Concerning tattooing

19 August 2003

Dear Bahá’í Friend,

Your email letter of 17 August 2003 regarding tattoos has been received at the Bahá’í World Centre and referred to our Department for response.

In reply to your enquiry, nothing at all has been found in the Holy Texts on the matter of tattooing. There is, of course, the following general counsel given by Bahá’u’lláh:

“Let there be naught in your demeanour of which sound and upright minds would disapprove, and make not yourselves the playthings of the ignorant. Well is it with him who hath adorned himself with the vesture of seemly conduct and a praiseworthy character.” (The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraph 159)

Generally, what is appropriate in such matters will clearly vary from culture to culture.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

Department of the Secretariat

(Baha’i Library Online)

Regarding Baha'is participating in demonstrations for peace

27 March 2003 

Dear Baha'i Friend.

Your email message of 4 March 2003 has been received at the Baha'i World Centre, and we can reply as follows. You state that there are large-scale demonstrations arising in your community and in communities around the world, and you inquire about the appropriateness of Baha'is participating in demonstrations for peace. It is important to keep in mind that while these activities are generally carried out in the name of peace, such occasions are motivated by highly political and controversial sentiments at a time of turmoil and confusion in the world. Not only would it be contrary to the Baha'i principle of non-involvement in politics for individual believers, or Baha'i institutions, to become associated with such activities, it could also be harmful to the interests of the Faith internationally. The point to bear in mind here is that current demonstrations are not intended to promote peace in principle but are focused on a specific dispute among governments. As you can no doubt understand, Baha'i participation in public demonstrations involving controversial issues would undermine the Faith's essential purpose of promoting unity in all aspects of human affairs, and your desire to remain focused on the essential work of the Faith is deeply appreciated.

With loving Baha'i greetings,

Department of the Secretariat

cc: National Assembly of the United States (by email)

(US Baha’i National Administrative website)

Not to “take positions on the political decisions of governments”

12 January 2003 

Dear Baha'i Friend,

Your email letter of 8 November 2002 has been received at the Baha’i World Center and passed to our Department for response. As you are aware, it is not the practice of Baha’i institutions or individuals to take positions on the political decisions of governments. One of the greatest obstacles to progress is the tendency of Baha’is to be drawn into the general attitudes and disputes that surround them. The central importance of the principle of avoidance of politics and controversial matters is that Baha'is should not allow themselves to be involved in the disputes of the many conflicting elements of the society around them.

The aim of the Baha'is is to reconcile viewpoints, to heal divisions, and to bring about tolerance and mutual respect among men. and this aim is undermined if we allow ourselves to be swept along by the ephemeral passions of others. This does not mean that Baha’is cannot collaborate with any non-Baha’i movement; it does mean that good judgment is required to distinguish those activities and associations which are beneficial and constructive from those which are divisive.

With loving Baha'i greetings,

Department of the Secretariat

(National Baha’i Website of the United States)

Whether Baha'is are permitted to celebrate Christmas

29 November 2002

Dear Baha'i Friend,

The Universal House of Justice has received your email of 23 November 2002, and referred it to our Department for reply. You have explained that as a result of an email discussion group there is a differing of opinions whether Baha'is are permitted to celebrate Christmas, and you have expressed your understanding that while there is no harm in sharing the festivities with friends, the "Baha'is themselves should not be putting up Christmas trees, exchanging gifts, etc."

As one member of your discussion group pointed out, a letter written on behalf of the House of Justice has indeed indicated in the past that although most of the cultural or religious festivals of other religions or communities have no doubt stemmed from religious rituals in bygone ages, the believers should not be deterred from participating in those in which, over the course of time, the religious meaning has given way to purely culturally oriented practices.

In deciding whether or not to participate in such traditional activities, Baha'is must guard against two extremes. The one is to disassociate themselves needlessly from harmless cultural observances and thus alienate themselves from their non-Baha'i families and friends; the other is to continue the practice of abrogated observances of previous dispensations and thus undermine the independence of the Baha'i Faith and create undesirable distinctions between themselves and their fellow Baha'is. In this connection there is a difference between what Baha'is do among themselves and what they do in companionship with their non-Baha'i friends and relations. We provide below a question posed to Shoghi Effendi by a believer, followed by the response written on his behalf taken from a letter dated 19 March 1938, with which you are familiar. It is important to note, in the response to the question, the phrase "in their relation to each other".

