10 April 1998
To National Spiritual Assemblies in the Americas
Further to our message to all National Spiritual Assemblies about the passing of Mrs. Florence Mayberry, we request you to arrange befitting memorial meetings across your communities to honor her memory. Special meetings should be held in the Houses of Worship in Wilmette and Panama City for the same purpose.
The Universal House of Justice
(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)
9 April 1998
To all National Spiritual Assemblies
DEEPLY SADDENED LOSS OUTSTANDING STAUNCH PROMOTER FAITH FLORENCE MAYBERRY. HER TIRELESS INSPIRED SERVICES, LOCAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL, IN BOTH TEACHING AND ADMINISTRATIVE FIELDS, SPANNING OVER FORTY YEARS, CROWNED BY UNFORGETTABLE DECADE AS COUNSELOR MEMBER INTERNATIONAL TEACHING CENTER. VALIANT DEFENSE COVENANT, UNFLAGGING EFFORTS BLAZON NAME CAUSE, INTREPID FARFLUNG TRAVELS DISTINGUISH HER SPLENDID RECORD ACHIEVEMENTS. ASSURE FERVENT PRAYERS PROGRESS HER LUMINOUS SPIRIT CONFIDENT BOUNTIFUL REWARDS ABHÁ KINGDOM.
THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
(‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001’)
26 March 1998
To all National Spiritual Assemblies
HEARTS HEAVY WITH SORROW AT PROFOUND LOSS TO BAHÁ Í WORLD OF HUGH E. CHANCE, OUR DEARLY LOVED FORMER COLLEAGUE, STAUNCH, FAR-SIGHTED SUPPORTER CAUSE BAHÁ’ULLÁH. CONSTANT OPTIMISM, ADAMANTINE FAITH, INDOMITABLE WILL CHARACTERIZED HIS NOTABLE THREE-DECADE-LONG SERVICES AS MEMBER UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE SUBSEQUENT TO HIS MEMBERSHIP NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY UNITED STATES. HIS MANIFOLD CONTRIBUTIONS ORGANIZATION WORLD CENTER FAITH, HIS UNTIRING EFFORTS PROMOTE INTERESTS CAUSE ESPECIALLY FAR EAST ASIAN AND PACIFIC REGIONS, HIS VIGOROUS ASSISTANCE DEVELOPMENT EXTERNAL AFFAIRS ACTIVITIES BAHÁÍ INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HAVE LEFT IMPERISHABLE RECORD ACHIEVEMENTS. SUPPLICATING ARDENTLY HOLY THRESHOLD THAT HIS NOBLE SOUL MAY REAP RICH REWARDS ABHÁ KINGDOM, THAT HE MAY BE JOYOUSLY REUNITED HIS BELOVED WIFE MARGARET, THAT HEARTS HIS DEAR DAUGHTER AND OTHER MEMBERS FAMILY MAY BE SOLACED.
ADVISE HOLD MEMORIAL GATHERINGS IN HIS HONOR ALL HOUSES WORSHIP AND THROUGHOUT BAHÁÍ COMMUNITY.
THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)
4 March 1998
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United
States
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
The Universal House of Justice has received your letter . . . inquiring about your review of music and special materials. ... . We are to convey the following reply.
The memorandum on Bahá’í publishing dated Ridván 1971, which the House of Justice sent to National Spiritual Assemblies, states that
“At this early stage of the Cause all works by Baha’is which
deal with the Faith, whether in the form of books, pamphlets, translations,
poems, songs, radio and television scripts, films, recordings, etc. must be
approved before submission for publication, whether to a Bahá’í or non-Bahá’í
publisher. In the case of material for purely local consumption the competent
authority is the Local Spiritual Assembly, otherwise the National Spiritual
Assembly (through its Reviewing Committee) is the approving authority.”
The obligation, as indicated in this statement, of Spiritual Assemblies to ensure the appropriateness of books, music and other items intended for dissemination in the interests of the Faith remains unchanged for the time being; but it will have to be carried out with flexibility in the light of changing circumstances. The House of Justice recognizes that the volume and variety of materials being created have greatly increased with the growth in size of the Baha’i community and the rapid advance and ease of use of communication and other technologies.
