So, it's back to sobering reality -- this article, "What I Heard About Iraq" has been making the rounds, outlining all the lies we were told all along about the Iraq War. Don't get me wrong; I'm still happy the election yesterday went well, but let's see how those enthusiastic blue-fingered voters feel when it gets down to the nuts and bolts of putting that country together. However important the election was symbolically, nothing concrete has changed yet. All of the problems that were there a couple of days ago are still there, and they aren't going to be solved easily or quickly.
Celebrating democracy is easy; making it work is the hard part.
Monday, January 31, 2005
Sunday, January 30, 2005
The Election in Iraq
Looking around at the various news sites and weblogs, the feeling out there is like a big celebation, with only a few party-poopers, on the Left, of course. Iraqis turned out to vote in numbers better than expected, and although there were violent incidents, and dozens of people killed, it wasn't as bad as expected. At least one polling station that I heard of didn't open up, and voting was light in Sunni areas -- although I'm seeing contradictory reports on that.
Now, these things are bad, but I think folks worried that there would be a bloodbath, with hundreds killed, or that Iraqis would stay away in droves, out of fear.
Somewhere in the depths of my American heart, I can't help but be touched by the stories of Iraqis proudly voting freely for the first time in their lives. But my more practical side knows that voting alone does not a democracy make. The results of the election have to be seen as legitimate by a solid majority of Iraqis, and it is too soon to tell if that's the case yet, or not. The reason that you and I, and the multitudes who deeply dislike our current president aren't rioting in the streets is that, at bottom, we accept the legitimacy of the system. We also have the faith that we will have the opportunity to make our voices heard again, at the ballot box, in a few years. If, however, significant numbers of Iraqis don't have that faith, and don't regard the election as legitimate, then that country is in big trouble -- and the party poopers would be right.
But, for right now, I feel like enjoying the moment.
Now, these things are bad, but I think folks worried that there would be a bloodbath, with hundreds killed, or that Iraqis would stay away in droves, out of fear.
Somewhere in the depths of my American heart, I can't help but be touched by the stories of Iraqis proudly voting freely for the first time in their lives. But my more practical side knows that voting alone does not a democracy make. The results of the election have to be seen as legitimate by a solid majority of Iraqis, and it is too soon to tell if that's the case yet, or not. The reason that you and I, and the multitudes who deeply dislike our current president aren't rioting in the streets is that, at bottom, we accept the legitimacy of the system. We also have the faith that we will have the opportunity to make our voices heard again, at the ballot box, in a few years. If, however, significant numbers of Iraqis don't have that faith, and don't regard the election as legitimate, then that country is in big trouble -- and the party poopers would be right.
But, for right now, I feel like enjoying the moment.
Baha'i Stuff on a Historic Day Like This?
Yes, folks, I know the long-awaited election in Iraq is going on, but it's early morning, and I haven't had time to do more than scan the headlines about it. Most of the news seems very optimistic, at this point, except for on Juan's Informed Comment.
Anyway, I plan to return today, after looking over what those in the blogosphere have had to say.
Anyway, I plan to return today, after looking over what those in the blogosphere have had to say.
Opposition to Baha'i Temple in Chile
As most Baha'is know, one of the recent projects of the Baha'i world community is the building of another House of Worship (mashiq'u'adhkar) in Santiago Chile. As was the case in the other temples, it will be an impressive structure, meant more to be a "silent teacher" of the Baha'i Faith than a practical place of worship. As some folks online have pointed out, the mashriq was meant, scripturally, to be the center of local community worship, but the way history has played out, we have ended up building only a few of them world-wide: Wilmette, IL; Germany, Samoa, India, Uganda, Australia. They are generally described as "mother temples", and the hope is that sometime in the future, the majority of Baha'is will have local places of worship. (Right now, the larger communities have Baha'i Centers, which are administrative in nature, although they are used for worship, and the small communities which make up the majority generally meet at somebody's house.) So, the idea of the mashriq'u'l-adhkar and what it means, and what it is supposed to be, has been the subject of some controversy online.
Well, as my good friend Baquia pointed out on Baha'i Rants , some Chileans are less than thrilled at having a Baha'i temple in Santiago, especially in the initially proposed location in Metropolitan Park. I ran across another blog, written in Portuguese, and including links to the Spanish-language press, that speaks about the controversy, as well. Don't be daunted by the foreign language. Altavista has a pretty decent translator, which gives you the sense of what's going on, even if somewhat inelegantly. One thing that struck me is that, unlike Baquia, Marco at Pova de Baha'i denies that there was significant opposition by the Catholic Church, instead insisting that it was largely evangelical Protestant groups, and Muslims that have opposed the building of the temple.
The debate looks to be pretty hot; I myself had a private inquiry by a Chilean journalist, before I even knew anything about the conflict. Besides asking specifics about Baha'i teachings, he also asked me about the economic and social influence of the Baha'i Faith, which tells me that there are rumors down there about the ability of the Baha'is to pull behind-the-scenes strings to get things done. Baha'i institutions offically take a non-political stance, but they generally try to cultivate warm relationships with current governments -- which is not always a good thing, since it has sometimes meant that Baha'is have got themselves hooked up with leaders who are oppressive or otherwise unsavory. However, I don't believe that Baha'i "influence" should be exaggerated -- the Baha'is just hope to have friendly relationships with governments so they are free to practice and promote their religion. (Some might fantasize about converting influential figures, but that remains a fantasy, except in a few select cases.) Overall, Baha'i communities need the government, far more than the government needs them -- and you don't have "influence" unless you have something to trade. A temple like this could bring in tourist dollars to Santiago, certainly, but that doesn't mean that the Chilean NSA gets whatever it wants. In fact, the deal for building the House of Worship in the Metropolitan Park fell through, and they are still looking for a location, even though construction is supposed to start this year.
Both Marco and Baquia, in typical Baha'i fashion, are sanguine about the controversy on the principle that "no publicity is bad publicity" -- at least people are hearing of the existence of the Baha'i Faith.
Well, as my good friend Baquia pointed out on Baha'i Rants , some Chileans are less than thrilled at having a Baha'i temple in Santiago, especially in the initially proposed location in Metropolitan Park. I ran across another blog, written in Portuguese, and including links to the Spanish-language press, that speaks about the controversy, as well. Don't be daunted by the foreign language. Altavista has a pretty decent translator, which gives you the sense of what's going on, even if somewhat inelegantly. One thing that struck me is that, unlike Baquia, Marco at Pova de Baha'i denies that there was significant opposition by the Catholic Church, instead insisting that it was largely evangelical Protestant groups, and Muslims that have opposed the building of the temple.
The debate looks to be pretty hot; I myself had a private inquiry by a Chilean journalist, before I even knew anything about the conflict. Besides asking specifics about Baha'i teachings, he also asked me about the economic and social influence of the Baha'i Faith, which tells me that there are rumors down there about the ability of the Baha'is to pull behind-the-scenes strings to get things done. Baha'i institutions offically take a non-political stance, but they generally try to cultivate warm relationships with current governments -- which is not always a good thing, since it has sometimes meant that Baha'is have got themselves hooked up with leaders who are oppressive or otherwise unsavory. However, I don't believe that Baha'i "influence" should be exaggerated -- the Baha'is just hope to have friendly relationships with governments so they are free to practice and promote their religion. (Some might fantasize about converting influential figures, but that remains a fantasy, except in a few select cases.) Overall, Baha'i communities need the government, far more than the government needs them -- and you don't have "influence" unless you have something to trade. A temple like this could bring in tourist dollars to Santiago, certainly, but that doesn't mean that the Chilean NSA gets whatever it wants. In fact, the deal for building the House of Worship in the Metropolitan Park fell through, and they are still looking for a location, even though construction is supposed to start this year.
