Characteristics of Bahá'í Administrative Order and Liberal Democratic Notions:

Abstract

In this paper we study the Administrative Order of the Bahá'í Faith. In order to better appreciate the features of this system we will compare it with popular liberal democratic notions. It is argued that many of the liberal ideas that are currently regarded by large segments of the population as manifestly true and highly desirable are in fact expressions of a passing ideology. These unexamined assumptions inherent in a typically Western education are then exposed. Freed from such a bias we will then take a fresh look at the Baha’i Administrative order and show that it represents a distinct stage of social growth well beyond the current social organizational assumptions, theories and practices. The paper concludes by pointing out the unique contribution that African Bahá'ís in particular can make in the future organization of their communities.

Introduction

One of the unique contributions of the Bahá'í Faith towards the social organization of the planet is what the Bahá'í s call the Administrative Order. Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith has devoted a sizable portion of his writings to the elucidation of the salient characteristics of this Order. Indeed the first phase of the ministry of the Guardian lasting some 16 years from 1921 to 1937 was devoted to building up communities with practical experience of this Order in operation. Today within the Bahá'í communities everywhere, the Administrative Order provides protection to the members of the community. This protection is mostly in the form of providing a norm and an accepted pattern for behavior. It also provides a channel to direct the energies of the Bahá'í s as well as a safe avenue for airing concerns. The institutions of the Administrative Order such as the Nineteenth Day Feast, the committees and Assemblies provide a network that help Bahá'í s participate in a collective life that is both diverse and unified. It is diverse in the multitude of activities and projects that are either initiated or supported by individuals. It is unified through the vast communication network that runs mostly up and down in the vertical direction from the international level to the national and local institutions. As such a traveler can attend almost any one of the several tens of thousands of Feasts and participate in essentially similar consultations that make reference to the same “message” from the World Center of the Faith. This element of a sustained unity of thought and vision is the greatest guarantor for the unity of the worldwide community of Bahá'ís. In its present form then, the Administrative Order is truly a child of the Covenant acting as the chief instrument for the cohesion of the members of the community. The remarkable manner in which this unity is achieved and transcends the very real barriers of education, culture, and class must remain as a subject for further study. But we can not pass by this subject without registering our wonderment in an accomplishment that causes the most erudite of university professors in the Ivory Towers of the West to attend a local gathering and consider the dynamics of the same social phenomenon as that considered by many illiterate villagers in scattered communities of the beautiful continent of Africa; they both are deepening on the latest Ridvan message! And contrary to all popular expectations the comments made be the villagers are more often than not more insightful than those of high education in the West. The Covenant of working within the principles of the Administrative Order guarantees the unity, illumines the ideas, and guides and protects the actions of this diverse community.

This study of the characteristics of the Administrative Order will hopefully help those who are involved in it to better understand their own place in it, to appreciate the basis of a new civilization, and to avoid common misunderstandings about it. It is also hoped that it will help strengthen foundations of unity, increase understanding and love for the Covenant, and to help the reader to begin to understand the Universal House of Justice. I use this phrase deliberately to emphasize that the Universal House of Justice, which is a living and working institution, which serves as the Head of the Administrative Order, has many features which remain completely beyond our current level of understanding, and certainly well beyond the current sociological tools for analysis.

In what follows then, we will take a brief look at the features that characterize Western Civilization, and particularly the liberal democratic traditions within it. We will then contrast this with the Bahá'í Administrative Order, and finally discuss its relevance to the future development of African societies.

Western Civilization

There is a fairly common agreement that developments in the last two to three centuries in Western Europe and Northern America constitutes a unified phenomenon that is referred to as the Western Civilization. While there maybe disagreements about the exact geographical or temporal boundaries, there nevertheless is a common understanding of its roots and features.

If we were to choose a single country that represents the core values of this civilization, no better example is available than what came to be the United States of America. The feudal system in Europe was such that the social classes of the aristocracy, the landed gentry, and the priesthood had a common hold on the wealth of the nations. All others, peasants, workers and their families, were the second class citizens. Very little social mobility was allowed. Sons were mostly condemned to follow their father’s profession, and all women from the lower social classes were relegated to unpaid or poorly rewarded manual labor in or out of the home.

