True Bahá'í

Inquiry from a Baha'i: Give up those "small obscurities" and return to the majority

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

 

Personal Reflections on the United States NSA's Legal Attack Against the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith

    Imagine my dismay when, on November 26, 2006, I received a copy of the "Motion for Rule to Show Cause" filed by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States against the Guardian, Joel B. Marangella, Hand of the Cause Franklin Schlatter, and the Provisional National Bahá'í Council ("PNBC"), the governing body of the Orthodox Bahá'ís in the United States.

    I became an Orthodox Bahá'í in 1997, after researching the claims of the various groups who call themselves "Bahá'í." Prior to that, since 1980 I had been a declared member in good standing of the Bahá'í Faith under the majority group whose sans-Guardian Universal House of Justice sits in Haifa (hereinafter referred to as "Bahá'í World Faith" or "BWF" ). I had not previously known other Bahá'í organizations even existed, having been told that they died out long ago, but the truth became revealed when I began surfing the internet. I read the materials of several so-called covenant breaking groups, but I did not catch a spiritual disease! Instead I came to realize that I had not been told the truth, and that I already had a spiritual disease by virtue of giving my support to an organization (BWF) that was, knowingly or not, in opposition to the true Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh.

    My healing from this spiritual disease of covenant-breaking only began when I declared under the Guardianship of Joel B. Marangella. My decision was instantly confirmed to be the correct one simply by the reaction of the BWF community, which was devoid of courage, conviction, or integrity. Their reaction was filled with fear and a stubborn refusal to even consider the facts. I was declared a covenant-breaker and my family and I were shunned. My 12-year old daughter was devastated when the community members who she thought were her friends was told (outside of my presence) that they would never speak to her again for a reason that was beyond her comprehension but which they did not bother to even explain. It took her many years before she got over the shock of this cruel treatment at the hands of the BWF members. Every one of them should feel very ashamed of themselves for this cruel fanatic behavior for which there is no excuse. They will answer for this crime when their souls seek admittance into the Abha Kingdom.

     The people in the group seem so loving to a casual observer. But underneath there is this cult-like atmosphere in which people are not free to be themselves. They are constantly answering to their Administration for everything.

     The most striking thing is that out of all the persons in the BWF who called themselves my friend, only one of them even considered or listened to the true facts that I had discovered about the Faith (and she too joined the OBF and was declared a covenant breaker). There was so much irrational fear in the community that they could not bring themselves to consider any of the arguments or even to read their own writings on the subject. All that they knew was that the so-called "Counselors" had decided that I was a covenant-breaker and therefore that I was spiritually diseased and must be shunned, or even if they thought maybe I was sincere they only knew that they did not want to hear about it and risk being shunned as well. It became readily apparent that I did not belong in the BWF and that my fellow "Bahá'ís" of the BWF were not truly Bahá'ís at all but were cult members driven by fear and manipulative coercion rather than true faith. The BWF was a complete fraud.

     I truly did not give it much thought after that but went on with my life. It was almost a decade later when I received the contempt motion from the NSA for my review. My fellow Orthodox Bahá'ís were aware that I was an attorney already admitted to the bar of the United States District Court in Chicago, Illinois. My initial reaction was disbelief that the NSA would engage in this behavior, to try to silence the Orthodox Bahá'ís by preventing them from calling themselves Bahá'ís, publicly using the words and symbols of the Greatest Name, and that they would be so blind that they would seek to use the power of the federal court to enforce their belief that there was one and only one Faith of Bahá'u'lláh and nobody else but them should be allowed to make this claim. They were so fanatical that they would be willing to damage the First Amendment principles of the United States in order to silence a small group of "dissident" Bahá'ís they referred to as "Remeyites."

    A closer look at this matter revealed that the NSA had long ago attacked the First Amendment of the United States. There was the unsuccessful attempt to have a New York court in 1941 prevent Ahmad Sohrab from calling himself a Bahá'í. He was the former secretary of `Abdu'l-Bahá who Shoghi Effendi declared to be a covenant-breaker. After the NSA was told by that Court that it could not have the exclusive right to the term Bahá'í, the NSA tried again 25 years later, when it obtained a default judgment against the National Spiritual Assembly under the Hereditary Guardianship (the "Remey NSA") in 1966. At Mason Remey's behest, the Remey NSA had filed suit against the Wilmette NSA seeking control over the assets of the Faith as being the true NSA. The Wilmette NSA counter-claimed saying it had the right to exclusive control.

    Although it was not settled law at the time, the U.S. courts may not decide religious disputes. In a dispute between competing religious organizations, the courts can only decide questions of property law. Therefore, whether the Wilmette NSA or the Remey NSA were legitimate under the Law of Bahá'u'lláh is not relevant to the courts of the United States. Under federal law, the Wilmette NSA was a clear winner simply because it was the corporate entity that legally controlled the assets of the Bahá'í Faith in the United States. Had the Wilmette NSA as a corporate body sided with Mason Remey then the property of the Faith would still belong to that corporate body and the Bahá'ís under the Guardianship would have taken control over all assets of the Faith. Even though the Wilmette NSA would have won anyway under neutral principles of property law, they proceeded to obtain that infamous 1966 Judgment against the Remey NSA.

    This 1966 Judgment is an embarrassment to the federal courts and to the NSA. The Remey NSA was unaware there was a hearing on it at the time (this is evidenced by the minutes of the Remey NSA meeting shortly after the 1966 Judgment), its attorney did not show up to the hearing, and the Wilmette NSA apparently just wrote a default Judgment which was signed by the Judge. That Judgment made findings that the Wilmette NSA's organization was the one and only true Bahá'í Faith, that Shoghi Effendi was the one and only Guardian, and that the Remey NSA and its members were not allowed to publicly declare themselves to be "Bahá'í" or to associate themselves publicly with anything "Bahá'í" including the sacred images and words of the Greatest Name. They were allowed under the Judgment to practice privately although they could not publicly teach their Faith (which is a personal obligation of every believer).