Emergence of a New Culture

22 August 2002

Dear Bahá'í Friend,

We have been asked by the Universal House of Justice to respond on its behalf to your email letter of 9 August 2002. Your description of the lack of significant numerical growth in Bahá'í communities in Western lands, while more precisely applicable to some countries than others, is largely accurate, and the resulting distress you feel is fully justified. To see important Bahá'í communities markedly lacking in the development of the human resources required to reach populations desperately searching for solutions to the crisis in which society is sinking is painful indeed to believers aware of the potency of Bahá'u'lláh's Message.

This consideration was an important element in the drafting of the relevant sections of the document "Century of Light", to which you make reference. These passages of the document seek to acquaint believers everywhere with the profound change in Bahá'í culture that the preceding decades of struggle, achievement and disappointment made possible and that was capitalized on through the agency of the Four Year Plan. The culture now emerging is one in which groups of Bahá'u'lláh's followers explore together the truths in His Teachings, freely open their study circles, devotional gatherings and children's classes to their friends and neighbours, and invest their efforts confidently in plans of action designed at the level of the cluster, that makes growth a manageable goal. The enthusiasm with which Bahá'í communities in most parts of the world are responding to this challenge, and the results their efforts are beginning to garner have been a source of great joy to the House of Justice.

Alas, this level of response still falls short of being universal. Where Bahá'í communities are unable to free themselves from an orientation to Bahá'í life that has long outlived whatever value it once possessed, the teaching work will lack both the systematic character it requires, and the spirit that must animate all effective service to the Cause. To mistakenly identify Bahá'í community life with the mode of religious activity that characterizes the general society--in which the believer is a member of a congregation, leadership comes from an individual or individuals presumed to be qualified for the purpose, and personal participation is fitted into a schedule dominated by concerns of a very different nature--can only have the effect of marginalizing the Faith and robbing the community of the spiritual vitality available to it.

Could Indian Nations in the United States have their own National Spiritual Assemblies

12 February 2002

Dear Bahá'í Friend,

Your email message of 13 January 2002 has been warmly received at the Bahá'í World Centre, and we can reply as follows.

The Universal House of Justice was touched by the spirit of love and devotion expressed in your letter and has noted your suggestion that it consider officially recognizing native American reservations as sovereign states. In response to a similar recommendation, the following was provided on behalf of the House of Justice:

...Clearly, this recommendation was prompted by a conscientious desire, inspired by basic Bahá'í principles, to assist the downtrodden to rise to the full realization of their rights and responsibilities as human beings. Indeed, the purpose of the coming of Bahá'u'lláh is to lift the yoke of oppression from his loved ones, to liberate all the people of the world, and to provide the means for their abiding happiness. In this regard, the Tablets of the Divine Plan addressed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá to North America make it clear that the destiny of the native Americans as an illumined and fulfilled people is linked to the quality of their response to the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh. The primary obligation of the American Bahá'ís must therefore be to see that the Divine Message is effectively delivered to the native peoples. In their effort, the friends must be certain to demonstrate through their attitude, actions and words the genuineness of their belief in the Faith's central principle, namely, the oneness of humankind.

Children's classes which include non-Baha'i children

25 September 2001

Dear Baha'i Friends,

The Universal House of Justice received your email message dated 30 July 2001 seeking clarification regarding children's classes which include non-Baha'i children.

It is possible, of course, to create a programme for children which is inspired by the Baha'i teachings and conveys such topics as moral education, comparative religion, peace, concern for the environment, service to humanity, or world citizenship. Such programmes might also convey practical subjects such as literacy, academic tutoring, or vocational training.

In its message dated 9 January 2001, however, the House of Justice refers specifically to Baha'i children's classes as also being open to non-Baha'i children. In the case of these classes, which are intended to address the complete spiritual education of Baha'is, it would not be possible to eliminate Baha'i religious teachings, and topics such as Baha’i history, Baha'i laws, and the Covenant would be an integral part of these classes.

While Baha'i religious teachings are part of the programme of child education in Baha'i classes, the design of the programme, particularly the sequencing of content, may make it more attractive to non-Baha'is. For example, in the approach taken to child education in Ruhi Institute Book 3, the emphasis is placed initially on character development, and only later are specific aspects related to the life of Bahá'u’lláh and the Báb introduced. So too can we see the same principle at work in the main sequence of books in which many non-Baha'i youth have participated. Book 1 addresses such broad topics as prayer and life and death (from a Baha'i perspective, of course). It is in Book 4 that history is presented in detail. Thus a non-Baha'i can feel welcome to participate and is not overwhelmed by new, purely religious teachings. Then, if attracted by the principles and general spiritual teachings, the non-Baha'is would not hesitate to engage in the full programme; alternatively, they are free to withdraw or not participate in some segments.

