# Bahá'í Activities in University

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-18 — 1 clipping.*

---

> Click on any of the numbers to go to a selection below:
>   0
> 
>   1
>   2
>   3
>   4
>   5
>   6
>   7
>   8
>   9
>  10
> 11
> 12
> 13
> 14
> 15
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Appendix A: Bahá'í Activities
> in Universities:A Compilation of Bahá'í Writings
> 
> He was greatly pleased and highly encouraged with your slow but progressive
> work among members of the faculty and student body in State College. It
> is high time for the Bahá'ís to try and reach the thinking
> and educated youth of the country upon whom so much of the future depends,
> especially the stupendous task of applying the spirit and letter of the
> Bahá'í teachings to the requirements of the time - a work
> for which generations of preparation might be necessary.
> 
> (From a letter dated 13 June 1928 written on behalf of Shoghi
> Effendi to an individual believer)
> 
> 
> He was deeply interested in your work among the University students
> and hopes that it will bear much fruit. The youth is open-minded, unhampered
> by prejudice and ready to accept any message that satisfies his spiritual
> longings as well as intellectual demands. The work should, however, be
> both intensive and extensive. It is not sufficient that you should address
> many student bodies; persons have to be found to follow up that work, pick
> those who are interested to know more and ground them in the teachings.
> 
> (From a letter dated 20 June 1931 written on behalf of Shoghi
> Effendi to an individual believer)
> 
> 
> He was very pleased to hear of the progress being made; and that it
> has been possible to give the Message to some of the "undergrads". It is
> important that the Faith should be conveyed with a sense of dignity at
> so important a university as Oxford; and better that the work should go
> forward slowly than that any mistakes should be made.
> 
> (From a letter dated 25 December 1931 written on behalf of
> Shoghi Effendi to the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of
> Oxford)
> 
> 
> As to teaching work in colleges and universities, this is very important,
> for students as a whole are open-minded and little influenced by tradition.
> They would easily enter the Cause if the subject is properly presented
> and their intellect and sentiments properly satisfied. This, however, should
> be attempted only by persons who have had university training and are,
> therefore, acquainted with the mind of the intelligent and educated youth.
> 
> (From a letter dated 3 February 1932 written on behalf of
> Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer)
> 
> 
> Some of the items were of great interest to him, especially the part
> which told of the contacts you have made with distinguished men and invited
> them to speak at your meetings. This is an effective way to make these
> take an active part in promoting the Faith and increasing their knowledge
> of its spirit and basic teachings.
> 
> (From a letter dated 6 May 1932 written on behalf of Shoghi
> Effendi to an individual believer)
> 
> 
> The way we can hasten the development of this process [of guiding the
> nations and intellectual men and leaders of society to a gradual acceptance
> of His Message revealed through Bahá'u'lláh] is by doing
> our share in spreading the words of God far and wide. Even though we may
> not see any case of sudden conversion on the part of these intellectuals,
> yet they are bound to be influenced in their views and look to the Faith
> with greater admiration and more willing desire to be led by its precepts.
> Shoghi Effendi, therefore, wishes me to encourage you in your work, in
> sending appropriate literature to such men of learning.
> 
> (From a letter dated 7 May 1933 written on behalf of Shoghi
> Effendi to an individual believer)
> 
> 
> The University training which you are receiving at present will be of
> immense help to present the message in intellectual circles. In these days
> when people are so sceptical about religion and look with so much contempt
> towards religious organizations and movements, there seems to be more need
> than ever for our young Bahá'ís to be well-equipped intellectually,
> so that they may be in a position to present the Message in a befitting
> way, and in a manner that would convince every unbiased observer of the
> effectiveness and power of its teachings.
> 
> (From a letter dated 5 May 1934 written on behalf of Shoghi
> Effendi to an individual believer)
> 
> 
> The Cause needs more Bahá'í scholars, people who not only
> are devoted to it and believe in it and are anxious to tell others about
> it, but also who have a deep grasp of the teachings and their significance,
> and who can correlate its beliefs with the current thoughts and problems
> of the people of the world. The Cause has a remedy for all the world's
> ills. The reason why more people don't accept it is because the Bahá'ís
> are not always capable of presenting it to them in a way that meets the
