Spiritual Food for Thought - from the Writings of Shoghi Effendi and Universal House of Justice: June 2018

June 30

In the simultaneous endeavor to pursue their studies and to delve deeply into the Baha’i Teachings, believers are enjoined to maintain a keen awareness that the Revelation of Baha’u’llah is the standard of truth against which all other views and conclusions are to be measured. They are urged to be modest about their accomplishments, and to bear in mind always the statement of Baha'u'llah that:

The heart must needs therefore be cleansed from the idle sayings of men, and sanctified from every earthly affection, so that it may discover the hidden meaning of divine inspiration, and become the treasury of the mysteries of divine knowledge.

- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 10 October 1993 written on behalf of the Universal House of justice to an individual believer; included in a compilation prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice: ‘Issues Related to the Study of the Baha’i Faith’)

June 29

Shoghi Effendi has for years urged the Baha’is (who asked his advice and in general also) to study history, economics, sociology, etc., in order to be au courant with all the progressive movements and thoughts being put forth today, and so that they could correlate these to the Baha’i teachings. What he wants the Baha’is to do is to study more, not to study less. The more general knowledge, scientific and otherwise, they possess, the better. Likewise he is constantly urging them to really study the Baha’i teachings more deeply.

- Shoghi Effendi (Cited by the Universal House of Justice in a letter written on its behalf dated 10 October 1993; included in a compilation prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice: ‘Issues Related to the Study of the Baha’i Faith’)

June 28

When he [Shoghi Effendi] was informed of the enrollment of a scientist in the Faith, the response set out in the letter written on his behalf was:

We need very much the sound, sane, element of thinking which a scientifically trained mind has to offer. When such intellectual powers are linked to deep faith a tremendous teaching potential is created...

June 27

It is the responsibility of all members of an Assembly to ensure that its officers are elected properly, function correctly and discharge their duties in accordance with the decisions of the Assembly. If a member feels, for example, that the meetings are not chaired effectively, that the minutes are not an accurate report of the decisions made at the meeting, or that the correspondence of the secretary or the financial transactions carried out by the treasurer do not conform to the instructions of the Assembly, he should bring this matter up at the Assembly meeting, taking care to ensure that this is done with appropriate moderation, courtesy and balance.

- The Universal House of Justice (From a message dated 22 June 1989 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001’)

June 26

It is of course understood that some people do not have the vocabulary to read literature of a certain level. It is possible, therefore, to accompany the Texts with explanatory material.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 12 August 1998 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001’)

June 25

You write that the people who you are trying to reach are not well educated and thus not able to comprehend the language of the Writings. It is not the prerogative of anyone to judge what another individual is capable of understanding from the Word of God.

- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 12 August 1998 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001’)

June 24

It is the sacred duty of all believers to have implicit confidence in, and support heartily, every decision passed by their Spiritual Assemblies, whether local or central; and the members of these Assemblies must, on their part, set aside their own inclinations, personal interests, likes and dislikes, and regard only the welfare of the Cause and the well-being of the friends. This is surely the foundation which must be firmly laid in the hearts of all believers the world over, for upon this only can any constructive and permanent service be achieved, and the edifice of the Beloved’s last instructions, as revealed in His Will and Testament, be raised and established.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 17 February 1923; ‘Unfolding Destiny’)

June 23

Hearts become attracted and souls confirmed through the mysterious effects of exposure to the living Word―that Word which has demonstrated the power to stimulate intellectual development.

June 22

…an unlettered person is capable of responding to the exalted language of the Holy Scriptures, as it is the inner spirit of the divine Texts that touches the heart.

June 21

Bahá’ís are required by the teachings of their Faith to refrain from involvement in partisan political activity and civil disorder. This is true whether such activity is a response to racial oppression, as is generally the case in South Africa, or to more widespread attempts to keep people divided and vulnerable such as the persecution of religious belief, the suppression of women, or the denial of political freedom. The hard-won experience of Bahá’ís under all these conditions convinces them beyond any doubt that humanity can learn to live as one family and that all the forces of contemporary history are rapidly impelling the race in this direction. The pressure of quality of that response, and its speed, will depend as much on spiritual and moral conditions as it will on economic and political ones.

(From a statement on “Apartheid: A Bahá’í View”, prepared by the Office of Public Information, approved by the Universal House of Justice and forwarded to all National Spiritual Assemblies on 12 October 1986; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001’)

June 20

…all matters without any exception whatsoever, regarding the interests of the Cause in that locality, individually or collectively, should be referred exclusively to the Spiritual Assembly in that locality, which shall decide upon it, unless it be a matter of national interest, in which case it shall be referred to the national body.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 5 March 1922; ‘Unfolding Destiny’; also in ‘Baha’i Administration’)

June 19

O Lord! In this Most Great Dispensation Thou dost accept the intercession of children in behalf of their parents. This is one of the special infinite bestowals of this Dispensation. Therefore, O Thou kind Lord, accept the request of this Thy servant at the threshold of Thy singleness and submerge his father in the ocean of Thy grace, because this son hath arisen to render Thee service and is exerting effort at all times in the pathway of Thy love. Verily, Thou art the Giver, the Forgiver and the Kind!

