Baha’i Justice

Dear Victor, Susan and others,

Mostly this is about loyalty. How do we become or stay loyal to God? By accepting Baha’u’llah and then trying to figure out where to go from there. It seems as though everyone is extremely sincere, and dedicated to following their understanding of the covenant. It may mean loyalty to a Universal House of Justice or a person they believe is the Guardian. It is tricky if you believe Mason to be the Guardian after Shoghi, but then do you accept Joel as the one appointed, or Donald Harvey,(appointed later) or Pepe (who was never Baha’i but an adopted son)? Another way to determine is by the fruit. Who is living the life, who is following the teachings? Pepe did not follow the teachings, he was not even a Baha’i. It is hard for me to accept this lineage as a Baha’i lineage. As for the Haifa Baha’is, they are lovely, lovely people but their UHJ does not seem to be divinely guided or acting in a just way toward their followers (shunning and hard handed tactics toward questioners). There is an aweful lot of fear in their hearts toward those who really pose no threat to their organization. The Orthodox Baha’is I have met are very sweet, kind hearted and not only that, extremely well versed in the writings. But, regardless of who the True Baha’is are, we are all children of God and the one we want to follow and worship is God. I respect the fact that we are all trying. God can do whatever and hopefully He will reunite us all and if not we can learn to live peacefully and honestly together. Janice

I meant to say “we just have to find someone, somewhere that witnessed either Mason or Abdu’l-Baha referring to Marangella endearingly as a son and then handing him a stick or a stone.” Janice

Dear Janice,

you wrote: “So, Marangella does meet the appointment criteria. Now the question of being a son is easy according to your parameter, we just have to find someone, somewhere that witnessed either Mason or Abdu’l-Baha referring to Mason endearingly as a son and then handing him a stick or a stone. I thought we could all be considered part of a family if we are spiritually connected in love.
Don’t we all inherit the blessings of the kingdom when we turn our hearts toward God?

Yes, we all are. There is that spiritual family that circles around the Covenant. The members of the “Holy Family” were those who didn’t go against Baha’u’llah or Abdu’l-Baha or Shoghi Effendi and that extends to Mason Remey, Pepe Remey and Neal Chase.

Joel may have received a statement from Mason saying he was the next one, but he wasn’t a son, so he was not in the running. Test, test, test.
Victor

“As for Ottoman adoption laws, here I’m afraid the Jensenites don’t know what they are talking about. I can tell you as Middle Eastern historian, there is no such thing in the Islamic world as adoption as we know it. The Islamic term for what is commonly called adoption is kafala, which comes from a word that means “to feed.” It refers to the act of taking an orphan into ones home, but the child retains his birth parent’s name and he does not inherit from his ‘adoptive’ parents.”

From a webiste called “Adoption in Islam”

“The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once said that a person who cares for an orphaned child will be in Paradise with him, and motioned to show that they would be as close as two fingers of a single hand. An orphan himself, Muhammad paid special attention to the care of children. He himself adopted a former slave and raised him with the same care as if he were his own son.

However, the Qur’an gives specific rules about the legal relationship between a child and his/her adoptive family. The child’s biological family is never hidden; their ties to the child are never severed. The Qur’an specifically reminds adoptive parents that they are not the child’s biological parents”

So, there is adoption in the world of Islam. And of course the child is not the blood descendant, that’s why they’re “adopted”. But the Baha’is are not Muslims. As far as the Muslims not having a kind of adoption that “we know”, that is, a child coming into a family and forgetting about their blood family, this is not what happened with Mason. He retained his family name “Remey” and identity but didn’t move in with Abdu’l-Baha, etc. but Abdu’l-Baha declared Mason to be HIS SON! The BUPC are just saying that “hereditary” line of the Guardian is a simple father to son lineage. Abdu’l-Baha adopted Mason, calling him his son, etc. Mason adopted Pepe and Pepe adopted Neal, according to the wonderful information Susan provided, as this might have been confusing to the believers, for how could Abdu’l-Baha adopt a grown man and still that man retain his name and identity? Good resource for more evidence of how this adoption of Mason by Abdu’l-Baha was genuine. Now we have a keener understanding of this process. Thanks Susan!
Victor

“As far as I know Pepe Remey was legally adopted as Mason Remey’s heir but this had nothing to do with appointing him Guardian.’

The Baha’is go by the law of primogeniture, which to the oldest or ONLY son goes the inheritance which is both physical and administrative when it comes to the Guardianship.

“As for Pepe’s supposedly adopting Neal Chase as his own son, no such adoption ever took place.”

If you are privy of evidence to the contrary you should provide it. Whereas there is ample evidence to support this claim.

“Pepe, in his letters to the followers of Leland Jensen would often joke about adopting people as his ‘sons.’ He did that with Brent Matheiu long before he ever did it with Neal Chase.”

Of course, this was Pepe dangling the carrot to see who would break ranks and this is exactly what Brent Mathieu did. Pepe said that he would have liked to have considered Brent as well as others his “sons” but that it “all fell apart” and this was no longer so. Pepe tested the believers to see if they would go against the Establisher whom was the first to be in support of Pepe as the Guardian as he only recognized the Aghsan lineage that had been passed to Pepe by Mason. Everyone who may have been considered broke ranks, even ones who were of a Jewish heritage. Pepe knew through his conversations with Mason that the Guardianship was to be brought back into the ancient lineage of David again.

