Use of Star of the West in electronic form

To: The Universal House of Justice

Date: 3 March 1999

From: Research Department

The Research Department has considered the question raised by Mrs. Erica Toussaint in her email message of 27 December 1998. Mrs. Toussaint states that she and Mr. Chad Jones are involved in a "two-year long electronic scanning project" to make some of the secondary writings of the Faith available in electronic form. As part of this project, searchable electronic text of the Star of the West, volumes 1-25, is being made available, with a feature reminding users that "much of this material falls into the category of 'pilgrim's notes'". Since "some of the material in the Star of the West is not authenticated or is inaccurate," Mrs. Toussaint asks if the Universal House of Justice has any policy regarding republishing the Star of the West in electronic form. We reply as follows;

We have not been able to find any statement by the Universal House of Justice prohibiting the republication of the Star of the West volumes. Mrs. Toussaint may be interested in the following extract from a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice, giving some guidelines on the use of the Star of the West volumes:

The House of Justice gave its permission for a republication of the volumes of Star of the West with the provision that the reproduction should be exactly as the originals with no additions, omissions, or comment, except for a brief publisher's note.

Mirza Mihdi; "Holy Family"; capitalization of pronouns, Guardian's use of English

Memorandum

To: The Universal House of Justice

Date: 13 October 1998

From: Research Department

Queries on Various Subjects

The Research Department has studied the queries contained in email messages of 25 March and 20 August 1998 to the International Teaching Centre from Mr. .... We have numbered his queries consecutively beginning with those in the earlier email and answer them below in turn.

1. Who took care of Mírzá Mihdí when Bahá'u'lláh was exiled to Baghdád?

There is apparently very little information available on this subject. In ‘Robe of Light’ it states that the only one of Bahá'u'lláh's relatives who came to say farewell on the day He left for Baghdád was "lady Ásíyih's mother who was to care for her little grandchild Mihdí".[1] According to Ásíyih Khánum: The Most Exalted Leaf, "[Ásíyih Khánum's] mother's name is not mentioned in any of the available historical sources."[2] We found no reference to "an aunt named Mariam" in connection with Mírzá Mihdí.

2. Use of the title "Holy Family"

The Research Department has not found any explicit guidelines in the Bahá'í Writings regarding the appropriate use of the title "Holy Family". It appears to be a general term which has meant different things at different historical times. The following extract from a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi illustrates how he used the terms "Holy Family" and "Holy Household":

“As to your question whether the members of the Holy Family fulfil, as such, any specific function in the Administrative Order, or in the teaching field: the Guardian wishes me to state that, while the members of the Holy Household, who stand loyal to the Cause, are entitled to every respect and consideration by the believers, yet there is no such function which they can inherently claim by being related to the Centre of the Cause. The believers, moreover, are not under any obligation to rise at the entrance or exit of any member of the Holy Family at the meetings. The higher the station of those who have the privilege of being related by ties of blood to the Centre of the Cause the greater indeed must be their responsibility to serve, and thus prove in deeds their worthiness to occupy such an exalted and responsible position.” (26 January 1939 to an individual)

References in the Bahá'í Writings to anti-Semitism and the Holocaust

Memorandum

To: The Universal House of Justice

Date: 24 September 1998

From: Research Department

In an email message of 8 July 1998, Mr. xxx asks for "any and all available references to anti-Semitism" in the Bahá'í Writings, especially in the correspondence of Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice. Furthermore, he asks if there are any references to the Holocaust in the Bahá'í Writings. We reply as follows.

We have been able to find very few references specifically dealing with anti-Semitism and the Holocaust. However, we share with Mr. xxx the attached compilation entitled "The Holocaust and the Greater Plan of God", which was prepared in response to a question as to whether the Holocaust was part of the Greater Plan of God. In a letter on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer dated 3 February 1988, we read that the "Bahá'í attitude to the Holocaust and the massive sufferings inflicted on mankind by the World Wars is clearly set forth by Shoghi Effendi in The Promised Day is Come...." Extracts 3 and 8 of the attached compilation are such references taken from The Promised Day is Come.

