| About this document (click for more) Notes: Mirrored with permission from homestead.com/watsongregory/files/GlenfordMitchell.htm. The following is a transcript of Universal House of Justice member Glenford Mitchell October 11, 2001 talk at the Bahá'í Unity Center in Atlanta, which was prepared by Raymond Jeffords. (Raymond and Greg Watson have added some of the topic headers and emphasis indicators as well as the page references and extended quotes to which Mr. Mitchell referred. Additionally, there are supplemental quotes added, at the end, with respect to the role of the Universal House of Justice and the Bahá'í Community in the establishment of the Lessor Peace.
Classified in Notable Talks |
Time of Peril, Prospects for Peace
by Glenford Mitchell
2001-10-11
Atlanta Bahá'í Unity Center
Loving greetings from the Universal House of Justice. You should
feel embraced by the Universal House of Justice. That is the only "official"
thing you will hear from me-take all the rest with "a block of salt."
Time of Peril -- Prospects for Peace
We are living in a time of peril, with prospects for peace.
Today a memorial service was held in Washington, D.C., to mark one month
of sorrow related to the events in New York. Shoghi Effendi alerted us
to the perils and prospects for peace and related it to the simultaneous
processes of integration and disintegration, of order and chaos, which
characterize the plan of God. We are witnessing an acceleration of those
processes. They can be alarmingly distressing or greatly encouraging.
Only last May the spiritual and administrative center of the
Faith suddenly and dramatically emerged from obscurity. This was preceded
by the U.N. Millennium Summit. But then came "the horror in New York."
This catastrophe was a wake-up call that conveys both a warning and a promise.
Bahá'u'lláh states in the Hidden Words:
"My calamity is My providence, outwardly
it is fire and vengeance, but inwardly it is light and mercy. Hasten thereunto
that thou mayest become an eternal light and an immortal spirit. This is
My command unto thee, do thou observe it."
The Beloved Guardian prepared us well for developments within
and outside the Faith. His essays in the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh give
us tremendous perspective. The Advent of Divine Justice (issued only a
year into the first Seven Year Plan) serves as a guide for the Most Great
Peace.
Re-read The Unfoldment of World Civilization in the
World
Order of Bahá'u'lláh.
Two conditions currently afflict the life of the planet:
1) the decline of religion, and
2) a lack of unity.
Shoghi Effendi's summary of the consequences of this
are extraordinary:
"The recrudescence of religious intolerance,
of racial animosity, and of patriotic arrogance; the increasing evidences
of selfishness, of suspicion, of fear and of fraud; the spread of terrorism,
of lawlessness, of drunkenness and of crime; the unquenchable thirst for,
and the feverish pursuit after, earthly vanities, riches and pleasures;
the weakening of family solidarity; the laxity in parental control; the
lapse into luxurious indulgence; the irresponsible attitude towards marriage
and the consequent rising tide of divorce; the degeneracy of art and music,
the infection of literature, and the corruption of the press; the extension
of the influence and activities of those "prophets of decadence" who advocate
companionate marriage, who preach the philosophy of nudism, who call modesty
an intellectual fiction, who refuse to regard the procreation of children
as the sacred and primary purpose of marriage, who denounce religion as
an opiate of the people, who would, if given free rein, lead back the human
race to barbarism, chaos, and ultimate extinction -- these appear as the
outstanding characteristics of a decadent society, a society that must
either be reborn or perish." (WOB 186-188)
The reference to "the spread of terrorism" is especially
significant now. Shoghi Effendi wrote of terrorism in 1936 before anyone
could imagine what he was foretelling.
The Weakening of the Pillars of Religion
Shoghi Effendi said:
"There can be no doubt that the decline
of religion as a social force, of which the deterioration of religious
institutions is but an external phenomenon, is chiefly responsible for
so grave, so conspicuous an evil. "Religion," writes Bahá'u'lláh "is the
greatest of all means for the establishment of order in the world and for
the peaceful contentment of all that dwell therein. The weakening of the
pillars of religion hath strengthened the hands of the ignorant and made
them bold and arrogant. Verily I say, whatsoever hath lowered the lofty
station of religion hath increased the waywardness of the wicked, and the
result cannot be but anarchy."
