Chapter 6

He was glad to know that a number of Spiritual Assemblies have been incorporated, and hopes that this process will also be accelerated during the coming months, and that all of the Assemblies that seem to have a firm foundation, however small the community may be, will take out their incorporation papers.

GRAVE OF MARION JACK

He hopes that it has been possible to make the arrangements to have Miss Jack's(52) grave built. This is a task which is indeed a precious trust for your Assembly. When the friends realize that her grave will become in the future a place of visitation, they will appreciate the bounty bestowed upon the Canadian Community through being able to claim one of the most distinguished of all pioneers as a member of their community.

It was a great pleasure to him to have Mr. Raynor(53), a member of your Assembly, as his guest here in the Holy Land, and he feels sure that this contact has forged yet another link between the Canadian Baha'is and the World Centre.

Regarding various matters raised in your letters: there is nothing in the Teachings to prevent a Baha'i from willing his body for medical research after death. However, it should be made clear that the remains must be buried eventually and not cremated, as this is according to Baha'i law.

He was very sorry to hear of the prolonged inharmony in the ... Baha'i community.... Some of the ... believers, from letters and reports received here, seem to lack a firm grounding on such matters as the Will and Testament and the deeper spiritual teachings of the Faith. Whenever the grasp of these fundamentals is weak, the friends are almost sure to pay undue attention to secondary procedures, to quibble over details, to lose themselves in personalities, and to founder in a sea of unnecessary inharmony. This has nothing to do with their devotion, their loyalty, their zeal, their eagerness to serve. It is merely a question of not having received, perhaps through lack of sufficient teachers to carry on the all-important work of deepening the friends in their own faith, a strong enough education in the Covenant before the duties and responsibilities of the Administrative Order were thrust upon them.

He has the greatest confidence in the abilities, and the loyalty and devotion of the Canadian friends. They have proved themselves over and over again, and distinguished their community through acts of great sacrifice, vision, courage and devotion. He hopes that, during the coming year, your Assembly will be able to send out more teachers, to assist the friends in grasping the fundamentals of the Faith, in uniting them, and stimulating their desire to do more in the teaching field. If the supply of teachers is limited in Canada--and the area to be covered is certainly vast!--perhaps your Sister Assembly in the United States can help through lending visiting teachers.

He assures all the members of the National Assembly of his loving prayers for the success of your indefatigable labours.

With warm Baha'i love, R. RABBANI.

P.S.--As regards the question about a person who is mentally ill attending the Feasts, anybody who is well enough mentally to attend a Baha'i Feast and understand what it is all about is certainly well enough to be a voting member. Only people who are very seriously deranged mentally and confined to institutions or under constant supervision should be deprived of their voting rights.

BAHA'I MARRIAGE LAW

Regarding your question of applying the sanction of suspension of voting rights to people who marry without the consent of parents, this should be done from now on. The law of the Aqdas is explicit and not open to any ambiguity at all. As long as the parents are alive, the consent must be obtained; it is not conditioned on their relationship to their children. If the whereabouts of the parents is not known legally, in other words, if they are legally dead, then it is not necessary for the children to obtain their consent, obviously. It is not a question of the child not knowing the present whereabouts of its parents, it is a question of a legal thing--if the parents are alive, they must be asked.

As regards the question of alcohol, the Guardian explained this to Mr. Raynor(54), and he feels that his understanding of it is quite correct. The Assemblies must be wise and gentle in dealing with such cases, but at the same time must not tolerate a prolonged and flagrant disregard of the Baha'i Teachings as regards alcohol.

Dear and Valued Co-workers:

The Canadian Baha'i Community, whose members are so valiantly participating in the furtherance of the World Spiritual Crusade, now claiming the attention of the entire body of followers of the Faith of Baha'u'llah in all continents of the globe, has ever since the inception of this world-embracing enterprise, proved itself capable of carrying its share of responsibility in the accomplishment of this collective, colossal task, and has rendered services that have enriched the annals of the Faith, not only in a land so dear to the heart of 'Abdu'l-Baha, but in far-off islands and territories which it is the mission of this community to illuminate and conquer.

Ever since the emergence of this progressive, youthful and dynamic community, as an independent entity, and particularly since the inception of the Ten Year Plan, it has demonstrated, on several occasions, those qualities which alone can provide the guarantee of success in carrying out, as a worthy ally of her sister community in the great Republic of the West, the sacred and historic mission assigned to it by the Author of the Tablets of the Divine Plan. The staunchness of the faith of its members, their unyielding resolve, their ceaseless efforts, their willingness to sacrifice, their exemplary loyalty, their steadfast courage, have, time and again, been strikingly displayed, and served to fortify the hopes which I have always cherished for their future destiny.

