Few things are so confusing as the situation of having multiple claimants to the Guardianship of the Bahá'í Faith. It is straightforward enough to understand that the larger Bahá'í organization has done away with the Guardianship after the death of the first Guardian. It is very confusing, however, for those who believe that Shoghi Effendi did not fail in his duty, under the explicit provisions of `Abdu'l-Bahá's Will and Testament, to appoint his successor during his lifetime. There are a number of present claimants to the Guardianship. The only thing to do is to carefully consider and assess the arguments put forth by these claimants in a reasonable and rational manner.
In this article, I will discuss the claim to the Guardianship by Neal Chase of the group known as Bahá'ís Under the Provisions of the Covenant ("BUPC).
The BUPC believe that the Guardian must be an Aghsán (that is a son of Bahá'u'lláh). While they recognize that there were no bloodline Aghsán available to serve as the Guardian, they claim that the Guardianship now passes by adoption by the present Guardian of his successor. The BUPC do not insist upon a formal legal adoption for their purposes, but instead rely upon some objective manifestation of intent to adopt such as the passing of relics, i.e. a medallion, hair or blood, or other indication of intention. The BUPC accept Mason Remey as the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith on the basis that he was grafted into the Aghsán line when he was allegedly adopted by `Abdu'l-Bahá (He often referred to Mason as His son and the BUPC claim that `Abdu'l-Bahá gave Mason Remey (through Shoghi Effendi) relics of Bahá'u'lláh's blood and hair (symbolic of being grafted into the lineage).... CLICK TO READ MORE
Jeffrey
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