Bahá’í News/Issue 349/Text
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| No. 349 | BAHA’I YEAR 116 | MARCH, 1960 |
Naw-Rúz
PRAISED be Thou, O my God, that Thou hast ordained Naw-Rúz as a festival unto those who observed the fast for love of Thee and abstained from all that is abhorrent unto Thee. Grant, O my Lord, that the fire of Thy love and the heat produced by the fast enjoined by Thee may inflame them in Thy Cause, and make them to be occupied with Thy praise and with remembrance of Thee.
Since Thou hast adorned them, O my Lord, with the ornament of the fast prescribed by Thee, do Thou adorn them also with the ornament of Thy acceptance, through Thy grace and bountiful favor. For the doings of men are all dependent upon Thy good-pleasure, and are conditioned by Thy behest. Shouldst Thou regard him who hath broken the fast as one who bath observed it, such a man would be reckoned among them who from eternity had been keeping the fast. And shouldst Thou decree that he who bath observed the fast hath broken it, that person would be numbered with such as have caused the Robe of Thy Revelation to be stained with dust, and been far removed from the crystal waters of this living Fountain. Thou art He through Whom the ensign “Praiseworthy art Thou in Thy works” hath been lifted up, and the standard “Obeyed art Thou in Thy behest” hath been unfurled. Make known this Thy station, O my God, unto Thy servants, that they may be made aware that the excellence of all things is dependent upon Thy bidding and Thy word, and the virtue of every act is conditioned by Thy leave and the good-pleasure of Thy will, and may recognize that the reins of men’s doings are within the grasp of Thine acceptance and Thy commandment. Make this known unto them, that nothing whatsoever may shut them out from Thy Beauty, in these days whereon the Christ exclaimeth: “All dominion is Thine, O Thou the Begetter of the Spirit (Jesus)”; and Thy Friend (Muḥammad) crieth out: “Glory be to Thee, O Thou the Best-Beloved, for that Thou hast uncovered Thy Beauty, and written down for Thy chosen ones what will cause them to attain unto the seat of the revelation of Thy Most Great Name, through which all the peoples have lamented except such as have detached themselves from all else except Thee, and set themselves towards Him Who is the Revealer of Thyself and the Manifestation of Thine attributes.”
He Who is Thy Branch and all Thy company, O my Lord, have broken this day their fast, after having observed it within the precincts of Thy court, and in their eagerness to please Thee. Do Thou ordain for him, and for them, and for all such as have entered Thy presence in those days all the good Thou didst destine in Thy book. Supply them, then, with that which will profit them, in both this life and in the life beyond.
Thou, in truth, art the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
—Prayers and Meditations, pages 67-69
The Oneness of Religion Proclaimed to Millions on World Religion Day[edit]
WORLD RELIGION DAY, inaugurated in 1950 by the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly to proclaim the fundamental oneness of religion, was again observed in several hundred American communities on January 17, 1960, with meetings ranging from small firesides to large public meetings.
An encouraging aspect of this public relations event is not only the high level of audience interest and publicity demonstrated in the United States, but its increasing adoption by Bahá’í communities in other countries, to the extent that two of the outstanding meetings reported this year were held in Laos and Thailand.
Over 300 guests, including ambassadors, United Nations representatives, and ministers of state, filled the government hall, the Salle des Fetes, on World Religion Day, January 17, in Vientiane, Laos.
Prince Chantharangsi, the appointed representative of the king, who had attended the first World Religion Day in Vientiane three years ago, opened the meeting in the name of His Majesty, King Sri Savang Vatthana, with favorable comments on the Bahá’í Faith. This was followed by talks by seven representatives of major religions. The director of the Asia Foundation and the director of religious affairs were present and lent support to the program. Bahá’í speakers, Mr. Wang, An Vanida and Miss Vanida, gave talks in three languages —English, French, and Lao.
Miss Nomchit Nittipaisal,
the first Thai lady to accept the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, who served as
hostess in greeting the
guests at the first World
Religion Day observance
in Bangkok, Thailand.
His Royal Highness, Prince Chantharangsi, opening the
World Religion Day meeting in Vientiane, Laos, in the
name of His Majesty, King Sri Savang Vatthana,
whose interest in religious freedom made such a meeting possible.
The Bahá’ís began six weeks ahead of time to lay
the foundations for this most successful event. High-ranking officials cooperated, including the Prime Minister, the government and protocol chief, the governor,
the secretary general of the Royal Palace, and many
others. They lent assistance in securing the municipal
hall free of charge, which was attractively decorated
for the occasion by a local Bahá’í, Mr. Why. More
than 1,000 invitations were mailed; radio and newspaper publicity preceded the meeting, making clear
to many thousands of people the aims and purposes
of the Bahá’í Faith. One of these was a large feature
article on the Faith in the Vientiane-Bangkok World.
USIS (United States Information Service) published an
account of it in their bulletin.
Dr. and Mrs. Ta’eed, Luong Van Tui, and Mr. Lin of the Vientiane Bahá’í community, with the help of Mrs. Caroline Lawrence and Jamshed Fozdar, were instrumental in the plans that made it possible for this small Bahá’í community to sponsor such an outstanding and highly successful commemoration of World Religion Day. Following the reception, religious movies were presented by the French, American, and Indian Embassies.
Bangkok, Thailand, Bahá’ís used World Religion Day this year as their first attempt to promote a better understanding and a closer relationship among the religions, by inviting members of other religions to their meeting.
Over 140 persons gathered at the Bangkok Bahá’í Center to hear Charles Duncan and Mr. Sauropol speak on the Bahá’í Faith. Other speakers were Dr. Kenneth Wells, Presbyterian missionary to Thailand, representing Christianity; Direk Kulasiri, a Moslem Thai citizen, who spoke on Islam; and Phra Maha Suwit, a Buddhist priest, who spoke on Buddhism.