VASTNESS OF NEW FIELD PRESENTS CONTRAST WITH PAST

The vastness of the field in which this firmly knit, irresistibly advancing, steadily consolidating community now operates, stretching as it does from the Atlantic to the Pacific seaboards, and touching, on the one hand, the fringes of the Arctic Region, and extending, on the other, as far as the islands of the South Pacific, contrasts with the extremely restricted area, in which, for so many years, and until recently, the administrative activities of this community were confined. The diversity and multiplicity of the enterprises in which it finds itself now engaged, the manner in which it is consolidating its strength, enlarging its membership, safeguarding the unity of its members, and noising abroad its fame, may be regarded as additional evidences of its spiritual vigour, and of its rapid rise to maturity at so significant a period in the evolution of the Faith throughout the Western Hemisphere.

At this crucial hour, when the Plan to which this highly promising community stands committed is entering on the third phase in its unfoldment, the responsibilities confronting its members are at once manifold, pressing and inescapable. The situation on the homefront, so extensive and so varied in character, calls for careful consideration and energetic action on the part of your Assembly. The steady increase in the number of those enlisted under the banner of the Faith must be paralleled by a multiplication of Assemblies, groups and isolated centres. The incorporation of all firmly established Assemblies must simultaneously be accelerated. The virgin areas now opened, and particularly Anticosti, Greenland, Iceland and Franklin, as well as those territories deprived recently of the benefits of a resident pioneer, must be made the object of the special attention and solicitude of your Assembly, for upon the preservation of these hard-won prizes must depend the ultimate triumph of this community's collective and historic task, and the enhancement of the prestige it has deservedly won in recent years throughout the Baha'i World.

Of equal importance is the strenuous yet highly meritorious obligation to add, steadily and rapidly, to the number of the American Indian and Eskimo adherents of the Faith, and to ensure their active participation in both the teaching and administrative spheres of Baha'i activity--a task so clearly emphasized by the Pen of the Centre of the Covenant, and in the consummation of which the Canadian Baha'i Community is destined to play so conspicuous a part.

DEEPENING OF NEWLY-ENROLLED BELIEVERS

Above all, the utmost endeavour should be exerted by your Assembly to familiarize the newly enrolled believers with the fundamental and spiritual verities of the Faith, and with the origins, the aims and purposes, as well as the processes of a divinely appointed Administrative Order, to acquaint them more fully with the history of the Faith, to instil in them a deeper understanding of the Covenants of both Baha'u'llah and of 'Abdu'l-Baha, to enrich their spiritual life, to rouse them to a greater effort and a closer participation in both the teaching of the Faith and the administration of its activities, and to inspire them to make the necessary sacrifices for the furtherance of its vital interests. For as the body of the avowed supporters of the Faith is enlarged, and the basis of the structure of its Administrative Order is broadened, and the fame of the rising community spreads far and wide, a parallel progress must be achieved, if the fruits already garnered are to endure, in the spiritual quickening of its members and the deepening of their inner life.

The duties incumbent upon this community, and particularly its elected national representatives, multiply with every passing day. Heavy is the burden they carry. Rich and immense are the possibilities stretching before them. Priceless are the rewards which a befitting discharge of their multiple responsibilities must bring in its wake. Boundless are the favours and bestowals which a loving and watchful Providence is ready to confer upon those who will arise to meet the challenge of the present hour.

May the members of this community, as well as its elected representatives, consecrate themselves anew to the mission which 'Abdu'l-Baha has conferred upon them, and immortalize their stewardship to the Faith of His Father through acts which future generations will unanimously acclaim and for which they will feel eternally grateful.

SHOGHI.

Letter of December 14, 1956

December 14, 1956.

TEACHING FRENCH CANADIAN CATHOLICS

National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Canada.

The beloved Guardian has directed me to write you, that he feels it is time for the Canadian Baha'is, in their teaching work, to concentrate, to the extent possible, on bringing Catholics into the Faith.

There are the vast number of French Canadians who are of Catholic persuasion. They would make fine Baha'is, and if representative members could be brought into the Faith, it will add prestige to the Faith, and help solidify its institutions.

Thus, to the extent possible, the friends should do what they can to attract Catholics and then confirm them in the Faith.

He sends the members of the National Assembly his loving greetings.

Faithfully yours, LEROY IOAS.

Letter of December 22, 1956

Haifa, Israel, December 22, 1956.

DEAL WITH EACH CASE INDIVIDUALLY

National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Canada.

I have been instructed on behalf of our beloved Guardian to answer the questions raised in your recent letter.

