The American Bahá’í/Volume 1/Issue 1/Text
| The American Bahá’í January, 1970 |
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[Page 1]
Dr. David S. Ruhe, member of the Universal House of Justice, on a recent visit to the United States, stopped in Wilmette. On January 11, Dr. Ruhe talked on aspects of the Bahá’í Faith that currently concern the Universal House of Justice.
Washington D.C. Bahá’ís Exploit Moratorium Activities[edit]
The November moratorium focused the attention of a large segment of the United States population on a major moral problem facing our country, its involvement in the war in Vietnam. Washington, D.C., attracted over a quarter of a million Americans, largely youth, anxious to demonstrate their concern.
The National Spiritual Assembly requested that the Bahá’ís exploit the November moratorium period to mount a nationwide proclamation of the coming of Bahá’u’lláh, The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Washington, with the assistance of the National Public Information Office, planned a series of activities aimed at informing those participating in the events in Washington of Bahá’u’lláh and His plan for peace. Techniques were carefully selected to reach as many protesters and local citizens as possible without involving the Faith in any way in the demonstrations.
Large advertisements about Bahá’u’lláh’s message for peace were placed in the four daily papers, and nine college papers, A “Youth-mobile” (microbus emblazoned with posters, stocked with literature, and filled with youth) circulated almost continuously during the three days, largely to college campuses, distributing 7,000 specially printed flyers with an outline of the Bahá’í peace plan and quotations from the Writings. The coincidence of the moratorium with the premier of the Bahá’í film “A New Wind” made it possible to show this film at three colleges, attracting students and demonstrators, and leading to one declaration. The Washington Bahá’í Center was kept open continuously, and the phone manned for responses from the advertisements.
Although the pace of events allowed only two weeks for planning, the sacrifices of many Bahá’ís made many things possible.
Ronald Call greets his co-host, Lucila Pérez, as the show opens.
Education Year Features Conference[edit]
“International Education” has been designated the Bahá’í proclamation theme for 1970 in conjunction with the United Nations observance of International Education Year, the National Spiritual Assembly has announced. The International Education Year theme began Jan. 1 and will run through Dec. 31, 1970.
A Bahá’í National Conference on Education will be the first major event of International Education Year. The all-Bahá’í conference will be held Feb. 20-22 in the vicinity of the House of Worship in Wilmette, Ill. All Bahá’ís are welcome to attend; particularly needed are Bahá’ís who fall into these categories: 1) teachers and educators, 2) parents, and 3) students.
Representatives from all regions of the U.S. are urged to attend, since the conference experience will be invaluable later in local proclamation activities, Objectives of the conference are to deepen on principles of education contained in the Bahá’í Writings, recommend action programs in education to the National Spiritual Assembly, and be a source for news in connection with Bahá’í proclamation.
The first session of the Conference will open Friday, Feb. 20, at 6 p.m. in Foundation Hall of the House of Worship, and will close at 10 p.m. after talks and workshops. The Conference then moves to the National College of Education, where sessions
Healdsburg Bahá’ís Begin 2nd Year of TV Show[edit]
The opportunity came suddenly, unexpectedly
The cable television service in Healdsburg, California, decided to offer its viewers a local channel in addition to the network channels available from the big antenna atop Geyser Peak. Strictly local programming was needed, and would the Bahá’ís care to take on a weekly half-hour program slot?
“As I think back on my scant knowledge of the art a year ago our brashness in tackling an assignment like this scares me,” says Ronald W. Call, director and M. C. of the Bahá’í TV program. “We consulted at great length in our assembly meeting and finally decided to accept the challenge. Our first program lighted the viewers’ screens on November 19, 1968.”
Mr. Call is a teacher in the Geyserville Elementary School, seven miles north of town. As the Assembly’s choice of program director, he laments that his college drama work did not include television, but over 50 well-done shows to date have proven the wisdom of that choice.
Metropolitan television viewers are little aware of some of the limitations of television broadcasting, but technically minded persons realize that a television signal is essentially a line-of-sight mode of communication. Only the fact that the transmitting antenna is somewhere close by makes the typical city-dweller’s picture sharp and clear. Out in the country, and in villages between large cities, there is a “fringe area” where television sets work sometimes but, at best, deliver a “snow filled” picture.
A rapidly expanding method of bringing bright, interference-free pictures to villages and small towns has emerged in the past five years; CATV — Community Antenna Television. Until a recent Federal Communications Commission ruling, the legal status of CATV has been in a twilight zone. Now, with guidelines and favorable rulings, CATV will soon cover virtually all rural villages and towns in the United States. And each area must be a separate and distinct entity — no “networks” allowed.
How does CATV work? A high-gain antenna is erected on the highest hill or mountain near a community in a television “shadow.” The signal is amplified and sent by coaxial cable to a distribution amplifier in the town or village. Subscribers’ homes are fed by cable, using existing telephone poles in many cases. A monthly fee pays for the service.
Healdsburg’s 1,000 subscribers can select any of nine channels carrying regular network shows. In addition, local CATV management decided late in 1968 to add a “closed circuit” channel of their own — that is, a channel which is not broadcast on the air, but is available only to those who subscribe. It was felt that local news, interviews with local personalities who had something to say, and an occasional look at a clock telling correct time would be worthwhile to viewers.
However, CATV studios are rather primitive by network standards. There is very little money for sophisticated equipment. One camera, an old sound mixing box, and a couple of microphones are about the extent of most outlays. This requires the
“A New Wind” Stirs up Interest in Faith[edit]
Late last summer, Canadian film maker George C. Stoney finished making “A New Wind.” When the completed version was turned over to the National Spiritual Assembly, they decided that the projects of its initial distribution and showing would be assigned to the Public Information Office. The Public Information Office was instructed to generate and conduct a plan for exhibiting and assessing the film.
The plan called for the film to have a nationwide showing on two specific days: the first, November 12, 1969, to coincide with the 152nd anniversary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh, the second to be held on World Religion Day, January 18, 1970. The premiere showing of the film on November 12 was planned to include 40 cities, 32 of them state capitols, the other eight major population centers where large concentrations of Bahá’ís resided,
In addition to the 40 localities nationwide where the film was to be first shown, 10 college clubs were carefully selected to show “A New Wind” in conjunction with a special 15 minute youth segment, most of which had been filmed at the National Youth Conference during the summer of 1968.
The Public Information Office put together a public information kit of instructions and suggestions for communities and college clubs that would be showing the film. The kit included general instructions, sample press and radio releases, sample invitations and advertisements for newspapers, a sample audience comment card, and the usual report form. These last two were of particular importance. The audience comment cards were designed to let members of the audience express their personal reactions to “A New Wind.” These, together with Bahá’í community and college club report forms, were designed to help the Public Information Office properly assess the effectiveness of “A New Wind” to non-Bahá’í audiences,
As soon as the kit had been designed and reproduced, the Public Information Office began work on a leaflet to be given to all persons who attended the showings of the film. A three fold illustrated leaflet was designed and written, mass produced and tendered to those communities that had accepted the offer to preview the film to the Bahá’ís and general public of their area.
The nationwide premiere was held, in line with the planning, on the anniversary of the birth of Bahá’u’lláh. All localities showing the film were allowed to keep the film for one week, during which time they could show the film as often as they saw fit. Those attending the premiere showing, together with those who subsequently saw the film during that period of exhibition amounted to somewhere around 7,500 persons across the country.
“A New Wind” had an impact wherever it was shown. In a few communities, it nearly blew the roof off things. The Carson City, Nevada Bahá’í community reports that, “The film was, first of all, a beautiful vehicle.” Their report goes on, “The public here liked it. During the social hour often the people milled around talking about Bahá’í life, asking questions — oh, what questions! And taking pamphlets home to read. This was a new experience for Carson City and our audience loved it.”
The report continues, “Among the guests were 17 non-Bahá’ís from Carson City; two of these showed up the following Sunday for a fireside. We have received phone calls since asking for information about firesides and public meetings. As a result of our premiere, we have a man very close to declaring. This has encouraged two ladies who are beginning to read more and becoming quite ‘fired up,’ as they put it.
“In closing, let us say this is, by far, the largest audience of non-Bahá’ís at a Bahá’í gathering ever held in or around Carson City. We feel that this successful first start for our assembly is an auspicious beginning. As a result of his community effort, our Bahá’ís of Carson City feel that they are truly welded into a Bahá’í family.
The audience for a showing of the film at Stamford, Conn.
