Bahai Faith -- North America; Shoghi, Effendi, 1897-1957 -- Correspondence
referring to such a teacher, has revealed, “let him put his whole trust in
God, as the best provision for his journey, and array himself with the
robe of virtue.... If he be kindled with the fire of His love, if he
forgoeth all created things, the words he uttereth shall set on fire them
that hear him.”
Having on his own initiative, and undaunted by any hindrances with which
either friend or foe may, unwittingly or deliberately, obstruct his path,
resolved to arise and respond to the call of teaching, let him carefully
consider every avenue of approach which he might utilize in his personal
attempts to capture the attention, maintain the interest, and deepen the
faith, of those whom he seeks to bring into the fold of his Faith. Let him
survey the possibilities which the particular circumstances in which he
lives offer him, evaluate their advantages, and proceed intelligently and
systematically to utilize them for the achievement of the object he has in
mind. Let him also attempt to devise such methods as association with
clubs, exhibitions, and societies, lectures on subjects akin to the
teachings and ideals of his Cause such as temperance, morality, social
welfare, religious and racial tolerance, economic cooperation, Islám, and
Comparative Religion, or participation in social, cultural, humanitarian,
charitable, and educational organizations and enterprises which, while
safeguarding the integrity of his Faith, will open up to him a multitude
of ways and means whereby he can enlist successively the sympathy, the
support, and ultimately the allegiance of those with whom he comes in
contact. Let him, while such contacts are being made, bear in mind the
claims which his Faith is constantly making upon him to preserve its
dignity, and station, to safeguard the integrity of its laws and
principles, to demonstrate its comprehensiveness and universality, and to
defend fearlessly its manifold and vital interests. Let him consider the
degree of his hearer’s receptivity, and decide for himself the suitability
of either the direct or indirect method of teaching, whereby he can
impress upon the seeker the vital importance of the Divine Message, and
persuade him to throw in his lot with those who have already embraced it.
Let him remember the example set by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and His constant
admonition to shower such kindness upon the seeker, and exemplify to such
a degree the spirit of the teachings he hopes to instill into him, that
the recipient will be spontaneously impelled to identify himself with the
Cause embodying such teachings. Let him refrain, at the outset, from
insisting on such laws and observances as might impose too severe a strain
on the seeker’s newly awakened faith, and endeavor to nurse him,
patiently, tactfully, and yet determinedly, into full maturity, and aid
him to proclaim his unqualified acceptance of whatever has been ordained
by Bahá’u’lláh. Let him, as soon as that stage has been attained,
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