Both Marco and Baquia, in typical Baha'i fashion, are sanguine about the controversy on the principle that "no publicity is bad publicity" -- at least people are hearing of the existence of the Baha'i Faith.
Mock UHJ Election Replaces Retirees With Women
Baha'i Angst, the only Baha'i satirist to be active in the last few years (yes, some of us remember Al Marbig's *Brave New World*, as the first satirical Baha'i site), after a long haitus has emerged once again -- and, among other things, held an election last week for the two recently-vacated positions on the House of Justice. The two top vote-getters, out of 17 candidates, were Starr Saffa and Susan Maneck, two very different ladies from the ideological point of view, but more to the point is that two women won. In typically Angst fashion, he then turns serious and writes an open letter to the UHJ, which I won't link to, because he insists that folks see the vote results first. He takes that august body to task for its exclusionary policy towards women and its general rigidity, then calls upon all of the incumbents to retire. Worth checking out for a laugh, or maybe a cry.
Yours truly came in fourth place, which I'd brag about, except that Elvis came in fifth. :-)
Yours truly came in fourth place, which I'd brag about, except that Elvis came in fifth. :-)
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Sifting Through the Intel
I was thinking, with this recent incident, how much being a Baha'i cyberspace dissident is to being a dissident in a totalitarian society -- with the major difference being, of course, that no one is in any sort of physical danger. But the whole dynamic is similar: You only get told what upper echelons think you need to know, through official channels. The information that is released is worded vaguely, making heavy use of familiar buzz phrases. If you want to have a clue about what is really going on, you have to become adept at reading between the lines. Sometimes people refer to "receiving intelligence" -- which can be insider information from administration contacts, leaked or purloined documents, or based on stories from Baha'is who are in a bad situation but who must remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. Sometimes disinformation is deliberately spread, usually orally by people who have authority enough to be believed in the community at large -- and since it is "unofficial", then there is always plausible deniability. Disinformation filters through cyberspace too, which is notoriously rumor-prone. And, of course, there is "spin" where facts are twisted in a direction the poster wants them to go, and most difficult of all for me to get used to, outright lies. I 'm not just talking weaselly lies meant to get the teller out of a tight spot, but vicious lies completely invented out of thin air, and intended to wound and/or discredit the victim.
The administration collects information and keeps files on those that it thinks might cause trouble, and in an odd sort of turn-around, most prominent cyberspace dissidents do the same to the administration. Each bit of information has to be weighed and measured for its value and plausibility, whether it comes officially, unofficially, or through one's own contacts. It is difficult to get absolute proof of anything, unless one is lucky enough to get something in documented form -- even then, there can be endless arguments about what such a document means.
Some of it is the result trying to maintain a closed society, where the administration works behind closed doors and has no accountibility to the community. The Internet works as a kind of underground press where the people attempt to make the invisible workings of the administration, which has an impact on real people's lives, visible and comprehensible. And, like the underground press, what you get can be pure gold and a solid revelation of what's going on, or it can be total crap. What happens in Baha'i cyberspace is, after all, a form of politics -- with all the positive and negative things that come along with it.
So how did I get into this? At first, it just came out of my own desire to figure out what had gone wrong with the Baha'i administration. After all, this is my religion, which I committed my life to. Then, I did research for articles. But mostly it came about, just because my name is out there, and disillusioned Baha'is contact me in the expectation that I will be sympathetic. Sometimes people who are afraid to speak want me to speak for them -- and some just want to take advantage of the fact I'm well-known out there. There are times when it all just seems a big headache; there are other times when I've been able to do some solid good for somebody.
At the moment, I'm finding myself hoping there is something out in the wider world that I can get into.
The administration collects information and keeps files on those that it thinks might cause trouble, and in an odd sort of turn-around, most prominent cyberspace dissidents do the same to the administration. Each bit of information has to be weighed and measured for its value and plausibility, whether it comes officially, unofficially, or through one's own contacts. It is difficult to get absolute proof of anything, unless one is lucky enough to get something in documented form -- even then, there can be endless arguments about what such a document means.
Some of it is the result trying to maintain a closed society, where the administration works behind closed doors and has no accountibility to the community. The Internet works as a kind of underground press where the people attempt to make the invisible workings of the administration, which has an impact on real people's lives, visible and comprehensible. And, like the underground press, what you get can be pure gold and a solid revelation of what's going on, or it can be total crap. What happens in Baha'i cyberspace is, after all, a form of politics -- with all the positive and negative things that come along with it.
So how did I get into this? At first, it just came out of my own desire to figure out what had gone wrong with the Baha'i administration. After all, this is my religion, which I committed my life to. Then, I did research for articles. But mostly it came about, just because my name is out there, and disillusioned Baha'is contact me in the expectation that I will be sympathetic. Sometimes people who are afraid to speak want me to speak for them -- and some just want to take advantage of the fact I'm well-known out there. There are times when it all just seems a big headache; there are other times when I've been able to do some solid good for somebody.
At the moment, I'm finding myself hoping there is something out in the wider world that I can get into.
Monday, January 24, 2005
Baha'i Administration Denies Deportation Story
Inquirers asking their NSAs, or other Baha'i officials, about the press release concerning two foreign Baha'is arrested and deported from Iran are being told that the administration knows nothing about these people, and doubts that the story is true. So, at this point, I don't know what to think. Somebody is lying, but I'm not so skeptical of the Baha'i administration that I would think it more untrustworthy than the government of Iran, which is where the story originated. A journalist friend of mine told me that the Iranian government wouldn't hesitate to invent a story out of the whole cloth, where Baha'is are concerned. On the other hand, there were certain details that made the story plausible, and it was reported in the opposition press, who you think would be careful of something likely to be sheer propaganda. The economic assistance outreach to young Iranian Baha'is was very much an "unofficial" program, carried out on the instructions of individual UHJ members -- it may be that the administration as a whole doesn't know about this. If two deported Baha'is arrived in London, after being involved in a "secret mission", so to speak, it might never become generally known, even at the higher levels of the administration. Even the Baha'i administration only knows what is reported to it.
So, folks, take your pick. I've told you all the information I've been given at this point.
So, folks, take your pick. I've told you all the information I've been given at this point.
