The American Bahá’í/Volume 16/Issue 10/Text

←Previous

The American Bahá’í October, 1985

Next→

Return to PDF view Proofread once

[Page 1]October 1985 The American Bahá’í

On the weekend of July 19-21, 30 Bahá’ís from all parts of New Mexico gathered in the Jemez Mountains for a retreat for youth and junior youth sponsored by the Region No. 11 Youth Committee. There were group sessions on meditation led by Becky Ginn, and talks on the history of the Faith by Mary Lou Ewing, one of New Mexico’s first Bahá’ís, and on the Universal House of Justice by Mary Gibson of Zaire, the widow of Amoz Gibson, who was a member of the House of Justice until his death in May 1982. The young people also enjoyed group singing, a game of ‘Bahá’í Challenge,’ a talent show and a gathering around the campfire.

National Assembly set for wide proclamation of ‘Promise of Peace’

When the National Spiritual Assembly received from the Universal House of Justice in August an advance copy of the Supreme Body’s eagerly awaited statement, “The Promise of World Peace,” it came complete with instructions concerning its proper use and distribution.

THE HOUSE of Justice asked that the 12-page statement be made “a matter of serious consideration, conversation and action within and without the Bahá’í community.”

Specifically, the National Assembly was directed:

• To prepare to present the statement to the country’s chief executive.
• To prepare the believers to undertake the broadest possible proclamation of the statement.
• To prepare a media kit to accompany the statement with answers to those questions that are certain to be raised as a result of proclamation.

Since then the National Spiritual Assembly has been working closely with several of its committees and offices to carry out the expressed wishes of the Universal House of Justice with respect to the statement.

In mid-September a study guide was mailed to every local Spiritual Assembly and Bahá’í Group in the

Special pull-out section between Pages 16-17: Complete text of the Universal House of Justice’s statement, “The Promise of World Peace.”

See PEACE Page 4

Iowa Rep. Leach devotes newsletter to Iran persecutions

In July, U.S. Rep. James Leach of Iowa devoted his monthly “Washington Report” to a discussion of the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran.

IN THE newsletter, which is addressed to Rep. Leach’s constituents in Iowa, he concluded, “We have no choice but to stand in respectful awe of all the courageous people in the world—perhaps most notably the Bahá’ís—who dare persecution to worship according to their conscience.

“Such faith,” the congressman wrote, “is an inspiration to us all. As much as any act in the world today it gives us optimism that the individual is stronger than the state, no matter how repressive civil authorities may be; that morality has deeper roots than injustice; and that good may in the long run triumph over evil.

“This is the story, the lesson of the Bahá’ís in Iran. ...”

See LEACH Page 4

S.E. Asians respond warmly to ‘Lowell Project’ message

As of July 15, Lowell, Massachusetts, an industrial city northwest of Boston, had 17 adults in its Bahá’í community.

BY AUGUST 24, the number of adult Bahá’ís in Lowell had grown to 108, about 90 per cent of whom are refugees from Southeast Asia.

What happened? The “Lowell Project,” a summer teaching campaign supported by 125 participants from 16 states and 10 countries.

As a result of that effort, Lowell now boasts the largest Bahá’í community in all of New England, an area that had never before sponsored a mass teaching campaign.

The Lowell Project had its genesis last April when Counsellor Farzam Arbáb, speaking at a meeting of Regional Youth Committees at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, wondered aloud why there had never been a mass teaching campaign undertaken anywhere in New England.

The New England area, he said, had recently experienced an influx

See LOWELL Page 11

Path is cleared for registration of Bahá’í children

The National Spiritual Assembly is pleased to announce that the formal registration of Bahá’í children will take place beginning this month.

LOCAL Spiritual Assemblies and Bahá’í Groups will be receiving children’s registration cards to be distributed to parents who fill them out and return them to the Bahá’í National Center.

Parents may also obtain registration cards from District Teaching Committees or by requesting them directly from the Bahá’í National Center, Office of Membership and Records.

The Universal House of Justice has provided the following criteria regarding the status of children:

• Children born to a Bahá’í couple are to be regarded as Bahá’ís from the beginning of their lives, and their births should be registered by the Spiritual Assembly.
• The birth of a child to a couple, one of whom is a Bahá’í,

See CHILDREN Page 18

Contributions up; need remains great

Contributions for the month of Asmá’ increased by 10.5 per cent over the same period last year.

Historically, the summer months are marked by a sag in contributions to the National Fund; however, contributions this summer actually increased by more than 17 per cent. This draws us closer to the 40 per cent increase needed to meet our annual goal.

The upcoming teaching and proclamation plans surrounding the statement on peace by the Universal House of Justice are giving rise to a new level of excitement throughout the Bahá’í community. Across the nation, Bahá’ís are rededicating themselves to the challenging tasks that lie ahead.

At the national level, plans are being made to proclaim the peace statement at the highest levels.

These bold plans, inspired by the Universal House of Justice, require a steady and continuous flow of funds. The National Fund goal plays an integral part in achieving success with these proclamation efforts.

The National Spiritual Assembly continues to be greatly encouraged by the response of the American Bahá’í community to the growing needs of the Cause.

N.C. ‘Victory Train’ in high gear as more than 400 declare Faith

Like a juggernaut that cannot be stopped or slowed, the Carolina Victory Train keeps rolling through North Carolina, leaving in its wake greatly strengthened communities, newly raised Assemblies, and a growing army of dedicated teachers whose goal is to bring the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to everyone in that state.

Since the Victory Train campaign got under way earlier this year, more than 400 people in North Carolina have embraced the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh while five new Assemblies have been

See CAROLINA Page 11

On July 11, five youth and pre-youth, four of whom had just returned from the Bahá’í Youth Conference in Columbus, Ohio, helped the Bahá’í community of Castle Rock, Colorado, with its first service project, scraping and painting four of the seven picnic tables in the city park. Newspaper publicity was excellent, with this photograph and an article about the Faith appearing. Two days later, a car wash in the nearby town of Parker benefited the new Senior Citizens Center, brought positive comments and led to another article in the paper.

Index

Viewpoint	2
Letters	3
The Funds	5
IGC: Pioneering	6
Youth News	7
Education	8-9
Teaching	10-11
Race Unity	12
Distribution Service	14
Publishing Trust	15
Classifieds	16
The Media	17
Persian/American	19-23
In Memoriam	31

[Page 2]

Archives seeking original Tablets from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

The National Bahá’í Archives is seeking to locate original Tablets from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to the following Bahá’í families:

Fred Ackerknecht family of Johnstown, New York; the Babbitt family of Baltimore, Maryland; the Fint family of Walla Walla, Washington; Tom Peterson family of Racine, Wisconsin; Charles Rasmussen family of Racine; John Renner family of Sandusky, Ohio; Daniel Schroeder family of Chicago; Louis Silver family of Racine.

Anyone having information about the whereabouts of these or other original Tablets is asked to contact the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

More than 100 ‘put it together’ at Green Acre

An exciting weekend was experienced July 27-28 at the Green Acre Bahá’í School as more than 100 participants in a "Putting It All Together" conference did exactly that.

AFTER learning from National Center staff from the offices of public affairs, teaching, and the Secretariat about the array of services and materials available to communities for planning and implementation, the audience was divided into working groups.

Perfect weather allowed the workshop sessions to be held outdoors on the grounds. Each group of eight or nine was given the task of planning a program for a described Bahá’í community which would succeed eventually in increasing its membership.

Guidelines for the planning sessions took the participants from the vision for the worldwide Bahá’í community to the tasks to be undertaken at the local level. Each group then hammered out a plan that suited the particular needs of the community assigned to it.

They were to survey the situation, identify resources, determine short- and long-range objectives, and identify target audiences.

The second step was to devise a strategy to achieve the goals and then schedule a course of action.

THE sessions were designed to provide an exercise in planning in which communities used the resources available at the national and local levels and integrated proclamation, expansion and consolidation activities into the overall plan for growth and development.

One Bahá’í community even met "en masse" to do their year's planning at the conference.

Special sessions Saturday night and Sunday provided memorable highlights. Jene Bellows of Skokie, Illinois, presented slides of her recent trip to China. More than 20 Chinese guests, mostly students from the Boston area, drove up for the weekend. An electrifying fireside was held for them in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s room.

On Sunday, Nancy Ackerman, director of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada's Department of Public Affairs, gave a presentation on the story of Mona Mahmudnizhad and the making of the "Mona" video. The audience of more than 150 included all of the youth and children present for the weekend.

James Mock, a member of the National Teaching Committee staff, spoke about teaching Christians and delighted the audience with tales of his experiences as a neophyte Baptist preacher.

David Rouleau, an assistant to Robert Henderson, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, gave insights into the workings of the Secretariat, and Shirley Lee, director of the Office of Public Affairs, told of exciting media coverage of the Faith across the nation.

A similar conference was held last year at Green Acre, and another one is being planned for 1986.

‘Time is relative’ depending on one’s culture

Time is relative; this fact has been established by Einstein and modern physics with regard to the material universe. Now psychology and anthropology are finding time to be just as relative in human terms.

TIME can be measured in many ways—by the clock on the wall, by the vibrations of cesium atoms, by the rings in tree trunks, by astronomy, or even by our own internal biological clocks.

But there is a social and psychological reality to time that does not necessarily mesh with these types of measurement.

Time is learned by children like a language (we are not referring here to reading the "time" from a clock); each culture has its own understanding of what constitutes "time," how it functions in the world and what importance it holds.

More important than what the clock says is how human beings think of time. Sometimes we perceive it to be dragging, while at other times it seems to race along. We may feel pressured or perhaps bored by it.

We would do well as Bahá’ís working to achieve a new World Order and the cross-cultural understanding that must accompany it, to pay close attention to the differences in the various ways in which human beings structure their activities and expectations around time, for culture and language both shape and are shaped by the human relativity of time.

Sometimes different attitudes toward time can cause confusion and misunderstanding.

THAT languages are different is an obvious and accepted fact; if we do not understand when hearing people talk, we conclude that they must be speaking a foreign language that we do not know.

We would not normally come to the conclusion that they are irresponsible at communicating or simply incapable of understanding solely because they do not speak our language.

However, time and the way that different cultures perceive it amounts to a "hidden language," yet we are not taught to think of it as a subjective concept. It is not studied in schools per se, and we grow up believing that our assumptions about time are true and absolute, arising from the outside "reality" of the universe rather than from within our social beings.

Edward Hall, a renowned cultural anthropologist, pointed out in his recent book The Dance of Life (Anchor Press/Doubleday 1983) that "time in this sense is like a language and until someone has mastered the new vocabulary and the new grammar of time and can see that there really are two different systems, no amount of persuasion is going to change (his) behavior."

This piece of advice is extremely timely for the American Bahá’í community, which is now forging bonds between people of widely disparate cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

This month’s article, "Time is Relative," was submitted by the National Persian/American Affairs Office.

The most obvious instance of cross-cultural contact in the American Bahá’í community today occurs between Americans of European and African descent and the Persian believers, many of whom have recently arrived here from Iran.

IF YOU live in a Bahá’í community with a significant mix of Persians and Americans, you have probably experienced classic cases of miscommunication due to cultural time zones.

For example, how often have you are your local community experienced frustration and tension over scheduling?

Have you noticed that the American and Persian members of your community show up at slightly different times for community events such as the Feast? Have any Persians expressed consternation over an American's seeming insistence on planning events far ahead of time and down to the minute? Have you heard Americans explain what they perceive as the Persians' unwillingness or inability to adhere to schedules?

If you have, it is because the average Persian and the average American do not "speak the same language" with regard to time.

Edward Hall has identified two broad patterns by which societies organize and understand time—monochronic and polychronic (we will explain the terms presently).

American and European peoples share many common monochronic characteristics, whereas Middle Easterners (including Iranians) and Latin Americans share many polychronic tendencies.

NEITHER system is right or wrong; they are simply different. However, by observation, interaction and cooperation, people of both systems can learn something of value from the other.

Generally speaking, monochronic cultures such as the U.S. emphasize schedules and the planning of events around separate and distinct blocks of time. Such a system tends to place great value in task completion, accomplishment, productivity, individuality and order.

Polychronic cultures, conversely, emphasize people, human relationships, family ties, togetherness and attending to things based on priority of importance rather than according to schedule.

Let's talk about some specific situations. A typical monochronic individual will try hard to meet an important deadline. If family matters arise, he may not deal with them until after the work is completed.

For a typical polychronic individual, on the other hand, if his uncle falls ill he may very well ignore the deadline and spend time with his uncle until he recuperates. In a polychronic culture, such behavior is typical and expected; people would not feel as if the individual were shirking his duties.

IT HAS often been remarked (rather astutely as we can now see) that there are two time "languages" spoken in the Bahá’í community, sometimes differentiated as "scheduled time" and "PST," or "Persian Standard Time."

These differences are due to the cultural relativity of time, not to laziness, stubbornness or an excessive rigidity. For Americans who tend to attach much significance to schedules, it is important to remember that Persians do not see themselves as violating any important or "sacred" rule of punctuality by coming "late" to a Feast or a potluck.

Persians typically practice a kind of flex-time when visiting friends and do not expect to be anywhere at a precise time.

This is so for two reasons: first, for a polychronic person, it is not so important how he spends his time with his friends, but that he is together with them; and second, many other things, such as a visit to a sick relative, may take priority over a schedule and make it difficult to be "on time" in the monochronic sense of the word.

Persians may invite friends over for an evening to have dinner and chat in front of the television. Americans may be bored by such an evening because they often feel they should be "doing" something—going out somewhere or engaging in some other kind of activity.

THIS IS because monochronic people are oriented toward events. An event is important, for whenever "something" is not happening, time is being "wasted."

But for the typical Persian, the fact that he is among friends is what is important, not so much what is being done or what happens.

These differences are important to keep in mind as we interact across cultures, otherwise we will constantly misinterpret each other's behavior, or simply fail to relate to one another.

There are obvious merits in both the Persian and American outlooks on time. If we can learn to speak one another's time "language," we'll then be able to borrow from each other's vocabulary to create a more fulfilling Bahá’í culture and a stronger, more closely knit sense of community. [Page 3]

Letters

"The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the clash of differing opinions."—‘Abdu’l-Bahá

The American Bahá’í welcomes letters to the editor on any topic of general interest. The purpose of the "letters" column is to allow a free and open exchange of ideas and opinions, never to derogate another's opinion or attack anyone on a personal level.

Letters should be as brief as possible (a maximum of 250 words is suggested). Letters are subject to editing for length and style. Please address all letters to the Editor, The American Bahá’í, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

To the Editor:

The Los Angeles Bahá’í Youth Workshop is a delight and a fantastic treat.

Our community was blessed by their presence for three days. In my 25 years as a Bahá’í, the L.A. Workshop is the most effective group effort I have ever experienced.

The hearts of their audiences were won so that the people could be enrolled by members of our community. And these youngsters didn't wait for people to come to them; they went to malls and parking lots to invite the people to their performances.

We had at least two couples we know about come to all six of their performances and become Bahá’ís along with their children. Everyone loved the L.A. Workshop, and so do I.

J. Richard Hoff Las Cruces, New Mexico

To the Editor:

The structure of our present world is being progressively transformed. The transition between the old and the new World Order is causing severe strain and stresses on people everywhere.

BECAUSE mankind is immersed in a sea of corruption and violence, and our materialistic civilization is absorbing the mental energy of the people, these negative conditions are rendering them incapable of attaining to the higher realms of the spirit.

Therefore, the real cause of the universal crisis afflicting mankind is essentially the lack of spirituality.

The search for truth contained in all the Divine Revelations shows that the mystic feeling that unites man with God is the inner core of each of the world's religions.

Thus, it is imperative for a believer to become consciously aware of the mystic nature of the Bahá’í Faith.

It is only through prayer and meditation that a state of spiritual communion with God can be established.

However, to accept and observe the Bahá’í teachings is not enough, for a believer must deepen himself in the Divine doctrine and cultivate a sense of spirituality.

WHEN the spiritual life of the believers has been transformed, the laws and institutions established by Bahá’u’lláh will become truly effective.

The history of previous religions teaches us that when a religion degenerates into a mere organization the flow of the Spirit stops and it becomes a dead thing.

These powerful words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá should create an awareness in every believer:

"You can not apply the name man to any being void of this faculty of meditation; without it he would be a mere animal, lower than the beasts." (Paris Talks, pp. 174-76, United Kingdom 1961 edition)

Luis E. Aguirre Newport Beach, California

To the Editor:

I am an individual who, like many the world over, happens to live in a relatively unpopulated area, and because of this I am termed an "isolated Bahá’í."

How can this be? How can I be isolated in any true sense of the word when I'm continually turning to God, Bahá’u’lláh or ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for assistance, healing, protection and guidance?

In addition, I am in touch with National by phone and letter as well as with the Cincinnati community, the Indianapolis community and the Bloomington community and have been able to attend many of their gatherings.

So with this in mind, how could I be thought of as "isolated"?

What I am, if anything, is unassembled. And that is a whole different concept than being isolated.

Therefore, I am wondering if the National Assembly or Universal House of Justice might review this term and perhaps feel moved to change it to one that is more in keeping with the Bahá’í concept of unity.

Carol R. Hughes Mitchell, Indiana

To the Editor:

In The American Bahá’í (July) there appeared a letter to Bahá’í youth from the Universal House of Justice.

I read the letter, and although I am hardly a youth at age 72, was moved by it. As a further inspiration to Bahá’í youth, I would like to share with them the following quotation from the beloved Guardian, found on pages 69-70 in The Advent of Divine Justice (1984 edition):

"To the Bahá’í youth of America, moreover, I feel a word should be addressed in particular, as I survey the possibilities which a campaign of such gigantic proportions has to offer to the eager and enterprising spirit that so powerfully animates them in the service of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.

"Though lacking in experience and faced with insufficient resources, yet the adventurous spirit which they possess, and the vigor, the alertness, and optimism they have thus far so consistently shown, qualify them to play an active part in arousing the interest, and in securing the allegiance, of their fellow youth in those countries.

"No greater demonstration can be given to the peoples of both continents of the youthful vitality and vibrant power animating the life, and the institutions of the nascent Faith of Bahá’u’lláh than an intelligent, persistent, and effective participation of the Bahá’í youth of every race, nationality, and class, in both the teaching and administrative spheres of Bahá’í activity. Through such a participation the critics and enemies of the Faith, watching with varying degrees of skepticism and resentment, the evolutionary processes of the Cause of God and its institutions, can best be convinced of the indubitable truth that such a Cause is intensely alive, is sound to its very core, and its destinies in safe keeping.

"I hope, and indeed pray, that such a participation may not only redound to the glory, the power, and the prestige of the Faith, but may also react so powerfully on the spiritual lives, and galvanize to such an extent the energies of the youthful members of the Bahá’í community, so as to empower them to display, in a fuller measure, their inherent capacities, and to unfold a further stage in their spiritual evolution under the shadow of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh."

Mahmoud (Mike) Neshati Antioch, California

To the Editor:

As pioneers to Japan for six years who read and enjoy The American Bahá’í each month, we would like to raise a question for the American believers.

WE WORK teaching conversational English. The job gives us an opportunity to get to know certain people quite well. Often a close relationship develops. Of course, we are often able to tell our students about the Faith.

Sometimes one of our students, usually a professor or a doctor, moves to the U.S. for one or two years, and we like to use that as an opportunity to introduce them to Bahá’ís in the U.S.

A couple of times we have written to an Assembly in the States asking them to introduce a student to someone in their community.

In six years this has happened twice, and in both cases we received no answer from the Assembly.

In the first case, our professor/student friend met a number of Bahá’ís anyway and they became friends, but no one in that community answered our letter.

For our other friend, now living in Wisconsin, (after receiving no answer from the Assembly) we wrote directly to friends and relatives in the area.

Now, our question: Do you think we should try to introduce our Japanese friends to you in America? If not, why?

There is a small book called Japan Will Turn Ablaze. In it are many quotations about the wonderful future of the Japanese people. At this time they are not accepting any religion; we take this as an opportunity to help them along the road toward their glorious future.

Mrs. Mavis Creager Nagasaki, Japan

To the Editor:

Recently a precious Bahá’í family moved away from our town when the husband was transferred to the Cleveland area.

WE WERE sorry to see them go, but were grateful to Bahá’u’lláh for having led them to declare their faith here.

Their declaration and enrollment was a classic demonstration of the truth of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s injunction, "Make a beginning, and all will come right."

In the winter of 1982-83 our Assembly decided to hold a supper and auction to benefit the National Fund. No one in our community had organized an auction before, but we decided to proceed and deal with the details later.

About a week before the auction, Randy and Christina Stauffer declared.

They offered their help immediately, and when the night of the auction came, they organized the collection of more than $1,500, having learned the fine points of organizing auctions through long experience with the Boy Scouts.

In the summer of '83 our community sponsored a booth at the town's annual July 4 "Summerfest." Again, the Stauffers' experience and ideas were of immediate benefit.

They suggested that we offer free on-site child care as a service to those visiting the fair.

With the unified action of the community, we set up a tent, decorated a play area with pennants, and manned a booth that included free literature and a modest display featuring a poster of the Bahá’í House of Worship.

The Stauffers became active members of the Spiritual Assembly. Their three children contributed their enthusiasm, energy and talents as well.

We want to thank this dear family for their help. We also want to encourage all Bahá’ís to make teaching and fund-raising plans with the full confidence that Bahá’u’lláh, in His unerring wisdom, will guide us to those who can help do God's work.

"Make a beginning, and all will come right."

Stephen D. Wilder, secretary Spiritual Assembly of Prospect Heights, Illinois

To the Editor:

Fourteen years ago I became a Bahá’í, knowing that one of the requirements of enrollment was abstention from drugs and alcohol, which I believed would solve what I had already perceived as a chemical dependency problem.

DESPITE abstention, however, through the years I became convinced that I was mentally or spiritually ill, because I found myself unable to be happy.

I tried hard to follow the Bahá’í laws in my life, took part in many kinds of Bahá’í activities, and read the Writings to try to find the "secret" I knew was missing.

Around me I saw others become Bahá’ís, grasp the concepts of this Revelation, and literally leave me standing in their dust as they grew in spiritual strength.

See LETTERS Page 31

New from George Ronald, Publisher

In Search of Nirvana A New Perspective on Alcohol and Drug Dependency by A. M. Ghadirian

This book by one of our leading Bahá’í experts combines the medical and Bahá’í approaches. It reviews recent research on the effects of drug abuse on the human brain and character. And it explores the systematic and realistic approach of the Bahá’í Teachings to prevention and control, for both the individual and the community. 86 pages.

Hardcover $6.95 Softcover $3.50

Order through your local librarian, or send check or money order (including 10% for postage and handling, minimum $1.50) to: Bahá’í Distribution Service 415 LINDEN AVENUE, WILMETTE, IL 60091 This title not exported by the Distribution Service. [Page 4]builders U.S. to help the friends understand the statement and its far-reaching implications for the American Bahá’í community.

INCLUDED with the study guide was a planning guide to help the Bahá’ís develop ways in which to effectively promote and distribute the statement at the local level.

The National Assembly asked that each Assembly and Group use the study guide to conduct a community study session on the peace statement before October 24, when the peoples of the world were to be made aware of the statement in stages to coincide with the beginning of the United Nations International Year of Peace, "and preferably before the District Conventions (October 6)."

Each of this year's 95 District Conventions was include taped comments about the peace statement by Glenford E. Mitchell, a member of the Universal House of Justice.

Assemblies and Groups were told not to make public the statement before its release by the House of Justice but to pursue vigorously its proclamation and dissemination after that date.

The National Spiritual Assembly, through its Office of External Affairs, will coordinate the presentation of the statement to such prominent officials as Congressmen and governors.

To help in that effort, the National Assembly has written a three-page summary of the statement which has been approved by the Universal House of Justice for use throughout the world.

"THE summary," says Robert Henderson, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, "gives the essence of the statement in language that is clear and direct.

"Since many people won't have the time or interest to read the statement in its entirety, the summary will assure that they have at least a basic understanding of its main points."

The summary is to be presented to public officials and also given to Bahá’ís for promotional purposes.

The National Assembly is also preparing a media kit designed to explain to non-Bahá’ís such essentials as the history, laws and principles of the Faith and its Administrative Order, especially the Universal House of Justice and the derivation of its authority.

The kit is to be sent to every Assembly and organized Group in the U.S. as well as to individual Bahá’ís.

"Our goal," says Dr. Henderson, "is to place the kit in the hands of every Bahá’í in this country as quickly as possible."

The basic strategy being conveyed to the believers, he says, "is to proclaim the statement in stages to mayors, civic groups, peace organizations, women's clubs and so forth, then to religious and social groups—in other words, to give it the widest variety of presentations possible until every person in the U.S. is at least somewhat familiar with it."

TO BUTTRESS that strategy and to facilitate long-range planning, the National Spiritual Assembly is planning a series of 18 regional conferences this winter—"in the style," says Dr. Henderson, "of the conferences held in February and March '85 to discuss the Campaign of Unified Action."

The goals of the conferences, he says, will be to hear the results of proclamation efforts to date, and to consult about further steps to be taken in proclaiming to the public the Universal House of Justice's remarkable statement.

"The National Assembly," says Dr. Henderson, "expects the statement to raise a significant number of questions about the Faith, its goals, and so on.

"We need to have clear and competent answers to such questions. Knowing this, the National Assembly is developing a series of articles and essays designed to do exactly that, and we'll be making them available to the friends as soon as they are in hand."

Beyond that, he says, "we need to turn our proclamation efforts into teaching activities. The opportunities beckoning to us are indeed unprecedented."

The peace statement, says Dr. Henderson, "is no less than a global peace plan for at least the next 15 years.

"THE HOUSE of Justice has given us a new and unique vision of world peace," he says, "and has created a new language with which to express that vision.

"As a result, we Bahá’ís could become the architects of a lifestyle devoted to the pursuit of peace. We have the opportunity today to assume leadership in mankind's age-old quest for peace.

"The implications of the statement are as long-lasting as the pursuit of peace itself."

The National Spiritual Assembly, says Dr. Henderson, intends to work as closely as possible with the American Bahá’í community to meet its needs, provide information, answer questions, identify patterns of development, and make certain that strategies are evolved which will result in the widest possible distribution of the peace statement and the most favorable response to it on the part of people everywhere.

CLARENCE ULLRICH

Clarence Ullrich, born October 10, 1894, in Chicago, lived for many years in the suburb of Oak Park.

AFTER graduating from the Illinois Institute of Technology, he passed the Illinois state board examination for architects, later qualifying as an engineer.

As a young man he established friendships with people of various religious backgrounds and came to believe that a follower of any religion would find favor with God by living a good life.

Mr. Ullrich readily accepted the principles of the Bahá’í Faith, and even had a Bahá’í wedding in 1922; but it was not until the late 1930s that he came to understand the station of Bahá’u’lláh, at which time he became a registered Bahá’í.

He was actively involved in the development of the gardens at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, and served on the Spiritual Assembly of Oak Park until 1941, when he moved to Mansfield, Ohio, to help consolidate the isolated believers there.

Following his retirement Mr. Ullrich and his wife, Margaret, pioneered to Camaguey, Cuba, arriving at their post on January 1, 1960.

AMONG the goals of the Ten Year Crusade was the establishment of a local Spiritual Assembly in Camaguey by Ridván 1960 in preparation for the formation in April 1961 of that country's first National Spiritual Assembly.

The Ullrichs were accompanied to Cuba by Mrs. Ullrich's sister, Mrs. Viola Tuttle, and in February the three of them were joined by two Cuban Bahá’ís, one of whom was bi-lingual and performed the important role of interpreter.

A young Cuban man who volunteered to help them carry their luggage from a hotel to their new apartment became the first local.

SED conference

The Spiritual Assembly of Portland, Oregon, is sponsoring a regional conference on social and economic development November 1-3 for Bahá’ís in southwestern Washington state, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

Discussions at the conference will center around the letter of October 20, 1983, from the Universal House of Justice which calls on National Spiritual Assemblies to take measures to involve local Assemblies and individuals "...in devising and implementing of plans, within the constraints of existing circumstances and available resources."

The main goal of the conference is to help Assemblies and individuals better understand the implications of that directive.

For information about the conference, contact Barbara Waldron, Portland, OR 97212 (phone 503-288-8963).

THE STAGE IS SET FOR THE WORLD ONE HEART AT A TIME

Bahá’ís in southern Oregon took second place in the 'churches' category for their float in this year's Fourth of July parade in Ashland.

The parade theme, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Oregon Shakespearean Festival, based in Ashland, was 'All the World's a Stage.' The Bahá’í float consisted of a cloth globe, four feet in diameter, with people in international dress standing hand in hand around it, their red velvet hearts attached by a continuous ribbon. The float was seen by more than 15,000 spectators along the parade route.

Leach

Rep. Leach was a member of the House Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations when that panel heard testimony from Bahá’ís in 1982 and 1984 about the persecutions in Iran.

During the Bahá’í Youth Conference this summer at Ohio State University, the congressman was presented a scroll by the National Spiritual Assembly in appreciation of his efforts on behalf of Bahá’ís in the Cradle of the Faith.

THE presentation was made by eight-year-old Payam Yavari whose father, Ata’u’lláh Yavari, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Tehran, was martyred in January 1982.

"The Bahá’ís of Iran," wrote Rep. Leach, "have been denied the ultimate human right—the right to witness to God as their conscience dictates.

"They've been beaten, imprisoned, tortured, killed. Their holy places have been desecrated, their young people persecuted, their leaders spirited away in the middle of the night. Yet they have kept the faith..."

It is hard not to conclude, he added, that "the Bahá’ís are a very special people with a very special faith: special people because of the intellectual and personal depth of their convictions; special faith because of the way in which the Bahá’ís draw on so many religions for guidance....

"The irony is that this respectful, law-abiding religion is considered so challenging to authorities.

"...Today, a modern day S.S. has gone after the Bahá’ís. We have no choice but to object. The barbarism of religious intolerance cannot be ignored."

World Veterans Federation proposes resolution censuring Iran persecutions

The American Veterans Committee of the World Veterans Federation, meeting August 12 in Washington, D.C., drafted a Resolution on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

After decrying "an unparalelled national policy which denies fundamental religious freedom to Iran's more than 300,000 Bahá’ís" and "labels as 'criminal acts' all Bahá’í teaching and religious activities," the committee "calls upon its member organizations to urge the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to respect and ensure the civil and political rights of all individuals within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction, as assured by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which it is a state party."

The resolution is to be presented for consideration at the WVF's General Assembly meeting November 18-22 in Rotterdam. [Page 5]

NTRs lavish praise on eighth annual Institute

"I knew it would be great, but I had no idea how great."-newly appointed NTR

"Provided a touching vision of where the Faith is, where it's going, and the challenges ahead."- veteran NTR

"I received a better understanding of what the role of an NTR is-much more than an accounting assistant."-new NTR

These and other comments were made by your faithful National Treasurer's Representatives during the eighth annual NTR Training Institute held in Wilmette over the Labor Day weekend.

The Institute was highlighted by guest speakers Robert Henderson, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, and Dorothy W. Nelson, treasurer of the National Assembly, who inspired participants with news of the Universal House of Justice's forthcoming statement on world peace and the implications of that statement for the Fund.

Left photo: Judge Dorothy W. Nelson, treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly, speaks to National Treasurer's Representatives during the eighth annual NTR Institute held in Wilmette over the Labor Day weekend. Right photo: Steve Jackson (right, back to camera), assistant to the National Treasurer, leads a workshop session at the NTR Institute.

SMALL task force groups, addressing such issues as "Unified Action" and "Children and the Fund," produced valuable ideas and direction for the future of the NTR program.

Devotional programs at the House of Worship, highlighted by participating with the choir at the Sunday afternoon public program, added a freshness and a focus to the weekend.

Crowning the Saturday and Sunday evening programs were joint sessions at the House of Worship with local Bahá’ís and the 250 participants from across the country in a District Teaching Committee briefing conducted by the National Teaching Committee.

A buffet dinner, followed by a lecture/concert by pianist Mark Ochu and presentations by the national Race Unity Committee and the Peace Task Force, took place Saturday evening.

The program culminated in the reading of the peace statement from the Universal House of Justice.

Humor and insight were combined Sunday evening as Dorothy Nelson and Auxiliary Board member Robert Harris made brief presentations and then entertained questions from the audience.

A DRAMATIC presentation of Roger White's work, "Glimpses of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá," about artist Juliet Thompson proved a moving finale to the evening.

Training, consultation and fellowship are all ingredients for a successful Institute. Newly appointed NTRs have been trained. Veteran NTS shared their valuable experiences, and, in the process, infused everyone with a sense of the purpose of the NTR program.

You and your community are cordially invited to share the vision of that program. Contact your NTRS-they're ready to serve you.

The Bedrock of all other Institutions National Bahá’í Fund Wilmette, IL 60091

Automatic Contribution Program

AUTHORIZATION TO CHARGE MY BANK ACCOUNT

I ______________________________ residing at ______________________________ (Print full name) (Address, City, State, Zip)

hereby authorize the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States to charge my bank account each month the fixed amount of $ __________

Attached is a voided check which names the bank and indicates the account number to which the above amount is to be charged.

Signed: ______________________________ Bahá’í I.D. Number ______________________________ Date: ______________________________ Home phone: ( ) ______________________________ Work phone: ( ) ______________________________

Number of participants: __________

Mail to: NATIONAL BAHÁ’Í FUND WILMETTE, IL 60091

Friends respond warmly to National Assembly's letter of appreciation for solid support of Fund

The letters continue to mount in response to the National Spiritual Assembly's letter of August 15.

THE LETTER, sent to regular contributors to the National Bahá’í Fund, expressed the National Assembly's appreciation for their continued support.

