Module #5

Prayer, Fasting, Standards of Behavior, Unity, 
Life after Death, the Soul, Heaven and Hell
 
The word of God may be likened unto a sapling, whose roots have been implanted in the hearts of man. It is incumbent upon you to foster its growth through the living waters of wisdom, of sanctified and holy words, so that its roots may become firmly fixed and its branches may spread out as high as the heavens and beyond.”
{Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings, p. 97}

OBJECTIVES :
 
	1)	Why do we pray; why use revealed prayers; what are Obligatory prayers; can we pray too much; what are the special prayers for fasting, Holy Days, teaching, tests, birth & death, etc.? 

	2)	How is meditation different from prayer?

	3)	What is the hallmark of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh? {Unity} Discuss various aspects of unity: unity of mankind; unity of the Manifestations; unity of action after a decision; unity of the sexes; unity of the Faith itself.?
	
	4)	What is the Bahá’í view towards abortion, adultery, alcohol, birth control, chastity, drugs, tobacco, homosexuality, politics, etc.? 

	5)	How does the individual and the Bahá’í Community distinguish themselves from the rest of the world?

	6)	What is the period of 19 days when we abstain from food and drink between sunrise and sunset in order to meditate, pray, spiritually recuperate, refresh, reinvigorate and adjust our inner lives and our spiritual forces? {The Fast}

 

DEFINITIONS: (Basic Bahá’í Dictionary, Editor Wendi Momen, George Ronald Press 1989)
 
Alláh-u-Abhá:
God is Most Glorious, God is All Glorious

A form of the Greatest Name, used as a greeting among Bahá’ís. It replaced ‘Alláh-u-Akbár (God is Most Great), the greeting in Islam, during the years that Bahá’u’lláh lived in Adrianople, although the Báb had approved both of these greetings as well as ‘Alláh-u-Ajmal (God is Most Beauteous). Shoghi Effendi directed that Alláh-u-Abhá should not be said at the end of prayers and advised not to use it indiscriminately in public in the West lest it give the impression of the Faith being a strange Oriental Sect.

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Backbiting:
Saying mean or spiteful things about a person behind his back.

Backbiting and calumny are forbidden by Bahá’u’lláh in the Kitab-iAqdas and backbiting is described by Him as “grievous error…inasmuch as backbiting quencheth the light of the heart, and extinguisheth the life of the soul.”
{Bahá’u’lláh in Kitab-i-Iqán, p. 193}

‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote of the effects of backbiting on the Bahá’í community: “If any soul speak ill of an absent one, the only result will clearly be this: he will dampen the zeal of the friends and tend to make them indifferent. For backbiting is divisive, it is the leading cause among the friends of a disposition to withdraw.” {‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Selections, p. 230} He goes on to say how backbiting can be stopped: “If any individual should speak ill of one who is absent, it is incumbent on his hearers, in a spiritual and friendly manner, to stop. him, and say in effect: would this detraction serve any useful purpose?” {‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Selections, p. 230}

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Burial:
The body is the temple of the spirit, therefore it must be respected and treated with honor. Its burial in the earth after death and its gradual decomposition is natural. Thus, according to Bahá’í law, cremation of the dead is forbidden and the body must not be transported more than one hour's journey from the place of death. The body should be wrapped in a shroud of silk or cotton, and on its finger should be placed a ring bearing the inscription, “I came forth from God, and return unto Him, detached from all save Him, holding fast to His Name, the Merciful, the Compassionate;” and that the coffin should be of crystal, stone or hard fine wood. A specific Prayer for the Dead is ordained, to be said before interment… The formal prayer and the ring are meant to be used for those who have attained the age of maturity [age fifteen]. {Bahá’u’lláh, Synopsis of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 62} The parts of the law regarding cremation, the transportation of the body and the Prayer for the Dead are the only ones binding on all Bahá’í’s. Bahá’í’s in the West being exempt at present from the others.

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Chastity: 
A high standard of moral behavior which should distinguish the lives of Bahá’í’s of both sexes and which Shoghi Effendi has explained 'must contribute its proper share to the strengthening and vitalization of the Bahá’í community, upon which must in turn depend the success of any Bahá’í plan or enterprise…A chaste and holy life must be made the controlling principle in the behavior and conduct of all Bahá’ís, both in their social relations with the members of their own community, and in their contact with the world at large.