"Religion," He, in another Tablet, has
stated, "is a radiant light and an impregnable stronghold for the protection
and welfare of the peoples of the world, for the fear of God impelleth
man to hold fast to that which is good, and shun all evil. Should the lamp
of religion be obscured, chaos and confusion will ensue, and the lights
of fairness, of justice, of tranquillity and peace cease to shine."
(WOB 186-188)
UNITY
Bahá'ís have a different view of religion compared to others.
It is not a going-to-church-on-Sunday view of religion. It is every minute,
every hour -- a lifetime affair. It is based on the recognition of one
God and one religion and one human race, full of diversity but all descended
from the same stock. Unity is at the center of this Faith.
"O ye children of men! The fundamental
purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the
interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit
of love and fellowship amongst men." (Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh,112)
This is the straight path. Shoghi Effendi wrote:
"The unity of the human race, as envisaged
by Bahá'u'lláh implies the establishment of a world commonwealth in which
all nations, races, creeds and classes are closely and permanently united,
and in which the autonomy of its state members and the personal freedom
and initiative of the individuals that compose them are definitely and
completely safeguarded." (WOB 203)
Lesser Peace and the Most Great Peace -- The Little Job
and the Big Job: Who works on Each?
Getting from "here to there," from "now to then" is the great
challenge facing the human race. How are we to meet this challenge? In
1863, after announcing His mission to His followers, Bahá'u'lláh addressed
the kings and rulers. He offered them the Most Great Peace "on a platter."
All they had to do was accept. All ignored or refused His offer. He then
told them to cling to the Lesser Peace -- a term never heard before Bahá'u'lláh
spoke of it.
The Lesser Peace involves the elimination of the excessive
burden of taxation that governments place on their peoples to finance weapons
of war. The Lesser Peace involves the elimination of war. These matters
are the responsibility of governments. The Most Great Peace is "an inner
thing." It has to do with the heart and soul -- an inner spiritual transformation
of individuals. This is directly related to the efforts of the Bahá'í community.
This is the big job.
Bahá'u'lláh left the lesser job to governmental leaders. Regarding
the Lesser and Most Great Peace, the passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá marks the
beginning of the formative age (the age of transition from the old to the
new world order) -- a time devoted to the publication and gradual enforcement
of the Aqdas, the establishment of the Lesser Peace, and the release of
the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh from the grip of religious orthodoxy (in places
like Iran and Egypt) -- on the road to the Most Great Peace. The U.S. and
the U.S. Bahá'í community have a special role to play.
Mission Given to the American Bahá'í Community.
In "Challenging Requirements of the Present
Hour" (Citadel of Faith, p. 4) Shoghi Effendi refers to mission
given to the American Bahá'í community:
"The God-given mission, constituting
the birthright, and proclaiming the primacy of a community whose members
the Founder of that community, the Center of the Covenant Himself, has
addressed as the 'Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh' can only be fulfilled if they
befittingly obey the specific Mandate issued by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in His Tablets
of the Divine Plan." (see Citadel of Faith, 67-71)
In one of his letters, Shoghi Effendi says that Bahá'u'lláh
used to speak of America to His followers.
There is a distinction between "Administrative Order" and "world
order." America's responsibilities in regard to the Administrative Order
date back to 1916-17 and The Tablets of the Divine Plan. The American government's
role with regard to world order is evident during the same time period.
Woodrow Wilson's 14 points were inspired by 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablets of the
Divine Plan. Wilson's efforts are described in the Bahá'í Writings as the
dawn of the Most Great Peace. Such efforts will ultimately lead to the
unification of the eastern and western hemispheres.
Why is America singled out for this role?
'Abdu'l-Bahá spent 239 days in North America visiting numerous
cities, some twice. Even before His visit, Bahá'u'lláh had addressed the
Rulers of America -- but His Tablet to the Rulers of America [Aqdas, p.
88] was "different in tone" than those sent to others. It gave a mission
to the rulers of America. This tablet, and the visit of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and
The Tablets of the Divine Plan -- these have invested this part of the
world with a special mission.
Shoghi Effendi, in The Advent of Divine Justice, provides us
with 10 pages of quotes from Bahá'u'lláh (pages 75-84),
"each having a direct bearing on the
tasks which actually face or lie ahead of the American Bahá'í community."
They can aid us to understand the events of September 11, 2001.
