Thursday 2 August 2007

Present Evil for Future Good

I just read a really rich post from one of my favourite Baha'i bloggers, the Divine Ms Angela Shortt. The subject concerned is the Baha'i Ruling that women may not serve on the Universal House of Justice, the highest level of Baha'i Administration. So many stimulating ideas were raised by both the author and subsequent commenters. Do yourself a favour and check them out here. As I was leaving a comment myself, I realised my verbosity was getting the upper hand and a post of my own was in order.

The main point I want to explore is that dismay about the no women on the UHJ law tends to come from Western mouths. Here it's imperative to note that in the Baha'i Faith, men and women have been declared by Baha'u'llah as categorically equal:

"Women and men have been and will always be equal in the sight of God. The Dawning-Place of the Light of God sheddeth its radiance upon all with the same effulgence" - Baha'u'llah, Women: Extracts from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, 1986, p. 26

Well, duh, it's easy to say. That's just common sense. Or is it? Pause for a moment and consider the context of this utterance. It was spoken nearly 200 years ago in Iran, a culture where women were expicitly oppressed and today are still openly regarded as second-class citizens. At the time the Blessed Beauty's exhortations regarding women were revealed, they were revolutionary even by Western standards. Make no mistake about it; Baha'u'llah was a radical feminist.

The Baha'i Faith is a Global Faith. Its mission is to unite all of humanity. It's easy for us 'progressive' (read privileged) types to forget that while many post-colonial nations have seen undeniable improvements in women's rights in recent decades, the vast majority of women on the planet are still treated like cattle. The Master has this to say about our sorry state of affairs:

"In the world of humanity we find a great difference; the female sex is treated as though inferior, and is not allowed equal rights and privileges. This condition is due not to nature, but to education. In the Divine Creation there is no such distinction. Neither sex is superior to the other in the sight of God. Why then should one sex assert the inferiority of the other, withholding just rights and privileges as though God had given His authority for such a course of action? If women received the same educational advantages as those of men, the result would demonstrate the equality of capacity of both for scholarship." - Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 161

Since becoming a Baha'i and getting intimate with the idea of the Formative Age, there's a sentiment I call upon frequently for courage and strength: present evil for future good. For a whole bunch of personal reasons, 1998 - my final year of High School - was an extraordinarily challenging time. The only way I could get through it was to focus on my goal of getting into University. Whenever I felt overwhelmed, my darling dad would repeat this simple phrase to comfort and encourage me: "Present evil for future good, sweetheart." Present evil. Future good. It became my mantra.

Now, please don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying anything sent down by Baha'u'llah , including the ruling of no women serving on the UHJ, is evil. What I’m saying is that having an all-Male UHJ is a means to an ends. The Most Great Peace is a pretty big ends. Evidently it requires some big means. And it's presumptuous - as well as characteristically self-obsessed - of us Westerners to assume that nations where women have been considered inferior for centuries are going to embrace the guidance of a governing body that includes women.

Sometimes I feel sad that the world's not ready for women on the UHJ - and won't be for the next 800 years. I’m talking crying sad; it can really pain me. But I need to remind myself that my grief is a (healthy) reaction to the current state of the planet, rather than to any shortcoming in Baha’i Law. Ultimately, I have faith in Baha'u'llah's Infinite Wisdom. 'Abdu'l-Baha offers the following balm to soothe me as this faith continues to develop and deepen:


"O maidservant of God! Know thou that in the sight of God, the conduct of women is the same as that of men .... From the spiritual point of view ... there is no difference between women and men ....As to the House of Justice: according to the explicit text of the Law of God, its membership is exclusively reserved to men. There is Divine wisdom in this which will presently be made manifest even as the mid-day sun." - 'Abdu'l-Baha, Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 612


It comes down to remembering to pray for patience. The business of the Formative Age is about forming, after all. Baha'i's believe that this is a time of maturation for our species, a world-wide coming of age. But every news station testifies to the fact that we still have an awfully long way to go. In 8 centuries, when we're all grown up, I've no doubt that we'll be ready for the guidance of the next Messenger of God - in all Her spectacular Glory.


Maybe this guidance will include an all Female Government. Maybe it will consist of men and women. Maybe we'll have outgrown the need for Government. Maybe our physical bodies will have evolved to the point where our biology is simultaneously male and female - thereby reflecting the genderless Reality of Spirit. God only knows. What I know is that the best way I can contribute to the emancipation of women - and I mean sisters all over planet earth, not just my fellow middle-class college graduates - is to be a bright, beautiful, bold, active, investigating, obedient Baha'i woman.

