Bahá’í News/Inserts/Issue 259/Building the Baha’i Community by Louis Henuzet ANTC/Text
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“Special Insert
September, 1952 Bahai News
Building The Baha'i Community
HE following address by our beloved fellow Baha’i of Belgium, M. Louis Henuzet, was given at the Fourth European Teaching Conference and Summer School in Scheveningen, Holland, in September 1951. It is being published at the request of the delegates to the 1952 Annual Baha’i Convention in Wilmette, and with the permission of the European Teaching Committee. Every believer, whether experienced or inexperienced in Baha’i administra- tion, will be stirred by M. Henuzet’s brilliant and mature presentation of those essential principles upon which rest the perfection and destiny of the new civilization which the followers of Baha’u’llah are calléd upon to bring into
being. |
It is strongly recommended that every Baha’i communityand every Baha’i group set aside some time at an early date to read this statement together. It can be a very useful guide in orienting Bahda’i students to those principles of “‘faith in action’? that they will be expected to support and demonstrate when they affiliate themselves with the membership of the Baha’i World Community.
_ On the faith of each member of the community rests the foundation of the administrative structure which is taking shape (in the Baha’i World Community). Christ said: ‘‘Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.’”’ Friends! Let our faith be like a rock. The Cause of God must rest on such a rock. From faith is born hope. From faith is born assurance. From faith is born a vision of the world of tomorrow. And our Cause leads to the realization of this vision; our Cause which is the only, the unique Ark of salvation for humanity.
Our first aim in our teaching task must be the communication of our
—THEeE AMERICAN NaTIONAL TEACHING COMMITTEE
phere of untiring devotion, through efforts given without regret.
Administration
We know that the institutions we are establishing are the agencies which must assure the world of to- morrow and the peace to which we aspire. y
Our institutions are divine in ori-
gin. They have been designed by
the will of Baha’u’llah and estab- lished by ‘Abdu’l-Baha on principles which, even though few in number, are absolutely essential; principles which meet the laws of universal love, of permanent justice which will preside over our destinies.
requisites for them that take counsel together are purity of motive, radi- ance of spirit, detachment from all save God, attraction to His divine Fragrance, humility and lowliness among His loved ones, patience and long-suffering in difficulties and ser- vitude to His exalted Threshold.”’
In the heart of the Assembly, the first condition is unity; a unity guar- anteed by the love and harmony which prevail among members. The second condition is piety. ‘Abdu’l- Baha says: ‘‘They must when com- ing together turn their faces to the Kingdom on High and ask aid from the Realm of Glory.”’
Animated by that will to serve God
faith to those who are attracted by These institutions cannot be com-
the ‘‘Glad Tidings.’’ Their attach- ment to God, their attachment to the Author, to the Forerunner and to the Center of our Covenant must be the first criterion for our Assemblies when they decide on requests for membership. If a doubt remains, let us not hesitate to postpone a declaration which shows the possi- bility of developing a weakness later and let us try to reinforce, by our example and through supplementary teachings, the conviction of those who ask for a place in our great family.
Just as our faith must be unshak- able, so, also, our love must be stain- less. The unity of our communities depends on our mutual understand- ing. Let us beware, dear friends! Let us, who are protecting the fu- ture of our communities, be especial- ly careful to dry up at the very be- ginning every source of discord. We cannot overemphasize the danger of such centers of dissension to the character of our love and to our community.
These two essential qualities, Love and Faith, are a source of great happiness. From them we draw en- thusiasm and courage. And when we do, our Cause progresses, pro- gresses magnificently in an atmos-
pared to any administrative systems which have existed up to now. Their purpose, perfectly defined in the
_ Writings which have been left to us,
will be attained if we are able to apply the basic law of their function- ing: the law of consultation. Our Guardian writes: foundation is the principle of con- sultation, which ‘Abdu’l-Baha de- clared to be the fulfillment of in- dividual conscience in this new age.”’ All these essentially spiritual prin- ciples are unchangeable; they are the base of our administration. It is our concern to bring them to practi- cal functioning by the decisions which we make. We must not forget that our decisions can never go beyond the spiritual laws which must be expressed in them. Procedure will always be supple, adaptable, conform to the needs of the hour, in the measure that respect for the laws of the Aqdas, the spirit of justice, the will to demonstrate love and a consideration of the good of all are invariably in the directions we give. In this way, the Holy Spirit will guide our Assemblies.
Qualities of the Members of the Assemblies ‘Abdu’l-Baha says: .‘‘The prime
‘Its unbreakable .
and humanity, everyone will expréss himself freely, completely, but con- cisely and with moderation, and will submit himself to the will of the majority, which ceases to be the will of the greatest number and becomes the will of all.
Consultation
The great innovation of this divine system of administration is the par- ticipation of everyone in the life of the community. But consultation, to be productive, must be guided in a spirit of good will and mutual under- standing. It is incumbent on the chairman to see that this spirit be maintained. This is a very delicate task which requires much diplomacy and also much firmness. In every group there are people who talk too much or out of turn and there are those who do not say a word. To calm the talkative without hurting them, to solicit the opinion of those who hesitate; here lies the art of leading a consultation. And this is only possible when everyone accepts the discipline of pooling his opinion at the right moment.
Another quality, necessary for the good of consultation, is this: Nobody must be offended by any opinion, even if he thinks that this opinion is ridiculeus, wrong or even unjust.
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Let us be convinced that everyone
has one aim, one intention: the good
of the Cause.