If ever you are down or depressed, you should read these quotes. They will
renew your spirit. At the end of these quotes, Shoghi Effendi says:
"One more word in conclusion. Among some
of the most momentous and thought-provoking pronouncements ever made by
'Abdu'l-Bahá, in the course of His epoch-making travels in the North American
continent, are the following: "May this American Democracy be the first
nation to establish the foundation of international agreement. May it be
the first nation to proclaim the unity of mankind. May it be the first
to unfurl the Standard of the Most Great Peace." And again: "The American
people are indeed worthy of being the first to build the Tabernacle of
the Great Peace, and proclaim the oneness of mankind.... For America hath
developed powers and capacities greater and more wonderful than other nations....
The American nation is equipped and empowered to accomplish that which
will adorn the pages of history, to become the envy of the world, and be
blest in both the East and the West for the triumph of its people. ...The
American continent gives signs and evidences of very great advancement.
Its future is even more promising, for its influence and illumination are
far-reaching. It will lead all nations spiritually." (ADJ 72)
Continuing in The Advent of Divine Justice (72-73), Shoghi
Effendi writes:
"The creative energies, mysteriously
generated by the first stirrings of the embryonic World Order of Bahá'u'lláh
have, as soon as released within a nation destined to become its cradle
and champion, endowed that nation with the worthiness, and invested it
with the powers and capacities, and equipped it spiritually, to play the
part foreshadowed in these prophetic words. The potencies which this God-given
mission has infused into its people are, on the one hand, beginning to
be manifested through the conscious efforts and the nationwide accomplishments,
in both the teaching and administrative spheres of Bahá'í activity, of
the organized community of the followers of Bahá'u'lláh in the North American
continent. These same potencies, apart from, yet collateral with these
efforts and accomplishments, are, on the other hand, insensibly
shaping, under the impact of the world political and economic forces, the
destiny of that nation, and are influencing the lives and actions of both
its government and its people." [emphasis added]
Notice the word "insensibly."
This is a very deep statement of Shoghi Effendi.
Shoghi Effendi continues:
"For no matter how ignorant of the Source
from which those directing energies proceed, and however slow and laborious
the process, it is becoming increasingly evident that the nation as a whole,
whether through the agency of its government or otherwise, is gravitating,
under the influence of forces that it can neither comprehend nor control,
towards such associations and policies, wherein, as indicated by 'Abdu'l-Bahá
her true destiny must lie." (ADJ 73) [Italics and emphasis added.]
America has regularly imagined it could live in isolation from
the world. George Washington said that this country should not become entangled
in the affairs of other nations. But Shoghi Effendi says the world is shrinking
into a neighborhood and -- willingly or unwillingly -- America must assume
her responsibility. Shoghi Effendi said:
"Paradoxical as it may seem, her only
hope of extricating herself from the perils gathering around her is to
become entangled in that very web of international association
which the Hand of an inscrutable Providence is weaving." (ADJ 87-88)
[Italics and emphasis added.]
You'll recall that the U.S. was "dragged" into WWII with the
attack on Pearl Harbor. Our boys were sleeping off Saturday night while
the enemy schemed -- but America soon woke up. So when you see the U.S.
in Cambodia or in Vietnam -- or when you see America's young men in Lebanon,
or knocking around in the Balkans -- "please, will you be quiet and let
God do His work!"
The American Nation is Signally Blest in its Responsibility
of Shaping the Lessor Peace (CF, p. 35)
Shoghi Effendi picks up on this theme in "The Challenging Requirements
of the Present Hour" in The Citadel of Faith (p. 35):
"This nation so signally blest, occupying
so eminent and responsible a position in a continent so wonderfully endowed,
was the first among the nations of the West to be warmed and illuminated
by the rays of the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh soon after the proclamation
of His Covenant on the morrow of His ascension. This nation, moreover,
may well claim to have, as a result of its effective participation in both
the first and second world wars, redressed the balance, saved mankind the
horrors of devastation and bloodshed involved in the prolongation of hostilities,
and decisively contributed, in the course of the latter conflict, to the
overthrow of the exponents of ideologies fundamentally at variance with
the universal tenets of our Faith."
"Many and divers are the setbacks and
reverses which this nation, extolled so highly by 'Abdu'l-Bahá and occupying
at present so unique a position among its fellow nations, must, alas, suffer.