An unusual feature of this Bangkok meeting was the presence of the first Thai lady to embrace the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, Miss Nomchit Nittipaisal, who served as hostess in greeting the guests as one of the first of her public activities since becoming a Bahá’í. It is of interest that Bangkok officials, on the Week after Miss
Nittipaisal’s acceptance of the Faith, and without prompting on the part of the Bahá’ís, renamed the small lane leading to the Bahá’í Center as “Numchit Lane.”
After the talks, the audience asked many questions, and the meeting lasted over three hours. Many words of thanks were expressed to the Bahá’ís for holding this public meeting.
An English language newspaper published a generous article on the principles of the Faith, and a Thai newspaper also carried a notice of this meeting.
In the United States, the National Spiritual Assembly had issued a directive to the American communities, several months previously, that the essential purpose of World Religion Day is to promote the claim of Bahá’u’lláh that the Bahá’í Faith is the long-promised Universal Religion, and not to provide a platform for the discussion of comparative religion.
Accordingly, a summary of U.S. meetings would show a decrease in the diversity of the programs presented, but an increase in the number of hard-hitting, definitive expositions of this Bahá’í claim, an increase in the total newspaper publicity circulation figures, an increase in the total space newspapers gave to the Bahá’í message for this event, an increase in the number of newspaper photographs of the Bahá’í speakers, and an increase in the number of radio and television announcements broadcast in conjunction with these World Religion Day observances.
Perhaps the most heart-warming report came from Macy, Neb., located on a large Indian reservation: “In spite of high snow drifts and icy roads, we had a
Bahá’í youth of Colorado Springs, Colo., presented a
play based on the scriptures of the world’s great religions as a part of the World Religion Day observance
there. The players and the faiths they represented are
(left to right): Karen Jensen, Christian; Marlene Murray, Hindu; James Creitz, Islám; Donald Kirby, Buddhist; Betty Creitz, Bahá’í; and James Boitos, Zoroastrian.
Dr. Adolphe Furth, professor of chemistry from the
University of Vienna; Mrs. Ludmilla Van Sombeek,
chairman; and Albert James, high school teacher of
Baltimore, Md., at the Durham, N.C., World Religion
Day observance.
nice meeting with nine present, six of them Indian.
A study class was requested by four of them . . . The
roads are too bad for driving right now, and our telephone service is, for all practical purposes, nil. Only
twelve phones in Macy. and none of them mine or near me!”
The Victor Judicial District, Calif., Bahá’í group held their first World Religion Day observance this year, with a public meeting in the Security First National Bank Building in Victorville_ An audience of fifteen adults included six non-Bahá’ís. Two of these came in response to a newspaper advertisement that had been published for two weeks prior to the meeting; two others were Negroes who had had previous contact with the local Bahá’ís.
Colorado Springs, Colo., Bahá’ís augmented their meeting, at which Mrs. Gladys Roberts spoke on the basic principles of the Bahá’í Faith, with a costumed play presented by the Bahá’í youth to dramatize the fundamental oneness of religion. Quotations from the sacred scriptures of seven major religions were related to the Bahá’í statement: “The Book of God is wide open in this day, and He is summoning all mankind unto Him.”
A reception and buffet supper for exchange students of the University of California was given by the West Hollywood, Calif., Bahá’ís. New Zealand to Sweden, Israel to Poland, Hong Kong to the Sudan, in all, representatives of ten countries and many religions attended. David Bond gave a short talk on the precepts and aims of the Faith, and the students displayed a warm response to the program.
Bahá’u’lláh’s words, “All the Prophets of God proclaim the same faith,” and “Religion is a radiant light
and an impregnable stronghold,” closed the Durham,
N.C., program, which featured Albert James, a Bahá’í
in Baltimore, Md., speaking on “The Fundamental
Oneness of Religion”; and Dr. Adolphe Furth, a professor of chemistry from the University of Vienna,
discussing the subject that science and religion are[Page 4]
equally important for world peace.
In Dunedin, Fla., a most encouraging fact in the attendance of thirty-two persons, of whom nineteen were not Bahá’ís, was that eleven were Negro. This was their second public meeting, and the response, especially among the Negroes, has been very favorable.
These are but a few highlights of scores of reports received by the BAHÁ’Í NEWS Editorial Office. In all, 137 Bahá’í communities have responded, at the time of writing, with reports and photographs of their World Religion Day observances. A complete account of them could fill an entire issue of this magazine, but the overall impression would be the same: Bahá’ís are doing a magnificent job of proclaiming Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings through many public-Contact media on World Religion Day, and countless numbers of people listen, read, and are impressed with our Faith.
Hand of the Cause Ruhíyyih Khánum To Attend U.S. and Canadian Conventions[edit]
A cable received from Hand of the Cause Rúḥíyyih Khánum on February 13, 1960, in response to an invitation to her from the National Spiritual Assemblies of the United States and of Canada, states that she will plan to attend both the U. S. and the Canadian National Conventions.
She will address the Canadian Convention on Friday, April 29, and the U. s. Convention at the Riḍván Feast on Saturday evening, April 30, as well as the convention session on May 1.
In the month following these conventions, Rúḥíyyih Khánum plans to spend two weeks in visiting a number of U.S. cities, and the remaining two weeks in visits to Canadian cities.
It is also expected that Hand of the Cause John Robarts will attend the U. S. National Convention.
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
Laos Government Enacts Law Permitting Vientiane Assembly to Purchase Land[edit]
The Local Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Vientiane has been authorized by a special decree of the Finance Ministry, consisting of three articles signed by the Minister himself, to keep the piece of land purchased by them in August 1958.
The Vientiane Local Assembly in July 1958 requested the Royal Government to authorize them to buy a piece of land in the name of the Bahá’í community. This was particularly needed since, according to the law, foreigners could not buy land in that country. To their surprise, in a very short time the Lord Mayor of Vientiane agreed to permit them to buy the land in the name of the Local Assembly of Vientiane, which is not yet incorporated.
The mayor himself arranged all the documents and even signed the papers as a witness. However, later he found that, since the assembly is not yet incorporated, this permission would be against the prevailing laws of the country. The matter was then submitted to the Ministry of Finance and, after fifteen months the decree with the three articles was issued authorizing the assembly to own the property on the strength of a law enacted in 1959.
The process of incorporating the local spiritual assemblies is now a very simple matter, since the government has already recognized a right which could only be granted after incorporation.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the
United States for 1959-1960. Front row: Miss Edna True,
Horace Holley, and Dr. Katherine K. True. Back row:
Charles F. Walcott, Ellsworth Blackwell, Mrs. Florence
Mayberry, H. Borrah Kavelin, Miss Charlotte Linfoot,
and Arthur Dahl.
Response of Pioneers to Latin America Assures Local Assembly Goals This Year[edit]
A total of 95 pioneers, including a number of native believers, has arisen to serve the Faith in Latin America by February 13, 1960. As a result of this heart-warming response, it appears, at this time, that the requisite number of local spiritual assemblies will be formed on Riḍván 1960, in accordance with the goals of the Ten-Year Crusade.
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
Dr. Giachery Teaches at Haiti Bahá’í School, Visits Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica[edit]
The International Bahá’í School of the Greater Antilles, held January l-3, 1960, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was privileged to have Hand of the Cause Dr. Ugo Giachery present to conduct a course on “The Covenant,” following his arrival from Cuba where he had visited various communities for eight days.
Other courses at the school sessions included “The
Ten-Year Crusade,” “Teaching,” and “Administration,” taught by Bettijane Walker, Camilla White and[Page 5]
W. A. W. Mitchell. Following this, Dr. Giachery traveled
to the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, addressing
many public meetings in various cities, including one
at Bennett College in Kingston, Jamaica.
Nicosia Assembly Incorporation Attained, last British Goal City Opened to Faith[edit]
Pride of place must be given to the incorporation of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Nicosia, a great victory for the stalwart band of pioneers and local believers in the so-long-troubled island of Cyprus. Jubilation over this victory has been tempered with grief at the passing of the dearly loved Knight of Bahá’u’lláh, Mrs. Violet McKinley, who is remembered with profound affection by all the Bahá’ís in Britain who knew her.
There is wonderful news, too, on the British homefront. On October 30 our last goal town was opened. By this date more than thirty-two pioneers had gone out since last Riḍván.
The lone pioneer in Peterborough, Ray Humphrey, put an advertisement for firesides in the local paper. The result was an interview with a reporter and a beautifully-presented full-page article on the Faith.
All over the British Isles the tempo of teaching effort is gathering momentum. Goals have been set and shoulders are being put to the wheel to ensure that our beloved Faith steers a straight path to victory.
With an ever increasing awareness of the short time left to accomplish the beloved Guardian’s Ten-Year Crusade, the British Bahá’í communities are exploring every possible avenue to find the ways and means of establishing local spiritual assemblies in the goal towns, now that the pioneers have established themselves.
The group in Chester is extremely active, and reports that they were invited to take a service in the Unitarian Church. Bahá’í prayers were read, a talk on progressive revelation given, and as a result a further service was arranged. They have also been invited to give a talk to the local branch of Toc-H in October. Audrie Rogers reports that she has visited the Dean and spoken with him in the Cathedral for half an hour.
In addition to these gallant goal town efforts, other communities are reporting some very successful campaigns. Glasgow, for example, has held a five-week campaign during which five public meetings were held in the Grand Hotel, weekly firesides were arranged, posters were distributed to libraries, colleges, hospitals, societies, local shops, and the city Information Bureau. One hundred invitations were distributed and advertisements were inserted in the local press, This campaign resulted in a declaration and a large circle or new contacts, most of whom came to the meetings as a result of the press advertisements. Edinburgh held a similar campaign, and has just completed its incorporation—the first local assembly to do so under Scottish Law.
Portsmouth Bahá’ís are giving every possible support to the goal town of Winchester, and have been doing so for some time. They are also holding three firesides every week and two public meetings each month. In addition they have contacted local education authorities, community centers, churches, the International League of Friends, and many other clubs and associations.
The British community was greatly honored by a visit of Hand of the Cause Miss Agnes Alexander on her way from Tokyo to Haifa. At a meeting in London on September 19, she spoke of the early days of the Faith and brought vivid pictures of those historic events to all her listeners.
On Sunday, September 27, Hand of the Cause William Sears was at the Nineteen-Day Feast in London and gave a very moving talk, laying much emphasis on the movement of Bahá’ís, not only to pioneer but to do travel-teaching in other communities.
—IAN SEMPLE
Attendance Record Set at Year-End Yerrinbool Summer School Sessions[edit]
The twenty-fourth annual Yerrinbool Summer School was held at Yerrinbool, New South Wales, on December 26 to January 3, with one of the largest attendances ever recorded. The total was over ninety persons, and of these, forty-five were full-time attendants.
A cable was received from the Hands of the Faith in Haifa, in reply to a cable sent to them at the opening of the school. Greetings were also received from the Hands of the Cause of Australia, from the South Pacific and the New Zealand summer schools, and from many Australian communities.
During the opening weekend of the school, the lecture program focussed attention upon the early history of the Faith, and upon its heroes, including Shayk-Aḥmad, Siyyid Káẓim, Mullá Ḥusayn, Ṭáhirih, and Quddús. Consideration of the devotion and fervor of these spiritual giants established an atmosphere that inspired the attendants throughout the course of the school.
Auxiliary Board Member Eric Bowes presented a course of lectures on Christian subjects, showing how the words and actions of Jesus lead the detached seeker to the recognition of the Manifestation for this age.
Miss Pam Ringwood gave a course on Bahá’í Administration. considering the functioning of the Administration as distinct from its structure. She discussed in detail the principle of consultation, and the balance between delegation and centralization of functions in the Administration. The course concluded with a discussion of the place and responsibility of the individual in the Administrative Order.
Peter Kahn presented a lecture course based on The Book of Certitude, in which he traced four predominant interdependent themes of this book.
