A Compilation on Bahai Education Part 17

With this in mind, the Guardian thinks it would be preferable not to place the child in a purely Catholic inst.i.tution, and to give her instead a broad spiritual and intellectual training that would enable her, at a later age, to fully appreciate the spirit of the Cause. While it should be your constant endeavour to bring her up in a thoroughly religious atmosphere, you should also be careful in keeping her away from all such influences that would tend to breed in her the spirit of religious bigotry, and thus narrow down the horizon of her spiritual understanding.

(From a letter dated 12 December 1939 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to two believers) [124]

"125: With reference to the question of the training of children: given the..."

With reference to the question of the training of children: given the emphasis placed by Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha on the necessity for the parents to train their children while still in their tender age, it would seem preferable that they should receive their first training at home at the hand of their mother, rather than be sent to a nursery. Should circ.u.mstances, however, compel a Baha'i mother to adopt the latter course there can be no objection.

(From a letter dated 13 November 1940 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer) [125]

"126: The question of the training and education of children in case one of the..."

The question of the training and education of children in case one of the parents is a non-Baha'i is one which solely concerns the parents themselves, who should decide about it the way they find best and most conducive to the maintenance of the unity of their family, and to the future welfare of their children. Once the child comes of age, however, he should be given full freedom to choose his religion, irrespective of the wishes and desires of his parents.

(From a letter dated 14 December 1940 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual a.s.sembly of India and Burma) [126]

"127: The Guardian was delighted to hear of your youth group. The children who..."

The Guardian was delighted to hear of your youth group. The children who are trained in the world-embracing teachings of Baha'u'llah cannot but grow up to be a truly new race of men. He hopes these young people will prepare themselves for the great task which will face them in the future, that of helping to rebuild the world with the aid and inspiration of the Baha'i teachings.

(From a letter dated 25 December 1941 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the Baha'is of Hobart, Australia) [127]

"128: These Baha'i children are of such great importance to the future.

They..."

These Baha'i children are of such great importance to the future. They will live in times, and have to meet problems, which never faced their elders. And the Cause alone can equip them to properly serve the needs of a future, war-weary, disillusioned, unhappy humanity. So their task will be very great and a very responsible one, and too much care cannot be devoted to their upbringing and preparation.

(From a letter dated 11 January 1942 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer) [128]

"129: ...The Guardian feels that it would be better for either the mothers of..."

...The Guardian feels that it would be better for either the mothers of Baha'i children-or some Committee your a.s.sembly might delegate the task to-to choose excerpts from the Sacred Words to be used by the child rather than just something made up. Of course prayer can be purely spontaneous, but many of the sentences and thoughts combined in Baha'i writings of a devotional nature are easy to grasp, and the revealed Word is endowed with a power of its own.

(From a letter dated 8 August 1942 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the British Isles) [129]

"130: You Baha'i children and young people have both great privileges and..."

You Baha'i children and young people have both great privileges and great obligations ahead of you, for your generation will be the ones to help build up a new, better and more beautiful world after the dark years of this war are pa.s.sed. You should prepare yourselves for this great task by trying to grasp the true meaning of the teachings and not just merely accepting them as something you are taught. They are like a wonderful new world of thought just beginning to be explored, and when we realize that Baha'u'llah has brought teachings and laws for a thousand years to come, we can readily see that each new generation may find some greater meaning in the writings than the ones gone before did.

(From a letter dated 14 October 1942 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to some individual believers) [130]

"131: The Guardian, in his remarks to ... about parents' and children's, wives'..."

The Guardian, in his remarks to ... about parents' and children's, wives'

and husbands' relations in America, meant that there is a tendency in that country for children to be too independent of the wishes of their parents and lacking in the respect due to them....

(From a letter dated 22 July 1943 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer) [131]

"132: Regarding your question about children fighting: the statement of the..."

Regarding your question about children fighting: the statement of the Master, not to strike back, should not be taken so extremely literally that Baha'i children must accept to be bullied and thrashed. If they can manage to show a better way of settling disputes than by active self-defence, they should naturally do so.

(From a letter dated 11 May 1945 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer) [132]

"133: You ask him about the fear of G.o.d: perhaps the friends do not realize..."

You ask him about the fear of G.o.d: perhaps the friends do not realize that the majority of human beings need the element of fear in order to discipline their conduct? Only a relatively very highly evolved soul would always be disciplined by love alone. Fear of punishment, fear of the anger of G.o.d if we do evil, are needed to keep people's feet on the right path.

Of course we should love G.o.d-but we must fear Him in the sense of a child fearing the righteous anger and chastis.e.m.e.nt of a parent; not cringe before Him as before a tyrant, but know His mercy exceeds His justice!

(From a letter dated 26 July 1946 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer) [133]