The Guardian believes that a great deal of the difficulties
from which the believers ... feel themselves to be suffering are caused by
their neither correctly understanding nor putting into practice the
administration. They seem -- many of them -- to be prone to continually
challenging and criticizing the decisions of their Assemblies. If the Bahá'ís
undermine the very bodies which are, however immaturely, seeking to co-ordinate
Bahá'í activities and administer Bahá'í affairs, if they continually criticize
their acts and challenge or belittle their decisions, they not only prevent any
real rapid progress in the Faith's development from taking place, but they
repel outsiders who quite rightly may ask how we ever expect to unite the whole
world when we are so disunited among ourselves!
There is only one remedy for this: to study the
administration, to obey the Assemblies, and each believer seek to perfect his
own character as a Bahá'í.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 26 October 1943 written on
behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of
Compilations, vol. II, National Spiritual Assembly)