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Bush's Ethics
This article is a review of a book by Peter Singer, called The President of Good and Evil: The Ethics of George W. Bush. Singer examines Bush's ethical decisions from the point of view of different schools of thought and finds him inconsistent from the perspective of all of them. The chilling conclusion:
The conclusion Singer finds most plausible regarding George W. Bush's ethics may be the most disturbing. Singer notes that a high number of key Bush administration officials are disciples of a philosopher called Leo Strauss. Strauss, who taught at the University of Chicago until his death in 1973, argued that many of the great ancient philosophers, particularly the Greeks, wrote in a kind of code. Only a select intellectual elite were capable of absorbing the esoteric meaning latent in the texts, while the hoi polloi took everything at face value. The Straussians believe that the masses are simply not equipped to handle the often-grim truths that underlie political and world affairs (remember the old saying: there are two things you never want to see being made, sausages and legislation). But according to Singer the Straussians go even further, suggesting that sometimes the ‘aristocratic gentlemen' charged with governing a polity lack the sophistication to handle the truth. In such cases the elite advisors must be prepared to mislead not just the masses with noble lies, but also the leader. Singer points out that this might explain why Bush's false assertion that Iraq was trying to acquire uranium from Niger stayed in his State of the Union address while other agencies like the CIA and the State Department regarded it as untrue. It might also explain why Bush appeared on Polish television telling viewers that the U.S. had discovered mobile weapons labs in Iraq, a story disproven weeks before. However, the idea that Bush could claim in the presence of U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan that “we gave him [Saddam] a chance to allow the inspectors in, and he wouldn't let them in,” strikes Singer as almost too bizarre for belief – Bush had, after all, recalled the inspectors himself before their job was completed. Singer goes so far as to speculate that Bush was intoxicated, on drugs, or perhaps out of his mind when he uttered such obviously preposterous statements. But Singer quickly discounts such explanations, finding it far more plausible that the president may in fact be a patsy or a puppet – with the Machiavellians pulling the strings on the man from Mayberry.
The conclusion Singer finds most plausible regarding George W. Bush's ethics may be the most disturbing. Singer notes that a high number of key Bush administration officials are disciples of a philosopher called Leo Strauss. Strauss, who taught at the University of Chicago until his death in 1973, argued that many of the great ancient philosophers, particularly the Greeks, wrote in a kind of code. Only a select intellectual elite were capable of absorbing the esoteric meaning latent in the texts, while the hoi polloi took everything at face value. The Straussians believe that the masses are simply not equipped to handle the often-grim truths that underlie political and world affairs (remember the old saying: there are two things you never want to see being made, sausages and legislation). But according to Singer the Straussians go even further, suggesting that sometimes the ‘aristocratic gentlemen' charged with governing a polity lack the sophistication to handle the truth. In such cases the elite advisors must be prepared to mislead not just the masses with noble lies, but also the leader. Singer points out that this might explain why Bush's false assertion that Iraq was trying to acquire uranium from Niger stayed in his State of the Union address while other agencies like the CIA and the State Department regarded it as untrue. It might also explain why Bush appeared on Polish television telling viewers that the U.S. had discovered mobile weapons labs in Iraq, a story disproven weeks before. However, the idea that Bush could claim in the presence of U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan that “we gave him [Saddam] a chance to allow the inspectors in, and he wouldn't let them in,” strikes Singer as almost too bizarre for belief – Bush had, after all, recalled the inspectors himself before their job was completed. Singer goes so far as to speculate that Bush was intoxicated, on drugs, or perhaps out of his mind when he uttered such obviously preposterous statements. But Singer quickly discounts such explanations, finding it far more plausible that the president may in fact be a patsy or a puppet – with the Machiavellians pulling the strings on the man from Mayberry.
Friday, January 21, 2005
Baha'i Deportations from Iran
This article, from *Iran Focus*, has one small but significant difference from the translations of the Fars News Agency article -- this article says that the deported Baha'is had been offering economic incentives for young people to convert, while the other article said only that they had been using business affairs as a cover.
This morning I was told, by a source I trust, that there has been an ongoing effort by individual members of the UHJ, to funnel money from wealthy Baha'is to young Baha'is in Iran for the purpose of setting them up in business, as part of Haifa's policy of discouraging emigration. It is done unofficially, through the London office, and the governing committee of the Iranian community.
I suspect that what has occurred is that some of these young people, of Baha'i background, are actually quite distant from the Faith, and this financial incentive was used to draw them back into the community -- hence the charge that the foreign Baha'is were attempting to convert young Iranians.
The economic situation in Iran, whether one is Baha'i or not, is extremely bleak for young people, with rampant unemployment and attendant social ills -- drugs, promiscuity, depression, abuse -- that Baha'is are not immune from. The burden is made heavier on young Baha'is, both because of the persecution of the government, and the insistence of their religious authorities that they should not leave the country.
I would call the effort to render financial assistance to young Baha'is altruistic, except for the ulterior motive of keeping them in Iran. I am relieved to hear that there probably hasn't been an attempt to prosyletize among Iranians at large -- which quite upset me as being an unnecessary risk to innocent Baha'is over there. That is something that would have been scandalous and controversial enough to explain sudden resignations in the upper levels of the Baha'i administration. However, with this new information, the chances of a connection between this and the recent retirement of Semple and Martin are slight.
This morning I was told, by a source I trust, that there has been an ongoing effort by individual members of the UHJ, to funnel money from wealthy Baha'is to young Baha'is in Iran for the purpose of setting them up in business, as part of Haifa's policy of discouraging emigration. It is done unofficially, through the London office, and the governing committee of the Iranian community.
I suspect that what has occurred is that some of these young people, of Baha'i background, are actually quite distant from the Faith, and this financial incentive was used to draw them back into the community -- hence the charge that the foreign Baha'is were attempting to convert young Iranians.
The economic situation in Iran, whether one is Baha'i or not, is extremely bleak for young people, with rampant unemployment and attendant social ills -- drugs, promiscuity, depression, abuse -- that Baha'is are not immune from. The burden is made heavier on young Baha'is, both because of the persecution of the government, and the insistence of their religious authorities that they should not leave the country.
I would call the effort to render financial assistance to young Baha'is altruistic, except for the ulterior motive of keeping them in Iran. I am relieved to hear that there probably hasn't been an attempt to prosyletize among Iranians at large -- which quite upset me as being an unnecessary risk to innocent Baha'is over there. That is something that would have been scandalous and controversial enough to explain sudden resignations in the upper levels of the Baha'i administration. However, with this new information, the chances of a connection between this and the recent retirement of Semple and Martin are slight.
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Baha'i Missionaries Arrested in Iran
I have now heard, from two different sources, that two foreign Baha'i missionaries, have been arrested and expelled for teaching the Faith in Iranian universities. The story came from the Fars News Agency, and a translation of the article appears here.
It is, of course, a blatant human rights violation, to arrest people for practicing or promoting their religion, and the rights of Iranian Baha'is have been abused terribly -- and that has been the case ever since the revolution in 1979. What is new and shocking about this story is the actions of the Baha'is themselves. I have been told, ever since I became a Baha'i in 1985, that it is absolutely forbidden for Baha'is to teach the Faith to anyone from the Middle East, even those living in the U.S., because it could be dangerous for the friends in those countries. The two arrested do not appear to be independent mavericks (a rare breed among Baha'is anyway), because the article says they are "based in London", which is where the Baha'i Office of Persian and Arab Affairs in located. This office works at the direction of the UHJ, who appoints the liason officer to countries in the Middle East. According to the article, this project has been going on for five years.
There are two rumors associated with this story -- both of which sound plausible, but which I am unable to confirm at this moment. The first is that several Iranian Baha'is have been arrested in connection with this missionary activity. This is certainly very likely; a planned teaching effort coordinated from the outside would depend on help from Iranian Baha'is, and a wider government crackdown would be the expected result.