The road leading to its destiny is long, thorny and tortuous. The impact
of various forces upon the structure and polity of that nation will be
tremendous. Tribulations, on a scale unprecedented in its history, and
calculated to purge its institutions, to purify the hearts of its people,
to fuse its constituent elements, and to weld it into one entity with its
sister nations in both hemispheres, are inevitable." (Citadel of
Faith, 36)
Do you understand New York now?
"Whatever the Hand of a beneficent and
inscrutable Destiny has reserved for this youthful, this virile, this idealistic,
this spiritually blessed and enviable nation, however severe the storms
which may buffet it in the days to come in either hemisphere, however sweeping
the changes which the impact of cataclysmic forces from without, and the
stirrings of a Divine embryonic Order from within, will effect in its structure
and life, we may, confident in the words uttered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá feel assured
that that great republic -- the shell that enshrines so precious a member
of the world community of the followers of His Father -- will continue
to evolve, undivided and undefeatable, until the sum total of its contributions
to the birth, the rise and the fruition of that world civilization, the
child of the Most Great Peace and hallmark of the Golden Age of the Dispensation
of Bahá'u'lláh will have been made, and its last task discharged."
(Citadel of Faith, p. 37, June 5, 1947)
We grieve over the senseless loss of innocent lives, yet it draws you together as one nation. We know it is a part of a process. We don't know how severe the things to come, but we know it is the Hand of Divine Providence. We must do our part to relieve the severity of these tribulations. We Bahá'ís have a very serious responsibility -- we should worry if we are not doing enough -- we should get busy. It's not only a matter for governments and politicians. Are we fulfilling our responsibilities as teachers of the Cause? Re-read the Ridvan 1998 (Ridvan 155) letter about the major and minor plan of God. Go back and read it. We have a Plan set before us by 'Abdu'l-Bahá and "parceled out in measured bits" -- a Plan that will take centuries to complete and will lead to the Golden Age.
In the Faith we measure time by epochs -- a period of time characterized by developments of a certain nature. Why epochs? Because our lives are so brief and we like to think we accomplished something during our brief lifespan, so we divide up time into periods or epochs. The most recent epoch was the 4th, which started in 1986 and ended early this year (2001).
What developments characterized the 4th epoch?
Outside the Faith: The collapse of the Soviet Union (which gave rise to a host of new NSAs from newly formed countries); a series of UN conference (such as one in Rio) attended by world leaders who made decisions which helped raise world consciousness; a flourishing of NGOs (the Bahá'ís emerged as the leading NGO on the planet, representing all NGOs at the Millennium Summit in New York in 2000 attended by the largest number of world leaders ever assembled) -- a very interesting way to complete a century -- "a remarkable thing."
Inside the Bahá'í Faith: The Centenary of the Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh, the Second World Congress in New York (after which New York "cleaned up its act" and has become a very different city); the publication of the Aqdas; the enforcement of additional laws related to prayer and fasting; the emergence of training institutes around the world. The meeting of the Universal House of Justice with the Hands, Counsellors, and Board Members in Haifa was characterized by such a level of spiritual development that it provided signs of a "new paradigm" -- a new epoch. So we've had a wake-up call. Let me share with you a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer [citation not noted]: It begins [paraphrasing]:
You seem to claim concern about the calamities that have befallen humanity? through such calamities over-rated material needs appear in their proper light? Present calamities are part of a process of purgation -- to teach man that he must view things internationally? to pay more attention to his moral development than to his material condition? to awaken to the importance of our duty? such suffering will remove us from our repose. [end]
I [Greg Watson] found the reference at http://www.bcca.org/srb/archive/960201-960430/1185.html as follows:
"You seem to complain about the calamities that have befallen humanity. In the spiritual development of man a stage of purgation is indispensable, for it is while passing through it that the over-rated material needs are made to appear in their proper light. Unless society learns to attribute more importance to spiritual matters, it would never be fit to enter the golden era foretold by Bahá'u'lláh. The present calamities are parts of this process of purgation, through them alone will man learn his lesson. They are to teach the nations that they have to view things internationally, they are to make the individual attribute more importance to his moral, than his material welfare." (Written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi: Fire & Gold p.118-9)
Teaching the Faith
So it's very simple. We can sit in our meetings and forever discuss various approaches to teaching -- or we can teach. Bahá'ís have a personal responsibility to teach. Do you really need a course to tell you how to teach a friend at work? Don't you know the teaching committee can meet until the next Manifestation arrives! Don't worry about teaching committees and LSAs when it comes to the teaching work. They are there to organize your efforts and provide resources when needed (teaching materials, etc.). But if we are not fulfilling our obligation to teach, we can cripple our institutions.
