Bahá'í wiki quotes

This page is for quotes from the Bahá'í Writings which seem particularly apt for encouraging our use of wiki technology (we break our usual Site rules here in having a page not limited to mostly objectively derivative quotations):

Praise of organizing the Writings

Gathering the verses of God into excellent order

"Spiritual souls will assuredly emerge from behind the veil of divine protection who will gather together the tokens and verses of God and put them into the most excellent order."

(Bahá'u'lláh, cited in Shoghi Effendi's 1954 Naw-Ruz Message to the Baha'is of the East, translated from the Persian; quoted in Lights of Guidance, no. 327)

Comprehensive indexing of the Writings and Teachings of great interest to Research Department

"Any comprehensive indexing of the Writings and Teachings, of course, would be of great interest to our Research Department, since it has been assigned the task of classifying the texts for study, and, as called for, for application by the House of Justice of these texts to the many needs of the Faith...We appreciate very deeply the devotion manifest in your decades of labor for the Cause, a labor of love which indeed has had its own rewards as you indicate, for you have been able to undertake a thorough study of the Words of the Prophet of God for this day..."

(Research Department, cited in Terry, Peter. Marian Crist Lippitt: Short Biographical Monograph)

Benefits or nature of collaboration

Multiplicity as greatest factor for coordination

"...multiplicity is the greatest factor for coordination."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, sec. 225, p. 291)

Helping along one another's projects and plans

"Help along one another's projects and plans."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, from a Tablet, Consultation (compilation), no. 19)

The more cooperation is manifested, the more human society will advance

"It is by strengthening their dynamic relationships with one another that their powers are combined and multiplied. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains that the more the qualities of cooperation and mutual assistance are manifested by a people, “the more will human society advance in progress and prosperity”;..."

(Universal House of Justice, to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors, 30 December 2021, pp. 1-2)

"GOD LOVETH THOSE WHO WORK IN GROUPS"

"O ye friends of God! Today is the day of union and this age is the age of harmony in the world of existence. "Verily, God loveth those who are working in His path in groups, for they are a solid foundation." Consider ye that he says "in groups," united and bound together, supporting one another. "To work," mentioned in this holy verse, does not mean, in this greatest age, to perform it with swords, spears, shafts and arrows, but rather with sincere intentions, good designs, useful advices, divine moralities, beautiful actions, spiritual qualities, educating the public, guiding the souls of mankind, diffusing spiritual fragrances, explaining divine illustrations, showing convincing proofs and doing charitable deeds. When the holy souls, through the angelic power, will arise to show forth these celestial characteristics, establishing a band of harmony, each of these souls shall be regarded as one thousand persons and the waves of this greatest ocean shall be considered as the army of the hosts of the Supreme Concourse.

"What a great blessing it is when the torrents, streams, currents, tides, and drops are all gathered in one place! They will form a great ocean and the real harmony shall overcome and reign in such a manner that all the rules, laws, distinctions and differences of the imaginations of these souls shall disappear and vanish like little drops and shall be submerged in the ocean of spiritual unity. By the Ancient Beauty, in this case and condition, the blessings of the great ocean will overflow and canals shall become as spacious as an endless ocean and each drop shall become as a boundless sea!

"O ye friends of God! Strive to attain to this high and sublime station and show forth such a brightness in these days that its radiance may appear from the eternal horizons. This is the real foundation of the Cause of God; this is the essence of the divine doctrine; this is the cause of the revelation of the heavenly Scriptures; this is the means of the appearanCe of the Sun of the divine world; this is the way of the establishment of God upon the bodily throne."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'í World Faith, pp. 401-402)

Interconnectedness by topic

The Interconnectedness of all things

"Fundamentally all existing things pass through the same degrees and phases of development, and any given phenomenon embodies all others. An ancient statement of the Arabian philosophers declares that all things are involved in all things. It is evident that each material organism is an aggregate expression of single and simple elements, and a given cellular element or atom has its coursings or journeyings through various and myriad stages of life."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 349)