Further, Mr. xxx may be interested in the following two extracts from letters written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice regarding the Jewish people:

"It would be impossible for any community, much less the Bahá'í community, to forget the suffering of the Jewish people throughout a long period of history. As you know, Bahá'u'lláh, like the Prophets before Him, stated in His Writings that the Jews would return to their homeland, and this fulfillment of their heart's desire has taken place. Moreover, 'Abdu'l-Bahá has confirmed that the travail of the Jewish people is now to be ended. He wrote in a Tablet:

Mark of the beast and implanted computer chips

Memorandum

To: The Universal House of Justice

Date: 12 August 1998

From: The Research Department

Implantation of computer chip and mark of the beast

The Research Department has studied the questions on the above-mentioned subjects raised by Mr. … in his letter of 16 June 1998 to the Universal House of Justice. Mr. … refers to media reports which claim that each human being will one day be “identified by the use of a computer chip inserted under the skin”. According to Mr. …, “the proposed chip will be inserted into the hand or wrist of each individual”, and all information pertinent to the individual will be stored on the chip, thereby facilitating such things as financial transactions and the retrieval of medical records. Mr. … states that “many people are drawing parallels between this development and ‘the mark of the Beast’” referred to in the following verses from the Book of Revelation, chapter 13:

16. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads;

17. And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred three score and six.[1]

He poses a number of questions about the Bahá’í understanding of the Biblical verses quoted above, the relationship between the computer chip and the “mark of the beast”, and what a believer should do if “governments or other authorities require citizens to be implanted with a computer chip”. We provide the following response.

Was Fadil-i-Mazandarani declared a Hand of the Cause of God, and on determining if there were other Hands

Memorandum

11 August 1998

From: Bahá'í World Centre

To: ----

Subject: Enclosure to letter dated 11 August 1998

Fadil Mazandarani

The Research Department has considered the question about the rank of Fadil Mazandarani raised by Dr. ---  in his email message of 7 June 1998 to the Universal House of Justice. Specifically, Dr. --- seeks information about whether or not Shoghi Effendi named Fadil Mazandarani a Hand of the Cause of God. We provide the following comment.

By way of introduction we wish to note that the list of Hands of the Cause of God in "The Bahá'í World", volume XIV, contains the names of those believers whose appointment as Hands of the Cause is clearly supported by the evidence that was available at the time of the compilation of the list.[1] In the case of the Hands nominated by Shoghi Effendi, for example, the list includes only those whose appointment was accompanied by an official and public announcement to the Bahá'í world.

Additional detailed research will be required to determine whether other individuals might be identified as Hands of the Cause. In this regard it is interesting to reflect on the following statement from a letter dated 19 April 1947 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi in response to a question about the references to the Hands of the Cause contained in "God Passes By", page 195 and pages 328-329:[2]

Biblical questions, interpretation of: Ezekiel 10:19, Jeremiah 49:38 and Micah 7:12

Memorandum

To: Universal House of Justice

12 May 1998

From: Research Department

The Research Department has considered the questions raised by Mr. ______ in his email message of 3 April 1998.  Mr. ______ cites three passages from the Old Testament, specifically, Ezekiel 10:19, Jeremiah 49:38 and Micah 7:12, and states that these passages have been interpreted in the "work of William Sears and a number of other Bahá'í authors" as "references to the Bábí and Bahá'í Faiths".  He further states that he has "studied these passages using the historical-critical method" and "concluded that the traditional Bahá'í interpretations are foreign to the contexts and, in the case of the passage from Micah, based on errors of translation".  As he has not found any authoritative Bahá'í Writings on the passages, Mr. ______ would like to consider the interpretations as "purely personal" and "not binding on Bahá'ís in general".  Finally, Mr. ______ requests any information "that would confirm or invalidate" his conclusion.

The Research Department has not been able to find in the Bahá'í Writings any statements regarding the passages cited by Mr. ______.  He is free to arrive at his own conclusions as to the meaning of the passages.

However, Mr. ______ may be interested to note that in God Passes By (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1987), the Guardian identified a verse from Ezekiel, which appears to have some similarity to Ezekiel 10:19, as describing 'Akká. The passage from God Passes By (page 184) is reproduced below.

Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Baha Concerning Arius

Memorandum

17 March 1998

To: The Universal House of Justice

From: Research Department

Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Concerning Arius

In its letter of 17 December 1997 to the Universal House of Justice, the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States seeks guidance concerning how to respond to a question raised by Mr. ____, whose letter of 24 November 1997 is enclosed by the National Assembly.

In his letter, Mr. ____ cites the following passage from a Tablet by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, which is translated by Shoghi Effendi and published in "Star of the West":

“Consider thou, at the time of Christ and after Him, how many childish attempts have been made by different persons! What claims they have advanced and what a multitude have they gathered around themselves! Even Arius attracted to himself a million and a half followers and strove and endeavoured to sow the seeds of sedition in the Cause of Christ. But eventually the sea of Christ surged and cast out all the gathering froth and nothing was left behind save the everlasting malediction.” [*Star of the West, vol. 10, no. 5, p. 96]

Mr. ____ expresses his understanding, drawn from available non-Bahá'í reference material, concerning the reason for Arius's excommunication from the early Christian Church. He states that Arius was a supporter of the unity of God and opposed to the Church's idea of the Trinity, and that his position on this issue appears to be "precisely in accordance with Bahá'í teachings". This being the case, Mr. ____ enquires about the validity of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá's statement, about the accuracy of the report in "Star of the West" and about Shoghi Effendi's translation.

Whether the Apostle Paul was a "False Teacher"

Memorandum

To: Universal House of Justice

Date: 22 February 1998

From: Research Department

Whether the Apostle Paul was a "False Teacher"

The Research Department has studied the query contained in the email of 8 December 1997 to the Baha’i World Centre from Mr...  Mr. ... states that "some years ago" he read a letter in The American Bahá’í, which quoted from a statement of the Research Department concerning the Apostle Paul. He recalls that this statement "covered references in the Baha’i Writings to Paul and noted that there was no support for the view that Paul was a ‘false teacher". Mr. ... is requesting a copy of this statement by the Research Department.

It seems likely to us that the letter which Mr. ... recalls reading is the one published in the "Letters" section of The American Bahá’í, 4 November 1992, volume 23, number 16, page 11. We have attached a photocopy of this page for his convenience and note that in the letter to the editor in question, the writer introduces the term "false teacher" in his introductory remarks; it does not appear in any of the material he quotes. It is also important to clarify that the writer is quoting (with some inaccuracy) a reference to the Research Department in a letter dated 25 November 1980 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice.

Regarding Mr. ...‘s request, therefore, it seems appropriate to provide him with an extract from the House of Justice’s letter cited above which contains the reference to the Research Department and the full text of the discussion of Peter and Paul. For clarity, we have preceded this extract by the incoming query to which this discussion is a response. Thus:

Obligatory Prayer, Greatest Name, Exemptions

Memorandum

Date: 2 January 1998

To: The Universal House of Justice

From: Research Department

Obligatory Prayer, Greatest Name, Exemptions

The Research Department has studied the questions raised by Mr. ___, forwarded on his behalf by the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States in its email message of 29 October 1997 to the Universal House of Justice. We provide the following comments.

1. Obligatory Prayer

Short Obligatory Prayer

Mr. ___ seeks guidance concerning the action that should be taken when an individual who is in the habit of reciting the Short Obligatory Prayer either forgets or is unable to recite it during the prescribed period, from noon until sunset. Specifically, he wishes to know:

“Is the individual "expected" to say the Long Obligatory Prayer even if not "in the state of humble adoration one is to be in to recite the long prayer"?

Has the opportunity to fulfil this spiritual responsibility been missed for that day?

Should the individual use the "substitution to be recited when one has been engaged in travel or insecure circumstances"”?

The Universal House of Justice in a letter dated 26 April 1987, written on its behalf, provides the following general guidance concerning what is to be done when an individual forgets to say the Obligatory Prayer:

“The action of a believer who forgets to recite his obligatory prayer is a matter of personal conscience.”