“Such a chaste and holy life, with its implications of modesty, purity, temperance, decency, and clean-mindedness, involves no less than the exercise of moderation in all that pertains to dress, language, amusements, and all artistic and literary avocations. It demands daily vigilance in the control of one's carnal desires and corrupt inclinations. It calls for the abandonment of a frivolous conduct, with its excessive attachment to trivial and often misdirected pleasures. It requires total abstinence from all alcoholic drinks, from opium, and from similar habit-forming drugs. It condemns the prostitution of art and of literature, the practices of nudism and of companionate marriage, infidelity in marital relationships, and all manner of promiscuity, of easy familiarity, and of sexual vices. It can tolerate no compromise with the theories, the standards, the habits, and the excesses of a decadent age. Nay rather it seeks to demonstrate, through the dynamic force of its example, the pernicious character of such theories, the falsity of such standards, the hollowness of such claims, the perversity of such habits, and the sacrilegious character of such excesses.” 
{Shoghi Effendi in Advent of Divine Justice, p. 24}

Shoghi Effendi points out, however, that the law of chastity does not imply that Bahá’ís are puritanical: “the maintenance of such a high standard of moral conduct is not to be associated or confused with any form of asceticism, or of excessive and bigoted puritanism. The standard inculcated by Bahá’u’lláh , seeks, under no circumstances, to deny any one the legitimate right and privilege to derive the fullest advantage and benefit from the manifold joys, beauties, and pleasures with which the world has been so plentifully enriched by an All-Loving Creator.” {Shoghi Effendi in Advent of Divine Justice, p. 28}

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Clergy:
The Bahá’í Faith has no clergy. “We have no priests,” Shoghi Effendi stated in a letter written on his behalf, “therefore the service once rendered by priests to their religions is the service every single Bahá’í is expected to render individually to his religion. He must be the one who enlightens new souls, confirm them, heals the wounded and weary upon the road of life, and gives them to quaff from the chalice of everlasting life…the knowledge of the Manifestation of God in His Day.” { Letter of Shoghi Effendi 5 July 1957 in Gift Compilation, p. 35}In His writings, Bahá’u’lláh forbids the monastic practices of asceticism and living in seclusion, bids priests to marry and prohibits the confession of sins.

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Death: 
The separation of the soul from the body. In The Hidden Words Bahá’u’lláh reveals, “I have made death a messenger of joy to thee.”
{Bahá’u’lláh in the Hidden Words #32}

In the Hurúfát-i-'Allín (The Exalted Letters), here paraphrased by Adib Taherzadeh, Bahá’u’lláh directs His attention to physical death and dwells on the afflictions which befall the human temple. At this point the vehicle of so precious an entity as the soul becomes useless, is discarded and buried under the dust ... The perfect union which for a lifetime brought the soul and the body together is now ended, as one is elevated to great heights and the other abased and condemned to perish. In this Tablet Bahá’u’lláh refers to death as an affliction for the body and confirms that since the spiritual worlds of God are hidden from the eyes of men, it is difficult for those who are bereaved by the death of their loved ones not to feel the anguish of separation in their hearts. He therefore counsels them to fix their attention on the spiritual realms of God and the immortality of the soul .
{Taherzedah, Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 1, p. 123}

“Concerning the question you have raised regarding the spiritual world beyond and our relation to it. After death the soul of man permanently departs from the material plane, and enters the world of the spirit, in which it can indefinitely progress and advance. The nature of that spiritual world is essentially different and superior to our earthly life here.”
{Shoghi Effendi, letter dated April 10, 1938}

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Drugs and Alcohol:
The use of all intoxicants, including drugs and alcohol, is forbidden in the Kitab-i-Aqdas. An exception is made in the case of drugs which are prescribed by a physician for medical treatment.