Stem cell research and therapy

23 August 2001

Dear Bahá'í Friend,

Your email message of 11 August 2001 to the Universal House of Justice regarding stem cell research and therapy has been warmly received at the Bahá'í World Centre, and has been forwarded to our Department for reply.

You ask whether stem cell therapy is acceptable in Bahá'í law. As you are no doubt aware, this new area of scientific inquiry involves a distinction between embryonic and other aspects of stem cell research. Reports appearing in the press and in scientific literature indicate that such exploration is at an early stage. Many fundamental questions about the biological and genetic features of the processes involved, and the physiological implications, remain unresolved, and will become clear only with the passage of time.

Nothing specific has been found in the Bahá'í Writings regarding stem cell research and the types of therapy to which it may apply. The House of Justice regards it as premature for it to give consideration to these matters and their spiritual consequences. For the present, believers faced with questions about them are free to come to their own conclusions based on their knowledge of the Baha' i teachings on the nature and purpose of life. However, they should be careful not to make dogmatic statements or to offer their own understanding as a teaching of the Faith.

We have been asked to assure you of the prayers of the House of Justice in the Holy Shrines that the therapy you seek for your own well-being may be found.

With loving Bahá'í greetings,

Department of the Secretariat

(Baha’i Library Online)

Training Institutes

31 May 2001

Dear Bahá'í Friend,

Your letter dated 30 April 2001 has been received by the Universal House of Justice, which has directed us to reply as follows.

In your letter you indicate that you are not attracted to the idea of the training institute. You consider, rather, the study of Bahá'í Writings a personal matter and state that, in your professional capacity, you take courses on subjects about which you are uninformed as a basic introduction that enables you to proceed with your own investigations. You therefore feel uneasy about training institutes being a central feature of the Five Year Plan and seek clarification on this issue.

The Universal House of Justice appreciates the sincerity with which you present your concerns and wishes to assure you that it is entirely acceptable for you not to participate in the institute process, following your own way of studying the Writings as you have done in the past. This has certainly led in your case to outstanding service to the Cause of God. The House of Justice is aware, for example, of your contributions to Bahá'í discourse on science and religion, contributions that can only be the result of a profound study of the Writings. However, it feels that you would do well to re-examine the perspective from which you view the role of the training institute in the Bahá'í community.

The aim of the Five Year Plan, and indeed of the Plan before it and the ones that lie immediately ahead, is to advance the process of entry by troops. In its message of 26 December 1995 to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors, the House of Justice clearly explained that occasional courses of instruction and the informal activities of community life, though important, had not proven sufficient as a means of human resource development. It indicated further that a systematic process for the development of human resources was essential to the sustained large-scale expansion of the Faith. To conceive and nurture an educational process of the magnitude envisioned by the Universal House of Justice is vastly different than thinking about one's own interests, which is not to say that personal study and spiritual growth are not legitimate and natural concerns of the individual.

Defending the Cause against Opponents on Internet

6 May 2001

Dear Bahá'í Friend,

We have been asked to respond to your enquiries of 31 January and 18 April 2001 regarding the wisest course that a believer can adopt when encountering attacks on the Faith in Internet discussions. The subject was dealt with by the Universal House of Justice in a letter dated 22 November 1999, and we are happy to enclose a copy of relevant excerpts for your information. We apologize for the delay in answering which was caused by the pressure of work at the Bahá'í World Centre.

We are not aware of any letter from the Bahá'í World Centre that commends the owner of the "Talisman" or any other Internet list, as mentioned in paragraph six of your letter of 31 January. Essentially, the position of the House of Justice is that the Internet offers Bahá'ís a very valuable communication tool. As with all other forms of consultation; however, such exchanges are spiritually and intellectually helpful to a believer to the extent that they take place within the context of Bahá'í principle.

We trust that this guidance is of assistance to you in dealing with the questions that have troubled you.

With loving Bahá'í greetings,

Department of the Secretariat

Enclosure

Defending the Cause against its Opponents

Attainment of the Unity of Nations and the Lesser Peace

19 April 2001 

Dear Baha'i Friend,

The principal issue raised in your letter is that of the timing for the occurrence of the Lesser Peace, in light of your impression that the Baha’i Writings anticipate its coming before the conclusion of the twentieth century; i.e., the end of December 2000.

