The Study of Messages

As you know, I was compiling a list of questions to help us look at the 30 December 2021 message from the Universal House of Justice. However, it was recently brought to my attention that such guides often lead to a "school room" attitude, and the search for the "right answer". Of course, there are no "right" answers. There is only learning, and the application of that learning. What is more useful, it was suggested, is a guide to how to look for meaningful questions.

So, instead of continuing on with the study guide from last week, I will, instead, post some thoughts about the questions I was selecting to include, and why they were there, as opposed to some others. Hopefully this will assist you in your community in asking questions that will be more effective in your own studies.

To start, we need to recognize that there are no bad questions. Some questions will be fairly simple, and apply at the basic level of comprehension. In other words, do you understand what is being said. Some questions are more complex and require a degree of insight and experience. Some questions are more useful than others, and some may be more timely than others. But all questions can be good.

First there are trivia questions. For example, in paragraph 7 we could ask "How many clusters are expected to launch intensive programmes of growth by the end of this current Plan?" The answer, of course, is "over 6000". And let me be clear, I am a lover of trivia. I think it's a ton of fun. However, in a study of the implications of this message, and a consultation on how we can act on it in our own local community, such a question can be distracting. At a Feast, during the social portion, I think it would be a lot of fun. But I would tend to avoid it during an actual study of this message, unless it was needed to break any tension.

Second, there are hunt and repeat questions. Some people refer to these as "recall" questions, but I prefer thinking of them as "hunt and repeat" as it more accurately describes what tends to happen with them. These are questions that require the participants to find a particular phrase in the letter and repeat it back. For example, in paragraph 2 we could ask "What is the purpose for which mortal men have been created?" "The purpose", we would respond, "for which mortal men have, from utter nothingness stepped into the realm of being, is that they may work for the betterment of the world and live together in concord and harmony." While these questions may help us memorize a quote, or draw our attention to a particular detail, they can get wearisome if we do not further explore the implications of these quotes. There is a reason that the Ruhi curriculum does not use them to a great degree after the first few sections in Book 1. They are useful, but their use is also limited and should be used sparingly, or with caution, for tedium can ensue.

Now, it should be remembered, of course, that all this is only my own thoughts on it. It is nothing official, and only an attempt to help us become more effective in our studies.

A third type of question would be general questions. These are questions that are more abstract, and do not rely on personal experience or a knowledge specific to your locality. For example, in paragraph 3 we could ask "Who are the three protagonists of the Plan that will pursue this overall aim?" In a general sense, we would answer "The individual believer, the local community, and the institutions of the Faith." A more specific question would add the phrase "in your locality", with the response requiring a knowledge of both the communities in your cluster, as well as the actual Baha'i institutions in your community. To respond "the Baha'i institutions" would not actually suffice with such a question. We would expect a response of "the Local Spiritual Assembly of such and such", or "the so and so Area Teaching Committee".

I was actually in a meeting where this question was asked, and when prompted, we all began to name the various institutions. We got the basics, like the LSAs, but as a group we forgot the assistants to the Auxiliary Board, as well as a few of the committees in the area. It was a good reminder to us all, and brought our attention to them.

Finally, there are the specific questions. These are the ones that go into specifics, drawing on experience, and requiring a follow-up action. One example would be from paragraph 2. We could ask "How can help people feel more welcome to labour alongside us in our work?" This would require a knowledge of how we currently do that, an awareness of whether or not people feel that sense of welcome, and what we could do to further enhance the feeling of being welcomed. It is important in this example to understand that this feeling of being welcomed is a two-sided thing. We may believe that we welcome others, but if they do not feel it, then we are not effective in that sense. Sometimes asking people if they feel comfortable offering suggestions is necessary. If they say that they are not, then we can ask them what we could do to help them feel that comfort. If we believe that our internal attitude is enough, we may be missing may signals and opportunities.

Now, it needs to be repeated that this is only my own take on it. There are many others who define numerous other types of questions, such as yes / no, closed, funnel, loaded, leading, and so forth. As I am concerned with the study of this message, or any other pieces from the Writings, I am limiting myself to the ones that I feel are applicable here. And it is, of course, just my own opinion, nothing official.

In general, you will note in the questions I put forth in my own study guide I tend to focus on the questions that are more specific to the locality in which the study happens. When we keep the questions more general, we often miss how to apply the answers we uncover.

Looking at paragraph 10, for example, we could ask the general question, "What are some effective ways of teaching the Faith?" But here we would likely devolve into the theoretical and share beautiful and wonderful stories from all over the world, while not necessarily applying any of them.

We can re-phrase the question in this manner: "What effective ways have you found to teach the Faith in your community? What methods have you found that place barriers in front of people?" When we do so, we are now drawing on specific experience to the locality. In some areas, the very word "religion" is a barrier, and many friends have noticed this. They often choose to use the word "spiritual", instead. In some localities, opening with the phrase, "Baha'u'llah is the return of Christ" elicits great interest. In other areas, not quite as much.

By being aware of our own situation, knowing the dynamics of our community, and being more conscious of the interests of those around us, we can be more effective in our teaching of the Faith.

What I have given here are just a few thoughts. What I put in the previous article was just some ideas of questions we may want to ask. In the end, the greatest learning will come as we find our own questions, and apply them in our own situation.

Remember, the question we ask will often determine the answer we receive. And sometimes the best questions are the ones that require us to struggle to find an answer.