True Bahá'í

Where is the missing Mashriqu'l-Adhkár?

Those Bahá'ís loyal to the sans-Guardian UHJ have built wonderful buildings and gardens upon Mount Carmel.  But there is one building missing.  Where is the missing Mashriqu'l-Adhkár?  That is, the Bahá'í House of Worship (literally: "Dawning-Point of God's Remembrance").  We know that `Abdu'l-Bahá Himself predicted that Mason Remey would be the architect of the structure:

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Why is the Bahá'í world spiritually withering and dying?

From time to time, members of the organization loyal to the sans-Guardian "Universal House of Justice" write to me in response to articles posted on the Internet. Most of these responses are negative and critical of my words.  This is OK with me because I think it is good to have a dialog and to consult on these important issues, even if the sans-Guardian Bahá'ís make nasty and critical remarks.

The most common criticism I have received from these members is the notion that I am stuck in the past, dwelling upon the Guardianship, and that I and my fellow Orthodox Bahá'ís are not adequately concentrating upon the broader Message of Bahá'u'lláh, and all of the wonderful teachings for humanity in this Day set forth in His Revelation.  

This is my response:

The reality is that the Holy Spirit appeared in the Person of Bahá'u'lláh (the Ancient Root), and in His Revelation there was instituted a Covenant for this Spirit to continue to provide divine guidance to humanity after Bahá'u'lláh, through the Center of the Covenant,`Abdu'l-Bahá (Most Mighty Branch), and after Him through the Institution of the Guardianship (youthful branches or twigs) created by Him in His Will and Testament. It is a fundamental and central truth of the Bahá'í Revelation that the Cause of God can be regarded as a Tree of Life (sprung from the Ancient Root) to those who have accepted this Revelation who are the leaves and fruits of this glorious Tree and from which they derive their spiritual sustenance.  To be severed from this Tree is to spiritually wither and die.

"From the above analogy it becomes clear that through the instrumentality first of the Most Great Branch, and then in the continuity of the Guardianship of the Faith throughout the duration of the Bahá'í Dispensation in which these lesser or subordinate branches carry on uninterruptedly, the interpretive authority of the Word of God, the Tree of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh is forever protected and shielded from man-made corruption. These Guardians of the Faith (each of whom is appointed by his predecessor in his lifetime in accordance with the explicit provisions of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá) – these offshoots of the Primal Branch of the Tree of the Covenant, as faithful ministers to this Covenant, will assure that the spiritual nourishment and sustenance that flows from the Ancient Root is safeguarded throughout the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh from the introduction of man-made substances (interpretations, institutions, etc.) such as those which have caused the decay of the Tree of the Cause of God in past Dispensations. It may now be understood why those professed believers who cease to be faithful to the Covenant (for example: rebel against the Guardian of the Faith), cut themselves off from this Tree and become fallen leaves whose inevitable fate is to spiritually wither and die."  Joel B. Marangella The Tree of the Covenant.

Thus it can be seen that the "Guardian issue" is not some historical dispute or controversy from which I should move on, but is a matter that goes to the spiritual heart of the Faith.  Without understanding and addressing this matter properly, the Bahá'í world cannot spread the Message of Bahá'u'lláh or promote His Cause because it finds itself spiritually cut off from the Source. 

Jeffrey

Still they refuse to consult

Bahá'u'lláh: "The Great Being saith: The heaven of divine wisdom is illumined with the two luminaries of consultation and compassion. Take ye counsel together in all matters, inasmuch as consultation is the lamp of guidance which leadeth the way, and is the bestower of understanding." Tablets, p. 168.

All Bahá'ís know that consultation is one of the great laws of the Administrative Order of Bahá'u'lláh. It seems like a simple concept.  It simply means we are to talk things over for unity's sake.  To have a frank, free, and unfettered discussion of all viewpoints on a matter, so that the truth will be revealed.  Each person sets forth his own views with courtesy and care, and nobody insists upon their opinion or belittles the opinion of others.  All relevant facts and ideas are submitted and placed on the table for consideration.  When a consensus is reached, or if that is not possible and the majority have decided, then all parties involved must strictly obey and follow the decision reached in unity.  This is the method of decision-making, problem-solving and dispute resolution set forth in the Writings.

The present split between those who have abandoned the living Guardianship and rejected all of the Guardians after Shoghi Effendi, and those who remain faithful to the living Guardians of the Cause, was caused because the Bahá'ís have refused and continue to refuse to consult about the question of Shoghi Effendi's appointment of his successor.  The Hands of the Cause did hastily meet in secret conclave after the death of Shoghi Effendi to verify that he did not leave a Will and to decide what to do next.  The only existing account of those proceedings written by Mason Remey, and never refuted by anyone else who was present, was that the decision that the Guardianship was Badah (that God had changed His mind) and that there would be no more Guardians at least until the next Manifestation of God, was made without discussion.  The Persian Hands and Shoghi Effendi's widow Rúhíyyih Khánum violated the principles of consultation by pre-arranging this decision and making a plan to introduce and vote on the question without discussion.  After the Hands hastily adopted this decision, Mason Remey repeatedly attempted to re-open this question but was ruled "out of order" time and again because the Hands had already decided the question.  After that, whenever any Bahá'ís would publicly discuss the question, the Hands took swift and decisive action to get them to stop discussing the question or to remove them from the Faith.  In this way, the question of Shoghi Effendi's successor was never consulted upon.  The Bahá'ís have refused to consult on this issue for over 40 years, and to this day they continue to refuse to consult or consider the question.

Consultation is the road to unity and to the discovery of the truth.  To refuse to consult is to reject the lamp of guidance given to us by Bahá'u'lláh, so that the shining spark of truth might come forth:

"The members thereof [Spiritual Assembly] must take counsel together in such wise that no occasion for ill-feeling or discord may arise. This can be attained when every member expresseth with absolute freedom his own opinion and setteth forth his argument. Should anyone oppose, he must on no account feel hurt for not until matters are fully discussed can the right way be revealed. The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the clash of differing opinions. If after discussion, a decision be carried unanimously well and good; but if, the Lord forbid, differences of opinion should arise, a majority of voices must prevail."  Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 87.

Jeffrey