Newsgroups: soc.religion.bahai
Subject: "quietly and steadily read"
Message-ID: <1994Nov29.201407.26066@cs.cornell.edu>
From: gpoirier 
Date: Tue, 29 Nov 1994 20:14:07 GMT

Dear Friends, the House of Justice has called on us to read the Baha'i books, and we all want to do so. Some of us feel intimidated by the volume of Baha'i literature. However, as this list shows, it is possible to read all of the basic texts of the Faith in a reasonable time. This list shows the completion date for Baha'i books, reading ten pages per day, every day, starting January 1, 1995. As you can see, if a believer [or anyone else -mod] chose to read at that pace it would take one year to read the Writings of Baha'u'llah, the Bab, and 'Abdu'l-Baha which have been translated into English, and another year to read the writings of the beloved Guardian and the Universal House of Justice. The point is, whatever the pace of reading, if it is regular, it will inevitably result in the believer completing the sacred task of reading all of our sacred literature.

TEXT                                    # OF     DATE
                                        PAGES    COMPLETED
BOOKS BY BAHA'U'LLAH:
Kitab-i-Aqdas                             254    Jan. 26, 1995
Kitab-i-Iqan                              257    Feb. 21, 1995
Hidden Words                              65     Feb. 28, 1995
Tablets of Baha'u'llah                    269    Mar. 27, 1995
Prayers & Meditations                     339    Apr. 30, 1995
Proclamation of Baha'u'llah               122    May 13, 1995
Gleanings                                 346    June 17, 1995
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf            181    July 6, 1995
Seven Valleys and Four Valleys            62     July 13, 1995

BOOK BY THE BAB:
Selections from the Writings of The Bab   217    Aug. 4, 1995

BOOKS BY 'ABDU'L-BAHA:
Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Baha         26     Aug. 7, 1995
Tablets of The Divine Plan                98     Aug. 17, 1995
Promulgation of Universal Peace           470    Oct. 3, 1995
Paris Talks                               184    Oct. 22, 1995
Secret of Divine Civilization             116    Nov. 3, 1995
Some Answered Questions                   305    Dec. 4, 1995
Memorials of the Faithful                 203    Dec. 25, 1995
A Traveler's Narrative                    94     Jan. 4, 1996

BOOKS BY SHOGHI EFFENDI:
World Order of Baha'u'llah                206    Jan. 25, 1996
God Passes By                             412    Mar. 7, 1996
Promised Day is Come                      124    Mar. 20, 1996
Baha'i Administration                     196    Apr. 9, 1996
Messages to America 1932-46               100    Apr. 19, 1996
Citadel of Faith                          171    May 7, 1996
Principles of Baha'i Administration       98     May 17, 1996
Advent of Divine Justice                  77     May 25, 1996
Arohanui, Letters to New Zealand          99     June 4, 1996
Unfolding Destiny                         462    July 21, 1996
Letters to Australia and New Zealand      140    Aug. 4, 1996
Messages to the Baha'i World              175    Aug. 22, 1996
Dawn of a New Day                         228    Sept. 14, 1996

BOOKS BY THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE:
Constitution of the House of Justice      16     Sept. 16, 1996
Wellspring of Guidance                    159    Oct. 2, 1996
Messages from House of Justice 1968-1973  129    Oct. 15, 1996
Wider Horizon/ Messages 1983-1992         241    Nov. 9, 1996
The Promise of World Peace                12     Nov. 11, 1996

OTHER BOOKS RECOMMENDED BY THE GUARDIAN AND THE HOUSE
OF JUSTICE FOR THE BELIEVERS TO READ:
Nabil's Narrative -- The Dawn-Breakers
Baha'u'llah and the New Era
The Qur'an

The compilations on various topics released by the Universal House of Justice, published individually and in "The Compilation of Compilations"

The following are extracted from letters by and on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, from the Compilation, "The Importance of Deepening our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith," encouraging us to study Baha'i literature:

"I strongly urge you to devote, while you are pursuing your studies, as much time as you possibly can to a thorough study of the history and teachings of our Beloved Cause. This is the prerequisite of a future successful career of service to the Baha'i Faith ... " (18 May 1926)

"I urge them to study profoundly the revealed utterances of Baha'u'llah and the discourses of 'Abdu'l-Baha and not to rely unduly on the representation and interpretation of the Teachings given by Baha'i speakers and teachers." (20 March 1929)

"The Writings of Baha'u'llah and the Master are like vast seas, the deeper you go into them, the more priceless treasures you will find. And it is only after acquiring those treasures that we can hope to share them with others." (4 March 1931)

"It is only through such thorough understanding of the literature of the Cause that you can appreciate the real message that Baha'u'llah has brought to the world." (1 February 1932)

"They have to be taught the habit of studying the Cause constantly ... " (24 November 1932)

"To study and to teach, these are the twofold and sacred obligations of every responsible and active follower of the Faith." (13 August 1933)

"The importance of young Baha'is becoming thoroughly steeped in every branch of the teachings cannot be over-emphasized ... " (24 December 1943)

"The principles, administration and fundamentals of the Faith are well known, but the friends need greatly to study the more profound works which would give them spiritual maturity to a greater degree, unify their community life, and enable them to better exemplify the Baha'i way of living ... " (24 February 1946)

"He is very happy to have this opportunity of welcoming you into the service of our glorious Faith, and he urges you to quietly and steadily read the teachings, as in this way you will fit yourself to teach others, and also deepen your own understanding and lay a foundation in your own soul and character which no amount of tests and trials can change or destroy." (28 April 1955)