Alcohol is prohibited, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá states, because “it is the cause of chronic diseases, weakeneth the nerves, and consumeth the mind.”
{quoted in Advent of Divine Justice, p. 27}

‘Abdu’l-Bahá described hasish (cannabis) as “the worst of all intoxicants, and its prohibition is explicitly revealed. Its use causeth the disintegration of thought and the complete torpor of the soul.”{quoted in Lights of Guidance, no. 718}

Of the effects of smoking opium ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has stated: “Reason showeth that smoking opium is a kind of insanity, and experience attesteth that the user is completely cut off from the human kingdom. May God protect all against the perpetration of an act so hideous as this, an act which layeth in ruins the very foundation of what it is to be human, and which causeth the user to be dispossessed for ever and ever. For opium fasteneth on the soul, so that the user's conscience dieth, his mind is blotted away, his perceptions are eroded. It turneth the living into the dead.” 
{‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Selections of the Writings, p. 149}

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Fast:
The abstinence from food and drink between sunrise and sunset in the month of ‘Alá 
(2-20 March). “It is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul. Its significance and purpose are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual in character. Fasting is symbolic and a reminder of abstinence from selfish and carnal desires.”
{Lights of Guidance, no. 487}

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Heaven & Hell:
The highest and lowest conditions a human soul can experience.

In the Bahá’í Writings these terms are used in a spiritual rather than a literal, material sense. These conditions of “heaven” and “hell” are not limited to life after death: “the paradise and hell of existence are found in all the worlds of God, whether in this world or in the spiritual heavenly worlds.
{‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Some Answered Questions, p. 259}

“Heaven” is the state of perfection and nearness to God, achieved by a soul who has striven to acquire virtues during its life on earth, while “hell” is the condition of imperfection, remoteness and the awareness of the deprivation one has brought by one's actions. Bahá’u’lláh wrote, “They say: “Where is Paradise, and where is Hell?” Say: “The one is reunion with Me; the other shine own self…”  {Bahá’u’lláh in Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 132}Bahá’u’lláh explains in the Kitab-i-Iqan that the use of the word “heaven” in earlier prophecies such as the “cleaving asunder of the heaven” is metaphorical not literal.

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Meditation:
Quiet reflection, especially on a passage of Sacred Scripture: “Do thou meditate on that which We have revealed unto thee,” writes Bahá’u’lláh, “that thou mayest discover the purpose of God, thy Lord, and the Lord of all worlds. In these words the mysteries of Divine Wisdom have been treasured.”
{Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings, LXXIX}

“Meditation is the key for opening the doors of mysteries,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has said. “…in that state man withdraws himself from all outside objects; in that subjective mood he is immersed in the ocean of spiritual life and can unfold the secrets of things-in-themselves.”
{‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Importance of Prayer, p. 11}

“The meditative faculty is akin to the mirror; if you put it before earthly objects it will reflect them . . . But if you turn the mirror of your spirits heavenwards, the heavenly constellations and the rays of the Sun of Reality will be refle ted in your hearts, and the virtues of the Kingdom will be obtained.”
{‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Importance of Prayer, p. 12}

There is no set form of meditation in the Bahá’í Writings and the manner of meditating is left entirely to the individual. Shoghi Effendi, in a letter written on his behalf, advised that “it would be wiser for the Bahá’ís to use the Meditations given by Bahá’u’lláh, and not any set form of meditation recommended by someone else.” {‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Importance of Prayer, p. 20} Although individuals are free to seek 'their own level of communion with God” through the practice of meditation, they should 'guard against superstitious or foolish ideas creeping into it.” {‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Importance of Prayer, p. 18}

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Military:
“… Bahá'ís recognize the right and duty of governments to use force for the maintenance of law and order and to protect their people. Thus, for a Bahá'í, the shedding of blood for such a purpose is not necessarily essentially wrong. The Bahá'í Faith draws a very definite distinction between the duty of an individual to forgive and 'to be killed rather than to kill' and the duty of society to uphold justice. This matter is explained by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Some Answered Questions. In the present condition of the world Bahá'ís try to keep. themselves out of the internecine conflicts that are raging among their fellow men and to avoid shedding blood in such struggles, but this does not mean that we are absolute pacifists.”
{The Universal House of Justice, letter February 9, 1967 to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States}

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Politics:
The art or science of government, of winning and holding control over a government, particularly the competition between different groups or individuals for power and leadership.