There were 250 people who
saw the film in Miami, Florida.
One person wrote on her audience comment card. “I really
thought it was wonderful and
do hope to see some more ... I
think I am going to be a part of
this Bahá’í Faith after hearing
their speaker.”
The report of the Miami community says that. “With about 100 non-Bahá’ís attending, there was much discussion after the program. Not one person left the auditorium before the end of the program, and nearly all of the non-Bahá’ís stayed and asked questions. There were four declarations.”
“A New Wind” was seen by 160 persons in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and their assembly reports, “We felt it was a successful evening because of the happy atmosphere; the guests were in no hurry to leave, there was a sizable sale of books and literature ... It is our feeling that putting a spiritual concept into a film is not an easy task, but that Mr. Stoney succeeded in doing this. Some felt disappointed—they thought it was too short and didn’t have a ‘story line,’ and parts of it were not clear ... Others felt this film conveyed beautifully the way in which the Faith is transforming lives of people all over the world, how all-inclusive it is by showing the variety of socio-economic backgrounds and the diversity of people and cultures.”
The Bahá’í college club at the University of Illinois showed the film on campus twice to about 120 persons, “Bahá’ís thought that ‘A New Wind’ offered beautiful world-wide views of Bahá’í participation; the natural settings with non-English speaking, non-Anglo Saxon peoples very well done; the reverence and joy combined were complementary in the best of ways, and the music at the beginning and end drew only praise. In short, the excitement of universality of thought and belief was astoundingly new and wonderful to the audience, both Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í, older and younger, student and non-student.”
At Florissant Valley Community College in St. Louis, Missouri there were several showings of “A New Wind.” In all, about 325 students and faculty members saw the film. According to the report of the Bahá’í college club there, “In general, people were overwhelmed with the scope of the Bahá’í Faith. The people from different races together, the subtle idea that Bahá’ís come from all walks of life, the fact that Bahá’í communities all over the world are functioning — all were things that people were most impressed with.”
Auxiliary Board Member Jane McCants and friend at the Miami, Fla. premiere of “A New Wind.”
The report goes on to say “A
number of college students at
FVCC have now started reading,
investigating, inquiring into the
Bahá’í Faith as a direct result of
the film. And one major point
that the club felt should be
mentioned is — that the film is
an excellent goodwill ambassador for the Faith. People who
have seen this film will no longer think of the Bahá’í Faith as a
‘dinky little sect of some kind.’
They will know that it is world encompassing and that it does
unite people in the Cause of
God.”
“A New Wind” had been sent to 10 college clubs along with a youth segment spliced in to see how the reception to both films would be among college aged youth, “The youth section appealed enormously to the college group; several anthropology instructors requested that the film be shown to their classes...”
One instructor of communications at the college saw the film and wrote on his audience comment card, “A beautiful and simple film about a beautiful and warm faith and a unity principle of fascinating potential.”
Not all the comments about “A New Wind” were positive, nor did every community that showed the film have a successful premiere. Parts of the soundtrack of the film are of poor quality. This is because the sound was recorded on location under far from ideal conditions. In large auditoriums or other places where the acoustics were poor, the sound was sometimes difficult if not impossible to hear or understand. There were many complaints about the poor sound quality.
The fact that “A New Wind” was directed more toward the effect of the Bahá’í Faith on Bahá’í and Bahá’í communities around the world rather than toward a direct explanation of the principles and tenets of the Faith bothered some people. There were complaints that the film was “too vague,” “didn’t talk directly enough to Bahá’í beliefs” and the like. It is imteresting to note, in this regard, that Bahá’ís, in criticizing the film, were considerably more unhappy with what they felt were the film’s shortcomings than were the non-Bahá’ís who saw the film.
One rather curious reaction to the film came primarily, although not exclusively, from the South and the Midwest. In Bahá’í communities where the film was shown in those regions, there was some feeling that the film was “too foreign,” and that “too much emphasis” was placed on the Indian and Japanese segments of the film at the expense of the West thus giving the impression that the Bahá’í Faith was an Eastern religion.
“A New Wind” was never intended to be a direct teaching and proclamation medium. In those programs where the film alone was shown, the result was more confusion than enlightenment. The Public Information Office, in its public information kit, urged that a Bahá’í speaker be made an integral part of the program to cover the ground that the film did not. In those instances where there was a speaker who gave a short talk and answered questions a good deal more effect was felt and the impact of the combination of the film and the Bahá’í speaker made for a worthwhile and successful event.
In all, the premiere of “A New Wind” was, at the very least, moderately successful. The purpose and intention was to show the film, get reports and assess the effectiveness of “A New Wind.” The first showing has, and the second showing, completed this month will, produce the information that will lead to a better understanding of the capabilities of “A New Wind” as a means of teaching and proclaiming the Bahá’í Faith.
NABOHR: Past, Present, and Future[edit]
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Bahá’í proclamation during this year centers around the United Nations theme of International Education Year. The following article is about the National Bahá’í Office for Human Rights (NABOHR), the office that has been given the responsibility for conducting Bahá’í proclamation efforts in 1968 and again this year. |
In October, 1967, an Intercontinental Conference was held in Chicago to celebrate the centenary of Bahá’u’lláh’s proclamation of His mission to the kings and rulers of the world. At that time, the National Spiritual Assemblies of the United States, Canada, Alaska, and Hawaii issued a statement entitled “Human Rights Are God-given Rights.” The statement read in part:
The Bahá’í Communities of North America support the establishment of the proposed United Nations High Commissioner’s Office for Human Rights as an important and effective step for implementing the human rights provisions in the Charter of the United Nations and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
During 1968, in recognition of International Human Rights Year, the Bahá’í Communities of North America will:
Establish an office to promote Human Rights Year 1968 and to further the achievement of human rights in North America and the world.
Disseminate information to combat misconceptions and superstitions about race. Sponsor Conferences for Action in Human Rights in twenty leading North American cities and on a Canadian Indian Reserve.
Sponsor a North American Conference for Action in Human Rights.
Establish an award for achievement in the field of human rights, to be presented on December 10, 1968, Human Rights Day.
NABOHR Founded[edit]
The office called for in the statement was named the North American Bahá’í Office for Human Rights (NABOHR). It was established in January, 1968. That same month, Mrs. Juliette Buford was appointed its director. Mrs. Buford was a longtime member of the Chicago Bahá’í community and a distinguished Negro community worker. She had been active in the Chicago Urban League for 10 years as a community organizer and director of centers. In 1966, Mayor Richard Daley had made Mrs. Buford a member of the Chicago Hall of Fame for her outstanding services to the city of Chicago.
Conference address at the “American Indian and Human Rights” conference in Gallup, New Mexico.
The staff of NABOHR expanded to three persons with the addition of Richard Betts as NABOHR’s executive secretary and Patricia Plecas as assistant executive secretary.
In February 1968, the first issue of the NABOHR NEWS, published periodically during the course of the year, came out. Its purpose was “to keep Bahá’ís informed on Human Rights activities both within the Bahá’í Faith and outside the Faith.” In all, five issues of the newsletter appeared in 1968 before it ceased publication at the end of the year.
One of the main functions of NABOHR was to coordinate all Bahá’í activities on human rights including the scheduled regional conferences planned for International Human Rights Year. The number of conferences was reduced from 20 to 10 plus the final conference: the North American Conference on Human Rights.
There were some problems in putting the whole thing together. Not everyone understood or agreed that the best thing to do was to hold conferences. Some Bahá’ís were not happy that the conferences would involve non-Bahá’í organizations to a large extent. To achieve a wider understanding of the rationale behind NABOHR’s program, a letter was sent out to all spiritual assemblies, groups, and state goals committees.
“Building Bridges”[edit]
According to Dick Betts, “We were getting heat from some Bahá’ís who did not understand what we were doing. We were building bridges to the old world order, bridges we could cross and say to them, ‘Won’t you come join us on the other side?’ Some people didn’t understand this. We sent this letter out to get a better appreciation for these types of programs. We wanted Bahá’í activity to be a little more socially relevant.”
In part, the letter read:
In proclaiming the “healing message of Bahá’u’lláh,” we must involve ourselves with many aspects of the old order and yet always maintain a distinct separatism as we go about our divinely appointed task of laying the foundation for the new world order. To this end, we believe, the Human Rights Conferences and their ensuing results are properly suited and directed....
