Hands of the Bahá'í Faith

Some facts about the embryonic UHJ

When I learned that the ancient Israelites had started worshipping a golden calf when Moses did not return down the mountain (Sinai) as soon as they thought that He should have, I wondered " How could they do such a thing!  These were God's Covenant people who I believed were the ones worshipping the One True God in Truth.

Now that we are observing a parallel scenario unfolding before our very eyes, the experience is even more dramatic, because we are there.  We are seeing it happen.

And the parallel is striking.

The Earth is a spiritual wilderness, and the New world Order is the 'Promised Land'.

Humankind needs a leader to go before it into the 'Promised Land'.

From the Holy Bible, Exodus chapter 32 verses 1-4:

"Meanwhile, the people got to see that Moses was taking a long time about coming down from the mountain.  So the people congregated themselves about Aaron and said to him:  "Get up, make for us a god who will go ahead of us because as regards this Moses, the man who led us up out of the land of Egypt, we certainly do not know what has happened to him.  At this Aaron said to them: "Tear off the gold earrings that are in the ears of your wives, of your sons and of your daughters and bring them to me.  And the people began tearing off the gold earrings that were in their ears and bringing them to Aaron. Then he took [the gold] from their hands and he formed it with a graving tool and proceeded to make it into a molten statue of a calf. And they began to say: "This is your god, O Israel, who led you up out of the land of Egypt."

Exodus chapter 32 Verse 6:

"So on the next day they were early in rising, and they began offering up burn offerings and presenting communion sacrifices."

Exodus chapter 32 verses 7-10:

"Jehovah now said to Moses:  "Go, descend, because your people whom you led up out of the land of Egypt have acted ruinously.  They have turned aside in a hurry from the way I have commanded them to go. They have made a molten statue of a calf for themselves and keep bowing down to it and sacrificing to it and saying "This is your god, O Israel who led you up out of the land of Egypt.   And Jehovah went on to say to Moses:  "I have looked at this people and here it is a stiff-necked people.  So now let it be, that my anger may blaze against them and I may exterminate them, and let me make you into a great nation."

In the Bible account, Divine guidance was flowing through Moses.

The golden calf was a false guide, impotent to lead.

Shoghi Effendi:

"In this Dispensation, divine guidance flows on to us in this world after the Prophet's ascension through...the Guardians."

After 1957 The Hands of the Cause, with one notable exception, were saying, in effect: '...as regards this Shoghi Effendi, the man who led us for 36 years, we certainly do not know what has happened to him.'   'Get up, Mason, sign this document to make for us a supreme body which will lead us'.

Charles Mason Remey found himself in a similar situation as Aaron. Here a faithless people was resisting his exhortations and ignoring his advice, and he was trying to preserve unity and to prevent the abandonment of the Guardianship of the Bahá'í Faith, by going along with them as far as he could.  So he signed their document forming the Custodians, which body still would have remained benign if the other Hands had not rejected Mason Remey's station as head of the embryonic Universal House of Justice, the true supreme body of the Faith.

The body of Custodians became the golden calf of the people and they began to worship it and to sacrifice to it.  The Hands of the Cause called for all National Spiritual Assemblies, in effect, to 'bow to it'.  And all except one did so.  The exception was the National Spiritual Assembly of France, which had been illegally dissolved by Hand of the Cause Faizi.

And the people began to say, in effect, 'This is our leader which will lead us out of this spiritual wilderness into the New World Order, into the Kingdom of God on Earth.'  And they applied that same sentiment towards their next 'supreme body', their headless UHJ.

However golden calves and headless UHJ's which cannot interpret Bahá'í Holy Writ are the same.

Neither can lead God's people to the Promised Land.  The headless, sans-Guardian UHJ currently on Mt. Carmel is a golden calf.  It cannot interpret Bahá'í Holy Writings.  It cannot, therefore, guide humankind to the New World Order.  It cannot bring God's Kingdom to Earth.

Nevertheless, the people are offering sacrifices to it, which belong to God (the Huququ'llah), not to mention their submissiveness and obedience to that 'golden calf'.

The fact concerning the embryonic Universal House of Justice established by the first of our Guardians which today's 'golden calf' worshippers fail to comprehend is this fact:  It is the supreme body in the Bahá'í Faith, although embryonic, and Divine guidance flows through its "sacred head" to humankind. There is no legitimate excuse to question the successorship of the second Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith through the headship of the embryonic Universal House of Justice.

The head of that body, the second Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, was chosen by the "chosen minister" of the Lord's Covenant, Shoghi Effendi.

The 'golden calves', that is,  the body of Custodians and the headless UHJ, were manufactured by men, just like the golden calf which Aaron manufactured.