20 February 1998
To all National Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
Since the commencement of the Four Year Plan we have been greatly encouraged by the steady expansion of the Faith in many regions of the world and by the ongoing maturation of Bahá’í communities everywhere, and it is with joyful hearts that we announce the establishment next May of three new National Spiritual Assemblies and the reestablishment of another National Assembly:
The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Sabah with its seat in Kota Kinabalu, whose inaugural National Convention is being organized by the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Malaysia.
The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Sarawak with its seat in Kuching, whose inaugural National Convention is being organized by the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Malaysia.
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Slovakia with its seat in Bratislava, whose inaugural National Convention is being organized by the Regional Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Czech and Slovak Republics.
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Liberia, which circumstances have prevented from being reestablished since 1992, with its seat in Monrovia and its National Convention being organized by the Bahá’í Administrative Committee of Liberia.
The Regional Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Czech and Slovak Republics, with its seat in Prague, will become the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Czech Republic.
At this critical stage in human history, it is our hope that Baha’is everywhere will be inspired by the continuing development of the Administrative Order in these countries and territories. May the friends in every land recognize the opportunities that lie before them, and may they arise to teach the Cause of God with enthusiasm and love.
With loving Baha’i greetings,
The Universal House of Justice
(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)
17 February 1998
To a Local Spiritual Assembly
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
The Universal House of Justice has received your email of 8 January 1998 in which you forwarded a question from one of the members of your Bahá’í community . . . regarding the recourse of the friends when they believe an Assembly has made an error. We are to reply as follows.
First, it is important to consider the unique nature of the Bahá'í Administrative Order, and the responsibilities of the individuals and the institutions within it. As...is no doubt aware, in the Bahá'í system, the individual votes for the members of the Spiritual Assembly with the understanding that she or he is free to choose without any interference whomever his conscience prompts him to select, and freely accepts the authority of the outcome. Submission of the believers to the decisions of the Assembly is essential to the achievement and maintenance of unity within the community. In the act of voting, the individual subscribes to a covenant by which the orderliness of society is upheld. The Assembly has the responsibility to guide, direct and decide on community affairs and the right to be obeyed and supported by members of the community. The individual has the responsibility to establish and maintain the Assembly through election, the offering of advice, moral support and material assistance; and he has the right to be heard by it, to receive its guidance and assistance, and to appeal any Assembly decision which he conscientiously feels is unjust or detrimental to the community.
Concerning the accountability of the Spiritual Assemblies, the Guardian in ‘God Passes By’ (p. 331) wrote that the Assemblies are "invested with an authority rendering them unanswerable for their acts and decisions to those who elect them," and that they are "solemnly pledged to follow, under all conditions, the dictates of the ‘Most Great Justice' that can alone usher in the reign of the ‘Most Great Peace' which Bahá'u'lláh has proclaimed and must ultimately establish." The Assemblies are therefore responsible to God rather than to those who elect them.
18 August 1997
To all National Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
It is with much sadness that the Universal House of Justice has received the disturbing news that two more believers in Iran have been killed because of their Faith. While you may share this information with your community, no action should be taken at this time to publicize it in the media.
Mr. Masha’llah Enayati (Mashá’lláh ‘Ináyatí), a 63-year-old Bahá’í resident of Tihrán, who was well known for having constantly taught the Faith in a bold and zealous manner, died on 4 July 1997 after being severely beaten while in custody. During a visit to his native village of Ardistán to attend the meeting held to commemorate the anniversary of the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, Mr. Enayati was arrested in circumstances which are not clear. He was taken to prison in Isfahán, where he was severely beaten on all parts of the body. It appears that he was held in prison for about a week before being taken to a hospital. His daughter, who lives in Australia, was in Iran at the time and visited her father in the hospital, where he was still under armed guard, though it was only a minor matter for which he had been arrested. She witnessed the effects of the beating, including visible bruising all over his body and especially on his hands, which were black from his injuries. She reports that he was in good health before his arrest. Mr. Enayati passed away in the hospital. The Friends in Iran have added that Mr. Enayati’s death certificate is worded in a most unusual way, suggesting that the doctor may himself have been under threat and thereby pressured to falsify the certificate. Under "cause of death" is entered, "Will be known later," in the handwriting of the doctor.