In The Advent of Divine Justice (p. 72), Shoghi Effendi says:
"Tribulations, however afflictive, must never shatter their [our] resolve. Denunciations, however clamorous, must never sap their loyalty. Upheavals, however cataclysmic, must never deflect their course. The present Plan, embodying the budding hopes of a departed Master, must be pursued, relentlessly pursued, whatever may befall them in the future, however distracting the crises that may agitate their country or the world. Far from yielding in their resolve, far from growing oblivious of their task, they should, at no time, however much buffeted by circumstances, forget that the synchronization of such world-shaking crises with the progressive unfoldment and fruition of their divinely appointed task is itself the work of Providence, the design of an inscrutable Wisdom, and the purpose of an all-compelling Will, a Will that directs and controls, in its own mysterious way, both the fortunes of the Faith and the destinies of men. Such simultaneous processes of rise and of fall, of integration and of disintegration, of order and chaos, with their continuous and reciprocal reactions on each other, are but aspects of a greater Plan, one and indivisible, whose Source is God, whose author is Bahá'u'lláh, the theater of whose operations is the entire planet, and whose ultimate objectives are the unity of the human race and the peace of all mankind."
"Reflections such as these should steel the resolve of the entire Bahá'í community, should dissipate their forebodings, and arouse them to rededicate themselves to every single provision of that Divine Charter whose outline has been delineated for them by the pen of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. The Seven-Year Plan, as already stated, is but the initial stage, a stepping-stone to the unfoldment of the implications of this Charter. The impulse, originally generated through the movement of that pen, and which is now driving forward, with increasing momentum, the machinery of the Seven Year Plan, must, in the opening years of the next century, be further accelerated, and impel the American Bahá'í community to launch further stages in the unfoldment of the Divine Plan, stages that will carry it far beyond the shores of the Northern Hemisphere, into lands and among peoples where that community's noblest acts of heroism are to be performed." (ADJ 73)
In conclusion, remember the words of Bahá'u'lláh:
"Let not the happenings of the world sadden you. I swear by God! The sea of joy yearneth to attain your presence, for every good thing hath been created for you, and will, according to the needs of the times, be revealed unto you." (Quoted from The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 82)
[end of notes on Mr. Mitchell's talk forwarded to me]
With respect to the role of the Universal House of Justice and the Bahá'í Community in the Lessor Peace, the following supplements are provided by the editor (Greg Watson):
[In most cases emphasis and highlighting are mine. G.W.]
"The Major Plan is God's plan for humanity that Bahá'ís believe He Himself operates, which is tumultuous in its progress, which works through humanity as a whole, and which forges mankind into a unified body through the fires of suffering and tribulation. Its ultimate object is the Kingdom of God on earth. The Minor Plan is that part of God's plan which the Bahá'ís are called upon to carry out. It is clear and orderly and operates in the world through the plans, instructions, and guidance given by Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and now by the Universal House of Justice."
(From the Universal House of Justice Messages 1963-1986, p 126 -- In the 1982 edition see pp. 24, 29-33).
--------------------------------
"First: It is incumbent upon the ministers of the House of Justice to promote the Lesser Peace so that the people of the earth may be relieved from the burden of exorbitant expenditures. This matter is imperative and absolutely essential, inasmuch as hostilities and conflict lie at the root of affliction and calamity."
("Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas", p. 89)
----------------------------------------
WAR
"In reading over my diaries -- so very little of which I have quoted out of hundred of pages written off and on throughout the years -- it seems strange to me there is practically no reference to the World War raging everywhere during almost six years and constituting such a dire threat to the safety of the World Centre of the Faith and particularly to the Guardian himself as Head of that Faith. Nothing could more eloquently testify to the internal upheavals he was going through during all those years than this blank. The day-to-day pressures and the work, worry and mental exhaustion were so great that it crowded mention of this constant threat and anxiety into the background. Shoghi Effendi was the keenest observer of political events and kept abreast of all happenings. His intelligence and analytical faculties did not permit him to lull himself into any false complacency, induced by the rather childish idea people sometimes have of what "faith" means. He well knew that to have faith in God does not mean one should not use one's mind, appraise dangers, anticipate moves, make the right decisions during a crisis." (Priceless Pearl, p. 177)
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[The following are taken from: The Universal House of Justice Messages 1963-1986 (page 126)]
Two Processes at Work. (Also see The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, pp. 33-34)
We are told by Shoghi Effendi that two great processes are at work in title world: the great Plan of God, tumultuous in its progress, working through mankind as a whole, tearing down barriers to world unity and forging humankind into a unified body in the fires of suffering and experience. This process will produce in God's due time, the Lesser Peace, the political unification of the world., Mankind at that time can be likened to a body that is unified but without life. The second process, the task of breathing life into this unified body -- of creating true unity and spirituality culminating in the Most Great Peace -- is that of the Bahá'ís, who are laboring consciously, with detailed instructions and continuing divine guidance, to erect the fabric of the Kingdom of God on earth, into which they call their fellowmen, thus conferring upon them eternal life.