Preferred English Translation of the Bible to quote from

Memorandum

3 November 1996 

To: The Universal House of Justice

From: Research Department

In an email message of 23 September 1996 to the Universal House of Justice, Mr. ... requests clarification on "the principles that govern quoting from the Bible in English-language Bahá'í publications". He explains that he has heard an unsubstantiated view that only the King James version of the Bible may be used and observes that "this individual seems to give the King James version an authority greater than that of the original text in matters of interpretation". His queries were referred to the Research Department for study and the following is our response.

We have been unable to find guidance in the Writings which refers directly to quoting from the Bible in English-language Bahá'í publications. It may be helpful to ... to note, however, that, in an incoming letter dated 2 September 1949 to the Guardian, an English-speaking believer asked the following question:

Quite recently, the writer, in guiding at the Temple has been asked just what version of the Bible Bahá'ís use. May we have your directive on this, please?

The Guardian's response appears in a letter written on his behalf, where we read:

“Shoghi Effendi himself uses the King James version of the Bible, both because it is an authoritative one and in beautiful English.” (28 October 1949 to an individual believer; published in "Bahá'í News", no. 228, February 1950, p. 4).

Compilation of Extracts Regarding Arius

Memorandum

 To: The Universal House of Justice

July 9, 1996

From: Research Department

A brief compilation of extracts from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha concerning Arius

Station of Arius

In his email of 15 May 1996 to the Universal House of Justice, Mr. X refers to statements from the Tablets by ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Star of the West, vol. 10, no. 5, concerning Arius and the violation of the Covenant of Christ. He explains that when these statements were posted on a BBS inter-religious discussion, it resulted in a degree of controversy:

The conservative Christians in the discussion area with whom we... and other religionists communicate have taken a surprising interest in this mention of Arius. As they put it Arius’ view “should” be like what Baha’is claim, as they see it, about the station of the Manifestation.

Mr. X believes that this interest in the Baha’i view of Arius might well provide an opportunity for him to set out, more explicitly, the Baha’i perspective on the stations of Christ and of the Manifestations of God. He, therefore, seeks other references concerning Arius and the Covenant of Christ. And, he raises the following specific questions:

...is it what Arius claimed about the station and nature of Christ that is the basis of his standing in Abdu’l-Baha’s estimation as an enemy of Christ’s Covenant or was it some other factor of Arius’ claims or behavior? Would it be proper to speak of Arius as a Covenant-Breaker? Are his works and point of view under similar censure as Covenant-Breakers of the Baha’i Faith?

Date of Revelation of Tablet of Ishraqát

Memorandum

To: The Universal House of Justice

Date: 2 April 1996

From: Research Department

In an email message of 9 February 1996, Mr. --- asks about the date on which the Tablet of Ishraqat, specifically the Eighth Ishraq, was revealed. He observes that none of the sources available to him in English provide a date, and that unless the date was recorded by the amanuenses, it is his assumption that "a dating would have to be based on correlating internal indications with historical events". To this end, Mr. --- cites a number of passages from the Tablet of Ishraqat containing allusions to historical events and he requests the assistance of the Research Department in investigating this matter.[1] We offer the following information based on our study of the resources available at the Bahá'í World Centre:

- In a Tablet of some 40 pages addressed to Varqa, which appears to have been revealed over a period of more than a month and which bears on its final page the date 19 Muharram 1303 A.H. (29 October 1885), Bahá'u'lláh informs Varqa that on 9 Dhi Qa'dih 1302 (21 August 1885), a very long Tablet has been revealed for Jalil-i-Khu'i on the Most Great Infallibility. This date actually forms part of the text of the Tablet to Varqa. Since the Most Great Infallibility is a theme discussed at great length in the Tablet of Ishraqat, it seems likely that it is to this Tablet that Bahá'u'lláh is referring.

The Tablet to Varqa has not, to date, been published, nor translated into English.