Enclosed for your information is a copy of a memorandum prepared by the Research Department, at the request of the House of Justice, on the subject of the attainment of the unity of nations and the Lesser Peace. Assembled in this document are a number of pertinent passages from authoritative texts of the Faith.

In reviewing this material it becomes apparent that there is nothing in the authoritative Baha'i Writings to indicate that the Lesser Peace would be established before the end of the twentieth century. However, there are clear statements affirming that the unity of nations would be, in the words of ‘Abdu'l-Bahâ, "securely established” during the twentieth century.

These statements, and others appearing in the enclosed document, should be viewed from the perspective that the evolution of the World Order of Baha’u’llah is an organic process proceeding in accordance with the Divine Will and animated by a spiritual reality. In response to a question, ‘Abdu'l-Bahâ wrote: " The kingdom of peace, salvation, uprightness, and reconciliation is founded in the invisible world, and it will by degrees become manifest and apparent through the power of the Word of God!" As a result of consecrated human endeavour over decades, and indeed centuries, this spiritual reality is gradually expressed in physical form.

An orientation to process is apparent throughout the writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahà and Shoghi Effendi concerning the attainment of world peace. For example, the Guardian reported the Master as having acclaimed actions taken at the conclusion of the First World War to have signalized "the dawn of the Most Great Peace". This stands in contrast to preoccupation with the short term in the wider society today which focuses exclusively on events rather than on evolutionary processes.

Physical disability preventing genuflections of Long Obligatory Prayer

8 October 2000

Dear Bahá'í Friend,

The Universal House of Justice has received your emailed letter of 19 August 2000 requesting guidance, in light of your physical incapability, about the requirements of the Obligatory Prayers. With regard to your query, we share with you below extracts from two letters written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi in response to similar questions:

"With reference to your question regarding the three daily obligatory prayers: the Bahá'í worshipper is not required to recite them all each day, but has to choose one, and should also strictly conform to any instructions revealed by Bahá'u'lláh in connection with its recital, such as the raising of hands, various genuflexions, etc. Those who for some reason or other, especially when physically unable to observe these regulations owing to illness or some bodily defect, cannot conform to these instructions should preferably choose the short prayer, which is exceedingly simple." (7 December 1939 to an individual believer)

"As regards the questions about the proper use of the Long Obligatory Prayer: All the writings of the Faith may be read and should be read for the instruction and inspiration of the friends. This includes the specific prayers. If a believer is physically incapable of performing the genuflexions accompanying one of the prayers, and yet he longs to say it as an obligatory prayer, then he may do so. By physically incapable is meant a real physical incapacity a physician would attest as genuine." (17 February 1955 to a Local Spiritual Assembly)

It is hoped that these quotes will provide the clarification you seek.

With loving Bahá'í greetings,

Department of the Secretariat

(Baha’i Library Online)

"Democratization" and the Bahá'í Administrative Order

18 July 2000 

Dear Bahá'í Friend,

The Universal House of Justice received your letter of 31 May 2000 and has asked us to send you the following reply.

To your question "What do I have to think of the promotion of a Bahá'í democratization?" there is both a simple reply and a more complex one, and the House of Justice feels that it is desirable to approach the matter from both points of view.

Firstly, as a Bahá'í who has given many decades of outstanding service in your community, you understand that the Bahá'í Administrative Order is an integral part of the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh; it is a divinely conceived system which, as the Guardian explained in The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, "incorporates within its structure certain elements which are to be found in each of the three recognized forms of secular government, without being in any sense a mere replica of any one of them, and without introducing within its machinery any of the objectionable features which they inherently possess. It blends and harmonizes, as no government fashioned by mortal hands has as yet accomplished, the salutary truths which each of these systems undoubtedly contains without vitiating the integrity of those God-given verities on which it is ultimately founded."

It is the continuing task of Bahá'ís to increase their understanding of the principles on which the Administrative Order is founded, and to improve the faithfulness with which they implement these principles in their actions. Indeed one of the specific needs of this period in the development of the Faith is the evolution of national and local Bahá'í institutions. If, therefore, by "the promotion of a Bahá'í democratization" is meant the furthering of an increasingly responsible participation in the work of the community by its individual members, this is highly meritorious, and should be a continual endeavour of Bahá'í institutions.