Worship them at your own peril.  Read the remainder of Exodus chapter 32 to see what punishment the Israelites received for their golden calf worship, and read the third Guardian's website to see what the Tablet of the Holy Mariner says about those who today are worshipping the 'golden calf' on Mt. Carmel, the headless UHJ.

The living Guardian's website:
http://www.Bahai-Guardian.com

By Hand of the Cause of God Ross Campbell

'Abdu'l-Baha's Supreme Act

Faithful Bahá'ís are acquainted with the history of the life of 'Abdu'l-Baha', who, during His entire life carried out acts of kindness, priceless teaching and sacrifices, whether He was in prison or traveling in Europe and North America to teach.

His entire life was full of countless incidents of kindness and sacrifice, some of which are recorded in writing, and yet Shoghi Effendi, the first of our Bahá'í Guardians, classified only one of His teaching acts as His "supreme act", writing officially about that act as "...the supreme act of the mission of  'Abdu'l-Bahá".

One would expect that "supreme act" to be related to 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Station as Center of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh', and it is related, and in fact intrinsic to the Victory of that Holy Covenant.  Yes, Shoghi Effendi identified that "supreme act" as the "Charter of the New World Order" and also as "The child of the Covenant".

That "supreme act" is none other than the sacred and immutable Will and Testament of  'Abdu'l-Bahá.

In view of the fact that He is the Perfect Exemplar of our Faith and in view of the fact that His Will and Testament is the pinnacle feature, the "supreme act" of all His exemplary acts during His lifetime, We expect and find to be true that His Will and Testament is unchangeable, complete, sacred, and immutable, delineated by the infallible pen of the One also identified as the "Perfect Architect of the Administration of the New World Order."

Understanding therefore that everything delineated by the Master in His sacred Will and Testament is part of the Charter of the New World Order and that all of the sacred Institutions enshrined within the pages of that Holy Document will, without fail, effloresce on earth as features of the Kingdom of God on earth, all faithful Bahá'ís will steadfastly adhere to "every clause" of that sacred Document, and renounce any and all expressions and actions by those who would remove or alter or neglect any of the sacred Institutions which the Master has delineated in His Will.

In fact, all faithful Bahá'ís look upon those who thus desecrate the Master's Will and Testament as renegades from the true Faith.

The website of the living Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith:
http://www.Bahai-Guardian.com

By Hand of the Cause of God Ross Campbell

The Guardianship of the UHJ

In a recent posting on the newsgroup talk.religion.bahai, a lost and confused sans-Guardian Bahai spoke out as follows:

"For six millions and half baha'is, the covenant is under the guardianship of the universal house of justice in mount Carmel in  Haifa"

In a rare admission, this Bahai has stated publicly and openly that the so-called UHJ presently sitting in Haifa has assumed the "guardianship" of the Bahai Faith.  I already knew this to be true, but was waiting for one of them to admit it.

Although they will rarely admit it, the sans-Guardian Baha'is long ago adopted the notion of a collective guardianship to be assumed by a body of believers.  Shortly after the death of Shoghi Effendi, the  first Guardian, the Hands of the Cause made the decision that the Guardianship was "badah", that God had changed His mind and that there would no longer be living Guardians in office. They then vested in an Institution of their own making (the "Custodian" Hands) "all such functions, rights and powers in succession to the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith."  In other words, a group of Hands that would serve as a collective Guardianship.  This coup or usurpation of power and authority in the Faith occurred on November 25, 1957.

Make no mistake about it, they knew they were taking over the authority of the Guardian.  They went on to take actions that only a Guardian had been empowered to do: to demand loyalty oaths from all of the National Spiritual Assemblies, to dissolve the French NSA after it recognized the claim by Charles Mason Remey to be the second Guardian, and to ex-communicate the second Guardian and those who were obedient to him. They threatened and cajoled and led the Bahai community until they could create their own Hand-made and headless so-called Universal House of Justice.  After creation of their UHJ, on June 7, 1963, they then expressly released in writing those same functions, rights and powers:

"[W]e hereby release all the said functions, rights and powers which were conferred upon us under the said Declaration of November 25th, 1957 as determined by the Universal House of Justice in its  communication of June 7th, 1963, and we declare that all the said functions, rights and powers now devolve rightfully and in full accordance with the Sacred Writings of the Bahá'í Faith upon the Universal House of Justice. We make this statement for the full body of the Hands of the Cause of God in accordance with the powers conferred upon us by the Declaration of November 25th, 1957, and the office of Custodians of the Bahá'í World Faith has thus ceased to exist."

