61: "...the believers must recognize the importance of intellectual
honesty and..."
...the believers must recognize the importance of intellectual honesty and
humility. In past dispensations many errors arose because the believers in
God's Revelation were over-anxious to encompass the Divine Message within
the framework of their limited understanding, to define doctrines where
definition was beyond their power, to explain mysteries which only the
wisdom and experience of a later age would make comprehensible, to argue
that something was true because it appeared desirable and necessary. Such
compromises with essential truth, such intellectual pride, we must
scrupulously avoid.
(27 May 1966, published in "Wellspring of Guidance: Messages 1963-1968"
(Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1976), pp. 87-88) [61]
62: "When studying at school or university Baha'i youth will often
find..."
When studying at school or university Baha'i youth will often find
themselves in the unusual and slightly embarrassing position of having a
more profound insight into a subject than their instructors. The Teachings
of Baha'u'llah throw light on so many aspects of human life and knowledge
that a Baha'i must learn, earlier than most, to weigh the information that
is given to him rather than to accept it blindly. A Baha'i has the
advantage of the divine Revelation for this Age, which shines like a
searchlight on so many problems that baffle modern thinkers; he must
therefore develop the ability to learn everything from those around him,
showing proper humility before his teachers, but always relating what he
hears to the Baha'i teachings, for they will enable him to sort out the
gold from the dross of human error.
(10 June 1966 to Baha'i Youth in every Land, published in "Wellspring of
Guidance: Messages 1963-1968", pp. 95-96) [62]
63: "The House of Justice agrees that it is most important for the
believers,..."
The House of Justice agrees that it is most important for the believers,
and especially those who hold positions of responsibility in the
Administrative Order, to react calmly and with tolerant and enquiring
minds to views which differ from their own, remembering that all Baha'is
are but students of the Faith, ever striving to understand the Teachings
more clearly and to apply them more faithfully, and none can claim to have
a perfect understanding of this Revelation. At the same time all
believers, and scholars in particular, should remember the many warnings
in the Writings against the fomenting of discord among the friends. It is
the duty of the institutions of the Faith to guard the community against
such dangers.... [I]t cannot be denied that some of the statements that
have been made recently in the name of Baha'i scholarship by certain
individuals have betrayed an intemperance, and a lack of appreciation of
many of the fundamental teachings of the Faith, that would understandably
arouse alarm in the breasts of the most tolerant of believers.
(18 July 1979 on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual
believer) [63]
64: "The House of Justice feels that Baha'i scholars must beware of
the..."
The House of Justice feels that Baha'i scholars must beware of the
temptations of intellectual pride. 'Abdu'l-Baha has warned the friends in
the West that they would be subjected to intellectual tests, and the
Guardian reminded them of this warning. There are many aspects of western
thinking which have been exalted to a status of unassailable principle in
the general mind, that time may well show to have been erroneous or, at
least, only partially true. Any Baha'i who rises to eminence in academic
circles will be exposed to the powerful influence of such thinking. One of
the problems of modern times is the degree to which the different
disciplines have become specialized and isolated from one another.
Thinkers are now faced with a challenge to achieve a synthesis, or at
least a coherent correlation, of the vast amount of knowledge that has
been acquired during the past century. The Baha'is must be aware of this
factor and of the moderation and all-embracing nature of this
Revelation....
In the application of the social laws of the Faith, most of the also from
the actions of those who, while careful to observe the letter of the
difficulties can be seen to arise not only from outright disobedience, but
law, try to go as far as it will permit them away from the spirit which
lies at its heart. A similar tendency can be noted among some Baha'i
scholars. The great advances in knowledge and understanding in the vital
field of Baha'i scholarship will be made by those who, while well versed
in their subjects and adhering to the principles of research, are also
thoroughly imbued with love for the Faith and the determination to grow in
the comprehension of its teachings.
(23 March 1983 on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an
individual believer) [64]