The injustice that is inherent in this system drove the desperate many to seek the New World and accept its hazards for the promise of a better land. While the communities brought their diverse cultures and religious practices with them, their common notion was that of freedom. Freedom from injustice, freedom from oppression, freedom from exploitation, and freedom from abusive authority. No other concept has such universal appeal as freedom, even though there is much disagreement about its exact meaning, its limitations, or its proper application. The roots of this universal appeal are in rebellion against entrenched interests. Gradually, however the caveat about abusive authority has been eroded and finally dropped.

Today young people everywhere wish for and celebrate freedom. Some of the most successful movies from Hollywood in the 1990s, “Brave Heart” directed and played by Mel Gibson for example, have been about individual freedom. And this theme runs constantly in television programs also. The visual arts industry and the music industry exports and spreads on a global scale this singularly Western concept. In African townships one continuously encounters teen age boys and girls humming western or psudo-western songs about freedom. In this context presumably it refers to freedom from colonialism, but often in fact it simply is a wish for greater prosperity.

The phenomenal success at natural sciences and the resulting technological advances have so tipped the economic balance that most people in the West assume that the superiority of their ideas are proven in practice. Other communities either adopt and assimilate these notions or else isolate themselves and react against the advance of modernity.

Love for freedom is commonly coupled with skepticism of those in authority. The roots for such a reaction towards old world authority is clear enough. In both the United States of two centuries ago and in Africa of the last half a century, it was a rebellion against European powers. In West however this mistrust of authority has been carried over till today and covers the current leaders, while in Africa there still is a large adherence for the current generation of leaders, political and otherwise. This is particularly true in rural and traditional segments of the community, however trust in leadership is changing rapidly in the cities, due to a number of factors, one of which is the spread of liberal democratic notions.

The structural role of the media is a significant factor in the skepticism towards authority. In communities that are organized along free market principles, the newspapers are also operations seeking immediate profits. And one of the best ways of keeping the readership interested is to have or to create controversies to report on. The classical education of journalists then includes a heavy dose of skepticism. It is argued that in a democratic society it is this investigative journalism that keeps the politicians honest and on their best behavior. This argument is not without truth given a particular form of governance. However it makes certain assumptions about human nature and about the fiber of the leaders that needs closer examination. We will come back to this notion later in this article.

Once freedom from authority is achieved, the question remains where should one turn to. Often the answer is provided in the form of “be yourself”, and discover your true nature. To many people this appears as simply a license to do whatever it takes to obtain your ultimate desires. The result is a glorification of a cult of the individual at the expense of both the community, and any external moral principle.

We note a glaring contradiction in assumptions about human nature here. While in public life it is assumed that leaders in authority are either corrupt or corruptible unless protected by a watchful and critical press, in personal life, it is assumed that individuals are inclined to pursue a balanced life that is has both integrity and meaningfulness without reference to an outside source of authority. One might ask if power granted by authority is the source of corruption, why is it that power obtained through industry or wealth can be assumed to lead to uprightness?

The western man then freed from authority and focused on individual sets about pursuing his own happiness. History bears out that almost always the individual inclination is towards material pursuits and standards. Within the span of one generation, the freedom that was morally justified has given rise to a materialism that is blindly pursued by most, and only lamented by a few insightful people. Some common causes such as the protection of the environment has brought other issues to the forefront of attention, but even that cause does not arrest the mad rush to economic prosperity. The liberalism that started with a just cause then within a short period has degenerated into a rampant materialism.

We may then summarize the characteristic features of the Western civilization as (i) a rebellion against oppressive authority, degenerated into rebellion against all authority, (ii) a justifiable love of freedom, eroded into a blind quest for unlimited freedom, (iii) skepticism towards those in authority, fed by the media, and leading to frequent changes in governments (iv) glorification of the cult of the individual leading to a break up of families, and other social units, (v) materialistic pursuits and standards leading to widespread disillusionment.

Much of these characteristics are those of an individual person passing through the adolescence stage in his or her personal life.

