No brotherhood appears in the world as lasting save that of
the spiritual type. Only that brotherhood is permanent and eternal, for it is a
spiritual brotherhood through the breath of the Holy Spirit. It is absolutely
indissoluble; permanently will it remain intact, and in all the worlds of God
will it be everlasting. It is a brotherhood not based upon thoughts, but one
that has emanated from the love of God. It is not founded for the attainment of
physical or material interests. This spiritual brotherhood has no other purpose
than nearness to the Threshold of God. It is not for defensive purposes but for
the illumination of the human heart.
('Abdu'l-Bahá, from a talk, Montreal, Canada, 4 September
1912; Star of the West, vol. 8, no. 11, September 1917)
