LETTER OF 11 FEBRUARY 1934

11 February 1934

Dear Baha'i Brother,

I am charged by the Guardian to thank you for your letter of Jan. 30th as well as for the enclosed pamphlet containing the address delivered by Herr Hitler on Oct. 14th, 1933, on the subject of Germany's att.i.tude towards peace, all of which he read with deepest care and sustained interest. He wishes me to convey to you and to all the members of your German National a.s.sembly and through them to all the followers of the Faith in Germany his views on the present conditions in that land, and particularly in their relation to the nature and scope of the Baha'i activities of our German believers.

At the outset it should be made indubitably clear that the Baha'i Cause being essentially a religious movement of a spiritual character stands above every political party or group, and thus cannot and should not act in contravention to the principles, laws, and doctrines of any government.

Obedience to the regulations and orders of the state is indeed, the sacred obligation of every true and loyal Baha'i. Both Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha have urged us all to be submissive and loyal to the political authorities of our respective countries. It follows, therefore, that our German friends are under the sacred obligation to whole-heartedly obey the existing political regime, whatever be their personal views and criticisms of its actual working. There is nothing more contrary to the spirit of the Cause than open rebellion against the governmental authorities of a country, specially if they do not interfere in and do not oppose the inner and sacred beliefs and religious convictions of the individual. And there is every reason to believe that the present regime in Germany which has thus far refused to trample upon the domain of individual conscience in all matters pertaining to religion will never encroach upon it in the near future, unless some unforeseen and unexpected changes take place. And this seems to be doubtful at present.

For whereas the friends should obey the government under which they live, even at the risk of sacrificing all their administrative affairs and interests, they should under no circ.u.mstances suffer their inner religious beliefs and convictions to be violated and transgressed by any authority whatever. A distinction of a fundamental importance must, therefore, be made between spiritual and administrative matters. Whereas the former are sacred and inviolable, and hence cannot be subject to compromise, the latter are secondary and can consequently be given up and even sacrificed for the sake of obedience to the laws and regulations of the government.

Obedience to the state is so vital a principle of the Cause that should the authorities in Germany decide to-day to prevent the Baha'is from holding any meeting or publishing any literature they should obey and be as submissive as our Russian believers have thus far been under the Soviet regime. But, as already pointed out, such an allegiance is confined merely to administrative matters which if checked can only r.e.t.a.r.d the progress of the Faith for some time. In matters of belief, however, no compromise whatever should be allowed, even though the outcome of it be death or expulsion.

There is one more point to be emphasized in this connection. The principle of obedience to government does not place any Baha'i under the obligation of identifying the teachings of his Faith with the political program enforced by the government. For such an identification, besides being erroneous and contrary to both the spirit as well as the form of the Baha'i message, would necessarily create a conflict within the conscience of every loyal believer.

For reasons which are only too obvious the Baha'i philosophy of social and political organization cannot be fully reconciled with the political doctrines and conceptions that are current and much in vogue to-day. The wave of nationalism, so aggressive and so contagious in its effects, which has swept not only over Europe but over a large part of mankind is, indeed, the very negation of the gospel of peace and of brotherhood proclaimed by Baha'u'llah. The actual trend in the political world is, indeed, far from being in the direction of the Baha'i teachings. The world is drawing nearer and nearer to a universal catastrophe which will mark the end of a bankrupt and of a fundamentally defective civilization.

From such considerations we can well conclude that we as Baha'is can in no wise identify the teachings of Baha'u'llah with man-made creeds and conceptions, which by their very nature are impotent to save the world from the dangers with which it is being so fiercely and so increasingly a.s.sailed.

The Guardian hopes that these brief explanations will be sufficient to guide our German National a.s.sembly in their efforts to safeguard and promote the interests of the Faith, and that through them they will be given a new vision of the Cause and a fresh determination to carry forward its message to the world at large.

With greetings and best wishes to you and to all the friends in Germany,...

