The friends should realize that the National Body has authority over the local assemblies and the believers in administrative matters. One of the fundamentals involved in our administrative order, which we must remember will become the pattern for our World Order, is that even if an assembly makes an ill-advised decision it must be upheld in order to preserve the unity of the community. Appeal can be made from the Local Assembly’s decision to the National Assembly, and from the National Assembly’s decision to the Guardian. But the principle of authority invested in our elected bodies must be upheld. This is not something which can be learned without trial and test.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 30 June 1949 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the NSA of Germany; ‘The Light of Divine Guidance, vol. 1’)
