Messages To Canada Part 10

He sends the members of the National a.s.sembly his loving greetings.

Faithfully yours, LEROY IOAS.

Letter of December 22, 1956

Haifa, Israel, December 22, 1956.

DEAL WITH EACH CASE INDIVIDUALLY

National Spiritual a.s.sembly 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 a.s.semblies.

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correct; also people who are deprived of their voting rights should not receive Baha'i News or Bulletins, as they are no longer active in the administrative affairs of the Faith.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 a.s.sembly visiting Haifa, and hopes that Miss Harvey will carry back to you a fresh impetus from the Holy Land, which will a.s.sist the Canadian a.s.sembly 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 a.s.sembly 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 a.s.sembly 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 Inst.i.tutions 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 p.r.o.nounce anybody a Covenant-breaker but the Guardian himself.

With warm Baha'i greetings, and a.s.suring 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 a.s.sembly 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 a.s.sembly 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