The second rumor is that yesterday's announcement of the resignations of Ian Semple and Douglas Martin is associated with these arrests i.e. that these two UHJ members, independent of the others, arranged for this dangerous project and have been asked to resign. It is something of a Baha'i myth that decisions can only be made by institutions as a whole and that individual members have no power. UHJ members wield enormous influence, and if one of them called up a Baha'i office anywhere in the world and said "The House wants you to do this", I can't imagine anyone asking for proof that it was indeed a House decision and not just the action of an individual. NSA secretaries have similar power, and commonly act on behalf of the entire body. Anyway, the attitude of obedience that Baha'is have towards their institutions is wide open for abuse that way.
The other factor that makes this plausible is that I know that at least some members of the UHJ harbor a belief that the Baha'i Faith is destined to reform Iran; this has been recently mentioned in a letter to Iranian Baha'is discouraging them from leaving their country. This hasn't been the first statement like that; it seems the UHJ fears that the Iranian Baha'i community will shrink to nothingness, and won't be able to fulfill its prophetic "destiny". This could very well be the motivation behind covert efforts to convert Iranian youth. I know of other policies that have been guided by obscure prophetic expectation -- the impetus behind the extravagant building projects in Haifa was directly connected to a saying of Shoghi Effendi's that their completion would coincide with the Lesser Peace, which was thought to be due in the year 2000. There is nothing in Baha'i scripture that endows the Guardian with perfect prophetic insight, and other predictions of his have failed to occur.
While I may be able to get confirmation of the first rumor, it will probably be well-nigh impossible to get confirmation of the second. If Semple and Martin are resigning over this, it is almost certain that it won't be announced publicly.
The more I think about it, the more plausible this rumor seems to me: Somebody authorized these two Baha'is to coordinate teaching activity in Iran, and that "somebody" had to be at the international level.
It is, of course, a blatant human rights violation, to arrest people for practicing or promoting their religion, and the rights of Iranian Baha'is have been abused terribly -- and that has been the case ever since the revolution in 1979. What is new and shocking about this story is the actions of the Baha'is themselves. I have been told, ever since I became a Baha'i in 1985, that it is absolutely forbidden for Baha'is to teach the Faith to anyone from the Middle East, even those living in the U.S., because it could be dangerous for the friends in those countries. The two arrested do not appear to be independent mavericks (a rare breed among Baha'is anyway), because the article says they are "based in London", which is where the Baha'i Office of Persian and Arab Affairs in located. This office works at the direction of the UHJ, who appoints the liason officer to countries in the Middle East. According to the article, this project has been going on for five years.
There are two rumors associated with this story -- both of which sound plausible, but which I am unable to confirm at this moment. The first is that several Iranian Baha'is have been arrested in connection with this missionary activity. This is certainly very likely; a planned teaching effort coordinated from the outside would depend on help from Iranian Baha'is, and a wider government crackdown would be the expected result.
The second rumor is that yesterday's announcement of the resignations of Ian Semple and Douglas Martin is associated with these arrests i.e. that these two UHJ members, independent of the others, arranged for this dangerous project and have been asked to resign. It is something of a Baha'i myth that decisions can only be made by institutions as a whole and that individual members have no power. UHJ members wield enormous influence, and if one of them called up a Baha'i office anywhere in the world and said "The House wants you to do this", I can't imagine anyone asking for proof that it was indeed a House decision and not just the action of an individual. NSA secretaries have similar power, and commonly act on behalf of the entire body. Anyway, the attitude of obedience that Baha'is have towards their institutions is wide open for abuse that way.
The other factor that makes this plausible is that I know that at least some members of the UHJ harbor a belief that the Baha'i Faith is destined to reform Iran; this has been recently mentioned in a letter to Iranian Baha'is discouraging them from leaving their country. This hasn't been the first statement like that; it seems the UHJ fears that the Iranian Baha'i community will shrink to nothingness, and won't be able to fulfill its prophetic "destiny". This could very well be the motivation behind covert efforts to convert Iranian youth. I know of other policies that have been guided by obscure prophetic expectation -- the impetus behind the extravagant building projects in Haifa was directly connected to a saying of Shoghi Effendi's that their completion would coincide with the Lesser Peace, which was thought to be due in the year 2000. There is nothing in Baha'i scripture that endows the Guardian with perfect prophetic insight, and other predictions of his have failed to occur.
While I may be able to get confirmation of the first rumor, it will probably be well-nigh impossible to get confirmation of the second. If Semple and Martin are resigning over this, it is almost certain that it won't be announced publicly.
The more I think about it, the more plausible this rumor seems to me: Somebody authorized these two Baha'is to coordinate teaching activity in Iran, and that "somebody" had to be at the international level.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Two UHJ Members Resign
The news has just been released that Ian Semple and Doug Martin have resigned from the Universal House of Justice. Semple had been a member since the first election back in 1963, and he really was past due for retirement. Martin's resignation comes as something of a surprise, though, and cyberspace being what it is, that's already a matter for some speculation.
These two gentlemen are not well thought of among the Baha'i intellectual crowd, since they both played a pivotal role in trying to suppress academic views of the Baha'i Faith. Ian Semple was one of the two UHJ members who grilled Denis MacEoin (or, as he put it, played "good cop, bad cop") about his academic writing -- pressure which ultimately led to his withdrawal from the Baha'i Faith in 1980. Semple is also said to have played a role in the Talisman crackdown of 1996, and to be a strong proponent of theocracy.
Juan Cole has written some stuff on the history of Doug Martin, who apparently was calling Juan a covenant-breaker as early as the 1980s.
It is very difficult to verify all but the most basic information on members of the UHJ; most of the information I have about individual members' views ultimately comes back-channel, or from the talks they sometimes give. Before I came onto the Internet, I probably couldn't have named three members of that body. Some Baha'is actually pride themselves on this kind of ignorance, insisting that the actual composition of the House doesn't matter, since it only acts as a body, and its decisions are infallible. However, it is just magical thinking to believe that the attitudes and views of the men serving there don't have any influence on the course the Baha'i Faith takes, or that the House just acts as a kind divine conduit where personalities suddenly cease to exist once consultation begins. I have actually heard this view, though -- I recall a poster saying that it wouldn't matter if the House consisted of nine Westerners or nine Eskimos, the decisions would be the same because they all come from God.
Anyway, the Baha'i World now has the opportunity to choose some better men for the job. One frequently-mentioned area of concern is that, since 1993, all of the members of the UHJ have come from the International Teaching Center -- that is, Counsellors from the appointed wing of the Faith, who very often have a strong "protection" mindset, since that's their job. Before this, members where usually elected from the National Spiritual Assemblies of the larger Baha'i communities. So, a kind of incestuous relationship has been set up, where the UHJ appoints the ITC members, which provides the candidate pool for the UHJ. It amounts to the UHJ members appointing their own successors. Since this issue has been frequently and openly discussed over the past several years on the Internet, I'm hoping that some of the NSA members will reconsider, and break this pattern. We did, in the US, elect some more moderate people to the NSA in recent years, and I'm hoping the same can be done at the international level.
These two gentlemen are not well thought of among the Baha'i intellectual crowd, since they both played a pivotal role in trying to suppress academic views of the Baha'i Faith. Ian Semple was one of the two UHJ members who grilled Denis MacEoin (or, as he put it, played "good cop, bad cop") about his academic writing -- pressure which ultimately led to his withdrawal from the Baha'i Faith in 1980. Semple is also said to have played a role in the Talisman crackdown of 1996, and to be a strong proponent of theocracy.
