February 25. On this date in 1999, the Universal House of Justice wrote a letter marking the publication of "Who is Writing the Future?", which was published to mark the end of the 20th Century.
The Universal House of Justice
Department of the Secretariat
To all National Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
The year 2000 will conclude the hundred years that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá described as “the century of light.” His perspective on the twentieth century offers Bahá’ís and Bahá’í communities an opportunity to participate meaningfully in many of the activities and discussions expected to take place around the world over the coming two years.
To assist the friends in this respect, the Universal House of Justice has asked the Bahá’í International Community’s Office of Public Information to prepare the enclosed document, “Who is Writing the Future?” As you will see, it both examines the events of the twentieth century in the light of Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings, and relates these developments to the challenges facing humanity at century’s end. Its purpose is to serve as a source of ideas, perspectives, images, and language that will stimulate a wide range of creative responses among Bahá’ís.
The sponsorship of millennial activities will, of course, be the concern of non-Bahá’í groups, but the House of Justice believes that such activities can be seen by Bahá’ís and the Bahá’í communities as creating occasions whose effectiveness can be enhanced by Bahá’í contributions. Given the great diversity of our community’s resources, National Spiritual Assemblies will want to ensure that ample latitude is given for a wide range of responses by individual believers and groups. Artists, writers, musicians and dramatists will no doubt find the enclosed document highly stimulating and will readily identify ways in which its themes can be introduced into activities organized by government agencies and various private bodies. It is likely that programs of scholarly associations will also present a range of opportunities for qualified believers to draw attention to Bahá’í perspectives on the current world situation. Your Assembly may wish to address special messages to groups in your own country, adapting elements of the document’s theme to this purpose.
In order that such efforts enjoy broad support within the Bahá’í community, it will be important for the friends to understand the message being communicated. Consequently, consideration should be given to ways of incorporating the material in the enclosed document into Bahá’í summer school programs and local study activities.
As you will note, “Who is Writing the Future?” has been cast in the form of a message addressed to non-Bahá’í readers. This has been done primarily in order to make the material most readily useful to Bahá’ís participating in the various events marking the beginning of the new millennium. Should your Assembly feel, however, that the document would also be useful as a booklet or brochure, there is no objection to your publishing it. In that case, although the design is left to your discretion, the text should be used in its present form, without editing, commentary, or supplementary material.
Whatever their various forms of belief, our fellow human beings are looking to the immediate future with mingled feelings of tentative hope and deep anxiety. This circumstance offers Bahá’ís a unique opportunity to share with them the Teachings that give meaning to this critical moment in human history.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Department of the Secretariat
On September 11, 1912, The Montreal Daily Star reported the following exchange: "“Are there any signs that the permanent peace of the world will be established in anything like a reasonable period?” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was asked. “It will be established in this century,” he answered, ‘It will be universal in the twentieth century. All nations will be forced into it.”"
In 1954 Ramona Allen Brown made a Bahá'í pilgrimageduring which Shoghi Effendi told her "Please share your notes that you have taken here with the friends when you return home" including such statements as "It is not enough to be good and kind and to lead a religious life today; it does not count for much unless one accepts the Manifestation of God, if one has heard of Him; it is almost wasted. One must accept the Manifestation in His day"; "All men are not of the same capacity"; "Every city, every town, and every village will have a [Bahá'í] Temple and a House of Justice in the future"; and "It is essential that the youth of today study deeply the Faith as they will usher in the Most Great Peace. The Lesser Peace will be established within this century. The Most Great Peace in the next century"
On July 29, 1974, the Universal House of Justice admitted "It is true that Abdu'l-Bahá made statements linking the establishment of the unity of nations to the twentieth century...world unity, which, as Abdu'l-Bahá assures us, will, in this century, be securely established."
On April 19, 2001, the Universal House of Justice addressed a letter regarding "the timing for the occurrence of the Lesser Peace, in light of your impression that the Bahá'í Writings anticipate its coming before the conclusion of the twentieth century; i.e., the end of December 2000."
On January 31, 1985, the Universal House of Justice wrote "The Lesser Peace itself will pass through stages: at the initial stage the governments will act entirely on their own without the conscious involvement of the Faith; later on, in God's good time, the Faith will have a direct influence on it in ways indicated by Shoghi Effendi in his 'The Goal of a New World Order'"
1430. The Lesser Peace Will Initially Be a Political Unity
"Bahá'u'lláh's principal mission in appearing at this time in human history is the realization of the oneness of mankind and the establishment of peace among the nations; therefore, all the forces which are focused on accomplishing these ends are influenced by His Revelation. We know, however, that peace will come in stages. First, there will come the Lesser Peace, when the unity of nations will be achieved, then gradually the Most Great Peace-- the spiritual as well as social and political unity of mankind, when the Bahá'í World Commonwealth, operating in strict accordance with the laws and ordinances of the Most Holy Book of the Bahá'í Revelation, will have been established through the efforts of the Bahá'ís.
"As to the Lesser Peace, Shoghi Effendi has explained that this will initially be a political unity arrived at by decision of the governments of various nations; it will not be established by direct action of the Bahá'í community. This does not mean, however, that the Bahá'ís are standing aside and waiting for the Lesser Peace to come before they do something about the peace of mankind. Indeed, by promoting the principles of the Faith, which are indispensable to the maintenance of peace, and by fashioning the instruments of the Bahá'í Administrative Order, which we are told by the beloved Guardian is the pattern for future society, the Bahá'ís are constantly engaged in laying the groundwork for a permanent peace, the Most Great Peace being their ultimate goal.
"The Lesser Peace itself will pass through stages: at the initial stage the governments will act entirely on their own without the conscious involvement of the Faith; later on, in God's good time, the Faith will have a direct influence on it in ways indicated by Shoghi Effendi in his 'The Goal of a New World Order'. In connection with the steps that will lead to this latter stage, the Universal House of Justice will certainly determine what has to be done, in accordance with the guidance in the Writings, such as the passage you quoted from 'Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh', page 89. In the meantime, the Bahá'ís will undoubtedly continue to do all in their power to promote the establishment of peace."
(From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice, January 31, 1985: Ibid.)
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