Anyone who has sat through a meeting that was perfectly orderly and perfectly dead knows the question at the heart of this subject. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wanted people to leave a gathering feeling better than when they arrived, and warned that crystallized forms kill the spirit; he also insisted that organization was not forbidden and that the House of Justice decides what the text leaves open. Holding both truths together is what Shoghi Effendi called the unique responsibility of those who administer: order matched by an equal measure of love, the machinery of assemblies a channel for the Faith and never a substitute for it. The duties that follow are concrete: win confidence and affection, invite discussion, air grievances, revise a verdict, protect individual initiative, and resist the itch to over-administer a handful of new believers. The church in Acts, choosing seven people of good character so that neglected widows would be fed, shows practical responsibility and spiritual quality growing from one root [1]. The road continues into spiritual gatherings and feasts, the proper limits of criticism, and the freedom of thought a living institution must protect.
The object is: let the meeting be spiritual and productive of unity and harmony, so that when you leave the meeting you may feel much better than when you entered it. Let the meetings be as formless as possible. Crystallization of forms will kill the spirit. Let simplicity, naturalness, beauty of ideas, love and fellowship emanate from your meetings. The mother of all the questions is to promote the Cause and spread the Teachings."
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Mr Herrigel, spoken at Ritz Hotel on 1913-Apr-15 -- ABU2097)
02
Do not worship the Lantern—worship the light.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to newspaper reporters, spoken on 1912-Apr-11 -- ABU3423)
03
Furthermore, any agency whatever, though it be the instrument of mankind's greatest good, is capable of misuse.
… For every excellent thing, peerless though it may be, can still be diverted to the wrong ends. A lighted lamp in the hands of an ignorant child or of the blind will not dispel the surrounding darkness nor light up the house -- it will set both the bearer and the house on fire.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Madaniyyih (The Secret of Divine Civilization), 1875, to The People of Iran -- AB00004)
04
The Blessed Beauty established a foundation for us compared to which all the causes of the world are but children's toys, for that foundation is the spirit of the world and all other affairs and conditions are as the body. Surely the life of the body depends upon the spirit.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1913-Feb-11 in Paris -- ABU2333)
05
But when some follow merely the hard and fixed letter of the law, they deprive it (the Revelation) of its elastic quality--the spirit--and endeavour to convert it into a hard instrument of inflexible qualities.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Edward Getsinger et al, spoken around 1915-Jan-26 -- ABU0180)
06
We should, therefore, detach ourselves from the external forms and practices of religion. We must realize that these forms and practices, however beautiful, are but garments clothing the warm heart and the living limbs of Divine truth. We must abandon the prejudices of tradition if we would succeed in finding the truth at the core of all religions. If a Zoroastrian believes that the Sun is God, how can he be united to other religions? While idolaters believe in their various idols, how can they understand the oneness of God?
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1911-Nov-10 in Paris -- ABU0282)
07
People think religion is confined in an edifice, to be worshipped at an altar. In reality it is an attitude toward divinity which is reflected through life.
"This movement eludes organization -- it is the realization of a new spirit.
Dr. C.: They say that all organization is forbidden by the teachings.
Abdul Baha: That is all talk. The text of the Blessed Book cannot be changed. No one can interfere with it. Things not definitely stated in the Book are referred to the House of Justice. Whatever the House of Justice decides, that is obligatory. Now it is not possible for all the world to come together. The Convention is similar to the House of Justice to a certain extent. Its decision and laws must be carried out.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Fugeta, Dr. Esslemont et al, spoken on 1920-Jan-02 -- ABU3081)
09
Today all the believers of God must think of conveying the message, and not of the formation of committees; for there will be no result from the organization of the committees. It will be a name without significance.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1913-Jan-17, to Grace Krug -- AB04742)
10
Consider what enabled the apostles of Christ to succeed - was it through organizing assemblies or through establishing detachment, supplication and teaching? We too must now follow their way, otherwise it is certain that divine confirmation will cease and the radiance of eternal glory will not grow brighter day by day.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Mirza Muhammad Hasan Adib -- AB09088)
11
The intention was to make known that by the term Spiritual Gathering (House of Spirituality), that Gathering has not the least connection with material matters, and that its whole aim and consultation is confined to matters connected with spiritual affairs.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1902-Jun-14, to Spiritual Assembly of Chicago, IL -- AB03141)
12
It is a spiritual gathering and should remain such until political affairs are adjusted. Houses of Justice must attain to the potency to be such. Abdul-Baha hopes that in time the Board may attain to a condition like that.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Mountfort Mills, spoken around 1909-May-26 -- ABU1104)
13
O true friend! Some of the friends who have now made the pretext of assuming the character of dervishes are engaged in praising the Ancient Beauty through hints and allusions in corners and streets and marketplaces, and are accustomed to encouraging people by singing ghazals and spiritual songs. These souls should abandon this practice henceforth, but for now it is causing encouragement among the people and no one should interfere with them.