Tablet to a Physician (Lawh-i-Tibb)

20 April 2000

Dear Bahá'í Friend,

Your email of 14 December 1999, inquiring about a translation of Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet to a Physician subsequent to the one found in Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era, was received by the Universal House of Justice and referred to our Department for reply.

Excerpts from Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet to a Physician appeared in Star of the West, volume 13, page 252, as well as in many and various Bahá'í newsletters and compilations, as an early translation of a portion of the Tablet entitled "Lawh-i-Tibb", revealed by Bahá'u'lláh in honour of Mirza Muhammad Rida Yazdi, a physician. However, until such time as conditions are propitious for the Tablet to be translated, only portions of it have an authorized translation. For your convenience, we are enclosing the text of the early, partial translation of the Tablet to a Physician which was published in Star of the West, as cited above, along with a related exhortation from Bahá'u'lláh taken from Star of the West, volume 21, number 5, page 160. Furthermore, it may interest you to know that the prayer starting with the words, "Thy Name is my healing ..." is also found in this Tablet.

With regard to the Tablet, on 18 December 1945 a letter was written on behalf of the beloved Guardian to an individual believer stating:

The Tablet to a Physician was addressed to a man who was a student of the old type of healing prevalent in the East and familiar with the terminology used in those days, and He addresses him in terms used by the medical men of those days. These terms are quite different from those used by modern medicine, and one would have to have a deep knowledge of this former school of medicine to understand the questions Bahá'u'lláh was elucidating.

It is hoped that this information will be of assistance to you, and you may be assured of the loving prayers of the House of Justice in the Holy Shrines that the tender mercies of Bahá'u'lláh may surround you.

Application of Bahá'í Laws

23 February 2000

Dear Bahá’í Friend,

The Universal House of Justice received your emailed letter of 6 February 2000 and appreciates your suggestion for a procedure to be followed when Bahá’í laws are applied. You provide a very interesting perspective and the House of Justice has asked us to send you the following comments.

The way in which the House of Justice currently takes such actions is largely dictated by the nature of the law in each case and on the condition of the Bahá’í community at the time. The method adopted may not be suitable for publication in a special legal bulletin or for the specification of the sacred Texts on which the law rests.

The fundamental aspects of the laws of obligatory prayer and fasting have long been known to the believers and applied by them in varying degrees depending upon their awareness of their importance. The details which remained to be applied universally were quite secondary in relation to the vital spiritual significance of the laws themselves. It was with this in mind that the announcement made by the House of Justice did not go into such matters as the verses of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and the Questions and Answers in which these details can be found. It wishes the friends to register in their understanding the basic concepts of these laws and the importance of observing them. Then, as individuals study the Texts, they will undoubtedly have questions which can be answered as they arise. In due course the House of Justice will provide National Spiritual Assemblies with references which they can use in replying to such questions.

Exemption from Obligatory Prayer for the sick

27 March 2000

Regarding The Kitab-i-Aqdas: Exemption from Obligatory Prayer for the Sick, in Questions and Answers# 93:

The Research Department has studied the query contained in the email message of 23 January 2000 to the Bahá'í World Centre from ....

Ms. ... states that, since becoming a Bahá'í in June 1992, she has said an obligatory prayer, following the laws on ablutions, each day. However, she has studied the exemption for those who are ill and she wonders if she is "in fact breaking the Law by doing so". She relates that since infancy she has been "physically challenged" with a chronic disease, spinal muscular atrophy, and has lived her life from a wheelchair. Since 1998, due to further problems, she has been confined to bed. Nevertheless, she states that she leads an active life, earns an income and serves the Faith. Although her health is often poor, she has both good and bad days, and often sees herself as being in "good health". She wonders when an individual is considered in ill-health and so should not perform obligatory prayers, as prescribed in Questions and Answers 93, we read,

QUESTION: Concerning fasting and obligatory prayer by the sick.

ANSWER: In truth, I say that obligatory prayer and fasting occupy an exalted station in the sight of God. It is, however, in a state of health that their virtue can be realized. In time of ill health it is not permissible to observe these obligations; such hath been the bidding of the Lord, exalted be His glory, at all times. Blessed be such men and women as pay heed, and observe His precepts. All praise be unto God, He who hath sent down the verses and is the Revealer of undoubted proofs!

Reproduction and other biological subjects

Dear Bahá'í Friend,

The Universal House of Justice has received your email letter of 24 August 2000 and has asked us to respond as follows.

