Sometimes I get discouraged over the fact that the Great Violation of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh has continued for about 50 years now, with no apparent end in sight as the faithless sans-Guardian Bahá'ís continue their legal assault against the small faithful band of believers who insist upon believing that Bahá'u'lláh, `Abdu'l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi meant what they said about the Covenant and the divine Institutions of Bahá'u'lláh's wondrous System.
But when I consider the fact that this faithless covenant-breaking on the part of most of the Baha'is of the world today really should not have come as a surprise, and that rebellion against God and His leadership has been the hallmark of religious history since the beginning of time, then it does not seem so discouraging. The faithlessness and waywardness of humanity is just part of the great battle between the Army of Light and the forces of darkness that is now upon us.
`Abdu'l-Bahá has said: "O thou who art firm in the Covenant! ...[T]he hearts are afflicted by the murky breaths of the Covenant-breakers and harmony hath decreased among the friends. Gracious God! A hundred times it hath been foretold that the violators are lying in ambush and by every means desire to cause dissension among the friends so that this dissension may end in violation of the Covenant. How is it that, notwithstanding this warning, the friends have neglected this explicit statement?" (Selections, p. 211)
Foretold hundreds of times, and the normal course of history for the Faith since its infancy, and yet the believers were unprepared for the onslaught of violation that hit them upon the death of Shoghi Effendi. But that was in the past, and we now live in the present. The fact that humanity has repeatedly made the wrong choices since history was recorded, and the fact that the Bahá'ís have been in error for 50 years or more, does not mean this error must persist. We are not doomed to repeat our failures of the past. The fact is that God has given us this great gift of free will, by which every moment carries with it a creative choice to persist in error, or to turn to God. At any time, all Bahá'ís everywhere are free to abandon their foolish resistance to the Cause of God, and to turn to the living source of divine guidance, the Guardian of the Cause of God. It does not matter how much nonsense is spewed out by the devilishly evil men of their so-called Universal House of Justice, and it does not matter what legal onslaught the true believers face from the sick and misguided souls of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States, and those who support them in their evil efforts to use the federal courts to silence the true Faith in the United States.
It still remains true that all of you are free to choose correctly and to come under the shadow of the Tree of the Covenant. My constant and fervent prayer is that all of you will awaken before it is too late.
So my fervent prayer and resolve for 2009, as we face another year of opposition from those who have turned away from God and joined forces with the Evil One. is to join the prayer of the Master, the Center of the Covenant, and our Mighty Exemplar, to sacrifice my all for the victory of the Cause of God in this coming year that error might be changed to Truth, that evil be turned to Good, and that this great Cause of God might emerge victorious:
"O God, my God! Thou seest this wronged servant of Thine, held fast in the talons of ferocious lions, of ravening wolves, of bloodthirsty beasts. Graciously assist me, through my love for Thee, that I may drink deep of the chalice that brimmeth over with faithfulness to Thee and is filled with Thy bountiful Grace; so that, fallen upon the dust, I may sink prostrate and senseless whilst my vesture is dyed crimson with my blood. This is my wish, my heart's desire, my hope, my pride, my glory. Grant, O Lord my God, and my Refuge, that in my last hour, my end may even as musk shed its fragrance of glory! Is there a bounty greater than this? Nay, by Thy Glory! I call Thee to witness that no day passeth but that I quaff my fill from this cup, so grievous are the misdeeds wrought by them that have broken the Covenant, kindled discord, showed their malice, stirred sedition in the land and dishonored Thee amidst Thy servants. Lord! Shield Thou from these Covenant-breakers the mighty Stronghold of Thy Faith and protect Thy secret Sanctuary from the onslaught of the ungodly. Thou art in truth the Mighty, the Powerful, the Gracious, the Strong." (`Abdu'l-Bahá's Will and Testament, p. 8).
Hand of the Cause Jeffrey Goldberg
For more information on the court case brought by the Wilmette NSA against the Orthodox Bahá'ís: http://www.truebahai.com/court_case.html
For the third Guardian's web site: http://www.bahai-guardian.com/
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