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Abstract:
Meaning of the phrase "mental tests" in the writings of Abdu'l-Bahá and of Shoghi Effendi. Includes short compilation of relevant passages.
Notes:
See also three talks by House member Peter Khan also from 1995: Mental Tests, Nature of Tests, and an audio recording on tests called Victories and Crises.
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To: The Universal House of Justice From: Research Department The Research Department has studied the questions raised by Mr. ... in his electronic mail message of 30 December 1994. Mr. ... refers to the following statement in the letter dated 19 May 1994 from the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States: May they be granted the celestial strength to pass, over and over again, the mental tests which 'Abdu'l-Bahá promised He would send to them to purify them, thus enabling them to achieve their divinely conferred potential as a force for change in the world.And in attached correspondence between himself and the National Assembly, Mr. ... notes that Shoghi Effendi made similar statements in some of his letters. He asks whether there are specific references in the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to "mental tests", and he enquires about the availability of a general compilation on the subject which would supplement the material contained in such compilations as Crisis and Victory and Opposition. We provide the following comment. References to "mental tests" in the letters of Shoghi EffendiBy way of introduction, it is useful to consider several references to mental tests in letters of the beloved Guardian that are published in Bahá'í Administration: Selected Messages 1922-1932. Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1974.:How dearly all the Holy Leaves cherish that memory of the departed Master, as He commented upon the fresh tidings that poured in from that continent, admiring the untiring activity of the friends, the complete subordination of their material interests to those of the Cause, the remarkable spread of the Movement in their midst and their staunch firmness in the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh. It is these encouraging reflections of the Master about His loved ones in America and the tests intellectual rather than physical which He said He would send to them to purify and make them ever brighter than before — it is these comments and promises of His that make of the Movement in that land such a potential force in the world today. The Beloved Master's cable to the friends in that region is a clear indication of the presence of those counteracting forces that may usher in those storms of tests that the Master Himself has said will ultimately be for the good of the Cause in that land.[1] And yet, how often we seem to forget the clear and repeated warnings of Our beloved Master, Who, in particular during the concluding years of His mission on earth, laid stress on the "severe mental tests" that would inevitably sweep over His loved ones of the West — tests that would purge, purify and prepare them for their noble mission in life.It is interesting to note that Shoghi Effendi appears to embed the subject of mental tests within the context of crisis and victory. He makes particular reference to the Tablets revealed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá "during the concluding years of His mission on earth", and underlines the importance of individual responsibility in addressing and surmounting misconceptions and misgivings and in gaining a deeper understanding of and commitment to the Faith. References to "mental tests" in the Writings of 'Abdu'l-BaháThe Research Department has not, to date, been able to identify, precisely, which statement(s) of 'Abdu'l-Bahá the Guardian was referring to; however, when the Tablets revealed by the Master between 1919 and 1921 for the American friends are examined, it is evident that many of these Tablets deal with the importance of firmness in the Covenant and the inevitability of tests and trials. While we have no compilation on "mental tests", a number of relevant Tablets are published in Star of the West. We refer Mr. ...to the following issues of that magazine:Star of the West, vol. 10, no. 14 (23 December 1919), pp. 263-272. ImageryThe imagery used by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, in the Tablets addressed to the American believers referred to above, to describe the process of testing is very graphic. It is evident that the tests envisaged are severe. They are of a psychological and intellectual nature. They include the sowing of doubts and dissension, ridicule, striving for leadership, and the like. For ease of reference, we provide a number of examples:Abdul-Baha feels great attachment towards the Chicago friends, for the call of the Kingdom of God, first of all, reached Chicago and made some souls in that city attracted to the Heavenly Kingdom. As in the beginning they did before all attain to the Spirit of Life, so should ye now try to preserve this bounty to the end. Resist ye like unto a firm foundation every violent storm. Withstand ye like unto a strongly-rooted tree the severe winds. Be ye released from every thought save that of the Kingdom of God. Be ye freed from every bond. Have ye no attachment save that to His Holiness Baha'o'llah. Strive ye day and night with heart and soul so that ye may render some service to the Kingdom of God....In addition, we refer Mr. ...to the last Tablet revealed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá to the Bahá'ís in America. [2] In this Tablet the Master refers to the impact on the community of "severe winds", to the influence of "certain weak, capricious, malicious and ignorant souls" who have been "shaken by the earthquake of hatred, of animosity" and who have endeavoured to stir up trouble among the friends. 'Abdu'l-Bahá provides examples of such behaviour from Bahá'í history and quotes widely from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh. Comparison of East and WestWhile the Research Department has not been able to undertake an exhaustive search of the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, we offer the following example of a statement, excerpted from a Tablet revealed by the Master for Mr. and Mrs. Howard McNutt, which compares the nature of tests in the East and West:[3]In brief, my purpose is to show that whatever call is raised or proclaimed in America, a group will doubtless gather around it; while, on the other hand, the Oriental Friends (Bahais) are firm like unto the immovable mountains. For thirty years have the violators striven to undermine the Cause, but they have failed even to attract to their side their own kindred and relatives. That is why, undoubtedly, in Persia, twenty thousand Bahais have been martyred and severe tests have been brought about. Yet, praise be to God! not even a single soul among the Friends wavered. The violators in America do nothing but flatter, seduce and show a love that is insincere. Consider what they did to poor Lua (Getsinger) and how unfaithful they have been to her! [4]We wish to suggest that, while many of the Master's statements may appear to make reference to Covenant-breakers, these same statements could also have wider application. They would seem to apply, for example, to the activities of all those who endeavour, in whatever way, to undermine the faith of the believers, thereby having a negative impact on the believers' relationship to the Covenant. Notes
[2] Star of the West, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 19-25. This Tablet also appears in Bahá'í World Faith (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1971), pp. 429-38. [3] Star of the West, vol. 11, no. 14, p. 241. [4] The precise incident referred to by 'Abdu'l-Bahá is not immediately evident. See Robert Stockman's The Bahá'í Faith in America, Origins 1892-1900. (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1985), vol. 1, chapter 12, for a general discussion of the rupture between the Getsingers and Ibrahim Kheiralla that occurred when the latter violated the Covenant. |
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