11 August 1997
To National Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
In our letter of 10 October 1994 conveying a paper on the external affairs strategy approved by the Universal House of Justice, we were instructed to say that the coordination of the external affairs work would be effected through close collaboration between National Spiritual Assemblies and the Bahá’í International Community’s United Nations Office and Office of Public Information, and we also indicated that it would take some time before these Offices would be prepared to initiate communications with you concerning the details of the plans to be pursued. Our purpose in writing to you now is to say that the United Nations Office will shortly launch its first coordinated program of diplomatic work in accordance with the strategy. The program will be concerned with human rights education. In anticipation of this initial effort, the House of Justice wishes us to convey the following.
As you know, the external affairs work falls into two main categories: diplomatic and public information. The emphasis of the United Nations Office, as distinct from that of the Office of Public Information, will be on the plans to be executed by your Assemblies towards building effective relations with your governments and influencing official attitudes and policies on matters of global, rather than of strictly national, importance. The efforts thus required necessitate the exercise of skills and approaches similar to those employed in the campaign to defend our persecuted coreligionists in Iran and other countries. The obvious difference with the external affairs strategy is that your concentration will be on promoting the interests of society as a whole and not on calling attention to a need to assist the Bahá'í community.
30 May 1997
The Formation of Regional Bahá'í Councils
The Characteristic Features of Regional Baha’i Councils
30 May 1997
To National Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
The expansion of the Baha’i community and the growing complexity of the issues which are facing National Spiritual Assemblies in certain countries have brought the Cause to a new stage in its development. They have caused us in recent years to examine various aspects of the balance between centralization and decentralization. In a few countries we have authorized the National Spiritual Assemblies to establish State Baha’i Councils or Regional Teaching and Administrative Committees. From the experience gained in the operation of these bodies, and from detailed examination of the principles set forth by Shoghi Effendi, we have reached the conclusion that the time has arrived for us to formalize a new element of Baha’i administration, between the local and national levels, comprising institutions of a special kind, to be designated as “Regional Baha’i Councils.”
Regional Bahá’í Councils will be brought into being only with our permission and only in countries where conditions make this step necessary. Nevertheless, we find it desirable to inform all National Spiritual Assemblies of the nature of this historic development, and to make clear its place in the evolution of national and local Baha’i institutions.
The institutions of the Administrative Order of Bahá'u'lláh, rooted in the provisions of His Revelation, have emerged gradually and organically, as the Bahá’í community has grown through the power of the divine impulse imparted to humankind in this age. The characteristics and functions of each of these institutions have evolved, and are still evolving, as are the relationships between them. The writings of the beloved Guardian expound the fundamental elements of this mighty System and make it clear that the Administrative Order, although different in many ways from the World Order which it is the destiny of the Baha’i Revelation to call into being, is both the “nucleus” and “pattern” of that World Order. Thus, the evolution of the institutions of the Administrative Order, while following many variants to meet changing conditions in different times and places, should strictly follow the essential principles of Bahá’í administration which have been laid down in the Sacred Text and in the interpretations provided by Abdu’l-Bahá and the Guardian.
30 March 1997
To all National Spiritual Assemblies in Africa
Dear Baha’i Friends,
Ever since the launching of the Four Year Plan, the Universal House of Justice has noted, with deep satisfaction, the manner in which Baha’i institutions and communities of the African continent have welcomed the spirit and letter of the broad lines of activity set forth in the Plan, and have particularly taken to heart its Ridván message for 153 B.E. to the followers of Bahá’u’lláh in Africa. As a supplement to that message, the Universal House of Justice wishes to convey the following comments to your National Spiritual Assemblies, and through you, to the body of believers in that continent.