    This was a federal court order declaring the BWF to be the one and only form of Bahá'í Faith to be allowed in the United States. The conduct of the NSA in having this Judgment entered was to jeopardize the First Amendment of the United States. However, nothing ever came of it for 40 years.

    But on November 26, 2006, when I was looking at the Wilmette NSA's Motion that sought to hold the OBF in contempt of court it was impossible for me to understand how the Wilmette NSA was now seeking to actually enforce this grossly unconstitutional and erroneous Judgment in a modern day Court. Despite the shameful treatment by this organization against me and despite their shameful past court actions, I still stood there in disbelief that this organization could stoop so low.

    As if their shunning behavior against me was not enough, their Motion specifically included my own personal teaching web site as being in violation of the 1966 Judgment. That outrageous Judgment was now being used in an attempt to silence me and prevent me from teaching my own religious views!

    The Motion for Contempt was stating that the OBF was the same thing as the Remey NSA, that we were "Remeyites" and all of us were bound by the Judgment. The NSA was basically saying that the 1966 Judgment made the OBF illegal in the United States (and also the BUPC a separate organization that was also attacked by the Wilmette NSA) and that the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith could not declare publicly that he was a Bahá'í!

    The Remey NSA never appealed the Judgment back in 1966 because Mason Remey instructed them not to seek reconsideration or appeal of the Judgment "regardless of the consequences". This was incredibly unwise from a legal point of view because no matter how unconstitutional it is, the consequences are that once the Judgment is final it generally cannot be challenged or overturned. Although Orthodox Bahá'ís don't believe Remey was the Guardian at the time, the members of the Remey NSA believed at the time he still was the Guardian and they obeyed him, and so the Judgment became final. At Remey's behest, the Remey NSA was dissolved and the Bahá'í Faith under the Guardianship practically ceased to exist. The remnants of that organization entered into inactivity from that point forward.

     Forty years later, this all became a problem for me as the attorney for the Orthodox Bahá'í Faith. The Court wanted to hold a hearing and make a factual determination whether the OBF was in legal "privity" with the Remey NSA under religiously neutral law. If it was in privity then the OBF would be presumably bound by the Judgment and the OBF would not be able to challenge its validity. It would be as if the OBF had the same identity, legally speaking, with the Remey NSA and therefore had the same rights and obligations under the Judgment. It would have meant that the OBF was effectively outlawed by the 1966 Judgment.

     Suddenly the very strange history of the founding of the OBF was very relevant to the findings of the Court. The NSA wanted to show that the OBF was a continuation of the Remey NSA. The NSA argued: Even though the Remey NSA was dissolved and ceased to function in 1966, the remnants of that organization such as the late Hand of the Cause of God Franklin Schlatter and the Guardian, Joel B. Marangella, for all practical purposes revived the Remey NSA as the OBF and PNBC. Therefore, Franklin Schlatter and Joel B. Marangella (both of whom were instrumental figures in the Remey organization), the PNBC, and all those who they attracted to the OBF, were now bound to the Judgment just the same. The PNBC was nothing more than the alter ego of the Remey NSA. It simply was the remnant of the Remey NSA continuing to function as the Remey NSA under the name of PNBC and doing exactly what the Remey NSA did which was carrying on the Guardianship with the only difference being that this organization had recognized Marangella as the religious successor to Remey.

    What the NSA argued could have easily been the history of the OBF, but in truth that was not what happened. The OBF presented the facts about the founding of the OBF at trial in Chicago, before Judge St. Eve. In preparing for this trial, it became apparent the strange and embarrassing history and origin of the OBF was a gift from God because nobody else could have orchestrated such a perfect case. The truth of the OBF's origins, the facts that history presented to me, comprise the perfect defense for the OBF against the NSA's allegations.

    The facts shown at trial were that the Mason Remey organization and all of its remnants had forever ceased to function in the United States by Mason's own orders. Joel B. Marangella did not recognize these orders because Joel claimed to be the Guardian since 1965 when Mason activated the IBC with Joel as the President of the Second International Bahá'í Council, which under Mason's teachings as the second Guardian meant that Remey had abdicated the Guardianship and turned over the Guardianship to Joel B. Marangella. At the time when Mason instructed the Remey NSA not to appeal the Judgment, Joel was the Guardian and therefore the OBF did not get its day in court since it was Remey who made the ultimate decision. Under legal principles, there was a split between the two organizations. There was no privity between the OBF and the Remey organization because the OBF and the defunct Remey organization and its remnants were two distinct and competing organizations under competing leadership for many years. There was no similarity in how the two organizations functioned. The only thing the two organizations had in common were some religious beliefs, all of which are irrelevant to a Court that is obligated to apply and follow religiously neutral civil law to the dispute rather than deciding religious disputes on their merits.

    It was certainly the work of divine Providence that Mason abdicated the Guardianship and apparently later had forgotten that he had done so, continuing to assume the functions as the Guardian even though he had passed the mantle of spiritual authority to Joel. Because of this, in order to join the OBF, you had to leave the unorganized remnants of the Remey NSA organization, turn away from Mason and his religious organization, and affirmatively join Joel in a legally separate organization.

     Thanks to Providence, the the OBF was not in legal privity with the Remey NSA and therefore was not bound by the Judgment. If not for the facts of history, Judge St. Eve might have found that the OBF was in privity and therefore subject to the outrageous Judgment of 1966 without the ability to overturn the Judgment. I did raise the argument that the Court in 2006, in the event the Court did find the OBF was in privity, that it could only enforce those parts of the Judgment that were not unconstitutional because it would be engaging in unconstitutional acts such as shutting down OBF web sites and prohibiting the OBF from identifying themselves with their own Faith. However, I am overjoyed that Judge St. Eve never had to decide that question because she first decided after considering the facts presented at trial in Chicago, Illinois that under neutral principles of federal law the OBF was not the same organization or in continuity with or legally identified with the one headed up by the Remey NSA and therefore that Judgment did not apply to the OBF.