Bahá'u'lláh has thus commented on the effect of the Western civilization: “When the eyes of the people of the East were captivated by the arts and wonders of the West, they roved distraught in the wilderness of material causes, oblivious of the One Who is the Causer of Causes, and the Sustainer thereof, while such men as were the source and the wellspring of Wisdom never denied the moving Impulse behind these causes, nor the Creator or the Origin thereof. Thy Lord knoweth, yet most of the people know not.”¹

Democratic Representative Governance

The basis for the organization of the government in Western communities is ideally the rule of the people by the people for the people. This basis has led to the formation of democratic governments. In its pure form the government should find out what is the will of the people on every issue and act accordingly. Since this is impractical in many situations the compromise has been the formation of democratic representative governments. Sometime reference is also made to responsible governance, to include such concerns as the preservation of the environment or the resources for the benefit of unborn generations.

One of the major problems with democracy in its pure form is that it is possible for the majority of the people in a community to vote on a specific issue in such a way that the result is manifestly unjust. Deliberate extermination of a minority group is an example of this. The persecution of the Bahá'í community in Iran may have the backing of a democratically elected government, but is seen by the majority of other governments as unjust. Another example is widespread racism, or hate speeches that have the support of the majority of the people. There does not appear to be any solution to this problem, and of course many communities implement ad hoc measures in this regard. Strictly speaking such as hoc measure are non-democratic. Another example of a similar problem is when the external interests of a community are at stake. Rights of the individuals to information are curtailed in cases of national security matters. These as well as official secrets practices are also non-democratic. While in popular usage any thing that is said to be non-democratic means that it is evil, upon close examination it may in fact be the opposite.

In order to implement a rule of the people by the people, no external consideration should be allowed, and it is for this reason that Western communities have implemented a separation of the church from the state. This is often enshrined in the constitution so that social forces to the contrary cannot from time to time influence it. This secularization of the society has profound effects on the public life. The net effect in most western European communities is to confine religion altogether to a small percentage of people attending church for two hours per week, and banished to certain limited buildings. The restrain in both time and space coupled with dogmatic teachings and outdated practices have all but suffocated religious thought. One cartoon in the Washington Post once depicted a session of the US Supreme court where the judges were praying to God to spare them the agony of ruling on yet another case of banning prayers in the public schools!

As the century closes however there is increasing concern that in the community of multiple Faiths and no Faith, it is the latter who is wining by default. There appears to be a resurgence of attraction towards religious teachings in many parts of the world.

A major element of Western societies is the emphasis on individual rights and freedom of expression. This is a clear expression of freedom from oppression that underpins the Western societies. So sacred is this concept that in international politics human rights issues are considered far more important than such other principles as national sovereignty or non-interference in internal affairs of other countries. Internally however communities struggle to find the limits of these rights and freedoms. There are continuous court cases in issues involving prostitution, pornography, indecency, children’s rights, and hate propagandas. On these issues as well as termination of pregnancy, euthanasia, and numerous medical ethics issues the society is deeply divided and examples of violent confrontations abound. The principal reason for such a division is the unwillingness of the communities to acknowledge the existence of fundamental spiritual principles which can shed light on these complex issues.

Yet another aspect of the modern democratic form of government is the separation of powers and the existence of institutional adversarial checks and balances. Such a separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers were brought about as a reaction to the abuse of power that was so common in the European courts. The structure described in various constitutions is based on the assumption that since no external factor can control or influence the rulers in a community, the design of the structure itself should allow for interlocking checks. Since in practice there could be collusion and conspiracy, and at times a considerable amount of “horse trading” between the various powers the effectiveness of this system is questionable. What has in fact been the greater guarantor for integrity of the rulers has been the general awareness of large segments of the population, the role of the media, and general prosperity of the countries. Therefore concomitant with these complimentary structures there has been a growing demand for transparency and accountability.

To sum up then the characteristics of the democratic governments are: (i) rule of the people by the people for the people, (ii) separation of church and state, (iii) individual rights and freedom of expression, (iv) separation of powers, (v) adversarial checks and balances, and (vi) transparency and accountability

We will now examine the Bahá'í Administrative Order and then compare it salient features to the above system.

Higher Ideals

The social organization of the Bahá'í communities is based on a system the broad outline of which was established in explicit terms by Bahá'u'lláh Himself. As such then it is the only system of social organization known to mankind that can be said to be divine in its origins. Bahá'u'lláh Himself stresses the importance of the Administrative Order and declares that “Soon will the present-day order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead. Verily, thy Lord speaketh the truth, and is the Knower of things unseen”².