The regional Human Right Conferences provide you with a basis for launching an audacious proclamation in your area using the human rights theme this fall. We ask you to consult, pray for the success of our national program, and begin planning a program of your own.
The letter went on to discuss the rationale behind the conferences.
The North American Bahá’í Office for Human Rights (NABOHR) has been impelled to sponsor these conferences by the success of Bahá’í communities throughout the world in bringing about unity from racial, cultural, ethnic, economic, and national diversity. The key to this success has been the Bahá’í belief in the relevance of Divine purpose to human progress. The legislations on civil rights, as significant as have been their impact, have hardly begun to attack the root cause of the injustices they were meant to erase. For the problems of racial and other forms of discrimination, unequal education, unfair employment, restricted and substandard housing, etc., are not simply the consequences of inadequate legislation: they are the symptoms of deep spiritual disease — hatred, bigotry, and prejudice — which require remedial action based on spiritual principles. The missing essential has yet to be incorporated into our attitudes and efforts.
The basis upon which these conferences are being held is the conviction that human rights are shaped by the source and purpose of man’s existence. They are not based upon the discretion or wisdom of human institutions. The fundamental teachings of all the world religions is that man is a spiritual being who derives his uniqueness from the conscious exercise of the principles of justice, love, and freedom.
The purpose of these conferences is therefore to evoke an atmosphere in which the attitudes and efforts of men can be motivated to deal with our social problems in view of the understanding that human rights are God-given and thus inevitable if man is to progress.
NABOHR Pamphlet[edit]
Although the overriding interest of NABOHR was to arrange and conduct conferences on various issues relating to human rights, it did not confine itself to this activity. It assisted in the creation and publication of literature directed to Human Rights activities, including a pamphlet entitled “Why Our Cities Burn,” which compiled Bahá’í writings bearing on the most challenging issue facing the American community: the racial crisis. NABOHR also lent assistance to the publication of a pamphlet entitled “Human Rights — Basis for World Peace,” prepared and sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly in conjunction with the United Nations Association. NABOHR was also active in the promotion and distribution of the Bahá’í pamphlet “What is Race?” This pamphlet was written to combat misconceptions and superstitions about race.
Through its newsletter, NABOHR made suggestions as to what individual Bahá’ís and Bahá’í communities could do to observe International Human Rights Year. In its August issue of the newsletter, NABOHR published a multi-point program of suggested individual and Bahá’í community activities for direct participation in International Human Rights Year.
At the same time literature was being developed, NABOHR was busy with arrangements for the various human rights conferences. The first conference was held in May, 1968 and dealt with the United Nations and human rights. In June, this was followed by the 10 regional conferences. Early in that month, Gallup, New Mexico was the site of a conference on the American Indian and Human Rights. Simultaneously, Atlanta, Georgia was the location of a conference about Education and Human Rights. A conference on Prejudice and Human Rights was held in Memphis, Tennessee. Another conference, this one on Youth and Human Rights, was held in Richmond, California. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma was the site of a conference on Employment and Human Rights.
In mid-June, three conferences were held at the same time. In Cleveland, Ohio, the topic was Education and Human Rights. A conference on Housing and Human Rights was held in Boston, Massachusetts. El Paso, Texas was the city where the conference on the Mexican-American and Human Rights met.
Finally, in late June, the last two of the 10 regional conferences were held. One on the American Indian and Human Rights was held in Bellingham, Washington. The other was in Miami, Florida and was on Prejudice and Human Rights.
Mrs. Juliette Buford, NABOHR director.
NABOHR[edit]
The conferences averaged an attendance of 100 participants and consisted of keynote, luncheon and banquet addresses by experts in various fields concerned with human rights. There were workshop sessions where conference participants met in smaller groups to discuss specific aspects of the conference themes and to formulate recommendations for action regarding these aspects. In every instance, the object of the conference was detailed analysis and discussion of solutions about the conference topic. The conferences were successful and produced a number of ideas directed toward practical action in solving the problems under consideration.
The Bahá’í-sponsored conference activity culminated in a three-day national conference held in Chicago in September, 1968. Over 200 persons attended the conference, representing every level of personal and governmental involvement. Many in attendance were professionally employed at high-level supervisory positions in civil rights organizations and governmental agencies.
The National Conference on Human Rights was both a reflection and condensation of the regional conferences that preceded it. The topics of the speakers were “The American Indian and Human Rights,” “Education and Human Rights,” “Youth and Human Rights,” etc. An unusual feature of this conference was the inclusion of group field tours to various locations and facilities in Chicago related to topics under consideration in the workshops.
The national conference was not the last activity of Human Rights Year. The final event was held in conjunction with Human Rights Day, December 10, 1968. A National Human Rights Awards Banquet, sponsored by NABOHR, was held at Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Awards Given[edit]
The banquet honored Mr. Clark M. Eichelberger, chairman of the Commission to Study the Organization of Peace, and the Xerox Corporation for their activities and achievements in the field of human rights. Mr. Eichelberger had long been a participant in international human rights activities, contributing to the human rights statements in the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Xerox Corporation had sponsored a television series on the United Nations, had issued a policy statement regarding its intention to hire members of minority groups at all levels of the corporate structure and had made other efforts in the field of human rights. Each received the 1968 Louis G. Gregory Award for Service to Humanity, initiated that year by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and named in honor of a black American who served on the first National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and who was a leader in human rights efforts during the early years of the twentieth century.
Some 600 persons attended the banquet which featured as its main speaker Judge A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., vice-chairman of the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence and Judge of the United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
With the completion Human Rights Awards banquet in December, the NABOHR activities for International-Human Rights Year came to an end.
As its final official act, NABOHR published a 102 page report on its activities. This extensive report covered all the major activities of NABOHR including recommendations from every conference workshop and highlights of the major addresses. There was also a proposal for a program in community education for human relations included in the report.
Award Received[edit]
Early in 1969, the Public Relations Society of America announced that it was giving one of its coveted “Silver Anvil” awards for outstanding public relations programs conducted in 1968 to NABOHR. The citation that went with the award read:
To support the International Human Rights Year, the National Bahá’í Center established a special office to emphasize that human rights are God-given and hence inviolable, to demonstrate how the Bahá’í Faith has solutions to human rights problems, and to create an awareness of the Human Rights Year and its objectives. To achieve these aims, the organization disseminated copies of the Bahá’í statement on human rights to opinion leaders, sent a pamphlet — “What is Race?” — to schools and community groups, and published 500,000 copies of a folder on Human Rights Year. Ten two-day regional meetings were held to explore prejudice, housing, education, youth, the American Indian and the Spanish American. The program sponsored a national conference involving 47 organizations. The theme, “Human Rights are God-given Rights” was emphasized in media as well as in badges, posters, bumper stickers, etc. and an Award for Service to Humanity was established. The program resulted in better understanding of human rights, of race, and of the principles of the Bahá’í Faith and made a contribution to the general objectives of the Human Rights Year.
In May, when the “Silver Anvil” award was given, NABOHR was little more than a name. The organization no longer existed except in skeleton form.
“Essentially, the program came to an end,” according to Mr. Betts. “There was still distribution of the ‘Human Rights are God-given Rights’ statements, but, for all intents and purposes, the program came to an end — as it was intended to.”
Dr. Daniel Jordan of the National Spiritual Assembly talks with conferees at the Memphis conference on “Prejudice and Human Rights.”
YOW! Year[edit]
The theme for 1969 was “Youth For One World” and it was decided that this could be handled better from the Office of Youth and Student Activities (then called Youth and College Activities). Although Mrs. Buford continued to represent NABOHR at Urban League and other civil rights organizations’ functions, the budget had been vastly reduced and NABOHR existed on a smaller scale.
Even before the end of 1968, the dismantling of NABOHR had begun; As early as June, Dick Betts was no longer a full-time staff member. He had been appointed to the National Teaching Committee and elected its secretary.
Pat Plecas, Dick Betts’ assistant, left after the national conference in September, to go pioneering. The staff, never any larger than three people, ceased to exist. NABOHR came to a halt.
There was a final flicker in June, 1969 when a letter on NABOHR’s 1969 Program went out. But the proclamation program, begun in April, 1969, was run by the Office of Youth and Student Activities and the letter said that the program of
“Youth for One World” will purposely be somewhat unstructured to all for as complete grassroots participation and contribution as possible.
And there the matter ended.
