U.S. Supplement/Issue 65/Text

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Cables Incoming NSA

(We) assure (the) newly elected Assembly (of our) loving prayers (for) divine confirmations (in the) execution (of its) weighty responsibilities. (We are) confident (that the) vigorous American Bahá’í community will continue (to) play its outstanding role (in the) prosecution (of the) Master's Divine Plan. Loving greetings. Haifa, Israel -—UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE June 4, 1963

Delegates Elect NSA by Mail Ballot

In the absence of the Annual Convention this year, the National Spiritual Assembly was elected by mail ballot. Because the three US. believers serving on the Universal House of Justice were ineligible, each delegate was given the opportunity to send a revised ballot following the International Convention.

Members elected: Arthur Dahl, Dr. David Ruhe, Miss Charlotte Linfoot, Mrs. Velma Sherrill, Miss Edna True, Dr. Sarah Pereira, Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, Robert Quigley, Daniel Jordan.

Officers elected: Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, chairman; Robert Quigley, vice-chairman; Dr. David Ruhe, secretary; Miss Charlotte Linfoot, assistant secretary; Miss Edna True, recording secretary; Arthur Dahl, treasurer.

Hugh Chance, member of the Universal House of Justice, is presently completing some of the legal projects started during his tenure as national secretary. He is also accumulating information useful to the House of Justice in its deliberations. Mr. Chance expects to remain in Wilmette through August.

World Peace Day

September I5 Next Special Event

NSA Presents Budget for 1963-1964

The National Spiritual Assembly has consulted upon the unique transitional nature of this period as it applies to the budget for this Bahá’í year. It is clear that we will be unable to be as precise as we have been in past years with respect to the detailed breakdown of expected expenditures.

Certain things we do know. Our support of the World Center must be increased substantially, for now we have a vital new institution to assist, the Universal House of Justice, as well as the continental activities of the Hands of the Cause. It will be necessary to keep many of the pioneers in Latin America and Europe at their posts for a while longer, and without any additional assistance from the National Assembly of Iran. The cost of our national administration is continually increasing as the volume of work builds up from the larger membership. And we have a deficit of $20,462 from last year, further details of which will be given later, which must be added to the 1963-64 budget in order to avoid permanently depleting our reserve funds.

Taking all of these factors into account, the National Spiritual Assembly arrived at a proposed total budget for the current Bahá’í year of $700,000, and this figure was announced at the Post-Congress Conferences. Subsequently we have received the urgent request from the Universal House of Justice asking for assistance in securing the $210,000 additional cost of completing the Frankfurt Temple, and we have budgeted $50,000 as our share, bringing the total budget to $750,000, an increase of $125,000 over last year’s budget.

The exact distribution of this budget must be worked out as time goes on and the details of our year’s program are finalized. Further information will be presented in the August Bahá’í Naws. Since this is only an estimate, it might be necessary to change the total midway in the year to fit the circumstances. But the assembly feels this is as good a working figure as can be determined at the present time.

This total of $750,000 represents a requirement of $62,500 per month, the largest budget in our history. The increase is somewhat proportionate to the growth in our membership and represents a substantial increase over the rate of regular giving the past few months. However, with almost 12,000 believers on the rolls at present, if only 7,500 gave $100 each, we would make ourbudget. This average. seems to the members

[Page 2]of the National Assembly as an entirely realistic and sensible expectation.

The Bahá’í World Congress generated in all who attended the realization that the progress of the Faith is of world-shaking importance and that all else pales into insignificance. An important ingredient of the ultimate success of Bahá’í efforts in all directions is financial support, furnishing the fuel which makes it possible for these efforts to move forward uninterruptedly. The beloved Guardian frequently stressed the importance of regular, sacrificial gifts to the Fund on the part of all individual believers, assemblies and groups.

Let us demonstrate in action that the spirit, the joy, the tremendous resolve to achieve excellence and great accomplishments generated at the World Congress have indeed reached the hearts and motivated the impulses of every American believer, and that we are truly embarked upon a century in which Bahá’u’lláh, through the Bahá’ís, will bring the Kingdom of God on earth.

—NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY Arthur L. Dahl, Treasurer

Teaching Plans Call For Undiminisherl Effort

Now that Bahá’u’lláh’s supreme administrative institution, the Universal House of Justice, has been raised up we must prepare ourselves for the new global teaching plan which it will announce to the Bahá’í world by Riḍván 1964. In order to do so we must devote these intervening months to strengthening the foundation on which we have reared this new and glorious institution. This calls for greater emphasis upon consolidation of the victories already won and greatly increased individual and group teaching activity.

As part of this objective, the National Spiritual Assembly is re—structuring its national committees, particularly those dealing with the teaching function. The area teaching committees will be abandoned and a reinforced National Teaching Committee will assume most of the functions which have been performed by the area committees during the Crusade.

This new plan will become effective as soon as the necessary personnel has been recruited and the National Teaching Committee has organized its own office in such a way as to insure no loss of the teaching momentum which has been steadily increasing throughout the entire American Bahá’í community during the past two years.

With the adoption of this plan, local spiritual assemblies will be expected to assume an increased measure of responsibility for the teaching and consolidation functions in their own communities as well as to undertake active teaching projects in cooperation with Bahá’í groups and isolated believers in surrounding localities.

All of the teaching plans will be presented in greater detail at the earliest possible moment. In the meantime, the area teaching committees as constituted last year will continue their services to groups and isolated

JULY 1963

believers until notified that their functions have actually been transferred to the American National Teaching Committee.

From this time forward greater stress must be laid upon local assemblies solving their own problems within the framework of proper Bahá’í procedure and administration. Only as these bodies assume their rightful responsibility can they mature into the type of institution contemplated in the Holy Writings. They will be expected to maintain their own file of information on administrative procedure, just as the National Spiritual Assembly does. Questions which are readily answerable by reference to published information should not be presented to the National Assembly.

Let there be no slackening of our teaching on any front or in any field. Instead, let us swell the ranks of the faithful followers of Bahá’u’lláh to such proportions as will far outstrip the accomplishments of the first Bahá’í century.

—NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY

Published lnaccuracies

Are Corrected

It is the practice of the National Spiritual Assembly to write to editors of publications making inaccurate statements about the Faith. So that the friends may know how the National Assembly handles such matters, excerpts from a recent letter to the editors of a Catholic publication, Our Sunday Visitor, are given:

“We feel certain that in therinterest of accuracy in reporting, you will wish to be informed of the following facts: The word ‘cult’ is used in several places in the article. In its pure dictionary sense the word ‘cult’ means a system of religious worship—a system of religious rites. The Bahá’í Faith transcends this limited concept, and we regard the use of the word ‘cult’ as inaccurate.

“The article states that the Bahá’í Faith is a sect of Islam and labels it as ‘Islamic heresy.’ Also it avers that Bahá’í bears the same relationship to Islam as Mormonism bears to ‘traditional’ Christianity. These references are incorrect. A correct analogy is: The Bahá’í Faith bears the same relationship to Islam as Christianity bears to Judaism. Bahá’í is not an heretical sect or cult; it is an independent religion and has been so established as a matter of law.

“The terms syncretic and agnosticism are used by Mr. Whalen. It is not true that Bahá’ís attempt to harmonize existing religious beliefs. Instead they maintain that man should return to the worship of God as revealed in the Holy Writings of all of the Prophets or Manifestations of God, and Bahá’ís would strip religion of man-made creeds and dogmas which have attached themselves by interpretation or otherwise to the Holy Scrip..ures. They maintain that true religion is a single, evolving faith, eternal in the past and eternal in the future. Thus, as the author has stated, the Bahá’í Faith denies man-made Christian dogmas but strongly maintains that we should follow the word and teachings of

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His Holiness Jesus Christ as being the Word of God. Though the Bahá’í Faith denies the Trinity, it does not deny the Divinity of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, the Bahá’í is certainly not an agnostic. Agnosticism states that both the existence and ultimate nature of God are not known. The truth of the matter is that Bahá’ís confirm the existence of God and state that we know God and His attributes through the lives and the writings of His Holy Manifestations. At the same time, Bahá’u’lláh afiirms that no finite being can comprehend or know God in His Infinite Essence.”

