True Bahá'í

Deluded as they now were...

Deluded as they now were in this belief of their supreme authority, the Hands had the temerity to announce to the Bahá'í World in the Proclamation cited above, that they were "the supreme body of the Bahá'í World Community and yet, in the very same Proclamation, they surrendered most, if not all, of their authority in their announced appointment of an illicit body of nine Hands from their number to which they gave the appellation: "Custodians of the Bahá'í World Faith," a body completely outside the provisions of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. This illicitly formed body then ignominiously proceeded not only to flagrantly usurp the functions that should have been rightfully exercised by an actively functioning International Council, as Shoghi Effendi had planned, but, as announced in this same Proclamation, to shamelessly assume all of the "functions, rights and powers in succession to the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith." Thus, this illicitly established bogus body disregarded Shoghi Effendi's projected plans for the International Council, made it subordinate to themselves, and blatantly usurped its functions as they took over direction of the National Assemblies in their prosecution of the remaining goals of the Ten Year Global Crusade.

In their further plans, the Hands announced that the body of the Custodians in which they had invested such great authority would cease to exist after its brief reign of some six years with the election of the Universal House of Justice during Ridván in 1963. Although it would be a body minus its "sacred head"–the Guardian of the Faith–and therefore a headless, fallible and illegitimate body, they nevertheless would pretend that it was nothiing less than "that Supreme body" unmindful of the further fact that its election at this stage in the evolution of the Faith was far too premature, as Shoghi Effendi's plans, embodied in the goals of the Ten Year Global Crusade had not envisaged the evolution of the International Bahá'í Council beyond its second essential stage as an International Bahá'í Court by Ridván 1963 and even then it's establishment as an International Court would be contingent upon the establishment of six national Bahá'í Courts "in the chief cities of the Islamic East" which he had named. Although, the demise of the ill-named body of the "Custodians of the Bahá'í World Faith" would, according to their plans, take place coincident with the election of their headless Universal House of Justice at Ridván 1963, they made no mention about the assumption by that illegitimate body of the "functions rights and powers in succession to the Guardian" previously usurped by these Custodians. It may have been inferred that the Hands intended that these function, rights and powers be assumed by their so-called Universal House of Justice, even though interpretation of the sacred Writings is a right reserved solely to the Guardian of the Faith according to the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.

Joel B. Marangella
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their appalling and inexcusable ignorance

Every Bahá’í who has read the writings of Shoghi Effendi in the Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh will have noted that he has referred to the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as "the Child of the Covenant—the Heir of both the Originator and Interpreter of the Law of God" and that, in view of this spiritual relationship, this sacred and divinely-conceived Document is to be regarded, not only as the Will of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá but that of Bahá’u’lláh, as well, and therefore, as Shoghi Effendi has emphasized, should actually be considered as "their Will." Would such a divinely-conceived Document become null and void thirty-six years after the inception of the Administrative Order to which it gave birth?

Furthermore, Shoghi Effendi has equated the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in its sacredness and immutability, with Bahá’u’lláh’s Most Holy Book, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, in stating that these two "sacred documents" are "not only complementary" but "they mutually confirm one another and are inseparable parts of one complete unit." In view of that statement, it should be crystal clear that the terms of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Will are as immutable and as inviolate as the laws of Bahá’u’lláh in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, and are accordingly destined to endure and remain unchanged as long as the Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh endures. Moreover, Shoghi Effendi has consistently and repeatedly emphasized in his writings the essentiality and indispensability of the institution of the Guardianship to the establishment of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.

In the light of the sacredness and immutability of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, as emphasized by Shoghi Effendi in the above quoted statements, it is incomprehensible that the Hands of the Cause, the last contingent of whom had been appointed by Shoghi Effendi in the very last cablegram he dispatched to the Bahá’í World in October 1957, would have not only completely ignored these writings during the conclave they convened in ‘Akká, following Shoghi Effendi’s passing in London, England on 4 November 1957 but would have revealed, as well, their appalling and inexcusable ignorance of the provisions of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Will and Testament....