The Bahá’í Faith is, in the words of Shoghi Effendi, “essentially nonpolitical, supranational in character, rigidly non-partisan, and entirely dissociated from nationalistic ambitions, pursuits, and purposes.”
{Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 198}

Bahá’ís are prohibited from participating in partisan politics: “Let them refrain,” Shoghi Effendi wrote, “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 worldwide Fellowship. which it is their aim to guard and foster.”
{Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 64}

As to voting in political elections, in a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, it is stated: “The friends may vote, if they can do it without identifying themselves with one party or another ... It remains for the individuals so to use their right to vote as to keep. aloof from party politics, and always bear in mind that they are voting on the merits of the individual, rather than because he belongs to one party or another.” 
{Shoghi Effendi, Bahá’í World Vol. 8, p. 536}

Shoghi Effendi has stated, however, that Bahá’ís may hold government posts which are not political or linked to partisan politics: “It’s their duty to strive to distinguish as clearly as they possibly can… 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.”
{Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 64-5}

The Bahá’í attitude to politics “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...” 
{Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 65}

“By the principle of noninterference in political matters we should not mean that only corrupt politics and partial and sectarian politics are to be avoided. But that any pronouncement on any current system of politics connected with any government must be shunned. We should not only take side with no political party, group. or system actually in use, but we should also refuse to commit ourselves to any statement which may be interpreted as being sympathetic or antagonistic to any existing political organization or philosophy. The attitude of the Bahá'ís must be one of complete aloofness. They are neither for nor against any system of politics. Not that they are the ill-wishers of their respective governments but that due to certain basic considerations arising out of their teachings and of the administrative machinery of their Faith they prefer not to get entangled in political affairs and to be misinterpreted and misunderstood by their countrymen.”
{Shoghi Effendi, February 8, 1934, enclosed with a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice, December 30, 1980, to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States}
 
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Prayer:
Supplication to, or communion with, God.

In the Kitab-i-Aqdas Bahá’u’lláh sets out the law of prayer: “We have commanded you to pray and fast from the beginning of maturity; this is ordained by God, your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers.” {Bahá’u’lláh Synopsis of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 13}Bahá’ís are enjoined by Bahá’u’lláh to pray every morning and evening: “Recite ye the verses of God every morning and evening. Whoso reciteth them not hath truly failed to fulfil his pledge to the Covenant of God.” {Importance of Prayer Compilation, p. 3}Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá revealed many prayers which Bahá’ís are encouraged to use. Bahá’ís may also use their own words in private prayer. In addition to these personal prayers, Bahá’u’lláh has stipulated that Bahá’ís should recite one of three obligatory prayers every day.

However, Bahá’u’lláh states that one should not pray to excess: “Take heed lest excessive reading and too many acts of piety in the daytime and in the night season make you vainglorious. Should a person recite but a single verse from the Holy Writings in a spirit of joy and radiance, this would be better for him than reciting wearily all the Scriptures of God, the Help. in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Recite ye the verses of God in such measure that ye be not overtaken with fatigue or boredom. Burden not your souls so as to cause them exhaustion and weigh them down, but rather endeavour to lighten them, that they may soar on the wings of revealed Verse unto the dawning-place of His signs. This is conducive to nearer access unto God, were ye to comprehend.” 
{Importance of Prayer Compilation, p. 3}

Prayers are usually said in private or with one's family, although there are occasions when community worship. is appropriate, such as in the devotional part of the Nineteen Day Feast or at the observances of Bahá’í Holy Days. Special gatherings for prayers may also be held but are not obligatory. “One of the characteristics of the Bahá’í society will be the gathering of the believers each day during the hours between dawn and two hours after sunrise to listen to the reading and chanting of the Holy Word.”
{Lights of Guidance, no. 895}

Prayers are also offered in the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar and at the Holy Shrines. It is a common practice among Bahá’ís to begin and end meetings with prayers, but this also is not obligatory. Except for the obligatory prayers, there are no special gestures or positions one must take up. for prayer. Prayers may be read, recited, chanted or sung. There is no congregational prayer in the Bahá’í Faith, except for the prayer for the dead, when the prayer is recited by one person while all others present stand. Bahá’ís do not generally recite prayers in unison, although the singing of a short prayer by a small group. of believers is not forbidden…”
{Lights of Guidance no. 914}
Bahá’ís may pray directly to God or through Bahá’u’lláh. Bahá’ís may also pray to other departed souls to intercede on their behalf.