- 1885 as the date of the revelation of the Tablet of Ishraqat would appear to receive some additional support from the fact that Bahá'u'lláh, in a Tablet revealed on 24 Safar 1304 A.H. (22 November 1886), employs a sentence that is also found in the Ishraqat. [2] The sentence is as follows:

Authenticity of "Bahá'í World Faith" and "Foundations of World Unity"

Memorandum

 To: The Universal House of Justice

Date: 28 March 1996

From: Research Department

Mr. ... in an email message dated 19 February 1996, asks for information about the authenticity of the words of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá published in the above-mentioned books. Specifically, he wants to know about the section entitled "Knowledge and Deeds", found on pages 382-383 of "Bahá'í World Faith". He also asks about the status of the talks found in "The Promulgation of Universal Peace", and in "Paris Talks" and " ‘Abdu'l-Bahá in London". We provide the following response.

The specific Tablet Mr. ... asks about, as noted in the Appendix of "Bahá'í World Faith", was originally published in "Tablets of Abdul-Baha Abbas", vol. 3 (Chicago: Bahá'í Publishing Committee, 1930 printing), p. 549. The Tablet has been recently retranslated for inclusion in a forthcoming publication. We provide below the revised translation:

“Pleasing and acceptable as is a righteous person before God's Holy Threshold, yet good works should proceed from knowledge. However matchless and exquisite may be a blind man's handiwork, yet he himself is deprived of seeing it. How sorely do certain animals labour on man's behalf, what loads they bear for him, how greatly they contribute to his ease and comfort; and yet, because they are unwitting, they earn no recompense for all their pains. The clouds rain down their bounty, nurturing the plants and flowers, and imparting verdure and enchantment to the plain and prairie, the forest and the garden; but yet, unconscious as they are of the results and fruit of their outpourings, they win no praise or honour, nor earn the gratitude and approbation of any man. The lamp imparteth light, but as it hath no consciousness of doing so, no one is indebted to it. This apart, a man of righteous deeds and goodly conduct will assuredly turn towards the Light, in whichever quarter he behold it. The point is this, that faith compriseth both knowledge and the performance of good works.”

The Epochs of the Formative Age

1996  

Introduction

In disclosing the panoramic vision of the unfoldment of the Dispensation of Baha'u'llah, Shoghi Effendi refers to three major evolutionary stages through which the Faith must pass -- the Apostolic or Heroic Age (1844-1921) associated with the Central Figures of the Faith; the Formative or Transitional Age (1921-), the "hallmark" of which is the rise and establishment of the Administrative Order, based on the execution of the provisions of 'Abdu'l-Baha's Will and Testament; and, the Golden Age which will represent the "consummation of this glorious Dispensation."  Close examination of the details of Baha'i history reveals that the individual Ages are comprised of a number of periods-inseparable parts of one integrated whole.

In relation to the Heroic Age of our Faith, the Guardian, in a letter dated 5 June 1947 to the American Baha'is, specified that this Age consisted of three epochs and described the distinguishing features of each:

“... the Apostolic and Heroic Age of our Faith, fell into three distinct epochs, of nine, of thirty-nine and of twenty-nine years' duration, associated respectively with the Babi Dispensation and the ministries of Baha'u'llah and of 'Abdu'l-Baha. This primitive Age of the Baha'i Era, unapproached in spiritual fecundity by any period associated with the mission of the Founder of any previous Dispensation, was impregnated, from its inception to its termination, with the creative energies generated through the advent of two independent Manifestations and the establishment of a Covenant unique in the spiritual annals of mankind.” [CF, pp. 4-5.  Letter dated 5 June 1947 to the American Baha'is.]

The Formative Age, in which we now live and serve, was ushered in with the passing of 'Abdu'l-Baha. Its major thrust is the shaping, development and consolidation of the local, national and international institutions of the Faith.[GPB, p. 324] It is clear from the enumeration of the tasks associated with the Formative Age that their achievement will require increasingly mature levels of functioning of the Baha'i community:

Socrates in History and the Bahá'í Writings

Memorandum

(Extract from a Memorandum Prepared by the Research Department at the instruction of the Universal House of Justice, 22 October 1995)

1. Socrates

1.1 Bahá'í Perspective

To provide a background for considering ...'s question about whether the Universal House of Justice can confirm the statements in the Bahá'í Writings about Socrates, we attach a compilation of all the available extracts in the English language which pertain to Socrates [see below] and which also serve to highlight some of the difficulties inherent in endeavouring to unravel the historical Socrates. From a study of the excerpts in this compilation, we call attention to the following points:

The Bahá'í Writings assert that the Greek philosophers were influenced by religion, that they had contact with Hebrew sages.

