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
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