In this movement there will never be any paid ministers, no appointed clergy, no bishops, no cardinals, no popes, no ceremonies.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Stanwood Cobb, spoken at Rue Lauriston 97 on 1913-Mar-28 -- ABU2599)
15
Generally when ever the question of money comes up and arguments of a financial nature are vehemently presented, in many cases the people loose their spiritual fragrance. Therefore all the friends must dispatch the financial obligations of the Cause with the utmost joy and spirituality. Money questions must never become too prominent in any Baha'i community - thus driving away the spiritual mission of the Cause, i.e. to awaken the souls from sleep, to vivify them with the Breath of heavenly civilization and to guide them into the Rizwan of Reality.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to the friends, spoken on 1914-Mar-20 -- ABU0889)
16
Question: Is it not a fact that universal peace cannot be accomplished until there is political democracy in all the countries of the world?
Answer: It is very evident that in the future there shall be no centralization in the countries of the world, be they constitutional in government, republican or democratic in form. The United States may be held up as the example of future government -- that is to say, each province will be independent in itself, but there will be federal union protecting the interests of the various independent states. It may not be a republican or a democratic form. To cast aside centralization which promotes despotism is the exigency of the time.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given in Church of the Ascension on 1912-Jun-02 -- ABU0006)
Further quotations · supplied wording and references
17
Administrative efficiency and order should always be accompanied by an equal degree of love, of devotion and of spiritual development. Both of them are essential and to attempt to dissociate one from the other is to deaden the body of the cause. In these days, when the Faith is still in its infancy, great care must be taken lest mere administrative routine stifles the spirit which must feed the body of the Administration itself. That spirit is its propelling force and the motivating power of its very life.
LG#124 (10 Dec. 1933 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
18
He hopes you will devote as much of your spare time as possible to the work of the Cause, especially in impressing upon the believers the importance of the Administration and helping them to really understand its purpose and all it can achieve once they get it to function properly. In other words it is a perfect form which must be animated by the spirit of the Cause. It is the ideal instrument to make spiritual laws function properly in the material affairs of this world.
LG#3 (16 Jun. 1945 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
19
Regarding the relationship of the Cause to the Administration; the Baha'i Faith as the Guardian himself has repeatedly and emphatically stated cannot be confined to a mere system of organization, however elaborate in its features and universal in its scope it may be. Organization is only a means to the realization of its aims and ideals, and not an end in itself. To divorce the two, however, would be to mutilate the Cause itself, as they stand inseparably bound to each other, in very much the same relationship existing between the soul and body in the world of human existence.
LG#6 (19 Apr. 1939 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi)
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20
Should we build up the Administrative World Order to a point of absolute perfection but at the same time allow it to be hampered or disconnected from the channels within, through which channels the Holy Spirit of the Cause pours forth, we would have nothing more than a perfected body out of touch with and cut off from the finer promptings of the soul or spirit. If, on the other hand, the influxes and goings forth of the spirit are scattered, diffused, and subjected wholly to the more or less imperfect guidance and interpretation of individual believers, lacking both the wisdom secured through consultation and also the lights of real unity which shine through consultative action and obedience thereto -- a disordered and disorganized activity would be witnessed, which would but dimly reflect the divine purpose for this age, which is no less than the establishment of the reign of divine love, justice, and wisdom in the world, under and in conformity to the Divine Law.
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
21
It is surely for those to whose hands so priceless a heritage has been committed to prayerfully watch lest the tool should supersede the Faith itself, lest undue concern for the minute details arising from the administration of the Cause obscure the vision of its promoters, lest partiality, ambition, and worldliness tend in the course of time to becloud the radiance, stain the purity, and impair the effectiveness of the Faith of Baha'u'llah.
WOB.009-010
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22
We urge you ever to bear in mind that the purpose of Baha'i administration is primarily to lend strength and directive to the teaching work and to promote the establishment of the Faith. It should never be regarded as an end in itself but purely as a means to canalize and make effective a spiritual vitality generated by the Word of God in the hearts of the believers.