[The compilation says: "For an explanation of the Lesser Peace and the Most Great Peace, see the glossary."]
The working out of God's Major Plan proceeds mysteriously in ways directed by Him alone, but the Minor Plan that He has given us to execute, as our part in His grand design for the redemption of mankind, is clearly delineated. It is to this work that we must devote all our energies, for there is no one else to do it. So vital is this function of the Bahá'ís that Bahá'u'lláh has written:
"O friends! Be not careless of the virtues with which ye have been endowed, neither be neglectful of your high destiny. Suffer not your labors to be wasted through the vain imaginations which certain hearts have devised. Ye are the stars of the heaven of understanding, the breeze that stirreth at the break of day, the soft-flowing waters upon which must depend the very life of all men, the letters inscribed upon His sacred scroll. With the utmost unity and in a spirit of perfect fellowship, exert yourselves, that ye may be enabled to achieve that which beseemeth this Day of God."
(Gleanings, XCVI)
Because love for our fellowmen and anguish at their plight are essential parts of a true Bahá'í's life, we are continually drawn to do what we can to help them. It is vitally important that we do so whenever the occasion presents itself, for our actions must say the same thing as our words -- but this compassion for our fellows must not be allowed to divert our energies into channels which are ultimately doomed to failure, causing us to neglect the most important and fundamental work of all. There are hundreds of thousands of well-wishers of mankind who devote their lives to works of relief and charity, but a pitiful few to do the work which God Himself most wants done: the spiritual awakening and regeneration of mankind.
(From the Universal House of Justice Messages 1963-1986, p 126 -- In the 1982 edition see pp. 24, 29-33).
THE MOST IMPORTANT TASKS -- Our Task: Building Up the Bahá'í System
(The following paragraphs below are a continuation of the paragraphs above. The heading is not meant to distract... Various headings of this paragraph are included in some Bahá'í compilations.)
It is often through our misguided feeling that we can somehow aid our fellows better by some activity outside the Faith, that Bahá'ís are led to indulge in politics. This is a dangerous delusion. As Shoghi Effendi's secretary wrote on his behalf. "What we Bahá'ís must face is the fact that society is rapidly disintegrating -- so rapidly that moral issues which were clear a half century ago are now hopelessly confused, and what is more, thoroughly mixed up with battling political interests. That is why the Bahá'ís must turn all their forces into the channel of building up the Bahá'í Cause and its administration. They can neither change nor help the world in any other way at present. If they become involved in the issues the governments of the world are struggling over, they will be lost. But if they build up the Bahá'í pattern they can offer it as a remedy when all else has failed." (Bahá'í News, No. 241, p. 14) "We must build up our Bahá'í system, and leave the faulty systems of the world to go their own way. We cannot change them through becoming involved in them; on the contrary they will destroy us." (Bahá'í News, No. 215, p.1) (The Universal House of Justice, Wellspring of Guidance, pg 134-135)
"Other instructions from the Guardian, covering the same theme in more detail, can be found on pages 24 and 29 to 32 of Principles of Bahá'í Administration (1963 edition); you are no doubt already familiar with these. The key to a true understanding of these principles seems to be in these words of Bahá'u'lláh:
"O people of God! Do not busy yourselves in your own concerns; let your thoughts be fixed upon that which will rehabilitate the fortunes of mankind and sanctify the hearts and souls of men. This can best be achieved through pure and holy deeds, through a virtuous life and a goodly behavior. Valiant acts will ensure the triumph of this Cause, and a saintly character will reinforce its power. Cleave unto righteousness, O people of Baha! This' verily, is the commandment which this wronged One hath given unto you, and the first choice of His unrestrained Will for every one of you."