The Bahá'í Administrative Order involves the integration of spiritual and material life of the individual and the community. It is a form of social organization or a form of governance whose main concern is the integrated spiritual and material well being of the people. Its primary goal is to provide for a just system such that individual capacities and potentialities can best flourish. It creates a balance between the individual and the collective rights and responsibilities. It leads to greater freedoms than mere individual expression. Beyond avoiding oppression it provides for growth in spiritual, mental and material dimensions. It creates well defined channels for the expressions of both constructive ideas and concerns. It provides the policy environment and the executive channels for a wholesome growth of individuals and communities.

The fundamental assumption of the Bahá'í Administrative Order is that individual conscience illumined by reason, spiritual senses, and the Revelation of God in this day can make unbiased decisions for the well being of the whole community. Therefore executive power is vested in consultative assemblies. The pre-requisites for the illumination of the conscience are clearly laid down. These are in the form of explicit guidance from `Abdu'l-Bahá regarding the conditions that must be observed by the members of these assemblies before such illumination or guidance from the spiritual realms can be realized. Other than purity of heart, detachment, and such internal dispositions of the mind and the heart, these guidelines include rules of cooperation, unity and collective consultative development. Among the principles of Bahá'í consultation are love, harmony, purity of motive, humility, lowliness, patience, not giving or taking offence, and detachment from ones own ideas

Therefore there is a new standard for public discussion that includes acceptance and support of the majority vote even if one genuinely considers this to be wrong. Bahá'u'lláh, in The Kitab-i-Iqan writes that “the tongue is a smouldering fire, and excess of speech a deadly poison. Material fire consumeth the body, whereas the fire of the tongue devoureth both heart and soul. The force of the former lasteth but for a time, whilst the effects of the latter endure a century”.³ Again regarding observance of moderation Bahá'u'lláh writes “Human utterance is an essence which aspireth to exert its influence and needeth moderation. As to its influence, this is conditional upon refinement which in turn is dependent upon hearts which are detached and pure. As to its moderation, this hath to be combined with tact and wisdom as prescribed in the Holy Scriptures and Tablets”.⁴

While the freedom of the individual to offer criticism is guaranteed, the overriding principle is that unity must be preserved. Therefore the channel for criticism is laid out. Negative criticism in particular should be channeled not to undermine the authority of the institutions. And further such criticism should not degenerate into dissent, dissidence, opposition or schism. While in politics conflict is institutionalized in the form of opposition parties, there is no room for this institutional opposition in the Bahá'í system

We will examine the characteristics of the Administrative Order with a view to exploring how it achieves the above goals.

Methods for the Study

A word should be said here regarding the method of this study. `Abdu'l-Bahá has said that “Religion must conform to science and reason”.⁵ We may presume that by this is meant that our method of inquiry is based on observation, and rigorous analysis. It also means that our tools for the study should be “reasonable”, that is in accordance to human reason. It does not necessarily mean that we should employ those tools of analysis that are currently in use say in various university departments of sociology. As long as our method does not have a bias or a hidden agenda and it accords with reason and is rigorous in examination of all the alternatives we may say that it is scientific.

A problem with the current tools of analysis in universities is that they are dogmatically materialistic. The brief history of this development is that physical sciences first benefited by applying mathematically rigorous analysis to physical phenomenon. In particular several “common-sense” notions about physical reality were shown to be wrong using these tools. These methods were applied first to physics and later to chemistry and biology. As the subject in life sciences became more complex the extent of success also diminished. In medicine and pharmaceutical sciences these methods became more of an art than an exact science. Hoping to achieve similar success in human subjects the same methodology of observation and analysis was applied in these disciplines also. Certain areas of economics and psychology also benefited from these methods. However it is increasingly recognized that many elements related to human behavior cannot be properly modeled in this way. The reason for this is not so much that man is more complex than inanimate world, but rather that there is the element of free will in man. While under certain specific conditions we might be able to model the collective behavior of people, it is apparent that we cannot model the individual feelings or aspirations of people in any rigorous manner.