There are two things which he wishes to impress upon you. The first is that depriving people of their voting rights is the heaviest sanction which can be imposed at the present time (with the exception of excommunication, which is a right the Guardian has never permitted anyone else to exercise). Therefore, the greatest care should be exerted to try and remedy a situation before depriving anybody of their voting rights, and the action itself should only be taken if absolutely necessary.

The other point is that the Guardian is very anxious that no more rules and regulations should be introduced by any National Spiritual Assemblies. He has continually impressed this upon the American, the British and other National Bodies. The spirit of the Cause will be stifled, the initiative of the friends killed, and the teaching work come to a stand-still if the friends are continually hemmed in by instructions. In view of this, he has instructed the National Bodies to deal with each case as it arises.

The understanding conveyed in the quotation from "Principles of Baha'i Administration" is correct; also people who are deprived of their voting rights should not receive Baha'i News or Bulletins, as they are no longer active in the administrative affairs of the Faith.

He is very happy at present to have a member(55) of your Assembly visiting Haifa, and hopes that Miss Harvey will carry back to you a fresh impetus from the Holy Land, which will assist the Canadian Assembly members in carrying on their many heavy burdens in the service of the Faith.

With warm Baha'i greetings, R. RABBANI.

December 27, 1956.

TEACHING MINORITIES

National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Canada.

The beloved Guardian has directed me to write you concerning the important matter of teaching the minorities of Canada.

He has spoken in some detail to Miss Harvey(56) concerning the subject, and she can and will amplify this communication.

He feels it most important that active work be done in connection with the French Canadians, Eskimos, and Indians. You are also now actively in touch with the Poles and Ukrainians in your country.

In order to intensify this work, the Guardian feels you should establish a Minorities Teaching Committee, with sub-committees to specialize in the teaching of French Canadians, Eskimos, and Indians. As the work spreads, you can add other sub-committees, such as one for Eastern Europe, or the countries under active consideration. In other words, sub-committees might be formed for regional areas of the globe, where their people form a goodly number of inhabitants of Canada.

Thus you would now have a Minorities Committee, with sub-committees to specialize in the teaching work of the Eskimos, another sub-committee for the Indians, another for the French Canadians, and another one for the Poles and Ukrainians.

With loving Baha'i greetings, I am, Faithfully yours, LEROY IOAS.

Letter of March 30, 1957

Haifa, Israel, March 30, 1957.

National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Canada.

The beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer certain matters raised in your recent correspondence with him.

He is delighted to see that substantial progress is being made in Samoa. It is too early for him to say under whose administrative jurisdiction the Samoan Baha'is will come in the future. It will probably be Australia, but at the present time, these things have not been definitely settled.

DEFINITION OF COVENANT-BREAKING

People who have withdrawn from the Cause because they no longer feel that they can support its Teachings and Institutions sincerely, are not Covenant-breakers--they are non-Baha'is and should just be treated as such. Only those who ally themselves actively with known enemies of the Faith who are Covenant-breakers, and who attack the Faith in the same spirit as these people, can be considered, themselves, to be Covenant-breakers. As you know, up to the present time, no one has been permitted to pronounce anybody a Covenant-breaker but the Guardian himself.

With warm Baha'i greetings, and assuring you all of his prayers for the success of your important work,

R. RABBANI.

Letter of October 19, 1957

Haifa, Israel, October 19, 1957.

IMPORTANCE OF TEACHING THE INDIANS

National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Canada.

Your loving letter of October 5 was duly received and its contents have been presented to the beloved Guardian.

He was very happy indeed to learn of the very active manner in which the Canadian Baha'is have taken hold of this most important subject of teaching the Indians.

He attaches the greatest importance to this matter as the Master has spoken of the latent strength of character of these people and feels that when the Spirit of the Faith has a chance to work in their midst, it will produce remarkable results.

You(57) yourself are to be congratulated on the very wonderful work you have been doing with the Indians on the Tyendinaga Reserve. The Guardian greatly appreciates this service, and wishes you to know that he values it very highly. He hopes nothing will interfere with your carrying it forward to the fine conclusion which you hope will be the establishment of an Assembly on this reserve. It would be a distinct victory for the Faith if that is accomplished.

The Guardian will pray for you and the success of your work.

Faithfully yours, LEROY IOAS.

Letter of July 18, 1957

Haifa, Israel, July 18, 1957.

National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Canada.

Your Assembly's communications with their enclosures have all arrived safely, and the beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf...

