A Christian Prom
I ran across this article about the Southwest Florida Christian Prom, where “there will be no backless, strapless dresses … dance-floor confrontations. No risque dancing or music with suggestive lyrics.” The organizer, also one of the mother’s of an attendee, said:
“’We really want this to be a blessing, … We want to give them a place where they can dance to healthy music and be dressed in a way that isn’t offensive. It’s an atmosphere free of temptation, focused on good, clean fun.”
As a Baha’i, I have a hard time understanding the motivation behind this event, and I am concerned for the message that it sends to these students. I question if whether or not these parents’ intentions of providing their children with this escape from the larger society could cause deeper problems. By segregating their teens they are likely not doing as much to protect them as they are creating a divide and teaching them that those who are different are bad. If these kids continue to believe that those who would dress differently, or have fun in a different manner than their own invented guidelines permit than all they will accomplish is to have them learn to remove themselves from society.
Unfortunately, they seem to have been taught that things that have not been deigned to be “Christian” are not appropriate for them:
“A large portion of popular culture is inappropriate for a Christian lifestyle,” said Cullen Kollack, 16, a junior at Gateway Charter School. The Christian prom is a "safe place" for teens, he said.
Baha’is are taught to live amongst people, all people, no matter what their beliefs and practices may be. I shudder when I see religion used to separate people and not to unite them. There is no reason why these children cannot attend the same kind of prom that every other child does and still have fun no matter how they want to dress or dance. If they are strong enough in their convictions to organize their alternative prom, I should think they are also strong enough to be able to attend the “regular” prom and still behave in accordance with their beliefs.
The question of what exactly is meant by a “Christian lifestyle” is still out there. I have searched the New Testament and I found no references to proms, music with “suggestive” lyrics or backless dresses. There is a phone number to call to get more details on the dress code and I am very tempted to call!
Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.
~ Psalms 149:3 (KJV)
They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.
~ Job 21:11 (KJV)
hi TeacherJay; I see the issue differently. While we do live in society and relate to everyone, we also are called to practice a higher morality, in sharp contrast to that of popular culture. I will quote from a post to http://bahai-library.com/forum by Brett:
"What Bahá'u'lláh means by chastity certainly does not include the kissing that goes on in modern society. It is detrimental to the morals of young people, and often leads them to go too far, or arouses appetites which they cannot perhaps at the time satisfy legitimately through marriage, and the suppression of which is a strain on them.
"The Bahá'í standard is very high, more particularly when compared with the thoroughly rotten morals of the present world. But this standard of ours will produce healthier, happier, nobler people, and induce stabler marriages."
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, October 19, 1947, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1210)
"The pilgrim's note reports the Master as saying: 'Women and men must not embrace each other when not married, or not about to be married. They must not kiss each other… If they wish to greet each other, or comfort each other, they may take each other by the hand.' In a letter to an individual written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi it is said: 'The Master's words to …, which you quoted, can certainly be taken as the true spirit of the teachings on the subject of sex. We must strive to achieve this exalted standard.' (October 19, 1947)"
(From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, February 10, 1974, Lights of Guidance, no. 1438)
The above-mentioned pilgrim's note is at http://www.bahai-library.org/file.php?f … amiliarity
There are more quotations on the topic also at http://bahai-library.com/?file=hornby_l … 0Education
The Baha'i Writings are our authority (along with the institutions), and the infallible guidance has flowed continuously from Baha'u'llah to 'Abdu'l-Baha, to both Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice. So, it is not an adult vs. youth issue–the question should always be what do the Writings say (though the Writings also say that the young and old have things to learn from each other). Baha'i youth have a difficult task on this topic, especially in countries like the U.S. where it is so extreme. Although Shoghi Effendi admits that Baha'is will inevitably be affected by it to some degree, we are also to rise above it–and not only relatively speaking.
best wishes,
Brett
Peter, my objection to the Christian prom is not due to their potential behavior, or that of the others at the prom. Rather, it is against the concept that they should separate themselves in order to illustrate their point. I believe they are doing themselves a great disservice by creating a "safe haven" in which they are free to express their Christian values. Would this not be more meaningful if they were able to live up to their standards of behavior amidst the general population and not just inside the relatively confines of the church?