The common practice is to explain any social development in terms of external forces or social pressures or environmental factors. Of course if you are the author of some sole stirring piece of music and some psychologist tries to explain that accomplishment in terms of external factors or natural adaptation or to explain the popularity of your music through some element of natural selection you will be flabbergasted! To deny the existence of basic human creativity or inspiration of the soul in such circumstances is to miss the whole point. Even if we may discount the author’s reaction as ego, it is the common reaction of most humans to ascribe the creation of music to the accomplishments of the human soul.

For a similar reason we will not go through the history of the unfoldment of the Administrative Order to look for sociological reasons for its development. It would be wrong for example to say that the Bahá'í Assemblies first had presidents and then later as a result of some social development they changed to using a chairman. While it is true that for a brief period the Assemblies did elect a president, the change over was only a natural phase of education until the practitioners serving on these Assemblies grasp the nature of the teachings about Bahá'í consultation.

As we study the Bahá'í method then, it is quite scientific to say that we explore the principles in the light of the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh with a view to grasp some of the vision that He had for the future organization of the planet.

In the Kitab-I-Aqdas Bahá'u'lláh advises: “Say: O leaders of religion! Weigh not the Book of God with such standards and sciences as are current amongst you, for the Book itself is the unerring Balance established amongst men. In this most perfect Balance whatsoever the peoples and kindreds of the earth possess must be weighed, while the measure of its weight should be tested according to its own standard, did ye but know it”.⁶

Beyond Democracy

Recalling the five characteristics of the Western civilization as was stated above and repeated here for ease of reference:

(i)                  A rebellion against oppressive authority, degenerated into rebellion against all authority,

(ii)                A justifiable love of freedom, eroded into a blind quest for unlimited freedom,

(iii)               Skepticism towards those in authority, fed by the media, and leading to frequent changes in governments

(iv)              Glorification of the cult of the individual leading to a break up of families, and other social units,

(v)                Materialistic pursuits and standards leading to widespread disillusionment.

Analyzing each one of the above five points we can say that:

(i) The Bahá'í teachings enjoin respect and obedience to the properly elected representatives in any community. Obedience to the Local and National Spiritual Assemblies are enjoined in the strongest terms. The Universal House of Justice itself is vested with infallibility, and challenge to its authority is regarded as equal to challenge to God. `Abdu'l-Bahá admonishes the believers to obey the Assemblies for the sake of unity even if it is known that the decision is wrong, for a wrong decision will be righted in time, but a disunited community has no hope of success.

(ii) Individual freedom is greatly admired and praised in the Faith, particularly so in relation to oppression, slavery, or blind imitation. Bahá'u'lláh wrote “The Ancient Beauty hath consented to be bound with chains that mankind may be released from its bondage, and hath accepted to be made a prisoner within this most mighty Stronghold that the whole world may attain unto true liberty. He hath drained to its dregs the cup of sorrow, that all the peoples of the earth may attain unto abiding joy, and be filled with gladness… We have accepted to be abased, ... that ye may be exalted, and have suffered manifold afflictions, that ye might prosper and flourish”.⁷

However the Faith also teaches the Principle of Moderation in all things. Bahá'u'lláh explains that the embodiment and the symbol of liberty is the animal. He explains that it is worthy of man to live under rules and constraints that are conducive to his spiritual growth. Freedom therefore should be in the service of the good. We might refer to this as “Moderate Freedom”. The relation of the individual with the Institutions should be that of mutual support.

(iii) The Baha’i writings encourage the believers to conscientiously participate in democratic voting practices without electioneering, nominations or candidates. But then also to accept the results whole heartedly and support the elected Assembly. The institution of the Assembly itself does not change from year to year, nor does its policies. But the individual membership will naturally change, and this also normally is not in the form of entire change of membership, but a gradual change as more suitable people are found to serve. The change in membership is often not as a result of whole sale disaffection or dissatisfaction. The Bahá'í media also are not investigative in nature, since bearing an office is not by popular opinion. When necessary, investigations are handled by the Assemblies themselves.

(iv) Bahá'í communities strive for a balance between the individual and collective lives. In particular family life is strengthened, and the merits of service to others is extolled. Bahá'í youth in particular are taught to seek glory in acts of service to the community. While individual initiative is highly encouraged, their cultural lives are enriched through collective endeavors including artistic performances and expressions. To many Bahá'í teen-agers the annual attendance at summer schools and youth camps is a social highlight.