It also asked recipients to spread the word about the need for increasing support of the National Fund and to continue their prayers that the needs of the Fund would be met. The responses have been heartwarming and encouraging.

Mary Parker of Spokane, Washington, writes that the letter "lifted my spirits and helped me realize how my small contributions are an integral part of the larger picture of our emerging Faith."

The letter "helps all of us understand how important we all are in supporting the Faith and each other," writes Sam Jones of Virginia Beach, Virginia.

A "91-years-young" Bahá’í from Tulare, California, Catherine Laurens, expressed her regret that she "cannot go out and do as... (she) used to do." She vowed, nevertheless, to pray for the needs of the Fund.

"I felt humbled and grieved," writes Catherine Acenas of Tucson, Arizona, "that the National Spiritual Assembly would need to write such a letter to the believers."

SHE SAID "we need no thank-you's for the privilege of contributing to the Fund," and went on to say that a recent visit to the National Center in Wilmette opened her eyes to "the tremendous outlay of funds (needed) just to maintain the headquarters."

There were many other letters of thanks and gratitude. Each one expressed a common theme: that the enormous challenge of the Fund can be met through the process of unified action.

Contributions continue to grow over the previous year. Clearly, many Bahá’ís feel that the attainment of the Fund goals are within their reach.

List of National Treasurer's Representatives

NTRs are representatives of the Treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly. Their mandate is to help the believers in their area of service to understand the relationship between the use of material resources and spiritual growth.

In addition, they are available to train local treasurers in the technical, educational and spiritual aspects of administration of the Bahá’í Fund. NTRs are not fund-raisers!

The following individuals have been chosen to serve as NTRs through August 1986. They are listed according to the Districts in which they serve. Every community is encouraged to meet with its NTR at least once a year.

NTR DIRECTORY

Alabama Northern-#028 Bobbie H Piper Birmingham, AL 35243 205/967-0334

Alabama S/Florida NW-#019 Pamela Taylor Eglin AFB, FL 32542 904/651-8095

Arizona Northern-#072 Reed Amadon P.O. Box 193 Tsaile, AZ 86556 602/724-3371 602/724-3311, X271

Joan Harrington Sedona, AZ 86336 602/282-5376

Arizona Southern-#066 Barbara De La Cruz South Tucson, AZ 85713 602/882-3041 602/745-5588, X210

Arkansas #033 Annette Myrick P.O. Box 5788 Little Rock, AR 72215 501/224-3246

California Central No. 1-#076 Vern Allie PO Box 429 Redwood Estates. CA 95044 408/353-1261 415/961 2550, X3070

Robert Lewis Richmond, CA 94804 415/526-3956 415/644 0103 G

Debra Taylor Newark, CA 94560 415/794-3461 415/657 6300

California Central No. 2-#077 Gary Colliver P.O. Box 242 El Portal, CA 95318 209/379 2808 209/372-4461

Claudette Varnado Fresno, CA 93726 209/252-3569

California Northern No. 1-#075 Harold E. Moore Sacramento, CA 95820 916/452-0109 [Page 6]

Eight U.S. youth begin 'Year of Service' in Cali, Colombia

At 6:45 p.m. on September 5, eight youth left the U.S. on their way to Cali, Colombia, to begin their Youth Year of Service.

ALEX Blake, Alex Carlberg, Laura Clayton, Nicole Ewing, Thomas Haanen, Yvonne Kraus, Scott Pfleuger and Amy Schechter became the first youth from our country to be chosen for the first project of its kind, initiated by the Universal House of Justice during the International Year of Youth.

The young people were joined in Cali by youth from Panama, Paraguay, Bolivia and Colombia for a three-month training program at the Ruhi Institute.

Teams made up of youth from every country will then proceed to each of the four countries to join the indigenous youth in teaching in the tutorial schools in village areas for the rest of the year.

Six of the eight U.S. youth are under 20 years old. The majority of them are attending school and have had experience working with children, either through part-time jobs, organizations to which they belong, or as part of their study program.

Each of them has at least a working knowledge of Spanish. The youth come from California, Massachusetts, Colorado, New Mexico, South Carolina and Wisconsin. Most important, however, is the enthusiasm each of them has for the development of the world community and the excitement they share in being among the first to take part in this special project.

THE Universal House of Justice foreshadowed the initiation of the concept of a "Youth Year of Service" some 10 years ago when it wrote (on May 25, 1975) to all National Assemblies that youth could assist in the pioneering effort: "...There are those, for example youth between the completion of their schooling and the starting of their chosen profession, who go pioneering for a specific limited period."

In the years since then, many proposals reached the House of Justice concerning concepts such as a "Bahá’í Peace Corps," a "Year of Service," etc.

Then came the stunning announcement of October 20, 1983, that the time had come to apply our spiritual principles and the Bahá’í way of life to social and economic development activities that would benefit society as a whole.

Later, the Universal House of Justice announced that the UN International Year of Youth would witness the start of this project in South America. No doubt the concept will grow and many more such international year of service projects will take place in the years to come.

The National Youth Committee and International Goals Committee have worked closely to ensure that the first eight youth to leave were thoroughly prepared, both with spiritual and practical knowledge.

For an entire day before the team left Miami for Costa Rica, a final orientation session was conducted by Karen Pritchard and Hannah Hessler from the Youth Committee office and Yael Wurmfeld from the International Goals Committee office.

These young people will provide a major link between the International Year of Youth and the International Year of Peace through their participation in this historic social and economic development project in South America.

Pictured are the eight Bahá’í youth from the U.S. who have begun a 'Bahá’í Year of Service' in Cali, Colombia. Left photo (left to right) Tom Haanen, Yvonne Kraus, Scott Pfleuger, Amy Schechter, Laura Clayton. Right photo (left to right) Nicole Ewing, Alex Blake, Alex Carlberg.

OPEN GOALS

AFRICA (F) Mauritania 2 (E) Nigeria 1 (E) Tanzania 1

AMERICAS (S) Argentina 2 (S) Chile, Easter Island 1 (E) Dominica 2 (S) Ecuador, Galapagos Is. 1 (F) French Guiana 2

ASIA (E) India (West Bengal) 1 (E) Nepal 1

AUSTRALASIA Caroline Islands (E) Kosrae 1 (E) Truk 1 (E) Tuvalu 2

Language key: E-English F-French S-Spanish

Michigan youth in growing ranks of young pioneers

Youth are moving the world. Twenty-four U.S. Bahá’í youth have arrived in other countries as pioneers during this last phase of the Seven Year Plan, and more are on the way. We would like to tell you about one of them.

In August, 15-year-old Jane Wilson left her home in Michigan to continue her high school studies in Costa Rica.

There were no Bahá’í youth in her home town, but she found many youth waiting to greet her in Costa Rica. In fact, the Bahá’í youth threw a party to welcome her, during which they also developed their teaching plans for the next few months.

Jane was accompanied to Costa Rica by her father, George, who helped her get settled in school. They met with the local Spiritual Assembly in a town near where Jane will be living, and were greeted by a "welcome to the community" party.

Next, they met with the National Spiritual Assembly at another welcoming party during which they learned of teaching projects that are planned for the area where Jane will be living.

In this goal town (which incidentally makes Jane a homefront pioneer) the National Assembly has permission from the Universal House of Justice to build a youth institute for the development of fine arts. As Jane plays the flute and piano, she is excited about this news.

While struggling to become fluent in Spanish, Jane feels a sense of purpose unlike any she has ever felt before. She has also found many new friends.

We look forward to learning of more stories about such outstanding young people as Jane who are bringing to fruition the true spirit of the Youth Movement.

Pioneer's perseverance leads her to 'dream job'

Stacy Fagan is a person whose story is typical of those people who want to pioneer but who face what appear to be insurmountable obstacles to that goal. Perseverance and faith in Bahá’u’lláh are tested to the limit but are rewarded if people don't give up. Stacy tells her story here:

I have planned to pioneer ever since gaining my degree 3 1/2 years ago. My field of study is regional planning—economic development for African countries. My thesis research was on "The Small-Scale Manufacturing Sector in Tanzania."

IN ESSENCE, a career in international development necessitates pioneering. Virtually all development organizations require 2-5 years of prior overseas experience, often attained via the Peace Corps.

For a number of reasons, I couldn't pioneer immediately after obtaining my degree. I worked outside my field for 2 1/2 years.

The job financed my first trip to Tanzania, as a traveling teacher, in 1983. Also during this time, I investigated the job possibilities in my field. I tried the Peace Corps—unsuccessfully—visited the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) and various private voluntary organizations in Washington, D.C., to see if any would hire me. None would.

I sent copies of my resumé to the secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Tanzania who forwarded them to various agencies. There was no positive response.

I next applied for a teaching position at a school in northern Tanzania. Six months earlier, while visiting Tanzania, I had been offered a position at that school. At the time I'd had to return to the U.S. and preferred to get a job much more directly in my field if possible.

When I applied this time, the application was denied. So I pressed on, borrowing $2,600 from my parents and hiring a placement agency to help secure a job in planning or perhaps international marketing.

I SENT out hundreds of letters but was granted only one interview. On the way from Massachusetts to attend the interview, the drive shaft in my car dropped out on the highway.

Rescheduling the interview, I made it to Manhattan another time, had what seemed to be a very positive interview, and never got an offer.

At this point my enthusiasm was beginning to flag a bit. Was Bahá’u’lláh telling me I shouldn't pioneer, at least not now?

I was running out of ideas, but decided to give U.S.AID another try. If that didn't work, perhaps I would return to school and try another field of study.

Sure enough, last January I received a negative response from AID; they required overseas experience.

Then, in mid-February, I received a letter from a Tanzanian Bahá’í woman who works at the Small Industry Development Organization (SIDO) in Dar es Salaam.

She said I was being considered for a position as "senior economist" at SIDO, the agency on which much of my thesis research was based.

I HAD never directly applied for a position at SIDO, but a copy of my resumé had been forwarded there months ago.

I had never seriously considered being able to work there—my unattainable dream position.

After sending the required materials, notification came that I had been accepted for the position. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed with joy and astonishment.

It is exceedingly difficult for an expatriate (that is, a foreigner) to secure work in Tanzania. My professors are still amazed that I was able to secure such a position. Tanzania is a goal country for the U.S. and is hard to fill.

I am returning to Tanzania, a country I love so much, in mid-October. Please pray for me.

UNICEF packets are available

UNICEF packets that can be presented to children's school teachers by Bahá’í parents are available from the National Education Committee office.

The packet is a welcome gift to the teacher and helps to establish the child's Bahá’í identity in the classroom. Each packet contains:

.A 1985 UNICEF calendar (which includes Bahá’í Holy Days).

A special packet of lesson plans, maps, etc., for grades 4 through 6 (teachers can adapt the material for younger children) entitled "Big World, Small World, My World."

A fact sheet entitled "The Bahá’í Faith and Its World Community" (for the teacher's information).

Packets are $7 each from the National Education Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. [Page 7]

YOUTH NEWS

October 1985

IYY ends on high note; Year of Peace is next

Anticipating the peace statement from the Universal House of Justice to the peoples of the world, the Bahá’í National Youth Committee is this month setting in motion activities relating to the International Year of Peace 1986 while winding down a successful observance of International Youth Year 1985.

Gary Brown, a member of the Bahá’í community of Cleveland, Ohio, was recognized for scholastic achievement and a perfect attendance record and received the Citizenship Award during graduation ceremonies this year at John Adams High School in Cleveland.

IYY HAS been a productive, action-packed year in which Bahá’ís were in the forefront of ac-tivities nationwide.

The successful completion of the goal of planting 20,000 trees in memory of the Dawn-breakers was the first success, followed by the International Youth Conference at Ohio State University in July with its widespread media coverage and successful service projects.

A summer filled with teaching and service activities has vitalized the American Bahá’í youth community as never before.

The "Fire from Within" campaign in Kansas and Nebraska; the AKISA project in Southern California; the peace march in Oregon—all of these projects and many more have been planned wholly or in part by youth and manned and supported by youth from across the country.

Many kinds of community services have been developed and carried out by youth in addition to the tree-planting campaign—park clean-ups, food drives, and services to the elderly, to name only a few.

PERHAPS the most exciting aspect of the IYY observance was the development of contacts with many non-Bahá’í youth and civic orgonions, public officials, thority and leaders of houg.

The message from the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’í youth formed the basis of the International Youth Year commemoration and provided the impetus for the formation of the Bahá’í Youth Movement.

These two factors have helped galvanize the Bahá’í youth network into an effective force that will be highly productive during the International Year of Peace.

On two occasions, the National Youth Committee sent representatives to meetings at the White House.

The tree-planting project received recognition from the National and International IYY Commissions, the American Forestry Association, and formed new bonds of friendship with offices at the United Nations.

The peace march in Oregon was planned in cooperation with the local IYY agency, as well as with representatives of other faiths.

The National Youth Committee is in the process of developing reports to the Universal House of Justice and to the UN about the activities of Bahá’í youth during International Youth Year. If your community held a service project, planted trees, etc., during IYY and we don't yet know about it, please complete the form below and return it to us. Thanks.

Please tell the Universal House of Justice that the Bahá’ís of \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ held the following activity in observance of International Youth Year:

Please contact me for further details: Name: Address: City: State: Phone:

Return this form to: Bahá’í National Youth Committee, 1371 Sunset Strip, Sunrise, FL 33313.

This year, you have a choice: Mickey in Orlando or Grand Canyon gathering

What's black and white and red all over and is an annual attraction for Bahá’ís in the winter? You guessed it... MICKEY MOUSE!

Each year, the famous cartoon character greets hundreds of Bahá’ís and their friends at the annual Disney World Youth Conference in Orlando, Florida. Sponsored by the National Bahá’í Youth Committee, the conference is a great winter/school-break vacation, and this year's session, the sixth annual, will be held December 27-31.

Complete program and registration details are available from the Youth Committee office... but hurry! Space for housing at Disney World is at a premium, and those who register before December 1 can be guaranteed on-site housing either roughing it in the camping meadow or in fully equipped travel trailers. Send for your registration kit today!

This year's Disney World program will be co-hosted by the National Race Unity Committee. The conference will feature an in-depth analysis of the causes and cures of racism along with workshops and "open mike" discussions about our "double crusade." See The Advent of Divine Justice for complete details... in fact, bring a copy with you in December!

As usual, the speakers will be profound, the company fantastic, the surroundings entertaining, and the spirit enthused! And we'll all take time to visit either the Magic Kingdom or EPCOT Center as a group during the conference.

Remember, this is an event for all ages... children's classes will be available, junior youth will have special workshop sessions, and adults will have their special program focus as well. Bring the whole family and spend your holiday break at this annual event! But if you can't...

This year, you have a choice! The Bahá’í youth in Phoenix, Arizona, are holding a special conference to coincide with the Disney World gathering. It's the Grand Canyon Conference set for December 27-30 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Phoenix.

The theme, "YOUTH: The Key to Peace," will be discussed by a number of well-known Bahá’í speakers, and several exciting workshop sessions have been planned.

Registration details are available from the conference planning committee. Write to them today at P.O. Box 9961, Phoenix, AZ 85068. Be sure to register early and plan to take part in this important gathering for Bahá’í youth, one that will witness the victorious conclusion of the International Year of Youth and help shape our observance of the International Year of Peace 1986.

D.C.-area conference set for 'Thanksgiving'

A Regional Bahá’í Youth "Thanksgiving Conference" is to be held November 29-December 1 at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

The conference theme is "Wage Peace." Included will be speakers, a concert by "New Generation," news of Washington's "Project 1000" teaching campaign, and discussion of the Universal House of Justice's statement on world peace.

The cost of only $19 covers one's room for November 28-30 and breakfast on November 29-30 and December 1.

Pre-registration is highly recommended. The registrar is Dwight Bashir, Vienna, VA 22180. Phone 703-821-3485.

Youth Committee named for 1985-86

The National Spiritual Assembly announced the following appointments to the Bahá’í National Youth Committee this summer: Jacqueline Eghrari (New York), Gail Etzenhouser (Kansas), Vicentee Ferguson (Florida), Sean Lurie (California), Duane Omid-Varan (Texas), and Karen Pritchard (Florida).

The committee met over the Labor Day weekend and elected its officers: Jacqueline Eghrari, chairman; Vicentee Ferguson, vice-chairman; Karen Pritchard, secretary.

All correspondence should be forwarded to the committee's office, 1371 Sunset Strip, Sunrise, FL 33313 (phone 305-584-1844).

Long-awaited 'Mona Project' launched in U.S. with record, music video release

The "Mona Project" has been officially launched in the U.S. Bahá’í community!

WITH the public commercial release of the record and music video of "Mona with the Children" by singer/composer Doug Cameron, the long-awaited Mona Project is now a reality.

Ever since the video was presented at the International Youth Conference in Columbus, Ohio, this summer, Bahá’í youth have eagerly awaited their opportunity to promote the recording and to use Mona as a tool with which to teach the Faith to their friends.

In anticipation of the popular public response to the recording and video, the National Spiritual Assembly appointed a task force to prepare materials that would help the friends in relating the story of Mona's sacrifice to others.

The task force, comprised of representatives from the National Teaching Committee, National Youth Committee, Office of the Secretary and Office of Public Affairs, put together a 40-minute video tape called "Working with Mona" that discusses the Bahá’í response to "Mona with the Children" and features producer Jack Lenz along with Ruhi Jahanpour, a cellmate of Mona's, as well as Doug Cameron, actress Roya Mahmoudi, and a panel of American youth who attended the workshop session at the Ohio youth conference.

Accompanying the workshop tape is a packet of materials that address topics which relate to Mona's sacrifice and will help individual Bahá’ís prepare themselves for those sure-to-be-asked questions from seekers and others.

THE "Working with Mona" package has been sent to all District Teaching Committees and Regional Youth Committees while the written materials have been mailed to all District Youth Committees.

These agencies have been asked to set up "Mona and Me" meetings at the district level so that all Bahá’ís can share the information and can learn how best to promote the recording, both as a mechanism for teaching and as a commercial enterprise that will attract seekers to the Cause.

The National Youth Committee has also arranged a 16-city tour featuring Doug Cameron to begin in mid-October in the western U.S. and end in mid-November in the Northeast.

Bahá’í College Clubs have been asked to serve as hosts for the tour and have made arrangements for facility rental, local transportation and hospitality as well as media coverage.

"This is really an enormous undertaking," says Sean Lurie, a recently appointed member of the National Youth Committee.

"We're managing a major national concert tour for a Bahá’í artist, and the youth will need to demonstrate their support by attending the concerts, inviting their friends to come, and calling their local radio stations to ask that the record be played as soon as it is released.

"The youth in Canada have played a key role in promoting 'Mona with the Children' in that country, and the National Youth Committee is confident that we can stir up an excellent response in the U.S. too."

Questions about promoting the video or recording or about details of the concert tour should be directed to the National Youth Committee office, 1371 Sunset Strip, Sunrise, FL 33313. Phone 305-584-1844. [Page 8]

EDUCATION

•Assembly Development Program Bahá’í Schools Brilliant Star (Child's Way) Magazine Local Education Adviser Program Personal Transformation Program

Family Unity Night (Fun)

FIRST WEEK OF NOVEMBER: BIRTH OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH. Thought for the Week: "The Ancient Beauty hath consented to be bound with chains that mankind may be released from its bondage, and hath accepted to be made a prisoner within this most mighty Stronghold that the whole world may attain unto true liberty..." Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 99. Prayer: Triumph of the Cause, pp. 198-99 (the Báb). Lesson: Read and discuss one or more of the suggested lesson materials as they relate to Bahá’u’lláh's purpose and our response to it. 1. The Hidden Words, Nos. 11 and 12, p. 6. 2. Gleanings, pp. 286-88 (Young Child, p. 286, para. 2). 3. The Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp. 25-29 (‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaking of Bahá’u’lláh's life). Activity: Candles will be needed (fragrant, if possible). One candle should be special and put in the center of a table. Each family member has a candle. Turn the lights off, and light the candle on the table. This candle represents the light of Bahá’u’lláh's Teachings. Each person lights his candle from this light. Variation: With the candle in the center lit, one person lights his candle. He then shares the light with another, and they do the same until everyone's candle is lit. Refer to this quote: "The greatest glory and honor which can come to an individual is to bring the light of guidance to some new soul." (The Individual and Teaching, No. 98, p. 35). Refreshments: Fresh fruit salad and cider.

SECOND WEEK OF NOVEMBER: THE MASTER. Thought for the Week: "...My station is the station of servitude-" (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Mystery of God, p. 42). Prayer: Bahá’í Prayers, pp. 71-72. Lesson: Read and discuss one or more of the suggested lesson materials: 1. The Mystery of God, pp. 13, 18, 22, 42. 2. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Balyúzi), pp. 267-71. 3. Vignettes, Nos. 5, 6, p. 113 ("Be happy! Be happy!"), No. 38, pp. 27-28 ("I am waiting. I am patiently waiting.") Activity: "Be happy." Consult as a family on something the members could do to make ‘Abdu’l-Bahá happy. They might decide on a special fireside, doing something together that makes the family happy, making a special card for the grandparents, or visiting someone who is ill. Whatever it is, it should be done in unity and concord for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Refreshments: Lembas (WLGI cookbook, p. 118) and milk, or a meal ‘Abdu’l-Bahá often had: a cup of milk and a piece of bread. "Had not Bahá’u’lláh, while at Sulaymáníyyih, subsisted mostly on milk?" (Vignettes, No. 26, p. 21).

THIRD WEEK OF NOVEMBER: QAWL (SPEECH). Thought for the Week: "...The heart is like a box and language is the key..." (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 57). Prayer: Bahá’í Prayers, pp. 174-75. Lesson: Read and discuss one or more of the suggested lesson materials: 1. The Hidden Words, No. 29, p. 10; No. 76, p. 48. 2. Kitáb-i-fqán, p. 193. 3. Gleanings, pp. 289, 297. Activity: Make a "Wheel of Fortune" game (from the popular TV show) using Bahá’í words (and phrases, if the children are older). Consult together about making the wheel-it will need to be divided into parts, be able to spin, and have a marker to show where it stops. Each division will be assigned a token. Pick several Bahá’í words, such as "prayer" (or phrases). Prayer is six letters long, so draw six squares on a piece of paper. Spin the wheel. When it stops, the player asks for a certain letter, like "p." The letter is placed where it belongs on the paper and the player gets a token for the letter. If the player spins a letter that's not needed, the next person has a turn. When each player guesses the complete word (or phrase), he gets the appropriate number of tokens to "purchase" his refreshments. Refreshments: Wheat crackers, cheese and milk.

FOURTH WEEK OF NOVEMBER: ASCENSION OF ABDU’L-BAHÁ. Thought for the Week: "Verily, we are God's, and unto Him shall we return." (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings, p. 345). Prayer: Bahá’í Prayers, pp. 46-47. Lesson: Read and discuss one or more of the suggested lesson materials. 1. The Hidden Words, No. 14, p. 7; No. 32, p. 35. 2. Vignettes, No. 28, p. 132; No. 59, pp. 152-53. 3. Gleanings, pp. 161-62, 345. Activity: 1. Outside, plant a new tree of tulip bulbs to appear in the spring. 2. Re-pot an indoor plant into a larger pot. Plant it outside when spring returns and observe how it grows. 3. On a cloudy day, make it a point to observe the clouds and sun. When the clouds cover the sun, the sun remains-it is only hidden. 4. If a globe and flashlight are available, demonstrate how the earth turns one time each day. The flashlight represents the sun. Find your home on the globe and mark it with tape. Shine the flashlight on your home and slowly turn the globe counterclockwise. When the light is no longer shining on your home, it is night time, but it is still shining in another place. Refreshments: Cranberry-orange bread (WLGI cookbook) served warm from the oven with hot tea. (Or pick your favorite muffin/quick bread recipe.)

Children, youth and adults representing three local Bahá’í schools in the San Diego, California, North County vicinity gave their time, energy and talents at a recent workshop session to make educational materials for use in their Bahá’í school classes. These schools serve about 15 Bahá’í communities. Other such workshops are scheduled throughout the year to provide a continual source of materials on a variety of Bahá’í-related topics. Pictured (left to right) are Alonzo Coleman, Mike Hardin and Anni Yazdani with children Amin Mottashed and Julie Sheahan.

Louhelen Residential College to begin program in fall 1986 with 26 students from U.S., abroad

The Louhelen Residential College will begin its first program in September 1986 with the admission of about 26 students from the U.S. and abroad to take a formal course in the Bahá’í Faith while studying degree-earning programs at one of two nearby colleges.

THE BAHÁ’Í studies course will focus on the fundamental verities of the Faith and the major works of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi.

In addition, study skills courses will be offered on such topics as time management, test taking, speed reading and writing.

Mott Community College and the University of Michigan-Flint are both fully accredited schools which offer a wide variety of curricula in four-year B.A. and B.S. programs and vocational/technical training in more than 40 occupations.

Judge Dorothy W. Nelson, treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly, recently shared her thoughts as a parent on the Residential College:

"I have prayed for the day," she said, "when the Faith would have an institution to which I might send my children to take a course of study that would focus on the fundamentals of the Faith and the works of its Central Figures. Louhelen Residential College is the answer to that prayer. It is my belief that such a course of study is an essential prerequisite to true learning and understanding of why we are on this earth and what we should be about spiritually and materially.

"Some day we'll all have the bounty of being exposed to such a unique educational opportunity. Those who are able to do so now should seize the opportunity."

For more information or an application, please write to the Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423.

Wonderlamp receives favorable library review

Thanks to efforts by the Spiritual Assembly of Newark, California, the Bahá’í children's book The Wonderlamp (published by Kalimát Press) has been favorably reviewed by the Newark public library.

The library has a ratings system from 1 to 5, with 1 being the best. Books rated 1 or 2 are placed on a list sent to all libraries in the system of books that should be ordered. The Wonderlamp was given a 2 rating.

The review said in part: "(The) story's theme is universal to the tenets of many religions. It is told in well-written rhyme. "The pictures are colorful and resemble the cartoon style of Disney.... Worthwhile purchase when housed in the religion or tales section."

John Stroessler is pictured as he led a class on 'Health and Healing' June 29 at the Nine Oaks Bahá’í School session in Arroyo Grande, California. During the afternoon, Dorothy Stroessler gave a presentation on 'Peace: A Bahá’í Perspective.' Also included were a session for all ages, a nursery, and a program for youth and pre-youth on 'Health and World Peace' with special material on 'Suicide: The No. 1 Health Hazard for World Youth.'

New Haven Bahá’í authors two coloring books

Bess Daniels, a Bahá’í from New Haven, Connecticut, is the author of two recently published coloring books for children.

The books, "Light a Candle for a Friend" and "Come Give Me a Hug," were illustrated by her son, John Key Daniels.

Both feature octopuses engaging in various activities designed to emphasize the importance of such concepts as family unity, peace, and friendship. [Page 9]The editorial board of Brilliant Star magazine held a meeting in June at the Louhelen Bahá’í School at which plans were completed for ways in which the magazine will be used to reflect the aims of the International Year of Peace. Pictured are (front row left to right) Rita Leydon, Keith Boehme, Debbie Bley, and (back row left to right) Janet Richards, Mary K. Radpour, Mimi McClellan.

Eliot Bahá’ís, Green Acre emerge from obscurity during town’s 175th anniversary observance

The Green Acre Bahá’í School and the Bahá’í community of Eliot, Maine, emerged from obscurity this summer. Their participation in the town’s 175th birthday celebration August 9-11 attracted considerable attention and gained many new friends for the Faith.

The Bahá’í float won second prize in the parade; the school welcomed more than 60 people to an open house; the Bahá’í table at the bazaar was quite popular for the free balloons and ice water which the Bahá’ís gave away, and Green Acre twice allowed the public to park in its fields so that they could walk next door to the town park for a concert and fireworks.

The ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ comprised about 40 per cent of the attendees at an ecumenical church service, even though the clergy did not allow a Bahá’í prayer to be read. And the Bahá’ís gave various behind-the-scenes help to the town throughout the weekend.

At the concert, which opened the weekend festivities, the chairman of Eliot’s Board of Selectmen publicly thanked the Bahá’ís for their help and asked the 1,000 people present to give the Bahá’ís a round of applause.

In addition, a letter to the editor was published in the local newspaper, thanking the Bahá’ís for their help.

Teaching Committee seeks lesson plans for inclusion in U.S. ‘curriculum bank’

The National Teaching Committee encourages Bahá’í children’s class teachers to forward to the National Center lesson plans they have developed and used successfully to be incorporated into a national curriculum bank.

Lesson plans that are received at the National Center will be organized in the bank according to topic and children’s age levels, using the Bahá’í Curriculum Guide, pp. 3-11, as a reference base.

A catalog describing the bank lesson plans will be issued regularly from the National Center so that teachers can “withdraw,” at a nominal fee, the lesson plans they want.

Widespread participation in the bank project by children’s teachers throughout the country will contribute substantially to the curricular resources that are available and, it is hoped, reflect a wide diversity of educational needs and approaches.

To facilitate the processing of lessons into the bank, submitted lesson plans should follow the lesson plan format printed below, and should be mailed to “Child Education,” Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Date: Name: Address: Telephone number: (Lesson plans will not necessarily include all items)

Content topic: Age group: Unit topic name: (if applicable) Number of lessons in the unit: (if applicable) Number of this lesson: Lesson topic:

Over-all goal: Specific objectives: Preparation/background reading: Lesson material: (specific readings to be used in class) Vocabulary: (specific words to be explained)

Introduction/presentation: (any suggestions on creating an atmosphere to heighten the impact of this lesson may be added here) Sources/materials: (that are used) Activity: (describe the sequence of steps in the activity) Conclusion/summary: Homework suggestions:

Consultation topics: (ideas for consultation topics related to the lesson and/or appropriate to the age group. The topics should be truly open-ended—questions about which each child may have his or her own opinion)

Supplementary activities: (any suggested activities in case the lesson is too short, too hard, too easy, or should be extended into another lesson) Impact feedback/evaluation: (include observations the teacher can make to determine that the specific objectives as listed above were achieved)

Green Acre to host SED Conference

The Green Acre Bahá’í School’s Thanksgiving weekend program will be an “Institute in Social and Economic Development” led by William Davis, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly’s Social and Economic Development Committee.

The institute is designed to help the friends study and understand the letter of October 20, 1983, from the Universal House of Justice, acquire skills that will enable them to return to their communities and undertake development programs, and learn how to evaluate their efforts.

The institute begins at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and ends at noon Sunday. Due to the length of classes, it is recommended that participants do not bring children. The cost for room/board/linens is $66.

In announcing the program, Green Acre administrator Dick Grover said, “Here is a fine opportunity for Bahá’í communities throughout the Northeast to send someone for this important training.

“It’s important that people arrive Thursday evening to be able to participate in the entire institute,” he added.

“Bring your prayer book and a notebook, and a copy of the letter of October 20, 1983. If you don’t have a copy, let us know and we’ll send you one.”

Louhelen School sets schedule of programs

The Louhelen Bahá’í School Council is pleased to announce the following schedule of programs through April 1986:

October 27: “The Promise of World Peace,” a study session on the Universal House of Justice’s statement on world peace.

November 1-3: Junior Youth and Youth Conference.

December 27-January 1: Winter session on peace. Speakers include Dr. Victor de Araujo, Mrs. Betty de Araujo, Dr. Richard Thomas, Mrs. June Thomas, plus a course on the family as a laboratory for developing peace workers. Also, a special session for youth.

January 10-12: Bahá’ís and the Legal Profession. Keynote speakers, Judges James and Dorothy Nelson.

February 14-16: Marriage Enrichment. Facilitators, Dr. Dan Popov, Mrs. Linda Popov.

February 14-16: Preparation for Marriage. Facilitators, Hank Wich and Mrs. Ginger Wich.

February 14-23: Spiritual Enrichment Institute. Facilitator, Mrs. Joyce Harmsen.

March 22-23: Naw-Rúz gala.

March 28-30: Victory Conference on the Seven Year Plan with sessions for new believers, youth and seekers.

April 11-13: Junior Youth and Youth Conference.

Children’s programs will be provided at all of the above sessions except for the Naw-Rúz gala which is for youth and adults only.

For a more detailed description of the programs being offered, you may obtain a brochure by writing to the school registrar, Mrs. Hermione Pickens, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423, or by phoning 313-653-5033.

Pictured are members of the Bahá’í children’s class in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with their teacher, Julianne Redson-Smith (middle row, far right). The children are (front row left to right) Jafar Fallahi, Nasim Nyquist, Aaron Nyquist; middle row (left to right) Chavon Biggs, Jessie Fallahi (holding picture), Kimberly Lawson, and back row (left to right) Stephanie Biggs, April Goggans.

Kansas Bahá’í in U.S. students’ Who’s Who

Kimberly Wood, a member of the Bahá’í community of Hutchinson, Kansas, has been selected for inclusion in the 1984-85 edition of Who’s Who Among Students in American High Schools.

Miss Wood, an honor student, is active in sports and other extra-curricular activities and was one of four Buhler High School students chosen this summer to attend a youth leadership seminar at Kansas State University.

She is chairman of the Bahá’í Youth Club in Hutchinson and is a member of the Kansas District Youth Committee.

Miss Wood is the daughter of Karen and Phillip Wood and was born in Barbados while her parents were pioneers there. [Page 10]

Teacher must ready himself to deliver Message by gaining knowledge of Faith, living Bahá’í life

In a letter of Riḍván 1982 the Universal House of Justice called for a “mighty upsurge of effective teaching” to meet the challenge of the growing hunger of the peoples of the world for the “love of God and reunion with Him.”

This is the third in a nine-part series that explores principles of teaching the Faith. Every believer can, through the simple and direct guidance found in the Writings, become an all-confident, effective Bahá’í teacher, capable of uniting hearts with Bahá’u’lláh.

