Read online at https://bahai-library.com/shoghi-effendi_advent_divine_justice
The need to read[edit]
Standards of Bahá'í conduct set forth in the epistle deserve serious study and meditation and are a paramount duty to uphold and promote[edit]
“The course on character building...the Guardian feels, is particularly important and should be given due emphasis and studied carefully and thoroughly specially by the young believers in attendance at the school. Those standards of Bahá’í conduct, which he himself has set forth in his last general epistle, ‘The Advent of Divine Justice’, and which it should be the paramount duty of every loyal and conscientious believer to endeavor to uphold and promote, deserve serious study and meditation, and should constitute the main central theme of this year’s program....”
- (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, May 20, 1939: Centers of Bahá’í Learning, no. 25)
In effort of referring to Tablets of the Divine Plan for teaching and reacquainting American friends with their mission, will be powerfully aided by Advent of the Divine Justice[edit]
“In the arena of teaching, your indispensable terms of reference and the unerring resource to which you have ready access are the Master’s Tablets of the Divine Plan. They invest your community with extraordinary powers shared by your sister community in Canada. It is in reacquainting the American friends with the special mission, both at home and abroad, assigned to them in these seminal and timeless documents, and in relating their contents to current conditions that you will find the key to the revitalization of the teaching work and the winning of outstanding victories on the home front. In this effort you will be powerfully aided by the explanations provided in the letters of our dear Guardian, such as “The Advent of Divine Justice,” “The Challenging Requirements of the Present Hour,” [in Citadel of Faith, p. 4] “American Bahá’ís in time of World Peril.” [in Citadel of Faith, p. 122] We have every confidence that, together with the Continental Counsellors and the Auxiliary Board members, you can discover the way further to release the enormous energies of the friends and to intensify the zeal which they have so splendidly displayed in the teaching field on so many occasions in the past.”
- (Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, May 19, 1994, online at https://bahai-library.com/uhj_nsa-us_1994-05-19 )
For a systematic deepening plan, believer referred to Advent of Divine Justice[edit]
“Concerning your request for advice about a systematic deepening plan, you are referred to 'The Advent of Divine Justice' (page 41) and 'Citadel of Faith' (pages 76-77). There, the beloved Guardian outlined areas of study which aim to deepen the spiritual life of the believers and prepare them for teaching and service to the Faith.”
- (From a letter dated 18 July 1984 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, quoted in the compilation “Studying the Writings of Shoghi Effendi” on-line at https://bahai-library.com/compilation_studying_writings_guardian )
Collected messages of Shoghi Effendi published in such titles as Advent of Divine Justice form a part of the primary literature of the Faith[edit]
“The collected messages of Shoghi Effendi to the American community published in such well-read and familiar titles as 'Bahá'í Administration', 'The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh', 'The Advent of Divine Justice', 'Messages to America', 'The Promised Day is Come' and 'Citadel of Faith', form part of the primary literature of the Faith.”
- (From a letter dated 1 October 1987 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a Bahá'í Publishing Trust, quoted in the compilation “Studying the Writings of Shoghi Effendi” on-line at https://bahai-library.com/compilation_studying_writings_guardian )
This epistle is the "Bahá'í Charter of Teaching"[edit]
"...this epistle {The Advent of Divine Justice}...has been rightly described as the Bahá'í Charter of Teaching..."
- (On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Antipodes, p. 152)
Character Building and Ethics; principles and methods therein should inspire and guide Summer-School classes and prepare them for citizenship in World Order of Bahá'u'lláh[edit]
"The course on character building ... the Guardian feels, is particularly important and should be given due emphasis and studied carefully and thoroughly specially by the young believers in attendance at the school. Those standards of Bahá'í conduct, which he himself has set forth in his last general epistle, 'The Advent of Divine Justice', and which it should be the paramount duty of every loyal and conscientious believer to endeavor to uphold and promote, deserve serious study and meditation, and should constitute the main central theme of this year's program....
"The principles and methods laid down by the Guardian in his 'Advent of Divine Justice' on this vital subject of Bahá'í ethics, should indeed prove of invaluable inspiration and guidance to all the students and friends attending the Summer School classes, and thus prepare them to better appreciate the privileges, and more adequately discharge the responsibilities, of their citizenship in the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh."
- (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, May 20, 1939: Ibid., p. 10, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1905)
Study Questions:[edit]
Brief Outline of its Contents (by section):[edit]
(Now at https://bahai-library.org/zamir_advent_justice_outline )
- 1 - Need and opportunities to arise to teach (esp. for (North)-American believers)
- 2 - Moral/Social Needs in Teaching in American nations
- Reason for American believers' Special Role/Distinction and need to impact the country's morals as a whole (par. 1-5, 7)
- Need to embody the country's positive characteristics (par. 6)
- Moral/Social prerequisites for successful teaching (par. 8-10, 32)
- Need and encouragement to overcome tests and criticism (par. 33-35)
- Reason for American believers' Special Role/Distinction and need to impact the country's morals as a whole (par. 1-5, 7)
- 3 - Individual Teaching and the Seven Year Plan
- Seven Year Plan (par. 1-2)
- Importance of teaching (par. 3-4) and Urgency of Teaching (par. 8-12)
- Opportunities for all, even the most humble in teaching (par. 5-7)
- Preparation for teaching
- Study (par. 13)
- Learn the language where they may pioneer (par. 14)
- Individual initiative in devising and executing personal teaching plans (par. 15-16)
- Work closely with teaching agencies (esp. pioneers) (par. 17)
- Incorporate concern for teaching in all facets of life (personal circumstances, with Assembly, in summer school, travel-teaching) (par. 18)
- Particular need to enhance diversity by attracting "Negro, the Indian, the Eskimo, and Jewish races" (par. 19)
- Pioneering (agency and individual responsibilities and encouragement)
- Toward establishing Faith in isolated centers and setting up institutions (par. 20, 22, 23, 28-30)
- Needs inside the U.S. (par. 21)
- Role of Canada (par. 21)
- Need to arise (and encouragement) (par. 24-27)
- Special administrative tasks (material resources, literature, publicity, survey of circumstances) (par. 31) including Translation (par. 32)
- Need for pioneers to associate with diverse peoples and familiarize selves with culture (par. 33)
- Need for those unable to pioneer to attract such nationals (though not proselytizing) (par. 34)
- Need for pioneers to strive for financial independence (par. 35, 37)
- Need for pioneers to collaborative with sending agency and with fellow believers (par. 36)
- Special role/boldness of women in teaching (par. 38)
- Youth appeal (par. 39)
- Special importance of Panama and other Central/South American countries (par. 40)
- 4 - Encouragement (ends with supporting passages from Bahá'u'lláh - par. 7-13)
- 5 - Destiny of American nation as a whole
By page[edit]
See also[edit]
Todos for this page[edit]
- For this work (and other works of Shoghi Effendi), compile the quotations of Baha'u'llah separately as a list of individual quotations, extracting out the content like "He avers in the..." (as well as placing into the wiki page (or at Bahai-library.com or the like) on the Tablet it comes from--if known)
