The qualifications of the true believer

In a posting arguing that the consensus of the faithful is not a source of theology, in the Bahai Faith, I said that while the Bahai Faith has doctrines, “fundamental verities,” and lists of Bahai teachings, they do not function like the creedal statements of Christian churches. Among the differences are that Bahai doctrines are not essential to salvation, that affirmation is not a formal promise of obedience but rather a statement that one has understood what is being said, and that Bahai doctrines are not or should not be a basis for exclusion.

A good reader then asked about the letter from Shoghi Effendi that discusses the considerations the National Spiritual Assembly should use when enrolling Bahais in the community.

The new teachings of Baha’u’llah

The Persian notes for the talk translated below have recently been published on the Bahai World Centre’s web site. They were not previously available in the published Persian literature, so this is a welcome addition to the authentic record of Abdu’l-Baha’s teaching. Star of the West contains an English version derived from Esther Foster’s shorthand notes of the words of the interpreter, “Ish’te’al Ebn Kalanter,” known to us as Ali-Kuli Khan. That Star of the West version was significantly altered when it was published in The Promulgation of Universal Peace and Bahai World Faith, and has been the cause of much confusion regarding the Bahai teachings on politics.