- 'Abdu'l-Bahá (From a Tablet; The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. I, Family Life)

June 18

The Revelation proclaimed by Bahá'u'lláh, His followers believe, is divine in origin, all-embracing in scope, broad in its outlook, scientific in its method, humanitarian in its principles and dynamic in the influence it exerts on the hearts and minds of men.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated June 1933 to the High Commissioner for Palestine)

June 17

In the Bayan the Bab says that every religion of the past was fit to become universal. The only reason why they fail to attain that mark was the incompetence of their followers. He then proceeds to give a definite promise that this would not be the fate of the revelation of “Him whom God would make manifest,” that it will become universal and include all the people of the world. This shows that we will ultimately succeed. But could we not through our shortcomings, failures to sacrifice and reluctance to concentrate our efforts in spreading the Cause, retard the realization of that ideal. And what would that mean? It shall mean that we will be held responsible before God, that the race will remain longer in its state of waywardness, that wars would not be so soon averted, that human suffering will last longer.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 20 February 1932 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; Baha’i News, no. 61, April 1932)

June 16

Regarding “mercy killings” or legalized euthanasia; this is also a matter which the Universal House of Justice will have to legislate upon.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a message dated 25 August 1939 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Messages to Canada’)

June 15

We had heard through various channels the wonderful way your children had grown to speak about the Cause in public. Shoghi Effendi's hope is that they will, the three of them, become able and devoted speakers on the Cause and subjects akin to it. To do this properly they will need a firm foundation of scientific and literary training which fortunately they are obtaining. It is just as important for the Bahá'í young boys and girls to become properly educated in colleges of high standing as it is to be spiritually developed. The mental as well as the spiritual side of the youth has to be developed before he can serve the Cause efficiently.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 28 November 1926, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; compilation: ‘Science and Technology’, compiled by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice and attached to a Memorandum from the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, dated 13-August 1997)

June 14

In response to Mr. ...’ email letter of 8 February 2018 and his question about an unknown language spoken by Bahá’u’lláh, his friend may have been referring to the language and script known as the Lisán-i-Badí‘ and the Khaṭṭ-i-Badí‘, mentioned by Bahá’u’lláh in Epistle to the Son of the Wolf as part of His comments on the need for an auxiliary world language. When asked about the above language, Shoghi Effendi responded by saying that it was concealed in the divine knowledge of Bahá’u’lláh and since no one had inquired about it, it has remained in concealment.2 On this subject, Mr. ...’ may be interested in an account found in the Hand of the Cause of God Hasan Balyuzi’s book, Bahá’u’lláh: The King of Glory (Oxford: George Ronald, 1980), pages 113–14.

- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 31 May 2018 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)

June 13

Your email letter of 13 October 2009, seeking the source of a passage from a talk given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on 2 May 1912 describing a “spiritual consultation” that the disciples of Christ participated in after His ascension, has been received at the Bahá’í World Centre and forwarded to the Research Department for study.

The Research Department states that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke extemporaneously and did not refer to notes. His talks in The Promulgation of Universal Peace were translated as He spoke and stenographically recorded into English and Persian, but He did not have the opportunity to read and authenticate all of the transcripts. Further, the passage in question appears in a talk for which, to date, no original Persian transcript has been identified. The talk remains unauthenticated, and the English text cannot be taken necessarily to be his exact words.

Regarding the story in the passage in question, the Research Department has not yet found a rendering of it in the Biblical and Christian sources available to them.

- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 1 November 2009 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)

June 12

This evening, I personally have had a most interesting conversation with Dr. Habíb of Kermanshah who is now on a visit to Shoghi Effendi with his wife and little girl. He was telling us of the continued fanaticism of the Moslems of Persia—and how during two periods of the year especially, the fanatical Mullahs preach against the Bahá’ís from their pulpits—saying to the ignorant “No matter what evil things you have done during your life, or what sins you have committed, if you kill a Bahá’í who is an enemy of Islam, or even if you take his property or severely injure him, all your own sins will be wiped out and forgiven for the sake of this good deed of destroying an enemy of the Faith!!”—in this way they incite the people to deeds of violence and persecution.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 11 January 1927 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Arohanui: Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand’)

June 11

I remember a prayer, which you wrote, has been asked by a certain friend to be read daily. I believe sometimes the friends through their zeal and ardour do things that are not asked in the Cause. We have only one prayer that we have to say daily. No one in the world has the power, given to him by Bahá’u’lláh to add another to that daily prayer. If we should admit this the life of the friends will soon be spent in mere prayer, which is not the aim of the Cause. The healing prayer and such ones are only for occasional use when the need arises.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 12 August 1926 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Arohanui: Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand’)

June 10

Among the sacred obligations devolving upon the Spiritual Assemblies is the promotion of learning, the establishing of schools and creation of the necessary academic equipment and facilities for every boy and girl.

