The Unfolding Destiny of the British Bahá'í Community : the Messages from the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith to the Bahá'ís of the British IslesShoghi, Effendi
Religion
The Unfolding Destiny of the British Bahá'í Community : the Messages from the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith to the Bahá'ís of the British Isles
Shoghi, Effendi
Bahai Faith -- Great Britain -- History -- Sources; Shoghi, Effendi, 1897-1957 -- Correspondence
P.S.—I wish to call your attention to certain things in “Principles of
Bahá’í Administration” which has just reached the Guardian; although the
material is good, he feels that the complete lack of quotation marks is
very misleading. His own words, the words of his various secretaries, even
the Words of Bahá’u’lláh Himself, are all lumped together as one text.
This is not only not reverent in the case of Bahá’u’lláh’s Words, but
misleading. Although the secretaries of the Guardian convey his thoughts
and instructions and these messages are authoritative, their words are in
no sense the same as his, their style certainly not the same, and their
authority less, for they use their own terms and not his exact words in
conveying his messages. He feels that in any future edition this fault
should be remedied, any quotations from Bahá’u’lláh or the Master plainly
attributed to them, and the words of the Guardian clearly differentiated
from those of his secretaries.
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-workers,
The magnificent spirit of devotion and the initiative and resourcefulness
demonstrated in recent months by a triumphant community, in its eagerness
to launch, ahead of the appointed time, the enterprise destined to carry
the fame of its members and establish its outposts as far afield as the
African Continent, merit the highest praise. By their organising ability,
by their zeal in enlisting the collaboration of their sister communities
in the African, the American and Asiatic continents for the effective
prosecution of this epoch-making enterprise; by the tenacity, sagacity and
fidelity which they have displayed in the course of its opening phase; by
their utter consecration and their complete reliance on the One Who
watches over their destiny, they have set an example worthy of emulation
by the members of Bahá’í communities in both the East and the West.
The despatch of the first pioneer to Tanganyika, signalising the
inauguration of the African campaign, following so closely upon the
successful termination of the Six Year Plan, will be recognised by
posterity as the initial move in an undertaking designed to supplement and
enrich the record of signal collective services rendered by the members of
this community within the confines and throughout the length and breadth
of its homeland. On it, however great the support it will receive from its
sister communities in the days to come, will devolve the chief
responsibility of guiding the destinies, of supplying the motive power,
and of contributing to the resources of a crusade which, for the first
time in Bahá’í history, involves the collaboration, and affects the
fortunes, of no less than four National Assemblies, in both Hemispheres
and within four continents of the globe.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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