From then on and to this day, the collective Guardianship usurped by the Hands was assumed by the UHJ.  The fact that nothing in the Writings of the Faith calls for a collective Guardianship, or that devolves the rights and powers of the Guardian to the UHJ under any circumstances, is completely ignored by our confused sans-Guardian believer. He has the audacity, through the cloud of ignorance and confusion that surrounds him, to condemn the Orthodox Baha'is because of their belief that the Guardianship is occupied by a living man.

This is VIOLATION: the irrational belief that he is following the true teachings notwithstanding the fact that the teachings clearly state otherwise.

This is VIOLATION: to oppose and to disobey the Guardian of the Cause.

The Guardian today is Joel B. Marangella.  His website is at the following address:
http://www.bahai-guardian.com/

Hand of the Cause of God Jeffrey Goldberg

from the True Seeker blog
http://trueseeker.typepad.com/true_seeker/2007/12/the-guardianshi.html

The Embryo and its Divinity

Shoghi Effendi used the term *embryonic* copiously throughout his writings. Did this detract from the overall potency of that word or was he trying to tell us something? I believe the frequent use of the word, as regards the Administrative Order, held a significant meaning. And we must remember that he was not the first to cite the importance of the embryo, but was merely following a pattern established by the Three Central Figures of the Faith in Their Writings and examples in explaining certain truths.

We should perhaps look beyond our understanding of the platform of life, the embryo, and develop a greater understanding of the embryo in the development of our Faith. Why not come to understand that there is a Divine Embryo that was God-established at the beginning that has no beginning. That Divine Embryo has manifested itself through the journeys of Divine Manifestations, and has unfolded through the centuries until it now has become the responsibility of humans to learn to understand all of its potential in the unfolding of God’s Kingdom on earth.

Shoghi Effendi knew that the Administrative Order was indeed in its formative stages, and that its eventual efflorescence into a mature body would go through several stages, as does an actual embryo, in arriving at that maturity. The use of the word embryo is thus significant. He did not reinvent the wheel each time he used it, but rather expected the Baha'is to be familiar with its capacity of meaning from the repetitive usage of it throughout the Writings. He knew that 'Abdu'l-Baha had quite often used the embryo allegorically, and followed the pattern He had established. Following are several instances wherein the embryo is used by 'Abdu'l-Baha, and a couple by the Bab.

"The philosophers of the Orient in reply to those of the western world say: Let us suppose that the human anatomy was primordially different from its present form, that it was gradually transformed from one stage to another until it attained its present likeness, that at one time it was similar to a fish, later an invertebrate and finally human. This anatomical evolution or progression does not alter or affect the statement that the development of man was always human in type and biological in progression. For the human embryo when examined microscopically is at first a mere germ or worm. Gradually as it develops it shows certain divisions; rudiments of hands and feet appear--that is to say, an upper and a lower part are distinguishable. Afterward it undergoes certain distinct changes until it reaches its actual human form and is born into this world. But at all times, even when the embryo resembled a worm, it was human in potentiality and character, not animal. The forms assumed by the human embryo in its successive changes do not prove that it is animal in its essential character. Throughout this progression there has been a transference of type, a conservation of species or kind. Realizing this we may acknowledge the fact that at one time man was an inmate of the sea, at another period an invertebrate, then a vertebrate and finally a human being standing erect. Though we admit these changes, we cannot say man is an animal. In each one of these stages are signs and evidences of his human existence and destination. Proof of this lies in the fact that in the embryo man still resembles a worm. This embryo still progresses from one state to another, assuming different forms until that which was potential in it--namely, the human image--appears. Therefore, in the protoplasm, man is man. Conservation of species demands it."   - `Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 358, 359

A careful reading of that paragraph should be all that is necessary to convince us that unless we follow the example of the embryo in all our undertakings, we are doomed to failure in achieving our established goal, and will arrive at some other conclusion than intended at the end of our quest. That one paragraph explains that had there been omissions or deviations of any kind in the evolution of the human embryo throughout its centuries-long journey, the result of thousands of years of growth would have not attained the being we now know as human. Even though at times the growth of that embryo may have resembled some other familiar creature, it was always from the beginning destined to become what we now know as the human species.

Since we should by now understand that allegories were used continually, particularly by ‘Abdu’l-Baha in the explaining of spiritual matters to us, why have the majority of those calling themselves Baha’i had such a difficult time understanding the progression of the embryo in its pattern of growth in the unfolding of the Administrative Order of the Faith? The embryo teaches that none of the defined steps may be excluded if one wants the intended embryonic substance to fulfill itself. For instance, how do the heterodox Baha’is believe that the omission of the necessary step of the establishment of an International Baha’i Court, as prescribed by the first Guardian, can result in a Divinely oriented and perfectly formed Universal House of Justice?