“Whoso ariseth among you to teach the Cause of his Lord, let him, before all else, teach his own self...”

THESE words of Bahá’u’lláh underscore the vital importance—even more, the imperative nature—of preparation for effective teaching.

The teacher must gain knowledge of the Faith; this we will look at more closely next month. Most important, however, teaching oneself must include putting Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings into practice; that is, living the Bahá’í life.

“As to the fundamentals of teaching the Faith,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote, “know thou that delivering the Message can be accomplished only through goodly deeds and spiritual attributes, an utterance that is crystal clear and the happiness reflected from the face of that one who is expounding the Teachings. It is essential that the deeds of the teacher should attest the truth of his words.” (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 175)

Additionally, Shoghi Effendi said that only one thing would secure “the undoubted triumph” of the Cause, namely, “the extent to which our own inner life and private character mirror forth in their manifold aspects the splendor of those eternal principles proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh.” (Quoted in Wellspring of Guidance, p. 37)

By living the life, along with dedication to the Faith and consecration to the task of teaching, the individual becomes a magnet for the Holy Spirit. And it is only the Holy Spirit, as we saw last month, that quickens the soul of the seeker.

In struggling to better live the teachings, we become a purer channel through which the Holy Spirit flows.

How do we live the life? ‘Abdu’l-Bahá refers the believers to The Hidden Words and to Bahá’u’lláh’s Tablets of Ishráqát (Splendors), Tarazát (Ornaments), Bishárát (Glad Tidings), Tajallíyát (Effulgences) and Kalimát (Words of Paradise). “In these Tablets will ye have a model of how to be and how to live.” (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 79)

Shoghi Effendi wrote that “the friends must observe the specific times for the remembrance of God, meditation, devotion and prayer... One can hardly imagine what a great influence genuine love, truthfulness and purity of motives exert on the souls of men...” (The Individual and Teaching, No. 31)

He also indicated that the “spiritual prerequisites for success... are none other than a high sense of moral rectitude in their social and administrative activities, absolute chastity in their individual lives, and complete freedom from prejudice in their dealings with peoples of a different race, class, creed or color.” (The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 41)

When it comes to teaching, all believers have different strengths and weaknesses. Not all can teach in the same way. But everyone can teach by example. “This moves the heart of the people far more deeply than words ever can.” (Shoghi Effendi, The Individual and Teaching, No. 60)

Bahá’u’lláh Himself has assured us of success:

“Whoso ariseth, in this Day, to aid Our Cause, and summoneth to his assistance the hosts of a praiseworthy character and upright conduct, the influence from such an action will, most certainly, be diffused throughout the whole world.” (Quoted in The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 20)

SEVEN YEAR PLAN TEACHING PROGRESS

Assembly goal (Seven Year Plan)	1,750
Local Assemblies formed	1,735
Assemblies on Indian Reservations (goal: 50)	53

Welcome to these New Assemblies:

• Bordeaux, SD
• White River, SD
• Marion, NC
• ‎Coyton Clayton‎, NC
• Mt. Olive, NC
• La Grange, NC
• Winfield, KS
• S. Ute Reservation, CO
• Sun Prairie, WI
• Cowlitz CCD No. 1, WA
• Fauquier County, VA
• Olney, TX
• Manor, TX
• Temple, TX
• Killeen, TX
• Belton, TX
• East Orange, NJ
• Cheltenham, PA

Remember: Assemblies formed at Riḍván will not count toward the Seven Year Plan goal; during this year, however, a community can form its Assembly for the first time or re-form it whenever it has nine or more believers without waiting until April.

NEW BAHÁ’ÍS

• Goal: “unprecedented increase”
• Since Riḍván: 2,308 (as of August 16)
• Number of youth (included in total): 636 (27%)

The top 10 states in terms of the number of new believers from Riḍván to August 16, 1985, are:

South Carolina	1,178	Georgia	94
South Dakota	192	Florida	48
Texas	110	Arizona	43
California	101	Oregon	38
North Carolina	99	Wisconsin	34

Teaching projects have naturally had a significant impact on these results. From Riḍván through the end of August, Project Tabarsi (South Carolina) reports 1,868 new believers, the Lowell Project (Massachusetts) 110, the Victory Train (North Carolina) 98, the Amoz Gibson Project (South Dakota) 120, and the Victory Harvest (Kansas) 32. Not all of these enrollments have as yet been processed through the National Center.

HOMEFRONT PIONEERS Homefront pioneers are still urgently needed to help consolidate and teach in many areas, especially those that witnessed great increases in the number of believers during the summer projects. If you are interested in serving in this way, please contact the National Teaching Committee office at the National Center for help and further information.

253 members of Teaching Committees present at second annual DTC briefing

A District Teaching Committee member rises to make a point during the second annual DTC Briefing held August 30-September 2.

Two hundred fifty-three representatives of 78 District Teaching Committees were present August 30-September 2 for the second annual DTC Briefing conducted by the National Teaching Committee in Skokie and Wilmette, Illinois.

ALSO attending were eight representatives of Bahá’í school committees and two regional coordinators of traveling teachers along with members of the National Teaching Committee and its staff.

Among the major topics discussed:

• Completion of the goals of the Seven Year Plan.
• The introduction and proclamation of the statement by the Universal House of Justice on world peace.
• The exchange of experiences with summer teaching projects.
• The forthcoming release of the video “Mona with the Children” and preparation for local workshops (the video was shown at the briefing).
• The Six Year Plan to be announced at Riḍván 1986 and the role of District Teaching Committees in the development of the Faith.

ON SATURDAY and Sunday evenings, joint sessions were held with those attending the annual Institute for National Treasurer’s Representatives that same weekend.

The District Teaching Committee representatives heard from a number of speakers including Dr. Robert Henderson, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, and Auxiliary Board member Stephen Birkland, representing the Continental Board of Counsellors for the Americas.

Also speaking were four members of the National Teaching Committee—Eugene Andrews, Juana Conrad, Charles Cornwell and Keyvan Nazerian—and Jaci Delahunt, secretary of the American Indian Teaching Committee.

Speakers at the joint sessions were Dorothy W. Nelson, treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly, and Auxiliary Board member Robert Harris.

The primary emphasis at the District Teaching Committee briefing was on the development of local Spiritual Assemblies and local Bahá’í communities.

The District Teaching Committees were encouraged to integrate their activities with the local communities, the Auxiliary Board members and their assistants, and other national resources (i.e., LEAP, NTRs, schools, etc.) at the local level.

WITH respect to teaching campaigns, the emphasis was on consolidation.

At each step along the way, the DTC members were given an opportunity to share their ideas and experiences.

The result was a high level of enthusiasm on the part of committee members coupled with new insights into the work that must be done by the District Teaching Committees if the goals on the homefront are to be won.

Got a new address?

MOVING? Got a new telephone number? Don’t forget to let your local community secretary and the National Spiritual Assembly know about your new address and phone number right away so there will be no interruption in receiving your Bahá’í mail.

For your convenience, there is an address form on the last page of this issue of The American Bahá’í. Simply put it in an envelope and mail to: Bahá’í National Center, Office of Membership and Records, Wilmette, IL 60091.

Versatile writers are sought by New Era Press

New Era Press, a newly established company based in Cyprus and dedicated to the aim of producing Bahá’í and Bahá’í-related books and booklets, needs a number of writers who can present the Faith from various angles or discuss social and philosophical issues from Bahá’í perspectives in an intelligent, jargon-free and sympathetic manner.

They are especially interested in articles about peace and related issues following the January 1985 letter from the Universal House of Justice on the Year of Peace.

New Era Press wishes to publish a comprehensive array of new teaching materials, introductory books, books on specialized areas of the Faith, and booklets/leaflets about the Bahá’í viewpoint on topical issues.

Further details can be obtained by writing to New Era Press, P.O. Box 1908, Limassol, Cyprus. Phone 051-65580. [Page 11]

Lowell

Continued From Page 1

of Southeast Asian refugees, a group, he suggested, that would lend itself well to such an approach.

After consultation, it was decided that Boston might be the ideal place in which to launch a teaching campaign.

HOWEVER, one member of the audience, Lorrie Matthews, a District Teaching Committee member from Lowell, asked herself, “Why not in Lowell?”

When later it became obvious that nothing was going to materialize in Boston, Mrs. Matthews asked the Spiritual Assembly of Lowell, of which she is a member, to consider supporting a campaign there. The Assembly’s answer was yes.

Despite the enormous amount of work involved, the community pressed forward, soliciting help from the National Teaching Committee, setting goals, and raising funds.

On the first day of “Phase 1” of the project, four teachers met at the Matthews home, set up a bank account and arranged for literature and prayers to be printed in Cambodian and Laotian.

After a few days of prayer, and after the first of what would become weekly recruiting sessions at the Green Acre Bahá’í School, only an hour away, the teachers began to arrive.

One hundred of the 125 who came were youth. They concentrated their efforts in an area of Lowell known as “the acre” where friendly Cambodian faces are a bright contrast to the pallid tenements that house the refugees.

THE LANGUAGE BARRIER, as indicated by the number of declarations that soon came rolling in, proved to be no problem.

One reason for the early success was that many of the refugees had already heard of the Faith, and some were familiar with Bahá’í schools in the refugee camps in Thailand and the Philippines.

A Cambodian woman, on being given a Bahá’í prayer book in her native tongue, fell to her knees and cried, kissing the book and repeating a name over and over.

A three-year-old child came up to the Bahá’ís and said, “She is saying her name. She wants you to put her name on the card.” The woman had been introduced to the Faith in a refugee camp.

A retired Buddhist monk, attracted to the Faith, was accompanied by the Bahá’ís to Green Acre where, after meeting with the Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem, he declared his faith in Bahá’u’lláh.

“I love you all,” he said in Cambodian. “You are my children. Alláh’u’Abhá, all religions are one!”

ANOTHER Cambodian man perused a teaching booklet, his head bowed and feet shifting nervously.

Thinking that he might be bored or disinterested, the Bahá’ís asked what his feelings were.

The man looked up, smiled broadly, and said, “This is the happiest day of my life!” He was one of the first to declare.

With so many new believers, most of whom are also new to this country, the Lowell community realizes full well that the ultimate success of the campaign depends upon the degree to which the Bahá’ís are able to deepen the declarants and consolidate their newly won victories.

“Everything,” says Mrs. Matthews, “hinges on our bringing into the mainstream of community life every man, woman and child.”

To that end, consolidation task forces have been formed. One of their first tasks is to develop children’s classes for the more than 100 children of the new believers.

VITAL to this effort is the establishment of a Bahá’í Center in Lowell to serve as a focal point for programs and services such as classes in English and job advocacy.

Besides a task force for children’s classes, there will be others dedicated to deepening, getting the new believers involved in teaching, translating deepening materials and seeking help from the Universal House of Justice in finding more literature in Asian languages, and obtaining and maintaining a library of multi-lingual literature to help supply other communities.

“Phase 2” of the Lowell project was designed to draw the entire state into the deepening activities, beginning with the dissemination at the District Convention of deepening materials.

“There is also a ‘Phase 3,’ ” says project coordinator Rick Higgins, “which will bring the project to full circle with the return of the youth to Lowell next summer.”

And so Lowell, a community that was begun with one Bahá’í in 1977 and took nearly four years to form its first Assembly, suddenly finds itself bringing scores of new believers into the Faith.

“Everyone always said (mass teaching) wasn’t feasible in New England, but it certainly is,” says Mrs. Matthews.

In fact, owing to the success in Lowell, there is talk now of forming a youth teaching corps whose members would travel to communities throughout the area on weekends and during summer vacations.

Once a community’s mass teaching is in motion, says Mrs. Matthews, “once that inertia is overcome, it gets to the point where you almost don’t want to stay home anymore!

“When you fall in love with people, I don’t think any community would ever want to stop.”

Pictured are four of the 125 traveling teachers who came to Lowell, Massachusetts, this summer to take part in New England’s first ever mass teaching campaign. (Photo by M. Walker)

Carolina

Continued From Page 1

formed.

Under the guidance of North Carolina’s three District Teaching Committees, the teaching campaign continues to accelerate as its base of operations widens to include more communities. Some recent highlights:

• Charlotte: Bolstered by the participation of youth returning from the conference in Columbus, Ohio, and performances by the Los Angeles Bahá’í Youth Workshop, a 10-day teaching campaign in mid-July led to the enrollment of 36 new believers. In August, the Bahá’ís of Charlotte added four more declarants and opened a new locality, Huntersville.

• Greensboro: Teaching continues unabated in this city as four new Bahá’ís were added to its rolls in July and three more people embraced the Cause during the first weekend in August.

• Winston-Salem: With a staggering goal of 919 new believers by next Ridvan, the friends in Winston-Salem aren’t wasting any time as teaching continues every weekend. Results to date: seven declarations in July, another 10 early in August. The Victory Train will return to Winston-Salem every month to help them win their challenging goal.

• Marion: After hearing a report on the National Convention on July 13, the Bahá’ís in Marion went out immediately to teach. That day they found six souls who accepted Bahá’u’lláh, thus enabling Marion to form its first Assembly!

• Yadkinville: Unwilling to wait until the Victory Train made its first visit to Yadkinville in September, Bahá’ís Ruth Ferguson and Parker Freeman decided to get an early start. Ruth, who is 63, presented the Message at a nursing home in Yadkinville. After three hours she had more declarations than she had enrollment cards. Result: 20 new believers in Yadkinville. The Bahá’ís are visiting them individually, and plan soon to begin regular meetings at the nursing home.

• Garner: Four people embraced the Faith as the Victory Train came to town August 17-18.

• High Point: Two more new Bahá’ís were enrolled early in August.

• Cherokee: Two declarations resulted from a teaching campaign in Cherokee that was helped by the presence for two weeks of traveling teachers Cathy Russell and her three children from Indiana and Dalen Corazon from Illinois.

• Greenville: The Victory Train arrived here August 3-4. Result: three new declarants.

• Raleigh: The state capital has not been neglected with regular teaching whose results so far include eight declarations the weekend of July 13-14.

On July 15, some 44 Bahá’ís from across the U.S. gathered in Bemidji, Minnesota, for the start of Project Dawn-breakers, a Native American teaching campaign on the White Earth and Leech Lake Reservations. Each day, the participants were divided into teaching teams and left for the Reservations to do direct teaching. The effort was well-publicized among the native people, and to date 11 adults and youth have been enrolled. Project Dawn-breakers, which is continuing and needs more volunteers to help, was set up by the Northern Minnesota District Youth Committee in response to a letter from the Universal House of Justice emphasizing the importance of teaching Native Americans and is being directed by Janet Harper.

Bahá’í National Center Office Hours 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Central Time) Monday—Friday Phone 312-869-9039

[Page 12]

RACE UNITY

‘The great and fundamental teachings of Bahá’u’lláh are the oneness of God and unity of mankind. This is the bond of union among Bahá’ís all over the world. They become united among themselves, then unite others. It is impossible to unite unless united.’— ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Prom. Universal Peace, p. 156

Michelle Parker, a young member of the Bahá’í community of Pensacola, Florida, had a letter to the editor published August 18 in the Pensacola News Journal in which she contrasted the Bahá’í position on race unity with the situation in South Africa and offered hope to those in South Africa ‘who are burying their dead’: ‘A new world order is coming where we will look back on these events with embarrassment. The Bahá’í Faith is truly working for world peace and unity not just talking about it.’

Blacks, Jews urged at NAACP gathering to work together

Blacks and Jews were urged at the NAACP National Convention in June to reunite.

Leaders of the black and Jewish communities called on their followers to put aside their differences and work together for civil rights.

The estrangement between these two former civil rights allies began in 1976 when the Jewish community came out in favor of a “reverse discrimination” lawsuit and aggressively opposed the use of quotas in affirmative action plans.

Matters worsened last year when presidential candidate Jesse Jackson and Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, were accused of anti-semitism.

The June convention signaled an effort by national leaders to bring about a reconciliation between the two communities.

What happened in Enterprise, Kansas? Find out in The Bahá’í Faith in America: Origins, 1892-1900

Canada approves its version of ERA

Canada’s ERA

Canada has passed its version of the Equal Rights Amendment which grants protection to women, racial minorities, the handicapped, the elderly and young people.

The bill was passed without answering many of the questions that have plagued this country’s ERA bill; i.e., will women in the armed forces have to serve in combat? However, Canadian law allows for its provinces and the national parliament to modify the law.

The DAR: Changing its image

About 50 years ago the Daughters of the American Revolution prevented world-renowned contralto Marian Anderson from singing at its Constitution Hall in Washington. Today, the DAR is actively recruiting black and Native American women to join its ranks.

The women’s organization, once seen as white, pristine, elitist and racist, seems to be making a concerted effort to change its image.

According to its General President, Sarah King, the DAR awards scholarships to minority students, helps schools that are serving minorities, and this year received an award from the United Indians of America for distinguished service to American Indians.

Ms. King says she feels the DAR’s segregated image was totally unwarranted because blacks have been members since 1895.

Membership in the DAR is predicated on one’s Revolutionary War ancestry. Historians say that about 5,000 blacks, many of them slaves, fought in that war. Also, there are thousands of blacks who are descendants of white patriots.

In this regard, the DAR has published a book entitled “Black Courage 1775-1783: Documentation of Black Participation in the American Revolution.”

Dr. Richard Thomas presents talk at Green Acre on creating love, unity between blacks, whites

“Creating Love and Unity Between Blacks and Whites” was the theme of a keynote speech for the Labor Day weekend (September 1) at the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Eliot, Maine.

The address was given by Dr. Richard Thomas, a professor at Michigan State University and member of the executive committee of the Association for Bahá’í Studies.

The weekend event marked the end of the school’s summer program.

Dr. Thomas urged his audience to consider what they could do to promote interracial love and unity between whites and blacks. He maintained that while it is important to be aware that problems exist, positive change is more easily brought about if one focuses on solutions rather than problems.

Dr. Thomas said he believes that the establishment of love and unity between whites and blacks in America is a key to realizing the country’s great social and spiritual potential, and that this condition, once attained, will make America a model for other countries to follow in resolving their own internal conflicts.

Dr. Thomas also mentioned some of the difficulties he has encountered in his work because of his taking a positive approach to social problems. It is more acceptable, he said, for professors to study human conflict than to emphasize its resolution.

His speech was sponsored by the New England Regional Committee of the Association for Bahá’í Studies.

Again this year, the Bahá’í community of Phoenix, Arizona, took part in the city’s annual Juneteenth celebration, in which the black community commemorates the freeing of the slaves in Arizona. The Bahá’í float won first place in the Juneteenth parade. Bahá’í participation was planned by the teaching committee with support from the Valley youth. The event and Bahá’í participation in it was covered in the June 5 issue of the Arizona Informant.

Black church forgives white trespassers, works with community to end vandalism

Three young white men stood before a judge, having been found guilty of vandalizing St. John’s Baptist Church—a black church dating from the Civil War.

Sometime around New Year’s eve, the men entered the Dixiana, South Carolina, church and tossed garbage down the aisles, broke the stained glass windows, smashed a crucifix, stole a 19th century bell, destroyed the piano, and scrawled “KKK” across the church doors.

But as they stood before circuit court Judge Arthur Harris, the church members asked for leniency. The judge wanted to give each of them the maximum five-year sentence.

Instead, because of the urging of parishioners, they were given three years’ probation and ordered to pay $1,000 restitution to the church.

Wallace Smith, senior deacon of the church, said leniency would give the young men an opportunity to make something of themselves. Prison, he said, would not have helped.

Since then, white and black community members have joined forces to restore the church. Area businessmen have donated a piano, windows and a pastor’s chair.

On weekends, at least a dozen people can be seen working together to repair the structure. And there have been successful fundraising efforts.

The New Year’s eve vandalism was no isolated incident. Church membership had fallen off because some parishioners were afraid to attend. But with the publicity surrounding this event, the vandalism has stopped and hope has returned.

U.S. Rep. Mervyn Dymally of California (center), who has been an active supporter in the House of resolutions aimed at securing the human rights of Bahá’ís in Iran, is presented a copy of the book ‘The Violence-Free Society: A Gift for Our Children’ by two members of the Bahá’í community of Carson, California, George Hill (left) and Sylvester Scott. [Page 13]

Bahá’ís spearhead Georgia town’s Unity Day observance

Two summers ago four Bahá’ís and three of their non-Bahá’í friends were looking for a way to celebrate Race Unity Day in their rural Georgia city.

After consulting with the mayor’s office, they learned to their surprise that Milledgeville, Georgia’s, Bi-Racial Committee had been dismantled because, they were told, there were “no longer any racial problems” in the city.

The four Bahá’ís, all of whom were white, and their non-Bahá’í friends, who were black, contacted several religious and civic organizations, inviting them to take part in a city-wide Unity Day observance.

On June 12, 1983, more than 100 residents of Milledgeville gathered at the Civic Center for the first Milledgeville Unity Day. The mayor proclaimed the second Sunday in June each year to be “Milledgeville Unity Day.”

At this year’s third annual event, the Georgia Bahá’í Choir made its debut and the featured speaker was also a Bahá’í, Dr. Adrienne Reeves.

Although the Milledgeville Bahá’í community has shrunk to two members, the Unity Organization has grown to more than two dozen active members whose purpose is “to promote unity among people of different races, religions and ethnic backgrounds by working together on various human service projects in the community.”

These activities have included visits to local nursing homes; an afternoon with children and adolescent patients at the state psychiatric hospital in Milledgeville; a dinner and roller skating party for children on the waiting list for Big Brothers/Big Sisters; a workshop on stress management; the adoption of a poor family for one year through the Department of Family and Children Services; and a float in the annual Christmas parade, in addition to the Unity Day observances.

The organization has given local Bahá’ís an opportunity to serve mankind while teaching the Faith. Meanwhile, the community has become more aware of the Bahá’ís as they see Bahá’í principles in action.

‘World Peace Begins at Home’ was the theme of a float entered in last year’s Christmas parade by the Milledgeville, Georgia, Unity Organization. The group sprang from an idea by four Bahá’ís to celebrate Race Unity day in that city two years ago.

== Why Deepen? == “The Sacred Literature of the Bahá’í Faith conveys enlightenment. It inspires life. It frees the mind. It disciplines the heart. For believers, the Word is not a philosophy to be learned, but the sustenance of being throughout the span of mortal existence.” —Horace Holley Religion for Mankind, p. 64

Faith proposed as part of U. Miami curriculum

Bahá’ís in the Miami, Florida, area recently proposed that the Faith be made a part of the curriculum in the School of Religion at the University of Miami in Coral Gables.

The written proposal was accompanied by the donation of two books about the Faith: The Bahá’í Faith: The Emerging Global Religion, by William Hatcher and Douglas Martin; and A Crown of Beauty, by Eunice Braun and Hugh Chance.

Bahá’í College Clubs have key role in reaching present, future thought leaders at home, abroad

Bahá’í College Clubs serve an important function in the Bahá’í community. No other organization within the Faith can so readily reach the present and future leaders of thought for our nation and the world, especially minority and foreign leaders.

This school year the clubs have a special responsibility to deepen on the issues of peace and to share their thoughts with clubs, students, faculty, administration, etc.

1985 closes the International Youth Year and 1986 begins the International Year of Peace, and the opportunities for teaching are excellent.

Specifically, the clubs will be asked to do the following:

1. Deepen on the issues of peace so club members will be able to identify points of unity with other clubs on campus and answer questions about the Universal House of Justice’s statement on peace.
2. Invite non-Bahá’ís and campus clubs to join with the Bahá’ís in helping to establish peace through Bahá’í principles such as the elimination of prejudices of all kinds, furthering the equality of men and women, establishing a universal auxiliary language, etc.
3. Sponsor peace activities: firesides, talks, forums, concerts, art shows, contests, etc.
4. Present the peace statement to specific department heads, the campus administration, etc.
5. Use the video “Mona with the Children” to teach the Bahá’í message of peace.

The Campus Plan for 1985-86 has been mailed to all registered Bahá’í College Clubs. If you did not receive your packet and are interested in forming a club, contact Carey Crimmel at the National Youth Committee office right away by phoning 305-584-1844.

Be a part of this unprecedented opportunity to teach and proclaim the Faith to leaders of thought, people in authority, and your peers!

N.Y.C. Bahá’ís take part in Central Park Peace Day observance led by artists

Linda Ahdieh, a 16-year-old Bahá’í from New York City, speaks during a Peace Day observance August 5 in Central Park commemorating the 40th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan. The observance was sponsored by ‘Arts for the People.’

Bahá’ís in New York City took part August 5 in a Universal Peace Day celebration in Central Park sponsored by “Arts for the People,” a group of artists from various fields who are dedicated to making the arts more accessible to the public by holding art fairs and other events in public places such as parks, airports and bus terminals.

The day-long event included music, singing, theatrical performances, dances and talks.

Sixteen-year-old Linda Ahdieh, the Bahá’í speaker, spoke about the merits of such a celebration and of how it demonstrates that nothing less than love and unity can create an everlasting peace.

She also explained how the Bahá’í principles form a blueprint for universal peace, spoke of the role of youth in uniting mankind, and read the prayer for America revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and a prayer for unity.

The Bahá’ís also set up an information table where they handed out pamphlets and talked about the Faith to those who stopped by.

Service for Blind can now provide large print books

The Bahá’í Service for the Blind is pleased to announce that it can now provide some large print materials.

Through photocopy enlargement, several books are available in large print (18-point or larger). The books are produced by photocopying onto 8 1/2 by 11-inch paper, then bound using comb binders and heavy plastic covers.

Books are produced on a “per order” basis. Therefore, at least two weeks should be allowed for duplicating.

A catalog of available materials may be obtained from the Bahá’í Service for the Blind, Tucson, AZ 85716. Although the catalog is free, a self-addressed, stamped envelope would be appreciated.

New from Kalimát Press

== MÍRZÁ ABÚ’L-FADL LETTERS AND ESSAYS, 1886-1913 ==

Another volume of the wisdom and scholarship of the most learned of all Bahá’í scholars. Mírzá Abú’l-Fadl’s approach to religion is both challenging and startlingly modern. His work is required reading for any serious student of the Bahá’í Faith. Available in cloth only $11.95* Order from your local librarian, or send check or money order (including 10% postage and handling, min. $1.50) to: Bahá’í Distribution Service 415 Linden Avenue Wilmette, Illinois 60091 Price valid only in the United States

[Page 14]

BAHÁ’Í DISTRIBUTION SERVICE

The Song Celestial, Howard Colby Ives’ poetic rendering of a conversation between God and man using the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh as its basis, is available from the Bahá’í Distribution Service. The Song Celestial was originally published in 1938. The reprinted edition is illustrated by Franklin Kahn. The Song Celestial, bound in red leatherene and stamped in gold, sells for $7.50 in hardcover.

Hand of Cause of God William Sears authors sequel to God Loves Laughter

Twenty-five years after the publication of God Loves Laughter, the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears has written what is, in effect, a sequel.

Mr. Sears’ new book, All Flags Flying, is 360 pages of anecdotes from a life that is certainly far from normal, says Distribution Service marketing manager Robert Blum.

"Mr. Sears’ stories take him, his wife and two sons from snowy California mountain roads to steamy African climes, from encounters with snowdrifts to snakes; they include rides on every sort of conveyance possible, and take the reader from giggles to sidesplitting laughter and back across the emotional spectrum to tears.

"We expect this to be the kind of book that God Loves Laughter has been," says Mr. Blum. "Every year God Loves Laughter is one of the most consistent titles in volume of sales among our older titles.

"After reading an advance copy of All Flags Flying, I have no doubt that it will be every bit as popular, if not more so, than its predecessor."

All Flags Flying is being published by the National Literature Committee of South and West Africa and is expected to be available in the U.S. in late fall or early winter. The book will sell for $20 in hardcover, $10 in softcover.

"We can’t be sure exactly when All Flags Flying will arrive," says Mr. Blum, "because of the problems involved in shipping large quantities of books by sea freight, but we hope it will be by the end of this year."

Louhelen to host regional conference for book sales reps

The third in a series of regional conferences for local book sales representatives is to be held October 26-27 at the Louhelen Bahá’í School in Davison, Michigan.

Invitations have been sent to Distribution Representatives in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Other Distribution Representatives are welcome to come if interested, and should phone the Distribution Service for information at 1-800-323-1880.

Other conferences are tentatively scheduled for Florida in February and in the Northwest early next spring.

Distribution Service plans to carry two editions of Universal House of Justice’s peace statement

The Bahá’í Distribution Service will be carrying two editions of the statement of the Universal House of Justice, "The Promise of World Peace." One edition is already available and is designed for use in study classes and for individual deepening.

To differentiate it from the other planned edition, this booklet is being called The Promise of World Peace—Study Edition, and will sell for 75 cents. It is published by World Centre Publications.

The booklet is similar in size and cover material to The Constitution of the Universal House of Justice booklet.

A higher quality edition of the peace statement is being published by the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly with help from the Publishing Trust.

The Promise of World Peace—Presentation Edition, as it will be called, will be printed on high quality paper with a fine cover material which will be stamped and printed in two colors.

"Every effort is being made to produce as handsome an edition as possible while still keeping the price low," says Terrill Hayes, production manager of the Publishing Trust. "We expect the presentation edition to be available in the early part of November, and it will sell for $3."

For information about the uses of this publication, please see the article on the Publishing Trust page.

According to Robert Blum, the Distribution Service marketing manager, other support materials will be available for Bahá’ís to use during the International Year of Peace.

"The National Assembly," he says, "is commissioning a series of inexpensive leaflets, to be produced by the National Teaching Committee staff in cooperation with the Publishing Trust, that will give a Bahá’í view of peace and its relation to specific topics such as the equality of men and women.

"These leaflets will use some of the varied aspects of peace highlighted in the statement by the Universal House of Justice as ways of proclaiming the Bahá’í view of peace during the upcoming year."

Mr. Blum says a number of other support materials are also being considered for publication.

"For more than a year," he says, "the Publishing Trust has been working on a comprehensive compilation on peace. We expect it to be ready early next year." (For more information see the article on this book on the Publishing Trust page.)

After months of waiting, Bahá’ís receive copies of eagerly awaited Mona video

After several months of patient waiting, individual Bahá’ís and communities began receiving their copies of the Mona video tape in September from the Bahá’í Distribution Service.

AND according to a Distribution Service spokesman, those tapes were being sent out in record numbers.

"We haven’t been selling video tapes for very long, but the response to Mona with the Children has been truly phenomenal," says Robert Blum. "I think that once people see this tape and begin to realize the many ways in which it can be used with schools, community groups, the media, and for public meetings, just to mention a few, the demand will be even stronger.

"It’s also possible," he says, "that the commercial Mona album and the release to the networks of the music video will have the kind of impact in the U.S. it has already had in Canada. That should also increase interest in the 40-minute documentary which accompanies the music video.

"With the recent interview with Ruhi Jahanpour, one of Mona’s cellmates, in People magazine, we can see that the kind of story told by the Persians who went to jail or gave their lives is unique to most Americans," Mr. Blum says. "That story is so beautifully told in the Mona video that it can’t help but affect those who see it."

The Mona music video is available from the Distribution Service for $45 in both Beta and VHS. The Story of Mona, a booklet of background material on Mona Mahmudnizhad, the 17-year-old girl who was the youngest of 10 women martyred in Iran in 1983, is also available for $5.

The Story of Mona was prepared by the staff at the Bahá’í National Center in Canada. The U.S. National Teaching Committee has produced a workshop video tape that provides answers to some of the questions people may ask after seeing the Mona tape and has also prepared a packet of written materials to help Bahá’ís use the Mona materials to best advantage.

Academic papers sought for L.A. history conference November 21-24

Academic papers on Bahá’í topics in history, literature, theology, the social sciences and other related areas are being sought for presentation November 21-24 at the third annual Los Angeles Bahá’í History Conference sponsored by the Archives Committee of the Spiritual Assembly of Los Angeles, the Victory Foundation, and Kalimát Press.

All papers submitted will be considered for publication by Kalimát Press in its "Studies in Bábí and Bahá’í History" series.

The deadline for completed papers is November 1.

For further information, write to Kalimát Press, 10889 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90024 (phone 213-208-8559).

ORDER FORM

Quan.	Item	Amt.	Quan.	Item	Amt.
_All Flags Flying, HC | $20.00* | | _Letters and Essays: Mirza Abu’l-Fadl, HC | $11.95
_All Flags Flying, SC | 10.00* | | _Mona Music Video—Beta, VT | 45.00**
_Bahá’í DayBook, SC | 3.75 | | _Mona Music Video—VHS, VT | 45.00**
_Bahá’í Faith in America, HC | 19.95 | | _Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh, HC | 7.50
_Bahá’í Prayers, HC | 7.50 | | _Promise of World Peace—Study Edition, SC | .75
_Bahá’í Prayers, SC | 3.75 | | _Promise of World Peace—Pres. Edition, SC | 3.00
_Call to the Nations, HC | 6.00 | | _Promulgation of Universal Peace, HC | 16.00
_Divine Law—Source of Human Rights, PM | 10/3.25 | | _The Song Celestial, HC | 7.50
_The Hidden Words, HC | 6.00 | | _The Story of Mona, SC | 5.00
_The Hidden Words, SC | 3.50 | | _Unrestrained as the Wind, SC | 7.95
_In Search of Nirvana, HC | 6.95 | | _Unto Him Shall We Return, SC | 7.95
_In Search of Nirvana, SC | 3.50 | | |

• Due in late fall or early winter
  • NET price to accounts

Total plus 10 per cent postage ($1.50 minimum for postage) ____________

Enclose a check for the full amount, or

VISA/MC (CIRCLE ONE) EXP. DATE ____________

CARD NO. _________________________________

Name ____________________________________

Address __________________________________

City ________________ State ____ Zip _____

Credit card orders ($10.00 minimum) are accepted by phone: 800-323-1880 (outside Illinois), or 312-251-1854 (within Illinois).