NABOHR Revived[edit]
Yet, even before NABOHR was fully laid to rest, plans were underway to reactivate it. In mid-May of 1969, the National Spiritual Assembly decided to move ahead on sustained proclamation plans for 1970 and appointed a nine-man proclamation committee to do the planning. The theme, it had been decided, would take advantage of the United Nations’ designation of 1970 as International Education Year. The National Spiritual Assembly sought to have a program designed that would be somewhat like the one for International Human Rights Year in 1968.
The Proclamation Committee was given the functions of (1) preparing detailed plans for proclamation during International Education Year, including the adoption of a theme for the year as well as activities designed to mark the year; (2) to decide on what materials it would be necessary to create and arrange for their completion in time for the opening of the year, (3) to call upon resource persons through the United States Bahá’í Community to assist in the planning and implementing of the proclamation plans; and (4) to monitor the implementation of those plans by offices at the National Bahá’í Center and to keep the National Spiritual Assembly advised of progress and problems.
In October, 1969, NABOHR itself began to emerge from hibernation and back into activity. The fourth point in the Proclamation Committee’s functions involved the establishment of an office at the National Bahá’í Center; NABOHR would become that office and the operating agency for proclamation. The first step in this direction was the hiring of a new executive secretary. The person chosen for the job was a member of the Proclamation Committee for International Education Year.
In early November, Mason McCracken, a Bahá’í from Providence, Rhode Island, arrived at the national center to become the executive secretary of NABOHR. He had a background as a newspaperman in Providence and was also an educational consultant to the Office of Economic Opportunity — accredited poverty program in Providence, two jobs that uniquely qualified him for the staff position at NABOHR.
With the appointment and arrival of a full-time NABOHR staff member, the planning, begun in July, 1969, could proceed at full pace. During this time, the plans for the Bahá’í proclamation activities for International Education Year took shape. Although not fully completed, they involve the use of a two-fold approach.
More Local Efforts[edit]
There will be a series of nationally sponsored conferences on education around the country. There will also be a greater emphasis than in the past on local proclamation events and activities, to be arranged and conducted by state goals committees, local spiritual assemblies and area youth committees.
The proclamation campaign for 1970 “will have a tempo and rationale,” according to Mr. McCracken. It will begin with an all-Bahá’í national conference to be held in Wilmette during the month of February.
Editorial[edit]
In June of 1969, the National Spiritual Assembly decided to establish a Bahá’í newspaper. Its purpose would be to “... inform, edify, and entertain ...” the Bahá’ís of the United States.
This is the first issue of that newspaper. THE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í will serve as an organ for the various national Bahá’í committees and offices located at the National Center. It will also examine the character and quality of the Bahá’í Faith in the United States.
In addition to serious and thoughtful inquiry and review of the state of the American Bahá’í community, this newspaper will also cover local and regional Bahá’í conferences such as the upcoming NABOHR conference on education as part of International Education Year.
There will also be news of unusual and successful local Bahá’í activities. There will be articles of a direct nature on topics such as “The Bahá’í Holy Days: Their Origin and History.” In the works are possible articles on some fundamental aspects of the Faith: “What is Deepening?” “What is Consultation?” Stories about interesting local Bahá’í history and biographies of early American Bahá’ís will also appear in the newspaper.
Much has been left deliberately unstructured. THE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í is an experiment. Nothing like it has been attempted before. It is not quite a newspaper yet, although it has the potential to become one. It is our hope that THE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í will grow and evolve into a newspaper that will be a mirror of the Bahá’í world.
We expect to make mistakes. Not everyone will like everything that appears in THE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í. This, in our opinion, is all right.
THE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í is for all Bahá’ís, young and old, the newly enrolled and those of long-standing membership. We welcome letters to the editor, although, in all fairness, we must reserve the right to condense them for publication.
Also, since it is our plan to start a column to answer questions, we welcome questions on the Bahá’í Faith, especially questions to which ready answers may not be available from the published works of the Faith.
I cannot begin to list the people who have given their time and talents to making THE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í a reality. Such a listing would fill up this entire column. I would, however, like to publicly thank The American Bahá’í Editorial Committee: Mason McCracken, Aaron Bowen, Salvatore Pelle, and Richard Betts for their continued help. I would also like to especially thank Paul Fiorio of Pioneer Press. Without him, there would never have been a paper.
Finally, I’d like to thank all those who didn’t wait to see what the paper would be like, but took a chance and contributed articles to this first issue. In my opinion, the fact that they took a chance on us is the essence of the matter. Jazz musician Thelonious Monk once said, “The only cats worth anything are the cats who take chances. Sometimes I play a song I never even heard.”
It is a difficult thing to write an editorial about some aspect of the Bahá’í Faith. This is because it can be expected that Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, or Shoghi Effendi has already written what you plan to write, writing it sooner and better. This leaves us latecomers neither breaking new ground nor making new discoveries in the old ground. For anyone who writes, this can be very disconcerting.
Fortunately, Aristotle (or maybe it was Socrates) comes to the rescue: “Most things we have learned, but some we have forgotten.” The quotation below comes under that classification. It first appeared in the AUSTRALIAN BAHÁ’Í NEWS and was reprinted in the NEW ERA NEWS, the Nevada State Goals Committee bulletin.
AN OPEN LETTER TO ALL DISILLUSIONED BAHÁ’ÍS
The vision of heaven-on-earth which causes most Bahá’ís to embrace the Faith, in itself precipitates a crisis sooner or later in the attitude of each Bahá’í. Though recognizing himself as an imperfect being who has taken an important step toward spiritual perfection, he fails to see that the Bahá’í community he has joined is not a New Jerusalem, but in reality a group of likewise imperfect beings, each one trying in his own way to find his spiritual fulfillment and do his part to bring this world a little closer to the great vision we all have. The discovery that we all have feet of clay and are not a brotherhood of saints is often too much for a new and untried member of the community.
Nowhere is there any promise this new age will come gift-wrapped from heaven. In the Writings a definite choice is presented; we must strive — or the new order will not be achieved. (emphasis in original)
It may be that the most difficult lessons to learn and practice are the simplest ones. The complex we easily grasp; the simple eludes us. It is almost impossible to pull out of our lives and get an overview of our times. One cannot occupy a place in human history
About Drugs: Some Thoughts for Bahá’í Youth[edit]
They call us Warriors in the Faith of God. I don’t much feel like a warrior when the “every day” settles on my mind and clouds the grandeur of the mission, clogs the channels of prayer and understanding. But that’s what we are told.
The war is for souls. It’s fighting for life in the land of the dead, assured of success by the Creator Himself. It’s carrying the burden of the “every day” with the knowledge that we all, Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í, stand in the Presence of the Ancient King at all times, receiving his Love and striving to serve. If the war has taken you into the fuzzy realms of drugs, there are certain problems you will face in the struggle that are important to know ahead of time. You probably have already formulated a workable approach to those people who live with dope, and this may not be a pertinent sheet for you. Please! Consider these suggestions and regard them as only the outgrowth of one believer’s experience. It’s good to exchange information.
You are caring for the tender new shoots of Bahá’u’lláh’s future arm. It takes dedication, knowledge, patience, and sweat. It takes pain and strife. It takes sadness and trouble. It takes bearing, without thought, the yoke of your brothers’ pain without allowing your own soul to be disturbed. You are loved by man and God so very much that it may become painful sometimes trying to give that love to others. That seems to me to be the greatest sacrifice of all. Love. Unrestricted, unamended, unrestrained love. You may have to shed tears to give it, become stern to give it, withhold it to give it, let go of the drowning man who threatens to drown you to give it, show anger to give it.
Education comes either by direct experience (sometimes easy, sometimes hard, sometimes downright unnecessary), or through listening to others relate stories of lessons they have learned so that maybe you don’t have to fall in that hole. Whatever happens, you are teaching, and the Holy Messenger will come with a chalice of pure light.
The Effects of Drugs[edit]
“Drugs” is a subtle word and very polite. Their effects on users outside medical supervision is anything but polite. So let’s drop the euphemism and call it dope.
Dope is not a neat subject that a single leaf fact sheet can cover. Statistics on addiction, suicide, body damage cover only a small portion of it.
To those who use it regularly it is a culture, a way of life that blinds them to reason. The Bahá’í that sets out to teach a “head” (drug user) must know more than physical theory or hard cold law. He must know why.
First, what do you know about the effects of dope on the mind and body? The “head” has slogans that help define the limits of tolerance. “Speed kills,” “Acid makes a sick man well, and a well man sick.” The average “head” is seldom consistent in his own knowledge and may indulge in the very substance he is putting down. But he does know better.
