Regarding your questions: by holiness in our Bahá’í teachings is meant attachment to God, His Precepts and His Will. We are not ascetics in any sense of the word. On the contrary, Bahá’u’lláh says God has created all the good things in the world for us to enjoy and partake of. But we must not become attached to them and put them before the spiritual things. Chastity in the strict sense means not to have sexual intercourse, or sexual intimacies, before marriage. In the general sense it means not to be licentious. This does not mean we Bahá’ís believe sexual relations to be impure or wrong. On the contrary they are natural and should be considered one of God’s many blessings. He does not know anything about whether albumen and delicious food affect sex; this is a medical question. Sex is a very individual matter, some people are more passionate by nature than others, and might consequently suffer more if forced to be continent. But when the world becomes more spiritual there will not be such an exaggerated emphasis on sex, as there is today, and consequently it will be easier for young people to be chaste and control their passions. A man of noble character and strong willpower, could certainly remain faithful to his wife during a long absence! Any good orientalist could probably refer you to commentaries on the Qur’án and on the Buddhist Scriptures. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has stated that all references of Muḥammad to fighting refer to defensive war, not to aggression. LETTER OF 25 NOVEMBER 1947 25 November 1947 He is very happy to see that you are all studying the Bahá’í Teachings, and preparing yourselves to be worthy servants of Bahá’u’lláh, and of humanity, when you grow older. You may be sure he will pray for you all in the Holy Shrines, and that you may attract other children and young people to the Bahá’í Cause. No one is ever too young to teach this Message to others. LETTER OF 27 NOVEMBER 1947 27 November 1947 He was very happy to hear of the progress being made spiritually there(26) , and that now there are 9 Bahá’ís in all. He hopes this will enable you to form a Spiritual Assembly. You may be sure he will pray that this may come about. [From the Guardian:] Assuring you of my loving prayers for your success in the service of our beloved Faith and its God-given institutions, Your true brother, Shoghi LETTER OF 8 DECEMBER 1947 8 December 1947 Bahá’í Gemeinde Esslingen Dear Bahá’í Friends: Your loving greeting to our beloved Guardian, dated Nov. 12th, 1947, was received and he has instructed me to write you on his behalf and thank you for it. He assures you all that your devotion to the Cause of God is very deeply appreciated, and the perseverance you show in its service greatly valued by him. He will pray for you all in the Holy Tombs, that Bahá’u’lláh may bless, guide and protect you in your service to His Faith... [From the Guardian:]