LG#4 (12 Nov. 1973 on behalf of the Universal House of Justice)
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23
...the importance of the Baha'i administration is its value in serving as a facilitator of the emergence and maintenance of community life in a wholly new mode, and in catering to the requirements of the spiritual relationships which flow from love and unity among the friends.
M86-01 183.33 (19 May 1994 from the Universal House of Justice)
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24
The Baha'i administration is only the first shaping of what in future will come to be the social life and laws of community living. As yet the believers are only first beginning to grasp and practice it at times it seems a little self-conscious and rigid in its workings. It is because we are learning something very difficult but very wonderful -- how to live together as a community of Baha'is according to the glorious teachings.
LG#149, LG#277 (14 Oct. 1941 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi)
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25
He urges you to do all you can to promote unity and love amongst the members of the Community there, as this seems to be their greatest need. So often young communities, in their desire to administer the Cause, lose sight of the fact that these spiritual relationships are far more important and fundamental than the rules and regulations which must govern the conduct of Community affairs.
LG#1344, COC#1328 (4 Oct. 1950 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
26
...occupation with the mechanics of Baha'i Administration, divorced from the animating spirit of the Cause, leads to a distortion, to an arid secularization foreign to the nature of the Administration.
M86-01 60.20 (29 Dec. 1988 from the Universal House of Justice)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
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27
It should be remembered by every follower of the Cause that the system of Baha'i administration is not an innovation imposed arbitrarily upon the Baha'is of the world since the Master's passing, but derives its authority from the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha, is specifically prescribed in unnumbered Tablets, and rests in some of its essential features upon the explicit provisions of the Kitab-i-Aqdas. … To dissociate the administrative principles of the Cause from the purely spiritual and humanitarian teachings would be tantamount to a mutilation of the body of the Cause, a separation that can only result in the disintegration of its component parts, and the extinction of the Faith itself.
WOB.005
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
28
...He, as well as 'Abdu'l-Baha after Him, has, unlike the Dispensations of the past, clearly and specifically laid down a set of Laws, established definite institutions, and provided for the essentials of a Divine Economy. These are destined to be a pattern for future society, a supreme instrument for the establishment of the Most Great Peace, and the one agency for the unification of the world, and the proclamation of the reign of righteousness and justice upon the earth.
WOB.019
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29
Few will fail to recognize that the Spirit breathed by Baha'u'llah upon the world, and which is manifesting itself with varying degrees of intensity through the efforts consciously displayed by His avowed supporters and indirectly through certain humanitarian organizations, can never permeate and exercise an abiding influence upon mankind unless and until it incarnates itself in a visible Order, which would bear His name, wholly identify itself with His principles, and function in conformity with His laws.
WOB.019
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30
Who, I may ask, when viewing the international character of the Cause, its far-flung ramifications, the increasing complexity of its affairs, the diversity of its adherents, and the state of confusion that assails on every side the infant Faith of God, can for a moment question the necessity of some sort of administrative machinery that will insure, amid the storm and stress of a struggling civilization, the unity of the Faith, the preservation of its identity, and the protection of its interests?
WOB.009-010
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31
Should we therefore speak of freeing ourselves from institutions or should we develop these institutions into perfection? Many say do not bind the spirit with institutions. That is surely a wonderful ideal. But with a society before us we cannot but have an institution. It is only the existence of such an institution that will ensure the permanence of that spirit.
(5 April 1930 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi)
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32
... To accept the Cause without the administration is like to accept the teachings without acknowledging the divine station of Baha'u'llah. To be a Baha'i is to accept the Cause in its entirety. To take exception to one basic principle is to deny the authority and sovereignty of Baha'u'llah, and therefore is to deny the Cause. The administration is the social order of Baha'u'llah. Without it all the principles of the Cause will remain abortive. to take exception to this, therefore, is to take exception to the fabric that Baha'u'llah has prescribed, it is to disobey His law.
LG#5 (30 May 1930 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi)
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33
Everyone who has studied the Cause deeply cannot but be certain that Baha'u'llah's purpose in His Mission was not merely to expound certain principles, and renew the spirit that the previous prophets brought to the world, but also to establish a definite social fabric that would make those principles of practical value. … The administrative side of the Cause which is the embryonic stage of that world order, is therefore just as much an intrinsic and indispensable part of the teachings, as the principle of unity of mankind etc.