(v) Bahá'í institutions promote a community life that has a balanced material and spiritual dimension.

Now turning to the characteristics of the democratic governments which again we repeat below for ease of reference:

(i)                  Rule of the people by the people for the people,

(ii)                Separation of church and state,

(iii)               Individual rights and freedom of expression,

(iv)              Separation of powers,

(v)                Adversarial checks and balances, and

(vi)              Transparency and accountability

Analyzing each one of the above six points we can say that:

(i) While concern for the people is at the center of the Bahá'í Administrative Order, the mandate for justice in fact comes from the Revelation of God. Shoghi Effendi in the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh writes: “The Administrative Order of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh must in no wise be regarded as purely democratic in character inasmuch as the basic assumption which requires all democracies to depend fundamentally upon getting their mandate from the people is altogether lacking in this Dispensation”.⁸ As stated earlier, the Bahá'í principle is the rule of the individual conscience during consultative process illumined by the Revelation. In an elaboration of this principle Shoghi Effendi has written in The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh: “They are to follow, in a prayerful attitude, the dictates and promptings of their conscience…They may, indeed they must, acquaint themselves with the conditions prevailing among the community, ...but must reserve for themselves the right of an unfettered decision…God will verily inspire them with whatsoever He willeth”.⁹

(ii) The Bahá'í teachings certainly advocate an integrated approach to spiritual and material development. In fact as is clear from the Bahá'í approach to socio-economic development the spiritual development must take precedence. Until a community is united and has a strong sense of cooperation, sustained and equitable material development is very difficult indeed. Therefore spiritual principles should be fully considered before decisions about resources or projects can be made. In this sense then the church and the state are totally integrated. As in all other cases however, this is a much loftier notion than merely separating the church from the state in order to avoid the oppression imposed by an official state religion on minority groups. In future as the Bahá'í Faith itself may become an official state religion, protection of minority rights will be accorded the same high priority as it is currently practiced within the Bahá'í community. Preferential treatment of minorities, to achieve protection and compensation for disadvantaged positions are already part of the Bahá'í electoral practices.

(iii) On the subject of freedom of speech, the Bahá'í Writings elevate artistic and literary expression to a high level. There is however a new etiquette for expression that involves content, volume, and style. Bahá'u'lláh’s own explanation regarding expression of one’s thoughts and understandings emphasizes tact and moderation. “Not everything that a man knoweth can be disclosed, nor can everything that he can disclose be regarded as timely, nor can every timely utterance be considered as suited to the capacity of those who hear it”,¹⁰ are His admonitions. We can say that in an “infant” society people are suppressed from saying what they think. They rebel against this and form an “adolescent” society where they can say anything that they want. However in a “mature” society they will weigh their statements with wisdom before saying it. Viewed in this light then the “restrictions” of speech imposed by Bahá'í teachings is seen as a greater freedom than the immature freedom of saying all that one wishes to without regard to its social impact. Illumined by these words of Bahá'u'lláh, the debates and court cases that are raging in public mind in regard to the fist amendment to the US constitution will be interpreted in a totally different light.

(iv) The Bahá'í Administrative Order does not separate the three powers, but vests them all in the Assembly. The Assembly operates based on spiritual principles, and is also encouraged to seek professional help where needed. Consequently there are no tensions between the three powers. In contrast to this, in the US for example, the congress and the presidency spend much of their energies in facing each other off. In rare occasions where matters of national security is involved, and there is unity of vision among the three powers, we witness with what rapidity and strength the nation can act. While the details of certain functions of the Assembly, in particular its judicial functions are yet to emerge, it is clear on principle that the Assembly is not bound by anything other than principles. This includes both the cumbersome jury trials, and the limiting element of precedence.

(v) In order to achieve the element of fairness, for which the Assemblies were first created, there exist a network of checks and balances. But in character with all other Bahá'í principles these are based on cooperation and not competition. Therefore these measures are non-adversarial. The inter-working of the rulers and the learned as the two arms of the Administrative Order are known, with joint responsibility for both the protection and propagation of the Faith provides effective means for monitoring the decisions, activities, and actions of the institutions. The regular reporting structure in the vertical direction is another feature of these checks and balances. And the fact that the institutions at all levels are always accessible to all individuals means that grievances can be quickly and effectively addressed.