Joel B. Marangella
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How to assume the reins of authority?

Fact:

Rúhíyyih Khánum confessed in her book, Ministry of the Custodians,that she and the other Hands of the Cause had no scriptural/legitimate authority for their actions related to the formation of the body of Custodians and their headless UHJ:

"...we were faced with problems of inconceivable magnitude. How to assume the reins of authority, with no document to support us, other than the general theological statements about the Hands?"

Fact:

The sans-Guardian UHJ currently on Mt. Carmel is impotent to interpret Bahá'í Holy Writ and Holy Text, and therefore it is by bogus authority that it has diverted the payment of the Right of God, the Huqúqu'lláh, to itself rather than to the one delineated in the sacred Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá to receive it, namely the Guardian of the Cause of God.

Fact:

Shoghi Effendi never authorized the formation of a headless UHJ either by his spoken word or officially in his writings , nor even in pilgrims' notes.

By Ross Campbell

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"[they] who have named ignorance knowledge, and called oppression justice"

"Those words uttered by the Luminaries of Truth must needs be pondered, and should their significance be not grasped, enlightenment should be sought from the Trustees of the depositories of Knowledge, that these may expound their meaning, and unravel their mystery. For it behooveth no man to interpret the holy words according to his own imperfect understanding, nor having found them to be contrary to his inclination and desires to reject and repudiate their truth. For such, today, is the manner of the divines and doctors of the age, who occupy the seats of knowledge and learning, and who have named ignorance knowledge, and called oppression justice."  Kitáb-i-Iqán (p.182)

Similarly to Muhammad Who, in referring to the Imams who were destined to succeed Him and be the sole interpreters of His word, stated in the Qu’ran: "Ask ye therefore, of them that have the custody of the Scriptures, if ye know it not." Bahá’u’lláh has likewise cautioned "no man to interpret the holy words according to his own imperfect understanding..." or "contrary to his inclination and desires..." and has enjoined those who do not grasp the significance of the revealed Word to seek enlightenment from the "Trustees of the depositories of Knowledge" (the depositories of Knowledge being their revealed Writings).

It is obvious that these Trustees (note the plurality) must be living to provide this sole source of interpretation as long as the Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh endures. Is it not clear, therefore, that Bahá’u’lláh promised that there would be this continued source of interpretation following the Ascension of `Abdu’l-Bahá? And, therefore, `Abdu’l-Bahá provided for this continuing source of interpretation in the Institution of the Guardianship in His Will and Testament, a sacred Document that should actually be considered a part of the immutable explicit holy Text and nothing less than "Their Will" for, as Shoghi Effendi has explained in his work God Passes By : "This Instrument can, if we would correctly appraise it, no more be divorced from the One Who provided the motivating impulse for its creation than from Him Who directly conceived it."

Yet, in complete disregard of the foregoing, this divinely-conceived, co-authored, immutable and sacred Document has been shamefully and inexplicably repudiated by those who contend that the Guardianship of the Cause of God has come to and end only thirty-six years after the inception of the Administrative Order "fashioned by the hand of its perfect Architect" in which the Guardian has been designated both the Head of the Faith and the "sacred head for life" of its supreme legislative Organ.

Joel B. Marangella
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I have never understood the logic....

I have never understood the logic of the bogus Universal House of Justice that justifies their position of not having a living guardian, yet claiming to be the central authority of the Bahá'í Faith. They use a segment of the Most Holy Book, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, to give credence to their position. The line of the Aghsán (Bahá'u'lláh’s sons; page 239 “God Passes By“) had ended, and were thus not available for succession. But that possibility had been addressed by ‘Abdu'l-Bahá (with Bahá'u'lláh’s co-authorship) in His Will and Testament in His discussion of guardianship succession. He provided that another branch, with specific spiritual attributes, would be appropriate should an Aghsán not be available. The Will mentions nothing about endowments dedicated to charity among the requirements for succession. Nor does it address that a Universal House of Justice may be formed without a living guardian, and then assume the guardianship responsibilities.