MOST URGENT TASKS

It is a pity that the Canadian believers are having so much difficulty settling the question of both their Temple land and their National Headquarters. He was very surprised and distressed to learn that the Temple site you had chosen has entirely fallen through, and that you have to begin all over again looking for a Temple site. He feels that your Assembly should appreciate the fact that the important thing at this time is to acquire a Temple site. It does not have to be a very large piece of land, and, if the worst comes to the worst, at a future date, when the time comes to build a Temple in Canada, it can be exchanged or sold and a better site procured; but the question for this present National Body to settle once and for all is the purchase of a Temple plot as a beginning in order to remove from the Ten Year Plan one of its most important goals, and one the accomplishment of which has been dragging too long. He feels that your Assembly should also look around for a suitable and permanent Haziratu'l-Quds in Toronto, and try and dispose of the one you have without loss, if possible, in order to enable you to acquire the new and he hopes permanent one at once.

As regards the matter of those who have withdrawn from the Faith ....: as you know, no one has the right to excommunicate anybody except the Guardian of the Faith, himself. Those people who have withdrawn from the Faith, though critical of it and disgruntled, are not necessarily Covenant-breakers. If they were associating with Ahmad Sohrab(58) and upholding his claims actively, then they would come into an entirely different category. If this is the case, you should inform the Guardian, but otherwise the friends should be advised to just leave these people alone, for their influence can be nothing but negative and destructive, and the less they breathe the breath, so to speak, of those who have turned their back on the light of this Faith, the better.

It is not enough to bring people into the Faith, one must educate them and deepen their love for it and their knowledge of its teachings, after they declare themselves. As the Baha'is are few in number, especially the active teachers, and there is a great deal of work to be done, the education of these new believers is often sadly neglected, and then results are seen such as the resignations you have had recently. In this respect, the Summer Schools can be of the greatest help to the friends, new and old Baha'is alike, for in them they can study, and enjoy the feeling of Baha'i companionship which is, alas, usually lacking in their home communities, owing to the smallness of their numbers.

He is very happy to see that the friends are making every effort to execute the provisions of the Ten Year Plan, as they apply to the Canadian Community. The most urgent of all tasks facing them in connection with the execution of their part of the Ten Year Plan is to increase the number of Spiritual Assemblies.

DEADLY INFLUENCE OF MATERIALISTIC CIVILIZATION

The Baha'is should realize that today's intensely materialistic civilization, alas, most perfectly exemplified by the United States, has far exceeded the bounds of moderation, and, as Baha'u'llah has pointed out in His Writings, civilization itself, when carried to extremes, leads to destruction. The Canadian friends should be on their guard against this deadly influence to which they are so constantly exposed, and which we can see is undermining the moral strength of not only America, but indeed of Europe and other parts of the world to which it is rapidly spreading.

The fortuitous combination of British solidity and good judgment and American get-up-and-go and enthusiasm, which has characterized Canada, must not be lost in the Canadian Baha'i Community. Its members must demonstrate their outstanding abilities, and, through a greater vision, more consecration and renewed self-sacrifice, arise and attain their goals.

He is very happy over the work in the Pacific region in general, and was glad to receive word recently of the formation of the Samoan Assembly, a feat of which your Assembly can be duly proud. However, the situation in the Marquesas needs immediate attention, and every effort should be exerted to reinforce the work initiated there, at the cost of much self-sacrifice, by the first pioneer(59).

INFERTILE FIELDS EQUALLY VITAL

The work in the north should likewise be consolidated, and every effort made to get more pioneers to join those heroic souls already labouring in such an infertile field. This applies equally to Labrador and Greenland, where Bill Carr(60), the lone Canadian pioneer, is demonstrating the Baha'i spirit in such an exemplary manner. It is hard for the friends to appreciate, when they are isolated in one of these goal territories, and see that they are making no progress in teaching others, are living in inhospitable climes for the most part, and are lonesome for Baha'i companionship and activity, that they represent a force for good, that they are like a light-house of Baha'u'llah shining at a strategic point and casting its beam out into the darkness. This is why he so consistently urges these pioneers not to abandon their posts. Apropos of this, he hopes that it will again be possible in the near future to get someone into Anticosti. It is a great pity that the friend(61) who went there could not remain.

The beloved Guardian sends all the members of your Assembly his loving greetings and assures you all of his ardent prayers for your success.

With warm Baha'i love, R. RABBANI.

Dear and Valued Co-workers:

The opening of the second year of the third phase of the Ten Year Baha'i Spiritual Crusade presents the entire Canadian Baha'i Community, and, particularly, its elected representatives, with an opportunity, and brings them face to face with a challenge, unique since its inception over half a century ago.

The achievements that have distinguished the record of its stewardship, ever since its founding, and particularly since the launching of the World Baha'i Crusade, both on the homefront and beyond its confines, have been such as to ennoble the annals of the Faith to which it is so whole-heartedly dedicated, and to arouse in the hearts of all those who have watched, throughout succeeding decades, the rise, its emergence into independent existence, and its rapid consolidation, feelings of profound admiration, of pride and of thankfulness.