The Interconnectedness of the Teachings

"Shoghi Effendi has for years urged the Bahá'ís (who asked his advice, and in general also) to study history, economics, sociology, etc., in order to be au courant with all the progressive movements and thoughts being put forth today, and so that they could correlate these to the Bahá'í teachings. What he wants the Bahá'ís to do is to study more, not to study less. The more general knowledge, scientific and otherwise, they possess, the better. Likewise he is constantly urging them to really study the Bahá'í teachings more deeply. One might liken Bahá'u'lláh's teachings to a sphere; there are points poles apart, and in between the thoughts and doctrines that unite them. We believe in balance in all things; we believe in moderation in all things -- we must not be too emotional, nor cut and dried and lacking in feeling, we must not be so liberal as to cease to preserve the character and unity of our Bahá'í system, nor fanatical and dogmatic."

(On behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, 5 July 1947, in Science and Technology (compilation), no. 7)

View of the teachings as a diverse whole with doctrines uniting

Teachings like a sphere with points poles apart and doctrines uniting them

"One might liken Bahá'u'lláh's teachings to a sphere; there are points poles apart, and in between the thoughts and doctrines that unite them.."

(On behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, 5 July 1947, in Science and Technology (compilation), no. 7)

The wholeness of the teachings (with many facets)

"He feels that many of the perplexities that arise in your mind could be dissipated if you always conceived of the teachings as one great whole with many facets. Truth may, in covering different subjects, appear to be contradictory, and yet it is all one if you carry the thought through to the end... He hopes you will ... rest assured inwardly that for these things which sometimes seem difficult to understand there is usually a quite simple and reasonable explanation."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, February 24, 1947: The Importance of Deepening our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith, A Compilation from the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, January 1983, in Lights of Guidance, no. 2050; also available in part in Lights of Guidance, no. 1571)

Reconciling seemingly opposing statements

To take the teachings as a great whole not oppose two strong statements (as these have links uniting them)

"We must take the teachings as a great, balanced whole, not seek out and oppose to each other two strong statements that have different meanings; somewhere in between, there are links uniting the two. That is what makes our Faith so flexible and well balanced."

(On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 19 March 1946, cited in Reconciliation of Apparent Contradictions in the Bahá'í Writings)

Necessary to take into account a wide range of statements on a complex subject

"In order to deepen one's understanding of a complex subject it is necessary to take into account a wide range of statements."

(Research Department, 2002-05-28, at https://bahai-library.com/uhj_reconciliation_apparent_contradictions#s0 )

Two matters appearing to be in tension can become coherent through careful reading of the Writings and House of Justice, and consideration of circumstances of locality, timeliness, periodic need for focus

"A careful reading of the Bahá’í writings and the guidance of the House of Justice can clarify how two matters that appear to be in tension with one another are coherent once the concepts and principles that connect them are understood. Particular circumstances in a locality, timeliness, and the periodic need for focus also have a bearing on such issues."

(From a letter dated 27 April 2017 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer; cited in "The Universal House of Justice" (compilation), no. 84.1)

Careful reading of the writings and guidance can clarify how two matters are coherent

"Unfortunately, sometimes when approaching such important and deeply felt matters, the friends can create dichotomies where none exist. Thus, for example, it is contended that one must choose between either non-involvement in politics or social action; either teaching the Faith or involvement with society; either the institute process and the community-building activities it fosters or a program for race unity; and so on. Such apparent conflicts can be greatly dissipated by keeping in mind Shoghi Effendi’s advice, conveyed in a letter written on his behalf, to conceive of the teachings as one great whole with many facets. “Truth may, in covering different subjects, appear to be contradictory,” the same letter indicated, “and yet it is all one if you carry the thought through to the end.” A careful reading of the Bahá’í writings and the guidance of the House of Justice can clarify how two matters that appear to be in tension with one another are coherent once the concepts and principles that connect them are understood. Particular circumstances in a locality, timeliness, and the periodic need for focus also have a bearing on such issues."