(23 Apr. 1930 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi)
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34
The concentration of authority in the hands of the elected representatives of the believers; the necessity of the submission of every adherent of the Faith to the considered judgment of Baha'i Assemblies; His preference for unanimity in decision; the decisive character of the majority vote; and even the desirability for the exercise of close supervision over all Baha'i publications, have been sedulously instilled by `Abdu'l-Baha, as evidenced by His authenticated and widely-scattered Tablets.
WOB.006
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35
Their common, their fundamental object is to insure the continuity of that divinely-appointed authority which flows form the Source of our Faith, to safeguard the unity of its followers and to maintain the integrity and flexibility of its teachings.
WOB.148
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36
Such is the immutability of His revealed Word. Such is the elasticity which characterizes the functions of His appointed ministers. The first preserves the identity of His Faith, and guards the integrity of His law. The second enables it, even as a living organism, to expand and adapt itself to the needs and requirements of an ever-changing society.
WOB.023, M63-86 23.21
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37
Let it be made clear to every inquiring reader that among the most outstanding and sacred duties incumbent upon those who have been called upon to initiate, direct and coordinate the affairs of the Cause, are those that require them to win by every means in their power the confidence and affection of those whom it is their privilege to serve. … Theirs is the duty, while retaining the sacred and exclusive right of final decision in their hands, to invite discussion, provide information, ventilate grievances, welcome advice from even the most humble and insignificant members of the Baha'i family, expose their motives, set forth their plans, justify their actions, revise if necessary their verdict, foster the spirit of individual initiative and enterprise, and fortify the sense of interdependence and co-partnership, of understanding and mutual confidence between them on one hand and all local Assemblies and individual believers on the other.
BA.143-144
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38
The Local Assemblies should inspire confidence in the individual believers, and these in their turn should express their readiness to fully abide by the decisions and directions of the Local Assembly. The two must learn to co-operate, and to realize that only through such a co-operation can the institutions of the Cause effectively and permanently function. While obedience to the Local Assembly should be unqualified and whole-hearted, yet that body should enforce its decisions in such a way as to avoid giving the impression that it is animated by dictatorial motives. The spirit of the Cause is one of mutual co-operation, and not that of a dictatorship.
LG#273 (28 Oct. 1935 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, in "Issues Concerning Community Functioning")
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39
The power of action in the believers is unlocked at the level of individual initiative and surges at the level of collective volition. … Individual initiative is a pre-eminent aspect of this power; it is therefore a major responsibility of the institutions to safeguard and stimulate it....
M86-01 183.36 (19 May 1994 from the Universal House of Justice)
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40
There is also a clear pattern already established in the Sacred Scriptures, in the interpretations made by 'Abdu'l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi, and in the decisions so far made by the Universal House of Justice, whereby an area of the application of the laws is intentionally left to the conscience of each individual believer. This is the age in which mankind must attain maturity, and one aspect of this is the assumption by individuals of the responsibility for deciding, with the assistance of consultation, their own course of action in areas which are left open by the law of God.
(5 Jun. 1988 on behalf of the Universal House of Justice)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
41
The human tendency in past Dispensations has been to want every question answered and to arrive at a binding decision affecting every small detail of belief or practice. The tendency in the Baha'i Dispensation, from the time of Baha'u'llah Himself, has been to clarify the governing principles, to make binding pronouncements on details which are considered essential, but to leave a wide area to the conscience of the individual. The same tendency appears also in administrative matters.
M63-86 308.17 (3 Jan. 1982 on behalf of the Universal House of Justice)
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42
Your Assembly must be very careful not to over-load the Baha'is with rules and regulations, circulars and directions. … The beloved Guardian issues this word of warning, as long experience has shown that it is a tendency on the part of all N.S.A.s to over-administer. In their enthusiasm they forget that they only have a handful of inexperienced souls to guide, and attempt to deal with their work as if they had a large population to regulate! This then stifles the spirit of the friends and the teaching work suffers.
LG#134 (15 Jul. 1957 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
43
Over-administration can be even worse for the Faith at this time than under-administration. The believers are, for the most part, young in the Cause, and if they make mistakes it is not half as important as if their spirit is crushed by being told all the time-do this and don't do that! The new National Body should be like a loving parent, watching over and helping its children, and not like a stern judge, waiting for an opportunity to display his judicial powers.
LG#136, Ruhi5.2.20 (30 Jun. 1957 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi)
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44
You should also be fearful of laying down too many rules and regulations. The Cause is not so fragile that a degree of mistakes cannot be tolerated. When you feel that certain actions may become trends with harmful consequences, you may, instead of making a new rule, discuss the matter with the Counsellors, enlisting their support in educating the friends in a manner that will improve their understanding and their conduct.
