Baha'i News Baha'i Year 139 October 1982
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Baha'i News Baha'i Year 139 October 1982 The Mountain Brown experience: Teaching in Papua New Guinea WITH SORROWFUL HEARTS ANNOUNCE EXECUTION ON 11 AUGUST IN URUMIYYIH ACTIVE BAHA'[ ALI NA'IMIYAN AFTER BEING IMPRISONED ONE YEAR. PRESSURES INTENSIFYING AGAINST BELIEVERS IRAN. CALL UPON FRIENDS CONTINUE EFFORTS BEHALF OPPRESSED BRETHREN CRADLE FAITH. UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE AUGUST 30, 1982 Baha'i News Baha'i Year 139 No. 619 ISS N 0195-9212 USPS 040-140 The first of five International Conferences is held in Dublin, Ireland . ..... 1 Quito, Ecuador, is the site of the second International Conference . ...... 3 The Faith is represented at a United Nations seminar in Sri Lanka . ...... 6 A memorial service honors conservationist Richard St. Barbe Baker . .... 7 The Senate of Fiji passes a resolution condemning Iran persecutions . ... 8 In Papua New Guinea, an ongoing teaching effort is highly successful .. 10 Around the world: News from Baha'i communities all over the globe . ... 12 Baha'i News is publ ished monthly by the National Spiritual Assembly of the BaM'is of the United States as a news organ reporting current activities of the Baha'i world community. Manuscripts submitted should be typewritten and double spaced throughout; any footnotes should appea r at the end. The contributor should keep a carbon copy. Send materials to the Periodicals Office, Baha'i National Center, Wi lmette, IL 60091 , U.S.A. Ch anges of ad dress should be reported to the Office of Membership and Records, Baha'i National Cen ter. Please attach mailing label. Subscription rat es: one year, U.S. $8; two years, U.S. $15. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL 60091 . Copyright <> 1982, National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'ls of the United States. World rights reserved . Printed in the U.S.A. "-'--- ' ··' -. r: 'J C.:-ot::.nds L:.,..,,_....,.~ International Conferences _..__ ~ -;; Pl~ce Return to· P.O. Box67 . Kenna. WA. 98&58 Dublin: Awakening the 'spiritual heart' The first of the Baha'i International Conferences called for by the Universal House of Justice during the Seven Year Plan was held June 25-27 at the head quarters of the Royal Dublin Society in Dublin, Ireland. The conference, attended by 1,854 adults, youth and children, was dedi cated to the memory of Bahfyyih Khanum, the Greatest Holy Leaf, who passed to the AbM Kingdom 50 years ago. The Universal House of Justice was represented by the Hand of the Cause of God H. Collis Featherstone. Also attending were the Hand of the Cause of God John Robarts and eight mem bers of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Europe. In his welcoming address, the chair man of the host National Spiritual As sembly of the BaM'is of Ireland stress The Hands of the Cause of God H. ed the significance of the conference a three-month period in 1982. The Collis Featherstone (third from left) for a European continent that has Dublin Conference drew an audience and John Robarts (right) and their grown spiritually cold. of nearly 1,900 Bahd'fs from 60 coun wives listen attentively from their front tries. Like the other Conferences, it Mr. Featherstone read a message to row seats in the Royal Dublin Society was dedicated to the memory of Ba the Conference from the Supreme Hall at the first of five Bahd'f Inter h(yyih Khdnum, the Greatest Holy Body in which the urgency of re national Conjerences to be held during Leaf. awakening the spiritual heart of Eu rope was stressed. He then called on the friends to arise to meet that During the second day of the Con His stories underscored the way in spiritual challenge. ference, Mr. Robarts discussed the sig which teachers' efforts and sacrifices Later, following a special tribute to nificance of the Local Spiritual As are richly rewarded. the Greatest Holy Leaf, Mr. Feather sembly, and Counsellor Agnes Ghaz Counsellor Taherzadeh dedicated his stone spoke about the "pattern of Ba navi spoke about Baha'i family life. presentation, "The Onward March of ha'i life," and Counsellor Adib Taher Later that day, Counsellor Betty the Faith," to the martyrs in Iran. He zadeh discussed ''the power of divine Reed presented a pictorial report of the reemphasized the importance of bring assistance.'' present status of Local Spiritual As ing the Faith constantly and unhesi sembly goals in Europe. During the tatingly to the masses in Europe. Special reception evening session, Dr. Taherzadeh in The Conference included a rich mix The Hands of the Cause and Coun vited Baha'is who had been moved to ture of musical entertainment that in sellors met prominent members of Irish consider pioneering to join him on cluded performances by ''The Dawn society during a special reception that