Baha’i Justice

In the past (the time of Baha’u’-llah and Abdu’l-Baha) a covenant breaker was someone who was 1) falsifying documents or 2) attempting to murder the Blessed Beauty or Abdu’l-Baha. It was not someone asking some questions or choosing to quietly follow the Truth in their own manner. These were people to avoid becuase of their trickery. I for one, am not afraid of catching a “spiritual disease”. The God I worship knows my heart, my sincerity and my desire to follow Him. Should I err, I would hope that God Almighty would guide me to the truth. This whole fear of speaking one’s mind and being afraid to read something is very silly. I can read something and reject it or recognize it as truth. I was given the ability to reason and I am grateful for the freedom to consider what everyone has written here. Janice

Dear Janice, It was a test that everyone failed except those who continued with the Aghsan lineage. Go back and read my posts as well as go to this site and read the whole thing then I can answer whatever questions you have.

http://bupc.org/test-of-god.html

Victor

Victor,

I think you have failed to answer why Mason, divinely guided, would appoint a Guardian and then forget and appoint another. When Mason asked Marangella to guard a letter telling him he would know when to open it, and when he asked him to activate the IBC, it was to pass the Guardianship on. Marangella assumed, as many did, that he would not become Guardian until the passing of Mason, but it became apparent that he was the Guardian when Mason Activated the council, where Mason had previously publicly announced to the world that Marangella would be the president. It was a similar manner that Shoghi Used to name his successor but the fact that the new Guardian assumed his role prior to the previous one’s passing is unique. Once the scepter was passed, Mason was no longer divinely guided. Janice

Martin wrote:
Dear Investigator of Truth,
You announce that «_Everyone_ is welcome to attend the 3rd Annual Choral Concert (…) at the Baha’i House of Worship.»
Are Orthodox Baha’is welcome too? Some members of the Orthodox Baha’i Faith would love to go, I am sure!
Sincerely,
Martin

Hmmmmmm…check out your own group’s history, including marangella’s own comments, on shunning people who don’t share your group’s views before you climb up on that particular high horse, mister.
And why is there no mention at all of Remey appointing Donald Harvey on the orthodox website, for example? The appointement of a successor to a living guardian is surely worthy of mention??? Oh I forgot – marangella had decided, with not a shred of supporting medical evidence, that Remey was insane by then. What a marvellous example of love and respect for a living guardian. And, of course, marangella went on to announce himself as guardian BEFORE Remey had even passed away and after Remey had publically appointed Harvey as his successor!!!
Sort out your own spiritually bankrupt and hypocritical house before you start criticising others.

Doris

Martin wrote:
Dear Investigator of Truth,
You announce that «_Everyone_ is welcome to attend the 3rd Annual Choral Concert (…) at the Baha’i House of Worship.»
Are Orthodox Baha’is welcome too? Some members of the Orthodox Baha’i Faith would love to go, I am sure!
Sincerely,
Martin

Covenant Breaking is truly a Spiritual disease, and the whole view-point and attitude of a Covenant Breaker is so poisonous that the Master likened it to leprosy, and warned the friends to breathe the same air was dangerous.

(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 183)

The more and more these individuals speak the more I see what Abdul-Baha meant. Visiting all their websites I see only poison and hate.

So to answer your question, from the Baha’i viewpoint the answer is no for the above reason, and for the viewpoint of 40 individuals in the U.S. the answer is no for the same reason.
Lorenzo

Dear Investigator of Truth,

You announce that «_Everyone_ is welcome to attend the 3rd Annual Choral Concert (…) at the Baha’i House of Worship.»

Are Orthodox Baha’is welcome too? Some members of the Orthodox Baha’i Faith would love to go, I am sure!

Sincerely,

Martin

To the writer of the piece, Manya A. Brachear. Thank you for your article, but I wish you’d done your research more thoroughly. As others have pointed out, the Bahai faith is NOT a sect of Islam or any other religion. It is a completely independent religion
A core tenet of the Bahai faith is the principle of the progressive Revelation, stipulating its belief in the World other major religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam etc), but according to their own era in history. The progressive nature of the principle means that the word of God is not limited and does not end with a particular religion.
New religions come and replace older religions. This is because although the spiritual teachings of the major religions are essentially the same, their message on social issues differ to better suit their particular eras. So, at some point new messengers of God bring the message of God for the new age in which they live to better reflect the realities, cultural, social and spiritual changes of that time.
As to the main issue of the article, it is sad to see a smaller number of Bahais (or ex-Bahais) have separated themselves from the Faith and are trying to establish a separate, and wholly artificial, strand of what they erroneously consider to be the Bahai faith. However, as a Bahai, I believe in freedom of speech and I’m not altogether certain if court action and suing this group is the right way to proceed. Paul