“It is not true that the Bahá’í Faith is actively hostile to both Christianity and Islam. Rather, Bahá’u’lláh exhorted His followers to consort with the followers of all religions with friendliness. He said:

“ ‘Religious fanaticism and hatred are a world-devouring fire, whose violence none can quench. The Hand of Divine power can, alone, deliver mankind from this desolating affiiction . . . Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship.’

“The last part of the article makes mention of schisms in the Bahá’í Faith and mentions several individuals who are supposed to have led splinter groups. Actually it is not correct to identify these people with the Bahá’í Faith any more than Catholics would consider excommunicants as splinter groups. These people have separated themselves from the Faith. They are neither large in number nor potent in force. Hence they are not worthy of mention.”

It is hoped that the foregoing comments will be useful to the friends in clearing up some common misconceptions about the Faith. Bahá’ís should be particularly careful in their teaching not to give the impression that the Faith is syncretic. Frequently the intellectual does not understand that the Bahá’í Writings represent a new Revelation as distinguished from a synthesis of existing religious beliefs.

Believers learning of articles mentioning the Faith, favorably or unfavorably, are invited to relay this information to the National Assembly. As a matter of established principle, however, individual believers

lntercalary Day party on the campus of the University of Colorado arranged by the Bahá’í Group of Boulder, which is also the group at the college. About forty students and friends attended, representing several different races, nationalities and cultures.

should not correspond with the editors or publishers of books or nationally circulated publications. It should be assumed that the National Assembly has already taken steps to deal with matters of this sort.

National Assembly Schedules Meetings for 1963

The regular meetings of the National Spiritual Assembly for the remainder of 1963 will be held on the following dates:

August 30-September 2 October 18-20 November 22-24 December 29-January 1

Local spiritual assemblies and committees desiring consultation on any matter at a given meeting are requested to have full information in the hands of the secretary of the National Assembly at least one week before the meeting, otherwise it may not be included in the agenda. The National Assembly cannot guarantee adequate consultation and action on a communication arriving just before or during a meeting, unless it is truly of an emergency character.

Show Name and Address ON YOUR LETTERS

In writing to any of the national ofl“1ces, please make sure that the name and address of the sender, and of any administrative body involved, appear on the letter itself. Otherwise, if letter and envelope become separated, it is difficult to identify the sender and delay ensues.

[Page 4]New Bahá’í Recording Announced

A new record, “Bahá’í Meditations” —— authentic quotations from the Scriptures of the Faith—narrated by Tony Lease with original cover design by Miss Lynn Hutchinson, is now available.

Made specifically for radio and television public service use, the short narrations provide excellent “Thought for the Day” material. They may be used for “Sign on” and “Sign off” inspirational thoughts. Each side is continuous play with five-second spacing. Any cut may be cued independently. This answers a specific need and will be of assistance in mass proclamation.

Please order from Bahá’í Distribution and Service Department, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois. Price: $3.50 each.

With this record we suggest using the Invitation Folders (100 for $2.50) to invite the public to Bahá’í meetings.

Bahá’í Marriages

Atlanta, Georgia: Miss Maxine Arnold to John Southall Hatcher on April 5, 1963

New York, N.Y.: Mrs. Juliette Meade to William Soderberg on January 30, 1963

Fort Worth, Texas: Mrs. Priscilla Lee Holmes to John W. Banks. Sr. on April 18, 1963

JULY 1963

In Memoriam

Mrs. Grace Mae Bell Joplin, Missouri May 21, 1963

Henry G. Danenberg Santa Fe, New Mexico May 1, 1963

William deForge, Sr. Hackensack, New Jersey May 3, 1963

Mrs. Sue Johnson Los Angeles, Calif. March 12, 1963

Mrs. Harriet B. Kent Congers, New York April 30, 1963

Miss Elpen Seasted Duluth, Minnesota April 25. 1963

George B. Spearman Walla Walla. Wash. April 8, 1963

Mrs. Edna W. Stall Waialua, Oahu, Hawaii May 14, 1963

Mrs. Jeyenne Stapleton Sioux Falls, South Dakota

January 17, 1963

If you move . . .

. . . be sure to notify National Administrative Headquarters and your local secretary (or area secretary, if isolated). Please do this promptly

—— preferably in advance of moving.