2)
Some factors that have brought about the emergence of the Baha’i Faith from
obscurity.
In
this period between the two World Wars, our Guardian’s directions to the
believers sought to build the Administrative Order and extend its reach. At the beginning of the Guardian’s ministry
the believers for the most part did not understand or appreciate the necessity
for an administrative order. Many
drifted away from the Faith in these early years. In his letters he laid out for our spiritual forebears the vision
of Baha’u’llah’s Revelation. He
presented in concrete and practical terms the goal, scope and description of
world unity embodying on the one hand the concept of the oneness of humanity
and on the other hand provided the immediate elements of forming Spiritual
Assemblies, what they do and how they do it.
He built the edifice from the ground up the foundations having been laid
by Abdu’l-Baha. He also opened the
“ocean” of the Revelation of Baha’u’llah to the Western believers through his
translations of the Writings.
Some
concrete signs of rising from obscurity were the first incorporations of Baha’i
institutions in which began in the U.S.A.
The incorporation process began in1927 when the national Spiritual
Asembly of the United States and Canada adopted a Declaration of Trust and
By-Laws which was given civil recognition in 1929. The first L.S.A. to incorporate was that of Chicago on 17 Feb.
1932 followed by New York on 31 March 1932.
An incorporation of great significance came much later when the National
spiritual Assembly of Canada obtained formal recognition in civil law by an Act
of Parliament. A decision by an Islamic court in Egypt in
1925 regarding a marriage helped establish the Faith as an independent
religion.
4)
The Baha’I Faith demonstrates its unifying power.
During
this time between the World Wars, our Guardian drew on the resources of the few
and scattered communities in the West as well as the more established
communities of Iran to build the Administrative Order. Willingness to obey the Guardian motivated
these people of very different cultures to work together Although at this point in development, most
of the work done was in their own areas, still the foundations of different
national Assemblies working together and members meeting at the World Centre
laid groundwork for later, closer collaborations and exchange. The Baha’is of East and West began,
tentatively, to become acquainted. Also
in the United States the work of Louis Gregory and his presence as a member of
the National Spiritual Assembly helped lead the belivers in that country toward
the reality of inter-racial living.
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