The development of the teaching work in Africa has always been characterized by the receptiveness with which the truths of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh have been accepted and valued by the peoples of that vast continent, by the joy stemming from the pure hearts of the African believers as reflected in their radiant faces, and by their growing maturity in appreciating the importance of adherence to Bahá’í laws and ordinances.
One of these ordinances is the clear prohibition in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh of the consumption of alcoholic drinks. This has been explicitly revealed in His Most Holy Book, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. He states, “It is inadmissible that man, who hath been endowed with reason, should consume that which stealeth it away. Nay, rather it behooveth him to comport himself in a manner worthy of the human station, and not in accordance with the misdeeds of every heedless and wavering soul.” In other Tablets, we read from His glorious Pen, “Beware lest ye exchange the Wine of God for your own wine, for it will stupefy your minds, and turn your faces away from the Countenance of God, the All-Glorious, the Peerless, the Inaccessible. Approach it not, for it hath been forbidden unto you by the behest of God, the Exalted, the Almighty.”
24 March 1997
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Cote
d’Ivoire
Dear Baha’i Friends,
The Universal House of Justice has received your faxed letter dated 21 February 1997 in which you raise various questions about the use of music and dance at Bahá’í Centers and we have been asked to respond as follows.
As you may know, in many parts of the world there are certain tribal and traditional dances which are performed in glorification of God, and it is perfectly acceptable for a prayer to be interpreted in the form of movement or dance. However, to avoid that such expressions of prayer become gradually ritualized, or that certain gestures and movements become habitual accompaniments to prayers, it is preferable that they not accompany the reciting of words of the prayers. Through the revealed prayers, we seek communion with God, hence they must be offered with the utmost reverence and dignity. Each individual Bahá’í should be free to pray as he wishes, for there is no set form for prayer except for those few which have special instructions for observance upon their recitation.
17 March 1997
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of New
Zealand
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
The Universal House of Justice has received your letter of 24 January 1997 and has asked us to respond as follows.
The House of Justice commends you for the careful thought you have given to the issues raised about the relationship between the institutions of the Faith and those business enterprises which appear to be helpful in the attainment of Bahá’í objectives. Your account of the present understanding of the National Spiritual Assembly indicates that you are in a good position to offer suitable guidance to any believers who have concerns over these matters.
In drawing attention to private businesses set up by believers, and in encouraging the Baha’is to give serious consideration to availing themselves of such services, a National Assembly should not be regarded as endorsing these businesses, if that is understood to imply some form of guarantee about the efficacy of the service provided by any such business. The analogy of the books produced by Bahá’í publishers used in your letter is quite apt; in publicizing a book or article from such a publisher, there is no implicit assurance that the document is free from error or even that the National Assembly is entirely in agreement with every point made therein. However the National Assembly can well conclude that the product of a business conducted by Baha’is (or even non-Bahá'ís) is useful in the advancement of the interests of the Faith and can properly decide to convey information about it to the believers.
11 March 1997
To all National Spiritual Assemblies
With joyful and thankful hearts we announce the successful acquisition after many years of difficult negotiations and the subsequent demolition a few days ago of the building which stood as the last obstacle to the completion of the first two terraces of the Shrine of the Báb at the foot of Mount Carmel.
The Universal House of Justice
(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)
6 March 1997
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Canada
Dear Baha’i Friends,
We have been asked by the Universal House of Justice to respond as follows to your email message of 14 February 1997 on the subject of “Clarification on role of Continental Counselors in international pioneering and traveling teaching.”
As was indicated in the 27 June 1993 letter from the House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the World, reference to which was made in your own letter, the launching of the Three Year Plan marked the beginning of a new stage in the administration of the international pioneering work. The implications were spelled out further in a letter of 30 June 1993, written on behalf of the House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies:
“As the friends respond to the pioneer call, the National Spiritual Assemblies and their appropriate agencies will, of course, exert their utmost to offer the administrative support to facilitate their move. However, the approach adopted for the Three Year Plan should free the institutions from the pressure of filling specific goals and allow them to focus their energies on the spiritual preparation of the friends for this vital field of service.”
