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The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh
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Pages 64-67
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The Divine Polity
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Let them refrain from associating themselves, whether by word
or by deed, with the political pursuits of their respective nations,
with the policies of their governments and the schemes and programs
of parties and factions. In such controversies they should
assign no blame, take no side, further no design, and identify themselves
with no system prejudicial to the best interests of that world-wide
Fellowship which it is their aim to guard and foster. Let them
beware lest they allow themselves to become the tools of unscrupulous
politicians, or to be entrapped by the treacherous devices of
the plotters and the perfidious among their countrymen. Let them
so shape their lives and regulate their conduct that no charge of
secrecy, of fraud, of bribery or of intimidation may, however ill-founded,
be brought against them. Let them rise above all particularism
and partisanship, above the vain disputes, the petty calculations,
the transient passions that agitate the face, and engage the
attention, of a changing world. It is their duty to strive to distinguish,
as clearly as they possibly can, and if needed with the aid of
their elected representatives, such posts and functions as are either
diplomatic or political from those that are purely administrative
in character, and which under no circumstances are affected by the
changes and chances that political activities and party government,
in every land, must necessarily involve. Let them affirm their unyielding
determination to stand, firmly and unreservedly, for the
way of Bahá'u'lláh, to avoid the entanglements and bickerings
inseparable from the pursuits of the politician, and to become worthy
agencies of that Divine Polity which incarnates God's immutable
Purpose for all men.
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It should be made unmistakably clear that such an attitude
implies neither the slightest indifference to the cause and interests
of their own country, nor involves any insubordination on their
part to the authority of recognized and established governments.
Nor does it constitute a repudiation of their sacred obligation to
promote, in the most effective manner, the best interests of their
government and people. It indicates the desire cherished by every
true and loyal follower of Bahá'u'lláh to serve, in an unselfish,
unostentatious and patriotic fashion, the highest interests of the
country to which he belongs, and in a way that would entail no
departure from the high standards of integrity and truthfulness
associated with the teachings of his Faith.
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As the number of the Bahá'í communities in various parts of
the world multiplies and their power, as a social force, becomes
increasingly apparent, they will no doubt find themselves increasingly
subjected to the pressure which men of authority and influence,
in the political domain, will exercise in the hope of obtaining the
support they require for the advancement of their aims. These communities
will, moreover, feel a growing need of the good-will and
the assistance of their respective governments in their efforts to
widen the scope, and to consolidate the foundations, of the institutions
committed to their charge. Let them beware lest, in their
eagerness to further the aims of their beloved Cause, they should
be led unwittingly to bargain with their Faith, to compromise with
their essential principles, or to sacrifice, in return for any material
advantage which their institutions may derive, the integrity of
their spiritual ideals. Let them proclaim that in whatever country
they reside, and however advanced their institutions, or profound
their desire to enforce the laws, and apply the principles, enunciated
by Bahá'u'lláh, they will, unhesitatingly, subordinate the operation
of such laws and the application of such principles to the requirements
and legal enactments of their respective governments. Theirs
is not the purpose, while endeavoring to conduct and perfect the
administrative affairs of their Faith, to violate, under any circumstances,
the provisions of their country's constitution, much less to
allow the machinery of their administration to supersede the government
of their respective countries.
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It should also be borne in mind that the very extension of the
activities in which we are engaged, and the variety of the communities
which labor under divers forms of government, so essentially
different in their standards, policies, and methods, make it absolutely
essential for all those who are the declared members of any
one of these communities to avoid any action that might, by arousing
the suspicion or exciting the antagonism of any one government,
involve their brethren in fresh persecutions or complicate the nature
of their task. How else, might I ask, could such a far-flung Faith,
which transcends political and social boundaries, which includes
within its pale so great a variety of races and nations, which will
have to rely increasingly, as it forges ahead, on the good-will and
support of the diversified and contending governments of the
earth--how else could such a Faith succeed in preserving its unity,
in safeguarding its interests, and in ensuring the steady and peaceful
development of its institutions?
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Such an attitude, however, is not dictated by considerations of
selfish expediency, but is actuated, first and foremost, by the broad
principle that the followers of Bahá'u'lláh will, under no circumstances,
suffer themselves to be involved, whether as individuals or
in their collective capacities, in matters that would entail the slightest
departure from the fundamental verities and ideals of their Faith.
Neither the charges which the uninformed and the malicious may be
led to bring against them, nor the allurements of honors and
rewards, will ever induce them to surrender their trust or to deviate
from their path. Let their words proclaim, and their conduct testify,
that they who follow Bahá'u'lláh, in whatever land they reside, are
actuated by no selfish ambition, that they neither thirst for power,
nor mind any wave of unpopularity, of distrust or criticism, which
a strict adherence to their standards might provoke.
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Difficult and delicate though be our task, the sustaining power
of Bahá'u'lláh and of His Divine guidance will assuredly assist us
if we follow steadfastly in His way, and strive to uphold the integrity
of His laws. The light of His redeeming grace, which no
earthly power can obscure, will if we persevere, illuminate our path,
as we steer our course amid the snares and pitfalls of a troubled
age, and will enable us to discharge our duties in a manner that
would redound to the glory and the honor of His blessed Name.
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