In regard to the opiates, the Tablet on Purity by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá‘ (BAHÁ’Í WORLD FAITH, page 333) is recommended reading. Study it. Memorize it. As Hand of the Cause William Sears says, “This is not just pretty poetry!” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá‘ stated that hashish is the “worst of all intoxicants.” The Universal House of Justice has added LSD, Peyote, STP and other so-called mind expanders to the list, so that rather settles the issue of what’s allowable and what’s not by Bahá’í standards. A rule of thumb I follow is, “any willful chemical change of conscious perception is unnatural and dangerous in the extreme.”
A Universal Problem[edit]
Dope is a problem on all levels of society. Doctors, lawyers and businessmen smoke pot on the weekend. Housewives take amphetamines for controlling weight or as a “pickup” to make it through a dreary day. A modest estimate of those Americans who have had at least one drug experience is 20 million. A “head” cannot be identified by his hair or clothing or speech. As far as I am concerned, a “head” is a “head” when he tells me he’s a “head.”
For the sake of brevity, we can use three main categories of dope users:
1. The Addict. The need of the addict for his dope can be properly understood only by someone who has been there or lived for years with its influence on others. It takes an expert to reach through the iron veils of addiction. Don’t take on this responsibility unless you know what you are doing. In every case the user is diseased, and needs professional care. This is the least funny, the deadliest category on the list. It is probably the most serious problem in every ghetto. The dope sold here is a large source of revenue for the rackets.
2. Those who use it because it feels nice. This means the user has no particular need for dope. It makes him fly, is all. This seems to be the most common type. He generally will stick to acid, pot, and speed. To teach a member of this category about the Bahá’í Faith one needs an answer to the question, “How badly does he want to know?”
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Published monthly by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. 112 Linden Ave., Wilmette, Ill. |
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Sunday, March 8, 1970 Third Seminar for Bahá’í Groups
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Books for Bahá’ís[edit]
THE GOSPEL OF THE REDMAN, compiled by Ernest Thompson Seton (Seton Village, 108 pages, $2.00)
This little book is the result of a labor of love by a fine American who is best known as the author of WILD ANIMALS I HAVE KNOWN and other best-sellers of a generation ago. With his wife, Julia, he devoted years of research to the compilation of a brief, comprehensive and authoritative summary of the religious beliefs of the native North American.
THE GOSPEL OF THE REDMAN is neither a scholarly reference work nor a sociological treatise. Mr. and Mrs. Seton have set forth in direct and highly readable form the chief elements that make up the creed of the Redman. Most importantly, they did their work with deep love and respect for the American Indian and his beliefs. To quote Mrs. Seton’s forward: “In compiling these records of Indian thought and culture, we have been assisted by a committee of men and women whose lives have been given to such studies. Some are Indians; some, White folk. Without their approval, nothing has been included in this book.” Mrs. Seton adds a list of those who helped with the book, and it is an impressive one. Included are the names of Chief Standing Bear (Sioux author); Ohiyesa (raised a Sioux, he became Dr. Charles A, Eastman, doctor, author and lecturer); Walking Eagle (Ojibway, lecturer and student of his people); Dr. Edgar L. Hewett (archaeologist and author); Laura Adams Armer (author, adopted member of the Navaho tribe).
Bahá’ís will find the remarks of clergymen who read the manuscript extremely interesting. A Jewish Rabbi said “This is straight Judaism!” A Greek Catholic Archbishop assured the Setons that the Indian Creed was “pure Catholicism, divested of certain rites and ceremonies.” Two Presbyterian ministers and a Quaker agreed that it embodied the finest teachings of their faiths and a Unitarian minister declared it to be “the purest Emersonian Unitarianism.” As Mrs. Seton concludes in her forword: “So it would seem that it must be real religion since it is universal, basic and fundamental. As a corollary, then, it must be acceptable to a world seeking a way out of dogma into truth.” (Mrs. Seton is still alive, and lives near Santa Fe, New Mexico; one wonders if she has ever had the opportunity to hear Bahá’u’lláh’s message.)
Some of the spirit of THE GOSPEL OF THE REDMAN can perhaps be captured by paraphrasing the Indian Creed and the Twelve Commandments. Needless to say, the Setons do not mean to suggest that either the Creed or the Commandments were actually formalized, or that all tribes had the same teachings. But their researches convinced them that the same essential teachings were basic to the beliefs of most Redmen.
The Creed has four main precepts:
- There is one Great Spirit, the creator and ruler of all things, to whom we are responsible;
- The first duty of man is the attainment of perfect manhood, in terms of body, mind, spirit and service;
- Having attained to high manhood, he must consecrate that manhood to the service of his people;
- The soul of man is immortal, and his condition in the next life will be governed by his record and his behavior here.
In commenting on the Creed, the Setons quote an Indian saying that will remind Bahá’ís of a passage in THE HIDDEN WORDS about death being a messenger of joy: “Therefore, let him sing his Death Song, and go out like a hero going home.”
The Twelve Commandments suggest obvious parallels to the Law of Moses: 1. There is but one Great Spirit. 2. Thou shalt not make a likeness of the Great Spirit. 3. Hold thy word of honor sacred. 4. Thou shalt keep the feasts and observe the customs of your tribe. 5. Honor and obey thy father and thy mother. 6. Thou shalt not commit murder. 7. Be chaste in thought and deed. 8. Thou shalt not steal. 9. Be not greedy of great riches. 10. Touch not the poisonous firewater (or any food or drink that robs the body of its power or the spirit of its vision). 11. Be clean. 12. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life; Glory in your strength and beauty.
The Creed and the Commandments, considered as a whole, certainly reflect a high degree of religious development. One wonders if the Indian of today, so tragically deprived of his own heritage by the dominant white majority, is aware of the depth and beauty of the religion of his forefathers. And one wonders, too, to what extent a discussion of this beautiful heritage might provide the means for introducing the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. The pages of THE GOSPEL OF THE REDMAN abound with material which might prove useful in teaching efforts among Indians. How close to the Bahá’í spirit, for example, and how reminiscent of the Noon Prayer, is the Omaha Tribal Prayer quoted on page 21: “Wa-kon-da dhe dhu — Wapa-dhin a-ton-he,” which means: “Father, a needy one stands before Thee. I that sing am he.”
NABOHR[edit]
Before this conference, a Bahá’í statement presenting the views of the Bahá’í Faith on education will be issued. This paper will constitute the fundamental Bahá’í position on education.
The objectives of the first conference will be: to come to a better understanding of the Bahá’í principles of education and to recommend to the National Spiritual Assembly actions in connection with Bahá’í education and how Bahá’í principles of education can be applied today in the non-Bahá’í world.
The conference has three goals: to examine the international aspect of International Education Year; to discuss the national priorities within this country in public education; and to discuss the education of Bahá’í children.
This first conference will have large scale consultation and workshops that will recommend plans and actions to both the National Spiritual Assembly and local Bahá’í communities for activities to be held in conjunction with International Education Year. The conference goal is suggestions for action that will bear directly on the policies and practices of American education.
Regional Conferences[edit]
After the first conference, there are plans for additional conferences. Although these conferences are still in the consideration stage, the plans call for them to be held in conjunction with representatives of other organizations involved or interested in education to explore some aspect of education.
One regional conference will be held at Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina on April 11 and 12. The subject of the conference is “Education for the New Needs of Man.” Other regional conferences and a NABOHR symposium in New York City are being considered.
Part of the activities of NABOHR during the entire year will be the development of Bahá’í literature on education. Already in the works is a pamphlet compiling the Bahá’í teachings and principles on education. This will be used at public meetings, sent to educators, used for distribution to PTA’s, etc.
Of all the projected and planned activity for International Education Year, none is held to be more important by NABOHR than local level activity. The proclamation program is being designed to reach every stratum of society. The emphasis will be less on indirect proclamation activities and more toward those activities that deal directly with the Bahá’í Faith and its relation to the educational process. Plans are being laid to encourage and aid a great many locally sponsored Bahá’í meetings designed to reach local PTA’s, school teachers, and administrators in the school systems of the nation with the Bahá’í thoughts and principles on education.
Materials for use on the local level are being developed for use by state goals committees, area youth committees, and local spiritual assemblies. An International Education Year Publicity Kit is being designed that will contain a fact sheet on the year, Bahá’í pamphlets related to education and other information related to the observance of the year. There will also be suggested proclamation programs for local area activity.