The final weekend was, at the request of the National Teaching Committee, devoted to methods of teaching the Faith. Committee Chairman Thelma Perks, speaking on the spiritual basis of teaching, called upon the attendants to become aware of the sacredness of their task. Building upon this foundation, succeeding speakers gave lectures on various aspects of teaching.
A number of educational sessions for children, arranged by Miss Joanne Rodwell, a member of the Child Education Committee, were a most welcome and useful addition to the school program.
—AUSTRALIAN BAHÁ’Í BULLETIN
Hand of the Cause Shu’á’u’lláh ‘Alá’í (second row center) with the Malacca, Malaya, Bahá’í community on
January 19, 1960.
Hand of the Cause ‘Alá’í Counsels Bombay Bahá’ís During Five-Day Visit[edit]
Hand of the Cause Shu’á’u’lláh ‘Alá’í visited with the Bahá’ís of Bombay, India, for five days, from December 2 to 7. During his stay he addressed three Bahá’í meetings and one youth fireside.
In all four talks Mr. ‘Alá’í advised the Bahá’ís to concentrate all their energies on the fulfillment of the Ten-Year Plan, to create more love, unity, and understanding among themselves, and to arise as one soul in striving for the promotion of this beloved Cause.
He suggested that each Bahá’í should hold informal gatherings at his or her home, invite non-Bahá’í friends, and give them the Message.
Mr. ‘Alá’í also met twice with the Local Spiritual Assembly of Bombay, and counseled them on their activities. On December 7 he left Bombay for Hongkong and Japan.
—BAHÁ’Í NEWS LETTER OF INDIA
Youth on University of Arizona Campus Achieve Largest Public Meeting With Posters, Circulars[edit]
The Bahá’í youth on the campus of the University of Arizona in ‘Tucson sponsored a very successful public meeting on the campus January 8, 1960.
To publicize this meeting thirty-six hand-painted posters and 1,000 printed circulars were used. The posters were placed in all the dormitories, in the student union building, and in windows of the stores and restaurants near campus. The circulars were distributed among the apartments for married students, in message-boxes at the dormitories, and were also posted near drinking fountains and other strategic spots in the classroom buildings.
The subject of the meeting was “Many Religions Why?” and the speaker was David Baral, past chairman of the National Bahá’í Youth Committee. A letter from the University youth states:
“The resulting attendance was, we were told by a Tucson Bahá’í, the largest ever to come to a public meeting here. There were about fifty-five contacts, of whom about twenty-five or thirty had not been in touch with any Tucson Bahá’ís. About twelve Bahá’ís attended. We were surprised to note that many of the contacts were residents of the university area; of course many students attended, too. It is our hope that some of these new contacts will come to the weekly fireside sponsored by the university Bahá’í youth.”
The talk generated considerable audience participation, and all of the available literature was taken.
More Schools Recognize Holy Days in Alaska[edit]
The Crusade goal calling for further recognition of the Holy Days of the Faith throughout Alaska has recently made considerable progress with the recognition by the Independent School Districts of Fairbanks for the schools in Fairbanks and Tanana Valley, and the Palmer Independent School District for- schools in the Matanuska Valley area. This brings the number of assemblies having gained such recognition to four (Anchorage and Spenard having secured recognition prior to the formation of the National Assembly of Alaska), with Matanuska Valley being the first group to do so.
Davison Winter School Attracts Eighty Bahá’ís For Study, Meditation, and Fellowship[edit]
The Davison Bahá’í School, Davison, Mich., opened for the annual Winter Session on December 26, 1959. Nearly eighty Bahá’ís gathered together for six days of intensive study, meditation, prayer, and fellowship. Friends came from all over the United States, from Canada and Írán.
The daily schedule of study consisted of four courses running from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 am., and from 2:30 till 4:30 in the afternoon. The four courses and teachers were as follows: Spiritual Aspects of the Bahá’í Faith, Dr. William Love; The Divine Art of Living, Dr. George Winder; The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, Wallace Baldwin; and Bahá’í History, Keyvan Nazerizan. Two special classes were conducted by Allan Ward and Cal Rollins on our community life as pertains to backbiting and gossiping.
During the evenings there were special programs consisting of slides and presentations on the following: Laos, South East Asia, by Miss Banu Hassan, pioneer to Laos; Finland, by Donald Streets; and the Holy Land and the Guardian’s grave. A special treat was given to the friends by two pioneers to Latin America, Dolores Thomas and Joanne Blecha, who shared many of their pioneering experiences in the hope of stimulating the friends to fill the posts in Latin America.
One evening the young people and adults consulted,
led by the co-chairmen, Joanna Thomas and Steve
Foster, concerning the responsibility and function of
youth in the last remaining days of the World Crusade,
and the sacrifice and deeds we must show forth in[Page 7]
bringing about the completion of the goals. Music,
singing, and refreshments followed every evening program.
New Year’s Eve brought the friends closer together in a spirit of true happiness and thankfulness to God for our many blessings. All participated in group singing of rounds and folk songs, followed by a contest of who could tell the biggest fib. Entertainment was provided by a talent show put on by the young people and adults.
The friends gathered for singing and refreshments in the main house until we began prayers and meditations. crossing the threshold of a new year with the realization that time is beginning to run out before 1963 is upon us!
This overwhelming feeling stayed with us as we parted, realizing that each and every one of the friends who were unable to attend this winter session must know of the affinity and love that surrounds us all; of how we must teach; that these are the days of test; and that everything depends on our complete sacrifice to Bahá’u’lláh in order to complete our remaining tasks of the World Crusade!
—JOANNA THOMAS
Teaching Trip and School Attracts Many Bolivian Indians to Faith
During the course of a teaching trip in the Sucre and Cochabamba areas of Bolivia during the last week of November and the first week of December 1959, a total of 142 Indians accepted the Faith. New groups have been formed in the following places: Tallija, Montano, Yauri-Totora, Mujali, Cochapata, Laja-Tambo, Santa Catalina, Cuchutambo, Aranjuez, city of Sucre, city of Murillo, and Rosas Khasa. In addition there are five isolated centers and several new declarations in places formerly reported.