'Abdu'l-Baha instructs us further:

"Thus the embryo of man in the womb of the mother gradually grows and develops, and appears in different forms and conditions, until in the degree of perfect beauty it reaches maturity and appears in a perfect form with the utmost grace."  - `Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 182

"O thou servant of God! Unquestionably, through the manifestation of the Infinite Power in this glorious age, wonderful signs will appear in the world and great changes are seen in the present and promised in the future, for the Word of God is like unto the Spirit, and the contingent world like unto the embryo in the womb of the mother. Through the power of the Spirit such various changes and metamorphoses become apparent, transforming them from one form to another."  - `Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 497

"In the same way, the embryo possesses from the first all perfections, such as the spirit, the mind, the sight, the smell, the taste--in one word, all the powers-- but they are not visible and become so only by degrees." - `Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 199

Here's what the Bab had to say, as quoted by 'Abdu'l-Baha:

"I am a letter out of that most mighty book and a dewdrop from that limitless ocean, and, when He shall appear, My true nature, My mysteries, riddles, and intimations will become evident, and the embryo of this religion shall develop through the grades of its being and ascent, attain to the station of `the most comely of forms,' and become adorned with the robe of `blessed be God, the Best of Creators." -`Abdu'l-Bahá, A Traveler's Narrative, p. 33

Again, the Bab, as quoted by Shoghi Effendi:

...the "Bayán," as yet "in the stage of seed," will manifest "its ultimate perfection," in which the "embryo of the Faith will attain the station of `the most comely of forms,'"  - Shoghi Effendi, Messages to America, p.99

Therefore, I submit that the allegorical use of the embryo is in keeping with the spirit of the Faith, and that the finding of the word in various of the writings in no manner detracts, but substantiates its importance. Following are instances of its use by Shoghi Effendi in his messages to the Bahai's World, during the 1950s. I have taken the liberty of capitalizing the word EMBRYO throughout:

FORMATION OF FIRST INTERNATIONAL BAHA'I COUNCIL
"To these will be added further functions in course of evolution of this first EMBRYONIC International Institution, marking its development into officially recognized Bahá'í Court, its transformation into duly elected body, its efflorescence into Universal House of Justice…"  Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i World: 1950-1957, p. 7, 8; 1/9/1951

EPOCH-MAKING EVENTS
"I am thrilled by the multiple evidences of the simultaneous prosecution of Bahá'í national plans, East and West, and the rise and steady consolidation of the World Center of the Faith, constituting the distinguishing features of the second epoch of the Formative Age…of the second Bahá'í century, and which bids fair to eclipse the splendors of the preceding epoch, which posterity will associate with the birth and rise of the EMBRYONIC World Order of Bahá'u'lláh." Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i WORLD: 1950-1957, p. 13; 4/25/1951

REORIENTATION
"Upon the response of the privileged builders of the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh depend the nature and the rapidity of the evolution of the World Administrative Center designed to culminate in the erection of the last unit crowning the structure of the EMBRYONIC World Order of Bahá'u'lláh…"  Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i World: 1950-1957, p. 14; 4/25/1951

INVITE VALIANT CO-SHARERS in HOLY ENTERPRISE…PRAYERS
Announce to National Assemblies of East and West that hallowed, historic enterprise which posterity will hail as most befitting tribute by present generation of builders of EMBRYONIC World Order of Bahá'u'lláh in memory of the Prophet-Herald of Bahá'í Dispensation is now entering new stage of development…" Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i World: 1950-1957, p. 14; 9/24/1951
Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i World: 1950-1957, p. 19; 12/24/1951

THE SUMMONS OF THE LORD OF HOSTS
"At the World Center of the Faith, where, at long last the machinery of its highest institutions has been erected, and around whose most holy shrines the supreme organs of its unfolding Order, are, in their EMBRYONIC form, unfolding; amidst the diversified tribes and races, peopling the Dependencies and Principalities of the Dark Continent…" Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i World: 1950-1957, p. 33, 6/30/1952 letter

"… through a concerted, determined, consecrated ten-year-long effort, achieve their greatest victories in honor of the Founder of their Faith, in grateful memory of His unnumbered slaughtered servants, and for the world establishment, and ultimate triumph, of His EMBRYONIC World Order." Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i World: 1950-1957, p. 34, 35; 6/30/1952

A review of the 36 years of Shoghi Effendi’s carefully developed and orderly unfolding of the stages of the Divine Embryo placed within his protection and care as the first Guardian should have been an example for the Baha’is to follow immediately upon his passing. If nothing else, they should have followed his example and patterns. They should have taken heed of the foundation he had already begun, and built upon that foundation rather than aborting the very core of the Divine Embryo, the Center of the Covenant, the Institution of the Guardianship, through their actions to get the job done as quickly as possible.

