Theologians

[Postmaster]

How do Baha'is expect a country to be governed then?

[BruceDLimber]

Greetings redux! :-)

Originally Posted by Postmaster

How do Baha'is expect a country to be governed then?

The Baha'i scriptures lay out a completely new administrative system which is already in use world-wide within the Baha'i community!

Like the Faith itself, its emphases are unity and concord.

While it features democratic elections at all levels, it is entirely nonpartisan, and has no nominations, no campaigning, and no discussion of individual personalaties.

Instead, after a period of prayer and meditation, each individual Baha'i votes for the nine individuals he or she feels are best-suited to serve, and the nine persons receiving the most votes are automatically elected. (Our administrative bodies all have nine members, with five being a quorum.) There is thus no opportunity either to "run for office" or, save for exceptional circumstances like illness or hardship, to decline to serve. (There is also a special tie-breaking procedure for use as needed; it favors minorities.)

Those elected have no special status and no special authority; they are "just Baha'is" like any other. It is only the elected bodies themselves, when they are meeting, that hold any authority. Membership on these administrative bodies is considered a role of service both to God and to the community.

These elected bodies exist at the local, regional, national, and world levels. There are currently 1 world-level body, 183 national ones, and around 18,000 local ones. (Some countries have regional bodies; some don't.)

And we find this system works very well, and believe it may someday serve as a model for the world as a whole. . . .

Best, :-)

Bruce

[Postmaster]

I was going to say for a joke do you expect the UHJ to govern one day. I guess you really do. It's flawed, simply because if you get this governing system in which seems really good actually, but what will become of the army? Unfortunantly people are not ready for that just yet, people will walk all over you and take advantage. Might is right. compeitiveness is just natural on all kinds of different levels.

[arthra]

Originally Posted by Postmaster

I was going to say for a joke do you expect the UHJ to govern one day. I guess you really do. It's flawed, simply because if you get this governing system in which seems really good actually, but what will become of the army? Unfortunantly people are not ready for that just yet, people will walk all over you and take advantage. Might is right. compeitiveness is just natural on all kinds of different levels.

Actually the Universal House of Justice has been "governing" since 1963 in that it concerns Baha'i affairs... It is only designed and established for Baha'i issues that are not clearly already established in our Writings and principles already stated by the Guardian Shoghi Effendi and his grandfather Abdul-Baha. Should non-Baha'is wish to consult with the Universal House they may do so and such issues that are related to our principles can be discussed and advisories made.

Our Writings indicate that there will be a political peace or Lesser Peace and that a World Parliament will be established...probably an extension of the United Nations and the International Court of Arbitration that is already established... these institution the World Parliament and the World Court were already urged by Baha'u'llah in the then world leaders around 1868-1870 but they turned them down for the most part... Today, they are building them....

After the world body is established should there be a rogue state that attacks another the other nations in the world federation will deal with it... this is establshed already in our Writings made well over a century ago.

After this we envision the establishment of a world commonwealth and civilization.

- Art

[Mick]

Originally Posted by Postmaster

I was going to say for a joke do you expect the UHJ to govern one day. I guess you really do. It's flawed, simply because if you get this governing system in which seems really good actually, but what will become of the army? Unfortunantly people are not ready for that just yet, people will walk all over you and take advantage. Might is right. compeitiveness is just natural on all kinds of different levels.

If I may add to what Art said, the Universal House of Justice is already ruling over the world....spiritually. When they pray in body it is for mankind and not just Baha'is. When they give us directions it is for everybody not just Baha'is. There are many people in the world that are influenced by the Writings including directions of the Universal House of Justice. A simple exercise to prove what I just said would be to make a T account with one side being the Principles of Baha'u'llah and on the other side, examples of how these principles are being facilitated by mankind.

You see, Postmaster, we see our spiritual life is more important than our physical life. It is the spiritual life that is being directed today by the Universal House of Justice. You don't even have to believe it. It is just true. I have never seen any harm in somebody praying for me no matter what religion they come from. I need all the prayers I can get, I would think.

We do not claim that the Universal House of Justice will ever rule the world. That is a beauracratic role and how silly it would be for this Great Institution to be bothered with the problems of beauracracy. We see this Great Body as our spiritual guides.

warmly,

Mick