The Will stipulates the manner in which a proper Universal House of Justice must be organized in order for it to comply with the Mind of Bahá'u'lláh. It additionally tells of the essentiality of the guardian of the Cause of God to provide its proper leadership in the conduct of its responsibilities. The Kitáb-i-Aqdas discusses the mechanics of neither of them. The Will does that quite adequately. Nowhere in any of the Holy Writings does it discuss that a Universal House of Justice may exist absent a living guardian, nor that the Bahá'í Faith may exist without his presence as the Center of the Covenant.
  
The Kitáb-i-Aqdas does indeed refer to endowments dedicated to charity as well as the Huqúq'u'lláh, the fixed money offering (the Right of God.) However, it discusses them separately, only with reference to their handling. The Huqúq'u'lláh, is to be managed within the offices of the guardian of the Cause, while endowments dedicated to charity resides with the UHJ. The two were to be managed separately, yet the bogus UHJ handles both. Neither was intended to be a vehicle for guardianship succession.

David Maxwell

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They hung on to any flimsy straw that they could

Rúhíyyih Khánum and the former Hands who followed her in violation of the Covenant, as well as the headless and spiritually dead body that they created, all followed a common pattern in which they projected a picture of Shoghi Effendi, the first Guardian of the Cause of God, as a weak, irresponsible and careless person who was unfaithful to the
Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá, and without being vouchsafed divine guidance, inspiration, and the protection of God.

They hung on to any flimsy straw that they could to say that he did not fulfill his divine obligation of appointing his successor during his own lifetime. This is in contradiction to many of the writings of Ruhiyyih Khanum and the former Hands and those who now run the bogus UHJ, who, on the one hand, attest to his spirituality, preeminence, precision, hard working and undoubted faithfulness to the provisions of the Will and Testament, while, on the other, they ignore the fact that Shoghi Effendi had, in strict and faithful accordance with that sacred Document appointed "in his own lifetime him that shall become his successor."

Nosrat

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those words of the first Guardian all count

Yes, as Bahá'ís, we might expect Christians to make such a statement or other religionists or their leaders.  However, could any true Bahá'í expect her/his fellow Bahá'ís to make or to endorse/support such a statement or attitude of negation and contradiction towards the official written words of the first of our Guardians, Shoghi Effendi?

Concerning those quoted words of Shoghi Effendi recorded in God Passes By,  "  the most brilliant and wondrous tale of a century that has ever been told", of which history  Rúhíyyih Khánum wrote :

"...every word counts"

"...each design perfect in itself",

Orthodox Bahá'ís certainly believe his words.

Evidently  Rúhíyyih Khánum believed neither Shoghi Effendi's words, nor even her own words which she wrote concerning his words  recorded in God Passes By.   He wrote very specificaly about the hereditary Guardianship of the Bahá'í Faith and its accompanying power and authority to interpret "the words of God",  which " must and will, in a manner unparalleled in any previous religion, safeguard from schism the Faith from which it has sprung."

Othodox Bahá'ís believe that those words of the first Guardian all count.

Heterodox  Bahá'ís demonstrate by their words and actions that they believe that his words do not count.

Ross Campbell

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there was no mention whatsoever that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the divinely-inspired Architect

Recently a magazine has been placed in my hands titled: “THE BAHÁ’ÍS” published by the “Office of Public Information of the Bahá’í International Community” of the heterodox Bahá’í organization and distributed by the heterodox Bahá’í Publishing Trust of the United States. It was published initially in 1992 and reprinted in 1999 and undoubtedly has since been reprinted.

It is an attractive 80 page magazine obviously designed primarily to appeal to the non-Bahá’í reader containing nine principal articles on various aspects of the Faith and many photographs in colour of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, former Hands of the Cause, the members of the first illegitimate Universal House of Justice, the holy Shrines, the several Bahá’í Temples, and various Bahá’í groups.