(vi) The general requirements of transparency and accountability have also been raised to a higher level. The Beloved Guardian wrote that the functions of the Assemblies are “not to dictate, but to consult, and consult not only among themselves, but as much as possible with the friends whom they represent. They must regard themselves in no other light but that of chosen instruments for a more efficient and dignified presentation of the Cause of God. They should never be led to suppose that they are the central ornaments of the body of the Cause, intrinsically superior to others in capacity or merit, and sole promoters of its teachings and principles. They should approach their task with extreme humility, and endeavor, by their open-mindedness, their high sense of justice and duty, their candor, their modesty, their entire devotion to the welfare and interests of the friends, the Cause, and humanity, to win, not only the confidence and the genuine support and respect of those whom they serve, but also their esteem and real affection. They must, at all times, avoid the spirit of exclusiveness, the atmosphere of secrecy, free themselves from a domineering attitude, and banish all forms of prejudice and passion from their deliberations. They should, within the limits of wise discretion, take the friends into their confidence, acquaint them with their plans, share with them their problems and anxieties, and seek their advice and counsel. And, when they are called upon to arrive at a certain decision, they should, after dispassionate, anxious and cordial consultation, turn to God in prayer, and with earnestness and conviction and courage record their vote and abide by the voice of the majority, which we are told by our Master to be the voice of truth, never to be challenged, and always to be whole-heartedly enforced. To this voice the friends must heartily respond, and regard it as the only means that can insure the protection and advancement of the Cause”¹¹. He also wrote that “the keynote of the Cause of God is not dictatorial authority but humble fellowship, not arbitrary power, but the spirit of frank and loving consultation”.¹² Clearly each National Assembly watches over the activities of the Local Assemblies and similarly at the International level. On the issue of accountability the beloved Guardian has written: “the members of the Universal House of Justice...are not...responsible to those whom they represent, nor are they allowed to be governed by the feelings, the general opinion, and even the convictions of the mass of the faithful, or of those who directly elect them”.¹³ So that once again the final appeal is to the illumined conscience of pure souls, or because of the infallibility of the House of Justice we can say that God is the final guarantor of the integrity of His divinely ordained system. Individual members of all the institutions, at all levels, are of course watched by everyone inside and outside the institutions.

The African Experience

African societies have long traditions of respect for authority. They are community oriented, and not individualistic. They are also a compassionate community where large numbers of unemployed people are supported through voluntary contributions by their working relatives. Walking in a township it is quite normal to come across a government minister milling around with the people in the market. African communities are to a large extent class-less societies, while at the same time regard and respect for the elders and for the local chiefs is a normal way of life. Decision making in the community is mostly collaborative, even consultative. These features enable the African societies to accept and adopt the Bahá’í model of social organization far better than the more alien Western model. The challenge of the present Bahá’í communities in Africa is to build examples of working models that are rooted in traditional village communities and which can then be emulated across the continent.

Summary

In this paper we have analyzed the characteristics of the Western civilization and in particular the popular form of liberal democratic government that has been born of it. We have shown that the Bahá'í Administrative Order differs in almost every respect and in all of the fundamental elements that make up liberal secular traditions. We have also explored the notion that the Bahá'í ideals and practices represent a higher stage of the development of human social organization.

In closing we quote two relevant statements, one from Bahá'u'lláh regarding what He considered His Order to be, and the other from Shoghi Effendi as he contemplated this same Order.

“Say: O servants! Let not the means of order be made the cause of confusion and the instrument of union an occasion for discord”.¹⁴

“It would be utterly misleading to attempt a comparison between this unique, this divinely-conceived Order and any of the diverse systems which the minds of men...have contrived. Such an attempt would in itself betray a lack of complete appreciation of the excellence of the handiwork of its great Author”.¹⁵

References

1 – Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 144.

2 - Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 7.

3 - Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 193.

4 - Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 143.

5 – `Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 287.

6 - Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, para. 99.

7 - Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings p. 99.

8 - Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 153.

9 - Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 153.

10 - Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 176

11 - Shoghi Effendi, Baha'i Administration, p. 64.

12 - Shoghi Effendi, Baha'i Administration, p. 63.

13 - Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 153.

14 - Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 222.

15 - Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 152.