The Unfolding Destiny of the British Bahai Community Part 96

SHOGHI

Letter of 27 May 1957

27 May 1957

Dear Baha'i Brother:

The beloved Guardian has instructed me to write about the ... situation raised in one of your recent letters....

It is inconceivable and wholly inadmissible that any Baha'is in a community should be permitted to hold a Feast in their home and refuse admission to another believer; and your a.s.sembly should write accordingly in very strong terms to the ... a.s.sembly, pointing out that the Guardian is not only surprised to learn of this situation, but disapproves of it in the strongest terms.

Any Baha'i may attend a Feast, a local Baha'i, a Baha'i from out of town, certainly an isolated Baha'i from the neighbourhood.

It is the duty of the ... a.s.sembly to take strong measures to remedy this situation, and to ensure that the Feasts are held in a place and in a manner that conforms to the Baha'i spirit....

Letter of 7 June 1957 (Shetland Summer School)

7 June 1957 (Shetland Summer School)

SUPPLICATING ABUNDANT BLESSINGS DEEPEST LOVE.

SHOGHI

Letter of 14 August 1957

14 August 1957

DELIGHTED HISTORIC GATHERING a.s.sURE FERVENT PRAYERS UNPRECEDENTED EXPANSION ACTIVITIES.

SHOGHI

Letter of 30 August 1957

30 August 1957

Dear Baha'i Brother:

Your communications with their enclosures and material sent under separate cover have all arrived safely, and the beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf and to acknowledge receipt of your letters dated: July 24, 27 and 31, August 24, 27, and 30, September 7, 26, 27, and 28, October 5, 13 (signed by all members), and 15, November 5 (signed by Dorothy Ferraby), and 28 (three), and December 14, 18, 27, and 28, 1956, and January 8, 16, 20 (one undated), and 22nd, February 4, 6, 8, 11, 19, 21, 23, and 27, March 7, 8, 13, and 18 (two), May 6, 9, 21, (two), June 3, 11, 14, 19 and 25, July 12, 16, (two), 19, 21, 26, and August 2, and 5 signed by Ernest Gregory.

As a number of questions raised in your letters have been answered by cable or through the National a.s.sembly Secretary, I will not go into those again here.

He was interested to see the Tablets which Dr. Moayad located in Cambridge, and appreciated having copies of them.

It has been a great pleasure to have had so many members of the British Baha'i community here last winter and spring as pilgrims.

He is immensely proud of the work which has been accomplished during the last year, of the remarkable spirit of dedication which animates the entire community, and which invariably produces, at an hour of crisis, a strong and healthy reaction on the part of the community to rush reinforcements to its weak a.s.semblies, when they are in danger of dissolution.

He realises that the enforcement of the general rule that an a.s.sembly must function within civic limits has caused considerable havoc in Britain, as well as other countries. However, it enables the friends, through splitting up into smaller communities, to have before their eyes the appetising prospect of forming yet another Spiritual a.s.sembly, all on their own, so to speak. It gives more believers the opportunity to serve on these Administrative Bodies, challenges the teaching activities of them all, and stimulates them to fresh efforts in the hope of early victory.

The news of the success of your Convention this year; the fact that the community was able to manoeuvre its finances into a position of equilibrium, a position, incidentally, which it should make every effort to maintain; the large number of friends who attended the beautiful memorial meeting held for the dear Hand of the Cause, George Townshend, also pleased and encouraged our beloved Guardian.

He was pleased to hear from Rhodesia of the incorporation of the Salisbury a.s.sembly, which seems to be in the nature of a foundation for the future incorporation of all Spiritual a.s.semblies throughout the Rhodesias. This is yet another valuable service which your a.s.sembly has been instrumental in rendering the Faith in Africa.

He thanks your a.s.sembly for the coloured photographs of the Haziratu'l-Quds and also for the film of the Summer School which you sent him. He was very pleased also to receive copies of the Irish pamphlets, and hopes the Gaelic translation will soon be out.