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-worker:

I wish to add a few words in loving appreciation of your strenuous, your intelligent and devoted efforts for the spread and consolidation of our beloved Faith. May the Almighty bless your endeavours, deepen your understanding of the essentials and requirements of our beloved Cause, and enable you in these difficult and challenging days to promote its interests and consolidate its inst.i.tutions,

Your true brother, Shoghi

LETTER OF 21 FEBRUARY 1934

21 February 1934

Dear Dr. Muhlschlegel:

At the instructions of the Guardian I am writing these few lines, requesting you to contribute an article in German for publication in the forthcoming issue of the "Baha'i World".

In view of the fact that the Biennial is an international Baha'i organ, Shoghi Effendi feels that it would be appropriate and in full consonance with its nature and purpose to further widen its scope by publishing in it, from time to time, articles in various important languages which are of sufficient use among the friends. This would greatly enhance the nature and render effective the circulation of the "Baha'i World" by enabling non-English speaking believers to better acquaint themselves with some of its major contents.

Two articles in French have already been contributed to this end. One of them is from the pen of a newly-converted and capable believer from Paris, a Princess, and the other is from a certain professor connected with the Sofia University. Though not officially recognized as a Baha'i, yet he is very sympathetic to the Cause.

The Guardian hopes, therefore, that you will be kind enough to respond to his request. He feels certain that our German believers will greatly appreciate your contribution, and will be glad to witness that one of their members is taking such an active part in representing them in the preparation of this international Baha'i record. You need not write too detailed an article, and you can choose any subject you wish, provided it agrees on every point with the spirit as well as with the form of the Teachings of the Faith....

P.S. The Guardian can wait till the end of April for your article. Will you please send it directly to his address and not to America?

LETTER OF 8 MAY 1934

8 May 1934

Dear Dr. Muhlschlegel:

I am directed by the Guardian to thank you for your letter dated Apr.

29th, as well as for the enclosed article and poems in German from your pen which you have kindly contributed to the "Baha'i World". He is planning to have them published in the forthcoming issue of the Biennial.

The German believers will, it is hoped, greatly enjoy reading them, and will be certainly encouraged to contribute more frequently in the future towards the publication of so important and so significant a record.

With the renewed a.s.surance of the Guardian's good wishes and of his supplications for the expansion of your Baha'i activities...

[From the Guardian:]

With the a.s.surance of my deepfelt appreciation of your prompt response, and of my continued prayers for your welfare and success,

your true and grateful brother, Shoghi

LETTER OF 30 JULY 1934

30 July 1934

Dear Baha'i Friends,

Your letter of June 19th written on your behalf by Miss Kostlin has been received, and its contents as well as the accompanying doc.u.ments and notes have been carefully read by the Guardian. He wishes me to thank you for them all, and to convey to you his deepfelt appreciation of your painstaking labours for the consolidation of the administration in your community. It gives him real pleasure to learn of the spirit with which you are toiling for the attainment of this supreme objective, and he is fervently praying for your guidance and a.s.sistance that you may speedily and effectively attain the goal of your heart's desire.

In view of the fact that there are no competent and fully reliable persons here to undertake for him any translations from German, the Guardian would prefer that henceforth you should send him a translation of the minutes of your meetings into English, so that he may be in a position to read them without any difficulty. He fully realizes the difficulties which such a rendering would entail, and for this he wishes to a.s.sure you of his abiding appreciation and of his deepfelt grat.i.tude.

In closing may I also express his hope for the success of your next summer school. From various communications and reports recently received from the friends, he gathers that a large number of believers both from Germany and abroad are planning to attend the summer cla.s.ses. May such a gathering prove to be the right medium for bringing the German believers closer than ever, and for fostering among them the spirit of initiative, of service and of selfless and wholehearted cooperation in the path of service to the Faith....

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and precious co-workers:

The message you have sent me is indeed most welcome. It has filled my heart with joy and thanksgiving. I am continually urging the friends and pilgrims to visit the German Baha'i centres and particularly the Esslingen Summer School, as I attach the greatest importance to this vital national inst.i.tution. I will continue to pray for your success from the depths of my heart.