The following week, on December 14 to 19, a Bahá’í school for Bolivian Indians was held in La Paz under the sponsorship of the National Indian Teaching Committee, with an attendance of thirty people. Courses on the history of the Faith; on the lives of the Báb. Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi; on principles and laws of the Faith; and on Administration were climaxed with a period of practice-voting for a local spiritual assembly.
Top right: Attendants at the Bahá’í school for Bolivian Indians held at La Paz.
Bottom right: Closing fiesta held at the home of Sr. Khamsi, following the school for Bolivian Indians in La Paz.
Below: Nine new adult believers who declared their faith following the Bolivian Indian teaching school in La Paz, with children and one of their teachers.
Evolution of the Bahá’í Community[edit]
LOOKING at the scene of Bahá’í endeavor from the southern tip of Africa, it seems to me that the Bahá’í Faith is going through a period of transition from a father-centered community to an assembly-centered community. It is an historic moment. It is also the period when personality-centered believers are transformed or replaced by idea-centered believers.
Father- or hero-centeredness is the inevitable process of growth for every adolescent and for every evolving community until maturity is reached. The Christian community was essentially father-centered around the personality of Jesus Christ. The minister of many a Christian community is still addressed as father. Kings and saints often filled the need of a father image. If we go back to an earlier age we find the patriarchal society as the established pattern. Among the Bantus even today the proper way to address an older man is baba, which means father.
For the last six thousand years leadership meant individual personal impact. Until recently it was assumed that leadership, and for that matter any accomplishment requiring skill and knowledge, let alone judgment, could come only from the individual. An organization, we assumed, could perform only simple, repetitive, regimented work.
It is only since the early half of this century that we can discern a trend of leadership from king, minister, and judge, to parliament, cabinet, and council. The large business organizations are no longer built or run by one man. Great decisions are increasingly entrusted to the interaction of many minds in the form of a commission or board. Even our greatest inventions today are the result of the working together of many minds.
The early believers who accepted the Bahá’í Faith were conditioned in a father-centered environment. It was natural and inevitable that those who had met Bahá’u’lláh should have established the personal relationship of disciples to their Lord. Later, when the center of authority was transferred from Bahá’u’lláh to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the believers again turned naturally and inevitably to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as to a father and called Him, against His wishes, Master.
The relationship between master and pupil, or father and son, is necessary and vital to growth. Nevertheless, a great stride is made towards maturity when the son leaves the father or when the father leaves his son. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told His disciples not to sorrow at His passing, since He would then be able to help them more than before. And yet we know that many of the believers were heartbroken and stricken for a long time after, instead of realizing that the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá marked a new stage of development, opening up new opportunities for service and growth.
As a result of a conversation I had with Shoghi Effendi in 1938, I have been asking ever since on both hemispheres, at firesides, summer schools, and conferences, the following question: What was to succeed as the center of authority after Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá? Almost invariably I got as an answer the Guardianship. This is wrong. I made the same mistake when I was asked this question for the first time. The correct answer is the Administrative Order.
If we reread the Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh we can notice that Shoghi Effendi divided it into four parts. The chapter on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is followed by the chapter on the Administrative Order. The Guardianship is mentioned as one of the Twin Pillars. “These twin institutions of the Administrative Order of Bahá’u’lláh,” writes Shoghi Effendi in the same chapter, “should be regarded as divine in origin, essential in their functions, and complementary in their aim and purpose. Their common, their fundamental object is to insure the continuity of that divinely-appointed authority which flows from the Source of our Faith, to safeguard the unity of its followers and to maintain the integrity and flexibility of its teachings.”
If the implication of the above statement of Shoghi Effendi did not sink deeply into our consciousness it is understandable. The other pillar, the Universal House of Justice, was as yet unborn. The Guardian had, at times, to fill the functions of both. Our assemblies were still in an embryonic state. We really tried not to disobey our assemblies. But such a passive acceptance was in no relationship to our positive and often passionate loyalty to the Guardian.
We do not know at present how the Twin Pillars will evolve in the future. What we do know, however, is the fact that we have to prepare ourselves in our heart and mind to establish the same organic relationship with the future Universal House of Justice as we had established with the first Guardian. We shall need time, prayers, and meditation to accomplish this.
Furthermore, with the election of the first Universal House of Justice, we shall receive for the first time in human history infallible guidance from a group instead of an individual.
Spiritual assemblies, whether local, national, or international, represent a new type of leadership. An assembly‘s influence on a community is different from the impact of a leader’s personality. An assembly can never address a community with the natural voice of a father’s “my children.”
Apart from the station of Bahá’u’lláh as the Manifestation of God, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as the Center of the Covenant, Their personal lives will always remain sacred and beloved to the believers and will continue to be an inspiration for the formation of character. Nevertheless, we can already detect that Bahá’í emphasis, in contrast with that of early Christianity, rests on the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh rather than on His personality, and on His ideas rather than on His pictorial likeness. The shift is from personality to idea, from father to assembly.
The ascendancy or assemblies will not replace or
weaken the influence of the individual. The efficient[Page 9]
and harmonious working of an assembly presupposes
a community of mature individuals. But since the degree of maturity is relative and constantly evolving,
the personal impact of a teacher or Hand will always
be needed.
A leader’s relationship to a community is like that of a father to his children. An assembly’s relationship is in reverse. For the community originates the assembly and not the assembly the community. The tie that holds both together is understanding and enlightenment, rather than subservience and authority.
When a community is mature, not only in a physical sense, namely that each voter is over twenty-one, but also emotionally and spiritually, the assembly’s decision is accepted as the ultimate good for all. The bond that ties the Bahá’í voter to his assembly is deeper and different from that of any other voter in relation to his government. When a Bahá’í votes he is performing a consecrated act of his Faith, and when an assembly consults and reaches a decision it does so in conscious affirmation of their common Faith in Bahá’u’lláh. In such a relationship, when the Grace of God is evoked, the impact of human personality is out of place. The shift thus is inevitable from personality-centeredness to idea-centeredness, from immaturity, with all its vanities, to maturity, with implications which we cannot as yet fully understand.