     Happily the 1966 Judgment is now a matter of history. Thankfully, it is probably no longer a threat to anyone. Unfortunately, the Wilmette NSA remains a threat to the First Amendment unless it gives up its mania for squelching the religious freedoms of those who disagree with it. It is my hope and wish that the Wilmette NSA will finally realize that you cannot enforce unity with a court order. The NSA simply must tolerate the existence of other groups of Bahá'í at least in the United States or it runs the risk of forever ruining the name of the Faith making synonymous the word "Bahá'í" and "enemy of freedom of speech and religion." I certainly would be happy to tolerate and co-exist with all of the other Bahá'í groups in existence regardless of whether I agree with their beliefs. How could it possibly be that tolerance for others' religious views cannot be attained by a group of people who call themselves Bahá'í?

Jeffrey

To see the court documents in the case, follow this link:
http://www.truebahai.com/court_case.html

Does belief in Jesus as my Saviour preclude me from being an Orthodox Bahá'í?

From a recent inquiry and response:

I believe that Jesus Christ is my Saviour,that He is the Manifestation of God. Does that preclude me from becoming an Orthodox Bahá'í? Perhaps as an Orthodox Bahá'í I will become a better Christian?

I do think that your belief in the Lord Jesus Christ does not preclude you from becoming an Orthodox Bahá'í  and I do believe that it would make you a better Christian.

Before I explain, I want to make sure that you know that you have reached the Orthodox Bahá'ís,  which is a small group of believers and which is not to be confused with the larger group of Bahá'ís whose headquarters presently is in Haifa Israel. Although we have many beliefs in common, we have fundamental religious disagreement with them and our organizations are not the same.

I also want to preface my response that the Orthodox Bahá'ís are not seeking to convert anyone, although we certainly do wish to share what we consider to be uplifting and deeply spiritual teachings and Writings, and a spiritual power that emanates from them, with anyone who is interested about our Faith. I say this because I want to be clear that we do not feel, as many others do, that the circumstance of whether someone accepts or rejects our Faith will enhance or diminish us. The acceptance of the Manifestation of God in every age is a matter between God and the individual.

From my experience and observations, it seems to me that the Writings of His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh, the Manifestation of God for this Day and the Founder of the Bahá'í religion, are keys that unlock the truths contained in the Holy Scriptures of all revealed religions. I have found that to become a true Bahá'í, I first had to become a true Jew, a true Christian, and a true Muslim.

Bahá'u'lláh taught that truth is progressively revealed to humanity by a succession of Manifestations of God, who in every age reveal the social teachings and laws for the time and place where They appear and who reveal a measure of universal spiritual truth and power according to the ever-increasing capacity of humanity at that age. These Manifestations of God have released the power that has caused the social and spiritual evolution of mankind over the ages. If you think of a schoolhouse as being the Religion of God and the teachers in the school as the Manifestations, you would conclude that each of them are equal in stature, intelligence, and ability. Yet the first  grade teacher is teaching the most basic facts of the various subjects while the eleventh grade teacher is teaching much more advanced material and new subjects that are completely beyond the ken of the first graders. The teacher, of course, is going to present the material in accordance with the needs and capacities of her students. Likewise, God sends Manifestations of God to humanity to from to time to time to reveal more religious truth and to bring a fresh spiritual power to receptive persons who become spiritually transformed or saved by allowing this power to enter into their hearts.

The truths revealed by Bahá'u'lláh take nothing away from the power of the Revelations of Christ or Muhammad or Moses, and the other Manifestations of God.

His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh:

"The door of the knowledge of the Ancient of Days being thus closed in the face of all beings, the Source of infinite grace, according to His saying, "His grace hath transcended all things; My grace hath encompassed them all," hath caused those luminous Gems of Holiness to appear out of the realm of the spirit, in the noble form of the human temple, and be made manifest unto all men, that they may impart unto the world the mysteries of the unchangeable Being, and tell of the subtleties of His imperishable Essence.

"These sanctified Mirrors, these Day Springs of ancient glory, are, one and all, the Exponents on earth of Him Who is the central Orb of the universe, its Essence and ultimate Purpose. From Him proceed their knowledge and power; from Him is derived their sovereignty. The beauty of their countenance is but a reflection of His image, and their revelation a sign of His deathless glory. They are the Treasuries of Divine knowledge, and the Repositories of celestial wisdom. Through them is transmitted a grace that is infinite, and by them is revealed the Light that can never fade.... These Tabernacles of Holiness, these Primal Mirrors which reflect the light of unfading glory, are but expressions of Him Who is the Invisible of the Invisibles. By the revelation of these Gems of Divine virtue all the names and attributes of God, such as knowledge and power, sovereignty and dominion, mercy and wisdom, glory, bounty, and grace, are made manifest.

"These attributes of God are not, and have never been, vouchsafed specially unto certain Prophets, and withheld from others. Nay, all the Prophets of God, His well-favored, His holy and chosen Messengers are, without exception, the bearers of His names, and the embodiments of His attributes. They only differ in the intensity of their revelation, and the comparative potency of their light. Even as He hath revealed: "Some of the Apostles We have caused to excel the others."

from Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, pp. 47-48.

Bahá'u'lláh further explains the essential spiritual unity of all of the Manifestations of God even while recognizing the obvious truth that they are not the same:

"Thus it is that Jesus, Himself, declared: "I go away and come again unto you." Consider the sun. Were it to say now, "I am the sun of yesterday," it would speak the truth. And should it, bearing the sequence of time in mind, claim to be other than that sun, it still would speak the truth. In like manner, if it be said that all the days are but one and the same, it is correct and true. And if it be said, with respect to their particular names and designations, that they differ, that again is true. For though they are the same, yet one doth recognize in each a separate designation, a specific attribute, a particular character. Conceive accordingly the distinction, variation, and unity characteristic of the various Manifestations of holiness, that thou mayest comprehend the allusions made by the Creator of all names and attributes to the mysteries of distinction and unity, and discover the answer to thy question as to why that everlasting Beauty should have, at sundry times, called Himself by different names and titles...."

from Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 22.

I could go on about progressive revelation but it would be best for you to read for yourself.  The book Kitáb-i-Iqán (The Book of Certitude) is Bahá'u'lláh's deep exposition on this subject.