Juan Cole has written some stuff on the history of Doug Martin, who apparently was calling Juan a covenant-breaker as early as the 1980s.
It is very difficult to verify all but the most basic information on members of the UHJ; most of the information I have about individual members' views ultimately comes back-channel, or from the talks they sometimes give. Before I came onto the Internet, I probably couldn't have named three members of that body. Some Baha'is actually pride themselves on this kind of ignorance, insisting that the actual composition of the House doesn't matter, since it only acts as a body, and its decisions are infallible. However, it is just magical thinking to believe that the attitudes and views of the men serving there don't have any influence on the course the Baha'i Faith takes, or that the House just acts as a kind divine conduit where personalities suddenly cease to exist once consultation begins. I have actually heard this view, though -- I recall a poster saying that it wouldn't matter if the House consisted of nine Westerners or nine Eskimos, the decisions would be the same because they all come from God.
Anyway, the Baha'i World now has the opportunity to choose some better men for the job. One frequently-mentioned area of concern is that, since 1993, all of the members of the UHJ have come from the International Teaching Center -- that is, Counsellors from the appointed wing of the Faith, who very often have a strong "protection" mindset, since that's their job. Before this, members where usually elected from the National Spiritual Assemblies of the larger Baha'i communities. So, a kind of incestuous relationship has been set up, where the UHJ appoints the ITC members, which provides the candidate pool for the UHJ. It amounts to the UHJ members appointing their own successors. Since this issue has been frequently and openly discussed over the past several years on the Internet, I'm hoping that some of the NSA members will reconsider, and break this pattern. We did, in the US, elect some more moderate people to the NSA in recent years, and I'm hoping the same can be done at the international level.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
If I'm Not Blogging, I'm Probably Not Thinking
Or, at least, if I'm not writing, somewhere. That's been the problem all along with maintaining a weblog; it's not the only place I write. It's been a slow weekend. Oh, I posted a little on Beliefnet, and I've had some private correspondence, but overall my brain has been as slow as this month's molasses.
My Unenrolled Baha'i group has been mysteriously shut down in what is probably one of Yahoo's frequent technical difficulties; the message says to contact them if it continues for 48 hours. I'm very proud of that group, which is primarily for the support of disillusioned Baha'is. I pretty much said all I had to say about issues concerning the Baha'i administration, and quite some time ago felt that I was just becoming repetitive, but the need that some folks have out there for support is ongoing. Even if I've heard similar stories, and it's not necessarily new to me, the experience of being able to speak openly to someone about these problems, without fear of somebody putting them down for it, is new and liberating to them. The group has between 100 and 120 subscribers, and there never seems to be a lack of new ones. Besides writing, offering that kind of support is what I do best, and it's one of the things that keeps me out here.
I have noted the creation of weblogs by some of the more radical folks that hang in Baha'i cyberspace, which is all to the good, since these folks like to rant more than they like to converse, and a blog is the perfect place for that.
I was trying to summon up the energy to do a bit on the various protests that are planned for the inaugeration -- which I think are mostly silly. You know, folks, we lost; we can at least be good sports about it. (Just because the Right would have been even nastier if Kerry had won is no excuse.) If one wants to protest against Bush, I can think of better things to do it about than the lavishness of his inaugeration expenditures. My favorite idea comes from
Publius at Legal Fiction, who plans to mark the day by watching the entire Lord of the Rings series and eating pizza. The picture of the Eye of Sauron atop the White House was a nice touch.
Hoping for better thoughts soon.
My Unenrolled Baha'i group has been mysteriously shut down in what is probably one of Yahoo's frequent technical difficulties; the message says to contact them if it continues for 48 hours. I'm very proud of that group, which is primarily for the support of disillusioned Baha'is. I pretty much said all I had to say about issues concerning the Baha'i administration, and quite some time ago felt that I was just becoming repetitive, but the need that some folks have out there for support is ongoing. Even if I've heard similar stories, and it's not necessarily new to me, the experience of being able to speak openly to someone about these problems, without fear of somebody putting them down for it, is new and liberating to them. The group has between 100 and 120 subscribers, and there never seems to be a lack of new ones. Besides writing, offering that kind of support is what I do best, and it's one of the things that keeps me out here.
I have noted the creation of weblogs by some of the more radical folks that hang in Baha'i cyberspace, which is all to the good, since these folks like to rant more than they like to converse, and a blog is the perfect place for that.
I was trying to summon up the energy to do a bit on the various protests that are planned for the inaugeration -- which I think are mostly silly. You know, folks, we lost; we can at least be good sports about it. (Just because the Right would have been even nastier if Kerry had won is no excuse.) If one wants to protest against Bush, I can think of better things to do it about than the lavishness of his inaugeration expenditures. My favorite idea comes from
Publius at Legal Fiction, who plans to mark the day by watching the entire Lord of the Rings series and eating pizza. The picture of the Eye of Sauron atop the White House was a nice touch.
Hoping for better thoughts soon.
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Following Orders
Graner is claiming that he followed orders when he was torturing prisoners, and that he complained repeatedly about it. To me, it's important to find out if this is true, and how far up the ladder it went. Was he told just to "soften up" prisoners in a general way, or was he told to do things like make the prisoners masturbate, or to sic dogs on them? Who knew and approved that this was going on? According to the army report, Karpinski didn't have a clue, and it primarily condemns her for negligence, not for approving or encouraging abuse.
I find it hard to believe that Graner was doing this reluctantly; he's just making excuses for himself. Even if he is a fall guy, it's tough to feel sorry for him. If you really feel that something is wrong, then you don't just say "Yes, sir" and keep it going. After all, the whole reason we know about this is that someone with a conscience leaked the photos.
It looks to me like an environment was created where the prison staff felt that they could get away with virtually anything, since these prisoners were supposed to be given a rough time -- and it's that vague green-light that higher-ups should be held responsible for, but they probably won't be.
Word on the street is that
Iraqis feel the sentence was too lenient, and that he should be on the receiving end of the kind of torture he dished out, or even be given the death penalty. On an emotional level, that's completely understandable, but when law and order reigns, Americans don't get to do stuff like that. Ten years in a military prison is no picnic anyway; I think prisoners still do hard labor in those places.
I find it hard to believe that Graner was doing this reluctantly; he's just making excuses for himself. Even if he is a fall guy, it's tough to feel sorry for him. If you really feel that something is wrong, then you don't just say "Yes, sir" and keep it going. After all, the whole reason we know about this is that someone with a conscience leaked the photos.
It looks to me like an environment was created where the prison staff felt that they could get away with virtually anything, since these prisoners were supposed to be given a rough time -- and it's that vague green-light that higher-ups should be held responsible for, but they probably won't be.
Word on the street is that
Iraqis feel the sentence was too lenient, and that he should be on the receiving end of the kind of torture he dished out, or even be given the death penalty. On an emotional level, that's completely understandable, but when law and order reigns, Americans don't get to do stuff like that. Ten years in a military prison is no picnic anyway; I think prisoners still do hard labor in those places.
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Reports on Abu Ghraib
Yes, I know the big news today is that Graner was sentenced to ten years for his abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, and he's claiming that he was following orders. But my attention was was caught by the report from the Army investigation into the situation. One of the highlights picked out by the Washington Post is the finding that the chain of command was not directly involved in approving the abuse, but "circulated policy memos led indirectly" to abuse.