The article that has particularly caught my attention is one titled: “A System for Global Governance” with the subtitle, “The Bahá’í Administrative Order” comprising some three pages interspersed with several photographs.  Perhaps I should not have been shocked, upon reading this article, written to inform the non-Bahá’í reader about the Bahá’í Administrative Order of the Faith, although I was, when I noted that that there was no mention whatsoever that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the divinely-inspired Architect of that Order.

However, as the articles in this publication are all written by heterodox Bahá’ís who believe that the Guardianship ended with the passing of Shoghi Effendi, it should have come as no surprise that they would omit any reference to the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for fear that if that sacred and divinely-conceived Document were to be reviewed by the same readers, they would inevitably perceive the essentiality and indispensability of the Institution of the Guardianship to the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. For they would discover that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had made the Guardian of the Cause of God not only the “Center of the Cause,” assisted by Hands of the Cause appointed solely by him, but had been endowed with the exclusive right of interpreting Bahá’í Holy Writ and been made the “sacred head” of the supreme administrative body of the Faith—the Universal House of Justice— which under their administrative organization was now a headless body.

Joel B. Marangella

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a statement of momentous import

I noted a message from Shoghi Effendi, dated November 23, 1951, titled: "The Last and Irretrievable Chance of Setting the Seal of Triumph Upon a Momentous Undertaking" that included, to my great surprise, a statement of momentous import that had previously escaped my attention, when first read many years ago as it must have, as well, escaped the attention of all the believers who read this message at the time. Even more critically, the significance of this statement was tragically overlooked or ignored by the Hands of the Cause some six years later, following the passing of Shoghi Effendi, with tragic results for the future of the Faith. No doubt, in view of the import of the statement contained in this message, the tremendous significance of which, if had been then discerned by the believers, would have caused widespread shock, consternation and unbelief, Shoghi Effendi had obviously purposely chosen to obscure its significance. He accomplished this by applying an unfamiliar term to the International Institution mentioned in his message and one he had but recently established in the Holy Land. On the other hand, it is doubtful that he had anticipated that his reference to this International Institution and its projected preeminent future active role would be so completely overlooked and disregarded upon his passing, particularly by the Hands of the Cause, who, at their first conclave in ‘Akká, in their unseemly haste to declare the Guardianship of the Faith ended, had taken no time to review and consider the import and the implications of, not only this message but the other historic messages that he had penned as his ministry drew to a close, including most importantly his Proclamation of 9 January 1951.

Inexplicably, and surprisingly I found that this message had been omitted from the well known book titled: MESSAGES TO THE BAHA’I WORLD 1950-1957 by Shoghi Effendi which it had always been my impression contained all of the important messages written in English that had been dispatched to the Bahá’í world by Shoghi Effendi during the seven closing years of his ministry.

The term in Shoghi Effendi’s message of November 23,1951 referring to the International Institution and the statement that carries such import with respect to its projected role, is found in the excerpt quoted below....

Joel B. Marangella

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Does not that give one pause?

Did Shoghi Effendi ever discuss that a Universal House of Justice would evolve into an entity that would lack any of the Institutions prescribed by 'Abdu'l-Baha? He did not. Just by that fact alone one should be suspect of any organization claiming lineage to the Will and Testament that lacks every one of the Institutions named by 'Abdu'l-Baha. Oh, they call themselves one of the named Institutions, the Universal House of Justice, but in fact it is not a UHJ as defined by 'Abdu'l-Baha, since it lacks at its head a guardian, the only individual named by 'Abdu'l-Baha to have a mantle of infallibility. So, on what basis do they claim to be infallible? The organization posturing itself as the UHJ has to downplay the words of 'Abdu'l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi in order to remain in business, for in fact, Shoghi Effendi spent his ministry touting the Will and Testament and promoting its clauses. It can be honestly stated that he reinforced 'Abdu'l-Baha's directions and never once questioned or rescinded any of them. Does not that give one pause?

David Maxwell
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