(Gleanings, XLIII).
With loving Bahá'í greetings,
THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE"
From the Universal House of Justice Messages 1963-1986 (page 126)
In the 1982 edition see pp. 24, 29-33.
From '95 Ridvan letter:
...surely it evinced both the further advance of our world community in influencing the processes towards the Lesser Peace and a multiplication of opportunities for a wider diffusion of the reformative Message of Bahá'u'lláh. As such world events take place with greater frequency and the Bahá'í community pursues its goals with increased intensity, we can see more clearly the drawing closer together of the parallel processes about which Shoghi Effendi wrote several decades ago: the one leading to the political union of nations, the other to the ultimate union of hearts in one common faith.
UHJ, Ridvan 152, 1995
Bahá'í author John Huddleston contributes:
The Administrative Order is only one aspect of a Bahá'í program to promote the "Lesser Peace," an interim stage on the way to "The Most Great Peace." Other aspects of that program include the community's development of personal standards of ethics, which will attract others giving service, e.g., economic and social development projects; support for the United Nations, and the recent peace statement addressed to the peoples of the world by the Universal House of Justice.
("A Just System of Government: The Third Dimension to World Peace," by John Huddleston, pg. 36)
In a report from an ABS Scholarship conference: Mr. Huffines, who was kind enough to travel from New York to join us, looked at the practical measures taken at the international level by the Bahá'í International Community (B.I.C.) to promote the Lesser Peace. He did this by outlining the various proposals within B.I.C. documents promoting issues that might stimulate international political unity. Furthermore, he assessed the degree to which these suggestions had been taken into account and put into practice by the world community. http://bahai-library.com/resources/scholarship.report.1998b.html
Asia-Pacific Conference: Whereas the task of Bahá'í communities world-wide has heretofore been focused on internal coherence and consolidation, the next decade must see an outward expression of Bahá'í values in order for these communities to achieve further definition and to fulfill their intended purpose, namely, contribution to the spiritual, moral and social regeneration of humankind. While the intellectual horizon of the Bahá'í community has been fixed on an ideal vision and promise of the "greater peace", there now exists need for consideration of the ways in which Bahá'í communities can contribute to the life of the wider community in the years leading to, and during, the "lesser peace". Given the rich sources within the Bahá'í writings for the generation of policy perspectives and principles, little has occurred in the way of their critical assessment.
http://bahai-library.com/asia-pacific/stateandsociety.htm
And another Ridvan message:
(38) Even though the establishment of the Lesser Peace is not dependent on any Bahá'í plan or action, and although it will not represent the ultimate goal humanity is destined to reach in the Golden Age, our community has a responsibility to lend spiritual impetus to the processes towards that peace. The need at this exact time is to so intensify our efforts in building the Bahá'í System that we will attract the confirmations of Bahá'u'lláh and thus invoke a spiritual atmosphere that will accrue to the quickening of these processes. Two main challenges face us: one is to mount a campaign of teaching in which the broad membership of our community is enthusiastically, systematically and personally engaged, and in which the activation of an extensive training programme will ensure the development of a mass of human resources; the other is to complete the construction projects on Mount Carmel towards which every sacrifice must be made to provide a liberal outpouring of material means. These twin foci, if resolutely pursued, will foster conditions towards the release of pent-up forces that will forge a change in the direction of human affairs throughout the planet.
(39) However short the path to peace, it will be tortuous; however promising the anticipated event that will set its course, it must mature through a long period of evolution, with its attendant tests, setbacks and conflicts, towards the moment when it will have emerged, under the direct influences of God's Faith, as the Most Great Peace. In the meantime, people everywhere will often face despair and bewilderment before arriving at an appreciation of the transition in progress. We who have been enlightened by the new Revelation have the sacred Word to assure us, a Divine Plan to guide us, a history of valour to encourage us. Let us therefore take heart not only from the Word we treasure, but also from the deeds of heroism and sacrifice which even today shine resplendent in the land in which our Cause was born.
http://bahai-library.com/published.uhj/ridvan/96.html
(The following is also found at http://bahai-library.com/uhj/peace.activities.html )
The Universal House of Justice
Bahá'í World Centre
Department of the Secretariat
17 June 1987
Dear Bahá'í Friend,
The Universal House of Justice read with keen interest your letter of 30 March 1987 reporting efforts exerted by Bahá'í s in your area to study the Bahá'í literature on peace. We have been asked to convey its reply to your questions.