“One of the characteristics of the Bahá'í society will be the gathering of the believers each day during the hours between dawn and two hours after sunrise to listen to the reading and chanting of the Holy Word. In many communities at the present time, especially in rural ones, such gathering will fit naturally into the pattern of the friends' daily life, and where this is the case it would do much to foster the unity of the local community and deepen the friends' knowledge of the Teachings if such gatherings could be organized by the Local Spiritual Assembly on a regular basis. Attendance at these gatherings is not to be obligatory but we hope that the friends will more and more be drawn to take part in them. This is a goal which can be attained gradually.”
 { Universal House of Justice, Lights of Guidance, p. 459}

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Resurrection : 
In Islam and Christianity, the raising of the dead on the Day of Judgement. Bahá’ís interpret this event spiritually as the coming of the Manifestation of God.

As to the resurrection of Christ, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has explained its meaning: “the disciples were troubled and agitated after the martyrdom of Christ. The Reality of Christ, which signifies his teachings, his bounties, his perfections, and his spiritual power, was hidden and concealed for two or three days after his martyrdom, and was not resplendent and manifest . . . The Cause of Christ was like a lifeless body; and, when after three days the disciples became assured and steadfast, and began to serve the Cause of Christ, and resolved to spread the divine teachings, putting his counsels into practice, and arising to serve him, the Reality of Christ became resplendent and his bounty appeared; his religion found life, his teachings and his admonitions became evident and visible.” 
{‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Some Answered Qustions, pp. 120-121}

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Sex:
The Bahá’í concept of sex is explained by Shoghi Effendi as being “based on the belief that chastity should be strictly practiced by both sexes, not only because it is in itself highly commendable ethically, but also due to its being the only way to a happy and successful marital life. Sex relationships of any form, outside marriage, are not permissible therefore, and whoso violates this rule will not only be responsible to God, but will incur the necessary punishment from society.”

The Bahá’í Faith recognizes the value of the sex impulse, but condemns its illegitimate and improper expressions, such as free love, companionate marriage and others, all of which it considers positively harmful to man and to the society in which he lives. The proper use of the sex instinct is the natural right of every individual, and it is precisely for this purpose that the institution of marriage has been established. Bahá’ís do not believe in the suppression of the sex impulse but in its regulation and control.”
{Lights of Guidance, no. 681 and no. 682}

He further explained that “Homosexuality, according to the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, is spiritually condemned. This does not mean that people so afflicted must not be helped and advised and sympathized with. It does mean that we do not believe that it is a permissible way of life…” {Lights of Guidance, no. 723}

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Soul: 
The inner and essential reality of man which is not composed of physical matter and thus continues to exist after death.

In the Bahá’í Writings the soul has been compared to a rider where the body is only the steed; to a light, independent of the lamp. within which it shines; and to a caged bird which continues to exist after the cage is broken. Just as the bird, when released, is freed from constraints, the power of the soul is stronger without the intermediary of the body. While distinct from the body and its physical limitations, the soul is affected by occurrences and itself can affect the body physically.

As in the embryonic world the physical being acquires what is needed for life in the world, so in the physical world the soul must prepare itself for the next existence by acquiring spiritual virtues through knowledge and love of God, philanthropic deeds and self-sacrifice. After death the soul retains the spiritual attributes it has acquired during life in the physical body, and after it is freed from the body it progresses according to the mercy of God. Through the intercession and prayers of other human souls, or through charity performed in its name, it continues to progress until it attains the presence of God.

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Unity:
Oneness, wholeness, togetherness, solidarity.

Unity is the hallmark of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. He calls for the unity of mankind, for the recognition of the unity of the Godhead and of the Manifestations, for unity of the sexes, and for unity of action after a decision has been made. It is the Covenant which provides the unity of the Bahá’í Faith itself.