TAB 10/85 Prices good through November 30, 1985

Bahá’í Distribution Service 415 LINDEN AVENUE WILMETTE, IL 60091 [Page 15]

The Creative Word

Bahá’í Prayers helps believers maintain essential link with Creator

Why is our planet so full of the problems that threaten its peace? According to Shoghi Effendi, “The universal crisis affecting mankind is ... essentially spiritual in its causes.”

Religion, he says, seeks to improve this condition, and at its core is “that mystic feeling which unites man with God.”

Bahá’í Prayers helps us to maintain the essential link with our Creator by putting us in touch with our spiritual yearnings. If we are to succeed in rising above our material existence, it is to Bahá’í Prayers we can turn for sustenance each day.

Why can’t we maintain this link without the use of prayer? ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says: “It behooveth the servant to pray to and seek assistance from God, and to supplicate and implore His aid.”

Both private prayer and community prayer are encouraged, for when we are harmoniously attuned within and with others, “unity and affection shall grow and flourish in the human heart.”

But it is not enough simply to read prayers. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá enjoins us to “chant the words of God and, pondering over their meaning, transform them into actions.”

It is the inspiration we can receive from using Bahá’í Prayers that will help us to carry out the remaining goals of the Seven Year Plan and to devise appropriate means for presenting the peace statement from the Universal House of Justice to our fellow citizens.

Bahá’í Prayers is now available in a corrected reprint, with two new prayers—a newly translated prayer for the departed and a prayer for martyrs and their families—as well as a new alphabetical index to first lines.

The new softcover reprint of Bahá’í Prayers has a charcoal grey cover and sells for $3.75. The hardcover reprint, which features a maroon cover with grey endsheets and a silver ribbon, is $7.50. Both are embossed with a nine-pointed star and have “Bahá’í Prayers” stamped on the cover.

Whichever edition of Bahá’í Prayers one chooses to use, he can cultivate a bond with God and do his part to help alleviate the universal spiritual crisis.

Trust’s plans for peace statement in full swing

Publishing plans centering around the release of the Universal House of Justice’s statement on peace and the 1986 International Year of Peace are in full swing at the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.

The Publishing Trust, on behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly, has prepared a presentation edition of The Promise of World Peace that will be suitable for government officials, educators, religious and business leaders, media representatives, organizations and individuals.

This edition will include a summary of the peace statement, the text of the statement, and an addendum that explains the Universal House of Justice and the Bahá’í Faith. Display quotations from the text of the peace statement are used to highlight significant passages.

“There will be many uses for this presentation edition,” says Anne Atkinson, promotions coordinator. “For example, your community might make a list of local leaders and citizens who should receive the statement, determine how the community will make the presentations (through special appointments, personal contacts, direct mail or other means), and decide when the presentations will be made.

“Each Bahá’í community will arrive at its own creative ideas for presenting and distributing the peace statement.”

Two things should be remembered, however. One, the statement is not to be released before its presentation to the United Nations on October 24. Two, since presentation to national leaders is being made by the Bahá’í Office of External Affairs, such presentations should not be undertaken by local communities.

The presentation edition of the peace statement will be available from the Bahá’í Distribution Service sometime in November.

Comprehensive compilation on peace to be released by Trust early in 1986

The Bahá’í Publishing Trust will release a comprehensive compilation on peace in early 1986, according to the Trust’s general editor, Dr. Betty J. Fisher.

“This compilation,” she says, “the most extensive collection to date of the Bahá’í writings that relate to the various aspects of creating and maintaining harmony and peace, will be an extremely valuable resource for Bahá’í schools, families and communities during the International Year of Peace. It will also make an excellent gift for non-Bahá’ís.”

The peace compilation, as yet untitled, elaborates on many of the themes in the statement by the Universal House of Justice, “The Promise of World Peace.” Its chapters cover such topics as the state of the world today and the urgent need for peace; religion as the foundation for a peaceful world; Bahá’u’lláh’s mission and teachings; the spiritual transformation of the individual; the establishment of peace among the nations; the Bahá’í commonwealth as a pattern for world government; and the new age to come.

“With The Promise of World Peace and the new compilation on peace, our Bahá’í communities should be galvanized into action,” says Dr. Fisher. “And our actions can have a meaningful impact upon the world at large if we prepare ourselves now to deliver the healing Message the world so desperately needs.”

More information about the compilation on peace will be forthcoming.

Three new titles are being reprinted

Three of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust’s newest titles—Bahá’í DayBook, Unto Him Shall We Return, and Unrestrained as the Wind: A Life Dedicated to Bahá’u’lláh—are already being reprinted because of their popularity, according to Terrill Hayes, production manager at the Publishing Trust.

“These three titles, all released since January 1985, have been remarkably successful,” says Mr. Hayes. “Each seems to have met an urgent need in the American Bahá’í community and around the world.

“Bahá’í DayBook helps us to follow the injunction to read the Creative Word each day, while also providing questions and answers, explanations of aspects of Bahá’í life and special days, and illustrations to nourish the soul. Its attractiveness and its low price may have contributed to its popularity,” says Mr. Hayes.

“Unto Him Shall We Return deals with the true reason for the creation of humanity: the development of spiritual beings whose existence is eternal,” he says. “For the first time the Bahá’í writings on this topic are brought together in one volume. Unto Him, which serves as a replacement for the compilation The Reality of Man, is useful for Spiritual Assemblies, individual Bahá’ís and those who may have lost a loved one in death.

“Unrestrained as the Wind is another unique compilation,” says Mr. Hayes, “bringing together many of the writings on the basic aspects of a Bahá’í life.

“Unrestrained amplifies the Creative Word with the interpretive and explanatory writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice, resulting in a book that sheds new light on how we can integrate the many facets of a Bahá’í life into our personal existence. Unrestrained was released at the Ohio youth conference and sold out within a month of its first printing.

“All of these books,” says Mr. Hayes, “were printed in softcover only, making them less expensive than hardcover editions. But their real popularity comes from the fact that their content reflects concerns of Bahá’ís today.”

All three titles are available from the Bahá’í Distribution Service. For prices and ordering information, see the coupon on the adjoining page.

Revised Divine Art, Murchie book in works

Two new titles from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust are being planned for early 1986, according to Dr. Betty J. Fisher, general editor of the Trust.

“EVERYONE who has been a Bahá’í for a few years will remember the compilation The Divine Art of Living,” says Dr. Fisher. “It has been a well-loved book for generations of Bahá’ís and seekers. Since it has been out of print, we’ve received numerous requests for it.”

The new edition contains many updated and newly translated passages from the Bahá’í writings. Two chapters have been added, one on marriage and family life and another on the day in which we are living.

“While maintaining its title and many of the original quotations,” says Dr. Fisher, “the revised edition is reorganized and enhanced by additional selections that address the needs of today.”

The second title, Veil of Glory, by noted author Guy Murchie, is an historical retelling of the history of the Faith up to the passing of the Guardian.

“By adding descriptive and moving information based on his travels to sites of Bábí and Bahá’í importance,” says Dr. Fisher, “Mr. Murchie has produced a fascinating portrayal of Bahá’í history.

“His style is one of vivid detail and eyewitness immediacy. The result is that Veil of Glory reads like a spell-binding novel that readers will find hard to put down.”

More information on both of these new titles will appear in forthcoming issues of The American Bahá’í.

Author Stockman completes 14-day tour

Robert H. Stockman, author of The Bahá’í Faith in America: Origins, 1892-1900, recently completed a 14-day tour in which he made nine stops and gave 19 talks.

MR. STOCKMAN’s itinerary included Vancouver, British Columbia, where he spoke at the annual meeting of the Association for Bahá’í Studies; Seattle, Kirkland and Tacoma, Washington; Portland and Eugene, Oregon; Redding, El

See STOCKMAN Page 27

How to order

To order any titles listed on this page, individuals living anywhere in the world should see the Bahá’í Distribution Service coupon in this issue.

Bahá’í institutions outside the contiguous 48 states should order directly from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.

RESOURCES FOR HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

(Tuesday, December 10)

• The Promise of World Peace
• Peace Pamphlet Series
• The Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh (pp. 67-68, 73-80, 111-122)
• The Promulgation of Universal Peace (pp. 31-32, 121, 182, 233, 318, 454-55)
• Call to the Nations (pp. 17-35, 54-66)
• Divine Law: Source of Human Rights (pamphlet)

[Page 16]

CLASSIFIEDS

Classified notices in The American Bahá’í are published free of charge as a service to the Bahá’í community. Notices are limited to items relating to the Faith; no personal or commercial messages can be accepted for publication. The opportunities referred to have not been approved by the National Spiritual Assembly, and the friends should exercise their own judgment in responding to them.

A NINE-DAY Spiritual Enrichment Institute will be held February 14-23 at the Louhelen Bahá’í School. The course lays a foundation for fulfilling one’s purpose in life, transmits a sense of inner peace, draws one closer to the Covenant, instills a greater appreciation for prayer and daily study of the Writings, and helps increase one’s capacity for service to the Faith. The cost is $185 for adults who register two weeks or more in advance for a room with 2-3 others. Add $18 for late registration and $45 for a double room (no extra charge for double or single room for senior citizens or the handicapped). A program for children ages 0-12 will be held. Children 11-12, $150; 4-10, $110; 1-3, $75; 0-12 months, $18. The course will be conducted by Mrs. Joyce Harmsen, an experienced facilitator. To register, write to the Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423, or phone 313-653-5033. VISA and MasterCard accepted.

INSTRUCTORS in business and special education are needed at a community college on the island of Ponape, Caroline Islands, in the Pacific. Masters degrees are required. For information, contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

WANTED: The following issues of Glory Bahá’í youth magazine (India) which are needed for the National Reference Library. All of Vols. 1-3; Vol. 4, Nos. 1-4; Vol. 5, No. 5; Vol. 6, No. 6; Vol. 7, Nos. 3-5; Vol. 8, No. 6; Vol. 9, Nos. 1, 2, 4-6; Vol. 10, Nos. 2, 3, 6; Vol. 11, Nos. 3-6. Anyone having copies is asked to contact the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

THE LOS ANGELES Bahá’í community wants to produce a tape containing contemporary Bahá’í music. We need musical talents who can contribute to this tape. Please write to Shahab Ghods, c/o Plus Architects, Los Angeles, CA 90064, or phone him at 213-478-5790.

THE HISTORIC Bahá’í home of the Hand of the Cause of God Dorothy Baker in Lima, Ohio, is available for rent. The home offers three bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, gas forced air heat and a two-car garage. Many fine features enable it to radiate the warmth it had when the Baker family lived there. The spaciousness will be ideal for your family if you are employed in the Lima area. The house will be available by mid-November or possibly sooner if your needs require it. For more details, please contact Mary Ellen Lembcke at NSA Properties Inc., Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-256-6552.

IF YOU or your family came originally from the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia), the International Goals Committee would be interested in talking to you about some research it is doing. Please contact Mary Louise Suhm, International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 312-869-9039). If writing, please include your telephone number.

LESOTHO, a goal country in southern Africa, needs an extension educator and assistant and a professor in social anthropology. The position for extension educator or assistant requires experience in the organization, leadership and education of workers in educational programs and a degree related to the area. The position for professor or associate professor of social anthropology requires a PhD. with a preference for or background in the sociology of development and research methodology. If you are interested in any of these positions, please write to the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

ELEMENTARY school teachers are needed at a school in the Marshall Islands. Contracts are for a nine-month period and come with a good salary, housing and travel expenses. For information on serving in this U.S. goal country, contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. Phone 312-869-9039.

WANTED: youth or young adult Bahá’ís with an interest in publishing, journalism or creative writing. The National Youth Committee is looking for one or more individuals to coordinate an international project that promotes writing and artistic skills. Those who are interested are asked to contact the National Youth Committee office, 1371 Sunset Strip, Sunrise, FL 33313 (phone 305-584-1844). The pay is non-existent, but the spiritual benefits can't be beat!

DUE to the sudden closing of the Pike Post Office, we ask the friends to use the following address for the Bahá’í Public Affairs Committee in the Northwest: Seattle, WA 98101. We appreciate your letters about the Wage Peace projects. Our phone number remains 206-441-9163.

INSTRUCTORS in mechanical engineering and civil engineering are needed at a university in Liberia. A MSc. degree in the respective engineering field is required along with 3-5 years experience in teaching or industry. Housing and transportation are provided. For details, write to the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

AUTO diesel mechanic: come repair one, two, up to seven cars and trucks that have been worn out and torn up during the last two years. These vehicles have been used consistently and regularly for the Amoz Gibson Project, averaging 1,000 miles per week, more than 50,000 miles per year. Air jack, chain hoist, impact wrenches and body tools in a heated four-car garage near a large city provided. We need our cheap-running diesels back on the road to cut our costs. We can't afford to take them to the shop at $22/hour. Mechanics, come serve for two weeks, a month, or whatever you can. AMOZ GIBSON PROJECT, Wanblee, South Dakota.

THE LOUHELEN Bahá’í School has openings at its Residential College for a head resident and an academic assistant/secretary. The head resident will serve as an academic and personal counselor to students by overseeing and helping them plan their devotional, educational, work, social and recreational activities. Interested applicants must have experience working with youth. They should also have completed high school and preferably college, be in good physical condition and be in their mid-20s or older. Compensation for this position consists of room, meals and a $75 per week stipend. The academic assistant/secretary will serve as an assistant and secretary to the director of academic affairs. This includes work in the areas of publicity, planning and implementing retreats and conferences, drafting correspondence, compiling reports, and working on special projects. Interested applicants must have good typing skills, and should have completed high school and preferably college. Compensation consists of room, meals and a $75 per week stipend. These positions would be ideally filled by a married couple who would have the qualifications between them to divide the duties of each job. It would be preferable if both were experienced and interested in working with youth so that they could share in the counseling of the students. To apply for either position, or to obtain a more complete job description, please send a letter and resumé to the Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423. The deadline for acceptance of applications is January 1, 1986.

A COURSE on "Bahá’í Development: The Practical Process of Transforming Mankind" by Holly Vick, a member of the Office of Social and Economic Development at the Bahá’í World Centre, is available on four audio tapes. The course examines the Bahá’í concept of development, compares it to other developmental models, places it in the context of the Faith's emergence from obscurity, and explores its prospects for instigating an organic change in human society and as a means of building the Bahá’í world commonwealth. Four tapes, $20. Write to Reflections, Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423, or phone 313-653-5033. VISA or MasterCard accepted.

NIGERIA needs teachers in obstetrics-gynecology, surgery, pediatrics, preventive medicine and physicians. Nigeria still needs more pioneers to fill this U.S. overseas goal. For information, contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

WANTED: Two children's class teachers for a Bahá’í winter school December 26-29 in Nassau, the Bahamas; pay expenses down and be our guest at the National Center. Contact the National Schools Committee, P.O. Box N7105, Nassau, Bahamas.

LUXURY ocean-front home and income property for sale in a goal area, the resort island of Hilton Head, South Carolina. The property, lovingly named "Dawn-breaker," can be used as three two-bedroom apartments or one four-bedroom and one two-bedroom apartment. An excellent opportunity for homefront pioneers to join a rapidly growing Bahá’í community in a key location. For information, please phone 803-785-2049.

HOMEFRONT pioneers: A Bahá’í couple in Concord, North Carolina, has a double wide mobile home for sale ($19,900) on about one acre of land. Cabarrus County, which lost its Assembly due to incorporation of Kannapolis, needs homefront pioneers to help establish Assemblies in Kannapolis and Cabarrus County in lovely piedmont North Carolina 25 miles north of Charlotte. Within easy commuting distance of employment and the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. Also only four hours from the Louis Gregory Institute in South Carolina. For more information about the area, phone Doug and Diane Shaffer, 704-786-0502. For information about the mobile home, phone Herb Snelling, 704-892-4556 or Jerry York, 704-327-0826. Address: Hickory, NC 28601.

CYPRUS needs nurses, computer science experts, secretaries, and more. Also, a marketing representative for Wang computer products; four export managers; area sales supervisor; financial controller, and a chief accountant. There are also teaching posts in computer science, accounting, math and graphic arts. Cyprus can still use our help, so please arise by writing to the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. Phone 312-869-9039.

THE LOUHELEN Bahá’í School's fall-winter-spring program guide can be acquired for no charge simply by writing to the registrar, Hermione Pickens, Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423, or by phoning 313-653-5033.

A COURSE on "The Forces of Light and Darkness" by Counsellor Hooper Dunbar is available on audio tape. The course examines the origin and operation of these forces, the power of the Creative Word, the interaction of spirit and matter, and analyzes the forces of darkness and the diffusion of the forces of light. The impact of these forces on society and the individual is explored, as are the major and minor Plans of God, the twin processes of integration and disintegration, the purging of one's character, and becoming incarnate light. Six tapes, $30. Write to Reflections, Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423, or phone 313-653-5033. VISA or MasterCard accepted.

WANTED: Oriental or white family (or families) to help integrate an all-black Bahá’í community in Albany, Georgia. For more information, please contact the Lombards, Albany, GA 31701, or phone 912-883-6929.

HISTORIC opportunity to take part in consultation and formation of the first bar association of Bahá’ís. Topics to include Bahá’ís and the legal profession, and the role of the anticipated bar association. All those who are interested are invited January 10-12 to attend the first conference of Bahá’ís and the legal profession at the Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423. Phone 313-653-5033.

HELP wanted! The Bahá’í Group of Garner, North Carolina, needs experienced, deepened homefront pioneers to help raise and maintain the first Assembly in Garner and to deepen our mass-taught believers. Garner offers the pace and homeyness of a small town with the convenience and opportunities of a big city (Raleigh, the state capital, is only 15 minutes away)! Three major universities are within 45 minutes or less, and the nationally known Research Triangle is about 40 minutes away. Schools are excellent, and Garner is inexpensive in terms of rent and food. For more information, write to Warren Rochelle, Garner, NC 27529, or phone 919-772-1340 or 919-779-1541. We'll do everything we can to get you settled!

A FULL-TIME coordinator of child education is needed at the Louhelen Bahá’í School. The position involves recruiting teachers [Page 17]

INTERMEDIA

News from the Office of Public Affairs

SIGNIFICANT MENTIONS

People magazine’s issue of September 9 features an article by Ruhiyyih Jahanpour headed “Refusal to Give Up Her Faith Led to Imprisonment, Torture, and Exile for an Iranian Bahá’í.” The article spans four pages and includes photographs from the Mona music video.

Personnel from the Office of Public Affairs at the Bahá’í National Center coordinated the visit by staff of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to U.S. Bahá’í sites to film a TV documentary they are producing about the Faith (see article on this page).

It is expected that the December issue of Ms. magazine will include an article in the “Women in Religion” section about Táhirih.

The August 25 issue of the Plain Dealer Magazine (the Sunday magazine of Cleveland, Ohio’s Plain Dealer newspaper) gave front page coverage to an article headed “The Tears of the Bahá’ís.” Included were interviews with Iranian Bahá’ís from the Cleveland area who have lost relatives in Iran as well as photographs of local Bahá’ís. Besides covering the background of the persecutions in Iran, the article had several columns about the beliefs of the Faith.

BUSY BAHÁ’ÍS

The news continues to roll in from the Greater Phoenix Bahá’í Public Affairs Committee in Tempe, Arizona. People are coming to firesides as a direct result of seeing “The Spiritual Revolution” TV series—and one person has declared!

Rather than give money to the Jerry Lewis telethon for muscular dystrophy, the committee decided to have its members volunteer to man the pledge phones, and, in general, to make themselves available to the management of the telethon. They plan to rekindle old friendships and make new ones with local media personalities—and, of course, they’ll be wearing their Bahá’í T-shirts and buttons!

The greater Phoenix area was saturated with press releases and radio and cable TV public service spots sent by the Committee for UN International Day of Peace. They organized a program featuring one of the publishers of the Arizona Informant, a statewide newspaper with a predominantly black audience. He was given the topic “World Peace Through Race Unity.” The committee expected a “respectable media turnout” for the event.

In Cleveland Heights, Ohio, public information consultant Kay Farzaneh now has a regular column in the Northern Ohio Bahá’í District Teaching Committee’s bulletin. She has introduced herself to the district and begun increasing awareness about the advantages of using the media. This is an excellent communication vehicle for other consultants. PICs, phone your District bulletin editor and offer your services today!

The Southern Rhode Island Bahá’í Media Committee is producing radio and TV programs. They’re asking for help with fund-raising, publicity, developing a library and archives, editorials, and identifying interesting guests for interviews. If you have any ideas, contact Christine Mueller, 401-789-5336.

In Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Bahá’ís held a “Bahá’í Peace and Friendship Festival” publicized by large display ads in The Timesaver and several issues of The Evening Times. They also had public service announcements on four local TV and seven radio stations. A video of the festivities was produced for local programming as well.

The Bahá’í Public Affairs Committee for Washington state reports that there were two declarations as a result of people watching the “Spiritual Revolution” TV series on a cable station in Tacoma.

Also in Tacoma, Joe Bushnell reports that he is having great success placing specially selected articles from The American Bahá’í (of course, after obtaining proper reprint permission) in local ethnic newspapers.

The Press in Atlantic City, New Jersey, gave the ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ splendid coverage in the Sunday paper with an article headed “Bahá’í Religion Born to Unify World” on the front page of its “Impressions” section with a large graphic representation of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette.

The 1985 Denver and Colorado Springs “Women’s Yellow Pages: An Annual Directory of Women in Business,” featured a half-page ad on the Bahá’í Faith listed under its religion classification. Elinor Walker, a Bahá’í photographer in Aurora, Colorado, did some work for the publisher and traded her services for the ad. Let’s have other ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ in professions seize trade opportunities for the Faith as well.

Public information consultant Rodney Drymon has begun plans for a proclamation conference November 2 in Hartford, Connecticut. Among the special guests will be Robert Stockman, author of The Bahá’í Faith in America; Juan Caban, formerly of the International Audio-Visual Centre in Haifa; and members of the National Office of Public Affairs and Office of External Affairs. For more information, contact Rodney at West Hartford, CT 06119, or phone 203-232-8064.

BBC film crew at Gregory Institute for four days gathering material for TV documentary on Faith

A film production crew from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) spent four days at the Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute in Hemingway, South Carolina, in August gathering material for the BBC’s award-winning religious series “Everyman.”

The BBC planned to introduce the 13-part “Everyman” series this year with a 50-minute documentary on the Bahá’í Faith.

The program, which was to have been broadcast October 13 in England, includes coverage of the Faith in England; Haifa, Israel; Iran, the U.S. and some Third World countries.

Besides filming in South Carolina, the BBC crew visited New York City and the Bahá’í National Center in Wilmette, Illinois.

BBC production director Norman Stone and correspondent Margaret Magnusson spent two days at the Louis Gregory Institute preparing a story line for the program.

Interviews were conducted with Dr. Roy Jones, director of the Gregory Institute; Dr. Kurt Hein, executive secretary of the WLGI Radio Commission; Mrs. Mary Beckmon, a Bahá’í from the Williams Hill community; and the Rev. Robert Nichols, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Hemingway.

A BBC camera crew joined them for two more days to complete filming at the Institute.

THE CREW filmed a Unity Feast that featured a variety of musical presentations including one by a Bahá’í youth group from Kingstree.

The BBC cameramen also accompanied Bahá’í teaching teams that were taking part in Project Tabarsi in Hemingway and surrounding communities.

Mr. Stone said he and his crew wanted to conduct an in-depth study of what Bahá’ís believe, how the Faith expects to grow, the Bahá’í vision for a united world, and the anticipated reaction from society at large.

Dr. Jones said the BBC crew impressed the Bahá’ís with their knowledge of the Faith and sensitivity toward it as well as their courtesy and professionalism.

“Our general feeling,” he said, “is that the documentary should prove to be fair and representative of the Bahá’í point of view.”

A crew from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) films a group of young Bahá’ís from Kingstree, South Carolina, who performed in August at the Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute in Hemingway. The BBC was collecting materials for a 50-minute documentary on the Faith that was to lead off its award-winning religious program ‘Everyman’ in October. Standing at the right is Dr. Roy Jones, director of the Gregory Institute.

Preservation News carries photo, article on House of Worship

The August 1985 issue of Preservation News, a publication of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, includes a large photograph of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois.

Accompanying the photo is a paragraph describing its history and architecture and detailing some of the structural problems from which it has suffered over the years.

Attention Bahá’í Public Information Network A special media presentation packet is being readied so that you will be prepared to answer questions from the media, offer photographs, issue press releases and provide background information related to the peace statement, “The Promise of World Peace,” from the Universal House of Justice. Announcement of the cost and date of issue is imminent.

To support higher refugee budget

Bahá’ís asked to write Congress

In August, the National Office of External Affairs asked more than 200 local Spiritual Assemblies to write to their U.S. Senators and Representatives who sit on Congressional appropriations committees about the 1986 budget for refugee programs.

At the end of July, the House committee had voted to cut the allocation from $338 million to $292 million.

Assemblies and individuals were asked by the National Spiritual Assembly to write to their Congressmen urging them to vote for restoration of full funding for the refugee programs next year. The budget was to be voted on by October 1.

Pensacola Bahá’í columnist for Voice, black-oriented paper

Lynda Couture, a member of the Bahá’í community of Pensacola, Florida, has begun writing a regular column in the Pensacola Voice, a black-oriented newspaper serving the northwestern area of the state.

Is Your Community Ready for HUMAN RIGHTS DAY? 1985’s Human Rights Day will be commemorated December 10. Now is the time to prepare to make this day a special occasion for proclaiming the Faith. For sale: ABC’s “20/20” program on video tape ... $37.50 (on sale)* Senate Hearings on Torture video tape ... $45.00/$30.00 Persecution Background Kit ... $5.00 U.S. Committee’s Refugee Report ... 10/$10.00 (postage only) *Specify 1/2-inch VHS or 3/4-inch format on video tapes Available FREE upon request: (Please include stamped self-addressed envelope) Human Rights Day sample press release Sample radio/TV PSAs Complete list of available media materials Send orders to the Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs, Wilmette, IL 60091. Add 10 per cent to the total for postage and handling. Make checks payable to “Bahá’í Services Fund.”

[Page 18]

New quarterly publication for youth

The Bahá’í National Youth Committee is pleased to announce the initiation of a quarterly publication to promote the discourse of the Bahá’í Youth Movement.

Titled "Discourse Quarterly," the publication has been designated to share youth's creative and scholarly expressions.

"The idea came to us," says Jacqueline Eghrari, the newly elected chairman of the six-member National Youth Committee, "following the International Youth Conference in Columbus, Ohio.

"Counsellor Hooper Dunbar shared with us his impressions of the youth from the workshops he had conducted at the conference, and he was thoroughly impressed by the level of eloquence and depth of thought and analysis expressed by the youth in their statements on world peace.

"We recognized that these statements needed to be shared and so we've decided to develop a quarterly magazine for distribution to Bahá’í youth."

Discourse Quarterly is expected to be published once each season with the first issue available this winter.

Youth are invited to submit their statements for possible inclusion. All entries should note the writer's name, address and age. Please send them to the National Bahá’í Youth Committee, 1371 Sunset Strip, Sunrise, FL 33313.

'Mona with Children' has U.S. release

"Mona with the Children," the recording by Canadian Bahá’í singer/composer Doug Cameron, was released in the U.S. in September following a favorable reception in Canada where it ranks 23rd among favorites on the popular music charts.

The recording is distributed in the U.S. by Gold Mountain Records, a subsidiary of A&M Records.

To help local communities respond to expected questions and public interest as a result of the record and video, a number of materials are available including an account of Mona's life, a guide for promoting the Mona recording, and a workshop that prepares believers to respond to questions. The workshop is accompanied by a 30-minute instructional video tape.

The educational materials, adapted from materials produced by the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada, will be distributed to District Teaching Committees and Regional Youth Committees. Communities or individuals can make arrangements with these committees for local use, or they can order the items using the coupon below.

'MONA' MATERIALS COUPON 'Mona with the Children' video tape (Beta) $45.00 'Mona with the Children' video tape (VHS) 45.00 'The Story of Mona' booklet (softcover) 5.00 'Working with Mona' package (video tape, booklet) 25.00

Send to: Bahá’í Distribution Service 415 Linden Avenue Wilmette, IL 60091 from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust

Selections from the Bahá’í Writings on the Reality and Immortality of the Human Soul

UNTO SHALL VE

Compiled by HUSHIDAR MOTLAGH

Are humans mortal or immortal? Is death a door to extinction or a portal to a new, everlasting life? What is the purpose of earthly life?

These and other provocative questions about life—here and hereafter—are answered in this unique compilation.

130 pages 54 x 84 inches Softcover only 795

Can you identify anyone in this picture?

This is believed to be a photograph of Bahá’ís in Burlingame, California, date unknown. Anyone who can identify any of those in the picture or where and when it was taken should write to the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

Children

should also be registered unless the non-Bahá’í parent objects.

A Spiritual Assembly may accept the declaration of faith of a child of non-Bahá’í parents, and register him or her as a Bahá’í child, provided the parents give their consent.

Upon receipt of a children's registration card at the Bahá’í National Center, a Bahá’í identification number will be assigned to the child and a letter of acknowledgement, with the I.D. number, will be sent to the child in care of the registering parent(s).

THE I.D. number will be retained by the child throughout his Bahá’í life.

Shortly before a Bahá’í youth's 15th birthday, he will receive a letter from the National Spiritual Assembly explaining the meaning of attaining the age of maturity and extending their good wishes.

A Bahá’í youth, therefore, continues to be considered a Bahá’í. If the young person should ask not to be considered a Bahá’í, this information would be forwarded to the Bahá’í National Center which would then remove the youth's name from the Bahá’í membership rolls.

The following statement of clarification on Bahá’í youth and youth membership, dated July 19, 1982, was sent by the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United Kingdom (with a copy forwarded to the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly). It is reprinted here for the friends' information and guidance.

"Fifteen is the age at which a child attains spiritual maturity, and thus it is at the age of 15 that a Bahá’í child assumes the responsibility for obeying such laws as those of fasting and prayer, and for affirming of his own volition his faith in Bahá’u’lláh.

"AT THE present time the Universal House of Justice prefers to leave it to each National Spiritual Assembly to decide what method is to be followed in ascertaining the attitude of Bahá’í children when they reach 15, provided that it is clear that a Bahá’í child is not becoming a Bahá’í at that age, but is simply affirming his faith on his own behalf.

"One Spiritual Assembly, for example, sends a very kind letter to each Bahá’í child in its community on the occasion of his 15th birthday (unless, of course, it has reason to doubt that the child in question is a Bahá’í), explaining the meaning of attaining the age of maturity, and extending the good wishes of the Assembly for his future services to the Cause.

"This does not require an active response from every child but does provide each with an opportunity to make his position clear if desired. In whatever procedure it adopts, a National Spiritual Assembly must wisely steer a course between seeming to doubt the faith of a child who has been brought up as a devout Bahá’í on the one hand, and seeming to compel a child to be a member of the Bahá’í community against his will, on the other.

"If the Assembly ascertains from a youth that he does not, in fact, accept the Faith, even if he has been brought up in a Bahá’í family, it should not register him as a Bahá’í youth, and such a youth, since he is now mature and responsible for his own actions, would be in the same situation as any other non-Bahá’í youth who is in close contact with the Bahá’í community. He should be treated with warmth and friendship.

"It may happen that a Bahá’í child, on reaching the age of 15, is not entirely sure in his own mind. This can well happen if one of the parents is not a Bahá’í or if the parents have accepted the Faith not long before.

"In such a case the Assembly should not assume automatically that he is not a Bahá’í. If the youth wishes to attend Feasts and is content to continue to be regarded as a Bahá’í as he was when a child, this should be permitted, but in the process of deepening his understanding of the Faith his parents and the Assembly should explain to him that it is his responsibility to soon make his position clear." [Page 19]باری عدل و کنش و وحدت بانگی چون یک بیدار باش روحانی را در انگلیس است و در کنگره‌های بیشمار بین‌المللی که مردمان مختلف را از هر طبقه و کشور کنار هم می‌نشاند ظهور و هستی همان است که مظهر و منبع حقیقت کبری در معبد اعظم آلمان است و این شعاع وحدت و حقیقت تابناکی است که اینک در سراسر پهنه گیتی متجلی شده و مشهود است. حیات عالم در این راه است، زیرا بدون آن نوع انسان از هستی ساقط می‌گردد. حیات عالم در این راه است و راهی جز این وجود ندارد. امروز در سراسر دنیا اجتماعات انسانی و مجمع‌هایی که به نام بهائی تشکیل می‌شود اعم از محافل ملی و محلی و کمیته‌های بهائی همگی درصدد هستند و کوشش دارند که در حیات بشر تحولی عظیم ایجاد کنند. عالم انسانی امروز با مشکلات عدیده‌ای روبروست که برای حل آن‌ها ضرورت ایجاد وحدت عالم انسانی و استقرار یک نظم جهانی عادلانه کاملاً مشهود است.

این مژده به معنای حیاتی جدید است که از قلب عالم برخاسته و از انوار روح‌الروح فیض می‌گیرد و راهی به سوی تکامل و اعتلای عالم انسانی می‌گشاید. ادیان الهی در اصل یکی هستند و هدف آن‌ها ایجاد وحدت و تفاهم بین انسان‌هاست. این سند تاریخی که با قلبی پر از مهر و محبت برای کلیه مردمان جهان نگاشته شده، از طرف بیت‌العدل اعظم به عنوان هدیه‌ای به بشریت در سال بین‌المللی صلح که توسط سازمان ملل متحد اعلام شده بود تقدیم گردید. بیش از ۱۸۰ کشور و سرزمین‌های مختلف دنیا اکنون پذیرای این پیام هستند.