12 February 1997
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Australia
We convey our warmest greetings to the friends from Australia, Japan and other countries of the Pacific who have come together at the Seminar on the Spiritual Axis being held in Sydney under the auspices of the National Spiritual Assemblies of Australia and Japan.
This meeting is being convened at a time when the creative energies released by Bahá'u'lláh are giving rise to fundamental changes in the condition of humanity in your region, breaking down age-old barriers to the spread of the Faith and propelling the believers forward to gather the harvest from seeds sown as long ago as the concluding years of the Apostolic Age of the Cause.
The spiritual axis with which your deliberations will be concerned lies in an area of great strategic value to the future progress of the Faith. It is positioned at the interface between the largest and most populous land mass in the world and an ocean extending over no less than one third of diverse cultures. Sustained pursuit of the teaching work will not only immensely reinforce the human resources available to the Cause, but will also, in due course, attract worldwide attention to the Faith through the influence of the Teachings on the peoples of the small island nations of the Pacific.
It is our hope that, at this meeting, you will consolidate the basis for collaboration in the years and decades ahead through consultation on the challenges and opportunities which now lie before you, and through further reinforcement of the bonds of love and fellowship which unite you in your services to the Faith. By the formulation of plans for cooperative endeavors aimed at strengthening the national communities of this region and fulfilling the needs of the Four Year Plan, you can lay the foundation for dazzling victories in the future.
Our prayers will be offered in the Holy Shrines for the success of your consultations.
The Universal House of Justice
(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)
6 February 1997
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Canada
PROFOUNDLY GRIEVED PASSING DEARLY LOVED SERVANT FAITH, HUSHANG AHDIEH. HIS INDEFATIGABLE PIONEER SERVICES AFRICA, INCLUDING OVER TWO DECADES MEMBERSHIP CONTINENTAL BOARD COUNSELORS THAT CONTINENT, AND TRUSTEE ITS FUND UNFORGETTABLE HIS SELF-EFFACEMENT. HIS CAPACITY PROMOTE CONCORD, AND HIS WISDOM COMBINED WITH LOVE EXEMPLIFIED IN DISCHARGE HIS SACRED RESPONSIBILITIES WILL REMAIN SOURCE INSPIRATIONS HIS COLLEAGUES AND FELLOW WORKERS GOD’S HOLY CAUSE.
CONVEY HIS BELOVED WIFE AND DEAR CHILDREN DEEPEST SYMPATHY
AND ASSURANCE OUR FERVENT PRAYERS IN HOLY SHRINES PROGRESS HIS RADIANT SOUL
ABHA KINGDOM.
ADVISING NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY UGANDA HOLD MEMORIAL GATHERING HIS HONOR IN HOUSE WORSHIP KAMPALA. AND NATIONAL ASSEMBLIES THROUGHOUT AFRICA HOLD BEFITTING GATHERINGS THEIR COMMUNITIES.
THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)
4 February 1997
To National Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
With the Four Year Plan successfully launched and the believers in all parts of the world engaged in the energetic pursuit of its objectives, the Universal House of Justice has decided that it is timely to inform you of the state of the international funds of the Faith. We have been asked to convey the following to you.
As you are well aware, the major focus of attention for the past several years has been the Arc Projects Fund, with the friends summoned to provide financial support for the largest project ever undertaken by the worldwide Bahá’í community. The response of the followers of Bahá’u’lláh in every part of the planet has been magnificent, resulting in a sacrificial outpouring of contributions of a magnitude far beyond that ever previously achieved. The House of Justice was pleased to be able to announce in its Ridván 1996 message the accomplishment of the Three Year Plan goal of 74 million U.S. dollars for that Fund.
