Re: a few comments on homosexuality
Alethinos (alethinos@aol.com)
Sun, Mar 5 1995 01:55:29 GMT
Dear Ryan:
I realize you may have seen posts here that seem to indicate that as
Baha'is we are suppose to *cure* homosexuals, or something along those
lines. Any such suggestion is, as far as I have ever been led to believe,
erroneous. No individual has a *responsibility* to *cure* anyone - at
least in the sense of actively intruding upon their personal life. Local
Spiritual Assemblies are the authority to which we all submit, (as well as
Nationals, and the Universal House of Justice). If the *gay* individual is
a Baha'i, and there is a problem in the manner in which they are living
their life, e.g. openly living a homosexual lifestyle &/or advocating it,
etc, then the Assembly will deal with it.
Your relationship with you sister is your concern. Certainly no one should
suggest *how* you conduct such a relationship. If there is ever any hope
to *cure* (and I am not pleased with this term) a person, it will be done
carefully, with love and patience. In the end, they are responsible to
God; you are not responsible for them.
We live in a Christian culture which sees intervention into other's
private lives as necessary, to varying degrees. This has changed in some
respects, at least superfically, in the past thirty years, but not really
so - we still have a whole pschological movement that feels it necessary
to go around telling us we are *victims* we need to *heal our inner child*
we need to *deal with* this, that, and the other. Psch-preachers, if you
will.
Baha'is, raised in this culture are not, as the Guardian so clearly stated
in CITADEL OF FAITH, immune to these ills. Indeed, he states that to the
degree we, through our own efforts and the assistence of Baha'u'llah are
healed of these ills, will we be able to "magnatize the souls of those
whom he seeks to convert.".
Good luck, and my prayers are with you,
Jim Harrison
Alethinos@aol.com
Jim Harrison, Alethinos@aol.com