بنام ربّ ابهیٰ عزّ و جلّ

ترجمه تلکس مورخ ۱۹ سپتامبر ۱۹۸۵ صادره از ساحت منیع بیت العدل اعظم الهی TELEX OF UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE DATED 19 SEPTEMBER 1985

پس از مقدمه و مژده انتشار بیانیّه بیت‌العدل اعظم در ایران با اندوه فراوان اعدام دو بانو مذکور را اعلام می‌نمائیم: ۱- خانم روشن کسمائی در رشت ۲- خانم زرین الحانی در قزوین. اجساد این دو شمع فروزان راه الهی با اهانت زیاد در خاک انداخته شد و سپس در مکانهای نامعلوم دفن گردید. بنا بر گزارش‌های واصله از رشت، مقامات دولتی جسد ۴۶ تن اعدام شدگان در منطقه نامعلومی در حومه شهر رشت در گودالی بزرگ دفن نمودند. ضمناً اعدام چهار تن از بهائیان دستگیر شده در شهر یزد تأیید شد: ۱- آقای منوچهر روشن ضمیر ۲- آقای احمد نویدی ۳- آقای خلیل معنوی ۴- آقای روح الله تدین.

جناب مستطاب خلیل الله خادمی در ماه جولای ۱۹۸۲ در بندرعباس زندانی شد و در همان محل در تاریخ ۲۸ اوت ۱۹۸۵ ‎بوسله بوسیله‎ جوخه اعدام ‎بلقای به لقای‎ معبود شتافتند. ایشان ۵۷ ساله بودند. جسد آن مرحوم را به مأمورین دولتی تسلیم و در گورستان دوردستی بخاک سپرده شد. ایشان دارای ۴ فرزند و همسری مومنه بودند.

اعدامهای اخیر نشان دهنده آنست که مقامات دولتی علیرغم تمام ادعاها در مورد رعایت حقوق زندانیان و لغو اعدامها هنوز به این روشهای وحشیانه ادامه می‌دهند. از ۲۴ اوت ۱۹۸۵ بیش از ۲۲ تن دیگر از بهائیان زندانی در شهرهای اصفهان، یزد، قزوین، بابل، کرج و تهران آزاد شده اند. مجموعاً هنوز ۲۱۲ نفر در شهرهای مختلف زندانی می‌باشند که ۶۳ تن از آنان در تهران و بقیه در شهرهای دیگر زندانی می‌باشند. مجلس بهائیان ایران با تلاش فراوان سعی در بازگشائی محافل بهائی در شهرها نموده است که خوشبختانه با همکاری بهائیان توانسته است در اکثر شهرها و محلات کارهای روحانی خود را پیش ببرد. در اثر این تضییقات و فشارها، ایمان بهائیان بیش از پیش قوی‌تر گشته و به خدمت به آئین بهاءالله کمر همت بسته‌اند.

وعده صلح جهانی

PROMISE OF WORLD PEACE

بیا بیانیّه مهیّج بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی تحت عنوان «وعده صلح جهانی» که مدتها در انتظارش بودیم در ماه اکتبر به رشته تحریر درآمد. محفل مقدس روحانی ملی این مژده را با امتنان و رجاء واثق به کلیه احباء الهی اعلام نمود و بر اساس آن از کلیه بهائیان خواست تا به فعالیت‌های خود در راه خدمت به اهداف انسانی و تعالیم عالیه آئین بهائی سرعت بخشند. بیت‌العدل اعظم مقرر فرمودند که این بیانیه نه تنها به رؤسای دولت‌ها و رهبران دینی جهان، بلکه به کلیه ملل و مردمان جهان تقدیم گردد. بر این اساس محفل مقدس روحانی ملی ایران نیز فعالیت وسیعی را آغاز نموده و نسخه‌هایی از این بیانیه را به مراجع قضایی و اجرایی کشور و نیز اشخاص معتبر در ایران ارسال داشت تا مورد مطالعه و توجه قرار گیرد.

اکتبر ۱۹۸۵

کلیه مطالب مندرج در آن یقیناً مایه تامل و مطالعه عمیق محافل فکری در دنیا خواهد بود. در این بیانیه اصولی به روشنی بیان شده که راه حل اساسی مسائل و دشواری‌های کنونی جهان را در وحدت عالم انسانی و استقرار نظم جهانی جستجو می‌کند. این بیانیه خاطرنشان می‌سازد که بشریت باید از تعصبات مذهبی، نژادی و طبقاتی دست بردارد و راه صلح و صفا را در پیش گیرد. این بیانیه خاطرنشان می‌سازد که صلح نه تنها به معنای پایان جنگ است بلکه به معنای استقرار نظمی نوین در روابط میان انسانها و ملتهاست که بر پایه عدالت و حقوق متقابل استوار باشد. ادیان الهی در اصل یکی هستند و هدف آن‌ها ایجاد وحدت و تفاهم بین انسان‌هاست. این سند تاریخی که با قلبی پر از مهر و محبت برای کلیه مردمان جهان نگاشته شده، از طرف بیت‌العدل اعظم به عنوان هدیه‌ای به بشریت در سال بین‌المللی صلح که توسط سازمان ملل متحد اعلام شده بود تقدیم گردید. بیش از ۱۸۰ کشور و سرزمین‌های مختلف دنیا اکنون پذیرای این پیام هستند. [Page 20]در توضیح این امر اساسی حضرت شوقی افندی ولی امر بهائی در سال ۱۹۲۱ چنین بیان فرموده که "این امر در پی تخریب اساس موجود جامعه انسانی نیست بلکه مقصدش توسعه اساسی موسسات آن است تا با مقتضیات جوامع بشری جهان دائم‌التغییر موافق و ملایم گردند. این امر با هیچ تعصب و یا دشمنی و یا ضدیت مذهبی مخالفت ندارد و روح صداقت و اخلاق حقیقی را در مرکز واحد استوار می‌سازد و این برتری صحیح و سالم را در دل مردمان با هوش و با سواد و با نظام حاکمیت مستقل ملی که لازمه دفع هر نوع تمرکز و اجرای قوه حاکمه در منطقه واحد است بر می‌افرایند و یا از هر نوع تعصب و آداب و رسوم و تاریخ و زبان و افکار و عادات موجود که سبب تمایز ملل و اقوام جهان است جلوگیری نمی‌کند بلکه برعکس مجدداً به آنان حیات می‌بخشد و انتظام و وفاداری مستمر و ‎آلمانی آمالی‎ عظیم‌تر از آن است که تا بحال با حرکت و تکامل نوع انسان بوده است و چنانکه ملاحظه می‌نمائید این اساس عالی برای سعادت و صلح و اتحاد و مقتضیات صلح آمیز جامعه انسانی آنچنان مقتدر است که تضادهای موجود در عالم بشری را مرتفع ساخته و صلح جهانی بوجود می‌آورد و چنان با دقت تمام مسائل مربوط را حل و فصل نموده و کلیه احتیاجات بشری را شامل شده و مدون گشته است که حال بزرگترین و ضروری‌ترین تکلیف و وظیفه حاکمه هر دولتی را تشکیل می‌دهد. اگر او طریقی را برگزیند که با قوانین اساسی و بین‌المللی مدون عالم و قابل اجرا باشد موفقیت‌آمیز خواهد بود."

در چنین موقعیتی تمام جوامع بشری بکلی مرعوب و دستخوش یأس و بی سامانی شده‌اند و لاجرم نسبت به سرنوشت آن اظهار وحشت می‌کنند. نا‌امیدی بر آنان مستولی شده و سکوت نا‌امید کننده دنیای پر تزلزل را فرا گرفته است، معقول آنست که مجموعه‌های از قوانین بین‌المللی که ثمره تلاشهای صد سالگان صلح طلبان است تدوین شود و با تمام ابزارهای نوین قدرت و هماهنگی قوای هریک از کشورهای مستقل متحد باشد و بالآخره باید یک صلح جهانی بوجود آید که در آن بتوان به راحتی و آسایش و با خاطری معتقد و با دیدگاهی روشن و با اطمینان کامل به سعادت و صلح زندگی کنند و تضاد و جدال جای خود را به صلح و آشتی بدهد.

"درست هفتاد سال پیش حضرت بهاءالله در الواح ملوک و سلاطین که مخصوصاً به آنان نازل گردید در افریقا بود و ملوک و سلاطین در آن مجمع مقام معظم صلح را بر صلح اصغر مقدم شمردند و فرمودند که باید تمام صلح طلبان با دیدگانی روشن و معنوی و با بصیرت برای برداشتن قدم اصلی در راه صلح اقدام کنند و وقتی مشورت نمودند صلح را اساس کار خود قرار دهند و صلح و امنیت عمومی را بین ملل برقرار نمایند و برای تهیه یک انتظام پایدار لازم است که طبقات انسان در افکار و اولویت‌های خود تجدید نظر کنند. اساس آشتی و مشورت و تفاهم و نظم جهانی بر این مبنا استوار است که برای تحکیم آن از طریق مشورتی صریح و بی شائبه و صمیمانه به نتیجه و تصمیمی منتهی شود. سپس بهاءالله در الواح ملوک و سلاطین بر لزوم صلح پایدار تاکید مؤکد نموده‌اند و ما را به محنت‌های دراز مدت در اداره و انتظام امور انسانی متوجه داشته‌اند و هشدار می‌دهند: "بشریت با آنکه با سرعت راه فلاح و پیروزی را بر می‌گزیند ولی اگر صلح در عالم فانی شد، راه دشوار و هولناک پیش رو خواهد بود و برای هر امری مقام کمال و بلوغ بوده و خواهد بود بلوغ و ظهور خود را به مشورت ظاهر سازد."

مذاکرات مجلس جمعی حضرت بهاءالله و شعاعی را که در میان ساکنان جهان موجود می‌آورد که هیچ سببی نمی‌تواند مانع ظهور مشورتی گردد و در ‎سده قرن سده‎ جدید راه را برای وصول به صلح حقیقی فراهم می‌آورد در چنین وضعیتی مشورت میان ملل: "مسطح صلح عمومی را در میدان مشورت می‌آورند و مجمع دول ملل متحد نموده است. حضرت عبدالبهاء در خصوص معانی صلح این چنین بیان فرموده: "صلح عمومی نه تنها با تعیین حدود و علایق سود دهنده عامه امکان پذیر است بلکه در این مجمّع سودمند و روابط مستحکم و دقیق میان دول عالم و با درک مبدا و میثاق و شروط محکم نباید دستخوش تفرقه شوند و روابط با این مبانی محکم و دقیق گردد و در این مجمّع سودمند و روابط دقیق است، که کل بشری از آزادی و صلح مقدس بهره‌مند شوند و مجموع قوای عالم متوجه پیشرفت و روابط با نظام بین‌الملل گردند. باری اهل عالم ممتاز و مقدس و منزه و ‎منقد منقاد‎ به حدود و شروط هر دولتی گردند و روابط و حاکمیت هر حکومتی بر طبق مفاد و میثاق و یا بر طبق روابط بین‌الملل باشد و بر طبق قوانین با کمال مسرت و صلح و امنیت و آرامش برقرار گردد و از طرفی هیچ حکومتی محتاج و مدیون نگردد و کل ساکنان را با رعایت تمام عدالت و به قوه عسکریه دولتی از معاهدات بین‌المللی دفاع کنند و کل ساکنان به کمال آسایش و راحت در حکومت خود بسر برند و کل دول از اول در ظل صلح مستقر گردند و جمیع عالم بدین مبنا در استقلال تمام باشند ولی اساس این صلح عالی ناظر بر آنست که قوانین وضع شود که صلح را سرلوحه برنامه خود قرار داده و صلح اصغر را منشاء راه وصول به صلح اعظم نمایند."

اگر در عصر ما بشر یأس و ناامیدی را از خود براند و بجای آن اعتماد متقابل کسب نماید و با وفای باطنی به این پیمان مقدس وفا کند، مسلماً محترم نماند و در راه تشکیل چنین مجمع بزرگی بردباری به خرج داده و استقامت ورزد، مسلماً برای آنست که تمام کشورها شناسنامه یکدیگر را محترم شمرده و با درک و بینائی تمام مبانی آن را بپذیرند. این است که ما از صمیم قلب از رهبران صلح طلب دنیا متمنا هستیم که تمام قوای بشری را در جهت صلح و رفاه نوع بشر بکار اندازند تا به نتایج رفیع و سعادت آفرین برسند. اقدام مقتضی و بموقع در این مرحله حساس تاریخ بسیار مهم است و نباید به هیچ وجه اهمال ورزید و با پشتکار و با تمام اراده قلبی قدم در راه صلح برداشت، که در آن پیران و جوانان و کودکان و نوزادان و تمام جوامع انسانی نفع برده و با همت بلند قدم در راه ساختن دنیایی آباد و پراز صفا و آرامش بردارند. تا برکت و نعمات الهی که برای بشریت مقدر شده است از آسمان نازل شود و در میان ملل همواره برقرار گردد. به خصوص صلح اصغر را به عنوان مقدمه تشکیل چنین مجمعی که سر‌آمد تمام وقایع عالم بشری است قیام نمایند.

سر‌انجام پس خوشبینی ما بر مبنای تحکیم عالمی است که از حد آلام جنگ و ایجاد سازمانهای همگانی بسیار صلح بین‌المللی بالاتر رود. صلح پایدار در میان ملل هر چند وظیفه‌ای است بس مهم و ضروری اما حضرت بهاءالله با نظم بین‌الملل اجتماعی نوع انسان را میسر نموده و به درستی راه را نشان دادند همانگونه که در مراحل اولیه زندگی هر موجود زنده و هر رشد و تکاملی از راه نطفه آغاز می‌گردد، صلح بین‌المللی در مراحل نهائی رشد و نمو مجمع بشری به ظهور می‌رسد و بر این اساس برای استقرار روابط پایدار لازم است که آحاد جامعه انسانی با صمیمیت در تمام جهات با هم همکاری و همراهی نمایند و همواره با تفکر و مشورت در امور و جلب رضایت یکدیگر در روابط اجتماعی و سیاسی بکوشند. بدین وسیله در میان تمام جوامع انسانی یک عهد و میثاق عالی و پایدار به وجود خواهد آمد و صلح و صفا و اتحاد و اتفاق را فراهم خواهد آورد. ضرورت این است که برای رسیدن به آن هدف رفیع کل جهان بکوشند و با ایجاد و فراهم آوردن اتحاد و اتفاق، راه را برای وصول به این مجمع با عظمت فراهم سازند. [Page 21]امروزه، اتحادّیه کشورهای جنوب شرقی آسیا، جامعه و بازار مشترک کشورهای کرائیب، بازار مشترک کشورهای آمریکای مرکزی، شورای تعاون کشورهای خلیج، بازار مشترک کشورهای آمریکای جنوبی، سازمان وحدت افریقا، سازمان کشورهای آمریکائی، شورای اروپا، جامعه اقتصادی اروپا، جامعه کشورهای عربی، تماماً نمایانگر آنند که ملل دنیا، با وجود تمام اختلافات، مساعی و مجهودات مشترک خود را برای استقرار نظم جهانی هموار میسازند.

بسیار غالباً خاطرنشان میگردد که با وجود بروز و صدور مستمر و سهمناکترین کشمکشهای عصر جدید در منطقه ای محدود، چنانکه جنگ سازمان ملل متحد با وجود تمام نقصهایش بیش از چهل سال پیشینه و میثاق بین المللی خود را با موفقیت تمام به پیش برده و مردم عادی را با قانون و روشهای منصفانه، اصلاح طلب، نظیر حقوق بشر، میثاق منع کشتار دسته جمعی، ریشه کن ساختن برده‌داری و مجازات آن، رفع تبعیض از زن، منع شکنجه، حفظ کودک، توسعه و پیشبرد بهبود سیاستهای رفاهی و اقتصادی در سطوح مختلف آشنا نموده است. اینها از جمله دست آوردهای با اهمیت عمیقی است که در این زمینه حاصل شده و گواه روشن و بلامنازعی است بر گسترش نفوذ و تسلط بیش از پیش آرمانها و استانداردهای تعیین شده بین المللی که در ورای حیطه حاکمیتهای ملی قرار میگیرند.

در حالیکه مساعی مربوط به استقرار صلح و نظم جهانی مدام شدت و قدرت بیشتری یافته است، عکس العملی در راه طغیان علیه نظم و مدنیت و وحشیگری و اهانت انسان را روبراه میگذارد و مهیب‌ترین و وحشتناک‌ترین مظاهر آن یعنی تروریسم بین المللی رشد و نمو فوق‌العاده‌ای یافته است که منجر به تشنج دائمی در روابط بین‌الملل و در هم ریختگی و هرج و مرج زندگی مدنی شده است. اینها از جمله موضوع‌هایی است که در تمام کشورها اهل بصیرت و سیاستمداران را به فکر فرو میبرد و تذکرات جدی در راه صلح و بهبود شرایط زندگی نوع انسان را یادآوری مینماید. ضرورت ظهور استعدادهای فکری و نیروی خلاقه بشر را به شکلی مداوم مورد تاکید قرار داده و ضرورت مشارکت و دخالت بشر را در امور مملکت داری متذکر میگردد. (۱)

دیگر آنکه اختلافات فاحش و مفرط میان فقر و غنی سرچشمه مصایب بسیار شده که جهان را در حال تزلزل نگه میدارد و عملاً به پرتگاه جنگ میکشاند. بسیار گمان میبرند که معماهایی که در سر راه است با تلاشهای فنی و سیاسی حل شود. در صورتی که در راه حلهای مادی نباید از احساسات روانی و اخلاقی و معنوی و همچنین از امور روحانی و باطنی که در تار و پود ساختار این گونه معماها نقش بسته است غافل ماند. راه حل این مشکل را باید در وحدت نظر و توافق کلی و در نظر گرفتن ارزشهای معنوی و اخلاقی یافت و راه حلی انسانی که با حقایق روانشناسانه و معنوی هماهنگ باشد جستجو نمود. حضرت بهاءاللّه بیش از یک قرن پیش مسئله را به روشنی بیان فرمودند: «به زودی جهان بشری را برترین غنا و ثروت متوسط است چنانکه نه غنای مفرط پدید آید و نه فقر فاحش.» (۲)

دیگر آنکه مسئله ناسیونالیسم افراطی است که لزوماً باید جای خود را به اخلاص و وفاداری مستمر نسبت به جنس بشر و تمام عالم انسانی تفویض نماید. حضرت بهاءاللّه میفرمایند: «عالم یک وطن محسوب است و من علی‌الارض اهل آن.» این مفهوم که وطن ما عالم است جایگزین مفاهیمی است که برتری نژاد و ملیت را بر سایرین ترویج مینماید. در دنیا این زمان که مدام بر عمومیت همبستگی بین ملل افزوده میشود، نادیده گرفتن تعلق خاطر اساسی و منافع همگانی در میان تمام کشورها به طور کلی باعث تشنج و جنگ خواهد بود و هر تلاشی در جهت حفظ منافع استثنایی کشوری در تقابل با منافع کلی جهان محکوم به شکست است.

دیگر آنکه اختلافات مذهبی برای قرنها به صلح و رفاه بشر لطمه وارد آورده است. در حالی که ادیان میبایست راهنمای دوستی و صفا و برادری باشند، با کمال تأسف مایه نفاق و کدورت شده‌اند. مذهب باید وسیله الفت و محبت باشد، اگر مایه جدایی گردد عدمش به از وجود است. هر تلاشی در جهت صلح و رفاه جهانی بدون همیاری و اتحاد ادیان بزرگ به ثمر نخواهد رسید.

باری در آنچه مذکور افتاد بر دو نکته باید تأکید نهاد. اول آنکه منسوخ کردن جنگها به امضاء قراردادها و عقد معاهدات وابسته نیست بلکه مادامی که معضل وحشتناک و پیچیده مذهب ستیزی و غلبه بر تمایلات تعصبی حل نشود، صلح پابرجا نخواهد گشت. صلح واقعی صلحی است که با منافع روحانی و معنوی و عواطف قلبی تمام مردم جهان هماهنگی پیدا نماید تا با اصول اخلاقی و جنبه‌های عملی صلح، هم خوانی و رابطه‌ای یافت شود. (۳)

دوم آنکه مسئله تعلیم و تربیت به طور کلی بخصوص تعلیم و تربیت عمومی است چنانکه ضرورت آموزشهای فکری، تعلیم و تربیت دختران و زنان را نیز ایجاب مینماید. زیرا همانطور که با سواد بودن مادران در پرورش فکری و اخلاقی نونهالان تأثیر دارد، این امر در پیشرفت فرهنگ عمومی تأثیر بسزایی خواهد داشت. بنابراین باید کوشید که با توسعه و تعمیم آموزش و پرورش نه تنها دانش مردمان را بالا برد بلکه به آموزش اخلاقی و معنوی آنان نیز همت گماشت تا مربیانی متعهد و مسئول برای جامعه فردا پرورش یابند. (۴)

اولین سؤالی که خاطر هر فردی را به خود متوجه میسازد این است که چگونه جهان با آنکه اسیر این معضلات عمیق و جهانی است و در عین حال به آینده ای امیدوار است، به پیشرفت خود ادامه میدهد. در پاسخ میتوان گفت که گرچه پاره ای مشکلات بزرگ بر سر راه است، اما پدیده های نوین جهانی و آرمانهای انسانی نوید دهنده فردایی بهتر برای بشریت است. مساعی و مجهودات مشترک ملتها در جهت دستیابی به نظم جهانی، صلح و رفاه عمومی نشان دهنده عزم راسخ جامعه جهانی برای گذر از دوران تزلزل و ورود به دوران ثبات و آرامش است. [Page 22]

PERSIAN/AMERICAN

(۱) حضرت بهاءاللّه در قطعات مبارک بسیاری اجتماعی میفرمایند: "ليس حب الوطن من الايمان" و " طوبی لمن اصبح فی الامكان بآسا" و در بارۀ فساد و زوال تمدن چنین میفرمایند:

"اگر حال عالم در پیشانی دیده بصیرت منعکس و منجلی شود ملاحظه نماید که در غایت تشتت و انقراض است. در کمال اضطراب و پریشانی دیده میشود. بمثابه مریضی است که از شدائد امراض در تمام اعضا و جوارح او انفعال ظاهر و اضمحلال هویدا و سستی پدیدار. و اگر بحکیمی ماهر تسلیم نشود و به معالجۀ صاحب حذق فائز نگردد هر آینه بمرگ منتهی شود. آثار تمدنی که فی‌الحقیقه اسباب راحت و آسایش عموم است سبب عذاب و بلای اعظم گشته. تمام روی زمین را ادوات قتال پر نموده و از آن برّ و بحر در تزلزل و اضطراب... در هر آن نفسی شنیده شود که بر وحشت بیفزاید و تمدن باین شأن و مقام نایاب."

و اینک بقلم نورباران حضرت ولی‌امراللّه بیاناتی را که در بارۀ مدنیت و تمدن و خصوصاً تمدن غرب بیان فرموده‌اند برای استفادۀ یاران عزیز درج میگردد:

"پس اگر مدنیت بدین منوال پیش رود تمدن کنونی و تمدنهای بزرگ گذشته را یکسان بسط نخواهد داد بلکه بمصیبت و فتنه و تفرقه و تزلزل و انهدام منجر خواهد گشت. تمدن مادی چون در ظل کمال تمدن و مشاعر معنوی نباشد برای همیشه ناقص و ناتمام خواهد بود و بالاخره به عذاب و دردی خواهد کشید که پیش‌بینی آن غیر ممکن است. کجاست آن تمدنی که حضرت بهاءاللّه به آن اشاره میفرمایند؟ دین حضرت بهاءاللّه معتقد به ایجاد تمدنی نوین است که بر بنیان تعالیم حضرت بهاءاللّه استوار و مستقر خواهد بود. تمدنی که در آن روحانیت و معنویت بر عالم کالبد و محیط غلبه یافته و هماهنگی در میان روح و بدن برقرار خواهد بود. اگر چه تمدن مادی امروز با تمدن روحانی حضرت بهاءاللّه که در آستانۀ طلوع است دارای بعضی از محسنات مشترک بوده باشد ولی در حقیقت تمدنی که امروز در پیش روی ماست مدنیتی است که بر شالودۀ سست مادی بنا شده و عاری از معنویت و اخلاق است و از این رو نمیتواند تمدنی باشد که بتواند با تمدن روحانی حضرت بهاءاللّه برابری نماید. مدنیتی که مادی باشد ناگزیر به زوال و نیستی است. و اما تمدن روحانی تمدنی است که بر بنیانهای الهی استوار و مستقر بوده و ابدی و جاودانی است."

(۲) جوانب مدنیت امروز را که با مدنیت الهی در تضاد است بر می‌شمریم:

اولاً مدنیت مادی امروز بر اساس مادیت و عاری از معنویت است و از این رو نمیتواند صلح و صفا و عدالت و وحدت را در جهان مستقر سازد. ثانیاً مدنیت امروز بر پایۀ جنگ و ستیز و رقابت و تفوق‌طلبی و استعمار استوار است و از این رو نمیتواند تمدنی باشد که خیر و صلاح عموم را تأمین نماید. ثالثاً مدنیت امروز بر پایۀ مادیگری و دنیاپرستی استوار است و از این رو نمیتواند تمدنی باشد که سعادت و کمال حقیقی انسان را تأمین نماید.

باری رسالت حضرت بهاءاللّه نوع انسان را به کلی دگرگون ساخته و تمدنی نوین بر اساس وحدت عالم انسانی و صلح عمومی ایجاد خواهد نمود. تمدنی که در آن هیچگونه تضاد و رقابتی وجود نخواهد داشت و همه برادرانه و در کمال صلح و صفا در کنار یکدیگر زندگی خواهند کرد. تمدنی که در آن علم و دین هماهنگ بوده و هر دو در خدمت سعادت و کمال انسان خواهند بود. تمدنی که در آن عدالت اجتماعی مستقر شده و فقر و محرومیت از جهان رخت بر خواهد بست. تمدنی که در آن حقوق همۀ انسانها اعم از زن و مرد برابر بوده و هیچگونه تبعیضی وجود نخواهد داشت. این است تمدن نوین و روحانی حضرت بهاءاللّه که در آیندۀ نزدیک در جهان مستقر خواهد شد و سعادت و کمال حقیقی را برای نوع انسان به ارمغان خواهد آورد. [Page 23]

وعده صلح جهانی

"PROMISE OF WORLD PEACE"

ترجمهٔ پیام بیت‌العدل اعظم خطاب به اهل عالم

صلح بزرگی که آرزوی دل های پاک اندیشان جهان در قرون و اعصار بوده و درباره اش شعرا و سخنوران در سده های پی در پی سخن گفته و در کارگاه آمال خود ساخته اند، هم اکنون مژده اش در هر مورد در حال بدست آمدن است. اکنون صلح جهانی نه تنها امکان دارد بلکه امریست اجتناب ناپذیر. این مرحله اولی از مسیر تکاملی است که به آن اشاره شد.

ما ابنای بشر به مرحله ای از بلوغ و تکامل نزدیک شده ایم که با فراهم شدن زمینه های مقتضی یک واحد صلح جهانی را استقرار بخشیم. صلح جهانی با آنکه فی الحال صورت پذیرفتنی است، استقرار آن بدون اراده و آگاهی قلبی عموم ملل فراهم نخواهد شد. متأسفانه تاریخ نشان داده است که اکثر مردم و سران ملل بر اثر فاجعه و مصیبت به خود آمده و آگاهی می یابند و راهی را برمی گزینند که قبلاً از پذیرش آن خودداری می کردند. اکنون در برابر ملل عالم قرار گرفته است که آیا با اراده و عزم راسخ و با طی فراز و نشیب های فراوان این تحول را بپذیرند و یا ناگزیر پس از رویارویی با فجایع عظیم و رنج و تعب بسیار بدان تن در دهند و به ناچار مسیری را بپیمایند که راه بازگشت ندارد.

بنابر این اگر قرار بر آنست که صلح جهانی برقرار گردد و به تأسیس جامعهٔ واحد ملل در اوائل این قرن پرداخته شود حال سرنوشت‌سازمان زمان صلح و امنیت بین‌المللی فرا رسیده و مستلزم تشریک مساعی در امور و مصالح مشترک است.

اعتقاد قلبی ما اینست که صلح جهانی نه تنها میسر است بلکه مرحلهٔ اجتناب‌ناپذیر در سیر تکاملی نوع بشر در این سیاره است.

در واقع تحولات کنونی جهان حاکی از آنست که نوع بشر در راه ایجاد روابط و آئین‌هایی است که از دیرباز به دنبال آن بوده است. اگر چه در حال حاضر برای حل مشکلات معمول بشری کوشش‌های فراوان صورت می‌گیرد ولی مشکلات موجود در جامعه جهانی و تضادهایی که در میان ملل و حکومت‌ها وجود دارد هنوز هم باعث رنج و مشقت انسانها می‌شود. با این حال تلاش‌ها و کوشش‌هایی که در جهت استقرار صلح به عمل می‌آید، بر اهمیت آن تأکید دارد.

ای اهل عالم بنا به گفته حضرت بهاءالله مژده بخش بهائی که بیش از یکصد سال پیش مژده آن را به جهانیان ابلاغ فرمود، تحولات عالم به سوی نظمی جدید در حرکت است. نظمی که در آن جنگ و خونریزی جای خود را به صلح و تفاهم خواهد داد. این نظم نوین جهانی نه تنها برای برقراری صلح بلکه برای ایجاد وحدت و یگانگی میان تمامی ملل و اقوام عالم ضروری است.

یقیناً اتفاقات عالم در این برهه از زمان نشان‌دهنده تضادها و پیچیدگی‌هایی است که نوع بشر را به سوی تغییر و دگرگونی سوق می‌دهد. در این میان دیانت بهائی که بیش از یکصد سال پیش مژده آن را به جهانیان ابلاغ فرمود، راه حلی پویا و کارساز را پیشنهاد می‌کند. حضرت بهاءالله در آثار خویش به صراحت بیان می‌فرمایند که صلح جهانی نه تنها یک آرزو بلکه یک ضرورت حیاتی است.

