha'i development. Quite obviously, communities that consist of 12-15members are not going to be able to afford even the simplest building. As long as theBaha'i administration divides Baha'is into tiny "localities" the mashriq is only a dream for the vast majority.Another obstacle is internal -- Baha'is are accustomed to thinking of the House of Worship as something for the future, and institution that will develop when the tiny localcommunities grow to the point when it can be supported. The fact that it is, according toBaha'i scripture, even more important than the Spiritual Assembly is overlooked.Instead of a distant dream, the mashriq can be a living reality in Baha'i communitiestoday. 'Abdu'l-Baha clearly called a meeting "where they shall glorify God and fix their 
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