Their resulting Universal House of Justice contains not a shred of the Divine Embryo as prescribed in ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Will and Testament.

Fortunately, the Divine Embryo remains alive and well today, and the beauty of God’s all-encompassing power will manifest more fully when the masses of the world’s Bahai’s come to understand that the Divine Embryo was humanly misdirected after the death of Shoghi Effendi, but remained viable and protected through the agencies of the Second and Third Guardians. The pathway of the Living Guardianship will continue to guide the Divine Embryo through its evolutionary stages throughout the coming centuries to finally blossom within a world filled with peace and prosperity for all.

Hand of the Cause of God David Maxwell

Identifying the Guardians of the Baha'i Faith

When a Holy Manifestation of God appears on Earth, it is necessary for believers in the previous Holy Manifestation to recognize/identify Him. Always, some women and men fail to do so. Many in fact. Although Guardians of the Bahá'í Faith have a station much lower than the Station of a Holy Manifestation of God,  Divine guidance flows through them and it is therefore necessary also to identify/recognize their station as Guardian. For example, some women and men claiming to be Bahá'ís did not or do not believe that Shoghi Effendi was a legitimate Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith.

For others, his identification as a Guardian of the Faith is unquestionably demonstrated by his writings.

Those women and men who are persuaded that Shoghi Effendi was a true Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, such as Orthodox Bahá'ís, find no difficulty in identifying/recognizing his legitimate successor because they perceive the real weight of the critical expressions written and spoken by Shoghi Effendi which serve to identify his successor. Women and men who do not sense the true weight/authority of his expressions find themselves without a living Guardian on Earth.

I am referring to expressions such as these:

"Proclaim National Assemblies (of) East (and) West"

"weighty epoch-making decision "

"essential prelude"

"Moreover, he who symbolizes the hereditary principle in this Dispensation has been made the interpreter of the words of its Author,"

"Divorced from the institution of the Guardianship the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh would be mutilated and permanently deprived of that hereditary principle which, as 'Abdu'l-Baha' has written, has been invariably upheld by the law of God."

Nosrat has shown us the vital link between all of the expressions of the first Guardian quoted above and successive appointment of heads of a Legitimate Universal House of Justice:

" The Head or President of the Universal House of Justice, in any stage, has to be appointed by the predecessor Guardian of the Cause of God."

Those who are attempting to assign a different significance to the presidency of the embryonic Universal House of Justice, making comparisons with worldly organizations, political or otherwise, deprive their organization of the hereditary principle of the  Bahá'í Faith.

Worldly organizations do not set the standard for the pattern of the administration of the Kingdom of God on Earth. A Guardian, under Divine guidance might borrow something from a worldly administrative arrangement, but a guardian is not bound to adopt or copy exactly the rules and significance belonging to a worldly position.

Shoghi Effendi, the first Guardian of our Faith was fully aware that he was personally and intimately involved in procedures belonging to the direct establishment of God's Kingdom on Earth.

Orthodox Bahá'ís also are aware and conscious of that fact.

That is why Orthodox Bahá'ís are able to discern that Shoghi Effendi intended that the hereditary principle of the Bahá'í Faith would be safely preserved within the supreme administrative body of the Bahá'í Faith, the Universal House of Justice, whose "sacred head" must, in obedience to 'Abdu'l-Baha's immutable will and Testament, appoint the successor "sacred head".

Fact:  The Bahá'í Faith cannot and will not be deprived of its "hereditary principle". Otherwise "...the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh would be mutilated..."

Fact:  The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh will not be mutilated.

Fact:  The sans-Guardian administration currently on Mt. Carmel is devoid of the "hereditary principle" of the Bahá'í Faith.

Fact: That bogus administration currently on Mt. Carmel is a mutilated/ distorded form of the true Administration of the Lord of this Age.

The website of the living Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith:
http://www.Bahai-Guardian.com

by Hand of the Cause of God Ross Campbell

Who is responsible for the existence of the sects of the Baha'i Faith?

Those who accuse Shoghi Effendi of leaving the Guardianship open to the challenge of pretenders because he veiled his choice of successor are overlooking the fact that there was no challenge by pretenders.  Only one man claimed to be the second Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith. Shoghi Effendi's method of choosing his successor was flawless if Bahá'ís everywhere had honored his authoritative appointment of Charles Mason Remey as head of the embryonic Universal House of Justice. His decision was not honored.  His decision was illegally abrogated.  The voice of Mason Remey was censored by the renegade authority of mutineers, not by valid authority in the Bahá'í Faith.

The existence of various different Bahá'í sects today is not the result of any failure by the first of our Guardians.