The House of Justice has not found anything specific in the Bahá'í writings concerning the ethics of genetic engineering on human tissue, including fetal tissue, and on possible means of biologically creating replacement limbs and organs for human beings. It regards it as premature to give consideration to these matters and to their spiritual consequences. For the present, believers confronted with such issues are free to come to their own conclusions, based on their knowledge of the pertinent Bahá'í teachings.

Enclosed for your information is a brief compilation of passages from the Bahá'í writings on reproduction and other biological issues, which may be of interest to you in your consideration of these subjects.

With loving Bahá'í greetings,

Department of the Secretariat

Enclosure

(Baha’i Library Online)

Regarding source of prayer "Make me a hollow reed"

December 12, 1999

Your email of 26 October 1999, and the one of 2 December 1999 addressed to the United States National Bahá'í Centre, seeking clarification about the source of the "Hollow Reed" prayer were noted by the Universal House of Justice and referred to our Department.

In response to a similar query in the past, the Research Department has advised that the first portion of the text, "O God! Make me a hollow reed from which the pith of self hath been blown, that I may become a clear channel through which Thy love may flow to others", has often been attributed to ‘Abdu'l-Bahá; however, the Research Department has not yet located any original text and is therefore unable to verify its authenticity. As a result, the prayer may be recited or sung by the believers, but it should not be attributed to the Master nor appear under His name in books and other publications.

You cite a reference which states that this prayer was in fact written by the Hand of the Cause of God George Townshend. Because this prayer has often been incorrectly quoted as the opening sentence from the following passage on page 124 of Mr. Townshend's book The Mission of Bahá'u'lláh (London: George Ronald, 1965), it would give the impression that he has written the words. However, the prayer in question does not appear in his book and cannot be attributed to him. For your information we quote below the text in question.

“I have left behind me impatience and discontent. I will chafe no more at my lot. I commit myself wholly into Thy hands, for Thou art my guide in the desert, the teacher of my ignorance, the physician of my sickness.

I am a soldier in my King's Army; I have given up my will to Him, and my life is His to dispose of as He may please.

I know not what fate Thou designest for me, not what work Thou hast ordained for me, nor will I enquire nor seek to know. The task of the day suffices for me, and all the future is Thine.

Little by little Thou trainest me. Little by little Thou changest weakness to strength, doubt to faith, perplexity to understanding. When I am fit to bear the burden Thou wilt lay it on my shoulders. When I am prepared to take the field Thou wilt assign me a place in Thy army of Light. Now I have no other duty than to equip myself for Thy service.

With eagerness and patience, with hope and gratitude I bend to the task of the hour lest when Thy call to battle comes I be found unready.”

We hope that this information will provide some clarification on this matter.

Department of the Secretariat

(Baha’i Library Online)

Concerning Kalimat Press: “to draw to your attention the serious dangers of the course you have long been following.”

3 August 1999

Dear Bahá'í Friend,

The Universal House of Justice has reviewed the letter of 8 May 1999 to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States, signed by you on behalf of Kalimat Press and copied for the House of Justice, on the subject of the manner in which Kalimat has promoted to Bahá'ís Juan Cole's book, Modernity and the Millennium. We have been asked to write as follows.

A good deal of the work of Kalimat Press, which you have ably directed during the twenty or so years of the firm's existence, has constituted a significant contribution to the advancement of the Cause we all love and seek to serve. It is clear, too, that, beyond the administration of Kalimat's activities, this valued contribution owes a great deal to your own creativity and professional talents. These circumstances move the House of the Justice to share with you candidly the deep concern it feels regarding your relationship with the Bahá'í Faith.

As you are aware, such concern prompted earlier efforts, including those made by Counsellor ___ and ___, a member of the Auxiliary Board, in their interview with you and your wife, Dr. ___, in May of 1996, to draw to your attention the serious dangers of the course you have long been following. At that time, you expressed to Mr. ___ your deep regret over actions on your part that were seen by the House of Justice to be clearly in conflict with the beliefs you profess as a follower of Bahá'u'lláh, as well as your firm assurance that your actions would not again give cause for such intervention.

It is impossible to reconcile professions of this kind with the arguments made by you in the 8 May letter. The inappropriateness of the promotional statements and of the approach taken in the letter serves as an illustration of the attitude and behavior on your part that have long been a source of difficulty. It is these personal elements that the House of Justice has asked us to address.