“Mini-Seminars”[edit]
During International Education Year, there will be a Bahá’í United Nations Committee — designed travelling “mini-seminars” that will go from city to city. Basically, these will consist of a team of two or three persons from the Bahá’í United Nations Committee who will go to various cities in the United States and hold a one or two-day seminar on the United Nations and International Year.
The objectives of these seminars will be to make people aware of the United Nations, its purposes, accomplishments and contributions to education; to tell the story of the purpose of International Education Year; to show how and why the Bahá’í Faith supports the United Nations; and to dispel misconceptions about the United Nations.
There is one activity that has been going on since July of last year that is strictly Bahá’í oriented and pertains to Bahá’í education. Under the sponsorship of the National Teaching Committee’s Office of Community Development, continuing Education Institutes have been developed in conjunction with Dr. H. D. Rost. Dr. Rost has been travelling around the country and holding institutes to deepen Bahá’ís on what is meant by Bahá’í education, including that of youth and children, on how education systems work in the United States and how to effect changes in those systems.
NABOHR was originally conceived to promote human rights during 1968 and to work to further their achievement during that year. After that, it was to cease to exist. But events have a way of changing plans. Instead of phasing into nonexistence, NABOHR has become an essential part of national Bahá’í proclamation activities thus far during the Nine Year Plan.
Yet some things have not changed at all. The staff is still small and busy. And, somehow, despite financial problems in the National Fund which limit NABOHR activities, plans are made that work out better than they are expected to. This mode of operation is taken for granted at NABOHR; it is normal for them to work in this fashion.
The result may be that NABOHR may be around for a few more years, changing its shape and approach to meet the needs, ideas and forms of future Bahá’í proclamations.
Workshop session at the “Youth and Human Rights” conference in Richmond, California.
Healdsburg TV[edit]
utmost in creativity from local programming and, in spite of the technical handicaps, local shows do gain a following. Excess commercializing, “canned” programs, and when-you’ve-seen-one-you’ve-seen-them-all network shows exasperate many viewers and give local, unsophisticated talent a refreshing appeal.
Mr. Call remembers the first few Bahá’í programs with evident nostalgia.
“When we first plunged into Channel Six we planned to put on live programs every week. But we soon learned that programming live, even for only a half hour, takes many hours of preparation.
“So we settled on a film every other week to help us maintain our quality in the live shows. Films have since proven themselves worthwhile on their own merit.”
When the Bahá’í program first went on the cable, Mr. Call, his brother, Albert Vanderhoof, and Robert Siegel, a student at Sonoma State College nearby, handled everything — film projection, sound mixing, lighting and the camera itself. Recently, the studio made arrangements with the local high school to supply technical students to run the camera and other details.
“Now,” says Mr. Call, “we just do the programming.”
Althea Penzotti was assigned the important task of monitoring each program at home and recommending improvements in technique.
Bahá’í Programs[edit]
Much of the consultation before the series began was centered on the type of programming that would be appropriate for the Bahá’í image on viewers’ screens. The Assembly, Ron recalls, finally decided to put on educational programs and to hold all-Bahá’í programs for special tie-in events such as Bahá’u’lláh’s Birthday and United Nations Day. It was considered that presenting a 100 percent Bahá’í show weekly would tend to set the Bahá’ís in the minds of the public as weekly philosophers who may or may not practice.
“So we decided to show the viewer that we are interested in and desirous of improving the world we live in,” Mr. Call adds. “From this we derived our show’s title: “A World View.”
“We invite local people to be interviewed — both Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í,” Mr. Call explains. “When they are going on television they tell their friends. This builds an audience that can compete with network programs.”
When school started in September, 1969, the Assembly approved Call’s suggestion that a talented minority-race youth from his drama class be permitted to co-host the program. In this particular area of California the Mexican-American is the dominant minority, reaching majority status in some areas such as Geyserville. Thus, Lucila Pérez now appears on each program, furthering in action the interracial image of the Faith and affording an invaluable opportunity for the youth to acquire presence of mind and action before the camera.
Mr. Call is constantly on the lookout for exceptional programs. He tells about a recent success.
“We had the good fortune to contact John ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie, of jazz fame, through Richard Groger, a Bahá’í in San Francisco. Mr. Gillespie became a Bahá’í about two years ago and bubbles over with enthusiasm for the subject. Dick brought him up to our show. Our interview became a televised fireside with Mr. Gillespie as an incomparable proponent for the Faith.”
Gillespie, with a popular following in music circles that has held over into the “rock era,” was tailor-made for publicity.
“We called three newspapers,” Ron Call reflects, “Two reporters were sent to cover the story. We must have crowded the network shows that night, because viewer response was at least 100 percent greater than ever before.”
Measurement of how many viewers are watching Channel Six during the show is virtually impossible. There are no rating services in the rural areas. The index Call uses is keyed to the number of persons who remark about the show during subsequent days. He says that it is not at all unusual for townspeople to mention the show to his family and friends.
While Call tries to keep the show’s format as flexible as possible, there is just enough repetition to give viewer identification with the program and its sponsor. Call explains:
“At 7:00 p.m. the camera focuses on a large placard that gives our program name and its sponsorship. Music comes up in the background, then fades as one of the Hidden Words is read.”
After a few seconds’ more music, the camera swings to the M. C., who introduces himself and his co-host, and his guests or film.
“If it’s to be a film,” Call notes, “I greet the viewer and briefly review the film. Then the film is started. When finished, the camera swings back to me and I express hope that the viewer has enjoyed our presentation. If there are pertinent local fireside or event announcements, I make them at this time. Then a cheery ‘good night’ and the camera swings for a last look at the placard while the Unity Prayer is read over soft background music.”
Each program opens and closes with a shot of this placard.
Call mentions that beginning and ending music and prayer sequences are taped ahead of time to make the quality as high and consistent as possible.
“We put in dozens of hours getting the opening and closing timed to everyone’s satisfaction,” Call says. “It would be most difficult to present this live, time after time.”
Films are obtained free from a number of sources. The public library has a catalog, but tight booking arrangements prohibit frequent or regular use. Modern Talking Pictures Service of New York handles hundreds of films sponsored by industry. Service clubs such as Kiwanis, the local Heart Association, and freelance writers occasionally will have access to interesting films.
“Sometimes we combine live interview and film on the same program,” Call says.
“For instance, we had a writer of science books for youth on the program. He had just returned from a press briefing at a National Aeronautics and Space Administration laboratory, and had been supplied with five minutes of film and some still photos of the rock samples brought back to Earth by Apollo 11.
“During the interview, we focused on the photos, and then swung to the movie while the author explained about the processing of moon dust and rocks to determine whether life exists on the moon.”
Call borrows a 16 mm sound film projector from the local public library. The television camera simply focuses on a small white screen on which the film is projected, and the sound is picked up by a microphone placed near the loudspeaker. While this is hardly the professional way to “patch” video and sound to the home viewer’s screen, it works surprisingly well.
Among the films Call recommends highly are “The Mystery of Stonehenge” and “Why Man Creates.” Films from the airlines are beautifully done, and contain a minimum of commercial advertising. United Air Lines, for instance, is content simply to have one of their big planes fly across the screen once or twice with the UAL emblem in plain sight.
“We try to acquire the films a day or two in advance to allow time for preview,” Call says. “The précis in film catalogs does not always reveal suitability for Bahá’í sponsorship.”
In answer to a query about the possibilities for Bahá’ís in other CATV localities to take on a program of their own, Ron replied that in his opinion “the doors are wide open.”
“The recent FCC ruling that CATV can now put on ‘commercials’ with an added requirement that the station must also put on up to 20 hours public service telecasting a week will induce many CATV owners to open a studio and put an unused channel to work.
“A Bahá’í community, willing and able to provide free programming, should find a warm welcome at these studios,” Call declares.
“Our format and program content here in Healdsburg seems to be exactly what CATV managers want. In fact, we were asked recently whether we thought the Bahá’ís of Cloverdale, Calif., might be interested in putting on a one-hour weekly program there.”
The Geyserville Bahá’ís accepted the responsibility, according to the Assembly chairman, as Cloverdale is their goal area. They are currently preparing their first program, anticipated for January, 1970.
“We have decided to entitle the program “This Is Our World,” and to run it along much the same lines worked out in Healdsburg,” says the spokesman.