As to the question of being an Orthodox Baha'i making you a better Christian, I believe that the principles of our Faith are completely aligned with the teachings of His Holiness Jesus Christ. I quote from `Abdu'l-Bahá, the Son of Bahá'u'lláh, who is the authorized Interpreter of His Holy Writings:

"[T]he holy Manifestations of God, the divine prophets, are the first teachers of the human race. They are universal educators and the fundamental principles they have laid down are the causes and factors of the advancement of nations. Forms and imitations which creep in afterward are not conducive to that progress. On the contrary these are destroyers of human foundations established by the heavenly educators. These are clouds which obscure the Sun of Reality. If you reflect upon the essential teachings of Jesus you will realize that they are the light of the world. Nobody can question their truth. They are the very source of life and the cause of happiness to the human race. The forms and superstitions which appeared and obscured the light did not affect the reality of Christ. For example, His Holiness Jesus Christ said: "Put up the sword into the sheath." The meaning is that warfare is forbidden and abrogated; but consider the Christian wars which took place afterward. Christian hostility and inquisition spared not even the learned; he who proclaimed the revolution of the earth was imprisoned; he who announced the new astronomical system was persecuted as a heretic; scholars and scientists became objects of fanatical hatred and many were killed and tortured. How do these actions conform with the teachings of Jesus Christ and what relation do they bear to his own example? For Christ declared: "Love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you that you may be sons of your Father which is in Heaven; for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust." How can hatred, hostility and persecution be reconciled with Christ and His teachings?

"Therefore there is need of turning back to the original foundation. The fundamental principles of the prophets are correct and true. The imitations and superstitions which have crept in are at wide variance with the original precepts and commands. His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh has revoiced and re-established the quintessence of the teachings of all the prophets, setting aside the accessories and purifying religion from human interpretation. He has written a book entitled Hidden Words. The preface announces that it contains the essences of the words of the prophets of the past clothed in the garment of brevity for the teaching and spiritual guidance of the people of the world. Read it that you may understand the true foundations of religion and reflect upon the inspiration of the messengers of God. It is light upon light."

from Baha'i World Faith - `Abdu'l-Bahá Section, pp. 250-251.

I recommend that you read the book mentioned in the above passage, The Hidden Words, if you wish to experience the transformative power of this Revelation.  But all of the teachings of the Orthodox Baha'i Faith are to promote the spiritual growth of mankind and to establish a society based upon truth.  We believe that the Writings of our Faith include the blueprint for the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven, as prophesied by the Lord Jesus Christ. I further must include in this response by boldly proclaiming our belief that Bahá'u'lláh is the return of Jesus in "the Glory of the Father." The name Bahá'u'lláh translates into English as "Glory of God."

From the writings of Shoghi Effendi, the first Guardian of the Baha'i Faith: "For the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh -- if we would faithfully appraise it -- can never, and in no aspect of its teachings, be at variance, much less conflict, with the purpose animating, or the authority invested in, the Faith of Jesus Christ. This glowing tribute which Bahá'u'lláh Himself has been moved to pay to the Author of the Christian Religion stands as sufficient testimony to the truth of this central principle of Bahá'í belief: -- "Know thou that when the Son of Man yielded up His breath to God, the whole creation wept with a great weeping. By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things. Its evidences, as witnessed in all the peoples of the earth, are now manifest before thee. The deepest wisdom which the sages have uttered, the profoundest learning which any mind hath unfolded, the arts which the ablest hands have produced, the influence exerted by the most potent of rulers, are but manifestations of the quickening power released by His transcendent, His all-pervasive and resplendent Spirit. We testify that when He came into the world, He shed the splendor of His glory upon all created things. Through Him the leper recovered from the leprosy of perversity and ignorance. Through Him the unchaste and wayward were healed. Through His power, born of Almighty God, the eyes of the blind were opened, and the soul of the sinner sanctified...He it is Who purified the world. Blessed is the man who, with a face beaming with light, hath turned towards Him."

from The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, pp. 185-186.

Jeffrey

Orthodox Bahá'í Statement on Persecution of Bahá'ís in Iran

Statement by the National Bahá’í Council for the Orthodox Bahá’ís of the United States Concerning the Persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran:

On behalf of the Orthodox Bahá’ís of the United States, we wish to express our dismay at the prison sentences imposed by the government of Iran against seven Bahá’ís in that country because of their religious activities. Although we have our differences with our fellow Bahá’ís who have rejected the Guardianship, we recognize a common bond with our fellow brothers and sisters in our devotion and belief in Bahá’u’lláh, the Manifestation of God for this day. Our hearts go out to them over this tragic persecution.

It is the position of the National Council that all human beings should be free to worship as they please and to engage in peaceful religious activity without interference from any government. We hold this true not only for ourselves but for persons of every religious and spiritual belief.  We urge the government of Iran to release their Bahá’í prisoners and to cease all restrictions against the freedom of all persons of every faith.

With love and appreciation for all people of faith,

National Bahá’í Council for the Orthodox Bahá’ís of the United States

A Brief Review of the Claims of Neal Chase to the Guardianship of the Bahá'í Faith

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

 

Appeals Court rules in favor of Orthodox Bahá'ís

The Court of Appeals for the United States Seventh Circuit issued its ruling on November 23, 2010, in the appeal brought by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States ("Wilmette NSA").  The Wilmette NSA brought the appeal after losing to the Orthodox Bahá'ís in the trial court on the NSA's motion to find the OBF in contempt for allegedly violating the 1966 Judgment entered against the Remey NSA.  The trial court found, and the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed, that the OBF was not legally identified with the Remey NSA and therefore the OBF was not bound by the 1966 Judgment.  In effect, the OBF may continue to use the sacred symbols and names of their faith, including the word "Bahá'í" unless and until a court decides otherwise.

For more information: http://www.truebahai.com/court_case.html

Brief Reflection on the Remembrance of God

In my Commentary on the Short Healing Prayer, I made mention of the Remembrance of God, the power of the Greatest Name as reflected in the Holy Maiden who appeared in and through Bahá'u'lláh. In this brief essay, I thought I would discuss more of this.