Access to materials at the Bahá'í World Centre

4 May 1999

Dear Bahá'í Friend,

The Universal House of Justice has received your email of 30 December 1998 requesting clarification of the policies governing access to sources at the Bahá'í World Centre and regarding publication of primary source material available to people through other avenues. It welcomes the opportunity to provide further information on these issues and has instructed us to send you the following reply.

Your questions have to be considered in the context of the range of the work and responsibilities of the Universal House of Justice. One of the most important functions of the Head of the Cause is to guide the faithful to the tasks which need to be performed at each stage in its progress. It must allocate the resources of the Faith and point out those areas on which attention should be focused. Naturally, each individual tends to see the importance of his or her special interests or to focus on needs which are immediately apparent. All these have their own validity, but it is the Universal House of Justice which sees the whole picture and can guide the process. The friends must have faith in this, otherwise their efforts will be dissipated and even mutually conflicting.

The question of providing access to primary source materials is but one of the matters which must occupy the attention and consume the resources of the Cause. The written material of this Dispensation is incomparably rich and varied, and we now stand only a century and a half from the day on which the Báb announced His Mission to Mullá Husayn in Shiráz.

Issues related to the study of the Bahá'í Faith

7 April 1999 

To all National Spiritual Assemblies

Dear Bahá'í Friends,

Issues Related to the Study of the Bahá'í Faith

In May of 1998, Bahá'í Canada reproduced a collection of letters which the Universal House of Justice had written to various individuals on the subject of the academic study of the Bahá'í Faith. Copies of this compilation were subsequently mailed by the Canadian National Spiritual Assembly to its sister Assemblies. The reprint has now been made generally available in booklet form by the United States Bahá'í Publishing Trust. The House of Justice has asked us to forward you a copy of the latter publication with the following comments.

As a number of the friends are aware, a campaign of internal opposition to the Teachings is currently being carried on through the use of the Internet, a communications system that now reaches virtually every part of the world. Differing from attacks familiar in the past, it seeks to recast the entire Faith into a socio-political ideology alien to Bahá'u'lláh's intent. In the place of the institutional authority established by His Covenant, it promotes a kind of interpretive authority which those behind it attribute to the views of persons technically trained in Middle East studies.

Early in 1996, the deliberate nature of the plan was revealed in an accidental posting to an Internet list which Bahá'í subscribers had believed was dedicated to scholarly exploration of the Cause. Some of the people responsible resigned from the Faith when Counsellors pointed out to them the direction their activities were taking. A small number of others continue to promote the campaign within the Bahá'í community.

Interpretations by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the Guardian, and Elucidations by the Universal House of Justice

27 August 1998

Dear Bahá’í Friend,

The Universal House of Justice has asked us to convey the following reply to your letter . .. seeking clarification on the “interpretative function" of that institution...

In the light of the Teachings which are well known to you, and given the repeated statements of the House of Justice on this subject, it is not correct to insist that the House of Justice has an interpretative function. This matter has been dealt with in three published letters, dated 9 March 1965, 27 May 1966 and 7 December 1969, appearing in Messages from the Universal House of Justice: 1963-1986 (U.S. Bahá’í Publishing Trust). A careful study of these letters can provide you with the answers you seek. However, the House of Justice is happy to offer some further comments for your consideration.

Any reference to authoritative or binding interpretation of Bahá’í Scripture is a reference to the divinely guided meaning given to such Scripture by either ‘Abdu’l-Bahá or the Guardian, the two persons authorized in the sacred Texts to interpret the Teachings. With regard to Shoghi Effendi, your letter cites a passage from the 9 March 1965 letter of the House of Justice which says: "The Guardian reveals what the Scripture means; his interpretation is a statement of truth which cannot be varied. Upon the Universal House of Justice, in the words of the Guardian, 'has been conferred the exclusive right of legislating on matters not expressly revealed in the Bahá'í writings.’" In keeping with its legislative function the House of Justice exercises the role of elucidation based on passages in the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and statements in the writings of the Guardian. For example, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá states:

It is incumbent upon these members (of the Universal House of Justice) to... deliberate upon all problems which have caused difference, questions that are obscure and matters that are not expressly recorded in the Book . . . and bear upon daily transactions... (Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Bahá (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1971), p. 20)

"Simplified English" translations of the Bahá'í Writings

12 August 1998

Dear Bahá’í Friend,

The Universal House of Justice has asked us to . . . reply to your letters . . . elaborating your previously expressed views concerning your feeling of a need for Bahá’í sacred literature in simplified English, and we are to convey the following.