Ron Call suggests that Bahá’ís desiring to exploit this modern teaching opportunity might first investigate the status of CATV in their locality or goal area.
“Visit the station owner and manager,” he recommends. “Tell him what you have in mind, the kind of programming you would like to present.
“And don’t be surprised if he welcomes you with open arms!”
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EACH ONE see your letter from the Universal House of Justice. November 16, 1969 |
Drugs[edit]
3. Those who use it to find God. This is the category that is hardest to define. Most users claim some mystical experience, and most will have a strange, twisting, winding explanation of the Universe. But the ones we are concerned with are the seekers after the light, the wandering faithful still asleep in the valley of the blind. Many of these people have ceased to use dope directly because it is not permanent. That last word is crucial. They will still use the drug mentality because it’s all they know. They will relate it to everything, every religious doctrine, every mental exercise. You must know how to meet them down the kinky halls of dope logic with a smile and a cheerful word. You must know how to appear and disappear in their company with a bit of the Faith in both hands. You must know how to speak, live, and show the Faith.
The main point, as you well know, in any teaching effort, is to wait until you have an ear that will hear. Are they looking? And for what? The Faith will satisfy any seeker. But water seldom quenches the thirst of one who doesn’t realize his need.
Do’s and Don’ts[edit]
Finally, here is a list of ‘don’ts’ that have come to me through experience. They are printed for your consideration only, and are not intended as anything but suggestions. Bahá’ís are flexible because the times demand it.
1. Don’t tackle something that’s going to be an ego problem for you. Know where your own head is and rely solely on God. With the Greatest Name always in your thoughts no obstacle will prevail. Put away fear. Then examine yourself. Where are you at? How strong are you?
2. Don’t harbor any prejudice. It has been said that a convert is the most fanatical adherent to his new-found faith. There is nothing fanatical about this Faith and fanatical behavior could be a fear on your part of slipping back into old ways. If you’ve never had dope, don’t be too quick to put it down. It’s strong beyond ordinary comprehension and to the user it is very real.
3. Don’t turn on with anyone, contacts or otherwise. If it has not been possible for you to put down dope entirely, or you are just newly out of that world, be very careful. Turning on with a contact will not prove that you are cool or hip or basically unchanged. It will only serve to strengthen the thought in his mind that you may come back to drugs some day, or that dope isn’t really all that bad if Bahá’ís indulge. They may offer you some to see where you are. Show them, by refusing with a smile.
4. Don’t let anyone bring his stash to a meeting, fireside, or into your home if you can avoid it. It’s illegal to be in even close proximity with it, so get them to leave it elsewhere. If they are interested in the Faith and truly looking, chances are they will see the necessity of the request.
5. Don’t harbor fugitives. By harbor, I mean hide. This can be very sticky if the heat is on a close friend. If someone comes to you for help in such circumstances you must rely upon prayer. The right words and advice will happen. But not if you let him hole up in your place. That will bring down the full forces of disintegration on not only you, but also the Faith itself in your area. Remember, as a Bahá’í you are more than a lone person. You are a member of a community.
6. Don’t let your place become a crash pad for hippie contacts. It never works. Everybody has a thing they do and you cannot allow something like this to interfere. A case in point is a youth that allowed his sympathy to rule his reason and invited anyone and everyone to crash at his apartment. The results were catastrophic. The neighbors were up in arms, the police were coming by, and the landlady eventually evicted them. It created a terrible impression of the Faith that may take some time to correct. Be aware, be watchful. The search is basically up to the searcher. “Let him choose the path to his Lord.”
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7. Don’t forget that all eyes are upon you. The minister of an all-black Baptist church recently told the chairman of an LSA that the Bahá’ís seem to be the only ones who do what they say. He said that the Negro communities all over the state are watching the Bahá’ís. This is true about dope. Turning on with a contact is never a teaching aid. If people even suspect that you are a drug user your effectiveness is diminished. Most contacts, or anyone who knows anything about the Faith, know the teachings prohibiting intoxicants. If we dabble in that realm, the thought will undoubtedly occur to them that Bahá’ís couldn’t be very strong if it isn’t possible to live without dope. “Why should I become a Bahá’í? You smoke dope. Then you try and tell me that as a Bahá’í, I can’t use it.” That’s been thrown in the face of Bahá’í Youth more than once. We are not hippies, beatniks, or anything but Bahá’ís. That must be clear to the seeker in deed as well as words.
The one ‘do’ that outweighs everything is the command of God to “obey.” Be a Bahá’í, a follower of the Light. As a lover of the Ancient of Days you have the key to human existence. Use it.
Conference continued[edit]
will be held in five classrooms and a 200-capacity auditorium, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday. A fee of $8.00 per person will be charged to defray costs of rental of the site, two meals, refreshments, and deepening materials.
Participants in the conference must make arrangements for their own lodging at nearby hotels and motels. Information on this, and on other conference details will be sent to participants by the North American Bahá’í Office for Human Rights as soon as registration fee is received. In addition, a packet of deepening materials will also be sent so that all conference participants will be better prepared to contribute to the important consultations.
Send check or money order for $8.00 payable to the North American Bahá’í Office for Human Rights, 112 Linden Ave., Wilmette, Ill, 60091.
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Editorial[edit]
and, at the same time, grasp the implications, past and future, of that place.
We are moving inexorably, although imperceptibly, into the future that is not yet. But many Bahá’ís look at their Bahá’í communities and hope begins to evaporate from them. They say, “This is the new World Order? This chaotic, unloving, disunited, unhappy assembly meeting, Feast, or study class is the end result?”
Bahá’í experience, taken in the immediate, can sometimes be very discouraging. Often, we do not know how to consult and seem uninterested in learning. The practice of administration escapes us and malpractice seems to exist in direct proportion to the size of our communities. Somehow, despite all this, we are “slouching toward Bethlehem to be born.”
We might remember the story about Siyyid Kázim, the Persian religious scholar who gathered others around him; those, like himself, who were certain that the coming of the Qá’im (the Báb), promised to Muslems, was at hand. Siyyid Kázim was aware that the actual advent of the Báb would be a deeply disturbing event. He worked, according to Nabil, writing in THE DAWNBREAKERS, “... to remove gradually, with caution and wisdom, whatever barriers might stand in the way of the full recognition of that hidden Treasure of God.”
One day, while in the act of instructing his disciples on what signs to look for and how to recognize the Promised One, the Báb Himself appeared at the class and sat down at the rear of the room. At once, Siyyid Kázim ceased to lecture. One of his disciples asked him to continue speaking.
“What more shall I say?” replied Siyyid Kázim, as he turned his face toward the Báb, “Lo, the Truth is more manifest than the ray of light that has fallen upon that lap!”
By now, the Siyyid was hinting quite strongly that the Qá’im was sitting in the room and pointed to the Báb. Still no one understood his meaning, as one who was there admits, “I saw the Siyyid actually point out with his finger the ray of light that had fallen on that lap, and yet none among those present seemed to apprehend its meaning.”
It seems to me that, like the disciples of Siyyid Kázim, we Bahá’ís are ignorant and in search of enlightenment. They had Siyyid Kázim, we have Bahá’u’lláh’s supreme institution, the Universal House of Justice. But, like those early disciples, even though the guidance is being given, we don’t always see or understand it.
Many of Siyyid Kázim’s disciples went on, not only to recognize the Báb and embrace His Cause, but to become some of the foremost Bábís. Fortunately, like them, because we do not necessarily see today does not mean we will not see tomorrow. But, in order to see, we have to want to see. Before anything else, there must be the desire. Without it, even the answer is of no use.
So, here many of us sit. Unhappy with what we are, unhappy with what we have. And, like the disciples of Siyyid Kázim, we are on our own journey to the day when we will know and understand.
It would seem, on the face of it, to be easier to find a prophet than to found a new World Order. Interestingly, though, the same sorts of qualities are called for. The disciples of Siyyid Kázim prayed and fasted and went about seeking the Báb with a single-minded determination.
If it is easier to find a prophet than to found a new World Order, then it follows that it will take more than prayer, fasting, and single-minded determination to accomplish the job.
The point of all this is this: If your community, committee, assembly, or whatever it is, doesn’t reflect the new World Order and this disappoints you, then do something about it.
Unlike the disciples of Siyyid Kázim, you will not have to rely on your own instincts to guide you in the right direction. Guidance has already been given. All you need do is follow it. But then, of course, you can always lead the horse to water. The question is, will it drink? It’s a question that confronts us every day.