And the majority decision of the duly elected and sacred National Spiritual Assembly of France to accept the Guardianship of Mason Remey stands. That decision was valid then, and it remains valid today. The Hands of the Cause and their envoy, Faizi, had no trace of authority in the Bahá'í Faith either to abrogate the decision of that National Assembly or to dissolve that Assembly. The decision of that Assembly is Truth, and it stands.

And the Judge of that matter is the Lord of this Age, not a headless bogus group on Mt. Carmel.

The website of the living Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith:
http://www.Bahai-Guardian.com

by Hand of the Cause of God Ross Campbell

How can anyone claiming to be a Bahá'í possibly believe...

How can anyone claiming to be a Bahá'í possibly believe and teach that these sacred and immutable Words of 'Abdu'l-Baha', which He wrote concerning the Guardian of the Cause of God and the Universal House of Justice, are erroneous and will never be fulfilled?:

"...are both under the care and protection of the Abha' Beauty, under the shelter and unerring guidance of His Holiness, the Exalted One."

The Universal House of Justice, as delineated by the Master in The Charter of the New World Order, His sacred Will and Testament that is, complete with its "sacred head", a Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, has never become functional on Earth in its effloresced form.

How can sans-Guardian believers explain to seekers that their UHJ has been 'protected' when it is not even complete?  It has it's "sacred head" missing.

And how can sans-Guardian believers claim that the Guardianship has been protected and that the Guardian of the Cause of God is "...under the shelter and unerring guidance of His Holiness, the Exalted One" while they don't even have a Guardian?

How can anyone claiming to be a Bahá'í believe that it was totally in vain, a worthless effort, a waste of his time, that Shoghi Effendi, in his Spiritual Testament, The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, clearly and in detail outlined the many relationships and functions of the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice, including relationships of each sacred Institution to the other?

How can anyone claiming to be a Bahá'í believe that those words of the first of our Guardians have all fallen to the Earth, unfulfilled until now, and forever to remain unfulfilled?

Page, after page, of Divinely guided explanations were written by Shoghi Effendi in his Spiritual Testament, The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, delineating sacred relationships between the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice, and between the Guardian and the New World Order. How can anyone claiming to be a Bahá'í deny, or disregard, or fail to believe those many pages of official instructions written by the first Guardian?

Here follows an example of Shoghi Effendi's official teaching enshrined within the pages of his Spiritual Testament:

"Nor is this Order identified with the name of Bahá'u'lláh to be confused with any system of purely aristocratic government in view of the fact that it upholds, on the one hand the hereditary principle and entrusts the Guardian of the Faith with the obligation of interpreting its teachings..."  (From page 65 of my version)

Does the current sans-Guardian/Heterodox Bahá'í administration of Mt. Carmel/ Wilmette 'uphold' the "hereditary principle" as the first Guardian wrote, that "..this Order identified with the name of Bahá'u'lláh" must do?

The correct answer is:  Not that bogus administration does not obey the first Guardian's official written words.

Does the 'order' presented to humankind by the current sans-Guardian/ Heterodox Bahá'í administration of Mt. Carmel/Willmette 'entrust' "the Guardian of the Faith with the obligation of interpreting" the teachings of "...this Order identified with the name of Bahá'u'lláh"?

The correct answer is:  Not that bogus administration does not 'entrust'  " the Guardian of the Faith with the obligation of interpreting its teachings..."

How can any woman or man claiming to be a Bahá'í support, endorse or accept such flagrant, shameless violations of the official/ authoritative teachings of the first Guardian, Shoghi Effendi?

The website of the living Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith:
http://www.Bahai-Guardian.com

by Hand of the Cause of God Ross Campbell

True Authority in the Baha'i Faith

His Holiness the Christ spoke an illustration about the owner of a vineyard who sent his son to gather the fruits at harvest time, believing that the workers in the vineyard would respect his son and deliver the fruits. Instead, they killed the son. True authority was present but not honored. (Matthew chapter 21)

Recently a former dictator stood in Court, attempting to re-assert his authority, making demands which were given no heed by the ones presiding. While a dictator, he had power to send a man to his death by a mere nod or gesture. In that nation there are currently many different opinions about where legitimate authority to rule dwells. Which of any groups there can claim that their authority is Divine? The claims are nebulous.

The highest authority on Earth in the Bahá'í Faith during the 36-year ministry of Shoghi Effendi was the Guardianship.  He had the highest authority in the Faith.  The highest legislative authority in the Bahá'í Faith, scheduled by Shoghi Effendi, was the embryonic Universal House of Justice.  Divine guidance was flowing through Shoghi Effendi as Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith when he sent his January 9th 1951 cablegram to "All National assemblies of East and West", establishing the authority of that embryonic Universal House of Justice, intended by him to become the highest legislative authority in the Bahá'í Faith.  He subsequently named the "sacred head" of that embryonic Universal House of Justice, with the intention that the authority of that "sacred head" would become the highest authority in the Bahá'í Faith after Shoghi Effendi's passing.