(۱) [Page 24]

TREASURER’S REPRESENTATIVES

NTRs Continued From Page 5

Keith Stahl Sacramento, CA 95842 916/344-3704

Ken Turner Broderick, CA 95605 916/372-3387 916/371-8789

California Northern No. 2—#074 Glenn and Becky Simmons Eureka, CA 95501 707/444-8634 G: 707/442-3648

California Southern No. 1—#078 Nigel Austin-Weeks El Segundo, CA 90245 213/322-2899

Brian Mealey Long Beach, CA 90803 213/431-1141 213/615-0311, X1198

Charles White Los Angeles, CA 90008 213/290-1062 213/649-6693

California Southern No. 2—#079 Judith and Shad Afsahi Anaheim, CA 92804 714/956-1889 S: 213/236-5862

Melvin Chester Newport Beach, CA 92663 714/645-2557 714/836-8042

California Southern No. 3—#080 Ralph P. Neal PO Box 3150 Shell Beach, CA 93449 805/546-9382

Albert A. Okuma, Jr. Ventura, CA 93003 805/642-0822

California Southern No. 4—#069 Keith Fuller Carlsbad, CA 92008 619/729-6110 714/831-0900

Nancy and Mike Lavach Lakeside, CA 92040 619/561-7336 M: 619/696-4217

Colorado Northeast—#037 Chuck Hall Englewood, CO 80100 303/781-3586 303/329-9335

Rick James Northglenn, CO 80233 303/452-0324 303/449-5791

Colorado Southeast—#065 Sevilla Caldwell Colorado Springs, CO 80904 303/636-2847 303/475-5129

Colorado Western—#036 Mark A. Reddy P.O. Box 1728 Durango, CO 81302 303/259-1538 303/259-2222

Connecticut—#005 Adair Luciani Woodbridge, CT 06525 203/397-0867

Warren Odess-Gillett Enfield, CT 06082 203/749-0107 203/285-5408

DelMarVa—#020 Bill Winters Wilmington, DE 19899 302/475-0604

Florida Central—#058 Michael J. Reimer Casselberry, FL 32707 305/695-7808 305/423-2261

Florida Northern—#027 Gene Gerber Gainesville, FL 32606 904/373-8072 904/376-1426

Florida Southeast—#018 Covey Cantville Royal Palm Bch, FL 33411 305/793-1184 305/583-6044

George G. Savitt Miami, FL 33134 305/448-5228 305/592-3423

Kurt Wells Boca Raton, FL 33433 305/482-3892 305/941-3099

Florida Southwest—#015 Bobby Thaggard Brandon, FL 33511 813/685-8871

John Wing Lakeland, FL 33801 813/665-1933

Georgia Northeast—#025 Lavont Steele Augusta, GA 30909 404/733-1840 404/790-6597

Georgia Northwest—#026 Catherine McDonald Tucker, GA 30084 404/496-0979 404/420-8112

William F. Varner Griffin, GA 30223 404/228-8111

Georgia Southern—#017 Cecile Bigatin ‎Savannnah Savannah‎, GA 31401 912/236-0051

William F. Varner Griffin, GA 30223 404/228-8111

Idaho N/Washington E—#085 David Gregory Spokane, WA 99208 509/467-6765 509/483-5660

James W. Workman Culdesac, ID 83524 208/843-2059 208/743-1535 (Toni)

Idaho Southern—#083 Hugh Gray Smiths Ferry, ID 83668 208/382-3291

Illinois Northern No. 1—#050 Gerald and Liz Helt Woodstock, IL 60098 815/338-5687 G: 815/385-1040

Lester Penoyer Hanover, IL 61041 815/591-3888

Illinois Northern No. 2—#044 Leslie A. Wilder Prospect Heights, IL 60070 312/541-5237

Illinois Southern—#051 Jim Weik ‎Webster Grove Webster Groves‎, MO 63119 314/968-9699 314/631-4400

Scott and Debora Martin Carmi, IL 62821 618/382-3771

Indiana—#057 Lawrence H. Dwyer South Bend, IN 46601 219/287-5463 219/288-4655

Michael Hampton Indianapolis, IN 46256 317/845-1832 317/844-4854

Iowa—#059 Edith M. Elmore Bettendorf, IA 52722 319/332-5525 309/794-1515

Kansas—#064 Kenneth R. Hollingshead P.O. Box 327 Lenora, KS 67645 913/567-4449 913/567-4885

Genay H. Snyder Emporia, KS 66801 316/343-3135

Kentucky—#031 Jim Wilde Nicholasville, KY 40356 606/236-2929 606/257-1289

Louisiana Northern—#032 Kim Bowers Kilgore, TX 75662 214/984-2915

Paula Kaszuba Bossier, LA 71112 318/747-1544

Louisiana Southern—#088 Bernice Dormio Westwego, LA 70094 504/436-1581

Maine—#001 Samuel Brown Cambridge, ME 04923 207/277-4221

Manny Reimer Eliot, ME 03903 207/439-3632 207/439-4515

Maryland/D.C.—#021 Richard Grieser Silver Spring, MD 20902 301/593-5649

James L. Sturdivant Greenbelt, MD 20770 301/345-2918 202/245-0024, X0009

Massachusetts—#003 Norma Gimlin Sunderland, MA 01375 413/665-7138

Mike Hoffman Milford, MA 01757 617/478-4604 617/528-8600, X2306

Ray Schmucker Boxboro, MA 01719 617/263-6823 617/493-8775

Michigan Mainland—#054 Zander Krowitz Cadillac, MI 49601 616/775-1763 616/775-2421

Tom Rykwalder Manchester, MI 48158 313/428-9454 313/995-7854

Sally Singer Saginaw, MI 48603 517/792-8416 517/893-3961

Mike Terenzio Farmington Hills, MI 48018 313/476-2386 313/354-3611

Minnesota Northern—#056

Minnesota Southern—#089 Steve Milston Stillwater, MN 55082 612/439-5952 612/228-2064

Soheil Zebarjadi Bloomington, MN 55420 612/854-5392 612/874-5298

Mississippi—#029 Nezzie Harris Vicksburg, MS 39180 601/638-5537 601/636-5221

Missouri—#060 Badi Eshraghi Kansas City, MO 64155 816/734-8735 816/274-1367

Joyce E. Smith-Stohr King City, MO 64463 816/535-6215 816/535-4319

Jim Weik ‎Webster Grove Webster Groves‎, MO 63119 314/968-9699 314/631-4400

Barbara Wisman Union, MO 63084 314/583-8887 314/583-8737

Montana—#082 George H. Belshaw Bozeman, MT 59715 406/586-1225

Carol Koelzer Billings, MT 59105 406/256-1731 406/252-4874

Navajo/Hopi—#098 Reed Amadon P.O. Box 193 Tsaile, AZ 86556 602/724-3371 602/724-3311, X271

Barbara Tong PO Box 417 Houck, AZ 86506 602/367-5126, X0180

Nebraska—#063 Carol Jean Befort North Platte, NE 69101 308/534-8434 308/534-6780

Jo Ellen Clifton Grand Island, NE 68801 308/381-8491

Don Schneider Fremont, NE 68025 402/727-5708 402/721-1562

Colin Taylor North Platte, NE 69101 308/534-4939 308/532-8980

Nevada Northern—#073 Richard Bush Reno, NV 89502 702/329-3982 702/784-5394

Nevada Southern—#068 Linda Mortillaro Las Vegas, NV 89102 702/876-6461 [Page 25]

TREASURER’S REPRESENTATIVES

October 1985

New Hampshire—#002 Geoffrey G. Martin

Penacook, NH 03003 603/753-4676 603/228-1345

New Jersey—#008 Corinne A. Manogue

Princeton, NJ 08540 609/683-4017

Rodney Richards

Yardville, NJ 08620 609/585-6120 609/771-1847, X321

Rustam Tarafdar

Montclair, NJ 07042 201/746-8013 212/770-5378

New Mexico Northern—#070 James Hopper, III

Santa Fe, NM 87501 505/988-2157

New Mexico S/Texas W—#071 Vickie Hu Poirier

Las Cruces, NM 88001 505/522-7189 505/524-1502

New York Eastern—#009 Bob Arrington

Katonah, NY 10536 914/232-8344 212/683-3500

Gary J. Dunn

Hempstead Village, NY 11550 516/481-7860 516/595-5212

John Hilton

Albany, NY 12208 518/436-8230 518/477-2100

John D. Marlow

Greenwich, NY 12834 518/692-7694 518/584-4100

Robert Scheidet

Rocky Point, NY 11778 516/821-0141 516/473-8400

New York Western—#010 Brydon J. B. Grant

East Amherst, NY 14051 716/688-1417 716/898-3377

Robert Kronenwetter

Phoenix, NY 13135 315/695-6541 315/456-5891

North Carolina Central—#013 L. Douglas Johnson

Greensboro, NC 27407 919/852-0845 919/882-3392

North Carolina Eastern—#024 Dennis and Debra Reid

Raleigh, NC 27606 919/859-0261 919/552-3811

Robert Ruby

‎Raliegh Raleigh‎, NC 27609 919/847-2885 919/872-9500

North Carolina Western—#012 Jean Thomason

Asheville, NC 28803 704/298-9100 704/254-3201, X274

North Dakota—#061 Earl Henrikson

‎Bismark Bismarck‎, ND 58501 701/224-8690 701/258-6672

Ohio Northern—#053 Frank S. Jenkins

Warrensville Hts., OH 44122 216/283-8526 216/687-3021

Ohio Southern—#055 Terry A. Krasko

Athens, OH 45701 614/592-6366 614/592-6644

Oklahoma Eastern—#034 Mary Ellen Baker

Broken Arrow, OK 74012 918/258-3795 918/744-2505

Oklahoma Western—#091 Polly and Rudy Koskie

Edmond, OK 73034 405/341-0233 P:405/271-3336

Oregon Eastern—#016 Ruth Hall

Pendleton, OR 97801 503/276-1868

Oregon Western—#084 Jaellayna Lasky

West Linn, OR 97068 503/635-7852 503/246-3193

Robert Miller

Ashland, OR 97520 503/482-0638 503/482-0638

Chris O’Donnell

Gladstone, OR 97027 503/656-0524

David Phelps

Tigard, OR 97223 503/639-0750 503/639-8612

Mike Potter

Canby, OR 97013 503/266-9630

Pennsylvania Eastern—#038 Laura Lawrence

Bethlehem, PA 18017 215/868-5604

Pennsylvania Western—#007 Craig A. Parke

Donora, PA 15033 412/379-5625 412/379-8727/6222

Rhode Island—#004 Bud Phelps

Coventry, RI 02816 401/397-5536

South Carolina Central—#039 Dorothy Biering

Holly Hill, SC 29059 803/496-7038

South Carolina Eastern No. 1—#040 Roya Anvar-Campbell

Florence, SC 29501 803/662-0662 803/558-2977

Cora Stubbs

Effingham, SC 28541

South Carolina Eastern No. 2—#094 Roya Anvar-Campbell

Florence, SC 29501 803/662-0662 803/558-2977

Anthony Mockabee

Moncks Corner, SC 29461 803/761-3106 803/743-3733

Cora Stubbs

Effingham, SC 28541

South Carolina Northern—#011 Rob McKie

Pickens, SC 29671 803/878-6664 803/859-3695

South Carolina Southern No. 1—#041 Anthony Mockabee

Moncks Corner, SC 29461 803/761-3106 803/743-3733

South Carolina Southern No. 2—#042 Amber Spahn P.O. Box 236

Frogmore, SC 29920 803/838-5453 803/524-8473

South Carolina Western—#043 Rob McKie

Pickens, SC 29671 803/878-6664 803/859-3695

South Dakota—#062 Henry F. Corcoran, Jr. Red Cloud High School

Pine Ridge, SD 57770 605/867-5888

Tennessee Eastern—#030 Dorothy C. Edwards

East Ridge, TN 37412 615/867-3384

Tennessee Western—#093 Mark Horst

Nashville, TN 37212 615/269-6552 615-322-2207 X9085

Texas Central No. 1—#047 Jan Bassari

Austin, TX 78728 512/251-5974 512/447-5753

Texas Central No. 2—#045

Texas Eastern No. 1—#035 Kim Bowers

Kilgore, TX 75662 214/984-2915

Margaret Menking

Rowlett, TX 75088 214/475-8570 214/437-2400, X2483

Carole Trout

Richardson, TX 75080 214/690-4540 214/747-6767

Byron K. Menking-Hoggatt

Dallas, TX 75205 214/361-1868

Texas Eastern No. 2—#049 Thomas Fischer

College Station, TX 77840 409/696-1459 409/845-7441

Irvin Hanks

Missouri City, TX 77489 713/437-7514 713/527-7945

Texas Northern—#046 Dale Hogue

Lubbock, TX 79423 806/794-8924 806/765-0404

Texas Southern—#048 Gilbert L. Rucker

Victoria, TX 77904 512/575-2708 512/578-3571

Utah—#087 Shari Meyer

Clearfield, UT 84015 801/776-6048

Vermont—#006 Anne Cook

Thetford Center, VT 05075 802/649-2989

Virginia Northern—#014 Richard Grieser

Silver Spring, MD 20902 301/593-5649

Robert E. Hunsaker

Marshall, VA 22115 703/347-1990 703/367-3607

Virginia Southeast—#022 Kimbal Babcock

Ft. Lee, VA 23801 804/732-0370

Virginia Southwest—#095 Chris Wade PO Box 292

Scottsville, VA 24590 804/286-3838 804/286-3571

Washington Northwest—#086 Ellen Dodson

Everson, WA 98247 206/592-2429 206/592-5351

C. Edward Knight

Port Orchard, WA 98366 206/871-2872 206/476-3683

Robert Petrulis

Seattle, WA 98117 206/789-7007 206/545-1078

S. Mike Tanaka

Issaquah, WA 98027 206/392-7858 206/655-8296

Washington Southwest—#090 Joe Bushnell

Tacoma, WA 98407 206/752-5399 206/473-2003

West Virginia—#023 Leo Misagi

Daniels, WV 25832 304/763-2591 304/255-0451

Wisconsin/Michigan—#052 Fred L. Jenner

Eau Claire, WI 54703 715/834-0427 715/835-3181

Charlotte George PO Box 866

‎Lad du Flambu Lac du Flambeau‎, WI 54538

Wisconsin Southern—#092 Patty Kubala

Cedarburg, WI 53012 414/377-5623

Harold R. Moe

Holmen, WI 54636 608/526-4118

Wyoming—#081 William E. Moore

Newcastle, WY 82701 307/746-4932 307/746-2717/2269

A. Dale Whiteman PO Box 540, 282 Grass Valley

Evanston, WY 82930 307/789-0238

Harlem Renaissance gala in Chattanooga has Bahá’í speaker

Dr. John S. Hatcher, a professor of English literature at the University of South Florida in Tampa, was the speaker July 28 as Bahá’ís in Chattanooga, Tennessee, took part in a Harlem Renaissance celebration at the Hunter Museum Auditorium.

Dr. Hatcher’s topic was “Robert Hayden: Black Poet in an Age of Transition.” He is the author of From the Auroral Darkness: The Life and Poetry of Robert Hayden, published in 1984. [Page 26]

More ads

HELP wanted: WLGI Radio invites applications from Bahá’í youth to fill a “Youth Year of Service” volunteer position at the station. All youth, regardless of background or experience, are welcome to apply. The successful applicant will be given a wide variety of responsibilities covering virtually every aspect of station operations including community outreach, audience evaluation, studio production, announcing, program planning and clerical duties as well as participation in the ongoing teaching and consolidation projects at the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute. The non-salaried position will last from about January 1 to December 31, 1986. Interested applicants will have to demonstrate that they have sufficient funds (such as personal savings, deputization from their family, Bahá’í community, or other source) to cover basic living expenses for the year. When writing, please indicate any relevant experience, training or education you have had. A reference from your Bahá’í community would be most helpful. Those who are considering a career in development communications or who are interested in serving Bahá’í radio projects overseas are especially encouraged to apply. The deadline for applications is November 15. Notification of selection will be made by December 1. Apply to the Commission for WLGI, Radio Bahá’í, Dr. Kurt Hein, executive secretary, Hemingway, SC 29554; phone 803-558-2977.

How do we accomplish most tasks in the Faith? By finding someone to volunteer to do them. But . . .

• have we chosen the right person for the right job?
• are we using all of the talents of those people who are available to us?
• should we be training people to do certain jobs; i.e., administrative, teaching, program planning, etc.?
• do we adequately demonstrate appreciation for the efforts of our volunteers?

WE ARE A VAST VOLUNTEER ENTERPRISE BUT ARE WE DOING THE JOB RIGHT?

The House of Worship Activities Committee is pleased to invite any Bahá’í who feels that he or she could benefit from understanding better the art of volunteer administration to attend a unique, two-day conference at the Mother Temple of the West.

Learn from professionals in the field as well as be able to exchange ideas about incentives, training, evaluation and recognition of volunteers. The conference will include guest speakers, workshops, and many surprises. The keynote speaker will be Ms. Betty Cook, director of volunteer services, Evanston Hospital, and president of the Council of Directors of Hospital Volunteers.

Space is limited, so please complete and return this registration form as quickly as possible.

Bahá’í Volunteer Conference Bahá’í House of Worship November 23-24, 1985

Name ____________________________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________________ City _____________________________ State ______________ Zip _______________ Telephone_____________________

I wish reservations at the North Shore Hilton Hotel for: _____ One Night (23rd)         _____ Two Nights (22nd & 23rd) _____ I wish a private room         _____ I will share a room (Room Rate: $49.00 per night total cost - 1 or 2 occupants)

Further information will be sent upon receipt of your registration form. Return to: Bahá’í House of Worship Activities Office, Wilmette, IL 60091.

PERU urgently needs pioneer replacements. A family must return to the U.S. but would like to sell their English Center or accept a partner/manager arrangement for running the school. No special training is needed, although a university degree is required. The income is sufficient for a couple to live on, and the Center serves as the site of many Bahá’í activities. Please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

The AMOZ Gibson Project needs material items such as office equipment which can be obtained with S&H Green Stamps. In cooperation with A&P-Wanblee, I am collecting Green Stamps, either in books or loose. If you would like to contribute your stamps to this worthy cause, please send them to Bisbee, AZ 85603.

SCOUTS, Scout leaders, educators, LEAP coordinators: a religious emblem program is being developed. Anyone interested in collaborating in this project is encouraged to contact Mim Nelson, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 (phone 714-496-0941).

“HANDS ON!,” a workbook of Bahá’í educational activities for children by Sandy and Alonzo Coleman and Diane Bogolub Petit is available from the Louhelen Bahá’í School. Included are more than 100 practical activities, 178 pages, 80 photos of activities described in the text along with sample record-keeping forms and reproducible activities. The cost, including a three-ring binder, handling and shipping, is $19 (for orders within the U.S. only). Write to the Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423. Phone orders with VISA or MasterCard accepted at 313-653-5033.

WESTERN Samoa needs a biology instructor at the National University. A master’s degree in biology is preferred, but a bachelor’s degree may be sufficient. For more information, contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

JEWELRY designers and artists. A design is needed for a Bahá’í religious emblem program that is being developed for presentation to qualifying Scouts and Bahá’í children. For more information, please contact Mim Nelson, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 (phone 714-496-0941).

KIDS can teach too! And do! If you’re a person age 14 or under (or know of a child who has taught the Faith) write and tell me about the experience. These experiences might include travel teaching trips, pioneering, Holy Day activities, or teaching experiences around the home. With enough responses, there may be a book with your story in it! I’m interested in (1) kids teaching adults (ages 15 and up) who then enroll as Bahá’ís; (2) kids teaching kids; and (3) kids’ ideas about how to teach. Write to Gail Radley, Clarksville, VA 23927.

A COURSE on “The Great Adventure” by Florence Mayberry, a former Counsellor member of the International Teaching Centre, is available on audio tape. The course examines the responsibilities and obligations of the individual and how one fulfills them, setting goals, and the nature of soul, mind and spirit. Five tapes, $25. Write Reflections, Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423, or phone 313-653-5033. VISA or MasterCard accepted.

Trust to release new Hidden Words

A reprint of The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh in both hardcover and softcover editions is being released by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust and will be available through the Bahá’í Distribution Service by late October.

A distinctive feature of the reprint is a change in the headings at the top of the pages. “From the Arabic” or “From the Persian” will appear at the top of the right-hand pages, making it easier to locate a particular Hidden Word.

Another distinctive new feature is the use of more durable cover material. The new hardcover edition, matching the hardcover Gleanings, is bound in maroon and embossed with a nine-pointed star. Its title is stamped in gold.

The new softcover edition, bound in red, matches the pocket-sized edition of Gleanings.

The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh is one of the most significant volumes of the Bahá’í Revelation. As well as being an important addition to your library, the new edition makes a lovely gift for new Bahá’ís and friends of the Faith.

The new hardcover edition is priced at $6, the softcover at $3.50. [Page 27]Pictured are some of the performers at a Bahá’í-sponsored ‘Peace and Friendship Festival’ held July 28 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Nearly 100 people attended including about 40 non-Bahá’ís.

Nearly 100 including 40 non-Bahá’ís at Pawtucket ‘Peace, Friendship Festival’

A Bahá’í “Peace and Friendship Festival” capped a weekend of teaching and proclamation July 27-28 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

Nearly 100 people including about 40 non-Bahá’ís (among them a newspaper reporter and photographer) attended the festival which included talks, several performing groups, and a cook-out.

The teaching event, described as “the largest in the history” of Pawtucket, was supported by Bahá’ís from Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Hundreds of Bahá’í pamphlets were given out during three hours of teaching Saturday afternoon in several areas of Pawtucket.

Performers at Sunday’s festival included Annette Fisher, “Swan,” Bill Fagan, Providencia Lord, folk singer Rose Paulson, and the New World Generation.

Six seekers attended a Sunday evening fireside.

The festival was publicized by articles and ads in two local newspapers and by spots on radio and television.

Stockman

Continued From Page 15

Cerrito, San Francisco, the Bosch Bahá’í School, and Los Angeles, California; and a final stop at the Green Acre Bahá’í School, in Eliot, Maine.

Highlights of the trip included the presentation of his book to the Redding, California, library and to the owner of a Redding bookstore that stocks a number of Bahá’í books; two interviews with a cable TV station in San Francisco; a visit to the grave of Thornton Chase, the first Bahá’í in North America; and a meeting with two of Mr. Chase’s non-Bahá’í descendants who filled in some historical details about the Chase family.

Another important aspect of the trip was speaking with Bahá’ís about their own local history.

“Many people said they never realized how important it is to keep records of their Bahá’í communities,” says Mr. Stockman.

“I urged them to be thorough and frank when preserving their recollections and not to cover up negative details.

“If we portray the Faith as having been perfect in the past, we will compare this to the present day and feel that the Faith has gone downhill. It’s important to remember the struggles that we go through as our community grows.”

Mr. Stockman’s book depicts some of the struggles and triumphs of the earliest Bahá’í communities in North America. To order The Bahá’í Faith in America: Origins, 1892-1900, see the coupon on Page 14.

Bahá’í poet given 88th birthday tribute after 1st book released

About 50 people gathered August 25 in Newtown, Pennsylvania, to honor Helen Underhill, a Bahá’í from Newtown who is the author of God Speaks and Other Poems, her first book.

The celebration was held on Mrs. Underhill’s 88th birthday in the social room at Friends Village, a Quaker retirement community where she resides.

Mrs. Underhill, a retired Philadelphia school teacher, has spent the last quarter-century spreading the Bahá’í message, traveling throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

She has been writing poetry since she was a young girl, and as a teen-ager helped edit her father, Irwin Underhill’s, first book, Daddy’s Love and Other Poems.

UN body OKs move to place Iran before General Assembly

On May 30, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) endorsed Resolution 1985/39 of the Commission on Human Rights in which the Commission decided to place the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran on the General Assembly’s agenda.

The Commission, at its meeting earlier this year in Geneva, Switzerland, had decided to renew the mandate of its Special Representative and to request him “... to present an interim report to the General Assembly at its 40th session on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the situation of minority groups such as the Bahá’ís ...”

Only the gravest human rights situations are brought specifically to the attention of the General Assembly, and it is only rarely that this step is taken.

Throughout the entire history of the UN, only three countries—Chile, El Salvador and Guatemala—have previously been the subject of resolutions by the General Assembly because of their human rights violations.

“We welcome the decision,” said Gerald Knight, a representative of the Bahá’í International Community to the UN, “and are grateful for the concern which the Economic and Social Council has demonstrated for the plight of our persecuted fellow-believers in Iran.

“In particular,” he added, “we greatly appreciate the fact that the situation of the Bahá’ís will now be brought specifically to the attention of the General Assembly.”

Raleigh conference on development set

The Spiritual Assembly of Raleigh, North Carolina, is sponsoring a conference November 23-24 on “Social and Economic Development—Laying the Foundation.”

Featured speakers will include Auxiliary Board member Sam McClellan and Peter Oldziey.

A children’s conference will be held simultaneously.

Registration for the conference at the Holiday Inn North includes conference materials and Saturday’s lunch.

Advance registration is $19 for adults, $5 for children. After November 8, it is $26 for adults, $8 for children.

Lodging is available at the conference site at $35 per room per night for 1-4 people. Limited hospitality is available on a first-come, first-served basis, and must be arranged in advance.

For registration information, contact the Spiritual Assembly of Raleigh (Attention: Conference), P.O. Box 51194, Raleigh, NC 27609, or phone 919-847-2885 after 6 p.m. Eastern time.

COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS RESOLUTION 1985/39

1985/39. Human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran 110/

The Commission on Human Rights,

Guided by the principles embodied in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Human Rights,

Reaffirming that all Member States have an obligation to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms and to fulfill the obligations they have undertaken under the various international instruments in this field,

Recalling its resolutions 1982/27 of 11 March 1982 and 1983/34 of 8 March 1983,

Recalling in particular its resolution 1984/54 of 14 March 1984, in which the Commission expressed deep concern at the continuing serious violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Islamic Republic of Iran as reflected in the report of the Secretary-General, 111/ and particularly at the evidence of summary and arbitrary executions, torture, detention without trial, religious intolerance and persecution, in particular of the Bahá’ís, and the lack of an independent judiciary and other recognized safeguards for a fair trial, and requested the appointment of a special representative,

Mindful of resolutions 1983/14 of 5 September 1983 and 1984/14 of 29 August 1984 of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, in which the Sub-Commission expressed alarm at reports of continuing gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Islamic Republic of Iran,

Taking note of relevant sections in the report of the Special Rapporteur on summary or arbitrary executions, 112/

Welcoming the appointment of Mr. Andrés Aguilar as Special Representative of the Commission with a mandate to establish contacts with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and to make a thorough study of the human rights situation in that country in accordance with Commission resolution 1984/54,

Noting that the time available to the Special Representative did not permit him to make the thorough study requested by the Commission,

Regretting that the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has not yet extended its cooperation to the Commission on Human Rights and its Special Representative,

Taking into account the number and gravity of the alleged violations of human rights to which the Special Representative refers in his preliminary report, 113/

1. Thanks the Special Representative for his preliminary report;

2. Endorses the general observations of the Special Representative contained in his preliminary report, in particular the conclusion that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Human Rights contain norms which represent universal standards of conduct for all peoples and all nations;

3. Expresses its deep concern at the number and gravity of the alleged violations of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran to which the Special Representative refers in his preliminary report, and, in particular, those related to the right to life, the right to freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the right to liberty and security of person and to freedom from arbitrary arrest or detention, the right to a fair trial, the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and to freedom of expression and the right of religious minorities to profess and practice their own religion;

4. Urges once again the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as a State party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to respect and ensure to all individuals within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction the rights recognized in that Covenant;

5. Decides to extend the mandate of the Special Representative, as contained in Commission resolution 1984/54, for one year and requests him to present an interim report to the General Assembly at its 40th session on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the situation of minority groups such as the Bahá’ís, and a final report to the Commission at its 42nd session;

6. Urges the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to extend its cooperation to the Special Representative of the Commission;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to give all necessary assistance to the Special Representative of the Commission;

8. Decides to continue its consideration of the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Islamic Republic of Iran as a matter of priority at its 42nd session. [Page 28]

Bahá’í Distribution Service Price List

1 October 1985 1

Bahá’í Distribution Service 415 Linden Avenue Wilmette, IL 60091 800-323-1880 312-251-1854 (in Illinois)

Price List 1 October 1985

Explanations of abbreviations and symbols

* = On Order	LT = Lightweight Edition
# = Net (no discount)	PA = Pamphlet
CA = Calendar	PER = Persian
CS = Cassette	PP = Photograph or Lithograph
FD = Folder	PR = Poster
GM = Game	PS = Pocket-sized Edition
HC = Hardcover	SC = Softcover
LP = Record	SPN = Spanish
VT = Videotape

Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and the Universal House of Justice

Title	Type	Price
‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London	HC	$13.50
Advent of Divine Justice	HC	12.00
Advent of Divine Justice	SC	8.00
Call to the Nations	HC	6.00
Citadel of Faith	HC	12.00
Constitution: Universal House of Justice	SC	1.50
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf	HC	11.00
Foundations of World Unity	HC	10.00
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh	HC	14.25
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh	SC	8.00
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh	PS	3.75
Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh	HC	6.00
Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh	SC	3.50
Kitáb-i-Íqán	HC	14.25
Kitáb-i-Íqán	PS	3.75
Light of Divine Guidance	HC	21.00
Light of Divine Guidance, Volume 2	HC	14.00
Memorials of the Faithful	HC	10.00
Messages to the Bahá’í World	HC	10.00
Messages from the Universal House of Justice	HC	9.00
Messages from the Universal House of Justice	SC	4.00
Paris Talks	SC	5.00
Prayers and Meditations--British Edition	HC	11.00
Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh	HC	7.50
Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh	SC	3.00
Promise of World Peace--Presentation Edition	SC	3.00
Promise of World Peace--Study Edition	SC	.75
Promised Day Is Come	HC	8.00
Promulgation of Universal Peace	HC	16.00
Secret of Divine Civilization	HC	11.00
Selected Writings of Bahá’u’lláh	HC	10.00
Selected Writings of Bahá’u’lláh	SC	1.00
Selected Writings of Shoghi Effendi	SC	1.00
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá	HC	12.50
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá	SC	6.00
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá	LT	6.00
Selections from the Writings of the Báb	HC	10.00
Selections from the Writings of the Báb	SC	6.00
Seven Year Plan--1981	SC	.50
Some Answered Questions	HC	13.75
Some Answered Questions	PS	3.75
Synopsis and Codification of Kitáb-i-Aqdas	HC	2.50
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh	HC	12.00
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh	LT	6.00
Tablets of the Divine Plan	HC	10.00
Tablets of the Divine Plan	SC	5.00
Traveler’s Narrative	HC	10.00
Traveler’s Narrative	SC	5.00
Unfolding Destiny	HC	43.50*
Wellspring of Guidance	HC	9.00
Wellspring of Guidance	SC	4.00
Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá	SC	1.25
World Order of Bahá’u’lláh	HC	11.00
World Order of Bahá’u’lláh	SC	6.50

Compilations

Title	Type	Price
America’s Spiritual Destiny	SC	5.00
Bahá’í DayBook	SC	3.75*
Bahá’í Education	SC	3.50
Bahá’í Marriage and Family Life	SC	2.75
Bahá’í Meetings/the 19 Day Feast	SC	2.00
Bahá’í Prayers	HC	7.50
Bahá’í Prayers	SC	3.75
Bahá’í Readings	SC	5.50
Bahá’í Readings--Leather	HC	15.00
Bahá’í Writings on Music	SC	2.50
Bahíyyih Khánum: Greatest Holy Leaf	HC	10.00
Bahíyyih Khánum: Greatest Holy Leaf	SC	5.00
Centers of Bahá’í Learning	SC	1.50
Consultation Compilation	SC	1.50
Continental Boards of Counselors	SC	3.00
Days to Remember	SC	7.00
Death: The Messenger of Joy	SC	3.00
Desire of the World	SC	5.25
Excellence in All Things	SC	2.00
Importance of Deepening	SC	2.00
Individual and Teaching	SC	1.50
Inspiring the Heart	HC	9.00
Inspiring the Heart	SC	4.25
Lights of Guidance	HC	20.00*
Living the Life	SC	2.00
Local Spiritual Assembly	SC	.50
Mighty River	SC	.50
National Spiritual Assembly	SC	1.00
Pattern of Bahá’í Life	SC	2.00
Power of Divine Assistance	SC	2.00
Principles of Bahá’í Administration	SC	4.00
Quickeners of Mankind	SC	1.00
Special Measure of Love	SC	1.00
Spiritual Foundations	SC	1.00
Universal House of Justice	SC	3.50
Unrestrained As the Wind	SC	7.95*
Unto Him Shall We Return	SC	7.95
Waging Peace	SC	7.95
Words of God	SC	1.00

General Titles

Title	Type	Price
All Flags Flying	HC	20.00
All Flags Flying	SC	10.00
Another Song, Another Season	SC	2.00
Báb: Herald of the Day of Days	HC	11.95
Bahá’í Challenge	CM	20.00#
Bahá’í Faith in America: 1892-1900	HC	19.95
Bahá’í Faith: The Emerging Global Religion	HC	14.95
Bahá’í Faith--Perkins and ‎Haynesworth Hainsworth‎	SC	2.00*
Bahá’í Faith: The Spirit Way	SC	2.00
Bahá’í Focus on Human Rights	SC	3.50
Bahá’í Proofs	HC	16.00
Bahá’í Studies Notebook: Conference on Health	SC	6.50
Bahá’í Studies Notebook: Development	SC	6.50
Bahá’í Studies Notebook: Health	SC	6.50
Bahá’í Studies Notebook: Marriage	SC	6.50
Bahá’í Studies 2: Science & Religion	SC	5.00
Bahá’í Studies 6: Violence-Free Society	SC	5.00
Bahá’í Studies 12/13: Persecution 1844-1984	SC	5.00
Bahá’í World Volumes 1-12 (set)	HC	200.00#
Bahá’í World: Volume 1 (I)	HC	11.00
Bahá’í World: Volume 2 (II)	HC	15.00
Bahá’í World: Volume 3 (III)	HC	15.00
Bahá’í World: Volume 4 (IV)	HC	20.00
Bahá’í World: Volume 5 (V)	HC	26.00
Bahá’í World: Volume 6 (VI)	HC	26.00
Bahá’í World: Volume 7 (VII)	HC	27.00
Bahá’í World: Volume 8 (VIII)	HC	27.00
Bahá’í World: Volume 9 (IX)	HC	27.00
Bahá’í World: Volume 10 (X)	HC	25.00
Bahá’í World: Volume 11 (XI)	HC	25.00
Bahá’í World: Volume 12 (XII)	HC	26.00
Bahá’í World: Volume 13 (XIII)	HC	27.00
Bahá’í World: Volume 14 (XIV)	HC	16.00
Bahá’í World: Volume 15 (XV)	HC	17.50
Bahá’í World: Volume 16 (XVI)	HC	20.00
Bahá’í World: Volume 17 (XVII)	HC	22.50
Bahá’u’lláh: King of Glory	HC	24.00
Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era	HC	10.00
Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era	SC	2.50
Bahá’u’lláh: The Word Made Flesh	SC	3.95
Christ and Bahá’u’lláh	SC	2.95
Circle of Unity	SC	9.95
Commentary: Will & Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá	SC	2.25
Consultation: Lamp of Guidance	HC	9.95
Consultation: Lamp of Guidance	SC	4.95
Crown of Beauty	SC	9.75
Daily Lessons Received at ‘Akká	SC	6.00
Dawn-Breakers--British Edition	HC	14.00
Dawn Over Mount Hira	HC	4.50
Dawn Over Mount Hira	SC	2.00
Dawning Place	HC	20.00
Dawning Place	SC	12.00
Dawning Place of the Pacific	SC	8.00
Declaration of Trust and By-Laws of NSA/LSA	SC	1.00
Deepening Packet for New Believers	FD	4.00
Diary of Juliet Thompson	SC	9.95
Door of Hope	SC	9.75
E. G. Browne and the Bahá’í Faith	HC	12.95
Earth Is But One Country	SC	8.00
Fire and Blood	SC	7.95
For the Good of Mankind	HC	10.95
For the Good of Mankind	SC	4.95
Fortress for Well-Being--Gift Edition	HC	12.00
Four on an Island	SC	4.50
From the Auroral Darkness	HC	23.50
From the Auroral Darkness	SC	9.95
From Copper to Gold	HC	15.95
From Copper to Gold	SC	7.95
From Discontent	HC	13.95
From Discontent	SC	5.95
From Strength to Strength	SC	2.00
George Townshend	SC	9.50
God Loves Laughter	SC	5.50
He Loved and Served	SC	6.50
Heart of the Gospel	SC	2.75
Imperishable Dominion	SC	8.75
In Galilee	SC	7.95
In Search of Nirvana	HC	6.95
In Search of Nirvana	SC	3.50
Iran’s Secret Pogrom	SC	3.50
Khadíjih Bagum: Wife of the Báb	SC	3.75
Khánum: The Greatest Holy Leaf	SC	2.75
Letters & Essays: Mirza Abu’l-Fadl	HC	11.95
Lidia: Daughter of Esperanto	HC	15.95
Lidia: Daughter of Esperanto	SC	11.95
Light of Bahá’u’lláh	SC	2.50
Light Shineth in Darkness	HC	10.95
March of the Institutions	SC	3.50
Mark Tobey: Art and Belief	SC	8.95
Martha Root: Herald of the Kingdom	HC	16.00
Martha Root: Lioness at the Threshold	HC	21.00
Martha Root: Lioness at the Threshold	SC	14.00
Memories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá	HC	10.00
Memories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá	SC	6.00
Miracles and Metaphors	SC	8.95
Mission of Bahá’u’lláh	HC	8.95
Mothers, Fathers, and Children	SC	6.95
My Memories of Bahá’u’lláh	SC	8.95
Mystery of God	HC	16.00
Other People, Other Places	HC	13.75
Phoenix and the Ashes	SC	4.95
Portals to Freedom	SC	6.50
Power of the Covenant, Part 1	SC	2.00
Power of the Covenant, Part 2	SC	2.00
Power of the Covenant, Part 3	SC	2.00
Prescription for Living	HC	4.75
Priceless Pearl	SC	5.00
Promise of All Ages	HC	8.95
Promise of All Ages	SC	2.75
Religion for Mankind	SC	4.95
Renewal of Civilization	SC	2.50
Response	SC	4.95
Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Volume 1	HC	15.95
Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Volume 1	SC	9.75
Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Volume 3	HC	18.50
Seven Martyrs of Hurmuzak	HC	8.50
Seven Martyrs of Hurmuzak	SC	2.50
Shell and the Pearl	SC	2.50
Shí‘ih Islám: An Introduction	HC	25.00
Shí‘ih Islám: An Introduction	SC	15.00
Shoghi Effendi: Recollections	HC	14.95
Some Bahá’ís to Remember	SC	7.50
Some Early Bahá’ís of the West	HC	12.95
Song Celestial	HC	7.50
Stories from the Delight of Hearts	HC	9.00
Story As Told	SC	4.50
Story of Mona	SC	5.00
Story of My Heart	SC	5.00
Studies in Bábí and Bahá’í History	HC	19.95
Studies in Bábí and Bahá’í History, Vol. 2	HC	19.95
Sudden Music	HC	11.95
Táhirih the Pure	HC	10.95
Teaching the Bahá’í Faith	HC	10.75
Teaching the Bahá’í Faith	SC	4.35
Ten Days in the Light of ‘Akká	SC	6.00
These Perspicuous Verses	SC	4.50
Thief in the Night	HC	7.50
Thief in the Night	SC	3.95
To Move the World	HC	8.50
239 Days	HC	10.00
Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá	SC	5.95
When We Grow Up	SC	3.95
Wine of Astonishment	SC	2.75
Witness of Pebbles	SC	5.95
Youth in the Vanguard	HC	10.00