In Islam, Dhikrullah, or the Remembrance (invocation) of God is a devotional practice involving the repetition of the names of God, and other supplications or formulas taken from hadith texts and verses of the Qur'an. Muslims consider the Prophet Muhammad to be the embodiment of Dhikrullah. But it is the Spirit of Revelation, the Holy Maiden, who appears in the Manifestations of God, that Bahá'u'lláh describes as the embodiment of Remembrance:

“While engulfed in tribulations I heard a most wondrous, a most sweet voice, calling above My head. Turning My face, I beheld a Maiden—the embodiment of the remembrance of the name of My Lord—suspended in the air before Me. So rejoiced was she in her very soul that her countenance shone with the ornament of the good-pleasure of God, and her cheeks glowed with the brightness of the All-Merciful. Betwixt earth and heaven she was raising a call which captivated the hearts and minds of men.” Bahá'u'lláh, quoted in God Passes By, pp. 101-102.

Note that the call raised by the Holy Maiden is one which is to captivate our hearts and minds. This implies that not only must we approach the Manifestation of God, Bahá'u'lláh, but also that we must engage our hearts in a love relationship with the Holy Maiden, the Spirit of Bahá, and make a mystical connection with this glorious Being.

One of the central Institutions of the Cause of God is the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár which literally means "Dawning Place of the Remembrance of God". Again, the Bahá'í House of Worship is being identified with the Holy Maiden, the embodiment of Remembrance. From this holy place, the servants of God are to go out and perform selfless deeds of service. This service comes from hearts which have become ignited by communion with this Being.

"In reality, the radiant hearts are the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár" says `Abdu'l-Bahá (Tablets, Vol. III, p. 678). That is, the true dawning place is in the hearts of the individual who invokes the names of God.

In my view, there are two aspects of achieving Bahá'í unity: 1) the authority of, and obedience to, the Guardian in matters of scriptural interpretation; and 2) the individual's remembrance of God, a mystical relationship to the Spirit of Baha, born of devout worship and meditation and expressed in acts of selfless service to the Cause of God. This second aspect is the answer to those who would criticize this Faith as being consumed with administrative matters. In reality, it is the mystical connection with the Spirit of Bahá which forms the foundation of our unity. This implies a society of persons living together in unity, with each person being enlightened by the Holy Spirit, but at the same time all being united together in obedience to the Guardian so that the "revelations" of the individual are kept under control by being subjugated to the interpretations of the Center of the Cause.

I would love to see our community develop these ideas, and to grow into a new mature and refined understanding of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh.

Jeffrey

Commentary on the Short Healing Prayer

Thy name is my healing, O my God, and remembrance of Thee is my remedy. Nearness to Thee is my hope, and love for Thee is my companion. Thy mercy to me is my healing and my succor in both this world and the world to come. Thou, verily, art the All-Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

- Bahá’u’lláh

The above prayer, known by Bahá'ís as the "Short Healing Prayer" is a mystical gem containing deep secrets for the healing of ourselves and of our fellow brothers and sisters everywhere.

If you wish to heal yourself or others, you should memorize this beautiful prayer, meditate over its meaning, and recite it ceaselessly. It contains within its short phrases the healing of all the ills of men and women in our society. It is a great gift from God.

 The following is my own meditation over the meaning of this powerful healing prayer.

 Thy name is my healing, O my God

 Our healing is the Greatest Name of God, the Spirit of Bahá (Glory), Bahá'u'lláh (Glory of God), Bahá'u'l-Abhá (Glory of the All-Glorious), the most perfect expression of the Holy Spirit appearing in the world. This Spirit of Revelation, represented in the Person of the Holy Maiden, appeared to and in the Manifestation of God, Bahá'u'lláh, while He sat chained and imprisoned in the notoriously horrible Síyáh-Chál ("the black pit" or dungeon) of Tehran, in 1852. There is no other way to heal than to become attuned to this Spirit of Glory, to draw nearer to this Being Who, cannot be adequately described other than in the words of Bahá'u'lláh:

 "Exalted be God, Her creator, for what He caused Me to see in Her. Then blessed be God, Her fashioner, for the manifestation of might that I witnessed in Her beauty, and the modalities of power that I saw in Her splendor. At one time, I perceived Her as the sweet water of life, delicious and flowing through the realities of beings and the dark recesses of contingent things. I grew certain that the entirety of being survived by virtue of Her eternity, and continued to exist because of Her perpetuity. At another time, I perceived Her as a fire that had blazed forth in the divine bush, as though the element of fire had been created from a torch ignited by Her glowing embers. The hearts of both visible and invisible being were consumed by Her heat and flame when they were shaken by a delicate yearning for Her and a wondrous hankering for Her. It is as though the fragrance of the All- Merciful wafted from the apertures in Her garments. Praise be to God, Her creator, originator and fashioner.

"Then I drew near, till She stood before my face and gave utterance as a dove warbles in the realm of eternity, as though speaking in the wondrous music that hath no words, letters or sounds. It is as though all books appeared in commentary on the songs of Her innovation. I recognized all meaning in a single point therein. When I listened with my entire being, I heard the mention of God, the exalted, the most glorious, in Her tunes, and the name of God, the exalted, the most high, in Her melodies" Bahá'u'lláh, The Tablet of the Houri, translated by Juan R.I. Cole.

The "black pit" or dungeon of the human heart must be transformed by the Splendorous Light of the Greatest Name of God, Bahá'u'lláh, the All-Glorious Glory of God, into a holy temple. Nothing else can heal the ills of all of humanity.

and remembrance of Thee is my remedy

The Greatest Name of God contains within it all of the other Names and Attributes of God. It is precisely these Names that are the remedy for all of the ills of humanity:

"Cleanse from your hearts the love of worldly things, from your tongues every remembrance except His remembrance, from your entire being whatsoever may deter you from beholding His face, or may tempt you to follow the promptings of your evil and corrupt inclinations" (Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh p. 275).