stage. Nearly 80 of those present re breakers," a singing group from Aus also was attended by the Australian sponded to help fill some of the re tria, and a special Conference theme ambassador, representatives from sev maining goals in Europe. that was composed in honor of the eral other embassies, a former deputy During the final day of the Con Greatest Holy Leaf by two BaM'is prime minister of Ireland, and a ference Mr. Robarts presented several from Ireland. former special adviser to the cabinet. powerful examples of teaching activity. News coverage of the Conference in- Baha'i News/October 1982 1 eluded excellent reports on television, radio and in the press. The message from the Universal House of Justice to the Baha'i Inter The unprecedented television cover national Conference held June 25-27 in Dublin, Ireland: age was highlighted by a report on the "The world is in travail and its agitation waxeth day by day. Such shall be its main evening news program and a sep plight that to disclose it now would not be meet and seemly.'' arate 15-minute feature in a program The shattering blows dealt to the old, divisive system of the planet and the on religion. constantly accelerating decline in civilized life since that dire warning was ut Excellent coverage tered by Baha'u'llah a hundred years ago, have brought mankind to its present The excellent radio coverage in appalling condition. Consideration of how the Baha'is of Europe, confronted cluded reports during four separate by this situation, can meet their responsibilities, spiritually and actively, is the main purpose of this Conference. programs and a broadcast of the first The holding of this Conference in Dublin calls to mind the historic and Irish-language interview on the Faith. heroic services of Ireland in spreading the divine religion through pagan Eu Articles about the Conference ap rope. Europe's response was to develop, through many vicissitudes, the most peared in both the national and Dublin widespread and effective civilization known. That civilization, together with press with two especially well-written all other systems in the world, is now being rolled up, and Europe's plight in reports in The Irish Times, a leading proportion to her former pre-eminence, is desperate indeed. newspaper. By the same token her opportunity is correspondingly great. The challenges The final Conference session was to her resilience, to her deep-seated spiritual vitality, nourished over the cen closed by the two Hands of the Cause turies by the Teachings of Christ-now, alas, neglected and even con and also featured many of the 255 chil demned-can and must call forth a more magnificent response than was ever dren present who filled the stage and made by the divided and contending peoples of olden times. Yours is the task sang some of the songs they had learn to arouse that response. The power of Baha'u'llah is with you and this Day, as ed during their separate children's con attested by the Bab, "is immensely exalted ...above the days of the Apostles ference sessions. of old." In this great Day, Europe is blessed as never before in its history, for the Following the close of the historic Manifestation of God, the Lord of Hosts, spent five years of His exiles within International Conference, the flowers its borders, sending forth from His "remote prison" the first of those chat ~ that had adorned the Conference stage lenging, world-shaking addresses to the kings and rulers, six of whom were Eu were taken by the friends to be placed ropean potentates. There is no authenticated record of a Manifestation of God on the graves of the beloved Guardian, ever before setting foot in Europe. Shoghi Effendi, and the Hand of the You are engaged on a Seven Year Plan and have made devoted and sacri Cause of God George Townshend. ficial efforts to attain its objectives. But its ultimate purpose, as that of all other plans, namely the attracting of the masses of mankind to the all embracing shelter of the Cause of God, still evades us. Particularly in Europe. We have not, as yet, found the secret of setting aglow the hearts of great numbers of Europeans with the divine fire. This must now be your constant preoccupation, the subject of your deliberations at this Conference, the pur pose of your lives, to which you will attain "only if you arise to trample be neath your feet every earthly desire ... " We call upon every Baha'i in Europe to ponder this vital matter in his in most soul, to consider what each may do to attract greater power to his efforts, to radiate more brilliantly and irresistibly the joyous, regenerating power of the Cause, so that the Baha'i community in every country in Europe may stand out as a beacon light repelling the dark shadows of godlessness and moral degradation now threatening to obliterate the last remnants of a dying order.