Hi Dale,

Thank you so much for your comments. Certainly, there are “conservative” as well as “liberal” elements in each religious tradition. People may argue about the relative proportions of each. But, to me, it is helpful to identify the progressive elements of each tradition. It is my belief that the progressives in each tradition is always a small minority. For the bulk of the followers, it is much easier to just follow what has been handed down. It is much more difficult to look at the tradition critically and see what needs to be changed in order to adapt to the times, correct previous errors and come up with new elements which will serve the religion better. To be a progressive is a difficult role. Historically speaking, it is also an unpopular and even dangerous role, since most people resist changes and deviations from the tradition. I’d like to draw attention to the progressives because without the work of the progressives, then the religion will become stagnant, even fossilized.

I must admit that I have very limited knowledge of the Baha’i religion. From my understanding, Baha’i affirms that spiritual truth can be found in many different religions. As such, it has a spirit of pluralism and tolerance. It is my impression, however, that Baha’i remains an Abrahamic religion and I am not aware of elements of Eastern religions in Baha’i. In addition, there is no representation of Goddess in Baha’i. Generally speaking, there is no recognition of the feminine face of God in the Abrahamic religions. To the best of my knowledge, the latter can only be found in Taoism and certain branches of Western paganism. I certainly think that it is important to incorporate the feminine elements into a religion, lest it remains a patriarchal one. In general, the patriarchal religions have problem asserting a rightful place for human sexuality, pleasure and the body. But this is a big topic. I hope I will have an opportunity to write and discuss about this in the near future.

Thank you again, Dale.

Warmly,

Ken