Referred to as the Paradise of God's Remembrance, it is a process of meditating upon and invoking the Names of God. The Bahá'í Prayer books are replete with these Names and Attributes. Our goal is to transform and heal our lives by replacing each and every ill that plagues humanity with the various qualities of God:

"O servants! Lifeless is the body that is bereft of a soul, and withered the heart that is devoid of the remembrance of its Lord. Commune with the remembrance of the Friend and shun the enemy. Your enemy is such things as ye have acquired of your own inclination, to which ye have firmly clung, and whereby ye have sullied your souls. The soul hath been created for the remembrance of the Friend; safeguard its purity. The tongue hath been created to bear witness to God; pollute it not with the mention of the wayward" Baha'u'llah, The Beginning of All Utterance is the Praise of God).

All men and women in today's society are suffering from every physical and mental malady, disruption, and disease, on every level and at every scale from personal to global. The addictions, alcoholism, sexual excesses, destruction of family life, political upheaval, and unprecedented global violence bears testimony to how sick is the patient. The Divine Physician has the remedy: remembrance of the Names and Attributes of God.

"O BEFRIENDED STRANGER!

"The candle of thine heart is lighted by the hand of My power, quench it not with the contrary winds of self and passion. The healer of all thine ills is remembrance of Me, forget it not. Make My love thy treasure and cherish it even as thy very sight and life." Bahá'u'lláh, Persian Hidden Words, #32.

Nearness to Thee is my hope

The world is filled with despair, injustice and suffering. Humanity is remote from God, and cannot approach God because the human heart is like the black pit of Tehran, foul and filled with vermin. This nightmarish hell arising from the evil promptings of the human heart leaves humanity with a sense of hopelessness and sorrow. But the Light of God can illumine the darkest dungeon. Our only hope is to draw nearer to God, to become more like God, and this we cannot do except to draw ever closer to the Manifestation of God, in fervent prayer and meditation.

and love for Thee is my companion

Even in the modern cities teeming with other souls, there is great solitude and isolation, a lonesomeness and spiritual seclusion, that seems to hang over most people. Clinging to immoral and failed relationships, many of us go from one person to the next seeking the true love of our lives, but always finding misery, abuse and loneliness. The problem is looking for love in all of the wrong places.

"O SON OF THE WONDROUS VISION!

"I have breathed within thee a breath of My own Spirit, that thou mayest be My lover. Why hast thou forsaken Me and sought a beloved other than Me?" Bahá'u'lláh, Arabic Hidden Words, #19.

Our true love and our true friend is the Holy Spirit of God existing not outwardly in other people or things, but rather found within in our own hearts. This is the companionship that will not fail and this is the fulfillment that does not let us down. Not to say that we should eschew relationships with other people. Rather, we should enter first into a relationship with God, and then all of our relationships will be based upon this love.

O FRIEND!

In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love, and from the nightingale of affection and desire loosen not thy hold. Treasure the companionship of the righteous and eschew all fellowship with the ungodly. Bahá'u'lláh, Persian Hidden Words, #3

The true Friend, the Bridegroom of our souls, is within our own hearts. We cannot find true companionship except by making a mystical connection to the Love and Joy found in the Spirit of God. We were created to know and to love God. We cannot find happiness in the outer world, until first we find inner happiness in our own hearts in relationship to God.

Thy mercy to me is my healing and my succor in both this world and the world to come.

Hell is the state of consciousness, within, of being far from God or the failure to have the qualities and attributes of God. Heaven is to draw near to God. That is, to incorporate within one's inner consciousness the attributes and qualities of God. To be near to God, to be just like God is the state of the heavenly kingdom, whether one is in this physical world, or the next world of the afterlife. The reality is that we are unable to acquire the qualities and attributes of God on our own. If left to our devices, we sink lower and lower into ego, hatred, anger, violence, and despair. It is only by the mercy of God that will succor us, in this world or the next, by the appearance of the Manifestation of God:

When the animal proclivity in man becomes predominant, he sinks even lower than the brute. When the heavenly powers are triumphant in his nature, he becomes the noblest and most superior being in the world of creation. All the imperfections found in the animal are found in man. In him there is antagonism, hatred and selfish struggle for existence; in his nature lurk jealousy, revenge, ferocity, cunning, hypocrisy, greed, injustice and tyranny.... On the other hand, we find in him justice, sincerity, faithfulness, knowledge, wisdom, illumination, mercy and pity coupled with intellect, comprehension, the power to grasp the realities of things and the ability to penetrate the truths of existence. All these great perfections are to be found in man....

The holy Manifestations of God come into the world to dispel the darkness of the animal or physical nature of man, to purify him from his imperfections in order that his heavenly and spiritual nature may become quickened, his divine qualities awakened, his perfections visible, his potential powers revealed and all the virtues of the world of humanity latent within him may come to life. `Abdu'l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity, p. 110.

Thou, verily, art the All-Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

The healing of all of the ills of humanity, personally and globally, are found in our souls turning to the Holy Spirit, in the spirit of faith in the Divine Manifestation, invoking God's bounty and wisdom from the Source of bounty and knowledge.

Unless the Holy Spirit become intermediary, one cannot attain directly to the bounties of God. Do not overlook the obvious truths, for it is a self-evident fact that a child cannot be instructed without a teacher, and knowledge is a bounty from the bounties of God. The soil is not covered with grass and green without the rain of the cloud; therefore the cloud is the intermediary between the divine bounties and the soil. A body doth not develop and grow without the soul; therefore the soul is the medium of the spiritual life. `Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'í World Faith, p. 370.

Everything our hearts need and seek finds fulfillment in the bounty of God, which is available to each and every one of us, simply by humbly turning to God.

It is my fervent prayer that those who are suffering and in distress and despair will make a connection to the healing power of the short healing prayer. I urge you to recite it ceaselessly.