With the flowering of the reign of Solomon, the Greek philosophers journeyed to Jerusalem to learn from the sages and to acquire an understanding of Israelite law. See, for example, [6] and [8].

The Bahá'í Teachings indicate that Socrates travelled to Palestine and Syria [4] [5] and, more generally, to the Holy Land [8] [9].

The information about Socrates is derived from what "is recorded in eastern histories". It includes "many facts which are not included in Jewish history" [4].

The histories of the times before Alexander the Great tend to be very confused and unreliable, and even when the field of history "became an orderly and systematized discipline", the problem of giving precise dates for events in the remote past remained a difficulty [2] [15] [16].

In relation to the Tablet of Wisdom, the Universal House of Justice states that, while Bahá'u'lláh is quoting "the historical accounts familiar to the person He is addressing in the Tablet ... for the sake of illustrating the spiritual principles that He wishes to convey", this "does not necessarily mean that He is endorsing their historical accuracy" [16]. (1)

The Guardian’s statement concerning legislative responsibilities of the Universal House of Justice regarding Obligatory Prayers

Memorandum

25 June 1995 

To: The Universal House of Justice 

From: Research Department

In an email message dated 14 May 1995, Mr. ... states that he has recently read the transcript of a talk by Mr. Ian Semple wherein the legislative activities of the Universal House of Justice regarding worship are discussed. The transcript contains a reference to a letter "in which [the Guardian] indicates that the House of Justice would legislate on details related to the obligatory prayers". Mr. ... would like to have a copy of the relevant portion of this letter for study.

Mr. ...'s letter was referred to the Research Department. We have located the statement in question in a letter dated 10 October 1936 written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer. The statement is as follows:

First, with regard to your questions concerning the obligatory prayers, the "Aqdas" does not give detailed instructions about them. The Universal House of Justice, however, will have to define the exact time for their recital, and lay down, if required, other detailed instructions concerning their use. One of the three obligatory prayers should be recited. This is an obligation. But individual believers are absolutely free to choose any one of them. There is no particular time of day fixed for the reading of the long prayer.

(Baha’i Library Online)

Evolution Towards World Order

Memorandum

(Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, 27 April 1995)

Extracts from letters written by and on behalf of the Universal House of Justice

You have also asked whether the institutions of the Faith will in the future only concern themselves with the spiritual affairs of the community or whether they will also be engaged in matters of state and be identical with the civil government. We have been asked to state that a careful reading of the words of the beloved Guardian will reveal that what you describe are two future stages in the development of the Faith. Thus, he wrote: "Not only will the present-day Spiritual Assemblies be styled differently in future, but they will be enabled also to add to their present functions those powers, duties, and prerogatives necessitated by the recognition of the Faith of Baha’u’llah, not merely as one of the recognized religious systems of the world, but as the State Religion of an independent and Sovereign Power." ("The World Order of Baha’u’llah", pp. 6-7)

The statement quoted above envisages the development of the institutions of the Faith purely as agencies conducting the affairs of the community of the followers of Baha’u’llah. In "The Advent of Divine Justice" (p. 12), however, Shoghi Effendi goes beyond the stage when the Faith becomes the "State Religion". This stage, he explains, "... must give way to its assumption of the rights and prerogatives associated with the Bahá’i state, functioning in the plenitude of its powers, a stage which must ultimately culminate in the emergence of the worldwide Bahá’i Commonwealth, animated wholly by the spirit, and operating solely in direct conformity with the laws and principles of Baha’u’llah", This last stage is described in slightly different terms in the following words of Shoghi Effendi: "And as the Bahá’i Faith permeates the masses of the peoples of East and West, and its truth is embraced by the majority of the peoples of a number of the Sovereign States of the world, will the Universal House of Justice attain the plenitude of its power, and exercise, as the supreme organ of the Bahá’i Commonwealth, all the rights, the duties, and responsibilities incumbent upon the worlds future superstate." (Cf. "The World Order of Baha’u’llah", p. 7) It is obvious that in these last stages the religious and secular aspects are clearly merged into one set of institutions, i.e., the institutions of the World Order of Baha’u’llah. This concept is further confirmed by Shoghi Effendi when he clearly states that the "Administrative Order" will in the future "assert its claim and demonstrate its capacity to be regarded not only as the nucleus but the very pattern of the New World Order destined to embrace in the fullness of time the whole of mankind". ("The World Order of Baha’u’llah", p. 144) (9 March 1977 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer) [1]

