On Baha’i Declaration Cards: On the way out in favor of registration for membership
By george wesley dannells on Sep 1, 2008 in All categories
In the post I excerpted from yesterday, “Signposts Along the Way,” I edited out the following somewhat derogatory sentence.
the Baha’i administration loves its paperwork (indeed, the Baha’i equivalent of baptism or initiation is the signing of a form).
With that comment in mind I found it interesting to hear today a member of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly, Jacqueline Left-Hand Bull, intimate that the declaration card is on its way out, to be replaced by simply some form of registration for membership in the Baha’i Community. My explanation for this interesting development is as follows. Contrary to the blogger’s impression, signing a card is NOT a kind of initiation or baptism for Baha’is. Belief in Baha’u'llah usually occurs in advance of the signing of a card, and becoming a Baha’i is utimately a private matter anyway, between the individual and God, declaration card or not. The core activities of the Faith are open to all, members or not, and everybody is in the process of becoming a Baha’i at some level. When the individual comes to realize the benefit of membership, such as the opportunity to vote, contribute to the Funds, and receive the publications of the Faith, then they can register. Simple as that. -gw
Photo: Uploaded on September 25, 2006 by Sholeh on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic
On Sep 1, 2008, Lazarus said:
I’m the blogger you referenced, and I think you’re minimizing the importance of signing a declaration card. There are some fairly significant things non-Baha’is cannot do, like attending Feasts and Unit Convention, and signing a card has always been the means by which one becomes a member of the community.
That being said, it’s logical for the US NSA to end the practice. With today’s technology, they’re easily forged, and making them more secure is probably cost-prohibitive. So good for them.
Cheers,
Lazarus
On Sep 1, 2008, george wesley dannells said:
Thanks, Lazarus, for your comment.
Indeed, a growing community of members is key to realizing the purpose of the Baha’i Faith. There is a process of change occuring within the Baha’i community whereby unnecessary barriers to growth are being pushed aside. Baha’is are called upon to be outward-looking, and not be satisfied to be just another religious denomination among a multitude of denominations, as that is not why Baha’u'llah came. Baha’is are also called upon to recognize that we are all, i.e. you as an Orthodox Christian and me as Baha’i, on our own individual spiritual journeys but we direct our prayers towards the same One God who loves us all. One God, one religion, the religion of God, and one manind.