The House of Justice has noted that as a result of the dissemination of "The Promise of World Peace", a Senator has agreed to submit a "proposed" resolution in the Washington State Legislature and that, as you say, the "whole situation here with state resolutions and the need for citizens to write in support of them is getting out of hand". While the Bahá'í community should welcome spontaneous actions on the part of legislators to respond to the urgent call issued in the Peace Statement, the friends should be very wise in determining their actions under such circumstances. They should consult their Spiritual Assemblies, Local and, if necessary, National, for this is an area of activities in which personal judgment is not sufficient.
It is not advisable for Bahá'í institutions or individuals to initiate actions designed to prod government leaders to urge their governments or the leaders of other governments to convene the world conference called for by Bahá'u'lláh and echoed in "Promise of World Peace". Two points should be borne in mind in this regard 1) Because of the political gravity of the decisions implied by this call and the differing political attitudes which it evokes, such actions on the part of the Bahá'í community would embroil the friends in partisan politics. There is quite a difference between identifying, as does the Peace Statement, the need for a convocation of world leaders and initiating the political processes towards its realization. 2) In the writings of the Faith (e. g., the closing passages of "The Promised Day is Come"), it is clear that the establishment of the Lesser Peace, of which the conference of leaders will be a related event, will come about independently of any direct Bahá'í plan or action.
The following reply was written on behalf of the beloved Guardian in a letter dated 14 March 1939 to an individual believer:
...Your view that the Lesser Peace will come about through the political efforts of the states and nations of the world, and independently of any direct Bahá'í plan or effort, and the Most Great Peace established through the instrumentality of the believers, and by the direct operation of the laws and principles revealed by Bahá'u'lláh and the functioning of the Universal House of Justice as the supreme organ of the Bahá'í super state — your view on this subject is quite correct and in full accord with the pronouncements of the Guardian as embodied in the "Unfoldment of World Civilization".
It is clear, then, that the friends must respect the prerogatives of political leaders in this matter and allow them the latitude to exercise the initiative that only they can effectively take towards the establishment of the Lesser Peace. The fact that Bahá'í institutions will not be directly involved in the eventual convocation of the world leaders and in effecting the political unity of nations does not mean that the Bahá'ís are standing aside and waiting for the Lesser Peace to come before they do something about the peace of humanity. Indeed, by promoting the principles of the Faith, which are indispensable to the maintenance of peace, by living the Teachings, and by fashioning the instruments of the Bahá'í Administrative Order, which we are told by the beloved Guardian is the pattern for future society, the Bahá'ís are constantly engaged in laying the foundation for world peace, the Most Great Peace being their ultimate goal. The Bahá'ís should do whatever they can within the context of their Bahá'í teachings and consolidation plans and also through their professional and other regular activities to promulgate universal peace.
Concerning your specific questions, the details of your current activities to promote peace should be taken up with your National Spiritual Assembly and its guidance followed. The grassroots effort of the Bahá'ís should prepare the ground for the transition from the present system of national sovereignty to a system of world government. This it can do by concentrating on wide and continual dissemination of the Peace Statement whose contents should be known by the generality of humanity, on engaging people from all walks of life in discussions on peace, and on instilling and encouraging a sense of personal commitment to the prerequisites of peace. In a word, what is needed now is a world-wide consciousness of not only the requirements but also the possibility, and inevitability, of peace. Therefore, our immediate and inescapable task as Bahá'ís is to imbue the populations with such hope.
The language of any proposed resolution and related details should, of course, be left to the legislators concerned. The House of Justice has no objection if the language used in such resolutions is drawn from or based upon the Peace Statement, and it is not necessary that any credit be given to the Faith for any ideas which may be attributable to the Statement.
The House of Justice greatly appreciates the spirit of urgency and involvement conveyed in your letter. It assures you of its ardent prayers at the Holy Shrines that you and all the other friends engaged in peace activities may be guided and confirmed by the Blessed Beauty.
With loving Bahá'í greetings,
...
For the Department of the Secretariat
cc: National Assembly of the United States
(Taken from http://bahai-library.com/uhj/peace.activities.html )
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