I already addressed the first question as to why Mason made the appointments he did. Why didn’t Shoghi appoint a successor? You ask why it wasn’t done in a Will, but where in the W&T of Abdu’l-Baha does it say that the Guardian must appoint his successor in a Will? It just says that he must appoint one in his lifetime. It leaves the manner and style up to the Guardian. Any way the Guardian chooses is the way the appointment is made. So Shoghi didn’t have a Will, so what? Shoghi Effendi was infallible by himself as he was of both “hallowed and sacred Lote Trees” as stated in the W&T. This means Shoghi was of both the lineage of Baha’u’llah, through Abdu’l-Baha’s daughter, and through the Bab, through Mirza Hadi Afnan. These two lineages are represented in the two forces of the House of Justice. One is the Guardianship which is the male line of David or “Aghsan” through Baha’u’llah and the body of the UHJ is represented by the lineage of the Bab which is the line of Muhammad. Abdu’l-Baha speaks of this union:
“The meaning is that certain personages guided the people with a staff grown out of the earth, and shepherded them with a rod, like unto the rod of Moses. Others trained and shepherded the people with a rod of iron, as in the dispensation of Muhammad. And in this present cycle, because it is the mightiest of Dispensations, that rod grown out of the vegetable kingdom and that rod of iron will be transformed into a rod of purest gold, taken from out the endless treasure houses in the Kingdom of the Lord. By this rod will the people be trained.”
(Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 166)
These two rods are the “two forces” of the legislative and the executive of the UHJ. The rod of wood is the Aghsan lineage or “branch”. The legislative body is the rod of iron because in the dispensation of Muhammad, it was governend by the law of attraction, in that the personages and Covenant of Islam were not confined to a particular lineage as the lineage of David was. All people, of all faiths could enter into the Covenant of Islam which means to “submit” and submit to the Will of God. This is manifested in the body of the UHJ as it is comprised of many people from many different countries who submit to the Will of God through the electoral process. It is the power of attraction represented by the rod of iron as when a rod of iron is electrified,(elected) it becomes a magnet. Today, the institution the Sans-Guardians call the “UHJ” has none of the constituent ingedients that are called for in the W&T, thus it is not the true Universal House of Justice.
Shoghi Effendi had a successor but it wasn’t Mason. Mason was Abdu’l-Baha’s adopted “Aghsan” and was grafted into the line of David. Like Abdu’l-Baha was the Greatest Branch, Mirza Mihdhi, the Purest Branch, Mason Remey was the “Grafted Branch” as he was a gentile grafted into the line of David according to prophecy. But Shoghi Effendi was of both rods, the rod of wood and the rod of iron and was, by himself, infallible in his mission. For Shoghi to have a successor he must have one that emodies both forces and so Shoghi Effendei’s successor was not any one person, but a body of people that would become the true UHJ. In 1951 Shoghi apponted his successor and this successor was the 1st International Baha’i Council to which he “greatly welcomes” Mason Remey as it was not Shoghi Effendi’s job to appoint Mason as he was the only candidate for the position, Mason being the only Aghsan left of which Shoghi acknowledged publicly. Shoghi’s successor was the IBC with the Aghsan Guardian at its head. This was the two rods of authority joined together that was to evolve into the UHJ, but the “Hands” went against Shoghi Effendi and aborted Shoghi’s plan and made one up of their own. Hope this helps. If not read this:
http://bupc.org/test-of-god.html
Victor

“If Remey was the “infallible” Guardian in all matters pertaining to the faith then why did he make not one, but two, errors in appointing a successor?”

If Shoghi Effendi was infallible why didn’t he (according to the official line) leave a will and testament? Moreover why is there a need for elections if the body institutions are inffallible and divinely guided? Azal

Also, George?…thanks so much for all your blog listings. A great resource.

I guess I’ll have to comment on the reference to “arcane explanations”. Well, I just posted something to that effect above referring to how Baha’u’llah says Himself that His Revelation is “abstruse” which I think is synonymous with “arcane” as well as the idea of being “mysterious” or “esoteric”. It is explained in the writings that there are two levels of reality when it comes to the Revelations of God. One is outward or apparent and the other is esoteric or “arcane” and this pattern of communicating with His Creation through this method of both the apparent and the “arcane” will continue as long as there is life on this planet. If you read the Babi and Baha’i histories, you don’t find the things that occured and the events and the turmoil and the disputes and the martyrdoms and everything that has happened in the last 150 years “arcane” or just your everyday hum drum apparently nice religion? The events that occured are “sorely trying and highly perplexing” and so they wil continue to be to continue to test His servants to see who will cleave to the Spirit or who will whither away as they cut themselves off by putting the blinders of materialism on and put out their third spiritual eye to see the exact same patterns happening over and over again.

Oh, also about the 99 and 44/100ths…what’s left to me sounds like a mere handful of people…..

XCII. The Book of God is wide open, and His Word is summoning mankind unto Him. No more than a mere handful, however, hath been found willing to cleave to His Cause, or to become the instruments for its promotion.

(Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 183)

The Cause of God is to usher in a great peaceful World civilization centererd around the knowledge and love of God which is given to us in a great Promise also called a Covenant and this Covenant is the same Covenant that has existed for six thousand years. The Center of this Covenant is the Guardianship that is the focal point of unity as proclaimed in the writings. The Guardianship is the continuation of the line of David through Baha’u’llah and is the manifestation of the words of Christ: Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Victor