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www.bahairants.comA Personal Baha'i Blog
QUOTES CLARIFYING THE INSTITUTE PROCESS Quote 1: Each chooses how best serve the Faith Yet clearly such participation is not a requirement for every Bahá’í, who, in the finalanalysis,can choose the manner in which he or she will serve the Faith. What is essential is that theinstitute process besupported even by those who do not wish to take part in it.The Universal House of Justice, 31 May 2001 Quote 2: Institute courses are not obligatory It is natural that any given educational program would not appeal to everyone, and clearlyparticipating in thecourses of an institute is not a requirement to be fulfilled by all believers. In no way, then,should thosewho do not wish to take part feel that they are disobeying the directives of the UniversalHouse of Justice. It does ask, however, that everyone, even those not involved, support the instituteprocess and notimpede its steady progress.(…)Finally, the House of Justice feels that it would be beneficial for you to separate inyour mind the training institute process, so intimately connected with the promotion of large-scale expansion and consolidation, from the many deepening classes,workshops and summer school courses that form a fundamental part of Bahá’ícommunity life. Their number and diversity actually seem to be on the rise as a resultof the institute process. Indeed, you will be reassured to know that, as the believers gainconfidence in their capacity to serve through the institute process, a much richer expressionof the diverse talents of the friends is beginning to appear in the Bahá’í world—a richness thatbodes well for the future progress of the Cause. (UHJ to an individual, 26 June 2002) Quote 3: Forming human resources where possible It should be remembered that not every believer in Tanzania will necessarilyparticipate in your institute program. Rather, a certain percentage of the friends willneed to receive training in order to enhance their capacity to carry out the tasks of expansion and consolidation, including the teaching and deepening of the generality of the believers. At this early stage in the establishment of the institute, then, the question of illiteracy should not be a central concern. The immediate challenge before you is to help alarge number of the many capable members of your community, especially young people withsome formal education, progress through a sequence of a few basic courses.(UHJ to the NSA of TANZANIA, 20 May 1998) Quote 4: Previous activities to continue unabated: avoiding zealotry
www.bahairants.comA Personal Baha'i Blog
 
www.bahairants.comA Personal Baha'i Blog
There has been a major change in the functioning of Baha'i communities resulting frompursuing the goals of the Five Year Plan. There are a couple of 'normal problems' that havearisen:1.. those who don't want to participate in the core activities. They are free to do as they wish,they are not to be pressured or criticized for their lack of involvement.2.. the zealots who are totally committed to the core activities to the exclusion of all else.
We must understand that the other activities that are a part of individual andcommunity life are to continue unabated. For example, firesides, deepenings, Feasts,teaching campaigns, and prayer.
These problems are a result of our lack of maturity at this time. We should accept themas normal challenges that will, in time be overcome. It is important to note the differencebetween priority and exclusivity. At present, the core activities have a priority because of their part in the Five Year Plan. They are not, however, exclusive. The normal activities of individuals and communities are to continue as before but hopefully enhanced by the effect of the core activities. Q: Concern about the preoccupation with numerical goals of the Plan thatseems to lose sight of qualitative growth.A: At the risk of sounding patronizing, this trend is a part of the maturation process. As wemature we will go beyond the numbers and see that our successes are all built on air if thingsare not done with a great deal of quality. (We can attain the numerical goals in a superficialway but for them to endure we must ensure that our new believers are set on a firm spiritualfoundation. -Paraphrase) (Peter Khan: Talk in Canada, 20th August 2005) The other problem we have in certain parts of the world is the opposite one. We’ve gotBahá’ís who say “If you are not involved in the core activities there is something terribly wrongwith you” and they go further and say “This is all you should be doing. Forget firesides, forgetdeepening classes, forget Bahá’í college classes, forget proclamation, Bahá’í studies – justdo core activities”. That is the other extreme.We found this from time to time. One of the surprising things I encountered was meeting withpilgrims who come to the Holy Land, 200 at a time, every two weeks for nine days for ninemonths of the year and we meet with these friends in the evening in informal sessions. I cameacross it when during the question period people would stand up and say “Is it alright tocontinue to have firesides and deepening classes?” I said, “What kind of question is that?”The Guardian said it was basic to our Bahá’í spiritual life; it is not something for us to say isgood, bad or indifferent. It is an intrinsic part of Bahá’í life as certified by Shoghi Effendi. And Irealised from that, in certain parts of the world there were zealots who were saying “Donothing but core activities” and that of course is an extreme statement, it is not endorsed bythe Universal House of Justice. It is not right. It produces a narrowness in the Baha’icommunity as well as it produces a degree of resentment and antagonism for those who are
www.bahairants.comA Personal Baha'i Blog
 
www.bahairants.comA Personal Baha'i Blog
so pressured. (Peter Khan Brisbane, 14 08 05)Quote 5: Deepening side by side with the institute process remains of criticalimportance An important point to bear in mind is that these study groups are not localdeepening classes or local institutes, but elements of a system of distance-educationadministered by a national or regional institute. (…) Although it is likely that as localcommunities grow, there will be those large enough to have their own independent institutes,at this point, such institutes run the danger, as you have surmised, of turning into deepeningclasses, which are, of course, of critical importance themselves and an activity everylocal community should carry out. (UHJ, Training institutes, April 1998) Quote 6: Deepening remains essential, outside the institute activities In designing the program for the education of the members of the Bahá'ícommunity in the Teachings, and in selecting the curricula of summer schools andsimilar occasions, a National Spiritual Assembly should include all aspects of life,including the choosing Of a spouse, but the House of Justice feels that it is important for thisto be done in context. It is not felt, however, that this specialized subject is one which wouldbe suitable for training institutes, which have their own clearly defined purpose.(UHJ, 18January 1999) Quote 7: Institute activities do not replace deepening Like the institutes in Africa, those in Australasia are focusing their energies increasinglyon the offering of training programs, rather than deepening courses alone.The solution does not seem to be the establishment of local institutes, independent of the national institute.... these run the danger of turning into deepening classes. This is not tosay that every local community should not continue to conduct regular deepeningprograms. But, as far as human resource development is concerned, the methodology thatseems to be most effective in reaching believers at the local level is the formation of studycircles which are co-ordinated by a national institute or one of its branches. (TRAININGINSTITUTES AND SYSTEMATIC GROWTH, A document prepared by the InternationalTeaching Centre, February 2000) Quote 8: Deepening remains valued, but also the mobilizing of large numbers by theInstitutesEarly on in the Four Year Plan it became apparent in many countries that althoughdeepening was essential and must continue, the in-depth study of a book or specializedsubject in the institutes would not necessarily result in mobilizing large numbers of Bahá'ís tobecome active teachers. There are, of course, many important subjects in whichbelievers need to deepen, but the House of Justice in several letters has discouragedtraining institutes from incorporating specialized topics into their programs at the expense of a
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