It appears that the contribution of ten million dollars each year until the end of the century for the Arc Projects Fund, now being made by the believers in response to the call of the House of Justice set out in its letter of 20 June 1995, will be sufficient to meet the needs for completion of this enterprise, although there always remains the possibility of unforeseen disturbances in the years ahead modifying this projection. The planning and execution of the vast undertaking on Mount Carmel is being carried out with careful attention to economy, without compromising the high standards of construction befitting the edifices and terraces on the Mountain of God.
31 January 1997
To National Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Bahá'í Friends,
In recent years advertisements have occasionally appeared in newspapers in various countries, placed by the Covenant-breaker Joel Bray Marangella, seeking to revive his claim to be the "third Guardian of the Faith." This activity could provoke questions among the friends, especially those unfamiliar with the developments associated with the actions of Mason Remey, who broke the Covenant by proclaiming himself the successor to Shoghi Effendi as Guardian. The Universal House of Justice has therefore directed us to send you a copy of a document containing background information on these developments, entitled "Mason Remey and Those Who Followed Him", which was prepared for its files some years ago. You are free to use it now or in the future, in any manner circumstances may require, to provide the friends with the facts it contains.
With loving Bahá'í greetings,
For Department of the Secretariat
Enclosure
cc: The Hands of the Cause of God
International
Teaching Centre
Continental
Counsellors
(Baha’i Library Online)
Mason Remey and those who followed him
28 January 1997
To selected National Spiritual Assemblies
The Universal House of Justice has received the disturbing news from Iran that Mr. Dhabíhu’lláh Mahramí and Mr. Músá Tálibí, both of whom had been condemned to death for apostasy and had appealed against their unjust sentences, have been notified that the Supreme Court of Iran has confirmed the death sentences imposed by the Revolutionary Courts.
This news was received by relatives of Mr. Mahramí and Mr. Tálibí during prison visits. It has been the practice of the Iranian authorities to convey verdicts orally to prisoners, and not to give them a copy of the actual text of the court decision.
A worrying development is that Mr. Tálibí, until now in prison in Isfahán, has been transferred to the notorious Evin Prison in Tihrán. Similarly, Mr. Mahramí has been moved within Yazd, from the prison of the Revolutionary Court to that of the Security and Information Department. . . .
Our letters of 2 April 1996 and 27 September 1996 give details of the cases of Mr. Mahramí and Mr. Tálibí respectively, and the update on the situation in Iran sent by the United Nations Office of the Bahá’í International Community earlier this month provides further information. We have recently received the following personal details from the Friends in Iran. Mr. Mahramí is married and has four children, three daughters, two married and one unmarried, and one unmarried son; Mr. Tálibí is in his mid sixties, is married and has a family of adult children, two of whom live in Canada, one in Australia and the others in the family’s home town of Víláshahr, Ifahán.
There are two more Bahá’ís presently under the death sentence in Iran because of their beliefs, Mr. Kayván Khalajábádí and Mr. Bihnám Mítháqí, who were first arrested in 1989, and have been kept in prison in suspense since that time.
Department of the Secretariat
(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)
28 October 1996
To the National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies in Europe
Dear Baha’i Friends,
The Universal House of Justice has asked us to inform you all of the outstanding achievement recently accomplished by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of France: the acquisition for the Cause of God of the apartment at 4, Avenue de Camoens in Paris in which ‘Abdu'l-Bahá stayed during His historic visit to the city.
This marks the first step in the acquisition of sites sanctified by the residence of the Master in the cities of Europe during the three visits He made to that continent, between 1911 and 1913, for the purpose of spreading the Message of Bahá'u'lláh, sites which are second only in holiness to those places in Istanbul and Edirne where the Manifestation of God Himself blessed the soil of the European continent.
With loving Baha’i greetings,
For Department of the Secretariat
(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)
16 September 1996
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Austria
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
The Universal House of Justice was very pleased to receive your letter of 30 July 1996 enclosing the announcement to all the friends in Austria of the goals you have adopted for the Four Year Plan. The clarity with which you have set them forth and your emphasis on the respective responsibilities of the institutions, the communities and the individual believers should greatly assist the friends in acquiring a vision of what is to be achieved, and their own part in the work.