> immediate needs of their minds. Young Bahá'ís like yourself
> must prepare themselves to really bring the message to their generation
> who need it so desperately and who can understand the language it speaks
> so well.
> 
> (From a letter dated 21 October 1943 written on behalf of
> Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer)
> 
> 
> Having on his own initiative, and undaunted by any hindrances with which
> either friend or foe may, unwittingly or deliberately, obstruct his path,
> resolved to arise and respond to the call of teaching, let him carefully
> consider every avenue of approach which he might utilise in his personal
> attempts to capture the attention, maintain the interest and deepen the
> Faith of those whom he seeks to bring into the fold of his Faith. Let him
> survey the possibilities which the particular circumstances in which he
> lives offer him, evaluate their advantages, and proceed intelligently and
> systematically to utilise them for the achievement of the object he has
> in mind. Let him also attempt to devise such methods as association with
> clubs, exhibitions and societies, lectures on subjects akin to the teachings
> and ideals of his Cause such as temperance, morality, social welfare, religious
> and racial tolerance, economic co-operation, Islam, and Comparative religion,
> or participation in social, cultural, humanitarian, charitable and educational
> organizations and enterprises which, while safeguarding the integrity of
> his faith, will open up to him a multitude of ways and means whereby he
> can enlist successively the sympathy, the support, and ultimately the allegiance
> of those with whom he comes into contact.
> 
> (The Advent of Divine Justice [Wilmette: Bahá'í
> Publishing Trust, 1984] p. 51)
> 
> 
> It is in intellectual circles such as this [a university circle] that
> the believers should endeavour to teach, confident that no matter how limited
> their capacity may be, yet their efforts are continually guided and reinforced
> from on high. This spirit of confident hope, of cheerful courage, and of
> undaunted enthusiasm in itself, irrespective of any tangible results which
> it may produce, can alone insure the ultimate success of our teaching efforts.
> 
> (From a letter dated 31 October 1936 written on behalf of
> Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer)
> 
> 
> Young men and women in the Faith must be deep and thoughtful scholars
> of its teachings, so that they can teach in a way that will convince people
> that all the problems facing them have a remedy.
> 
> (From a letter dated 12 May 1944 written on behalf of Shoghi
> Effendi to an individual believer)
> 
> 
> It seems what we need now is a more profound and co-ordinated Bahá'í
> scholarship in order to attract such men as you are contacting. The world
> has - at least the thinking world - caught up by now with all the great
> and universal principles enunciated by Bahá'u'lláh over 70
> years ago, and so of course it does not sound "new" to them. But we know
> that the deeper teachings, the capacity of His projected world order to
> re-create society, are new and dynamic. It is these we must learn to present
> intelligently and enticingly to such men!
> 
> (From a letter dated 3 July 1949 written on behalf of Shoghi
> Effendi to an individual believer)
> 
> 
> When studying at school or university Bahá'í 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 Bahá'u'lláh throw light on so many aspects
> of human life and knowledge that a Bahá'í must learn, earlier
> than most, to weigh the information that is given to him rather than to
> accept it blindly. A Bahá'í 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
> every thing from those around him, showing proper humility before his teachers,
> but always relating what he hears to the Bahá'í teachings,
> for they will enable him to sort out the gold from the dross of human error.
> 
> (From a letter dated 10 June 1966 written by the Universal
> House of Justice to Bahá'í Youth in every Land)
> 
> 
> The Bahá'í students are indeed in an excellent position
> to impart the fundamental verities of the Faith to their fellow students,
> and even further abroad, for undergraduates are expected to discuss with
> each other all the grave problems of the day, and the way is open for Bahá'ís
> to acquaint many of the future leaders of mankind with the history, tenets,
> and society-building power of the Faith.
> 
> (From a letter dated 11 January 1981 written on behalf of
> the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá'í Society of Edinburgh
> University)
> 
> 
> National Bahá'í Communities have organized and successfully
> conducted inter-religious conferences, peace seminars, symposiums on racism
> and other subjects on which we have a specific contribution to make, often
> achieving widespread publicity and the interest of highly placed leaders
> of society.
> 
> (From a letter dated Riván 1987 written by the Universal
> House of Justice to the Bahá'ís of the World)
>
> — *Bahá'í Activities in University (Used by permission of the curator)*