“The vantage point that gives us perspective and is the foundation of our belief and actions rests on our recognition of the sovereignty of God and our submission to His will as revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, His supreme Manifestation for this promised Day. To accept the Prophet of God in His time and to abide by His bidding are the two essential, inseparable duties which each soul was created to fulfill. One exercises these twin duties by one’s own choice, an act constituting the highest expression of the free will with which every human being has been endowed by an all-loving Creator.

The vehicle in this resplendent Age for the practical fulfillment of these duties is the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh; it is, indeed, the potent instrument by which individual belief in Him is translated into constructive deeds. The Covenant comprises divinely conceived arrangements necessary to preserve the organic unity of the Cause. It therefore engenders a motivating power which, as the beloved Master tells us, like unto the artery, beats and pulsates in the body of the world. It is indubitably clear, He asserts, that the pivot of the oneness of mankind is nothing else but the power of the Covenant. Through it the meaning of the Word, both in theory and practice, is made evident in the life and work of Abdu’l-Bahá, the appointed Interpreter, the perfect Exemplar, the Center of the Covenant. Through it the processes of the Administrative Order - this unique, this wondrous System - are made to operate.”

“The spirit of liberty which in recent decades has swept over the planet with such tempestuous force is a manifestation of the vibrancy of the Revelation brought by Bahá’u’lláh. His own words confirm it. “The Ancient Beauty,” He wrote in a soul-stirring commentary on His sufferings, “hath consented to be bound with chains that mankind may be released from its bondage, and hath accepted to be made a prisoner within this most mighty Stronghold that the whole world may attain unto true liberty.” Might it not be reasonably concluded, then, that “true liberty” is His gift of love to the human race ? Consider what Bahá’u’lláh has done: He revealed laws and principles to guide the free; He established an Order to channel the actions of the free; He proclaimed a Covenant to guarantee the unity of the free. Thus, we hold to this ultimate perspective: Bahá’u’lláh came to set humanity free. His Revelation is, indeed, an invitation to freedom - freedom from want, freedom from war, freedom to unite, freedom to progress, freedom in peace and joy.”

(Universal House of Justice, Individual Rights and Freedom in the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh , 29 December 1988)

1. What is the foundation of our belief?
2. What are the two duties which each soul was created to fulfill?
3. What constitutes the highest expression of human free will?
4. Describe the purpose of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh. Give 3 metaphors to illustrate your answer.
5. What is the relationship of the Administrative Order to the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh?
6. Why has there been in recent years a rise in the spirit of liberty?
7. What is the significance of freedom in Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation?