degree, to all Baha'is and to the
world at large the high ideals of fellowship and service which Baha'u'llah
and the beloved Master repeatedly set before them."

11: AQDAS (THE)--LAWS OF

"In view of the importance of such a statement, he feels it is his duty to
explain that the Laws revealed by Baha'u'llah in the Aqdas are, whenever
practical and not in direct conflict with the Civil laws of the land,
absolutely binding on every believer or Baha'i institution whether in the
East or in the West. Certain laws, such as fasting, obligatory prayers,
the consent of the parents before marriage, avoidance of alcoholic drinks,
monogamy, should be regarded by all believers as universally and vitally
applicable at the present time. Others have been formulated in
anticipation of a state of society destined to emerge from the chaotic
conditions that prevail today.

"When the Aqdas is published, this matter will be further explained and
elucidated. What has not been formulated in the Aqdas, in addition to
matters of detail and of secondary importance arising out of the
application of the laws already formulated by Baha'u'llah, will have to be
enacted by the Universal House of Justice. This body can supplement but
never invalidate or modify in the least degree what has already been
formulated by Baha'u'llah. Nor has the Guardian any right whatsoever to
lessen the binding effect much less to abrogate the provisions of so
fundamental and sacred a Book..."

12: ARCHIVES (THE IMPORTANCE OF)

"The importance of the institution of Baha'i Archives is not due only to
the many teaching facilities it procures, but is especially to be found in
the vast amount of historical data and information it offers both to the
present-day administrators of the Cause, and to the Baha'i historians of
the future. The institution of Baha'i Archives is indeed a most valuable
storehouse of information regarding all the aspects of the Faith,
administrative as well as doctrinal. Future generations of believers will
be surely in a better position than we are to truly and adequately
appreciate the many advantages and facilities which the institution of the
Archives offers to individual believers and also to the community at
large. Now that the Cause is rapidly passing through so many different
phases of its evolution, is the time for the friends to exert their utmost
in order to preserve as much as they can of the sacred relics and various