Gee, Heather MacDonald said those memos were never seen by the folks on the ground and therefore had no influence on what happened. The Army says differently.
The report also says that the abuse was not due to "one single factor", but a combination of problems from "individual criminal propensities" to "dysfunctional relationships among commanders."
The entire report is also available, from which I'll pick my own highlights:
*There is a wide variance in standards and approaches at the various detention facilities.Several Division/Brigade collection points and US monitored Iraqi prisons had flawed or insufficiently detailed use of force and other standing operatingprocedures or policies (e.g. weapons in the facility,improper restraint techniques, detainee management, etc.)
*The management of multiple disparate groups of detained people in a single location by members of the same unit invites confusion about handling, processing,and treatment, and typically facilitates the transferof information between different categories of detainees. [This refers to the fact that common criminals were kept in with those suspected of being terrorists or insurgents.]
*The prison was understaffed, with no procedures for replacing staff.
*Military Police, though adept at passive collection of intelligence within a facility, should not participate in Military Intelligence supervised interrogation sessions. Moreover, Military Police should not be involved with setting "favorable conditions" for subsequent interviews. These actions, as will be outlined in this investigation, clearly run counter to the smooth operation of a detention facility.
*That between October and December 2003, at the Abu Ghraib Confinement Facility (BCCF), numerous incidents of sadistic, blatant, and wanton criminal abuses were inflicted on several detainees. This systemic and illegal abuse of detainees was intentionally perpetrated. The report then goes into detail about instances of abuse. It includes things approved of by Rumsfeld, like stripping prisoners naked.
*There is a general lack of knowledge, implementation, and emphasis of basic legal, regulatory, doctrinal, and command requirements within the 800th MP Brigade and its subordinate units.
*The handling of detainees and criminal prisoners after in-processing was inconsistent from detention facility to detention facility, compound to compound, encampment to encampment, and even shift to shift.
*Basic Army Doctrine was not widely referenced or utilized to develop the accountability practices throughout the 800th MP Brigade's subordinate units. Daily processing, accountability, and detainee care appears to have been made up as the operations developed with reliance on, and guidance from, junior members of the unit who had civilian corrections experience Of course, we don't, in civilian corrections, do the kind of things that were done there, either -- although I don't doubt that some cops would if they thought they could get away with it. The report also speaks of lack of training and preparation of the staff, generally.
*The Abu Ghraib and Camp Bucca detention facilities are significantly over their intended maximum capacity while the guard force is undermanned and under resourced. This imbalance has contributed to the poor living conditions, escapes, and accountability lapses at the various facilities. The overcrowding of the facilities also limits the ability to identify and segregate leaders in the detainee population who may be organizing escapes and riots within the facility. There is a whole section of the report devoted to the problem of escapes at the prison, which is something I wasn't aware of. I do know that an old, inadequate facility contributes to the ease of escape -- we had that both at our county jail and juvenile hall until more modern facilities were built.
* Concerning the officer in charge: BG Karpinski was extremely emotional during much of her testimony. What I found particularly disturbing in her testimony was her complete unwillingness to either understand or accept that many of the problems inherent in the 800th MP Brigade were caused or exacerbated by poor leadership and the refusal of her command to both establish and enforce basic standards and principles among its soldiers. She apparently blames "the ideas" for the abuse on Military Intelligence. However, the person who wrote the report is clearly skeptical of much of what she said to try to excuse herself, and he found no evidence that she did anything either to adequate train her staff, or to prevent or stop the abuse. In fact, she doesn't appear to have even been in contact with them that much. There is a long list of recommendations for disciplinary action against those involved, from Karpinski on down.
A helluva way to run a war -- what a mess!
Gee, Heather MacDonald said those memos were never seen by the folks on the ground and therefore had no influence on what happened. The Army says differently.
The report also says that the abuse was not due to "one single factor", but a combination of problems from "individual criminal propensities" to "dysfunctional relationships among commanders."
The entire report is also available, from which I'll pick my own highlights:
*There is a wide variance in standards and approaches at the various detention facilities.Several Division/Brigade collection points and US monitored Iraqi prisons had flawed or insufficiently detailed use of force and other standing operatingprocedures or policies (e.g. weapons in the facility,improper restraint techniques, detainee management, etc.)
*The management of multiple disparate groups of detained people in a single location by members of the same unit invites confusion about handling, processing,and treatment, and typically facilitates the transferof information between different categories of detainees. [This refers to the fact that common criminals were kept in with those suspected of being terrorists or insurgents.]
*The prison was understaffed, with no procedures for replacing staff.
*Military Police, though adept at passive collection of intelligence within a facility, should not participate in Military Intelligence supervised interrogation sessions. Moreover, Military Police should not be involved with setting "favorable conditions" for subsequent interviews. These actions, as will be outlined in this investigation, clearly run counter to the smooth operation of a detention facility.
*That between October and December 2003, at the Abu Ghraib Confinement Facility (BCCF), numerous incidents of sadistic, blatant, and wanton criminal abuses were inflicted on several detainees. This systemic and illegal abuse of detainees was intentionally perpetrated. The report then goes into detail about instances of abuse. It includes things approved of by Rumsfeld, like stripping prisoners naked.
*There is a general lack of knowledge, implementation, and emphasis of basic legal, regulatory, doctrinal, and command requirements within the 800th MP Brigade and its subordinate units.
*The handling of detainees and criminal prisoners after in-processing was inconsistent from detention facility to detention facility, compound to compound, encampment to encampment, and even shift to shift.
*Basic Army Doctrine was not widely referenced or utilized to develop the accountability practices throughout the 800th MP Brigade's subordinate units. Daily processing, accountability, and detainee care appears to have been made up as the operations developed with reliance on, and guidance from, junior members of the unit who had civilian corrections experience Of course, we don't, in civilian corrections, do the kind of things that were done there, either -- although I don't doubt that some cops would if they thought they could get away with it. The report also speaks of lack of training and preparation of the staff, generally.
*The Abu Ghraib and Camp Bucca detention facilities are significantly over their intended maximum capacity while the guard force is undermanned and under resourced. This imbalance has contributed to the poor living conditions, escapes, and accountability lapses at the various facilities. The overcrowding of the facilities also limits the ability to identify and segregate leaders in the detainee population who may be organizing escapes and riots within the facility. There is a whole section of the report devoted to the problem of escapes at the prison, which is something I wasn't aware of. I do know that an old, inadequate facility contributes to the ease of escape -- we had that both at our county jail and juvenile hall until more modern facilities were built.
* Concerning the officer in charge: BG Karpinski was extremely emotional during much of her testimony. What I found particularly disturbing in her testimony was her complete unwillingness to either understand or accept that many of the problems inherent in the 800th MP Brigade were caused or exacerbated by poor leadership and the refusal of her command to both establish and enforce basic standards and principles among its soldiers. She apparently blames "the ideas" for the abuse on Military Intelligence. However, the person who wrote the report is clearly skeptical of much of what she said to try to excuse herself, and he found no evidence that she did anything either to adequate train her staff, or to prevent or stop the abuse. In fact, she doesn't appear to have even been in contact with them that much. There is a long list of recommendations for disciplinary action against those involved, from Karpinski on down.
A helluva way to run a war -- what a mess!