(On behalf of the Universal House of Justice, 27 April 2017, to an individual, https://www.bahai.org/r/979827701 )

Wiki websites (praise of and learning their culture)

Forms of communication such as wikis represent major social trends and offer new ways of sharing Bahá’í perspectives, precepts, and experiences

"The Internet is one of this age’s most revolutionary and transformative technological developments. New terms, such as wikis, RSS, podcasting, blogs, FOAF, VoIP, and folksonomies2, while virtually unknown a few years ago, are rapidly becoming common currency among millions of Internet users. These new forms of communication technology represent major social trends that offer new ways of sharing Bahá’í perspectives, precepts, and experiences.

"As existing institutions and social practices disintegrate around us, the Bahá’í teachings indicate that there is a parallel process at work of creating new structures and tools that enable unifying patterns of collective life to emerge. The Internet appears to be playing a catalytic role in breaking down longstanding geographic, cultural and institutional barriers while facilitating the formation of new communities of interaction that are increasingly global in nature.

"2 Wikis are a form of publicly editable web site; RSS (Really Simply Syndication) is a communications protocol being used by blogs and podcasts; blogs are online journals; FOAF (Friend of a Friend) describes social networks such as Facebook and Friendster; VoIP (Voice over IP) is the use of the Internet for telephone service; and, folksonomies (or social tags) are systems by which the author and/or users classify content based on keywords.

(Bahá’í Internet Agency, "Bahá’í Participation on the Internet: Some Reflections"; also mirrored at https://bahai-library.com/bia_bahai_participation_internet )

Entering "participation age" with cooperative content generation and knowledge generation among the most noteworthy manifestations; this has been anticipated by the Baha'i teachings and provide a context for operation

"We are now witnessing another transformation from the previous model of persons or organized entities being independent producers of content to what is now being called the “participation age.”

"The “participation age” is principally distinguished by its ethos of collaboration and sharing. One of the basic aspects of this new ethos is that the collaborative efforts of a group of ordinary individuals can lead to perspectives and outcomes not possible for an individual, even a recognized expert. Cooperative content generation and knowledge generation are among the most noteworthy manifestations of the participatory trend.4 [Wikipedia.org is a prime example of collaborative content generation and open source software development illustrates the impact of focused innovation driven by a global community of participants.] With the emergence of interactive media, readers of news are no longer passive recipients of information, but participate in how that information is distributed and ultimately interpreted. Although the concept and feasibility of new modes of global participation and collaboration may represent a startling change for many, the Bahá’í teachings have anticipated this collective awakening and empowerment of peoples around the world, and provide a context for successfully operating in these new paradigms."

(Bahá’í Internet Agency, "Bahá’í Participation on the Internet: Some Reflections"; also mirrored at https://bahai-library.com/bia_bahai_participation_internet )

Important to learn culture of each medium and function within it, even if not endorsing all tenets of a culture (e.g., Wikipedia); should be committed to Wikipedia policies and use patience, perseverance, commitment to fairness, and much wisdom

"Each Internet space has its own norms and context of participation. Learning the culture of each medium requires observing how people behave. It usually does not take long to determine the characteristics and assumptions associated with a particular Internet space. One need not endorse all the tenets of a particular culture, but it is essential to understand the environment in which one operates, just as one does not need to approve of all the characteristics of a society in order to function within it.6"

"6 For instance, each article on Wikipedia, whether on the Bahá’í Faith or some other topic, has a community of participants that determines the content of the article. Each article essentially reflects a community of interaction--a community that may consist of both sympathetic and antagonistic voices. If the content of any particular Wikipedia article causes enough controversy, higher level editorial intervention can occur, but this usually involves trying to ensure that all perspectives on a question are being fairly represented. Wikipedia "administrators" adhere to the idea of “rough consensus” in deciding whether material should be removed. In short, while Wikipedia may utilize some of the consultative mechanisms familiar to Bahá’ís, its overarching principles guiding such decision-making are quite different. Thus, patience, perseverance, a commitment to fairness and Wikipedia policies, and a great dose of wisdom are required when contributing to Wikipedia content."