Jeffrey

 

An Examination of Independence of Thought Versus Mindless Conformity Within the Bahá'í World Faith

Introduction

Ever since I came upon the truth of the continuing Guardianship, I have been unable to reconnect with the heterodox organization. Any attempt to associate with them has caused me much spiritual torment, as though they represent some evil principality, power and spiritual wickedness in high places spoken of in Ephesians 6:12 ["For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places"]. Because of my fear of being cast out and shunned by individuals who were dear to me, I tried to deny the truth.  I only suffered tremendous spiritual, emotional, physical, and material hardship as a consequence to the point where I began to doubt that Bahá'u'lláh is God's Manifestation for this day.
 
In 2003, I received a visit from auxiliary board members of the heterodox organization.  I was very intimidated by them.  They came to my home, and in the spirit of `Abdu'l-Bahá, I made every effort to be hospitable and courteous. As humble as I was, they acted as bullies and did not mention God once in our meeting.  Still, I did not have the courage to let them know that they were violating the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh and had not one ounce of respect for our beloved `Abdu'l-Bahá.  Please forgive me for my cowardliness.  I suffered greatly for this.

[Note: Vonda has once again joined the ranks of the faithful believers in the Orthodox Bahá'í Faith]

An Examination of Independence of Thought
Versus Mindless Conformity Within the Bahá'í World Faith
by Vonda Turner

“Almighty God hath created the mind free. All attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens . . . are a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion . . . No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship or ministry or shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but all men shall be free to profess and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion." —Thomas Jefferson

“The Conscience of man is sacred and to be respected”- `Abdu'l-Bahá

I was loyal to the Bahá'í World Faith leadership and administrative structure even when I found through my own investigation that this leadership structure was not the intention of founders Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá.  I was compelled to remain loyal to the Bahá'í World Faith, even though I disagreed with their beliefs on the leadership structure, because I was a victim of  the abusive forces meted out by the leadership, who manipulate members into compliance by deliberately creating errors of perspective (Ruggiero 97) among the members, concealing  vital historical information, and utilizing social and psychological sanctions, or “gross and subtle pressures to keep every individual member in line” (Allport 66).  

My paper will be an analysis of tactics utilized by Bahá'í leadership to compel me to go against beliefs formulated through my independent investigation. The paper will apply Allport theories of in-group membership to my experience as a Bahá'í and examine Ruggiero’s principles for critical thinking as they parallel with the Bahá'í principle “Independent Investigation of Truth.”

Human beings are social creatures and have fundamental needs for love, affection and belongingness (Abraham Maslow).  Allport points out that people “….like to be with people: they have simply found people lock-stitched into the very fabric of their existence (Allport 61).   The presence of other people in our lives validate our existence as good and meaningful.  Membership in socially ascribed or achieved in-groups provide us with identity, a sense of belonging, and a forum by which we can have our needs met for achievement, status, responsibility and reputation (Allport, Maslow).  My membership in the Bahá'í World Faith was an achieved status because I had to fight to be apart of a community consisting of members of my reference groups (Allport 63), who I perceived to be  well informed, progressive, educated, and economically self-sufficient, qualities and lifestyle I sought to have in my own life (Allport 65, Sherif 65).  I had let go of the Christian circles of my youth and embraced a religion founded upon my personal beliefs in the unity of God, religion, and the human race.  Membership in the Bahá'í World Faith validated my identity and put me in alignment with what I believed was God’s purpose for me, as well as, the destiny of humankind. My service to the Bahá'í community was to perform music at Bahá'í gatherings and events.  This function was rewarding, in that with it, I had developed a sense of purpose and high reputation in the community (Maslow). My loyalties to the community developed through strong identification and rewarding service work and within a period of 1 year, I became cemented in the structure that being a Bahá'í had provided for my life (Allport 61).

For 11 years, I lived my life according to Bahá'í standards and expectations.  I had settled into “a way of living with characteristic codes and beliefs, standards and 'enemies' ” (Allport 66).  Everyday, I performed water ablutions and recited the Bahá'í obligatory prayer. I regularly attended Bahá'í fellowship services and events.  I developed strong friendships, and married into a prominent Bahá'í family.  And I had passively accepted what everybody in the Bahá'í World Faith seem to know (Ruggiero 44), that (their so-called) Universal House of Justice (UHJ) was the supreme and infallible governing body of the religion.  From that body, all of the subordinate Bahá'í institutions and members received their guidance, a guidance that is considered tantamount to receiving guidance from God.  A demonstration of loyalty to the Bahá'í World Faith is one’s dislike and non-association with an out-group of Bahá'ís (Allport 67) who challenge and threaten the existence of the current leadership structure headed by the UHJ.

The most gross of pressures (Allport 66)  meted out by the UHJ to keep members in compliance within the Bahá'í World Faith consists of the consequences to questioning the authority, legitimacy and the infallibility of the UHJ.  Built into Bahá'í social consciousness is the belief that to go against the UHJ is tantamount to going against God.  To do so is viewed as breaking God’s covenant, which is an unforgivable sin.  Those who rebel against or oppose the UHJ are declared to be covenant-breakers, suffering with a soul sickness, a contagious cancer that could spread through association with members of the covenant-breaker out-group. [In truth, a covenant-breaker is one who opposes the Guardian according to the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá]  I along with other ex-Bahá'ís perceive this threat of excommunication, as an abuse of power, because it manipulates a person’s sense of belongingness, identity and self-esteem. The threat of excommunication also stifles the freedom to independently investigate, examine, and criticize the UHJ‘s claim of infallible authority.

I accepted most of the fundamental principles of the Bahá'í World Faith through independent reading and understanding. However, I had passively accepted that the institution of the UHJ was legitimate (Ruggiero 44) , until the year 1999 with the advent of the World Wide Web, I had accessed information regarding the intended nature and the actual history of successorship in the Bahá'í World Faith, which the leadership had deliberately concealed from the masses.

Ruggiero proposes that to know something requires more than having the right answer. It involves the ability to express what is known and how we came to know it (Ruggiero 41).   During the majority of my time as a Bahá'í, I could not articulate the reasons I believed in the legitimacy and infallible authority of the UHJ.   I was subjected to mindless conformity, an “error of perspective” (Ruggiero 97), because I believed in the UHJ from the way it appeared, without knowledge of its history or how it came to be (Ruggiero 97). I agree with Ruggiero that I had followed members lead because I had not thought for myself (Ruggiero 102). But I did not have the information necessary  to establish a sound conclusion about the UHJ’s authority, because, up until the existence of the World Wide Web, this information had been concealed from the majority.