You may still find that some believers have difficulty in accurately comprehending the concept of entry by troops. It may help you, when you encounter such problems, to stress the point made by the Universal House of Justice in its various messages, namely that arriving at the point of entry by troops, and then fostering it, is a process. It is the advancement of this process that is the goal of the Four Year Plan, and the exact steps to be taken in each area will depend upon how far the process has already developed by now. An essential element of the process is the preparation of the Baha’i communities and individual believers and their training in the knowledge, not only of how to prayerfully attract receptive souls and to bring entry by troops about but, equally important, how to consolidate the gains so that it becomes an enduring development. No doubt you have this aspect of the Plan clearly in mind in the goal of establishing training institutes, which you have assigned to your own Assembly, and in which the Counselor and Auxiliary Board members will closely collaborate with you.
22 August 1996
To all National Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Baha’i Friends,
It is with feelings of deep gratitude to Bahá’u’lláh that we share with the Baha’i world the news of a historic event which has just transpired in Brazil. As representative of the Baha’i World Center, the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khanum attended, as honored guest, a special session of the Brazilian Federal Chamber of Deputies called for the purpose of marking the 75th anniversary of the introduction of the Baha’i Faith into that country. Glowing tribute was paid to the life and work of Amatu’l-Bahá herself, as a defender of the cause of world peace and unity, an advocate of the interests of indigenous peoples, and a promoter of the social development of the earth’s inhabitants and the safeguarding of the environment.
The session was attended by 90 Federal Deputies and was reported by both the press and the broadcast media. The addresses of the 14 Deputies who spoke included many appreciations of both the principles of the Faith and the benefits that their application has already brought to many localities in the country. Highly gratifying, too, was the recognition expressed of the role of Leonora Holsapple Armstrong, the Baha’i pioneer through whose sacrificial efforts the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh was established in Brazil.
17 July 1996
To a National Spiritual Assembly
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
Your email message of 24 June 1996… regarding the distinction between maturation of Baha’i institutions and of the members of those institutions, was forwarded to the Universal House of Justice, which has asked us to reply as follows.
Maturation should be regarded as a process of evolution which is destined to lead to the stage when the institutions become developed and capable of accomplishing the great tasks assigned them for achieving the ultimate unfoldment of the Baha’i World Order.
There is, of course, a close link between the maturation of the individual members and that of the institutions. While the process of evolution which maturation entails is equally applicable to individuals, it should be remembered that even when all members may be highly developed in terms of Baha’i virtues and spiritual qualities, the collective entity itself needs time to evolve and achieve maturity as an institution. This evolutionary process requires the unwavering support of individuals through considerable courage and vigilance in demonstrating their love, respect and trust for the institutions, as well as loyal obedience to the decisions made by them.
Shoghi Effendi stated, in a letter written on his behalf to an individual believer, that difficulties and evidences of immaturity seem to be an inevitable phase in the growth of the Bahá’í Administration, which is so much more perfect than the believers called upon to establish it.
We hope that the above thoughts will be helpful to you in obtaining the enlightenment sought by your Assembly on this important subject.
With loving Baha’i greetings,
Department of the Secretariat
(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)
15 February 1996
To all National Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Baha’i Friends,
We take great joy in announcing the formation next Ridván of two new National Spiritual Assemblies, one in Africa and one in Europe:
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Sao Tomé and Príncipe with its seat in São Tomé, whose inaugural National Convention is being organized by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Nigeria.
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Moldova with its seat in Chisinau, whose inaugural National Convention is being organized by the Regional Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Ukraine and Moldova.
The Regional Spiritual Assembly of the Ukraine and Moldova with its seat in Kiev will become the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Ukraine.
We are delighted by these further evidences of the extension of the institutions of Bahá’u’lláh’s Administrative Order as the conclusion of the Three Year Plan approaches. May the friends throughout the world derive fresh impetus from these developments and, with confidence in the assurance of Bahá’u’lláhs confirmations and assistance, concentrate their energies on spreading His redemptive Message.
With loving Baha’i greetings.
The Universal House of Justice
(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)