True authority was present, but not honored.

The "sacred head" was cast out and, in effect, declared to be spiritually dead. Those who claimed to be in charge of cultivating the fruits of God's Kingdom on Mt. Carmel, rejected the authority of the one whom Shoghi Effendi chose and appointed, rejected his instructions to them, officially written and spoken, dishonoring the authority which he inherited from Shoghi Effendi, by means of the hereditary principle of the Bahá'í Faith.

What was the consequence for those in the Lord Christ's illustration who killed the vineyard owner's son?

There is no question that the Source of Shoghi Effendi's authority was Divine.  There was nothing nebulous about it.

The website of the living Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith:
http//:www.Bahai-Guardian.com

by Hand of the Cause Ross Campbell

The Neccessary Guidance to Define the Sphere of Legislative Action

Concerning the Bahá'í Faith and its Administration on Earth, Shoghi Effendi said in his official writings that the Guardians of the Bahá'í Faith provide:

"...the necessary guidance to define the sphere of the legislative action of its elected representatives..."

Any woman or man who truly believes that Shoghi Effendi was a legitimate Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, as Orthodox Bahá'ís do believe, will not be found or observed saying by either her/his actions or by her/his words that something which Shoghi Effendi defined to be "necessary" is in fact 'unnecessary'.

True Bahá'í believers do not contradict the first of our Guardians in that manner.

Shoghi Effendi wrote that the guidance of the Guardians of the  Bahá'í Faith is "necessary" "to define the sphere of legislative action" of the elected representatives of the Faith.

The current 'elected' body on Mt. Carmel does not have that "necessary" Guidance of which the first of our Guardians wrote.

They are attempting to administrate as if that "guidance" were not "necessary".

The website of the living Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith:
http://www.Bahai-Guardian.com

By Hand of the Cause of God Ross Campbell

"at his own discretion"

Shoghi Effendi officially taught that the Most Holy Book and the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha' are "inseparable parts of one complete unit." That's not from a Pilgrim's note.  That is written on page four of W.O.B. That means that the Master's sacred Instructions delineated in His immutable Will and Testament must be obeyed in the same manner that God's Laws in the Most Holy Book must be obeyed. Those Instructions cannot be altered or abrogated by women or men.

Here follows a specific Instruction from the Master's Will and Testament:

"Should any of the members commit a sin, injurious to the common weal, the Guardian of the Cause of God hath at his own discretion the right to expel him, whereupon the people must elect another one in  his stead." (Will and Testament, Paragraph 25)

"[A]t his own discretion", means that the decision belongs to a Guardian  of the  Bahá'í Faith. It is "his own".   Hands of the Cause had no legitimate authority to expel any member of the embryonic Universal House of Justice, not to mention its very President. Those Hands clearly breached the boundaries of their authority in the Bahá'í Faith.

Hands of the Cause of God must be submissive to a Guardian of the Cause of God.  They have no independent authority, and even their right to expel a believer from the congregation who protests against a Guardian of the Cause of God does not extend to any other form of expulsion.  And only a Guardian is permitted to declare a believer to be a Covenant-breaker, as clearly instructed by Shoghi Effendi.

While Hands of the Cause were still alive in the sans-Guardian Bahá'í  organization did members of the sans-Guardian organization believe that those Hands had authority to expel a member of their sans-Guardian UHJ?  If not, why not?  If not, then why do they believe that Hands of the Cause had authority to expel a member of the embryonic Universal House of Justice?

Also, the writings left behind on Earth by Shoghi Effendi cannot exercise "discretion".  Only a living Guardian on Earth can exercise such "discretion", concerning the expulsion of a member of a Universal House of Justice.

The website of the living Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith:
http://www.Bahai-Guardian.com

by Hand of the Cause of God Ross Campbell

MISPLACED AUTHORITY, MISUSE OF POWER

Ruhiyyih Khanum in “Ministry of the Custodians” made repeated references to the fact that Shoghi Effendi had stated about a month before he passed away that “...the Hands were the “Chief Stewards of Baha’u’llah’s embryonic World Commonwealth, who have been invested by the unerring Pen of the Center of His Covenant with the dual function of guarding over the security, and of insuring the propagation, of His Father's Faith." The Hands believed that was what they were doing: carrying out the wishes, instructions and policies of Shoghi Effendi until such time as they could form the House of Justice.

That is all well and good.

However.