One of the basic principles expounded upon by Bahá'í prophets is that we live in a day and age that requires us to utilize our own God given faculties to independently investigate and determine the truth. To do so is regarded as the “best beloved of all things in My [God’s] sight…”, that we should “…see with our own eyes, and not through the eyes of others (Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh from the Arabic 3-4).  Through this writing God has encouraged us to exercise freedom of independent thought. So, I applied characteristics of critical thinkers to the issue at hand (Ruggiero 20-21).  I was honest about the fact that I did not know how the UHJ came to have so much authority.  I regarded the question of the UHJ’s legitimacy in the face of new information as a controversial and exciting issue.  After reading through the newly discovered information, I based my conclusions, on supportive evidence found in the Bahá'í Holy Writings, that the UHJ’s existence is not infallible and lacks the authority it claims to possess.

The information undeniably tells the straightforward truth. There is no need for interpretation; any person after reading this information would come to my same conclusion, that the current successor is in a position of authority based on notions that are contrary to the will of the religion’s founding fathers.

Did I go against my conscience, and disregard this new-found truth, so as to remain in good standing in the sight of the community and God? How had I been affected by this new discovery while under the gross pressure to comply with the standards of a false leadership?  At first, I was excited about the new information and joined forces with the Orthodox Bahá'ís, regarded as the enemy of the Bahá'í World Faith.  The Orthodox Bahá'í community is a very small minority of Bahá'ís that uphold and promote the true path of successorship and leadership as intended by the Bahá'í prophets. But my association with that group was short-lived, as I was pulled by the stronger forces of the dominant majority to maintain my identity as a good and compliant Bahá'í within the larger community (Allport 65)-66).  

For awhile I tried to ignore my conscience and remain loyal to the UHJ despite my discovery of the truth. The thought of being shunned by people who had been part of my being, was pretty devastating. I begin to second guess my interpretations and perceptions of the new information. It was difficult for me to accept that I had come across the truth, when so many thousands of people where in the dark, even with the existence of the Orthodox Bahá'í community. Because I second guess what I had discovered through reading and critical analysis, I became confused, bitter and unhappy towards all Bahá'ís.  In the end I stand alone having no association with any of the Bahá'í groups.

After examining my membership in the Bahá'í World Faith, I conclude that the force that caused me to ignore what I had discovered through independent reading, critical thinking and observation is the fear of not having my needs met as defined by Abraham Maslow. The fulfillment of these needs is essential to human existence.  It is an abuse of power to impose a sociological punishment which would threaten the fulfillment of essential human needs, simply because one has arrived at a truth derived from his independent investigation.  I was a victim of  these abusive forces, but only after I confronted the leadership about my discovery.  I saw that what was in the real world did not match the written intentions of the Prophets.  

That the leadership would encourage mindless conformity is a violation of the Independent Investigation of the Truth, one of the twelve fundamental principles upon which the Bahá'í religion was built.  These tactics of concealing vital historical information from the masses, and the gross and subtle pressures used to keep members in line have been justified on the basis of maintaining cohesiveness and unity within the Bahá'í World Faith. But I (and others) argue that such knowledge is condoned because it threatens the existence of a self-appointed leadership within the Bahá'í World Faith.

Given all this, the question I have is, “Should we place greater value on independence and freedom of conscience or on dependence and mind slavery?

A Faith alive with the Holy Spirit

Bahá'u'lláh said: "We behold you from Our realm of glory, and shall aid whosoever will arise for the triumph of Our Cause with the hosts of the Concourse on high and a company of Our favored angels."(1)

I always wonder about these kinds of phrases about the Concourse and angels, which are replete throughout the Bahá'í Writings, and how to understand them.  We know that the Concourse on high consists of the holy men and women who have passed on to the Abhá Kingdom, and `Abdu'l-Bahá has explained that the "meaning of angels' is the confirmations of God and His celestial powers. Likewise angels are blessed beings who have severed all ties with this nether world, have been released from the chains of self and the desires of the flesh, and anchored their hearts to the heavenly realms of the Lord." (2)

This small band of faithful believers, the Orthodox Bahá'ís, who have remained faithful to the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh and have survived against all odds certainly know that a mysterious Power, or Providence, has kept this Faith alive for the past 50 years. 

The Bahá'í Revelation is not a lifeless shell of a religion with attractive teachings practiced by a lukewarm group of religious folks.  Rather, it is the Cause of God and those who immerse themselves in its Power and who arise for its triumph find that the Holy Spirit walks with them, and that God has given "his angels charge over" them, to bear them "up in their hands" lest they dash their feet against a stone. (3)  In other words, it is a living Faith, with the Holy Spirit guiding it and giving strength and power to its members.

`Abdu'l-Bahá said this of the power and life breathed by the Holy Spirit:

The greatest philosophers without this Spirit are powerless, their souls lifeless, their hearts dead! Unless the Holy Spirit breathes into their souls, they can do no good work. No system of philosophy has ever been able to change the manners and customs of a people for the better. Learned philosophers, unenlightened by the Divine Spirit, have often been men of inferior morality; they have not proclaimed in their actions the reality of their beautiful phrases.

The difference between spiritual philosophers and others is shown by their lives. The Spiritual Teacher shows His belief in His own teaching, by Himself being what He recommends to others. An humble man without learning, but filled with the Holy Spirit, is more powerful than the most nobly-born profound scholar without that inspiration. He who is educated by the Divine Spirit can, in his time, lead others to receive the same Spirit.(4)

You are invited to explore the Orthodox Bahá'í Faith and to become educated by the Divine Spirit.

Jeffrey

(1) Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, LXXII
(2) `Abdu'l-Bahá : Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, #39(3) Psalm 91:11-12
(4) `Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks p. 165