As the House of Justice stated in its Ridván 2000 message,
parents “should not ever underestimate their capacity to mold their children’s
moral character. For they exercise indispensable influence through the home
environment they consciously create by their love of God, their striving to
adhere to His laws, their spirit of service to His Cause, their lack of
fanaticism, and their freedom from the corrosive effects of backbiting.” The
friends should candidly accept that the spiritual and social environment they
create in their communities and their homes has a profound influence on shaping
the thought and character of young people and that the negative influences of
disunity, complaints and contention, and disparaging references to the
believers, the institutions, or community affairs can gradually, imperceptibly,
and cumulatively extinguish the spirit of faith in young and impressionable
hearts that no curriculum or educational program can overcome. - The Universal
House of Justice (From a letter dated 4 November 2019 written on behalf of the
Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)