Bahá’u’lláh has written: “The purpose of religion as revealed from the heaven of God's holy Will is to establish unity and concord amongst the peoples of the world…” 
{Bahá’u’lláh Tablets, p. 129}

“So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.”
{Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings, CXXII}

“The purpose of justice is the appearance of unity among men . . . Verily I say, whatever is sent down from the heaven of the Will of God is the means for the establishment of order in the world and the instrument for promoting unity and fellowship. among its peoples.” 
{Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 67}

‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, “Unity is necessary to existence. Love is the very cause of life; on the other hand, separation brings death. In the world of material creation . . . all things owe their actual life to unity. The elements which compose wood, mineral, or stone, are held together by the law of attraction...So it is with the great body of humanity.” 
{‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 139}

“Most important of all is that love and unity should prevail in the Bahá’í community, as this is what people are most longing for in the present dark state of the world.” 
{Lights of Guidance, no. 816}

“The Bahá'í Faith seeks to maintain cultural diversity while promoting the unity of all peoples. Indeed, such diversity will enrich the tapestry of human life in a peaceful world society. The House of Justice supports the view that in every country it is quite appropriate for the cultural traditions of the people to be observed within the Bahá'í community as long as they are not contrary to the teachings…At the present time, the challenge to every Bahá'í community is to avoid suppression of those culturally-diverse elements which are not contrary to the teachings, while establishing and maintaining such a high degree of unity that others are attracted to the Cause of God.”
{Universal House of Justice, letter dated July 25, 1988 to an individual believer}

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Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá:
O Glory or Glories or O Glory of the All Glorious

A Form of the Greatest Name, used as an invocation. The calligraphic rendering of the invocation by Mishkín-Qalam, the foremost Bahá’í calligrapher, is often framed and displayed in a position of honor in Bahá’í homes.

QUOTES:

“. . . Prayer and fasting is the cause of awakening and mindfulness and conducive to protection and preservation from tests.”
{'Abdu'l-Bahá, Unrestrained As the Wind, p. 9}
 
“ Prayer and meditation are very important factors in deepening the spiritual life of the individual, but with them must go also action and example, as these are the tangible results of the former. Both are essential.” 
{Shoghi Effendi, Compilation of Compilations Vol. 2, p. 241}
 
“The most vital duty, in this day, is to purify your character, to correct your manners, and improve your conduct. The beloved of the Merciful must show forth such character and conduct amongst His creatures, that the fragrance of their holiness may be shed upon the whole world, and may quicken the dead, inasmuch as the purpose of the Manifestation of God and the dawning of the limitless lights of the Invisible is to educate the souls of man and refine the character of every living man.” 
{Shoghi Effendi, quoting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in “Advent of Divine Justice”, p. 21}
 
“Wherever a Bahá'í community exists, whether large or small, let it be distinguished for its abiding sense of security and faith, its high standard of rectitude, its complete freedom from all forms of prejudice, the spirit of love among its members and for the closely knit fabric of its social life.” {Messages From the Universal House of Justice, p. 12}
 
“Such a chaste and holy life, with its implications of modesty, purity, temperance, decency, and clean-mindedness, involves no less than the exercise of moderation in all that pertains to dress, language, amusements, and all artistic and literary avocations. It demands daily vigilance in the control of one's carnal desires and corrupt inclinations. It calls for the abandonment of a frivolous conduct, with its excessive attachment to trivial and often misdirected pleasures. It requires total abstinence from all alcoholic drinks, from opium, and from similar habit-forming drugs. It condemns the prostitution of art and of literature, the practices of nudism and of companionate marriage, infidelity in marital relationships, and all manner of promiscuity, of easy familiarity, and of sexual vices. It can tolerate no compromise with the theories, the standards, the habits, and the excesses of a decadent age. Nay rather it seeks to demonstrate, through the dynamic force of its example, the pernicious character of such theories, the falsity of such standards, the hollowness of such claims, the perversity of such habits, and the sacrilegious character of such excesses.”
{Advent of Divine Justice by Shoghi Effendi, p. 30}

RECOMMENDED READINGS :

	Bahá'í Education - compilation
	The Bahá'í Community - compilation
	Bahá'í Prayers.
	Bahá'í Marriage and Family Life - compilation
	A Chaste and Holy Life - compilation
	The Importance of Deepening our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith
	Lights of Guidance
	Living the Life
	The Power of Divine Assistance
	The Power of Unity
	Spiritual Foundations: Prayer, Meditation, & the Devotional Attitude
	Individual Rights and Freedoms in the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh by the Universal House of 		Justice
	The Promise of World Peace by the Universal House of Justice
	Developing Distinct Bahá’í Communities - by the USA NSA
	The Vision of Race Unity - by the USA NSA
	Brilliant Star Magazine