The atmosphere of consultation re- flects the state of our souls. If we are impregnated with an ideal of love, of common action, the ideal which is the base of our faith, we will be able to keep a high spiritual ' character in our consultation; and on the other hand, the benefits of such a harmony will rejoice our hearts and lighten our souls. Our life together, fighting for the same
ideal, meeting the same difficulties,
making the same _ sacrifices, will
further the realization of our true >
personal destinies, as well as estab- lish peace in the entire world.
From these thousands of little luminous points which are the Baha’i communities in the world, waves of individual actions spring up, first channeled in the community through the local institutions, by means of
consultation, rising magnificently up — to the supreme bodies of our adminis-.
trative order, to fall as bounty on each of us. Such is the aim of our consultation; such is its meaning.
Relations Between Assembly and Community
Our Assemblies have been invested by Baha’u’llah with an incontestable authority. Therefore, we must know, when we accept new believers, whether this authority is freely and entirely accepted.
The decisions which are taken by our assemblies must be followed with obedience and loyalty. Therein lies the unique safeguard of the unity of our Faith.. And yet, our administrative system sanctions neither the arbitrary nor the tyran- nical.
Divine in origin, protected by God, |
when they turn to Him, our assem- blies have no other aim than to establish justice and to serve the good of all. .
Those who compose them, have been chosen for their spiritual qual- ities. Every year a new election guarantees an equitable representa- tion of the will of everyone. By such an act everyone entrusts to nine persons the conduct of all the affairs of the Cause and by the same token promises to submit himself to their decision.
But if the assembly is elected by the community, it is not responsible to it. Our Guardian insists particu- larly on this point: ‘‘They are in- vested with an authority rendering them unanswerable for their acts and decisions to those who elect them.”’
The Assembly, nevertheless, will
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feel that in the consultation it finds its most fruitful source of inspira- tion, but it must not be influenced by the general opinion. The members judge in equity and liberty, guided only by the Writings and the injunc- tions of their conscience.
We must not confuse the Assembly with its members. Authority in our Cause always belongs to institutions, never to individuals. The members, elected to an Assembly, have no greater rank than other members of the community. In the meetings, no privilege can be given to them, no decisions can be asked from them. On the contrary, they will justify the choice which has been made by their humility, their modesty, their high sense of duty. Their authority exists only when they are assembled in the conditions required by our laws. We must never neglect this essential principle. |
The mission which has been con- fided to our assemblies is that of leading the Baha’i life within the community. Every problem should be submitted to them so that they may apply consultation and channel its benefits to the individuals con- cerned.
‘Abdu’l-Baha says: “It is incum- bent upon everyone not to take any step without consulting the Spiritual Assembly, and they must assuredly obey with heart and soul its bidding and be submissive unto it that things may be properly ordered and well arranged. Otherwise every person will act indifferently and after his own judgment, will follow his own desire and do harm to the Cause.’’
In general, we understand very
well the mission of our Assemblies .
on the matters of teaching or when collective action must be taken, but we often forget that they must safe- guard the spiritual welfare of all. The Assembly has the right to coun- sel individuals when their private life diverges gravely from the way defined by Baha’u’llah; it has the duty of using its authority when a member, by his acts, harms the community. Therefore, I would like to emphasize the necessity of spread- ing this concept that the Assembly is at the service of everyone, that we must consult it and take its ad- vice when we have a difficult in- dividual problem to solve.
Our local and national assemblies are destined to become auxiliary
Houses of Justice as our Cause
evolves. And now they sometimes have. to arbitrate conflicts which arise in our communities. For that reason it is necessary to establish firmly their quthority in the faith of
each believer that in the first mo- ments of conflict the Assembly can bring the weight of its wisdom, of its objectivity, of its deep love to each member, to bear in the interest of justice and unity.
If we want a strong community, everyone should see in his assembly — in this organic unity which is in- dependent of the individuals who compose it — the light which guides us surely to the best way.
The Guardian— The Universal House of Justice
I have spoken of faith and love, of obedience and loyalty to our assem- blies. Now, it is essential to point out that we must arouse in the soul of everyone the same feelings for the twin pillars of our Cause: The Guar- dianship and the Universal House of Justice.
I have no words to glorify the task accomplished by our Guardian, to praise the virtues which sustain him in his work. But beyond his person I think of the Institution which he represents. I think at the same time of the Universal House of Justice which will achieve the social order which we are establishing. Can we understand the bounties which have been showered on our time? We have, from the very hand of the Author of our Cause, both the laws and the instruments which must in- terpret and complete them.
Friends, we must strive to inspire in the hearts of those who wish to take part in this new life, a firm confidence,’ a peerless loyalty, a complete submission to our Guardian and to the Universal House of Jus- tice which in the future will spread its protection over our poor torn world.
Administration is not something dead, something secondary. It is our Baha’i life. adherence to the metaphysical or philosophical truths which shine in our Holy Scriptures have no mean- ing if we reject the new life which finds its fulfillment in action. To what good end do we improve our thinking or deepen our insight, if we continue to despise the fate of our poor earth.
God invites us today to create a new civilization, to bring His King- dom to earth. Only by putting into action our administrative institutions with the spirit which comes to them from God, will we succeed in achiev- ing such a miracle. Today the devo- tion of man is measured by his deeds. For these reasons a true understand- ing of the Bahd’t Order is the sign of the Baha’t Life.
Our faith in God, our
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