(Bahá’í Internet Agency, "Bahá’í Participation on the Internet: Some Reflections"; also mirrored at https://bahai-library.com/bia_bahai_participation_internet )

Promise for exploring Writings or technology

The teachings are just beginning to be explored and each new generation may find some greater meaning in the writings

“You Bahá’í children and young people have both great privileges and great obligations ahead of you, for your generation will be the ones to help build up a new, better and more beautiful world after the dark years of this war are passed. You should prepare yourselves for this great task by trying to grasp the true meaning of the teachings and not just merely accepting them as something you are taught. They are like a wonderful new world of thought just beginning to be explored, and when we realize that Bahá’u’lláh has brought teachings and laws for a thousand years to come, we can readily see that each new generation may find some greater meaning in the writings than the ones gone before did.”

(On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, Importance of Deepening Our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith, no. 135)

Baha'is should be the first to take up new and excellent methods

"The Baha'is should not always be the last to take up new and obviously excellent methods, but rather the first, as this agrees with the dynamic nature of the Faith which is not only progressive, but holds within itself the seeds of an entirely new culture and civilization."

(On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 5 May 1946 to an individual believer, Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-86, sec. 162.49, p. 313)

(The notion that the available guidance (or lack thereof) on a given topic may relate to other factors besides importance)

"As there were no followers of the Bab or Baha'u'llah derived from the religions of the Far East in Their days, this may be the reason that They did not address any Tablets directly to these people. Also we must remember that every religion springs from some root, and just as Christianity sprang from Judaism, our own religion sprang from Islam, and that is why so many of the teachings deduce their proofs from Islam."

(Shoghi Effendi, 5 March 1957, Revised September 1990, in Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster and Related Subjects, no. 25, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1695)

Balance between need for mastery and current lack of well-translated material

Caveat on not trying to understand every detail

"The Bahá'ís should seek to be well informed on the Teachings, but not waste too much time trying to understand everything, especially as some of the material we have is not well translated, and meanings are occasionally ambiguous. The main point is to understand the Faith, and be able to convey it to others, and not waste too much time on details."

(On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, to an individual believer, from a letter dated 31 January 1955, at https://bahai-library.com/compilation_extracts_letters_scholarship )

Some translations may be too inaccurate to use as an absolute basis for discussing a point

``Regarding your questions: The translations in Promulgation of Universal Peace are too inaccurate, in some places, to use them as an absolute basis for discussing some point, and he has not time at present to go over them, so the best thing is to put down any discrepancies as being due to this.

(On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 19 March 1946 to an individual, cited from a Memorandum of the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, dated 19 March 1995, per https://bahai-library.com/kitzing_origin_complex_order&chapter=1#Foot3 )

Need for deep and broad familiarity with the teachings

Essential to be quite familiar with the writings or may otherwise be wrongly attributing our own views

"Shoghi Effendi was very glad to learn that you devote a considerable amount of your time to the study of the teachings. It is absolutely essential for those who desire to spread the movement to be quite familiar with the writings of Bahá'u'lláh and the Master. Without that knowledge we may be spreading our own views and wrongly attributing to them things that are the result of our imaginings."

(On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, Light of Divine Guidance, vol. 2, pp. 20-21)

Need for young Bahá'ís to become steeped in every branch of the teachings

"The importance of young Bahá'ís becoming thoroughly steeped in every branch of the teachings cannot be over-emphasized, as they have great teaching tasks ahead of them to accomplish."

(From a letter dated 24 December 1943 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, Importance of Deepening Our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith, no. 138)

See also

• Internet and higher criticism
• Compilation making
• Bahai9:Site policies