The Guardian wishes me to draw the attention of the Friends
through you that they should be very careful in their public addresses not to
mention any political figures-either side with them or denounce them. This is
the first thing to bear in mind. Otherwise they will involve the friends in
political matters, which is infinitely dangerous to the Cause. 
One conspicuous symptom of society’s deepening malaise is
the steady descent of public discourse into greater rancour and enmity,
reflecting entrenched partisan points of view. A prevalent feature of such
contemporary discourse is how political disagreements rapidly degenerate into
invective and ridicule. However, what particularly differentiates the present
age from those that preceded it is how so much of this discourse occurs in full
view of the world. Social media and related communication tools tend to give
the greatest exposure to all that is controversial, and the very same tools
allow individuals, in an instant, to disseminate more widely whatever catches
their attention and to register their support or opposition to various
sentiments, whether explicitly or tacitly. The unparalleled ease with which a person
can join in such public debate and the nature of the technology make momentary
lapses of judgement and incautious actions more likely and their residue more
enduring.
We must never dwell too much on the attitudes and feelings
of our fellow-believers towards us. What is most important is to foster love
and harmony and ignore any rebuffs we may receive; in this way the weaknesses
of human nature and the peculiarity or attitude of any particular person is not
magnified, but pales into insignificance in comparison with our joint service
to the Faith we all love.
…he does not believe any radiations of thought or healing,
from any group, are going to bring peace. Prayer, no doubt, will help the
world, but what it needs is to accept Bahá'u'lláh's system so as to build up
the World Order on a new foundation, a divine foundation!
The plenitude of His [Baha’u’llah] glory the Apostle of God
had, moreover, as attested by Bahá’u’lláh Himself, compared to the “full moon
on its fourteenth night.” His station the Imám ‘Alí, the Commander of the
Faithful, had, according to the same testimony, identified with “Him Who
conversed with Moses from the Burning Bush on Sinai.” To the transcendent character
of His mission the Imám Husayn had, again according to Bahá’u’lláh, borne
witness as a “Revelation whose Revealer will be He Who revealed” the Apostle of
God Himself.
What, we may well inquire at this juncture, were the nature
and implications of that Revelation [Baha’u’llah’s] which, manifesting itself
so soon after the Declaration of the Báb, abolished, at one stroke, the
Dispensation which that Faith had so newly proclaimed, and upheld, with such
vehemence and force, the Divine authority of its Author? What, we may well
pause to consider, were the claims of Him Who, Himself a disciple of the Báb,
had, at such an early stage, regarded Himself as empowered to abrogate the Law
identified with His beloved Master? What, we may further reflect, could be the
relationship between the religious Systems established before Him and His own
Revelation—a Revelation which, flowing out, in that extremely perilous hour,
from His travailing soul, pierced the gloom that had settled upon that
pestilential pit, and, bursting through its walls, and propagating itself as
far as the ends of the earth, infused into the entire body of mankind its
boundless potentialities, and is now under our very eyes, shaping the course of
human society?
The number nine, which in itself is the number of
perfection, is considered by the Bahá'ís as sacred because it is symbolic of
the perfection of the Bahá'í Revelation, which constitutes the ninth in the
line of existing religions, the latest and fullest Revelation which mankind has
ever known. The eighth is the Religion of the Báb, and the remaining seven are:
Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the
religion of the Sabaeans. These religions are not the only true religions that
have appeared in the world, but are the only ones which are still existing.
There have always been divine prophets and messengers, to many of whom the
Qur'án refers. But the only ones existing are those mentioned above.
In regard to the main question which you have posed, the
requirement of Baha'is refraining from political involvement should not be construed
merely as a comment on one's integrity; rather, it is a matter of the general
state of society and confusion in the realm of politics. To have Baha'is
involved in the regular machinery of campaign politics would be to undermine
the Faith's essential position of non-partisanship. Therefore, the House of
Justice feels that a Baha'i should neither campaign on his own behalf nor do
anything to promote his candidacy. Partisan politics, it should be borne in
mind, includes not only party affiliation but also campaigning, whether in the
context of a political party or not, by setting oneself up against another in a
political contest. There is a clear distinction which separates those elections
which take place in the public arena from those which take place in the Baha'i
community, where there is neither campaigning nor nominations. At the same
time, in view of the different circumstances involving election to office, it
is advisable for the friends to consult their Local Spiritual Assembly or
National Spiritual Assembly concerning any specific instance in which a Baha'i
would be involved in a public election.
...it is spirit, determination, faith and devotion which
bring victories into being, one after another, in Britain, and not luxury and
leisure....
There is no objection to leaving Bahá'í Literature in a
public place as long as it is not overdone and does not savour of
proselytizing.
A Baha'i may not vote in a primary election if in order to
do so he or she must declare membership or affiliation with, or support for, a
particular political party. But if the ballot is secret, a Baha'i is free to
vote in any political election provided that he does not, by doing so, identify
himself with any political party and bears in mind that he is voting on the
merits of the individual rather than because he belongs to one party or
another.
Regarding your questions: the Devotional part of the
Nineteen Day Feast means the reading of prayers by Bahá'u'lláh and the Master.
If, after this, there is a period of reading of the teachings, his [the
Guardian's] writings may be included, but this does not form part of the
devotional aspect of the meeting.
He fully appreciates the fact that the believers are still
somewhat attached to the different cults from which they have come; this is a
problem which always faces the Faith in a new region; it existed a long time in
America, and seems part of the growth of the Cause. He feels your Assembly can
afford to be patient with the friends, while at the same time educating them
into a deeper understanding of the Cause. As their awareness of the true
significance of Bahá'u'lláh grows, they will become weaned from the old ideas
and give full allegiance to His teachings.
Active support ... of an individual who has announced his
candidacy for political office is not permissible to Baha'is. Even if the
person is not attached to a political party, the very fact of promoting his
candidacy over that of other competitors is an act of partisanship, which is
inimical to the principles of the Faith. As you well know, campaigning and
nominations are forbidden in Baha'i elections. The friends should endeavor to
keep in mind the non-partisan character of the Faith and to employ the attitude
of non-partisanship, to the greatest extent possible, in the exercise of their
civic responsibilities as voters.
Regarding the question you raised: in the first place every
believer is free to follow the dictates of his own conscience as regards the
manner in which he should spend his own money. Secondly, we must always bear in
mind that there are so few Bahá'ís in the world, relative to the world's
population, and so many people in need, that even if all of us gave all we had,
it would not alleviate more than an infinitesimal amount of suffering. This
does not mean we must not help the needy, we should; but our contributions to
the Faith are the surest way of lifting once and for all time the burden of
hunger and misery from mankind, for it is only through the System of
Bahá'u'lláh — Divine in origin — that the world can be gotten on its feet and
want, fear, hunger, war, etc., be eliminated. Non-Bahá'ís cannot contribute to
our work or do it for us; so really our first obligation is to support our own
teaching work, as this will lead to the healing of the nations.