Statement on Succession
By MASON REMEY AGHSAN,
Guardian

The traditional background of the Prophets of Israel is that of a special and family descent from earliest times and from which seed the Prophets and Manifestations of God were descended.

I, Mason Remey, feel… that the descent of the Guardianship can be brought back again into the line of descent from Baha’u’llah [a natural branch: Jewish]. This can be accomplished as soon as there may arise amongst those of this chosen descent one who will qualify [i.e. not of those that broke the Covenant]. All this can be attained in conformity with the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha.

Mason Remey AGHSAN, August 1964

Neal Chase was the only believer of Jewish descent who continued with Dr. Jensen and was educated by him personally. Pepe goaded the Baha’is to reject Dr. Jensen, and when they did he would cut them off and no longer communicate with them.
Victor

Victor said, “By Mason establishing a second IBC and placing Marangella at the head of it, does not immediately constitute an appointment to the Guardianship.”
I have a photocopy of a letter given to Joel by Mason Remey dated 5 of December,1961 that says, “Dear Joel, This is to tell you to tell the Baha’i World that I appoint you to be the third Guardian of the Baha’i Faith according to the Will and Testament of the Master, Abdu’l-Baha. Mason, Guardian of the Baha’i Faith”
So, Marangella does meet the appointment criteria. Now the question of being a son is easy according to your parameter, we just have to find someone, somewhere that witnessed either Mason or Abdu’l-Baha referring to Mason endearingly as a son and then handing him a stick or a stone. I thought we could all be considered part of a family if we are spiritually connected in love.
Don’t we all inherit the blessings of the kingdom when we turn our hearts toward God? Janice

Janice wrote:
According to Shoghi Effendi in God Passes By an Aghsan is a son of Baha’u’llah. Aghsan means branch in English. When Shoghi translated the Will and Testament, he used the word “Aghsan” when he meant sons of Baha’u’llah and he used the word branch when he meant branch. In the part where he mentions who the Guardian can choose as his successor, he uses the word branch with a small “b” meaning the Guardian can choose someone from another lineage. That’s my understanding.

And as far as I understand it, the small “b” branch is the singular “ghusn” of the plural “Aghsan”. It’s still the father to son lineage and succession from Baha’u’llah.
Victor

Janice wrote:
I would guess then, that since Marangella was appointed by Mason, he must have considered him an Aghsan or he would not have been able to appoint him. Why is he not the rightful Guardian in your eyes.

Mason was testing the believers. Mason said that he was going to test the Baha’is even further as they would not know who the next Guardian was. The line of succession is from father to son. Marangella wasn’t Mason’s son. Donald Harvey wasn’t Mason’s son. It doesn’t matter what the Baha’is believe of think. The Guardian is determined by the two-part criteria as well as used by him to ensure a successor. The test was if people were going to follow the Aghsan lineage or not without adding to or amending the criteria. By Mason establishing a second IBC and placing Marangella at the head of it, does not immediately constitute an appointment to the Guardianship. Number one…(God, I sound like an echo)…he has to be a son, and he has to be appointed. The law of primogeniture is the inheritance goes to the oldest son or only son. If you want you could say that in the W&T it says that if the Guardian cannot attend the meetings himself, then he can appoint one to represent him. But that’s different than having a son who inherits your position. This was the test.
Victor

According to Shoghi Effendi in God Passes By an Aghsan is a son of Baha’u’llah. Aghsan means branch in English. When Shoghi translated the Will and Testament, he used the word “Aghsan” when he meant sons of Baha’u’llah and he used the word branch when he meant branch. In the part where he mentions who the Guardian can choose as his successor, he uses the word branch with a small “b” meaning the Guardian can choose someone from another lineage. That’s my understanding. Janice

Janice wrote:
Pepe was Italian? Wouldn’t it have been necessary to follow the laws of the land in the activation of an adoption in that land? I find the story about how Abdu’l-Baha “adopted” Mason very endearing. It confirms even stronger that Mason indeed was someone to be trusted and listened to. But, the adoption of Neal Chase by Pepe is a little far fetched. Had they ever even met?

Dear Janice,

As far as I know Pepe Remey was legally adopted as Mason Remey’s heir but this had nothing to do with appointing him Guardian. As I said, Remey offered Pepe the Guardianship and he refused on account of the fact he didn’t consider himself a believer. As for Pepe’s supposedly adopting Neal Chase as his own son, no such adoption ever took place. Pepe, in his letters to the followers of Leland Jensen would often joke about adopting people as his ‘sons.’ He did that with Brent Matheiu long before he ever did it with Neal Chase. Neal Chase claims to have gone to Italy and collected Pepe’s belongings which supposedly included a medallion which Jensenites believe represented Mason Remey’s office. Thing is, we have no real evidence other than Chase’s word that this ever happened or that there ever was a medallion which had this significance.

As for Ottoman adoption laws, here I’m afraid the Jensenites don’t know what they are talking about. I can tell you as Middle Eastern historian, there is no such thing in the Islamic world as adoption as we know it. The Islamic term for what is commonly called adoption is kafala, which comes from a word that means “to feed.” It refers to the act of taking an orphan into ones home, but the child retains his birth parent’s name and he does not inherit from his ‘adoptive’ parents.
If you think I’m wrong about this, ask Victor to produce the text of the Ottoman law he refers to. If you try and google adoption laws in the Ottoman Empire it will almost invariably take you to a Jensenite website because this is a fiction of their own invention. Susan