Anonymous wrote:It may well be the case that he simply had a "personal" view that women were not ready to serve but thought eventually they may be ready in the future.
According to the Writings, that would be wrong. 'Abdu'l-Baha did not flaw as He did not have that capability, being under the protection of the Covenant. He did, therefore, NOT “THINK” that women would be "ready in the future," in your words. If you read His Writings, it is VERY explicit that women are equals to men with the EXCEPTION of membership on the UHJ:
"According to the ordinances of the Faith of God, women are the equals of men in all rights save only that of membership on the Universal House of Justice, for, as hath been stated in the text of the Book, both the Head and the members of the House of Justice are men. However, in all other bodies, such as the Temple Construction Committee, the Teaching Committee, the Spiritual Assembly, and in charitable and scientific associations, women share equally in all rights with men. (from a newly translated tablet)."Anonymous wrote:Anyone who believes that women are not educated would obviously not believe that they are ready to serve on the UHJ.
...And anyone who believes that women are not educated would obviously not believe that they are ready to serve IN ANY OTHER BODY OR IN ANY OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE CAPACITY.
Therefore, there has to be ANOTHER REASON why women can't serve on the UHJ. It clearly DOES NOT have to do with education, and 'Abdu'l-Baha Himself noted that when women get the same educational OPPORTUNITIES as men, THEN they will even rise above MEN (and also SPIRITUALLY). He already saw this process unfolding when He came to America. Surly, EVEN (and I say EVEN) if He could not see in the future, any educated person would have been able to deduce that women would get the same chances for education as men in LESS THAN 1,000 YEARS!
So, this time, you are flawed logically.
So when you are attacking 'Abdu'l-Baha, you are attacking Baha'u'llah also because "['Abdu'l-Baha] as attested by the above-cited extracts from His Tablets, affirmed that the ineligibility of women for election to the Universal House of Justice had been set out
"in the text of the Book" and
"in the explicit text of the Law of God". In other words, this provision was established by none other than Baha'u'llah Himself."
.....Anyway, let's look at the
Kitab-i-Aqdas BECAUSE IT IS VERY EXPLICIT IN THE KITAB-I-AQDAS THAT MEN CAN ONLY SERVE ON THE UHJ
It is easy for an American who does not know the first thing about Arabic to say: When Baha'u'llah said "Men of the UHJ," he meant men and women. Wrong! Go learn Arabic.
Baha'u'llah used the word "Rajl baytolat" which means “MEN OF THE UHJ.” (“Rejal” is singular for men, “rajl” is plural) In Arabic, REJAL (plural) means MAN as in the BIOLOGICAL SEX man. And women (plural) is NESAA, means BIOLOGICAL SEX women. THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM THE WORD "MAR" which is "man" but can mean both men and women. It is like saying "O Son of man." BUT Baha'u'llah EXPLICITLY states "RAJL BAYTOLAT" meaning BIOLOGICAL SEX MEN OF THE UHJ. If you want to say Baha’u’llah meant women as well, you have to first go conquer all the Arab countries and change the meaning of the word to mean both men and women. But, don't take my word for it, go and look the Arabic up yourself. Anyone who tries to dispute this fact is a fool because in the first place you don't even know Arabic, so go learn Arabic and then you'll maybe complain a bit less.
Matt, I hope you know that even though you
think you are worshiping Baha'u'llah, you are doing the opposite! There is an expression in Farsi,
"khar khoditee." If you say 'Abdu'l-Baha says something contrary to Baha'u'llah, I will prove to you that that's WRONG through the originally revealed Text. This is a power that can be used against anyone who tries to attack Baha'u'llah's Cause. Abdu'l-Baha did not even say ONE LITTLE WORD that goes against what Baha'u'llah has said, and if you think otherwise, SHOW ME IN ARABIC. Don’t know Arabic? Too bad, go learn it. You can never know what Baha’u’llah EXACTLY meant, word for word, by reading the English.
Keep in mind what the Bab said:
"I swear by the righteousness of Thy Lord, the Lord of all created things, the Lord of all the worlds! Were a man to rear in this world as many edifices as possible and worship God through every virtuous deed which God's knowledge embraceth, and attain the presence of the Lord, and were he, even to a measure less than that which is accountable before God, to bear in his heart a trace of malice towards Me, all his deeds would be reduced to naught and he would be deprived of the glances of God's favour, become the object of His wrath and assuredly perish. For God hath ordained that all the good things which lie in the treasury of His knowledge shall be attained through obedience unto Me, and every fire recorded in His Book, through disobedience unto Me. Methinks in this day and from this station I behold all those who cherish My love and follow My behest abiding within the mansions of Paradise, and the entire company of Mine adversaries consigned to the lowest depths of hell-fire. "
Pardon my bluntness, but if you are fooling yourself that you are "worshipping" Baha'u'llah yet you reject the lesser Covenant, remember that you are bearing a huge "trace of malice" toward Baha'u'llah Himself! Don’t think that God is forgiving in this respect.
—Warrior