There are, at the present time, many villages in India, the
Philippines, Africa, Latin America, etc., where the Bahá'ís form a majority or
even the entire population of the village. One of the goals of the Five Year
Plan, as you will recall, is to develop the characteristics of Bahá'í community
life, and it is, above all, to such villages that the goal is directed. The
Local Spiritual Assemblies of such villages must gradually widen the scope of
their activities, not only to develop every aspect of the spiritual life of the
believers within their jurisdiction, but also, through Bahá'í consultation, and
through such Bahá'í principles as harmony between science and religion, the
importance of education, and work as a form of worship, to promote the
standards of agriculture and other skills in the life of the people. For this
they will need the assistance of Bahá'í experts from other lands. This is a
major undertaking, and is being started gradually wherever and whenever
possible.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 27 July 1976, written on behalf of the Universal
House of Justice to an individual believer; compilation: ‘Agriculture and Rural
Life’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of
Justice)