Friday, January 14, 2005
The Results of Another One of Those Silly Quizzes
Congratulations! You're Sam!
Which Lord of the Rings character and personality problem are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
New Link
I like this group blog, put together by three students in the UCLA history program, each of whom has a different perspective. Besides Chris Bray, who I referred to in my entry on "Here are the type of Conservatives I know", Michael Benson did a good critique of Heather MacDonald's article that I referred to earlier.
Of course, part of what I was doing with MacDonald's article was less a critique, and more an effort to figure out what happened. Once you get past the initial shock, then you have to start putting things together in order to explain it. As time goes by, I find myself more concerned with what happened in Guantanamo than in Abu Ghraib -- as horrifying as that was. But the abuses in Abu Ghraib can be explained by a breakdown in discipline, with untrained people letting their sadistic instincts run free in a situation where they had more prisoners and less supervision than expected, along with the message being passed down that they needed to go beyond Geneva Convention limits with suspected terrorists. (Today's news is that the jury's deliberating on Graner, who is definitely one sick puppy.)
But what's Guantanamo's excuse? I haven't seen a decent explanation for that. MacDonald's article ignores it entirely, even though the abuses went well beyond the kind of "stress techniques" that she was describing. And, as Michael Benson points out, even those techniques, which sound so moderate, can amount to torture if pushed too far. This is supposed to be a well-run prison, with a 1:1 staff-to-prisoner ratio. In some ways, it is scarier to think that a well-disciplined facility, obeying orders, was torturing people than a chaotic place where those soldiers were treating it all like a big, warped party.
Of course, part of what I was doing with MacDonald's article was less a critique, and more an effort to figure out what happened. Once you get past the initial shock, then you have to start putting things together in order to explain it. As time goes by, I find myself more concerned with what happened in Guantanamo than in Abu Ghraib -- as horrifying as that was. But the abuses in Abu Ghraib can be explained by a breakdown in discipline, with untrained people letting their sadistic instincts run free in a situation where they had more prisoners and less supervision than expected, along with the message being passed down that they needed to go beyond Geneva Convention limits with suspected terrorists. (Today's news is that the jury's deliberating on Graner, who is definitely one sick puppy.)
But what's Guantanamo's excuse? I haven't seen a decent explanation for that. MacDonald's article ignores it entirely, even though the abuses went well beyond the kind of "stress techniques" that she was describing. And, as Michael Benson points out, even those techniques, which sound so moderate, can amount to torture if pushed too far. This is supposed to be a well-run prison, with a 1:1 staff-to-prisoner ratio. In some ways, it is scarier to think that a well-disciplined facility, obeying orders, was torturing people than a chaotic place where those soldiers were treating it all like a big, warped party.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
How to Argue Like a Right Wing Pundit
To be scrupulously fair, I probably ought to find the equivalent making fun of how liberal pundits argue; they can get pretty shrill, too. I have no use for anybody, right or left, who can't laugh at themselves a little.
Really, very few people know how to argue well -- although bloggers do much better than email posters, on the whole. The amusing thing is, some of them aren't even aware of it. I don't know how many times somebody will claim to have "proven" something, when they haven't proven it at all. The flip side is to dismiss evidence that you don't like as irrelevant. Denial is an easy technique to pull out of the hat; you can drive your opponent to distraction by resp0nding to everything with "No, that's not true" a dozen times. Then, when you get tired of that, you can go ad hominem.
It's a rare poster that doesn't go the ad hominem route, at least some of the time. Even I have been known to do so in moments of exasperation -- although it is usually of the "go jump in the lake" variety, rather than name-calling. (Yes, I know I called Pipes a crackpot, but I think that's a comparatively mild epithet, considering what he was saying.) Sometimes the technique appears to be to overwhelm with simple nastiness so that the opponent abandons the field and you can declare victory. While there's plenty of nastiness in blogs, at least you don't run into that kind of directed viciousness. I don't think anybody closes up their blog because opponents get mean, but forum posters will frequently decide that an argument turned into a slinging match is not worth their time. Also, the slugfests are shorter-lived on blogs. There may be blogs out there that consist of nothing but attacks; I'm still new to this. But I've seen flame wars on forums last for months or years to the point where there is no substantive argument at all, except about who is the biggest asshole, which is of scant interest to observers.
My favorite comment on ad hominems comes from Michael McKenny, who has long maintained that one should respond to them by thanking the attacker for conceding the superior strength of one's argument. If, after all, they are resorting to personal insult, they probably haven't got anything better to counter you with. But in the heat of the moment, I seldom remember to take that good advice.
Really, very few people know how to argue well -- although bloggers do much better than email posters, on the whole. The amusing thing is, some of them aren't even aware of it. I don't know how many times somebody will claim to have "proven" something, when they haven't proven it at all. The flip side is to dismiss evidence that you don't like as irrelevant. Denial is an easy technique to pull out of the hat; you can drive your opponent to distraction by resp0nding to everything with "No, that's not true" a dozen times. Then, when you get tired of that, you can go ad hominem.
It's a rare poster that doesn't go the ad hominem route, at least some of the time. Even I have been known to do so in moments of exasperation -- although it is usually of the "go jump in the lake" variety, rather than name-calling. (Yes, I know I called Pipes a crackpot, but I think that's a comparatively mild epithet, considering what he was saying.) Sometimes the technique appears to be to overwhelm with simple nastiness so that the opponent abandons the field and you can declare victory. While there's plenty of nastiness in blogs, at least you don't run into that kind of directed viciousness. I don't think anybody closes up their blog because opponents get mean, but forum posters will frequently decide that an argument turned into a slinging match is not worth their time. Also, the slugfests are shorter-lived on blogs. There may be blogs out there that consist of nothing but attacks; I'm still new to this. But I've seen flame wars on forums last for months or years to the point where there is no substantive argument at all, except about who is the biggest asshole, which is of scant interest to observers.
My favorite comment on ad hominems comes from Michael McKenny, who has long maintained that one should respond to them by thanking the attacker for conceding the superior strength of one's argument. If, after all, they are resorting to personal insult, they probably haven't got anything better to counter you with. But in the heat of the moment, I seldom remember to take that good advice.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Open Arms vs. Moral Purity
I ran into this article, written by a conservative Christian concerned about the lack of morality within the Christian community itself. Well, o.k., one can dismiss this as a Mrs. Grundy-type scolding, but what struck me is that , unlike the Christians who so often present their faith as a matter of just "accepting Jesus into your heart", this guy actually believes that one ought to live it. Not only does he address the familiar bugaboos about sexuality, but laments that Christians also are too often racist, neglect the Biblical injuctions to take care of the poor, and have rates of spousal abuse similar to that in the society at large.
When it comes right down to it, there are very few people who actually try to live what their religion teaches -- simply because it's really difficult to do so. People use religion to feel more secure; struggling with spiritual issues in your own life makes you less so. Religion is a way of giving meaning to your life, and comfort over the rough spots, where true spirituality means that you are constantly measuring yourself against the ideal and are aware of where you are found wanting. For "born-again" Christians, especially, who are certain they are heaven-bound based simply upon belief, there is scant motivation to get serious about changing one's life. (Historically, Christians weren't so certain about getting into heaven; the Puritans used to agonize over whether or not they were of the elect, and most Catholics assumed they'd have to struggle through Purgatory first.)