Reincarnation, rebirth and the progress of the soul

Memorandum

To: The Universal House of Justice

Date: 25 April 1995

From: Research Department

Reincarnation, Rebirth and the Progress of the Soul

A letter dated 25 December 1994 written on behalf of the Regional Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of … requests material from the Bahá’í Writings on the subject of reincarnation. This Assembly is in contact with some people who believe in reincarnation and have challenged the Bahá’í perspective on life after death. They argue that "psychological data" such as the regaining of past life memories through hypnosis supports the view that this life and one’s previous life are somehow connected to each other, and that this cycle of physical death and physical rebirth repeats itself many times. The Assembly wishes to deepen its understanding of these issues in order to present the Bahá’í perspective accurately. Their request was forwarded to the Research Department and the following is our response.

With reference to the subject of reincarnation, the Spiritual Assembly might wish to study ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Some Answered Questions (Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1984), chapters 33, 60, 63, 66 and 81. The attached compilation entitled "On Reincarnation and the Nature and Progress of the Soul" may also be helpful. Outlined below are some points drawn from this compilation; the numbers in brackets identify the extracts from which a point is taken.

1. Reincarnation, the Soul and the Concept of "Return"

1.1 The Spiritual Assembly is correct that Bahá’ís do not believe in reincarnation. We have several references in the Bahá’í Writings which state that the concept of reincarnation is based on an incorrect view of the progress of the soul and life after death. For example, reincarnation is a "man-made doctrine" [15, 16]. "No Revelation from God has ever taught reincarnation" [15]. Bahá’u’lláh would have mentioned it in His Teachings if it had any importance or reality [17].

The Bahá’í view of life after death does not accord with the idea that the human soul can pass from one body to another. "We come on to this planet once only." [12, 17]

"The concept of the soul returning to this physical world is erroneous, and an outgrowth of man-made doctrines which have grown up about the fundamental concept of the progress of the soul." [16]

Mental Tests

Memorandum

12 March 1995

To: The Universal House of Justice

From: Research Department

The Research Department has studied the questions raised by Mr. ... in his electronic mail message of 30 December 1994. Mr. ... refers to the following statement in the letter dated 19 May 1994 from the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States:

May they be granted the celestial strength to pass, over and over again, the mental tests which 'Abdu'l-Bahá promised He would send to them to purify them, thus enabling them to achieve their divinely conferred potential as a force for change in the world.

And in attached correspondence between himself and the National Assembly, Mr. ... notes that Shoghi Effendi made similar statements in some of his letters. He asks whether there are specific references in the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to "mental tests", and he enquires about the availability of a general compilation on the subject which would supplement the material contained in such compilations as Crisis and Victory and Opposition. We provide the following comment.

References to "mental tests" in the letters of Shoghi Effendi

By way of introduction, it is useful to consider several references to mental tests in letters of the beloved Guardian that are published in Bahá'í Administration: Selected Messages 1922-1932. Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1974:

How dearly all the Holy Leaves cherish that memory of the departed Master, as He commented upon the fresh tidings that poured in from that continent, admiring the untiring activity of the friends, the complete subordination of their material interests to those of the Cause, the remarkable spread of the Movement in their midst and their staunch firmness in the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh. It is these encouraging reflections of the Master about His loved ones in America and the tests intellectual rather than physical which He said He would send to them to purify and make them ever brighter than before — it is these comments and promises of His that make of the Movement in that land such a potential force in the world today. The Beloved Master's cable to the friends in that region is a clear indication of the presence of those counteracting forces that may usher in those storms of tests that the Master Himself has said will ultimately be for the good of the Cause in that land.[1] (pp. 16-17) (21 January 1922)