Hi Sen,
I’m greatly confused with what Abdu’l-Baha is saying:
“In the Cause of God there is not and never shall be excommunication or condemnation, nor is it permissible to silence or humiliate others.”
(Abdul-Baha’s First Thousand-Verse Tablet: History and Provisional Translation, Rabbani, Ahang, Fananapazir, Khazeh)
But in the Last Tablet to America he quotes the same versus of Baha’u’llah that you show:
“Shun any man in whom you perceive enmity for this Servant, though he may appear in the garb of piety of the former and later people, or may arise to the worship of the two worlds.” (cited by Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith, 431)
“Say, O my friend and my pure ones! Listen to the Voice of this Beloved Prisoner in this Great Prison. If you detect in any man the least perceptible breath of violation, shun him and keep away from him.” (Baha’i World Faith, p. 431)
Its like he’s saying that there is no excommunication but later on says there -is- excommunication?
And if shunning and being excommunicated are different, then how does this explain Baha’is who have been simply removed from the membership rolls given that Abdu’l-Baha just said that there is “no and -never shall be- excommunication”.
ex·com·mu·ni·cate
–verb (used with object)
۱٫
to cut off from communion with a church or exclude from the sacraments of a church by ecclesiastical sentence.
۲٫
to exclude or expel from membership or participation in any group, association, etc.: an advertiser excommunicated from a newspaper.
I’m utterly confused.