“All created things” writes ‘Amatu’l-Bahá, “have their degree or stage of maturity. The period of maturity in the life of a tree is the time of its fruit-bearing . . . in the human kingdom man reaches his maturity when the light of his intelligence attains its greatest power and development.”
More than twenty years ago Shoghi Effendi wrote: “That mystic, all-pervasive, yet indefinable change, which we associate with the stage of maturity inevitable in the life of the individual and the development of the fruit . . . must have its counterpart in the organization of human society. A similar stage must sooner or later be attained in the collective Life of mankind . . . and endowing the whole human race with such potentialities of well-being as shall provide, throughout the succeeding ages, the chief incentive required for the eventual fulfillment of its high destiny.”
One test of our maturity is when we, as members of our community, recognize that the spiritual assembly’s decision is our decision, its judgment is our judgment, and its will is our will.
When Shoghi Effendi passed away, many Bahá’ís felt that they had lost a father. Shoghi Effendi never alluded to himself as our father; on the contrary, he signed himself in thousands of letters as “your true brother.” Instead of leaning on him as on a father, he wanted us to tell him as to a brother: “Here am I. You can count on me.”
From now on we have no other choice. All we can say from now on to Shoghi Effendi, and to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Who preceeded him, and to Bahá’u’lláh, Who is the source of it all: “Here am I. You can count on me.”
—EMERIC SALA
Signed essays such as the above do not represent directives or authoritative material. published at the request of the U.S. Notional Spiritual Assembly, but are presented as inspirational and thought-provoking articles for the interest of the Bahá’ís.
Over 1,460 Persons Hear Traveling Pioneer in Four Cities of North Carolina[edit]
Matthew Bullock spoke on the Bahá’í Faith to audiences totalling over 1,460 people in four cities of North Carolina, in passing through that state on his way to a pioneer post in the Dutch West Indies.
At Durham he spoke to forty-nine Negroes at a local college, and to 130 students at the Negro Business College. Firesides were held in the homes of Mrs. Carlotta Holmes and Mrs. Ludmilla Van Sombeek.
In Raleigh Mr. Bullock spoke at a fireside in the home of Mrs. Margaret Quance.
A meeting at the A & T College for Negroes at Greensboro attracted an audience of 250 persons to hear Mr. Bullock, and he later attended a dinner given by the dean of the college attended by faculty members. There was also a fireside at the home of Mrs. Georgia Haith.
In Charlotte Mr. Bullock addressed 800 students at the Johnson c. Smith Negro College, and spoke to forty-six students in a religion class at Carver College. He also conducted a fireside at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Curwin.
South Pacific, Iberian Regional Assemblies Publish First Issues of News Bulletins[edit]
The Regional Assembly of the South Pacific has published its first news bulletin called South Sea Island News. Its first issue, November 1959, announces four summer schools, all being held in December.
The Fiji school was scheduled to be held at Lomalagi, a beautiful resort fifty-five miles from Suva. The school in Tonga, in Nuku’alofa, planned sessions an administration. Both Western and American Samoa were to participate in the Samoan school program, and the Solomon Islands Bahá’ís planned a three-day session at their Moniara Bahá’í Center.
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Iberian Peninsula has begun publication of a news bulletin, Information Bahá’í, the first issue being the May-November number.
It carries news of the election of Antonio Jimenez Gutierrez of Murcia to the National Assembly, replacing Virginia Orbison, who was not able to remain in this area, and who is now pioneering in Luxembourg. The bulletin also contains news of current teaching activities. A number of successful teaching conferences were held in recent months and more are planned.
Teacher Promulgates Faith in Belgian Congo[edit]
At Uvira, Kivu province, in the eastern Belgian Congo, Molisso Michel, visiting from Ruanda-Urundi, was asked by the local chief to speak to an audience of 4,000 people gathered on November 20, 1959, to meet the provincial administrator. The group showed much interest in the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.
Mr. Michel also spent three weeks visiting four village areas. He travelled many miles on foot from village to village, and confirmed thirty-five new believers.
Know Your Baha’i Literature[edit]
“The Kitáb-i-Iqán”[edit]
With fixed and steady gaze, born of the unerring eye of God, scan for a while the horizon of divine knowledge, and contemplate those words of perfection which the Eternal hath revealed, that haply the mysteries of divine wisdom, hidden ere now beneath the veil of glory and treasured within the tabernacle of His grace, may be made manifest unto you.
These words, in the early pages of The Kitáb-i-Íqán, reveal the supreme station of this book as a direct and written revelation of God. This is The Book of Certitude, and in it Bahá’u’lláh has brought into being a mine of inestimable treasures.
Four main subjects are expounded by Bahá’u’lláh in these pages: (1) the unity of the Prophets of the 70 past and the repeated denials of the truth of their Revelations by the leaders of religion of every age; (2) a clear explanation of the allegorical terms of past Dispensations, such as oppression, sun, moon, stars, clouds, day of resurrection. day of judgement, return, and the like; (3) conclusive proofs of the station of the Báb as the promised Qa’im; and (4) a forecast of the coming of His own Dispensation.
The first subject is a complete exposition of progressive revelation, a truth not new but grossly misunderstood by the followers of past religions. The second, the unsealing of the hidden meaning of allegories uttered by past Manifestations of God which were the source of centuries of dispute, signals at once the prophesized arrival of Bahá’u’lláh as the culmination of all past Prophets, and the rebirth of mankind in a new era of truth and light.
The third subject, a weighty argument for the Báb’s true station, has the power to demolish the objections of any discerning man. The fourth theme, wherein Bahá’u’lláh defines His station, not yet manifested, is a priceless gem hidden in but one paragraph:
By God! This Bird of Heaven, now dwelling upon the dust, can, besides these melodies, utter a myriad songs, and is able, apart from these utterances, to unfold innumerable mysteries. Every single note of its unpronounced utterances is immeasurably exalted above all that hath already been revealed, and immensely glorified beyond that which hath streamed from this Pen. Let the future disclose the hour when the Brides of inner meaning will, as decreed by the Will of God, hasten forth, unveiled, out of their mystic mansions, and manifest themselves in the ancient realm of being. Nothing whatsoever is possible without His permission; no power can endure save through His power, and there is none other God but He. His is the world of creation, and His the Cause of God. All proclaim His Revelation, and all unfold the mysteries of His Spirit.