Children and Youth

Title	Type	Price
Ali’s Dream	HC	10.95
Ali’s Dream	SC	5.95
Anthology for the Bahá’í Child	SC	3.00*
B. J. and the Language of the Woodland	SC	3.95
Bahá’í Prayers and Tablets for the Young	SC	5.00
Birth of the Bahá’í Faith	SC	1.00
Diamond in the Darkness	SC	3.50
Dragons of Rizvania	HC	8.95
Fly Away Home	SC	5.00
From Behind the Veil	SC	3.75
I Am a Bahá’í!--Sunflower Set 2	SC	5.95
Magnified Be Thy Name	HC	5.50
Mullá Husayn	SC	3.50
My Baby Book	HC	5.00
My Name is Nabil	HC	6.00
Nine Holy Days	SC	3.50
O God, My God	HC	6.00
Quddús	SC	3.50
Refuge and the Cave	SC	5.50
Remember My Days	SC	4.50
Remember the Rainbow	SC	3.95
Second Birth	SC	4.50
Secret in the Garden	HC	4.50
Secret in the Garden	SC	2.75
Special Strengths	SC	4.50
Spotlessly Leopard	SC	3.75
Stories of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá	SC	4.50
Sunflower Books--Set 1	SC	3.50
Sunshine Tree	SC	2.75
Táhirih	SC	3.50
Wonderlamp	HC	12.95
Zahra’s Search	SC	3.25

Foreign Language

Title	Type	Price
PER/ARA: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh	HC	21.50

[Page 29]

Bahá’í Distribution Service Price List — 1 October 1985

Code	Title	Type	Price
PER:	The Advent of Divine Justice	HC	4.25
PER:	Amr Va Khalq	HC	14.00
PER:	Badayi’u’l Athar I	HC	11.00
PER:	Bahá’í Faith Not Political	SC	4.00
PER:	Bahá’í Life	SC	1.50
PER:	Children’s Prayer Book	HC	7.95
PER:	Epistle to the Son of the Wolf	HC	20.00
PER:	Fire and Light	HC	17.50
PER:	Garden of Truth	HC	1.50
PER:	Gleanings	HC	11.00
PER:	Glimpses of Hope	SC	9.95
PER:	Glorification and Praise	HC	12.95
PER:	Golzar-i-Ta’alim-i-Bahá’í	HC	6.00
PER:	History of the Martyrs of Yazd	HC	12.95
PER:	Kitáb-i-Íqán	HC	10.50
PER:	Memoirs of 9 Years in ‘Akká	HC	15.95
PER:	The Nine Days	HC	17.95
PER:	Prayers of Bahá’u’lláh	HC	8.95
PER:	Prayers of Shoghi Effendi	HC	2.50
PER:	Principles of the Bahá’í Faith	SC	2.50
PER:	Secret of Divine Civilization	SC	4.00*
PER:	Selected Letters of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá	HC	8.00
PER:	Selected Letters of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá	SC	5.00
PER:	Selected Letters of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Vol. 2	HC	6.00
PER:	Selected Writings of the Báb	HC	15.00
PER:	Synopsis/Codification of Kitáb-i-Aqdas	HC	2.50
PER:	Tablet of Ahmad	HC	12.00
PER:	Tablets/Bahá’u’lláh After Kitáb-i-Aqdas	HC	19.95
PER:	Tablets for the Departed	HC	16.00
PER:	Tablets of the Divine Plan	SC	1.80
PER:	Traces of the Supreme Pen	HC	9.95
PER:	U.H.J. Messages to Iran	SC	4.50
SPN:	Advenimiento de Justicia Divina	SC	3.75
SPN:	Asamblea Espiritual Nacional	SC	3.00
SPN:	Bahá’u’lláh y La Nueva Era	SC	3.00
SPN:	Christo y Bahá’u’lláh	SC	3.00
SPN:	Constitución: Casa Universal de Justicia	SC	5.00
SPN:	Datos Basicos	PA	.10
SPN:	El Día Prometido Ha Llegado	SC	4.50
SPN:	La Dispensación de Bahá’u’lláh	SC	3.75
SPN:	Estudio-Escritos Bahá’ís	SC	4.00
SPN:	La Fe Bahá’í Teaching Booklet	SC	1.50
SPN:	La Hoja Mas Sagrada	SC	9.00
SPN:	Kitáb-i-Íqán	SC	5.50
SPN:	On Becoming a Bahá’í	SC	1.25
SPN:	Oraciones Bahá’ís	SC	3.75
SPN:	Oraciones y Meditaciones	SC	6.00
SPN:	Palabras de Dios	SC	.30
SPN:	Palabras Ocultas	SC	2.00
SPN:	Pasajes-Escritos De Bahá’u’lláh	SC	7.00
SPN:	Poder De Asistencia Divina	SC	1.00
SPN:	Principios Administ Bahá’í	SC	4.50
SPN:	Quienes Dios Confia	PA	.50
SPN:	El Regalo	HC	2.00
SPN:	Renovación De Civilización	SC	3.00
SPN:	La Sabiduría de ‘Abdu’l-Bahá	SC	4.75
SPN:	Sinopsis y Codificación Kitáb-i-Aqdas	SC	3.50
SPN:	Tablas de Bahá’u’lláh	SC	6.00

Promise of Disarmament and Peace	SC	1.00
Prophecy Fulfilled, Pkg of 10	PA	4.50

Videotapes and Recordings

Apostles of Bahá’u’lláh	CS	7.00
Ark of Destiny Videotape—Beta	VT	35.00#
Ark of Destiny Videotape—VHS	VT	35.00#
Bahá’í Faith: Unity in Diversity—Beta	VT	35.00#
Bahá’í Faith: Unity in Diversity—VHS	VT	35.00#
Because We Love the Faith...Collins/Baker	CS	7.00
Education/Trustees Videotape—Beta	VT	40.00#
Education/Trustees Videotape—VHS	VT	40.00#
Farewell Address...Glenford Mitchell	CS	2.25
Flight	LP	4.00
Foundations of Learning	CS	7.00
Happy Ayyám-i-Há	LP	4.00
If You Only Knew	CS	7.00
In the Days of the Guardian...Ioas	CS	7.00
In His Presence...Samandari	CS	7.00
Legacies of Service—Set of 5	CS	30.00
Light of Bahá’u’lláh—Set of 18	CS	74.50#
Lote Tree	LP	4.00
Loving Hands	CS	8.00
"Mona" Music Video—Beta	VT	45.00#
"Mona" Music Video—VHS	VT	45.00#
My Only Desire...Alexander	CS	7.00
Spiritual Teachings, Light of Bahá’u’lláh	CS	9.00
Strengthening Administrative Order...Holley	CS	7.00
Triumph of Cause...Balyuzi	CS	7.00
Unity in Diversity	CS	7.50
Visit With the Master...True	CS	7.00
We Are Bahá’ís	CS	7.00
We Are One	CS	8.50

Photographs, Calendars & Posters

‘Abdu’l-Bahá Color Lithograph, 11" X 14"	PP	10.00
‘Abdu’l-Bahá Color Lithograph, 5" X 7"	PP	4.00
‘Abdu’l-Bahá Lithograph, 10.5" X 15"	PP	2.50
‘Abdu’l-Bahá Lithographs, Set of 7	PP	5.00
Bahá’í Datebook 143 B.E.	CA	2.00
Bahá’í Pocket Calendar 1986, Pkg of 10	CA	1.85
Bahá’í Wall Calendar 143 B.E.	CA	1.25
Greatest Name, 3" X 4", Black, Pkg of 10	PP	1.50
Greatest Name, 8" X 10", Silver	PR	2.50
Seat of Universal House of Justice	PR	3.00
Wilmette House of Worship	PR	1.00

Ordering Instructions

To process your order, the Distribution Service needs your name and address and a daytime telephone number. For each item ordered you must give the quantity, title and type (HC, SC, CS, etc.). Since stock numbers are no longer used in ordering books, it is essential that the type of item be included.

Payment must accompany orders from individuals. You may pay by check, money order, VISA or MasterCard. When paying by check or money order, include 10 per cent for postage and indicate if you prefer fourth class mail or United Parcel Service (UPS does not deliver to post office boxes).

Fourth class mail is not insured, and the Distribution Service cannot accept responsibility for lost shipments unless the loss is due to an error on our part. VISA and MasterCard orders should include the full account number and the date of expiration of the card. Credit card orders may be placed over the phone on our toll-free line, 1-800-323-1880.

Order forms for new and selected items appear each month in The American Bahá’í.

Pamphlets, Cards and Folders

Bahá’í Answers, Pkg of 10	PA	2.50
Bahá’í Faith Presentation File Folder	PD	.50
Bahá’í Faith Teaching Booklet, Pkg of 10	PA	14.00
Building a Unified Community, Pkg of 10	PA	3.00
Communion With God—Large Type	SC	1.50
Divine Law: Source of Human Rights, Pkg of 10	PA	3.25
God’s Great Plan	SC	2.00
God’s Message, Pkg of 10	PA	1.00
In Search of Supreme Talisman, Pkg of 10	PA	3.00
Meaning of Worship, Pkg of 10	PA	3.00
Message of Bahá’u’lláh, Pkg of 10	PA	3.00
Open Door with Envelope, Pkg of 10	PA	7.50
Peace Pamphlet, 10 Assorted	PA	2.00#
Peace Pamphlets, 100 Assorted	PA	10.00#
Peace Pamphlets: More Than End to War, Pkg/50	PA	7.50#
Peace Pamphlets: Oneness of Religion, Pkg/50	PA	7.50#
Peace Pamphlets: Race Unity, Pkg of 50	PA	7.50#
Peace Pamphlets: World Government, Pkg of 50	PA	7.50#

A new compilation from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust

unrestrained as the wind

A Life Dedicated to Bahá’u’lláh

...will challenge us to vindicate the sacrifices of the Bahá’ís in Iran by integrating

• Bahá’í service and family responsibilities
• Educational pursuits and teaching the Faith
• Developing spirituality and excelling in our work
• Interpersonal relationships and Building the New World Order

191 pages softcover only ‎795 7.95‎*

Available from Bahá’í Distribution Service

Available from Bahá’í Distribution Service, Wilmette, IL USA at $7.95 plus 10% for postage and handling (minimum $1.50). [Page 30]

California conference focuses on ‘nitty-gritty’ social issues

"Are you for or against prayer in schools?"

"Who are you going to vote for this year? Are you a Republican or Democrat?"

"ARE YOU going to march in the next anti-nuclear protest?"

These and other challenging questions were posed to Bahá’ís at a special conference sponsored by the District Teaching Committee of Southern California No. 4.

The conference, titled "A Bahá’í Perspective on Political and Social Issues," was designed to help Bahá’ís answer such questions with a statement of Bahá’í principles, thus turning the question into a teaching opportunity.

On registering, Bahá’ís were given a packet containing, in addition to an agenda, a compilation of quotations from Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá relevant to the topic of the conference, as well as a short bibliography of non-Bahá’í books that deal with these topics and reflect Bahá’í principles.

The friends were also able to purchase copies of the compilation "Political Non-Involvement and Obedience to Government," compiled by Dr. Peter Khan and containing some of the messages of the Guardian and the Universal House of Justice.

ARMED with these references, the friends were challenged to participate in dialogues, panel discussions and other activities throughout the day.

Topics for small group discussions included the nuclear issue, energy, racism, feminism, education and school prayer, politics and elections, and foreign policy.

Besides ascertaining what, if any, principles provided guidance for Bahá’ís on a given issue, the consultation had as its goal the development of two or three questions that could be posed to guest panelists that afternoon.

A panel had been pre-assigned in the morning and had a spirited discussion of topics posed to it by the day’s guest speaker, Judge James F. Nelson, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly.

What emerged most sharply from the conference was, as stated in Judge Nelson’s closing remarks, a realization that there are always basic underlying principles given in the Writings on political and social issues, but that many times it is for the Bahá’ís themselves to seek them out and formulate a position or opinion.

Not only did attendees realize how ill-equipped many of us are to deal with these issues as posed by our non-Bahá’í friends and coworkers, but everyone left feeling better able to seek out answers that could be turned into an opportunity to talk about what Bahá’ís believe.

Meg Algots, a Bahá’í youth from Linn County, Oregon, was twice named Student of the Year at her high school, maintaining a 4.0 grade point average while working at least 20 hours each week cooking, serving and helping in the management of a local restaurant. Besides winning a Presidential scholarship to Portland State University, Meg acquired nine other scholarships and commendations. Among those awards were her designation as an Oregon scholar and receipt of the Presidential Academic Fitness Award.

National Assembly names Chinese Teaching Committee

The National Spiritual Assembly has appointed Albert Cheung of Maryland, Farzam Kamalabadi of Massachusetts, and Peter Neumann of California to the first Chinese Teaching Committee to serve the U.S. Bahá’í community.

The committee, appointed in August, began immediately to formulate plans for its work.

Among the goals committee members will be working toward are raising up Chinese-speaking Bahá’í teachers and increasing the teaching activity among Chinese people in the U.S.

The committee hopes eventually to organize Chinese teaching into a nationwide, unified effort.

The Universal House of Justice "regards it as highly important at this time in the history of the Faith to teach Chinese people wherever they may reside in the world." Both ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi stated the importance of this work.

Chinese people are the single largest ethnic group in the world—more than one-fourth of the world’s population resides on mainland China alone, and there are nearly one million people of Chinese descent in the U.S.

The teaching work among the Chinese at this time is extremely important. Anyone having a particular interest in teaching the Chinese may contact the committee directly through its convenor, Farzam Kamalabadi, at 617-497-6969, or through the National Teaching Committee, 312-869-9039.

Isn’t it funny... how our priorities sometimes get mixed up?

The following article was adapted with permission from the April 1985 issue of "Pulpit Helps," a ministerial magazine published by AgapeForce, Federal Way, Washington, by Janet Tanaka, a Bahá’í who lives in Issaquah.

Isn’t it funny ...

• how $10 looks so big when we give it to the Fund and so small when we take it to the store?
• how hard it is to read a few minutes of the Writings and how easy it is to read a few hundred pages in a best-seller?
• how long an hour of worshipping God at Feast looks and how short 60 minutes seems when we are playing sports, watching TV or having coffee with a neighbor?
• how we can’t think of someone to pray for, but have no trouble thinking of friends to call on the phone?
• how it seems we need two or more weeks to fit a deepening into our busy schedule, but are able to adjust it at the last minute for a social engagement?

Sit down in a quiet place to think about, and even write down the things you think you value most in life.

Regarding money, do I think of it as God’s? Do I ask Him how I should spend it, or do I consider my own desires first?

Does reading the writings take priority before watching TV or involving myself with my trivial busywork?

Do I look forward to worshipping with my brothers and sisters at Feast and prepare myself spiritually beforehand? Do I strive to spend time alone in prayer even when I don’t feel like it?

Do I take seriously the responsibility God has given me to raise my children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, or do I give that responsibility to my spouse (especially if I’m male) or to the Bahá’í school teachers?

After answering these few questions we should know who comes first, ourselves or God.

If God doesn’t come first, then it’s time to make up our minds to stop playing games and start to live the life as we know we should.

Exactly when each day are we going to read from the Creative Word? Exactly what are we going to do each day or week to lead our family spiritually? Exactly when will we pray and share the Creative Word with our children each day?

If we head in the right direction and take the first practical steps to maintain the right priorities, God will help us. And things will never be the same again.

An interactive display was the focus June 29-30 of the Cleveland Heights (Ohio) Bahá’í community’s booth at the Coventry Street Fair. The display involved observers by having them lift a panel for the answers to questions about Bahá’í beliefs on current issues of interest such as world peace, and to identify the symbols associated with various religions. The display, which generated considerable interest, resulted in several phone inquiries and non-Bahá’í attendance at a follow-up fireside.

Sioux City, Iowa, Assembly cooks up new recipe to add ‘spice’ to its agenda

To add "spice" to its agenda and make it more descriptive and thus helpful in consultation, the Spiritual Assembly of Sioux City, Iowa, has given new names to several categories of agenda items.

Following prayers, review of the minutes, and incoming and outgoing correspondence, the Assembly agenda now looks like this:

What’s Cookin’? (committee reports).

Burning Items (must be considered at this meeting).

Crock-pot Items (more than five minutes).

Microwave Items (less than five minutes).

Back-Burner Items (need not be considered at this meeting).

The last item, the Assembly reports, has proved to be an especially good "filing system" for those items that once got lost or buried once it was decided to talk about them "someday."

Air Force Capt. Jill Fish Skelton, a Bahá’í who is pioneering with her husband to Okinawa, has been chosen Outstanding Air Force Intelligence Officer for 1984. She was recently recognized during ceremonies at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida. The citation says she set standards for streamlined reconnaissance intelligence reporting for the U.S. Pacific Air Forces. While in her teens, Mrs. Skelton pioneered to Liberia and The Gambia. She has served on the Spiritual Assembly of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and was a member of the Bahá’í Club at the University of Alabama.

Workers, Anybody?

The following is reprinted from the New Zealand Bahá’í News:

Once upon a time there were four people named Everybody, Somebody, Nobody and Anybody.

When there was an important job to be done, Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

When Nobody did it, Everybody got angry because it was Somebody’s job. Everybody thought that Somebody would do it, but Nobody realized that Nobody would do it.

So it ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done in the first place! [Page 31]

Ten years ago...

... in The American Bahá’í

An article in the American Bahá’í commemorating America’s Bicentennial year draws parallels between the history of the Faith and the history of this country.

Indeed, the article states, the dreams of our founding fathers find their realization in the teachings of the Faith: “America has a spiritual destiny of which its Bahá’í citizens are aware ...” They “want to do all in their power to aid the swift realization of this potential for the future.” ...

The Bicentennial celebrations are providing many opportunities to proclaim the Faith.

Keeping in mind that one of the goals of the Five Year Plan is to reach minority groups, the National Spiritual Assembly is translating its advertisement in the Bicentennial issue of Life magazine into Spanish, Chinese and Estonian.

Also, plans are under way for the Bahá’í National Information Committee to produce special radio tapes and spot announcements focusing on Bahá’í teachings concerning issues relevant to the Bicentennial ...

Local Spiritual Assemblies are exhorted to commemorate the anniversary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh on November 12 by producing a “wave of prayer.”

The International Teaching Centre and Continental Board of Counsellors are calling on Counsellors, the Auxiliary Boards and their assistants to inspire individual believers to intensify their teaching efforts to win the remaining goals of the Five Year Plan ...

“Each One Teach One” conferences are held November 1-2 in Joliet, Illinois, and Brockport, New York.

Addressing the conference in Illinois are the Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem, Counsellor Edna True, and National Spiritual Assembly members Glenford Mitchell and Charlotte Linfoot.

Taking part in the New York conference are Counsellor Sarah Martin Pereira, Auxiliary Board member Peter Khan, and National Assembly member Magdalene Carney ...

Two members of the Universal House of Justice, Hugh Chance and Dr. David Ruhe, and their wives visit with Bahá’ís at the National Center in Wilmette, speaking to capacity audiences September 21 and 28 at the Bahá’í House of Worship ...

Our great privilege National Bahá’í Fund Wilmette, IL 60091

Letters

Continued From Page 3

Finally I became convinced that I was plain crazy; I gave up on finding that secret, and gave up on me.

Then about two years ago I started attending a program for friends and relatives of alcoholics, and shortly afterward came to believe that I am an alcoholic and began working on a program of spiritual recovery designed for alcoholics.

It was slow going; I couldn’t seem to grasp the concepts and principles of the program and internalize them, the same problem I’d had in the Bahá’í Faith.

LAST April a friend suggested that I look at the way I was using sinus medications, and after a long night of prayer and meditation I became convinced that I was at least mentally addicted.

One day of using prayer instead of pills for my headaches convinced me I was also physically addicted.

In the following weeks I went through the classic withdrawal: shakes, sweats, hot and cold flashes, stomach cramps, paranoia, and of course all sorts of sinus problems—which did go away in time.

What many people do not know, as I did not, is that antihistamines are highly addictive, especially for anyone who has used and/or abused other drugs and alcohol.

Over the years I had used many kinds of “replacement” chemicals: pain pills, relaxants, cough syrups (which contain alcohol) and prescriptions from doctors for various ailments.

In the past 14 months I’ve had colds, sinus infections, headaches and bronchitis, and have used nothing but aspirin, vitamin C and chicken soup—and I’m still alive!

I NEVER took a medication for a symptom I didn’t have, but what I’ve learned since is that the addictive personality creates symptoms, believes in all sincerity that they are real, and thereby creates the need for the medication.

Once the spiritual part of our selves can see this, and through prayer and meditation take charge of our human nature and say “no,” the symptoms gradually disappear along with the desire to take the medication.

I am not saying that anyone with a medically diagnosed allergy or a medical problem should suddenly stop taking the medication that keeps him alive.

My purpose rather is to offer this information to any of the friends who may be experiencing the same kinds of pain and frustration that I was living with for 13 years, and to suggest that they take a serious look at the medications they use.

I know I am not unique, and that there are a great many ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ in the U.S. who have grown up as non-‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ in a society that advocates the use of medication for everything that afflicts us.

For me, at least, I have found that the medications were my affliction.

Elizabeth J. Wakeham Shawnee, Oklahoma

Rights removed
The National Spiritual Assembly has removed the administrative rights of Mr. _____ _____ of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, for his involvement in political activities in violation of Bahá’í principles.

Ullrich

Continued From Page 4

believer in Camaguey. Later, the hotel desk clerk also became a member of the Group.

The ninth member to enroll, overcoming the opposition of his family, assured the formation of the Spiritual Assembly of Camaguey.

The Assembly was formed during a time of great political unrest. The three Americans were watched closely by government operatives.

On one occasion a fireside was interrupted by a party of police armed with machine guns. After interrogating those present about the nature of the meeting, they left, but the calmness displayed by the Bahá’ís in the face of such trying circumstances so impressed one of the interrogators that she returned the following day and declared her belief.

A NUMBER of the woman’s relatives also became Bahá’ís. The Faith had taken root in Camaguey.

From Cuba the Ullrichs traveled around the world to spread the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.

After serving as members of the first National Spiritual Assembly of Jamaica they were forced to return to the U.S. in 1963 because of Mrs. Ullrich’s failing health, but continued to travel extensively on teaching trips throughout the Midwest.

At the time of his death on December 16, 1969, Clarence Ullrich was serving as chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Manatee County, Florida. His friendly smile and enthusiastic appreciation of life had won him the deep affection of many.

“...Dearly loved Clarence Ullrich,” wrote the Hand of the Cause Zikrullah Khadem, “is always alive in the Abhá Kingdom and in our hearts.”

To the Editor:

Am I missing the point, or is the detailed reportage of speakers’ names and titles at Bahá’í conferences the real news of said events?

It seems to me that if we wish to avoid the “cult of personality” found in most religions with clergy, as well as society columns and popular magazines, reports should focus on the real content of such conferences, i.e., what was communicated by speakers and participants and its effect on those present rather than the “who’s who” of each event I’ve read about in the last year.

When I read coverage such as that of the Youth Conference (August), I am reminded of the “star” system promoted with enthusiasm by religious and secular salespersons.

Strange bedfellows for the upraisers of the new World Order!

Paula A. Drewek Warren, Michigan

To the Editor:

I cannot but be a little amused at the reports of the recent spiritual victories in Kansas and Ohio, as if somehow these achievements had sprung miraculously out of nowhere.

WITHOUT wishing to detract one iota from the admirable accomplishments of the believers, young and old, in these two instances, let me simply say that I believe these two spectacular manifestations are no accident.

Kansas, for example, was the object of the special solicitude of the National Spiritual Assembly in the 1930s.

A number of distinguished ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ either moved to Kansas at that time or traveled throughout the state teaching and lecturing to groups and gatherings of all kinds and transmitting information to the news media.

I would appreciate it if some ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ with a better, if not a longer, memory than my own—perhaps even a senior Kansas Bahá’í—would recall for our readers the names of some of those early pioneers.

Two such names come to my own mind: Emogene Hoagg (whose study course, “The Three Worlds,” was a notable contribution to Bahá’í literature) and Gayle Woolson, who taught the Faith in Kansas before departing for her pioneer post in Costa Rica.

But there were others. These ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ were the “seed-sowers” who laid the foundation for today’s extraordinary exploits.

I also do not believe, as The American Bahá’í (August) says, that the North American “youth movement” was “born” two years ago at the Louhelen Bahá’í School.

Youth have been in the forefront of service since the days of the Báb. Perhaps the only difference is that whereas formerly they were counted in the hundreds, today they are counted in the thousands.

Let us, in any case, be thankful for the present assistance from the spiritual world which is no doubt making our accomplishments possible.

Wilfrid Barton Cedar, Michigan

In Memoriam

Rayford Adams Bakersfield, CA July 16, 1985	Albert Lee Edgefield, SC January 1985	Gazzal Towfiq Wilmette, IL September 5, 1985
Nadereh Nabil-Akbar Orange, CA June 19, 1985	Toufigh	Sara Little Bull Martin, SD November 1984	Annamie Tucker Eliot, ME May 15, 1985
Mary Anderson Aurora, IL August 4, 1985	John Newcomer Bremerton, WA August 18, 1985	Lottie Weekley Yazoo City, MS Date Unknown
John Berry Burnsville, MN July 3, 1985	Harold Olsen Racine, WI September 3, 1985	Corney Williams Blackville, SC July 1985
Larick Boyer Los Angeles, CA August 6, 1985	Nathaniel Perry Nanticoke, MD Date Unknown	Francis Willis Fresno, CA June 9, 1985
Peggy Bright Walterboro, SC 1983	Magda Polivanov New York, NY January 21, 1985	Frank Winter Huntington Station, NY February 14, 1985
Charlie Cling Canton, MS Date Unknown	Henrietta Rice Wenatchee, WA July 9, 1985	Alexander Horton Princess Anne, MD Date Unknown
Lester B. Duff Pottstown, PA Date Unknown	Carol Rowley Gainesville, FL April 25, 1985	Mamie Humbles Inglewood, CA 1982
James Fulton Kingstree, SC June 27, 1985	Dr. James Shamey Attleboro, MA August 19, 1985	Charlie Hunter Jr. Apex, NC August 10, 1985
Josh Glover Walterboro, SC January 1985	Rickie Tafoya Alameda, CA September 3, 1984	Emily Isaac Walterboro, SC February 1985
Elaine Grant Walterboro, SC July 8, 1985	Greg Thompson Sioux Falls, SD December 8, 1984	Kenneth Johnson Chicago, IL February 13, 1985
Harold Holmes El Paso, TX Date Unknown	Eduardo Torres Cashion, AZ February 18, 1984	Helen Jones Twenty Nine Palms, CA July 9, 1985

[Page 32]

Ads

for weekend conferences and week-long sessions, developing curricula and child education materials, ordering materials and supplies when needed, and planning and coordinating teacher training programs. It calls for a person who is able to consult and work well with others, who is patient and easy-going and who loves children. Experience in teaching Bahá’í children's classes is needed; experience with Bahá’í summer and winter sessions is preferred. This is a volunteer position and requires someone with an independent income of at least $5,000 a year. Free housing is provided. The position would be ideal for a retired teacher. Someone who would be willing to take a part-time teaching job in the area and devote about 20 hours per week during the school year and 40 hours per week during the summer would also be suitable. Applicants may send a curriculum vitae to the Louhelen Child Education Committee, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423, or phone 313-653-5033.

PARENTS, writers, artists: Would you like to lend your talents to the Spiritual Mothering Journal—a quarterly Bahá’í-oriented publication dedicated to the spiritual advancement of the family and civilization? The Journal is entering its sixth year and enjoys an international circulation. Please send us your inspirations (articles, drawings, poems, anecdotes). Subscriptions are $7 a year; sample issues are $2 each. For more information, contact Rene Knight-Weiler, Gresham, OR 97030.

THE NATIONAL Bahá’í Archives is seeking to identify Bahá’ís who are professional librarians in the Midwest with the intent of compiling a small resource file to assist in networking. Interested persons should send a resumé to the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

1985 REFLECTIONS catalog listing tapes, books, "Mankind Is One" sweatshirts and T-shirts, and other Bahá’í-related materials is available at no charge from the Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423. Phone 313-653-5033.

NIGERIA needs a financial controller to work with a management consulting firm. The annual salary is $39,000 U.S. and includes free accommodations and generous vacation and benefits. Applicants must be certified accountants with at least three years experience in the field. Contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

TRAVELING teachers are needed in Belgium, Portugal and the islands of the Azores and Madeira, off the coast of Portugal. The greatest need is for deepening and consolidation. If you can help these overseas communities, please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

THE LOUHELEN Residential College is accepting applications for September 1986 enrollment. Twenty-six students will be accepted into the program which will combine formal study of the Faith with degree-earning studies at one of two nearby colleges. Enrollment is limited so write now for an application and more details: Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423 (phone 313-653-5033).

A REGIONAL program coordinator for environmental programs is needed in Fiji, a goal country. Applicants must have a post-graduate degree in resource management or environmental science and at least six years experience in environmental planning and management. Experience of some kind in the Pacific would also be an advantage. If you wish to apply, please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. Phone 312-869-9039.

HOMEFRONT pioneers—help save the jeopardized Assembly of Beulah, Colorado, a small residential village in the foothills 25 miles southwest of Pueblo. Altitude, 6,500 feet; mountains, pine trees, greenery! Reasonable commute to Pueblo offers a university, community college, many job possibilities. For more information, please contact Dave Van Manen, Beulah, CO 81023 (phone 303-485-3191).

PIONEERS are needed in the small European country of Liechtenstein, between the borders of Switzerland and Austria. Au pairs (governesses) could find employment, and local Bahá’ís are willing to help. If you are interested in helping save the Assembly in Liechtenstein, write to the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

THE BAHÁ’Í community of Los Angeles would like to produce a multi-national music album comprised of joyous and cheerful music that will truly represent the diverse cultural heritage of the North American Bahá’í community. Toward this end, we are asking the friends who have strong musical inclinations (whether they be composing, arranging, performing or conducting), and who wish to contribute to this culturally aggrandizing effort, to please contact the Cultural Enrichment Committee-Metro, c/o the Los Angeles Bahá’í Center, 5755 Rodeo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90016, or to phone 213-933-8291. Presently, we need poems, songs, lyrics, new and creative musical compositions, scores and artistic musical arrangements. Performers may be needed at a later time. Studio auditions will be conducted by appointment only.

PLEASE come to the beautiful Oregon coast and help save the incorporated Spiritual Assembly of Coos Bay, nine years old but jeopardized with only seven adults in the community. Jobs are not plentiful, but the area offers much for the right people. Surrounded by ocean, lakes, rivers, mountains, and forest, it is a nature lovers' paradise. Mild weather year round with coastal rains and breezes. There is a large community college, a finely equipped hospital that serves the whole southern Oregon coast, art museums, a music enrichment association, quality theatres, parks, libraries, etc. Good place for students, those in the medical field or tourist industry, and retirees (we would especially welcome Persians or those of other ethnic groups). For information, write to the Spiritual Assembly of Coos Bay, c/o Julie Rubenstein, Coos Bay, OR 97420, or phone 503-269-1349.

