The message of Redhvan of the universal house of justice must be considered not only as a merely spiritual text, but also as a strategic document to manage, expand and stabilize a humane net; a text which has been covered with the religious literature, but in its depth, it is following the logic of an organized plan for proselytizing, influence and survival.
In the message of Redhvan of the universal house of justice which has been issued in the beginning of the month Ordibehesht of the current year, we encounter a text which is in fact stating the organizational structure for “how to proselytize”.
All over the message, it is being spoken about “development”, “passing the growth symbols” and “the expansion of interacting with community”, but no objective data, number, measurable index or even definite sample are presented. In intellectual and logical atmosphere, each growth claim is needed for documentation, but this text is intentionally remained in a level of generalization which doesn’t allow for correct and independent evaluation to be done by the addressee. This method is more similar to producing the feeling of development than the report of a measurable reality!
In the next step, the message clearly shows its organizational nature. It can be understood that the main concentration is on “the learning process”, “dialogue” and “measure patterns” not on the explanation of religious reality”; the keywords which are used for managing human networks in organizational literature. As a matter of fact, what is introduced as “deep dialogue” is in practice a kind of directed framework to transfer message and influence in communities to recruit the addressee and gradually to receive his/her data. That is, a kind communication engineering is underway in Bahaism rather than clear and explanatory confrontation.
The more important note is entering the message exactly into the problem of clearly “knowing addressee”. The text is clearly advices for these dialogues to be generalized to “more extensive loops of friends, neighbors and other like-minded souls”. This phrase is superficially safe, but in fact it is a specific strategy: The expansion of influence not through close and daily communication. Here, proselytizing transferred to social and local life level from the formal one.
In this framework, stressing on the activity in “localities” and “villages” is indicating moving towards field influence. The message has been designed in such a way that it encourages the followers to the participate in social context deeply; the presence which is not merely for co-existence but for recognition, creating communication and eventually for influencing. When it is spoken about ” interacting with society” and “learning from circumstances”, the Iranian minds remember gathering information by the Baha’is and by sending them to the colonial centers during their presence years in Iran.
In other side, the problem of “making appearance to remove the obstacles proselytizing” can be indirectly traced, too. Stressing on that the activities “aren’t claiming for each problem to have urgent answer” and “are without the political ambition” are attempts to neutralize the environmental sensitivities. This approach has a tactical application rather than be merely moral: Decreasing the addressee’s resistance and evening the course of communication.
The youth roles outstanding. The message is clearly calling “the youth groups” as propelling engine; the groups which recruit their peers. Various experiences show that emotional, social and even sexual attractions are used to expand communication in many similar movements. Here, stressing on the relationships among peers is indicating the exact planning for more influencing.
In inner the inner level, the message tries to strength the organizational integrity. Stressing on unity, sympathy, avoiding differences and continuous hope-giving has clear usage: Preserving forces in circumstances that may confront external challenges or even internal doubts. Repeated promises about the clear future without presenting tangible evidence are similar to a mental means more to keep the members than to analyze the conditions realistically.
Source: Ferqeh News analytic news website
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