HOP ABOARD THE UNITY BANDWAGON

(THE EDITOR REGRETS TO REPORT THAT THIS IS A NON-FANTASY (TRUE) ITEM :)MrDonut says he is thinking about cancelling his subscription to the paper. He has an indefinable weariness from reading about Baha'is on bandwagons.

Bahai's join scores of other religions and sects to list themselves in the media and rally 'round the Dali Lama, even though most have not read a word of his history, that the priests of Tibet kept the peasants in poverty and ignorance, that China stands on a legitimate claim of sovereignty over the place. The Dali Lama ran, yes ran, when the Chinese were finally moving into Tibet. The Dali Lama's books are shallow and clumsily written.

The Baha'is are on the bandwagon in Nevada. They want to join 40 other religious groups and the government of the state of Nevada to erect a statue to honor Ghandi. Yes, the Ben Kingsly one. The name "Baha'i" is included in the list of other groups, including Moslem and Jewish,
both of which forbid the erection of idols. Will this reduce Nevada's number one crime rate?

The Baha'is are rallied thickly around the global warming issue. MrDonut recalls that years ago he heard or heard from a trustworthy source that Ruhiyyih Khanum was once pelted by anxious Baha'is with questions about Baha'is and the environment (this was when the environment was just starting to be an issue, globally). What were they to do about the earth?! The believers were almost frantic. Ruhiyyih Khanum then said, in her indomitable ethereal way, "God made it, He will fix it. Our job is to teach!"

That is what MrDonut hears every time the Baha'is jump on another bandwagon. Their religious affiliation notwithstanding, MrDonut is leery of academics who expect the same respect and acceptance for speaking on global warming as they do lecturing sophomores in college on Edmund Spenser's tailor. MrDonut gently bites his lip when he reads about Baha'is rallying around the latest cultural cult figure who seems to know three words in English: peace, love, and proceeds as in take. MrDonut wonders where the rank and file are, because in MrDonut's experience the rank and file do not put up with such things. "So great shall be the discernment of this seeker that he will discriminate between truth and falsehood, even as he doth distinguish sun from shadow." (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings). It reads to me like the true seeker does not put up with guff, and is real, real happy to have this ability bestowed upon him.

"If, :wonders MrDonut, "a Cause isn't mentioned in the Writings, then why do some Baha'is rally around it? The Writings attest to one Cause, the Cause of God. What does God want done? Look it up! He wants the Baha'is to Teach the Faith! Look at our Christian neighbors - they don't have the whole story, but the ones I know of adamantly support adoption, the right to life, the role of men and women in marriage, chastity, modesty and decency for youth, the right to control their childrens' schooling and environment, and perhaps in the forefront of all Christian causes today, the right to religious expression. These are all causes that Christians in America are championing! Why aren't the Baha'is? Somewhere Baha'u'llah says that if the Baha'is don't do what they're here to, He will raise up others who will. I believe, " MrDonut spoke confidently, " He has raised up others. Christians. Yes, and others."

"Years ago the Universal House of Justice asked the Baha'is to"Blazon the Name" of Baha'u'llah. Did anybody do that? For long? A community including wealthy professionals feels they have done their part by placing a $4 ad (which does not mention the Greatest Name) once a week on the church page. Don't ask what the churches think. They have books that tell, however falsely, about the Faith. It would be a poor Christian who didn't believe that this "Baha'i Faith", with no local listing, wasn't a cult."

MrDonut wishes the Baha'is would get back to the Books. He wishes they would just put the brakes on and stop chasing fads. Linking the name Baha'i Faith to something trendy is not blazoning the Name of Baha'u'llah. It makes Him look like nothing more than another celebrity. Christians aren't afraid to proclaim the crucifixion! One of the grisliest and most shameful deaths devised by man -so that listeners may realize that their is someone greater than themselves. Not Nobel Prize winners or Million-Dollar Club members but someone who is more than a man. "And," MrDonut affirmed, "a cat."