M96-01 183.46 (19 May 1994 from the Universal House of Justice)
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45
The system is perfect, but if the instruments are imperfect we must still uphold the system, knowing God will watch over and protect His Cause, and that such conditions are only temporary and will pass away as the Cause grows and the Baha'is mature. He urges you not to lose heart, and never stop serving the Faith. No matter what the attitude of others might be, it cannot exonerate you from showing the right attitude; your duty is to God, and you should rest assured in the end He will solve all these problems.
(14 Nov. 1948 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, in "Issues Concerning Community Functioning")
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
46
It is very unfortunate that some of the believers do not seem to grasp the fact that the administrative order, the Local and National Assemblies, are the patterns for the future, however inadequate they may sometimes seem. We must obey and support these bodies, for this is the Baha'i law. Until we learn to do this we cannot make real progress.... The Baha'is are far from perfect, as individuals or when they serve on elected bodies, but the system of Baha'u'llah is perfect and gradually the believers will mature and the system will work better....
(1 Nov. 1950 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, in "Issues Concerning Community Functioning")
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47
Many of the existing defects in the present-day activities of the believers, however, will as the Community develops and gains in experience be gradually removed, and healthier and more progressive conditions prevail. And it is towards the realization of this high aim that the friends should earnestly and unitedly strive. The Guardian feels certain that no matter how much your heart may be afflicted at the sight of the difficulties now confronting the American Community, and however revolting may appear to you the attitude and the shortcomings of certain of its members, you will far from being discouraged be stimulated to exert every effort in your power to remedy such unhealthy conditions, confident that in your earnest and sincere attempt to do so, you will be assisted and guided by the unfailing confirmations of Baha'u'llah.
COC#1468 (14 May 1939 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi)
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48
With increasing public attention being focused on the Cause of God, it becomes imperative for Baha'i institutions to improve their performance through a closer identification with the fundamental verities of the Faith, through greater conformity to the spirit and form of Baha'i administration and through a keener reliance on the beneficial effects of proper consultation, so that the communities they guide will reflect a pattern of life that will offer hope to the disillusioned members of society.
Ridvan.1990
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49
It is not sufficient to number the souls that embrace the Cause to know the progress that it is making. The more important consequences of your activities are the spirit that is diffused into the life of the community, and the extent to which the teachings we proclaim become part of the consciousness and belief of the people that hear them. For it is only when the spirit has thoroughly permeated the world that the people will begin to enter the Faith in large numbers.
(18 Feb. 1932 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, in compilation on promoting entry by troops)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
50
Until the public sees in the Baha'i Community a true pattern, in action, of something better than it already has, it will not respond to the Faith in large numbers.
(13 Mar. 1944 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, in the compilation on Promoting Entry By Troops)
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51
The administrative machinery of the Cause ... should, I strongly feel, be made to serve a twofold purpose. On one hand, it should aim at a steady and gradual expansion of the Movement along lines that are at once broad, sound and universal; and on the other it should insure the internal consolidation of the work already achieved. It should both provide the impulse whereby the dynamic forces latent in the Faith can unfold, crystallize, and shape the lives and conduct of men, and serve as a medium for the interchange of thought and the coordination of activities among the divers elements that constitute the Baha'i community.
BA.109
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52
Of particular significance is the widening impact of the dynamism flowing from the interactions between the three participants in the Plan. Institutions, from the national to the local level, see with ever greater clarity how to create conditions conducive to the expression of the spiritual energies of a growing number of believers in pursuit of a common goal. The community is serving more and more as that environment in which individual effort and collective action, mediated by the institute, can complement each other in order to achieve progress.
(The Universal House of Justice, Ridvan Message 2008)
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53
The need for the centralization of authority in the National Spiritual Assembly, and the concentration of power in the various local Assemblies, is made manifest when we reflect that the Cause of Baha'u'llah is still in its age of tender growth and in a stage of transition; when we remember that the full significance of the Master's world-wide instructions, as laid down in His Will are as yet not fully grasped, and the whole Movement has not sufficiently crystallized in the eyes of the world.
BA.042, LG#132
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54
The expansion of the Baha'i community and the growing complexity of the issues which are facing National Spiritual Assemblies in certain countries have brought the Cause to a new stage in its development. They have caused us in recent years to examine various aspects of the balance between centralization and decentralization. … From the experience gained in the operation of these bodies, and from detailed examination of the principles set forth by Shoghi Effendi, we have reached the conclusion that the time has arrived for us to formalize a new element of Baha'i administration, between the local and national levels, comprising institutions of a special kind, to be designated as "Regional Baha'i Councils."...