It must be remembered that The Book of Certitude was written at Baghdad in 1862, before Bahá’u’lláh had revealed His station and mission to His loved ones. From this flowering period came also The Hidden Words, The Seven Valleys, and thirteen other major compositions, a veritable feast of instruction in the way of the spiritual life.
Shoghi Effendi states in God Passes By that The Kitáb-i-Íqán “occupies a position unequalled by any work in the entire range of Bahá’í literature, except the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Bahá’u’lláh’s Most Holy Book.” “It was written in fulfillment of the prophecy of the Báb, Who had specifically stated that the Promised One would complete the text of the unfinished Persian Bayán . . . A model of Persian prose, of a style at once original, chaste, and vigorous, both cogent in argument and matchless in its irresistible eloquence . . . ”
Lest the reader be unimpressed with the testimony of this book, Bahá’u’lláh closes it with two quotations from the Qur’án and a final glimpse of His glory:
We conclude our argument with His words—exalted is He—“And whoso shall withdraw from the remembrance of the Merciful, We will chain a Satan unto him, and he shall be his fast companion.” “And whoso turneth away from my remembrance, truly his shall be a life of misery.”
. . . Peace be upon him that inclineth his ear unto the melody of the Mystic Bird calling from the Sadratu’l-Muntahá!
The Kitáb-i-Íqán is available from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, clothbound, 276 pages, at $3.00. A Study Guide on this work by Horace Holley is also available, to add illumination to the reading of the text, at $ .20.
NSA Reports on Experience With Listing of Bahá’í Faith in Telephone Directories[edit]
From time to time the National Spiritual Assembly receives recommendations from the national and state conventions that local spiritual assemblies carry listings in the telephone directories to aid traveling believers and interested individuals in locating the local Bahá’ís. Since there is no uniform procedure that can be adopted or carried out, the National Assembly some months ago carried a request in BAHÁ’Í NEWS that communities having experience in this matter report how the listing was secured from the telephone company and what the results had been.
Following are summaries of reports received thus far. They are offered as suggestions which local assemblies and groups may investigate and adopt.
The Long Beach, Calif., Assembly has had a listing under “Bahá’í Faith” in the local telephone directory for two years. It has no center; therefore, it was decided to list as Bahá’í the telephone number of one believer who is usually at home and had no plans for moving. The double listing costs a little more than twice that of the private telephone The Assembly pays the difference.
The first year the Faith was listed in the yellow pages of the directory under “Churches — Various Denominations.” Pamphlets were taken to the telephone company and a request was made for a separate heading. Many questions were asked and the Assembly was told that the request would be considered. Two months later they were informed by mail that the company agreed this is an independent religion and therefore was entitled to its own heading.
The report states: “We get numerous calls, asking for literature and about meetings. Also many Bahá’ís visiting friends or relatives have been able to attend our Feasts or meetings.” It concludes: “Telephone com
First Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Aba,
Nigeria, formed on April 21, 1959.
pany policies do change, and if it was not possible for
a community to get a listing a year or two ago, they
might try again. That was our experience.”
The Bahá’í group of Spokane Valley, Wash., reports that they were inspired to secure a telephone listing when a visiting Bahá’í pioneer from Mexico reported that, except for having seen the newspaper publicity about the Naw-Rúz program, he would not have been able to find the local believers. A letter was Written to the area teaching committee for advice. One of the committee members is a service representative in the Seattle telephone business office, therefore very helpful advice was received promptly.
One of the members of the group offered to use his business telephone number in the listing. When he leaves the office at night all incoming calls are switched to his home phone. The additional charges for the listing in both the regular directory and the yellow pages as “Bahá’í Valley Group,” are nominal and are paid by the group.
This group, too, feels that the listing has more than paid for itself, and that it will become more and more valuable as the public teaching effort increases.
The Local Spiritual Assembly of Boston, Mass., has its center listed with the Chamber of Commerce, and the telephone directory for Metropolitan Boston carries a listing as “Bahá’í Information Service.” The telephone is maintained in the home of one of the local believers, and the Bahá’ís of Cambridge and Brookline share the cost.
The Local Spiritual Assembly of Flint, Mich., writes: “We wish to tell you that for a number of years we have had a listing in the Flint Telephone Directory. It is under the name of the Bahá’í World Faith. To accomplish this, a second listing on the business phones of one of our members was provided. We feel that this listing has been of value to us, as it has given us a standing in the community as one of the religious organizations and we have received civic recognition because of this. We have been able to receive calls from inquirers and others which we would not have received had we not had this phone listing.”
Mrs. Behjat Joy Arnold, isolated believer in Bayside, Va., has also found a Bahá’í telephone listing very valuable. She says: “In 1955 I made a personal call to the office of our telephone company and kindly requested that my religion, ‘Bahá’í’ be listed in the telephone directory.
“This request, I am happy to say, was immediately granted, and in the first yellow pages under other denominations ‘Bahá’í Information Service’ is thereby listed opposite my home address and telephone number, and with no additional cost.
“Many non-Bahá’ís, who are out-of-town visitors and anxious to learn of their particular denomination, call me for information. Although I inform them that I can only give them information regarding the Bahá’í Faith, which in itself is an independent religion, nevertheless in some instances few inquire as to the Bahá’í Faith while others don’t, but in either case it is a silent and effective way to acquaint them with the word ‘Bahá’í.’ ”
As our public teaching efforts accelerate and as the Faith attracts increasing attention, it is important that interested seekers know where to find the local Bahá’ís. Therefore the National Spiritual Assembly hopes that each local assembly and each group will give serious consideration to a telephone listing from which information can be secured. The number should be one which is answered without repeated calls.
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMELY
Linwood, N.J., Schools Recognize Holy Days[edit]
On October 12, 1959, the Superintendent of Schools in Linwood, Atlantic County, N.J., informed the local Bahá’ís that Bahá’í Children would be excused from their classes on Bahá’í Holy Days, provided the parents sent a request for such absences for each individual date. This recognition was announced in the Atlantic City Press and the Pleasantville Mainland Press just Prior to the anniversary of the birthday of the Báb, which was the first Holy Day following the action of the superintendent.
Regional Teaching Conferences Held in Heilbronn and Hannover[edit]
Two regional meetings for Bahá’í's were held in Germany on December 6, 1959, at Heilbronn and Hannover.
Over forty persons from the regional area of Württemberg gathered in the goal city of Heilbronn despite fog and cold weather. In the morning a public talk was given by Mrs. Anna Grossmann on “The New Covenant,” in which she recalled the past Covenants of God, and explained the importance and necessity of Bahá’u’lláh’s New Covenant. A very interesting discussion followed.
After luncheon, Gerhard Bender, of Nellingen, spoke on ‘God’s Will Be Done,” and discussed predestination and man’s free will. In the evening the day’s activities were brought to a close with a social get-together.
The Bahá’í group of Hannover invited the friends in the area of Niedersachsen to a regional meeting there. On the previous evening Mr. Randel, of Hannover, elaborated on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Paris Talks, stressed the importance of the cooperation of East and West, and explained how this ideal was being put into practice today.
On the following morning, regional problems were[Page 12]
discussed; in the afternoon a public talk was given in
the Youth Center on the subject “Bahá’í Thoughts About
Life in Big Cities.” In the following discussion Mr.
Randel presented the Bahá’í teaching of progressive
revelation, and how Bahá’ís gather their strength and
convictions from the recognition of the Prophet of today, Bahá’u’lláh.
—BAHÁ’Í NACHRICHTEN
Recording of Riḍván Address by William Sears Available from Audio-Visual Committee[edit]
The inspiring address given by Hand of the Cause William B. Sears at the Riḍván Feast in the Bahá’í House of Worship last year was recorded by the AudioVisual Education Committee and may now be purchased from the committee.
This talk describes the meaning of Riḍván, presents the subject of progressive revelation with great lucidity, and tells the moving story of the return of Christ. It is spotted with humor, contains dramatic impact, and makes a universal appeal to the openminded and open-hearted intellectual, as well as to the unprejudiced man on the street, but the striking feature is the spirit in which the talk is given. It makes excellent fireside material.
The recording is on a 12 inch disc, 33⅓ RPM, and is 45 minutes long. The price is $2.00, or $5.55 in lots of three.
Please place your order with the Audio-Visual Education representative in your community. If such a representative has not been appointed, or if you are isolated and wish to purchase one of these records, please send your order with your remittance to: Audio-Visual Education Committee, Bahá’ís of the United States, 126 Evergreen Place, West Englewood, N.J.
BAHA’I IN THE NEWS[edit]
The Unitarian Register for December 1959, publishes an article by Dr. Homer A. Jack entitled “A Catholic President,” which states in part: “Should a Catholic be President’! The First Amendment to the United States Constitution affirms that ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohib ing the free exercise there of.’ Despite that prohib ion, there has been a kind of religious test for public office. Many Americans feel that a Roman Catholic—more than a Jew, more than a Bahá’í, more certainly than any Protestant—has an allegiance to an institution which takes precedence over any allegiance he many swear to the Constitution.”
The Shrine of the Báb and the International Archives Building are shown in color in the film “Israel - Rebirth of a Nation” by Ed Lask.
The Attleboro Sun, September 26, made editorial reference to the letter written the editor by Dr. James N. Shamey on the need for an international language.
Land of the Bible, a newsletter dated June-July 1959, published an article on “Bahá’í World Spiritual Center,” presenting a brief summary of Bahá’í istory with special reference to the Shrine of the Báb. “The body of the Báb would have been lost in an unmarked grave in a Persian prison cemetery were it not for the devotion of Bahá’í followers who secretly guarded the remains for years, then secretly brought them to the Holy Land, there to be buried on Mount Carmel.
Illinois Times, a Negro paper published in Champaign, Ill., carried Bahá’í material on June 15, July 20, and August 28. On June 15 the paper reported an address by Ellsworth Blackwell delivered in the Urbana Bahá’í Center in observance of Race Amity Day. On July 20 it carried a reprint from the Milwaukee Journal reporting with illustrations the marriage of Sue Williston and Khalil Akhtar Khavari in Temple Foundation Hall. On August 28 Illinois Times published an offer by the Bahá’ís of Upper New York to send free copies of Man, One Family, on request.
Chicago Daily News Weekend for August 29 published references to reported places which visitors to the Pan American games could see. The Bahá’í Temple was included, with an illustration.
Calendar of Events[edit]
FEASTS[edit]
March 21—Bahá (Splendor)
April 9—Jalál (Glory)
DAYS OF FASTING[edit]
March 2 to 21
HOLY DAY[edit]
March 21—Naw-Rúz (Bahá’í New Year)
U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY MEETINGS[edit]
March 25, 26,27
Baha’i House of Worship[edit]
Visiting Hours[edit]
Weekdays
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Auditorium only)
Sundays and Holidays
10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Entire building)
Service of Worship[edit]
Sundays
3:30 to 4:10 p.m.
BAHÁ’Í NEWS is published by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í World Community.
Reports, plans, news items, and photographs of general interest are requested from national committees and local assemblies of the United States as well as from national assemblies of other lands Material is due in Wilmette on the first day of the month preceding the date of issue for which it is intended.
BAHÁ’Í NEWS is edited by an annually appointed Editorial Committee. The Committee for 1959-60; International New: Editor, Mrs. Eunice Braun; National News Editor, Miss Charlotte M. Linfoot; Managing Editor, Richard C. Thomas.
Editorial Office: 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A.
Change of address should be reported directly to National Bahá’í Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A