Every child, without exception, must from his earliest years make a thorough study of the art of reading and writing, and according to his own tastes and inclinations and the degree of his capacity and powers, devote extreme diligence to the acquisition of learning beneficial arts and skills, various languages, speech, and contemporary technology.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 8 June 1925 to the National Spiritual Assembly of Persia, translated from Persian; compilation: ‘Science and Technology’, compiled by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice and attached to a Memorandum from the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, dated 13-August 1997)

June 9

With regard to the harmony of science and religion, the Writings of the Central Figures and the commentaries of the Guardian make abundantly clear that the task of humanity, including the Bahá'í community that serves as the "leaven" within it, is to create a global civilization which embodies both the spiritual and material dimensions of existence. The nature and scope of such a civilization are still beyond anything the present generation can conceive. The prosecution of this vast enterprise will depend on a progressive interaction between the truths and principles of religion and the discoveries and insights of scientific inquiry. This entails living with ambiguities as a natural and inescapable feature of the process of exploring reality. It also requires us not to limit science to any particular school of thought or methodological approach postulated in the course of its development. The challenge facing Bahá'í thinkers is to provide responsible leadership in this endeavour, since it is they who have both the priceless insights of the Revelation and the advantages conferred by scientific investigation.

- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated19 May 1995, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; Memorandum from the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice dated 13 August 1997)

June 8

The question of whether capital punishment should be inflicted on the criminally insane is one for the Universal House of Justice to decide. Such people, however, not being responsible for their actions, will not suffer any spiritual effect from acts committed while mentally deranged....

- Shoghi Effendi (From a message dated 25 August 1939 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Messages to Canada’)

June 7

Suicide is forbidden in the Cause. God Who is the Author of all life can alone take it away, and dispose of it in the way He deems best. Whoever commits suicide endangers his soul, and will suffer spiritually as a result in the other Worlds Beyond.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a message dated 25 August 1939 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Messages to Canada’)

June 6

As regards your daughter ...: the Guardian will pray for her that her devotion to the Cause, and her zeal to promote its knowledge may be deepened, and that she may gradually be inspired to take an active part in teaching the Faith. He would advise you not to press her unduly, but to carefully watch over her, so that she may gradually, of her own accord, arise and lend you full support in your teaching work.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 18 July 1939 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Messages to Canada’)

June 5

…with regard to your contacting the women’s clubs of Nova Scotia: there would be certainly no objection to your desire to do so, but it would be preferable that you concentrate on a selected few individuals who are sincere and truly receptive and to endeavour confirming them in the Faith. Personal contacts with limited, but eager and spiritually-minded persons, are often much more effective and fruitful than addressing large audiences.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 18 July 1939 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; ‘Messages to Canada’)

June 4

With regard to your activities in connection with the training and education of Bahá’í children: needless to tell you what a vital importance the Guardian attaches to such activities, on which so much of the strength, welfare and growth of the Community must necessarily depend. What a more sacred privilege, and also what a weightier responsibility than the task of rearing up the new generation of believers, and of inculcating into their youthful and receptive minds the principles and teachings of the Cause, and of thus preparing them to fully assume, and properly discharge the weighty responsibilities and obligations of their future life in the Bahá’í Community.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 28 April 1939 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi; ‘Messages to Canada’)

June 3

The believers should have confidence in the directions and orders of their Assembly, even though they may not be convinced of their justice or right. Once the Assembly, through a majority vote of its members, comes to a decision the friends should readily obey it. Specially those dissenting members within the Assembly whose opinion is contrary to that of the majority of their fellow-members should set a good example before the community by sacrificing their personal views for the sake of obeying the principle of majority vote that underlies the functioning of all Bahá'í Assemblies.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 28 October 1935 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. III, Issues Concerning Community Functioning)

June 2

Concerning the retirement from work for individuals who have reached a certain age, Shoghi Effendi in a letter written on his behalf stated that “this is a matter on which the International House of Justice will have to legislate as there are no provisions in the Aqdas concerning it”.

- The Universal House of Justice (‘The Notes section of the Kitab-i-Aqdas’)

June 1

Concerning the permissibility of brushing one's teeth without swallowing water during the Fast, the House of Justice does not wish at this time to legislate on detailed matters pertaining to the Fast. The general principles are known, and when the friends encounter specific details that seem not to be explicitly covered, they should make their own decisions after prayerful and conscientious consideration of the principles, and then carry out their decisions with a clear conscience. Keeping the Fast is a spiritual obligation and it is a matter between each believer and God.

- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a believer; quoted in ‘The American Baha’i January-February 2018)