M86-01 250.1 (30 May 1997 from the Universal House of Justice)
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55
One of the subtle qualities of the Baha'i Administrative Order is the balance between centralization and decentralization. This balance must be correctly maintained, but different factors enter into the equation, depending upon the institutions involved. For example, the relationship between a National or Local Spiritual Assembly and its committees is of a different nature from that between National and Local Spiritual Assemblies.
M86-01 250.4 (30 May 1997 from the Universal House of Justice)
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56
The centralization of governments will come to an end through the internal independence of the provinces. In reality, it is not fair that a kingdom rules by means of a single point. No matter how just and wise the members of the center, they will not have perfect knowledge of the essential needs of a village and locale and will not be equitable in developing all aspects of the kingdom.
(Abdu'l-Baha, provisional translation, in Amr va Khalq 4:335, also in Khitabat 2:119, where "No matter how just ('adl)" is "No matter how reasonable ('aql)")
It does not ignore, nor does it attempt to suppress, the diversity of ethnical origins, of climate, of history, of language and tradition, of thought and habit, that differentiate the peoples and nations of the world. It calls for a wider loyalty, for a larger aspiration than any that has animated the human race. It insists upon the subordination of national impulses and interests to the imperative claims of a unified world. It repudiates excessive centralization on one hand, and disclaims all attempts at uniformity on the other. Its watchword is unity in diversity such as 'Abdu'l-Baha Himself has explained...
WOB.041-042
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58
This Administrative Order is the nucleus and pattern of the World Order adumbrated by Baha'u'llah. In the course of its divinely propelled organic growth its institutions will expand, putting forth auxiliary branches and developing subordinate agencies, multiplying their activities and diversifying their functions, in consonance with the principles and purposes revealed by Baha'u'llah for the progress of the human race.
CUHJ.08
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59
This Administrative Order, as it expands and consolidates itself, will no doubt manifest the potentialities and reveal the full implications of this momentous Document -- this most remarkable expression of the Will of One of the most remarkable Figures of the Dispensation of Baha'u'llah. It will, as its component parts, its organic institutions, begin to function with efficiency and vigor, 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.
WOB.144, PBA.001
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60
The Baha'i approach to this task is evolutionary and multifaceted, involving not only the spiritual transformation of individuals but the establishment of an administrative system based on the application of justice, a system which is at once the "nucleus" and the "pattern" of the future World Order, together with the implementation of programmes of social and economic development that derive their impetus from the grass roots of the community. Such an integrated approach will inevitably create a new world, a world where human dignity is restored and the burden of inequity is lifted from the shoulders of humanity.
M63-86 425.8 (14 Mar. 1985 on behalf of the Universal House of Justice)
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61
As to the Lesser Peace, Shoghi Effendi has explained that this will initially be a political unity arrived at by decision of the governments of various nations; it will not be established by direct action of the Baha'i community. This does not mean, however, that the Baha'is are standing aside and waiting for the Lesser Peace to come before they do something about the peace of mankind. Indeed, by promoting the principles of the Faith, which are indispensable to the maintenance of peace, and by fashioning the instruments of the Baha'i Administrative Order, which we are told by the beloved Guardian is the pattern for future society, the Baha'is are constantly engaged in laying the groundwork for a permanent peace, the Most Great Peace being their ultimate goal.
M63-86 442.3-4 (31 Jan. 1985 from the Universal House of Justice)
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62
As you are no doubt aware, the Guardian indicated that the development of mankind from its present chaotic condition to the stage of Baha'i World Commonwealth would be a long and gradual one. The coming into existence of a World Authority and the initiation of the Lesser peace, is one major transformation in this process, and will be followed by other stages of the development of the Faith as outlined by Shoghi Effendi in his writings.
LG#1428 (19 Jan. 1983 on behalf of the Universal House of Justice)
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63
No machinery falling short of the standard inculcated by the Baha'i Revelation, and at variance with the sublime pattern ordained in His teachings, which the collective efforts of mankind may yet devise can ever hope to achieve anything above or beyond that "Lesser Peace" to which the Author of our Faith has Himself alluded in His writings.
WOB.162
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64
If the Baha'i experience can contribute in whatever measure to reinforcing hope in the unity of the human race, we are happy to offer it as a model for study.
M63-86 438.56 (The Promise of World Peace, Oct. 1985)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified