Definition and Scope of “"Devotional Meetings"

 Memorandum

To: The Universal House of Justice

September 19, 1991

From: Research Department

The Research Department has studied the questions concerning the concept of the devotional meeting raised by ... in his email of 4 August 2001 to the Universal House of Justice. ... mentions a recent meeting called by the Local Spiritual Assembly of ... in which representatives of the Bahá'í institutions who are resident in ... participated. He reports that one important area of consultation was the devotional meeting. In light of this gathering, ... enquires whether the Universal House of Justice has specified in any detail "what a Devotional Meeting looks like". He is particularly interested in "the definition and scope of such a meeting". We provide the following response.

As to the nature of the devotional meetings referred to in recent letters of the House of Justice, in response to a similar question raised by one of the believers, the House of Justice in a letter dated 13 March 2001 written on its behalf, provided the following general guidance:

“Regarding your email message dated 14 February 2001, which has been received at the World Centre, questions concerning local devotional meetings should be referred to your Local or National Spiritual Assembly.”

While the Research Department has, to date, been unable to locate any comprehensive definition of the nature and scope of devotional meetings, we have assembled, for ... information and study, a short compilation entitled "Selected Guidance Concerning Devotional Gatherings" The compilation consists of extracts from letters written by and on behalf of the Universal House of Justice. A number of themes emerge from perusal of the extracts contained therein. For example:

• Care should be taken to avoid developing rigid practices and rituals (extracts 1 and 6).
• Bahá'ís are encouraged to use the revealed prayers of Bahá'u'lláh and the Báb as well as those of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. It is permissible to have prayers and readings from the Sacred Scriptures of other religions (extracts 2 and 7).
• The form of programme would appear to depend in part on the setting, the occasion, and the purposes of the gathering (extracts 6 and 7).
• The practice of collective worship is one important ingredient in the flourishing of community life. It also reinforces individual spiritual development (extracts 3, 4, and 5).

Given ...'s interest in the subject of devotional meetings, it is suggested that he might find it helpful to refer to the general compilation entitled "Prayer, Meditation, and the Devotional Attitude", which was compiled some time ago by the Research Department, and published by a number of Bahá'í publishing trusts. The compilation is also included in Compilation of Compilations (Maryborough, Victoria: Bahá'í Publications Australia, 1991), volume II.

(Baha’i Library Online

The condition of non-Bahá'í relatives after death

 Memorandum

To: The Universal House of Justice

Date: 28 August 1991

From: Research Department

Re: The Condition of non-Bahá'í Relatives after Death

The Research Department has studied the questions about the spiritual condition of souls of the non-Bahá'í relatives of Bahá'ís, which were contained in the letter dated 26 July 1991 from Mr. ... to the Universal House of Justice. Mr. ... cites the following extract from a Tablet revealed by Bahá'u'lláh and raises a number of issues about its meaning and application:

“These blessed words were uttered by the Tongue of Grandeur in the Land of Mystery [Adrianople], exalted and glorified is His utterance:

“One of the distinguishing characteristics of this most great Dispensation is that the kin of such as have recognized and embraced the truth of this Revelation and have, in the glory of His name, the Sovereign Lord, quaffed the choice, sealed wine from the chalice of the love of the one true God, will, upon their death, if they are outwardly non-believers, be graciously invested with divine forgiveness and partake of the ocean of His mercy. This bounty, however, will be vouchsafed only to such souls as have inflicted no harm upon Him Who is the Sovereign Truth nor upon His loved ones. Thus hath it been ordained by Him Who is the Lord of the Throne on High and the Ruler of this world and the world to come.”

The issues raised by Mr. ... are as follows:

1. Do the non-Bahá'í parents of believers become Bahá'ís in the next world?

Secret of Divine Civilization; Capitalization of Pronouns; Capital Punishment; The First Person to Recognize Bahá'u'lláh as a Manifestation of God; Designer of the House of Worship in 'Ishqabad ; and Other Questions

 Memorandum

To: The Universal House of Justice

Date: 23 May 1991

From: The Research Department

"The Secret of Divine Civilization"

The Research Department has studied the questions raised by Mr. ... in his letter of 17 April 1991 to the Universal House of Justice. Mr. ... is engaged in translating "The Secret of Divine Civilization" into Portuguese. Many of the questions he poses in his letter result from a close study of this book. We provide the following response.

1. Capitalization of Pronouns

Mr. ... lists a number of places in "The Secret of Divine Civilization" where the pronouns that refer to 'Abdu'l-Bahá are capitalized. Mr. ... indicates that he is aware that 'Abdu'l-Bahá was known as the Master during the Ministry of Bahá'u'lláh and he enquires whether His station, at that time, was "already so special that He should refer to Himself with [a] capital letter"?

In contrast to many European languages, in Persian, personal pronouns are never capitalized. 'Abdu'l-Bahá followed this established rule and did not capitalize the pronouns that refer to Him. When the book was translated into English, the particular translator employed the convention, common in English, of capitalizing pronouns. It is interesting to note that when 'Abdu'l-Bahá signed His name in English, He used a combination of upper and lower case letters. He, typically, wrote "abdul Baha abbas" — the reference to Bahá'u'lláh being the only word He capitalized.