“Contributing to the Fund is a service every believer can render, be he poor or wealthy; for this is a spiritual responsibility in which the amount given is not important. It is the degree of sacrifice of the giver, the love with which he makes his gift, and the unity of all the friends in this service which bring spiritual confirmations.”
- leave the city
- go to the country
- homefront pioneer
Books For Bahá’ís[edit]
Indians did not advocate celibacy, although they attached great value to chastity; Indian women had voting and property rights centuries before their white sisters in Europe. The practice of various time-honored customs automatically eliminated extremes of wealth and poverty. It was the Indian way to exhibit great tolerance toward the religious beliefs of others. In these and many other ways, the Indian way and the Bahá’í way are in harmony. (Indians even had “a universal auxiliary language” — the whole purpose of sign language was so that linguistic barriers could be overcome; with their “talking hands,” Indians who did not possess a single word in common could exchange not only information but long narratives designed purely for entertainment.)
There is much food for Bahá’í thought, too, in the brief sketches of the lives of great Indian leaders and prophets to be found in the pages of THE GOSPEL OF THE REDMAN. Sitting Bull, for example, envisioned by most of us as a bloodthirsty warrior, was “a dreamer, a mystic, a clairvoyant and a philosopher of deep natural insight.” He spent the night before the Battle of the Little Big Horn in prayer on a nearby hill. Wovoka, a Medicine Man of the Paiutes (born in 1856), “had a vision that Jesus Christ was coming again to earth to put an end to war, famine and discord.” Wovoka established the Ghost Dance ritual, which embodied his creed: “Do not fight, Do no harm to anyone, Do right always.” Despite the emphasis on non-resistance and brotherly love, many hundreds of Indians — men, women and children — were slaughtered by U.S. troops for participating in the Ghost Dance ritual. Hiawatha, not a fictional character as many believe, was a Mohawk who lived about 1570. “He recognized that internal dissension and petty feuds were the greatest of the evils that preyed on the Redman, and therefore founded the Iroquois Confederation, a league of nations that aimed at general peace and well-being, substituting a tribunal of justice to settle internal disputes in place of war.” And this was at least 50 years before the “pilgrim fathers” landed at Plymouth Rock!
True GOSPEL OF THE REDMAN is a book devoid of padding. Had the Setons been motivated by anything but a sincere wish to be “the instrument of giving to the Whiteman’s world the inspiring teachings of the Redman,” they might have written a very different kind of book. Instead, they have placed the very essence of their material at the reader’s disposal, and they have done so with loving directness and simplicity. Mrs. Seton chose to publish the work under her own supervision; it is not available through regular channels. Publication has since been turned over to the Boy Scouts of America. Anyone wanting a copy of the book may write to: National Supply Service, Boy Scouts of America, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903.
Because it is so richly condensed, it is difficult for a reviewer to resist quoting from it at length. A sampling of its contents would seem to constitute the best review, so I hope I will be pardoned if I offer one more sample in closing. It is from the great Indian orator Red Jacket’s reply to a Christian missionary. At Buffalo, New York, in 1805, a group of Indians gathered to listen with great patience to the missionary’s sermon. When it was over, Red Jacket responded, and because one of the white men present took extensive notes, this classic speech has come down to us. I will quote only a brief excerpt, but it should have deep meaning for those who seek to understand the Redman’s rejection of Christianity, and who hope to bring to him the healing message of Bahá’u’lláh:
“Brother, the Great Spirit has made us all... He has given us a different religion according to our understanding... He knows what is best for His children; we are satisfied. Brother, you say you have not come to get our land or our money, but to enlighten our minds. I will now tell you that I have been at your meetings, and saw you collecting money... if we should conform to your way of thinking, perhaps you would want some money from us. Brother, we are told that you have been preaching to White people in this place; these people are our neighbors, we are acquainted with them; we will wait a little while and see what effect your preaching has upon them. If we find it does them good, makes them honest, and less disposed to cheat Indians, we will then consider again what you have said.”
Tacoma Tactics Succeed[edit]
During the period of the Vietnam moratorium, the Bahá’ís of Tacoma, Washington decided to have a meeting devoted to “Bahá’u’lláh and His Plan for Peace” at their regular weekly fireside. Eleven non-Bahá’ís attended and became interested in the program. Since that time, weekly fireside attendance has increased. There was also a paid announcement on television which consisted of a series of slides and an announcement of the Bahá’í meeting on peace, giving a telephone number for further information.
Shortly after this occurred, the Bahá’ís received an invitation to present the Faith at a forum at the Court C Coffee House which presents various activities on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. This organization had its own publicity in the local newspaper which was headlined, “Music, Agnew and Bahá’í To Be Topics.” About 75 persons attended this meeting on Sunday Night, December 7.
This meeting was followed by the only Human Rights Day program held in the city. It was sponsored by the Bahá’ís in cooperation with the local United Nations Association chapter. Nearly 100 persons attended this program. The panel of speakers recommended the establishment of a Human Relations Study Program and about 45 members of the audience agreed to participate. It was decided to hold the Bahá’í-sponsored meetings every Wednesday evening in January.
Some topics covered were: “The Racial Revolution,” “The Nature of Prejudice,” “The History of the American Negroes,” and “Ways to Improve Human Relations.” Invitations were sent out to 500 persons inviting them to participate in this study program.
On Thursday, December 11, a speaker was invited to give a talk on the Bahá’í Faith to a comparative religion class of 50 students at Pacific Lutheran University.
The Bahá’í community received a letter from a local radio station stating they would make free announcements of all meetings for churches and religious groups on Sunday morning, and all the Bahá’í community had to do to be included was to make announcements available to the station for broadcast.
“Operation Cross-Pollination”[edit]
In response to the plea for the establishment of local circuit teaching activities, the Louisiana State Goals Committee has initiated an exceptional project explained in their letter to the Louisiana Bahá’ís:
TO THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF LOUISIANA
Beloved Friends:
The recent letter of the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the World has made us all deeply aware of the urgency of the times in which we live, and of the glorious challenge which is ours to meet. Two years ago in its message to the Intercontinental Conferences, the Universal House of Justice stated, “The time is ripe and the opportunities illimitable. We are not alone nor helpless. Sustained by our love for each other and given power through the Administrative Order ... the Army of Light can achieve such victories as will astonish posterity.”
To this end, and remembering Bahá’u’lláh’s exhortation that “the movement itself from place to place, when undertaken for the sake of God, hath always exerted, and can now exert, its influence in the world,” the Goals Committee had undertaken a systematic program of circuit teaching called “Operation Cross-Pollination.” The purpose of cross-pollination in agriculture is to bring forth better fruits; the purpose of Operation Cross-Pollination will be to spread the divine fragrances throughout the state of Louisiana, enabling us to bring forth a glorious harvest at Riḍván, “to achieve such victories as will astonish posterity.”
The second week of each month, beginning in January and continuing through April, individual Bahá’ís either alone or in teams will be asked to go to a locality where Bahá’ís reside for a fireside, public meeting, or simply to visit with the Bahá’ís and their friends in that city. Bahá’ís who signed the speakers’ list at state convention will be used, but hopefully every single Bahá’í in the state will be involved. The Guardian once said, “What the Cause now requires is not so much a group of highly cultured and intellectual people who can adequately present its Teachings, but a number of devoted, sincere, and loyal supporters who in utter disregard of their own weaknesses and limitations, and with hearts afire with the love of God, forsake their all for the sake of spreading and establishing His Faith.” Thus every Bahá’í will at some point between now and Riḍván be asked to travel teach during an Operation Cross-Pollination Week.
More detailed information will soon be sent to Spiritual Assemblies, groups and isolated believers about the specifics of Operation Cross-Pollination in their areas, as well as the individual teachers. May we all pray for the growth of the Faith in Louisiana, and for the confirmations of the Blessed Beauty, Bahá’u’lláh.
- With warmest Bahá’í love,
- Louisiana State Goals Committee
lovingly,
—NATIONAL TEACHING COMMITTEE |
dear folks:
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THIS IS MY OWN
Bahá’í News |
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fly over Ecuador. Will you see land
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Let’s fly to Bolivia and visit
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| Fly over India. Did you fly very far? Did you wave to the Bahá’ís in Africa as you flew over? Find a different hat (page 6), and draw a happy face. | Now land in Uganda. Read about
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SECOND CLASS POSTAGE RATE
IS PENDING AT WILMETTE, ILL.
