You must never become discouraged; your services are both needed and appreciated, and the Guardian deeply values them.
He was pleased to hear Mrs Davison is helping you so much there with the work in Frankfurt, and he hopes she will be able to stay there another year.
LETTER OF 21 NOVEMBER 1947
21 November 1947
Regarding your questions: by holiness in our Baha"i teachings is meant attachment to G.o.d, His Precepts and His Will. We are not ascetics in any sense of the word. On the contrary, Baha"u"llah says G.o.d has created all the good things in the world for us to enjoy and partake of. But we must not become attached to them and put them before the spiritual things.
Chast.i.ty in the strict sense means not to have s.e.xual intercourse, or s.e.xual intimacies, before marriage. In the general sense it means not to be licentious. This does not mean we Baha"is believe s.e.xual relations to be impure or wrong. On the contrary they are natural and should be considered one of G.o.d"s many blessings. He does not know anything about whether alb.u.men and delicious food affect s.e.x; this is a medical question.
s.e.x is a very individual matter, some people are more pa.s.sionate by nature than others, and might consequently suffer more if forced to be continent.
But when the world becomes more spiritual there will not be such an exaggerated emphasis on s.e.x, as there is today, and consequently it will be easier for young people to be chaste and control their pa.s.sions. A man of n.o.ble character and strong willpower, could certainly remain faithful to his wife during a long absence!
Any good orientalist could probably refer you to commentaries on the Qur"an and on the Buddhist Scriptures. "Abdu"l-Baha has stated that all references of Mu?ammad to fighting refer to defensive war, not to aggression.
LETTER OF 25 NOVEMBER 1947
25 November 1947
He is very happy to see that you are all studying the Baha"i Teachings, and preparing yourselves to be worthy servants of Baha"u"llah, and of humanity, when you grow older.
You may be sure he will pray for you all in the Holy Shrines, and that you may attract other children and young people to the Baha"i Cause. No one is ever too young to teach this Message to others.
LETTER OF 27 NOVEMBER 1947
27 November 1947
He was very happy to hear of the progress being made spiritually there(26) , and that now there are 9 Baha"is in all. He hopes this will enable you to form a Spiritual a.s.sembly. You may be sure he will pray that this may come about.
[From the Guardian:]
a.s.suring you of my loving prayers for your success in the service of our beloved Faith and its G.o.d-given inst.i.tutions,
Your true brother, Shoghi
LETTER OF 8 DECEMBER 1947
8 December 1947
Baha"i Gemeinde Esslingen
Dear Baha"i Friends:
Your loving greeting to our beloved Guardian, dated Nov. 12th, 1947, was received and he has instructed me to write you on his behalf and thank you for it.
He a.s.sures you all that your devotion to the Cause of G.o.d is very deeply appreciated, and the perseverance you show in its service greatly valued by him.
He will pray for you all in the Holy Tombs, that Baha"u"llah may bless, guide and protect you in your service to His Faith...
[From the Guardian:]
May the Spirit of Baha"u"llah guide, sustain and protect you in your deeply valued endeavours for the propagation of our glorious Faith, aid you to add to your numbers, to deepen your understanding of its fundamental truths, and promote its vital interests.
Your true and grateful brother, Shoghi
LETTER OF 18 DECEMBER 1947
18 December 1947
...although he is very overburdened with work he wishes me to drop you a little line and a.s.sure you of how happy he is to hear that the relief packages your Com.(27) receives from America and other countries do so much good.
He admires the steadfast devotion of the German a.s.semblies and of the German friends which keeps them busy serving the Cause in spite of every hardship and obstacle.
LETTER OF 30 JANUARY 1948
30 January 1948
To the Baha"i Friends in Schwerin