[Part three of four]
Here are just a few of the Baha'i ordinances and practices:
· As I said above, our primary goal is to work for unity, peace, love, harmony, and concord. In furtherance of this, and for our own spiritual well-being, backbiting and gossip are condemned in the strongest possible terms! (Indeed, the Baha'i scriptures describe backbiting as the one crime worse than murder.)
· Aggression and waging war are explicitly forbidden, with a single exception, specifically: if anyone attacks another nation, then it is the duty of every other nation in the world to bind together to stop him!
· Baha'is don't use recreational drugs or alcohol. There are no dietary restrictions or forbidden foods. Baha'is are commanded to see doctors when ill.
· Baha'is, while promoting unity, avoid partisan politics and divisiveness.
· Baha'is endeavor to obey the laws of the countries where they live, with the sole exception that they will not deny their Faith if commanded to do so.
· Baha'is observe a fasting period once a year, and celebrate eleven holy days based upon Baha'i history.
· There are no restrictions on dress save moderation, and Baha'is live and work ordinary lives like others: they don't live in communal groups or separate societies, and aren't in any way noticeable by their appearance.
· Art, music, and other forms of creative expression are appreciated and often practiced by Baha'is. Baha'is work in many professions just like others.
ADMINISTRATION
The goal of the Baha'i Faith is to foster unity. This is the purpose of the Baha'i administrative system, which is delineated in the Baha'i scriptures.
The Baha'i calendar consists of nineteen months of nineteen days (plus several extra days in February/March to make an even solar year).
On the first day of each month, the Baha'is of each community gather for the Nineteen Day Feast. The feast has three parts: prayers, readings, and often music; community business; and refreshments and fellowship. The feast is the primary gathering within Baha'i communities, and is the main opportunity for the assembly and the community to consult together. Baha'is have no rituals nor ceremonies, but the feast is the nearest analogy to the service in Judeo-Christian faiths.
Baha'i administration is geographically based: a Baha'i is automatically a member of the Baha'i community in whose area he or she resides.
Baha'is in each community of nine or more annually elect their nine-member administrative body, the Local Spiritual Assembly. The assembly's function is the spiritual well-being and leadership of the community under its jurisdiction.
Baha'i elections are non-political in nature. There is no nomination nor campaigning, and discussion of individual personalities is forbidden. Each individual, after prayer and meditation, votes by secret ballot for the nine persons he or she believes are best qualified to serve; the nine receiving the most votes are automatically elected. Thus, each person tends to vote for persons he or she personally feels are best qualified, and those so considered by the greatest number of persons tend to be elected.
In case of a tie, the position automatically goes to the minority individual (the definition of "minority" varies according to locale). If no minority is represented among those tying, or if there is uncertainty about whether the minority rule applies, a run-off vote takes place among those tying.
Because individuals have neither the right to "run for office," nor--except for reasons such as ill health--to refuse to serve once elected, the divisiveness of conventional politics is eliminated. Further, elected individuals have no special status; they are "just Baha'is." It is only the assemblies themselves, meeting officially, that have authority, not the individuals on them.
Also, once elected, assemblies are not answerable to their communities for assembly decisions. This, with the secret ballot and lack of campaigning, eliminates the "I voted for you: now, here's what I want you to do for me" syndrome. (Of course, any assembly member abusing nonanswerability tends not to get reelected.)
Like local assemblies, National Spiritual Assemblies are elected annually. (Baha'is in area districts elect delegates who in turn vote for the National Assembly; any Baha'i in the national area is eligible for election.) National assemblies have jurisdiction over their assigned areas (which sometimes cover less or more than a single country, depending on geography and the number of Baha'is residing in a region).
Every five years, the National Assemblies elect the nine-man Universal House of Justice, the supreme administrative body of the Baha'i Faith.
Some countries (the US, Canada, the Philippines, and India are several) also have state or regional Baha'i councils; these are elected by the Local Spiritual Assembles of that area and serve as an intermediate administrative level between Local and National Assemblies.
As mentioned above, no elected member of an administrative body has any special status. A few especially gifted and learned Baha'is have been appointed as members of the Hands of the Cause of God or Continental Counselors. They advise the elected bodies, but have no administrative power. Thus, positions of renown and positions of power are separate.
The Baha'i Faith is funded entirely by voluntary, confidential contributions. Donating is a privilege reserved to members; non-members are not permitted to give to Baha'i funds. And no collection plate is ever passed.
There are currently over six million Baha'is worldwide, in every country on earth plus 49 significant islands and territories, with 182 National Spiritual Assemblies; there are about 13,000 Local Spiritual Assemblies. There are over 2,100 tribes and ethnic groups represented in the Faith, and Baha'i literature has been translated over 800 languages.
National Spiritual Assemblies currently manage over 900 development projects, the majority being grassroots efforts with little or no outside funding. These include activities in health and social services, communications, agriculture and forestry, plus community development projects such as medical centers, women's programs, credit unions, building renovation, cooperative fishing, and homes for refugees and for the aged. There are more than 500 Baha'i tutorial schools and training centers in Africa, Asia, and the Americas; Baha'i communities operate 29 formal primary and secondary schools.
[End part three of four]
