Chapter 78
LETTER OF 24 MARCH 1949
24 March 1949
He was also very pleased to see the contact with the Esperantists is being maintained. This friendly cooperation with them, and attendance at their Congresses, is very good, and will no doubt bring the Baha'i Cause to many of their member's attention. Also, he hopes, it will lead to many of them becoming Baha'is in the future.
LETTER OF 31 MARCH 1949
31 March 1949
First, let me say that one of the reasons G.o.d has given us the inst.i.tution of Guardians.h.i.+p is to prevent men from crystallizing the Cause of G.o.d into a rigid system. Your questions are mostly along the line of trying to lay down a fixed pattern for future society, long before the time for such a pattern is ripe. Remember that Baha'u'llah says what is not already revealed, the International House of Justice must in the future legislate, and it can make, and abrogate if necessary, its own laws. This means not fixity in guiding society, but fluidity!
No. 1 Baha'u'llah and the Master mention only Local, National and an International House of Justice. There is no provision for divisional ones.
Each city will have its own Spiritual a.s.sembly, not a number of district ones. Naturally, district 19 Day Feasts can be held where there are very many Baha'is in one city.
No. 2 The Hands of the Cause will have executive authority in so far as they carry out the work of the Guardian.
No. 3 Spiritual a.s.sembly is the name at present for the body which in future will be called "House of Justice".
No. 4 The Badi Calendar will be used generally. The Baha'i week has seven days.
No. 5 There is nothing about "ground organization". These details are left for future legislation.
No. 6 No. Such things are for the consideration of the legislative bodies in future.
No. 7 No. But 'Abdu'l-Baha stated there are other worlds than ours which are inhabited by beings capable of knowing G.o.d.
No. 8 The Baha'i Temple in America has been dragging on, uncompleted, since 19..(figures unreadable); its completion is absolutely essential. We are builders, we have confidence in the protection of G.o.d. We cannot give up our work just because the atom bomb has been invented! This would be cowardly! The United Nations disposes of millions and millions of dollars and part of its work is to educate humanity towards peace and against war.
Our completion of the Baha'i Temple will cost 3/4 of a million; what could this sum do in
The thing the German believers must do is to deepen themselves in the Covenants of Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha. Mere intellectual understanding of the teachings is not enough. Deep spirituality is essential, and the foundation of true spirituality is steadfastness in the Covenant.
LETTER OF 11 APRIL 1949(32)
11 April 1949
He fully approves of Dr. Townshend being invited to speak in Germany, as you propose, providing, of course, that the necessary funds for his trip can be arranged for.
The contact with intellectuals is very important, but so far, like the early days of Christianity, in the West, few of them have cared to identify themselves with this young and struggling Faith of ours! Let us hope, however, that the time is approaching when they will.
The Guardian has been considerably disturbed by the inharmony that has arisen in Germany. He feels that what the German Baha'is need-and must have-more than anything else in the world is a far deeper understanding of the Covenants of both Baha'u'llah and the Master. This is the rock foundation without which no sound super-structure can be built. Neither the administration, nor the general teaching work of the Cause in Germany, will progress, or be able to accomplish anything, unless the believers are truly firm, deep, spiritually convinced Baha'is. An intellectual grasp of the teachings is purely superficial; with the first real test such believers are shaken from the bough! But once a Baha'i has the profound conviction of the authority from G.o.d, nested in the Prophet, pa.s.sed on to the Master, and by Him, to the Guardians, and which flows out through the a.s.semblies and creates order based on obedience-once a Baha'i has this, nothing can shake him. He, therefore, urges you, and the other members of the N.G.R., to devote as much time as you possibly can, to educating the believers in the Covenant.
LETTER OF 15 APRIL 1949(33)
15 April 1949
As he has cabled the N.S.A. a few days ago, he feels that the difficulties which have arisen in Germany, and which called forth the letter you rightly felt was likely to cause more harm than good, are mainly due to the fact that the believers need to be deepened in their knowledge and appreciation of the Covenants of both Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha. This is the stronghold of the Faith of every Baha'i, and that which enables him to withstand every test and the attacks of the enemies outside the Faith, and the far more dangerous, insidious, lukewarm people inside the Faith who have no real attachment to the Covenant, and consequently uphold the intellectual aspect of the teachings while at the same time undermining the spiritual foundation upon which the whole Cause of G.o.d rests.
He feels you and your dear family should do all you can to teach the believers the Will and Testament to strengthen their understanding of its important provisions; for all the authority of the administrative bodies, as well as of the Guardian himself, is mainly derived from this tremendous doc.u.ment.
LETTER OF 27 MAY 1949
27 May 1949
The Guardian, in spite of the fact that there is a larger community in Stuttgart, is very anxious to have the national affairs of the German Baha'i Community centered in Frankfurt, which is far more central. He realizes at first this will present some difficulties for the friends, but every step forward in the Cause always is attended by complications and difficulties. The same was true in America, where for years New York was the center of the administration for America. When the National Headquarters were s.h.i.+fted to Chicago, it was at first very inconvenient, but it now has proved much more convenient and suitable than New York ever was.
LETTER OF 30 MAY 1949
30 May 1949
Baha'i Community of Stuttgart
Dear Baha'i Friends:
Your letter to our beloved Guardian, of April 20, and conveying to him your loving Ridvan greetings, was received, and he has instructed me to answer it on his behalf.
He values very deeply your message of loyalty and devotion and your a.s.surance that you will uphold the administration of our beloved Faith.
The German friends must always remember that, after the long years of suppression, and the war, when they were both cut off from the Guardian and forbidden to hold organized meetings, it is only natural that difficulties should sometimes arise in the course of their progress.