Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 18, 2001, Page 106
Talisman and the Rise of Baha’i Cyberspace
With the exception of these brief experiments in free expression, most Baha‘is gain their
knowledge of the wider Baha‘i world through institutional letters shared at Feast, or the
NSA‘s newspaper, The American Baha’i, both of which tend to be cheerleading efforts to
encourage members to meet the goals of the current teaching plan and to financially
support the institutions‘ various building projects.52 With such a history of information
control, it is no exaggeration to say that the spread of the Internet in the 1990s had a
staggering impact on the quality of Baha‘i discourse. However, while the Baha‘i institutions
cannot control what ideas are expressed on online forums, they have taken punitive action
against individuals who are perceived as threatening.
The Talisman email forum was created in 1994 by Professor John Walbridge of the
University of Indiana as an academic project. Many participants were delighted at the kind
of freewheeling, even contentious, intellectual discussions that took place there and that
had hitherto been so rare in Baha‘i community life.53 However, as in the earlier cases
mentioned above, more conservative Baha‘is were disturbed by the opinions expressed
there and turned in e-mails to Baha‘i authorities. In late 1995, the NSA contacted David
Langness, demanding that he make a retraction for a post he had made in October
comparing Baha‘i judicial proceedings to ―kangaroo courts‖ and complaining about the
secretive way these cases are handled.54 The primary focus of their concern was his
statement that the NSA had initially acted against dialogue without approval from the
House. Langness had been one of those sanctioned for his association with dialogue and had
been the primary author of A Modest Proposal. The NSA threatened to take away Langness‘s
voting rights if he did not comply.55 However, when Langness eventually posted a
retraction, it was deemed insufficient, and he was sanctioned anyway.56
On a smaller, more specialized forum called Majnun, a Talisman subscriber was outraged at
Langness‘s treatment and proposed an organized protest. A responding message, somewhat
snide and humorous in tone, batted down the idea as unnecessary and unworkable within
the Baha‘i system.57 This email, later dubbed simply ―the Majnun post,‖ was accidentally
sent to Talisman and was then seized upon as evidence of a conspiracy.58 This was the
catalyst for an investigation of Talisman‘s prominent posters in spring 1996.
Six people, including David Langness, were contacted by Counsellor Stephen Birkland and,
according to their accounts, were threatened with being named covenant-breakers for their
cyberspace activities.59 All of them were long-time Baha‘is of the Baby Boom generation,
highly educated and intellectual, who had connections to the LA study group and/or
dialogue. Four of the six eventually resigned their membership from the Baha‘i Faith.
That these Baha‘is were under intense psychological pressure is evident from their stories.
One example:
When I received a letter from a Baha‘i Cont. Counsellor indicating that I was
under threat of being declared a Covenant-breaker, the impact on me
personally was less than on my family. My wife is a Baha‘i as are many of her
family members, ...The very real threat of being declared a Covenant
breaker meant my wife had to face the decision of joining me as a heretic or
divorcing me so that she could maintain her relationships with her family and
other lifelong friends. Since [my wife] had no intention of divorcing me, the
choices then extended out to her family. Her sister would not refuse to
socialize with us so she would automatically be declared a covenant breaker
along with her husband and children. Many of my close Baha‘i friends would
also be faced with the decision of maintaining friendships or joining me as a
heretic. The whole thing is absurd and quite medieval. But it does raise the
issue which you point out so well how anyone would want to belong to a
Talisman and the Rise of Baha’i Cyberspace
With the exception of these brief experiments in free expression, most Baha‘is gain their
knowledge of the wider Baha‘i world through institutional letters shared at Feast, or the
NSA‘s newspaper, The American Baha’i, both of which tend to be cheerleading efforts to
encourage members to meet the goals of the current teaching plan and to financially
support the institutions‘ various building projects.52 With such a history of information
control, it is no exaggeration to say that the spread of the Internet in the 1990s had a
staggering impact on the quality of Baha‘i discourse. However, while the Baha‘i institutions
cannot control what ideas are expressed on online forums, they have taken punitive action
against individuals who are perceived as threatening.
The Talisman email forum was created in 1994 by Professor John Walbridge of the
University of Indiana as an academic project. Many participants were delighted at the kind
of freewheeling, even contentious, intellectual discussions that took place there and that
had hitherto been so rare in Baha‘i community life.53 However, as in the earlier cases
mentioned above, more conservative Baha‘is were disturbed by the opinions expressed
there and turned in e-mails to Baha‘i authorities. In late 1995, the NSA contacted David
Langness, demanding that he make a retraction for a post he had made in October
comparing Baha‘i judicial proceedings to ―kangaroo courts‖ and complaining about the
secretive way these cases are handled.54 The primary focus of their concern was his
statement that the NSA had initially acted against dialogue without approval from the
House. Langness had been one of those sanctioned for his association with dialogue and had
been the primary author of A Modest Proposal. The NSA threatened to take away Langness‘s
voting rights if he did not comply.55 However, when Langness eventually posted a
retraction, it was deemed insufficient, and he was sanctioned anyway.56
On a smaller, more specialized forum called Majnun, a Talisman subscriber was outraged at
Langness‘s treatment and proposed an organized protest. A responding message, somewhat
snide and humorous in tone, batted down the idea as unnecessary and unworkable within
the Baha‘i system.57 This email, later dubbed simply ―the Majnun post,‖ was accidentally
sent to Talisman and was then seized upon as evidence of a conspiracy.58 This was the
catalyst for an investigation of Talisman‘s prominent posters in spring 1996.
Six people, including David Langness, were contacted by Counsellor Stephen Birkland and,
according to their accounts, were threatened with being named covenant-breakers for their
cyberspace activities.59 All of them were long-time Baha‘is of the Baby Boom generation,
highly educated and intellectual, who had connections to the LA study group and/or
dialogue. Four of the six eventually resigned their membership from the Baha‘i Faith.
That these Baha‘is were under intense psychological pressure is evident from their stories.
One example:
When I received a letter from a Baha‘i Cont. Counsellor indicating that I was
under threat of being declared a Covenant-breaker, the impact on me
personally was less than on my family. My wife is a Baha‘i as are many of her
family members, ...The very real threat of being declared a Covenant
breaker meant my wife had to face the decision of joining me as a heretic or
divorcing me so that she could maintain her relationships with her family and
other lifelong friends. Since [my wife] had no intention of divorcing me, the
choices then extended out to her family. Her sister would not refuse to
socialize with us so she would automatically be declared a covenant breaker
along with her husband and children. Many of my close Baha‘i friends would
also be faced with the decision of maintaining friendships or joining me as a
heretic. The whole thing is absurd and quite medieval. But it does raise the
issue which you point out so well how anyone would want to belong to a