As regards your question about printing in books the approval of the National a.s.sembly, he thinks that, if in certain circ.u.mstances this seems inadvisable, there is no objection to omitting it. The approval of the National Body should be sought for all Baha'i publications, so as to protect the Faith from unofficially disseminating information which may in some respects be false or inaccurate. Once this has been done, it is not so essential for the fact to appear in the book, if it will mitigate the effects of the book and decrease its sales....

The death of the Hand of the Cause, George Townshend, is a great loss to the British community as it not only deprives them of their most distinguished member, their unique Hand, but also of a most inspiring and faithful co-worker and a distinguished Baha'i author. His latest book has been read with great interest by the Guardian, and he hopes your a.s.sembly is ensuring its wide distribution to various religious leaders in Britain.

If opposition to the Faith can be aroused through this book, it will be the greatest service that dear George Townshend has ever rendered. It was always his hope that, through his pen, sparks would fly and begin the conflagration in whose light the Faith would s.h.i.+ne forth in all its splendour. Let us hope that this last service of his will indeed prove to be the vital spark setting off this process of opposition which will inevitably lead to a wide recognition and acceptance of the Faith.

The Guardian hopes that during the present year the home a.s.semblies will not only be maintained and groups prepared for a.s.sembly status next Ridvan, but that it will be possible to reinforce the work in the islands off the sh.o.r.es of the British Isles. The sooner a nucleus of local people is established in these goal places the sooner will the pioneers be able to move on to new fields and to lend their a.s.sistance to the teaching work either on the Home Front or in the Pacific area.

Please a.s.sure the dear pioneers that he greatly admires their steadfastness of purpose, their self-sacrifice and their exemplary spirit, and that he particularly prays for them in the Holy Shrines.

As regards the future work in the Pacific: It is entirely premature at this time for your a.s.sembly to think about the work there. The Home Front and the work in the neighbouring islands around Great Britain, as well as those allotted under the Ten Year Plan to your a.s.sembly in the Mediterranean, must receive the concentrated attention of your Body, its Committees and the believers. When the time comes to become active in the Pacific area, you may be sure he will let you know!

He feels that the urgent need now is to get out "Some Answered Questions", which is one of the most important books for a proper study of the Faith.

When this has been printed, the next publication of the Master's Works can be considered....

As to your question about the words used in the marriage ceremony; the two versions mean practically the same thing, and either may be used.(90)

It is most regrettable that the Caravan should have gotten hold of ...; if this situation is stirred up too much it will only enable Ahmad Sohrab to make a big fuss and get more publicity. In view of this the Guardian feels your a.s.sembly should be watchful and seek out, if possible, a suitable person and a suitable opportunity to call to her attention the facts that the Baha'i Faith, so widely spread and acknowledged, has nothing to do with the Caravan which is a purely opportunist organisation and so loosely knit together as to have almost no power of influencing people one way or another. To do the wrong thing in a situation such as this would be worse than to do nothing.

He a.s.sures you one and all of his loving prayers for your success in all you do for the Faith.

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers,

The year that has just elapsed, following upon the swift and spectacular success achieved by the firmly grounded, the progressive and alert British Baha'i community in the heart of the African Continent-a success attested by the triumphant emergence of the Regional Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Central and East Africa-has witnessed a progress throughout the length and breadth of the Homefront, as well as in the northern islands in the neighbourhood of the British Isles, which, though not spectacular, nevertheless testifies to the earnestness, the devotion and the exemplary tenacity with which the members of this community are conducting, in all its aspects, the n.o.ble Mission entrusted to their care, and are grappling with the manifold problems involved in its prosecution.

This present and crucial year must be signalised in the annals of British Baha'i history by a substantial measure of internal administrative consolidation and a noticeable expansion in the all-important teaching field, which will enable the members of this community, now standing on the threshold of a new and brilliant phase in the unfoldment of their Mission in foreign fields, to reinforce and broaden the base of their future operations beyond the confines of their native land.