The following is an email received from a believer from the Bahá'í World Faith or BWF (that is, the large organization presently headquartered in Haifa and Wilmette)
Hello loved one:
I am deeply saddened to see a sect, regardless of where you believe it came from, that is outside of the original safeguard of The Baha'i Faith. Finding such small obscurities and creating a counsel that goes directly against the teachings of Baha'u'llah himself is something you surely should be able to see is being done. "Conflict and contention are in no wise permissable" Baha'u'llah. Surely you must see that creating a rift in any piece of The Faith, regardless of where you think it came from, is going against the basis laws of our belief's. To create boundaries in a religion that loves humanity and which see's no boundaries amongst itself is allowing human interpretation to wrench the purpose of our belief's from us, leaving only segments and fractions of our purpose, which is to be unified. I pray for you and your followers that you might ask to return to the majority, regardless of your belief of who came after The Guardian, simply because Baha'u'llah would never want us separated for any means, especially those means created by our own self. Can you not see that unity triumphs separation of The Faith in every way?
With appreciation, love, and sincerity for the best in your life,
(signed) (a BWF believer)
Here is my response:
Dear _____,
I have no desire to convert or convince you of anything because I am secure in my knowledge of the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, and it makes no difference to me whether or not you agree with me. I respond because I see your letter as a sincere inquiry and therefore I will reply sincerely.
It saddens me too to see that there is an organization of Bahá'ís "that is outside of the original safeguard of the Bahá'í Faith." But have you ever stopped to ask or to investigate which one of the organizations that calls itself Bahá'í is the original? Do you simply assume that the organization you belong to is the correct one without investigating? Why do you believe this is a matter of "small obscurities"? Isn't it the most important question to ask BEFORE you accept an authority is from where does this authority flow? Not a small obscurity at all.
You speak of the basic laws of our belief, but have you examined these laws independently or do you just do and believe as you are told? Is not the independent investigation of truth one of the basic laws of our belief? Has your investigation been independent or have you just mindlessly accepted what you are told? Do you fear investigating the truth of this question or is your faith so deep that you have no fear at all about what I believe?
`Abdu'l-Bahá, from Star of the West, vol 11, p. 243:
"Whosoever utters a word you must ask: 'Where is the authority of the Center of the Covenant? Show it.' Without this you must not listen to him. If an angel comes down from heaven and has no authority from the Center of the Covenant, you must require his authority. Otherwise the vineyard will become withered and dry. This is the reality."
`Abdu'l-Bahá is saying do not mindlessly accept the authority of anyone, even an angel from heaven, but it is necessary to question it at first before you follow: Where is the authority? Did He say to follow the majority or did He say to question whether the one who claims authority has received it from the appointed Center?
You say that unity is the central teaching of the Faith, but have you ever considered what are the Faith's teachings on how that unity will be achieved? Is it from mindless conformity with the majority opinion or from filing a lawsuit against those you disagree?
In the Will and Testament, `Abdu'l-Bahá answers the question of how unity will be achieved in the Bahá'í Faith:
"The mighty stronghold shall remain impregnable and safe through obedience to him who is the Guardian of the Cause of God. It is incumbent upon the members of the House of Justice, upon all the Aghsan, the Afnan, the Hands of the Cause of God to show their obedience, submissiveness and subordination unto the Guardian of the Cause of God, to turn unto him and be lowly before him. He that opposeth him hath opposed the True One, will make a breach in the Cause of God, will subvert His Word and will become a manifestation of the Center of Sedition. Beware, beware, lest the days after the ascension (of Bahá'u'lláh) be repeated when the Center of Sedition waxed haughty and rebellious and with Divine Unity for his excuse deprived himself and perturbed and poisoned others."
He is saying do not use "Divine Unity" for an excuse to oppose the Guardian. Everyone must obey the Guardian and that is how unity will be achieved. He specifically names the Hands and the Universal House of Justice and says they must be obedient and submissive to the Guardian. Have you investigated whether or not your organization is in compliance with this injunction? Do you think this is a matter of obscurities? Really?
You wrote:
"To create boundaries in a religion that loves humanity and which see's [Sic] no boundaries amongst itself is allowing human interpretation to wrench the purpose of our belief's from us, leaving only segments and fractions of our purpose, which is to be unified."
I agree with you! So why has your organization embarked on a campaign to silence me? Why does it shun me and my family and file court cases against my Faith? They did not tell you about that, did they?
For information about the court case, go here:
http://www.truebahai.com/court_case.html
Here is an essay I wrote explaining the court case your NSA of the USA filed against us: http://www.truebahai.com/2011/04/personal-reflections.html
It sounds to me like YOU are the ones creating boundaries!
I truly hope that you awaken to the Truth of this matter and that you do not take for granted what you believe and sit there complacent in following those who usurped the authority of the Faith and who are bent upon destroying the Faith. You see, covenant breaking really is a spiritual disease and it is readily apparent that your organization already caught it. The only way to heal from this disease is to OPEN UP YOUR MIND AND YOUR HEART TO THE TRUTH.
Jeffrey