The House of Justice fully appreciates that the real purpose of your letters is to find a way to help the largest number of people, whatever their ability in English, to experience the Word of God as brought by Bahá’u’lláh; and it sympathizes with your desire to make the Teachings accessible to those who are not adept at reading English. Undoubtedly, a great deal can be done to fulfill your desire; however, it is important for you to understand basically that the standard of presentation of the divine Word cannot be lowered, and that it must be made available to all, including those who cannot read it in its elevated style. No simplification of language can take its place.

Even an unlettered person is capable of responding to the exalted language of the Holy Scriptures, as it is the inner spirit of the divine Texts that touches the heart. Bahá’u’lláh states in a well-known Tablet that, “The Word of God is the king of words and its pervasive influence is incalculable.… The Word is the master key for the whole world, inasmuch as through its potency the doors of the hearts of men, which in reality are the doors of heaven, are unlocked.” Hearts become attracted and souls confirmed through the mysterious effects of exposure to the living Word—that Word which has demonstrated the power to stimulate intellectual development. You yourself have mentioned that a mystical experience enabled you to persevere in learning to understand the divine Texts.

The age fifteen as the age of spiritual maturity

16 June 1998 

The Universal House of Justice has received your email message of 5 April 1998 regarding the responsibility of parents for their children’s behavior, and we have been asked to convey the following.

While some opportunities for service in the Administrative Order are clearly reserved for those who are over twenty-one years of age, at age fifteen the individual has the privilege of affirming, in his own name, his faith in Bahá’u’lláh. The importance of attaining spiritual maturity at the age of fifteen is that it marks that point in life at which the believer takes into his own hands the responsibility for his spiritual destiny.

The following extract from a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá links the attainment of maturity with the deepening of one’s understanding and comprehension of the realities of life, and the enhancement of one’s very capacity for understanding:

“Know thou that before maturity man liveth from day to day and comprehendeth only such matters as are superficial and outwardly obvious. However, when he cometh of age he understandeth the realities of things and the inner truths. Indeed, in his comprehension, his feelings, his deductions and his discoveries, every day of his life after maturity is equal to a year before it.”

While parents may grieve at some of the choices their children make, at the age of maturity a son or daughter is then essentially responsible for the decisions he or she takes and becomes answerable to God accordingly. Parents should continue in every way possible to help, encourage, and guide their children, but they should recognize clearly the basic change in accountability that has occurred.

Department of the Secretariat

(Baha’i Library Online)

Pioneering, Language, Arts, Example of 'Abdu'l-Bahá

10 February 1998

Dear Bahá'í Friend,

Your email letter of 5 July 1997 posing a number of questions about the Bahá'í teachings and practices has been received by the Universal House of Justice, as was your follow-up email of 28 October 1997. We are to respond as follows. Kindly accept our apologies for the delay in responding, occasioned by pressures of work at the Bahá'í World Centre. Our answers appear in the same order as your questions were originally posed.

Pioneering

Whether to remain in North America or to pioneer internationally is a question, as explained in our letter to you of 4 September 1994, that ultimately only you can decide, in light of the current needs of the Faith and your own capacities, possibilities and responsibilities. If it is not timely for you yourself to travel abroad, then you may wish to consider deputizing someone to do so on your behalf. Another alternative could be to contribute funds towards the deputization of a teacher at a permanent training institute, as suggested by the House of Justice in its 1996 Ridvan message and also in its 6 August 1996 letter addressed to the Bahá'ís of the world.

Serving one’s parents vs. serving the Faith

Regarding the precedence to be assigned to serving the Faith as a pioneer versus one's responsibilities to one's parents, it is for the individual to judge, assisted if necessary through consultation with his Local Spiritual Assembly or with friends whose maturity and judgement he trusts. A key point would be the extent to which his parents actually have substantial need of his immediate presence and support. As you know, Bahá'u'lláh assigned great importance to serving one's parents. It would of course be highly meritorious if both could be harmonized.

Serving where the need is greatest

With regard to identifying areas of greatest need, as you are no doubt aware, there are innumerable pressing needs both in the United States and abroad. Your National Spiritual Assembly, for example, recently issued a call to establish Local Spiritual Assemblies in all cities with a population of 100,000 or more. The depth of one's commitment and willingness to serve are vitally important and these qualities can find application and expression almost anywhere where the workers are few.