I wanted to draw to everyone's attention a few quotations on Covenant-breaking, in the event that we may be focusing too much on it.
The following are from the compilation "Non-association with Covenant-breakers".
Any plans that you have to alert the friends to Covenant-breaker activity on the Internet should, of course, be undertaken with wisdom and discretion so as to avoid giving Covenant-breakers more attention or prominence than they would otherwise receive.
(From a letter dated 4 May 1997 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly, in "Non-association with Covenant-breakers", no. 30))
In principle, no person can be considered a Covenant-breaker unless he has been so designated by the Head of the Faith. However, it is strongly advised not to associate with those who have fallen under the pernicious influence of groups such as the "Orthodox Bahá'ís". They are infected with the spirit of Covenant-breaking, even if they are not all designated as such. Accordingly, the friends should not answer queries from individuals who obviously seek to draw them into the consideration of the spurious claims and logic of the Covenant-breakers.
(From a letter dated 3 July 1997 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual, in "Non-association with Covenant-breakers", no. 28)
The greatest protection to the Faith will not be through intervention on either open or closed electronic forums, but through ongoing deepening of the Bahá'í community in the Covenant and the history and Teachings of the Faith.
(From a letter dated 24 February 1995 written by the International Teaching Centre to a Continental Board of Counsellors, in "Non-association with Covenant-breakers", no. 33))
I personally make a distinction between individuals (especially non-Baha'is who are not obligated by their belief to fully study the provisions of our own Covenant) who ask honest questions here and to whom I think we can and should respond, and those who are obviously trying to stir up trouble. But my point in raising this topic was more to avoid our giving undue emphasis to these individuals.
There has also been talk of discussing with Covenant-breakers, and this is explicitly forbidden in a number of places:
And now, one of the greatest and most fundamental principles of the Cause of God is to shun and avoid entirely the Covenant-breakers, for they will utterly destroy the Cause of God, exterminate His Law and render of no account all efforts exerted in the past.
(Bahá'í World Faith, p. 448)
Again, I don't mean this to deter honest questions at this forum on what might be the motives of Covenant-breakers, how to deal with encountering them, etc., but simply to point out that we are to avoid being drawn "into the consideration of the spurious claims and logic of the Covenant-breakers" and to avoid "giving Covenant-breakers more attention or prominence than they would otherwise receive."
best wishes,
Brett