"You will be servants of God, who are dwelling near to Him, His divine helpers in this service, ministering to all Humanity. All Humanity! Every human being! Never forget this!" - 'Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 38

10 comments:

Ms Angela said...

Pearl,

I love your writing! I just finished up Ruhi Book 4, and until I took that course, the significance of the "Maid of Heaven" appearing to Baha'u'llah and revealing to him that he is the Manifestation of God was something that I could fully grasp. When put into context of where this took place and the time frame, the fact that God appeared to Baha'u'llah as a beautiful woman at that point was profound! The path has been lit, and people may resist the message, but as Tahirah said to her murderers, "You can kill me as soon as you like, but you cannot stop the liberation of women!" (That is not an exact quote.)

As you so succinctly wrote, men and women are equal in the sight of God. There can be no more argument or second guessing about that. It's just sad that humanity learns these basic human rights and spiritual concepts so slowly.

Anne said...

Hi Pearl Bearer,

Came across your blog from the bahaiviews site. It's fantastic, can't wait to read more! I put a link to your blog on mine :-)
Looking forward to your thoughts and observations.

Anne

Pearl said...

Angela, that is a big complement coming from you, thanks so much.

That tidbit from Book 4 has my mouth watering! I've only just finished Book 2 and now I can't wait to press on with 3 and 4. That's the best thing about being a baby Baha'i - everything's still new and waiting to be discovered; each new prayer or idea an exquisite gift from God. So very grateful to be alive and AWAKE in this Day. Praise be to the Maid of Heaven, the Queen of Queens, the Glorious Mother of All : )

Thanks too for the shout out to my she-ro, Tahirah. The liberation of women is indeed unstoppable, it has been ordained by God. Now is the time for future-focussed vision and present-day action so that our daughters (and sons) may partake of those fruits sooner rather than later.

Anne, hello! It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Hope you'll come visit regularly and share your own thoughts and observations - you are most welcome here anytime, dear sister.

Portia said...

Pearl, this entry in your always wonderful blog is so profound, and I hope that the larger Baha'i community will continue to consult together on this issue. We all need to have a clearer understanding and a true sense of peace about this topic, which so often causes discomfort, much to my dismay.

I grappled a bit with this issue when I was a younger woman, but thankfully those struggles are long past. And, as Angelfly said, going through Book 4 and understanding the significance of the Maid of Heaven was life-changing for me. I can't wait for you to experience the power of Book 4.

Thank you for sharing with us so beautifully.

Pearl said...

Hi Portia, welcome! Thanks for your encouragement and your experience, both are so appreciated. Come back and share anytime.

I hope the Baha'i Community continues to consult on all the issues that make us squirm too. I admit I'm still pretty green as a Baha'i, (not to mention uncommonly inquisitive and outspoken) but I often feel frustrated by our culture of 'let's all look at our shoes' when the big questions come up. Perhaps it's because we're so young as a Faith community and we're still figuring out how to maintain unity in the face of such difficult exhortations. Tricky stuff. But I believe that true unity will result from honestly facing the challenges these (and other) Laws pose in an atmosphere of tolerance and understanding so we can collectively come to a place of acceptance. Surely that's why Baha'u'llah gave us the gift of consultation?

Grateful this forum provides a space to engage with such juicy ideas. And of course, Book 4 beckons...

Phillipe Copeland said...

Pearl, where Oh where have you gone? Come back to us!

Pearl said...

Awww, Fleep! I'm still here.

It's been a huge month and I've needed to place my energy into the world rather than the blogosphere. God has let me know in no uncertain terms that She wants me to come spend a couple of months in the US - starting this October! Not having budgeted for overseas travel this year, I've had to take on two extra jobs to co-create the funds. So I've been flat-out. I even had to let go of my BEC training which broke my heart, but now I'm working as a nanny with two exquisite children so that kind of takes the edge off.

I'll be attending a BNASAA conference at Bosch (excited doesn't touch how I feel about that) then I plan on jetting round for a few months researching grad schools, before going home via HAIFA, praise the Lord! Sure I'll make it to Boston at some stage and would love to have a coffee or hit a devotional if you're free. I'll let you know when I'm in town.

Phillipe Copeland said...

Excellent, let me know I will make the time to meet you and hit a devotional or whatever. I'll be participating in a special meeting with the BNASAA Coordinating Committee myself in a couple of weeks. I'm very excited about what God may have in store for that meeting.

women's health said...

Hi Pearl,
Excellent blog on
"Present Evil for Future Good", were do you research all this from? excellent research skills.

women's health said...

Hi Pearl,
Excellent blog on
"Present Evil for Future Good", were do you research all this from? excellent research skills.