Conversation with Douglas Martin

            At a Feast in Toronto this past summer I had the opportunity to have a conversation with retired Universal House of Justice member Douglas Martin.  I asked him about his writing, and he said he wrote because the House of Justice continually exhorted him to write, and what he wrote poured down from heaven, and so he never put his own name upon any of it.  Bahá’ís have read many seminal documents that have flowed through his pen and were undersigned by the House of Justice or announced that it was written at its behest. 

            He says he is not writing anymore and looked genuinely surprised when I asked him if it didn’t concern him that this inactivity would cause his gifts to atrophy.  He replied that it did indeed concern him, and that no one had ever asked him that before.

            He had been asked to write his memoirs, but decided it was too daunting a task at this stage; however, Westwind pictures has filmed several hours of his spoken reminiscences which will be edited and released when the House of Justice sees fit.  He laughed and added with unfeigned sincerity that they’ll be careful to delete anything outrageous he might happen to say.