THE RE-OPENED goal of Truk, Caroline Islands, needs a chief of marine resources. The position requires a master's degree in fisheries or marine biology. For more information, contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

IF YOU can teach mathematics at any level, whether you are experienced or not, the International Goals Committee would like to hear from you, as it knows of some possible positions opening up for math teachers. For a pioneering application and information about an overseas position, contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

OGLALA Lakota College in Kyle, South Dakota, has immediate openings for a computer science instructor, director of the department of nursing, payroll/ computer operator, and instructors in education, sociology/human services, and secretarial science. Oglala Lakota College is on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, site of the Amoz Gibson Teaching Project. Apply and send credentials to Oglala Lakota College, P.O. Box 490, Kyle, SD 57752. For information, phone 605-455-2321.

MOVING? TELL US YOUR NEW ADDRESS

To avoid unnecessary delays in receiving your copy of THE AMERICAN BAHÁ’Í, send your new address and your mailing label to the OFFICE OF MEMBERSHIP & RECORDS, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, as soon as you know where you are going to move and what your new address will be.

This form may be used for one person or your entire family. Please be sure to list FULL NAMES AND I.D. NUMBERS for all individuals, ages 15 years or older, who will be affected by this change.

1. ID# _____ Title _____ Full name _____ 2. ID# _____ Title _____ Full name _____ 3. ID# _____ Title _____ Full name _____ 4. ID# _____ Title _____ Full name _____

B—NEW RESIDENCE ADDRESS: House/Space #, Street or Description _____ City _____ State _____ Zip _____

C—NEW MAIL ADDRESS: P.O. Box or other Mailing Address _____ City _____ State _____ Zip _____

D—NEW COMMUNITY: Name of new Bahá’í community _____ Moving date _____

E—HOME TELEPHONE NUMBER: Area Code _____ Number _____

F—WORK TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Area Code _____ Number _____ Name _____ Area Code _____ Number _____ Name _____

G [ ] We do not want extra copies, so please cancel the copy for the person(s) whose name(s) and I.D. number(s) are listed above. [ ] We receive extra copies because: [ ] we do not have the same last name. [ ] the last names and addresses on our address labels do not match exactly. We have listed above the full names of all family members as they should appear on the national records, their ID. numbers, and the corrections so that we will receive only one copy.

[ ] Our household receives only one copy of The American Bahá’í. I wish to receive my own copy as well, and have listed my name, I.D. number and address above so that I may be put on the mailing list to receive my own copy. [Page 33]

Statement by Universal House of Justice

To the Peoples of the World:

The Great Peace towards which people of good will throughout the centuries have inclined their hearts, of which seers and poets for countless generations have expressed their vision, and for which from age to age the sacred scriptures of mankind have constantly held the promise, is now at long last within the reach of the nations. For the first time in history it is possible for everyone to view the entire planet, with all its myriad diversified peoples, in one perspective. World peace is not only possible but inevitable. It is the next stage in the evolution of this planet—in the words of one great thinker, "the planetization of mankind."

Whether peace is to be reached only after unimaginable horrors precipitated by humanity's stubborn clinging to old patterns of behavior, or is to be embraced now by an act of consultative will, is the choice before all who inhabit the earth. At this critical juncture when the intractable problems confronting nations have been fused into one common concern for the whole world, failure to stem the tide of conflict and disorder would be unconscionably irresponsible.

Among the favorable signs are the steadily growing strength of the steps towards world order taken initially near the beginning of this century in the creation of the League of Nations, succeeded by the more broadly based United Nations Organization; the achievement since the Second World War of independence by the majority of all the nations on earth, indicating the completion of the process of nation building, and the involvement of these fledgling nations with older ones in matters of mutual concern; the consequent vast increase in cooperation among hitherto isolated and antagonistic peoples and groups in international undertakings in the scientific, educational, legal, economic and cultural fields; the rise in recent decades of an unprecedented number of international humanitarian organizations; the spread of women's and youth movements calling for an end to war; and the spontaneous spawning of widening networks of ordinary people seeking understanding through personal communication.

The scientific and technological advances occurring in this unusually blessed century portend a great surge forward in the social evolution of the planet, and indicate the means by which the practical problems of humanity may be solved. They provide, indeed, the very means for the administration of the complex life of a united world. Yet barriers persist. Doubts, misconceptions, prejudices, suspicions and narrow self-interest beset nations and peoples in their relations one to another.

It is out of a deep sense of spiritual and moral duty that we are impelled at this opportune moment to invite your attention to the penetrating insights first communicated to the rulers of mankind more than a century ago by Bahá’u’lláh, Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, of which we are the Trustees.

"The winds of despair," Bahá’u’lláh wrote, "are, alas, blowing from every direction, and the strife that divides and afflicts the human race is daily increasing. The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing order appears to be lamentably defective." This prophetic judgment has been amply confirmed by the common experience of humanity. Flaws in the prevailing order are conspicuous in the inability of sovereign states organized as United Nations to exorcize the spectre of war, the threatened collapse of the international economic order, the spread of anarchy and terrorism, and the intense suffering which these and other afflictions are causing to increasing millions. Indeed, so much have aggression and conflict come to characterize our social, economic and religious systems, that many have succumbed to the view that such behavior is intrinsic to human nature and therefore ineradicable.

With the entrenchment of this view, a paralyzing contradiction has developed in human affairs. On the one hand, people of all nations proclaim not only their readiness but their longing for peace and harmony, for an end to the harrowing apprehensions tormenting their daily lives. On the other, uncritical assent is given to the proposition that human beings are incorrigibly selfish and aggressive and thus incapable of erecting a social system at once progressive and peaceful, dynamic and harmonious, a system giving free play to individual creativity and initiative but based on cooperation and reciprocity.

As the need for peace becomes more urgent, this fundamental contradiction, which hinders its realization, demands a reassessment of the assumptions upon which the commonly held view of mankind's historical predicament is based. Dispassionately examined, the evidence reveals that such conduct, far from expressing man's true self, represents a distortion of the human spirit. Satisfaction on this point will enable all people to set in motion constructive social forces which, because they are consistent with human nature, will encourage harmony and co-operation instead of war and conflict.

To choose such a course is not to deny humanity's past but to understand it. The Bahá’í Faith regards the current world confusion and calamitous condition in human affairs as a natural phase in an organic process leading ultimately and irresistibly to the unification of the human race in a single social order whose boundaries are those of the planet. The human race, as a distinct, organic unit, has passed through evolutionary stages analogous to the stages of infancy and childhood in the lives of its individual members, and is now in the culminating period of its turbulent adolescence approaching its long-awaited coming of age.

A candid acknowledgement that prejudice, war and exploitation have been the expression of immature stages in a vast historical process and that the human race is today experiencing the unavoidable tumult which marks its collective coming of age is not a reason for despair but a prerequisite to undertaking the stupendous enterprise of building a peaceful world. That such an enterprise is possible, that the necessary constructive forces do exist, that unifying social structures can be erected, is the theme we urge you to examine.

Whatever suffering and turmoil the years immediately ahead may hold, however dark the immediate circumstances, the Bahá’í community believes that humanity can confront this supreme trial with confidence in its ultimate outcome. Far from signalizing the end of civilization, the convulsive changes towards which humanity is being ever more rapidly impelled will serve to release the "potentialities inherent in the station of man" and reveal "the full measure of his destiny on earth, the innate excellence of his reality."

I

The endowments which distinguish the human race from all other forms of life are summed up in what is known as the human spirit; the mind is its essential quality. These endowments have enabled humanity to build civilizations and to prosper materially. But such accomplishments alone have never satisfied the human spirit, whose mysterious nature inclines it towards transcendence, a reaching towards an invisible realm, towards the ultimate reality, that unknowable essence of essences called God. The religions brought to mankind by a succession of spiritual luminaries have been the primary link between humanity and that ultimate reality, and have galvanized and refined mankind's capacity to achieve spiritual success together with social progress.

No serious attempt to set human affairs aright, to achieve world peace, can ignore religion. Man's perception and practice of it are largely the stuff of history. An eminent historian described religion as "a faculty of human nature." That the perversion of this faculty has contributed to much of the confusion in society and the conflicts in and between individuals can hardly be denied. But neither can any fair-minded observer discount the preponderating influence exerted by religion on the vital expressions of civilization. Furthermore, its indispensability to social order has repeatedly been demonstrated by its direct effect on laws and morality.

Writing of religion as a social force, Bahá’u’lláh said: "Religion is the greatest of all means for the establishment of order in the world and for the peaceful contentment of all that dwell therein." Referring to the eclipse or corruption of religion, he wrote: "Should the lamp of religion be obscured, chaos and confusion will ensue, and the lights of fairness, of justice, of tranquillity and peace cease to shine." In an enumeration of such consequences the Bahá’í writings point out that the "perversion of human nature, the degradation of human conduct, the corruption and dissolution of human institutions, reveal themselves, under such circumstances, in their worst and most revolting aspects. Human character is debased, confidence is shaken, the nerves of discipline are relaxed, the voice of human conscience is stilled, the sense of decency and shame is obscured, conceptions of duty, of solidarity, of reciprocity and loyalty are distorted, and the very feeling of peacefulness, of joy and of hope is gradually extinguished."

If, therefore, humanity has come to a point of paralyzing conflict it must look to itself, to its own negligence, to the siren voices to which it has listened, for the source of the misunderstandings and confusion perpetrated in the name of religion. Those who have held blindly and selfishly to their particular orthodoxies, who have imposed on their votaries erroneous and conflicting interpretations of the pronouncements of the Prophets of God, bear heavy responsibility for this confusion—a confusion compounded by the artificial barriers erected between faith and reason, science and religion. For from a fair-minded examination of the actual utterances of the Founders of the great religions, and of the social milieus in which they were obliged to carry out their missions, there is nothing to support the contentions and prejudices deranging the religious communities of mankind and therefore all human affairs.

The teaching that we should treat others as we ourselves would wish to be treated, an ethic variously repeated in all the great religions, lends force to this latter observation in two particular respects: it sums up the moral attitude, the peace-inducing aspect, extending through these religions irrespective of their place or time of origin; it also signifies an aspect of unity which is their essential virtue, a virtue mankind in its disjointed view of history has failed to appreciate.

Had humanity seen the Educators of its collective childhood in their true character, as agents of one civilizing process, it would no doubt have reaped incalculably greater benefits from the cumulative effects of their successive missions. This, alas, it failed to do.

The resurgence of fanatical religious fervor occurring in many lands cannot be regarded as more than a dying convulsion. The very nature of the violent and disruptive phenomena associated with it testifies to the spiritual bankruptcy it represents. Indeed, one of the strangest and saddest features of the current outbreak of religious fanaticism is the extent to which, in each case, it is undermining not only the spiritual values which are conducive to the unity of mankind but also those unique moral victories won by the particular religion it purports to serve.

However vital a force religion has been in the history of mankind, and however dramatic the current resurgence of militant religious fanaticism, religion and religious institutions have, for many decades, been viewed by increasing numbers of people as irrelevant to the major concerns of the modern world. In its place they have turned either to the hedonistic pursuit of material satisfactions or to the following of man-made ideologies designed to rescue society from the evident evils under which it groans. All too many of these ideologies, alas, instead of embracing the concept of the oneness of mankind and promoting the increase of concord among different peoples, have tended to deify the state, to subordinate the rest of mankind to one nation, race or class, to attempt to suppress all discussion and interchange of ideas, or to callously abandon starving millions to the operations of a market system that all too clearly is aggravating the plight of the majority of mankind, while enabling small [Page 34]sections to live in a condition of affluence scarcely dreamed of by our forebears.

How tragic is the record of the substitute faiths that the worldly-wise of our age have created. In the massive disillusionment of entire populations who have been taught to worship at their altars can be read history's irreversible verdict on their value. The fruits these doctrines have produced, after decades of an increasingly unrestrained exercise of power by those who owe their ascendancy in human affairs to them, are the social and economic ills that blight every region of our world in the closing years of the twentieth century. Underlying all these outward afflictions is the spiritual damage reflected in the apathy that has gripped the mass of the peoples of all nations and by the extinction of hope in the hearts of deprived and anguished millions.

The time has come when those who preach the dogmas of materialism, whether of the east or the west, whether of capitalism or socialism, must give account of the moral stewardship they have presumed to exercise. Where is the "new world" promised by these ideologies? Where is the international peace to whose ideals they proclaim their devotion? Where are the breakthroughs into new realms of cultural achievement produced by the aggrandizement of this race, of that nation or of a particular class? Why is the vast majority of the world's peoples sinking ever deeper into hunger and wretchedness when wealth on a scale undreamed of by the Pharaohs, the Caesars, or even the imperialist powers of the nineteenth century is at the disposal of the present arbiters of human affairs?

Most particularly, it is in the glorification of material pursuits, at once the progenitor and common feature of all such ideologies, that we find the roots which nourish the falsehood that human beings are incorrigibly selfish and aggressive. It is here that the ground must be cleared for the building of a new world fit for our descendants.

That materialistic ideals have, in the light of experience, failed to satisfy the needs of mankind calls for an honest acknowledgement that a fresh effort must now be made to find the solutions to the agonizing problems of the planet. The intolerable conditions pervading society bespeak a common failure of all, a circumstance which tends to incite rather than relieve the entrenchment on every side. Clearly, a common remedial effort is urgently required. It is primarily a matter of attitude. Will humanity continue in its waywardness, holding to outworn concepts and unworkable assumptions? Or will its leaders, regardless of ideology, step forth and, with a resolute will, consult together in a united search for appropriate solutions?

Those who care for the future of the human race may well ponder this advice. "If long-cherished ideals and time-honored institutions, if certain social assumptions and religious formulae have ceased to promote the welfare of the generality of mankind, if they no longer minister to the needs of a continually evolving humanity, let them be swept away and relegated to the limbo of obsolescent and forgotten doctrines. Why should these, in a world subject to the immutable law of change and decay, be exempt from the deterioration that must needs overtake every human institution? For legal standards, political and economic theories are solely designed to safeguard the interests of humanity as a whole, and not humanity to be crucified for the preservation of the integrity of any particular law or doctrine."

II

Banning nuclear weapons, prohibiting the use of poison gases, or outlawing germ warfare will not remove the root causes of war. However important such practical measures obviously are as elements of the peace process, they are in themselves too superficial to exert enduring influence. Peoples are ingenious enough to invent yet other forms of warfare, and to use food, raw materials, finance, industrial power, ideology, and terrorism to subvert one another in an endless quest for supremacy and dominion. Nor can the present massive dislocation in the affairs of humanity be resolved through the settlement of specific conflicts or disagreements among nations. A genuine universal framework must be adopted.

Certainly, there is no lack of recognition by national leaders of the world-wide character of the problem, which is self-evident in the mounting issues that confront them daily. And there are the accumulating studies and solutions proposed by many concerned and enlightened groups as well as by agencies of the United Nations, to remove any possibility of ignorance as to the challenging requirements to be met. There is, however, a paralysis of will; and it is this that must be carefully examined and resolutely dealt with.

This paralysis is rooted, as we have stated, in a deep-seated conviction of the inevitable quarrelsomeness of mankind, which has led to the reluctance to entertain the possibility of subordinating national self-interest to the requirements of world order, and in an unwillingness to face courageously the far-reaching implications of establishing a united world authority. It is also traceable to the incapacity of largely ignorant and subjugated masses to articulate their desire for a new order in which they can live in peace, harmony and prosperity with all humanity.

The tentative steps towards world order, especially since World War II, give hopeful signs. The increasing tendency of groups of nations to formalize relationships which enable them to cooperate in matters of mutual interest suggests that eventually all nations could overcome this paralysis. The Association of South East Asian Nations, the Caribbean Community and Common Market, the Central American Common Market, the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, the European Communities, the League of Arab States, the Organization of African Unity, the Organization of American States, the South Pacific Forum—all the joint endeavors represented by such organizations prepare the path to world order.

The increasing attention being focused on some of the most deep-rooted problems of the planet is yet another hopeful sign. Despite the obvious shortcomings of the United Nations, the more than two score declarations and conventions adopted by that organization, even where governments have not been enthusiastic in their commitment, have given ordinary people a sense of a new lease on life. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and the similar measures concerned with eliminating all forms of discrimination based on race, sex or religious belief; upholding the rights of the child; protecting all persons against being subjected to torture; eradicating hunger and malnutrition; using scientific and technological progress in the interest of peace and for the benefit of mankind—all such measures, if courageously enforced and expanded, will advance the day when the spectre of war will have lost its power to dominate international relations. There is no need to stress the significance of the issues addressed by these declarations and conventions. However, a few such issues, because of their immediate relevance to establishing world peace, deserve additional comment.

Racism, one of the most baneful and persistent evils, is a major barrier to peace. Its practice perpetrates too outrageous a violation of the dignity of human beings to be countenanced under any pretext. Racism retards the unfoldment of the boundless potentialities of its victims, corrupts its perpetrators, and blights human progress. Recognition of the oneness of mankind, implemented by appropriate legal measures, must be universally upheld if this problem is to be overcome.

The inordinate disparity between rich and poor, a source of acute suffering, keeps the world in a state of instability, virtually on the brink of war. Few societies have dealt effectively with this situation. The solution calls for the combined application of spiritual, moral and practical approaches. A fresh look at the problem is required, entailing consultation with experts from a wide spectrum of disciplines, devoid of economic and ideological polemics, and involving the people directly affected in the decisions that must urgently be made. It is an issue that is bound up not only with the necessity for eliminating extremes of wealth and poverty but also with those spiritual verities the understanding of which can produce a new universal attitude. Fostering such an attitude is itself a major part of the solution.

'Banning nuclear weapons, prohibiting the use of poison gases, or outlawing germ warfare will not remove the root causes of war. However important such practical measures obviously are as elements of the peace process, they are in themselves too superficial to exert enduring influence.'

Unbridled nationalism, as distinguished from a sane and legitimate patriotism, must give way to a wider loyalty, to the love of humanity as a whole. Bahá’u’lláh’s statement is: "The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens." The concept of world citizenship is a direct result of the contraction of the world into a single neighborhood through scientific advances and of the indisputable interdependence of nations. Love of all the world's peoples does not exclude love of one's country. The advantage of the part in a world society is best served by promoting the advantage of the whole. Current international activities in various fields which nurture mutual affection and a sense of solidarity among peoples need greatly to be increased.

Religious strife, throughout history, has been the cause of innumerable wars and conflicts, a major blight to progress, and is increasingly abhorrent to the people of all faiths and no faith. Followers of all religions must be willing to face the basic questions which this strife raises, and to arrive at clear answers. How are the differences between them to be resolved, both in theory and in practice? The challenge facing the religious leaders of mankind is to contemplate, with hearts filled with the spirit of compassion and a desire for truth, the plight of humanity, and to ask themselves whether they cannot, in humility before their Almighty Creator, submerge their theological differences in a great spirit of mutual forbearance that will enable them to work together for the advancement of human understanding and peace.

The emancipation of women, the achievement of full equality between the sexes, is one of the most important, though less acknowledged prerequisites of peace. The denial of such equality perpetrates an injustice against one-half of the world's population and promotes in men harmful attitudes and habits that are carried from the family to the workplace, to political life, and ultimately to international relations. There are no grounds, moral, practical or biological, upon which such denial can be justified. Only as women are welcomed into full partnership in all fields of human endeavor will the moral and psychological climate be created in which international peace can emerge.

The cause of universal education, which has already enlisted in its service an army of dedicated people from every faith and nation, deserves the utmost support that the governments of the world can lend it. For ignorance is indisputably the principal reason for the decline and fall of peoples and the perpetuation of prejudice. No nation can achieve success unless education is accorded all its citizens. Lack of resources limits the ability of many nations to fulfill this necessity, imposing a certain ordering of priorities. The decision-making agencies involved would do well to consider giving first priority to the education of women and girls, since it is through educated mothers that the benefits of knowledge can be most effectively and rapidly diffused throughout society. In keeping with the requirements of the times, consideration should also be given to teaching the concept of world citizenship as part of the standard education of every child.

A fundamental lack of communication between peoples seriously undermines efforts towards world peace. Adopting an international auxiliary language would go far to resolve this problem and necessitates the most urgent attention.

Two points bear emphasizing in all these issues. One is that the abolition of war is not simply a matter of signing treaties and protocols; it is a complex task requiring a new level of commitment to resolving issues not customarily associated with the pursuit of peace. Based on political agreements alone, the idea of collective security is a chimera. The other point is that the primary challenge in dealing with issues of peace is to raise the context to the level of principle, as distinct from pure pragmatism. For, in essence, peace stems from an inner state supported by a spiritual or moral attitude, and it is chiefly in evoking this attitude that the possibility of enduring solutions can be found.

There are spiritual principles, or what some call human values, by which solutions can be found for every social problem. Any well-intentioned group can in a general sense devise practical solutions to its problems, but good intentions and practical knowledge are usually not enough. The essential merit of spiritual principle is that [Page 35]it not only presents a perspective which harmonizes with that which is inherent in human nature, it also induces an attitude, a dynamic, a will, an aspiration, which facilitate the discovery and implementation of practical measures. Leaders of governments and all in authority would be well served in their efforts to solve problems if they would first seek to identify the principles involved and then be guided by them.

III

The primary question to be resolved is how the present world, with its entrenched pattern of conflict, can change to a world in which harmony and co-operation will prevail.

World order can be founded only on an unshakeable consciousness of the oneness of mankind, a spiritual truth which all the human sciences confirm. Anthropology, physiology, psychology, recognize only one human species, albeit infinitely varied in the secondary aspects of life. Recognition of this truth requires abandonment of prejudice-prejudice of every kind-race, class, color, creed, nation, sex, degree of material civilization, everything which enables people to consider themselves superior to others.

Acceptance of the oneness of mankind is the first fundamental prerequisite for reorganization and administration of the world as one country, the home of humankind. Universal acceptance of this spiritual principle is essential to any successful attempt to establish world peace. It should therefore be universally proclaimed, taught in schools, and constantly asserted in every nation as preparation for the organic change in the structure of society which it implies.

In the Bahá’í view, recognition of the oneness of mankind "calls for no less than the reconstruction and the demilitarization of the whole civilized world-a world organically unified in all the essential aspects of its life, its political machinery, its spiritual aspiration, its trade and finance, its script and language, and yet infinite in the diversity of the national characteristics of its federated units."

Elaborating the implications of this pivotal principle, Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, commented in 1931 that: "Far from aiming at the subversion of the existing foundations of society, it seeks to broaden its basis, to remold its institutions in a manner consonant with the needs of an ever-changing world. It can conflict with no legitimate allegiances, nor can it undermine essential loyalties. Its purpose is neither to stifle the flame of a sane and intelligent patriotism in men's hearts, nor to abolish the system of national autonomy so essential if the evils of excessive centralization are to be avoided. It does not ignore, nor does it attempt to suppress, the diversity of ethnical origins, of climate, of history, of language and tradition, of thought and habit, that differentiate the peoples and nations of the world. It calls for a wider loyalty, for a larger aspiration than any that has animated the human race. It insists upon the subordination of national impulses and interests to the imperative claims of a unified world. It repudiates excessive centralization on one hand, and disclaims all attempts at uniformity on the other. Its watchword is unity in diversity."

The achievement of such ends requires several stages in the adjustment of national political attitudes, which now verge on anarchy in the absence of clearly defined laws or universally accepted and enforceable principles regulating the relationships between nations. The League of Nations, the United Nations, and the many organizations and agreements produced by them have unquestionably been helpful in attenuating some of the negative effects of international conflicts, but they have shown themselves incapable of preventing war. Indeed, there have been scores of wars since the end of the Second World War; many are yet raging.

The predominant aspects of this problem had already emerged in the nineteenth century when Bahá’u’lláh first advanced his proposals for the establishment of world peace. The principle of collective security was propounded by him in statements addressed to the rulers of the world. Shoghi Effendi commented on his meaning: "What else could these weighty words signify," he wrote, "if they did not point to the inevitable curtailment of unfettered national sovereignty as an indispensable preliminary to the formation of the future Commonwealth of all the nations of the world? Some form of a world super-state must needs be evolved, in whose favor all the nations of the world will have willingly ceded every claim to make war, certain rights to impose taxation and all rights to maintain armaments, except for purposes of maintaining internal order within their respective dominions. Such a state will have to include within its orbit an International Executive adequate to enforce supreme and unchallengeable authority on every recalcitrant member of the commonwealth; a World Parliament whose members shall be elected by the people in their respective countries and whose election shall be confirmed by their respective governments; and a Supreme Tribunal whose judgment will have a binding effect even in such cases where the parties concerned did not voluntarily agree to submit their case to its consideration.

"A world community in which all economic barriers will have been permanently demolished and the interdependence of capital and labor definitely recognized; in which the clamor of religious fanaticism and strife will have been forever stilled; in which the flame of racial animosity will have been finally extinguished; in which a single code of international law-the product of the considered judgment of the world's federated representatives-shall have as its sanction the instant and coercive intervention of the combined forces of the federated units; and finally a world community in which the fury of a capricious and militant nationalism will have been transmuted into an abiding consciousness of world citizenship-such indeed, appears, in its broadest outline, the Order anticipated by Bahá’u’lláh, an Order that shall come to be regarded as the fairest fruit of a slowly maturing age."

The implementation of these far-reaching measures was indicated by Bahá’u’lláh: "The time must come when the imperative necessity for the holding of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will be universally realized. The rulers and kings of the earth must needs attend it, and, participating in its deliberations, must consider such ways and means as will lay the foundations of the world's Great Peace amongst men."

The courage, the resolution, the pure motive, the selfless love of one people for another-all the spiritual and moral qualities required for effecting this momentous step towards peace are focused on the will to act. And it is towards arousing the necessary volition that earnest consideration must be given to the reality of man, namely, his thought. To understand the relevance of this potent reality is also to appreciate the social necessity of actualizing its unique value through candid, dispassionate and cordial consultation, and of acting upon the results of this process. Bahá’u’lláh consistently drew attention to the virtues and indispensability of consultation for ordering human affairs. He said: "Consultation bestows greater awareness and transmutes conjecture into certitude. It is a shining light which, in a dark world, leads the way and guides. For everything there is and will continue to be a station of perfection and maturity. The maturity of the gift of understanding is made manifest through consultation." The very attempt to achieve peace through the consultative action he proposed can release such a salutary spirit among the peoples of the earth that no power could resist the final, triumphal outcome.

Concerning the proceedings for this world gathering, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the son of Bahá’u’lláh and authorized interpreter of his teachings, offered these insights: "They must make the Cause of Peace the object of general consultation, and seek by every means in their power to establish a Union of the nations of the world. They must conclude a binding treaty and establish a covenant, the provisions of which shall be sound, inviolable and definite. They must proclaim it to all the world and obtain for it the sanction of all the human race. This supreme and noble undertaking-the real source of the peace and well-being of all the world-should be regarded as sacred by all that dwell on earth. All the forces of humanity must be mobilized to ensure the stability and permanence of this Most Great Covenant. In this all-embracing Pact the limits and frontiers of each and every nation should be clearly fixed, the principles underlying the relations of governments towards one another definitely laid down, and all international agreements and obligations ascertained. In like manner, the size of the armaments of every government should be strictly limited, for if the preparations for war and the military forces of any nation should be allowed to increase, they will arouse the suspicion of others. The fundamental principle underlying this solemn Pact should be so fixed that if any government later violate any one of its provisions, all the governments on earth should arise to reduce it to utter submission, nay the human race as a whole should resolve, with every power at its disposal, to destroy that government. Should this greatest of all remedies be applied to the sick body of the world, it will assuredly recover from its ills and will remain eternally safe and secure."

The holding of this mighty convocation is long overdue. [Page 36]With all the ardor of our hearts, we appeal to the leaders of all nations to seize this opportune moment and take irreversible steps to convoke this world meeting. All the forces of history impel the human race towards this act which will mark for all time the dawn of its long-awaited maturity.

Will not the United Nations, with the full support of its membership, rise to the high purposes of such a crowning event?

Let men and women, youth and children everywhere recognize the eternal merit of this imperative action for all peoples and lift up their voices in willing assent. Indeed, let it be this generation that inaugurates this glorious stage in the evolution of social life on the planet.

IV

The source of optimism we feel is a vision transcending the cessation of war and the creation of agencies of international co-operation. Permanent peace among nations is an essential stage, but not, Bahá’u’lláh asserts, the ultimate goal of the social development of humanity. Beyond the initial armistice forced upon the world by the fear of nuclear holocaust, beyond the political peace reluctantly entered into by suspicious rival nations, beyond pragmatic arrangements for security and coexistence, beyond even the many experiments in co-operation which these steps will make possible lies the crowning goal: the unification of all the peoples of the world in one universal family.

Disunity is a danger that the nations and peoples of the earth can no longer endure: the consequences are too terrible to contemplate, too obvious to require any demonstration. "The well-being of mankind," Bahá’u’lláh wrote more than a century ago, "its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established." In observing that "mankind is groaning, is dying to be led to unity, and to terminate its age-long martyrdom," Shoghi Effendi further commented that: "Unification of the whole of mankind is the hallmark of the stage which human society is now approaching. Unity of family, of tribe, of city-state, and nation have been successively attempted and fully established. World unity is the goal towards which a harassed humanity is striving. Nation-building has come to an end. The anarchy inherent in state sovereignty is moving towards a climax. A world, growing to maturity, must abandon this fetish, recognize the oneness and wholeness of human relationships, and establish once for all the machinery that can best incarnate this fundamental principle of its life."

All contemporary forces of change validate this view. The proofs can be discerned in the many examples already cited of the favorable signs towards world peace in current international movements and developments.

The army of men and women, drawn from virtually every culture, race and nation on earth, who serve the multifarious agencies of the United Nations, represent a planetary "civil service" whose impressive accomplishments are indicative of the degree of co-operation that can be attained even under discouraging conditions. An urge towards unity, like a spiritual springtime, struggles to express itself through countless international congresses that bring together people from a vast array of disciplines. It motivates appeals for international projects involving children and youth. Indeed, it is the real source of the remarkable movement towards ecumenism by which members of historically antagonistic religions and sects seem irresistibly drawn towards one another. Together with the opposing tendency to warfare and self-aggrandizement against which it ceaselessly struggles, the drive towards world unity is one of the dominant, pervasive features of life on the planet during the closing years of the twentieth century.

The experience of the Bahá’í community may be seen as an example of this enlarging unity. It is a community of some three to four million people drawn from many nations, cultures, classes and creeds, engaged in a wide range of activities serving the spiritual, social and economic needs of the peoples of many lands. It is a single social organism, representative of the diversity of the human family, conducting its affairs through a system of commonly accepted consultative principles, and cherishing equally all the great outpourings of divine guidance in human history. Its existence is yet another convincing proof of the practicality of its Founder's vision of a united world, another evidence that humanity can live as one global society, equal to whatever challenges its coming of age may entail. If the Bahá’í experience can contribute in whatever measure to reinforcing hope in the unity of the human race, we are happy to offer it as a model for study.

In contemplating the supreme importance of the task now challenging the entire world, we bow our heads in humility before the awesome majesty of the divine Creator, who out of His infinite love has created all humanity from the same stock; exalted the gem-like reality of man; honored it with intellect and wisdom, nobility and immortality; and conferred upon man the "unique distinction and capacity to know Him and to love Him," a capacity that "must needs be regarded as the generating impulse and the primary purpose underlying the whole of creation."

We hold firmly the conviction that all human beings have been created "to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization"; that "to act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of man"; that the virtues that befit human dignity are trustworthiness, forbearance, mercy, compassion and loving kindness towards all peoples. We reaffirm the belief that the "potentialities inherent in the station of man, the full measure of his destiny on earth, the innate excellence of his reality, must all be manifested in this promised Day of God." These are the motivations for our unshakeable faith that unity and peace are the attainable goal towards which humanity is striving.

At this writing, the expectant voices of Bahá’ís can be heard despite the persecution they still endure in the land in which their Faith was born. By their example of steadfast hope, they bear witness to the belief that the imminent realization of this age-old dream of peace is now, by virtue of the transforming effects of Bahá’u’lláh's revelation, invested with the force of divine authority. Thus we convey to you not only a vision in words: we summon the power of deeds of faith and sacrifice; we convey the anxious plea of our co-religionists everywhere for peace and unity. We join with all who are the victims of aggression, all who yearn for an end to conflict and contention, all whose devotion to principles of peace and world order promotes the ennobling purposes for which humanity was called into being by an all-loving Creator.

In the earnestness of our desire to impart to you the fervor of our hope and the depth of our confidence, we cite the emphatic promise of Bahá’u’lláh: "These fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the 'Most Great Peace' shall come."

The Universal House of Justice October 1985

News and Announcements

In July, the Bahá’ís of Pekin, Illinois, sponsored a four-week series of 'natural foods' dinners to raise funds for Iranian refugees. The macrobiotic and vegetarian dishes were prepared under the supervision of Bahá’í restaurateurs Lino and Susan Di Caro. Each of the Monday evening events included songs and music and ended with a brief presentation on the following topics: "Iran: A Modern Holocaust," "A New Perspective on Human Rights," "Unity of Mankind: Where Do We Start?" and "Universal Oneness." This photograph of the Bahá’ís listening to a talk by Frank Alai (second from left) appeared on the front page of the local newspaper, Pekin Today, with an article about the persecutions in Iran.

from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust for each day of the Bahá’í year Bahá’í DayBook Passages for Deepening and Meditation

Daily devotions to help us spiritualize our lives and bring us closer to Bahá’u’lláh's revelation. Includes: ■ questions & answers about Bahá’í life ■ explanations of Bahá’í Feasts & Holy Days Ideal for new and veteran Bahá’ís! 384 pages 4 x 6 inches $375

Order through your local librarian, or send check or money order (including 10% for postage and handling, minimum $1.50) to: Bahá’í Distribution Service 415 LINDEN AVENUE, WILMETTE, IL 60091 FEL1-800-323-1880 Price valid onix in the United States