He was also delighted to hear that the Message was given to such large crowds of people in a spot associated with the enlightenment of the Manifestation of God, Buddha. The Guardian attaches great importance to the conversion of Buddhists to the Faith as well as Hindus, and he urges your Assembly to do everything in your power to attract the members of these Faiths and convert them.
The Guardian is confident that the ceremony of your marriage will be conducted along strictly Baha’i lines and feels certain that your example will create a deep impression upon the non-believers, and will also serve to greatly encourage the believers in their efforts for the emancipation of the Cause from the doctrines and traditions of the past, and for its wide and effective recognition as an independent religion.
In this connection, the Guardian feels the necessity of bringing to your attention the fact that the validity of a Baha’i marriage is conditioned upon the consent of the two parties and their parents only. So that in case the other members of your family show any dislike or opposition to your sister’s union ... their objection does under no circumstances invalidate it. Your parents’ approval would be sufficient, even though all the rest of your family may violently oppose it.
1. In the passage “eschew all fellowship with the ungodly”, Baha’u’llah means that we should shun the company of those who disbelieve in God and are wayward. The word “ungodly” is a reference to such perverse people. The words “Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life eternal to My loved ones” should not be taken in their literal sense. Baha’u’llah’s advice is that again we should flee from the enemies of God, and instead seek the fellowship of His lovers.
2. A believer has the right to vote for himself during the election time, if he conscientiously feels the urge to do so. This does not necessarily imply that he is ambitious or selfish. For he might conscientiously believe that his qualifications entitle him to membership in a Baha’i administrative body, and he might be right. The essential, however, is that he should be sincere in his belief, and should act according to the dictates of his conscience. Moreover, membership in an assembly or committee is a form of service, and should not be looked upon as a mark of inherent superiority or a means for self-praise.