But, the problem is that most people are not saints, and never will be. If you want your religious community to consist only of those who approach moral perfection, then it will remain very small indeed, and even of those few, some significant portion will not abandon their sinful doings, only keep them secret. The Baha'i community runs into this all the time: Seekers are attracted by the ideals of religious tolerance, then turn tail and run when they discover the strictness of the laws. This is particularly difficult in the case of homosexuality, where it is viewed even by straight people as a form of discrimination to forbid it, especially among the liberal spiritual seekers who are most attracted to the Baha'i Faith. But sometimes it is personal issues: People living together without marriage, or even those who don't want to give up alcohol lose their enthusiasm for the Faith pretty quickly. And so it would happen in the Christian churches, if congregations were taken to task for their lack of chastity and charity; you'd see the pews empty out pretty quickly.
It is the dilemma of every missionary religion: If you want to reach the world(in the sense of humanity), then you can't simultaneously keep the world (in the spiritual sense) out of your faith. Every convert you make brings the world in, right along with him. Maybe he will try to live according to the teachings, and maybe he won't. This applies not only to the obvious sins, but the more subtle ones like spiritual pride and ambition for power that inevitably crop up in religious leadership. One of the great causes of disillusionment in the Baha'i Faith is the discovery that we really aren't all that different in this regard than other religions. You see this, to a lesser extent, in Sider's article; he is pained that Christians aren't doing any better morally than the rest of us.
I think it's a mistake to worry about it; let sinful humanity in, with open arms. In the meantime, each of us, individually, must keep our eyes focussed on what *we* are supposed to be doing. I don't think it does much good to take people to task for this sin or that, but the message does need to be proclaimed that God is easy to please, but hard to satisfy i.e. we don't get to declare our belief, then sit on our laurels, sure that God is just happy as heck with us, as opposed to those awful unbelievers. People need to be taught to take *themselves* to task, to continually measure themselves against the ideals they hold, and realize that they really aren't doing so great. Because none of us are.
When it comes right down to it, there are very few people who actually try to live what their religion teaches -- simply because it's really difficult to do so. People use religion to feel more secure; struggling with spiritual issues in your own life makes you less so. Religion is a way of giving meaning to your life, and comfort over the rough spots, where true spirituality means that you are constantly measuring yourself against the ideal and are aware of where you are found wanting. For "born-again" Christians, especially, who are certain they are heaven-bound based simply upon belief, there is scant motivation to get serious about changing one's life. (Historically, Christians weren't so certain about getting into heaven; the Puritans used to agonize over whether or not they were of the elect, and most Catholics assumed they'd have to struggle through Purgatory first.)
But, the problem is that most people are not saints, and never will be. If you want your religious community to consist only of those who approach moral perfection, then it will remain very small indeed, and even of those few, some significant portion will not abandon their sinful doings, only keep them secret. The Baha'i community runs into this all the time: Seekers are attracted by the ideals of religious tolerance, then turn tail and run when they discover the strictness of the laws. This is particularly difficult in the case of homosexuality, where it is viewed even by straight people as a form of discrimination to forbid it, especially among the liberal spiritual seekers who are most attracted to the Baha'i Faith. But sometimes it is personal issues: People living together without marriage, or even those who don't want to give up alcohol lose their enthusiasm for the Faith pretty quickly. And so it would happen in the Christian churches, if congregations were taken to task for their lack of chastity and charity; you'd see the pews empty out pretty quickly.
It is the dilemma of every missionary religion: If you want to reach the world(in the sense of humanity), then you can't simultaneously keep the world (in the spiritual sense) out of your faith. Every convert you make brings the world in, right along with him. Maybe he will try to live according to the teachings, and maybe he won't. This applies not only to the obvious sins, but the more subtle ones like spiritual pride and ambition for power that inevitably crop up in religious leadership. One of the great causes of disillusionment in the Baha'i Faith is the discovery that we really aren't all that different in this regard than other religions. You see this, to a lesser extent, in Sider's article; he is pained that Christians aren't doing any better morally than the rest of us.
I think it's a mistake to worry about it; let sinful humanity in, with open arms. In the meantime, each of us, individually, must keep our eyes focussed on what *we* are supposed to be doing. I don't think it does much good to take people to task for this sin or that, but the message does need to be proclaimed that God is easy to please, but hard to satisfy i.e. we don't get to declare our belief, then sit on our laurels, sure that God is just happy as heck with us, as opposed to those awful unbelievers. People need to be taught to take *themselves* to task, to continually measure themselves against the ideals they hold, and realize that they really aren't doing so great. Because none of us are.
Monday, January 10, 2005
A Defense for Torture
A lawyer for Charles Graner, accused ringleader in the Iraq prisoner abuse scandal, on Monday compared piling naked prisoners into pyramids to cheerleader shows and said leashing inmates was also acceptable prisoner control.
I think this guy needs a better lawyer, but I'm glad he doesn't have one. I know that some people are just plain evil, but it still amazes me when I see it.
I think this guy needs a better lawyer, but I'm glad he doesn't have one. I know that some people are just plain evil, but it still amazes me when I see it.
Emotions Create Decisions
I thought this was interesting. It is fairly common online, for people to claim they are being rational and make their decisions accordingly, when they aren't making any sense at all. People go with their emotions, then make up rational explanations later. In fact, I generally suspect interlocutors that pridefully assert how rational they are of being afraid of their own emotions, and I tend not to believe them anyway, when they say they are only being "logical".
Where rationality comes in handy, in decision-making, is to prevent one's emotions from leading into something really foolish. There are times when I know I have to keep my head in charge, because if I "listened to my heart", I'd end up in a world of hurt. However, if I am dealing with something *wholly* on a rational level, I often end up arguing myself into indecision-- and a lot of the time dealing with something purely on a mental level means mostly that it isn't all that important to me in the first place. There are always two sides to every argument, as the saying goes, and probably more. You risk doing something stupid when you're led by your emotions, but at least you'll do *something*.
Actually, I was just thinking tonight that if one has two choices, one can never go wrong by choosing the most compassionate way -- and that's not necessarily the direction one's emotions will lead. Compassion has nothing to do with sloppy emotion; it means you do the best you can for the other person, given the set of circumstances you are in. Justice and mercy are good guideposts in decision-making, too. Mostly folks do what they want to do, then convince themselves that it's right, or even that God wanted them to do it. Principle is a middle way between cold rationality and hot emotion; it partakes of both.
Where rationality comes in handy, in decision-making, is to prevent one's emotions from leading into something really foolish. There are times when I know I have to keep my head in charge, because if I "listened to my heart", I'd end up in a world of hurt. However, if I am dealing with something *wholly* on a rational level, I often end up arguing myself into indecision-- and a lot of the time dealing with something purely on a mental level means mostly that it isn't all that important to me in the first place. There are always two sides to every argument, as the saying goes, and probably more. You risk doing something stupid when you're led by your emotions, but at least you'll do *something*.
Actually, I was just thinking tonight that if one has two choices, one can never go wrong by choosing the most compassionate way -- and that's not necessarily the direction one's emotions will lead. Compassion has nothing to do with sloppy emotion; it means you do the best you can for the other person, given the set of circumstances you are in. Justice and mercy are good guideposts in decision-making, too. Mostly folks do what they want to do, then convince themselves that it's right, or even that God wanted them to do it. Principle is a middle way between cold rationality and hot emotion; it partakes of both.
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