Nowhere in any of Shoghi Effendi’s writings did he discuss changes to 'Abdu'l-Baha's Will and Testament. The Hands in the Holy Land, in their thought process, should have realized that to develop an administrative structure that did not include the requisite requirements of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Will and Testament could not be valid. How could that invalidated off-the-cuff rationale of being the "Chief Stewards" justify overruling the document authored by two of the three Central Figures of the Faith?

The Hands should have remembered their origins, and from whose authority they had operated within while Shoghi Effendi was alive. They should have realized that they were only accountable to a living guardian. Therefore their goal should have been to further investigate the Guardian’s writings along with the Holy Writings alone for their answer. Mason Remey was the only one of them who continually urged that the Living Guardianship must continue. Not once in their deliberations did he declare himself to them as Shogh Effendi’s successor, rather he only urged them that they should look more deeply than they had, to find the answer to the problem at hand.

They believed they were following the wishes, policies and instructions of Shoghi Effendi until such time as they could form the House of Justice. Excuse me? Was that their charge? Of course not.

THEIR CHARGE WAS TO FIND THE SUCCESSOR THAT SHOGHI EFFENDI HAD NAMED. THEY SHOULD HAVE UNDERSTOOD THAT HE NAMED A SUCCESSOR.

It should have been clear to them that their charge was to locate the person who he had named his successor. It was pretty audacious of them to even consider that he could have not named his successor in his own lifetime. A good place to have started would have been to look at all his recent writings, say in the last ten years. If that effort had failed, they should have looked again. They should have realized that their only success would be in finding unequivocally the second guardian. And then when they found him, which they most certainly would have, to embrace with gladness that the Faith would once again have the unerring guidance of a living guardian.

How could they have had the audacity to believe that *they* were the ones to determine when a UHJ would be formed. 'Abdu'l-Baha had determined that a UHJ would be eventually formed, but did not specify when. Shoghi Effendi had taken that a step further and determined certain requisite events that would have to occur prior to the formation of that House. They would probably have had many a false start before realizing that the ‘Messages to the Baha'i World 1950-1957” held the key to satisfying their goal of locating the next guardian. Yes, through prayer, consultation and loving guidance of the Celestial Concourse, they would have successfully concluded their responsibilities. If the Hands were so intent on following Shoghi Effendi’s wishes, why did they not look more deeply as to what those wishes were?

The only Proclamation he ever wrote (contained in “Messages to the Baha’i World”) would have been a  good place for them to begin their search. But, no, they had the audacity to believe that they were above that, and if they could only form a House of Justice, that that House would solve all their problems. The only problem with that was that their House of Justice did not conform with the House of Justice mandated by 'Abdu'l- Baha. Their House did, in their eyes, contain one Institution, that of the UHJ, overlooking that 'Abdu'l-Baha's Plan called for another Institution, that of the Living Guardianship as being its Head and member for life. And furthermore, only a Living Guardian could appoint Hands of the Cause in the future. Its a shame that they did not understand “beta versions” in those days, and run a test to see whether the Will and Testament would approve of any decision they made? The decision they rendered even cut off their own noses, eliminating the possibility of there ever being any more Hands of the Cause of God.

THEIR UHJ CONTAINED NONE OF 'ABDU'L-BAHA'S INSTITUTIONS.

But, no, they thought that any body of their creation calling itself a Universal House of?Justice would automatically contain the invisible Thread to the Lord, the Thread containing the Interpretive Infallibility as the necessary instrument for Interpreting the Holy Writings. The only Institution aligned with Infallibility in any of the Holy Writings in Baha'i history is the Institution of the Living Guardianship.

And to this day, that has not changed.

By Hand of the Cause of God David Maxwell

If Charles Mason Remey wasn't the Head, why doesn't the sans-Guardian UHJ have a Head?

Some Heterodox Bahá'ís have denied in their posts that Charles Mason Remey was the Head of the Universal House of Justice.  They say that "President" is not the same as "Head".   So why doesn't their UHJ have a "Head"?

If they had left Mason Remey where he was, as President, and the embryonic Universal House of Justice had continued evolving according to the officially cabled plan/instructions of Shoghi Effendi, would he not have been the "Head" of the Universal House of Justice?

They cut the Head off because he was saying that he was the Head.

Now they don't have a "Head", more than 45 years later.

Isn't it time for all to confess that Charles Mason Remey was exactly who he said he was, namely the Head of the embryonic Universal House of Justice, the second Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith?

The sans-Guardian Bahá'ís have no interpreter of Bahá'í Holy Writ, therefore they can never interpret the Lord's Laws, and thus they can never have an International Bahá'í Court, nor the advanced form of that Court, a legitimate Universal House of Justice.

There can be no "Justice" if you cannot interpret the Lord's sacred utterances, His Laws.

And you cannot interpret them.

Only a living Guardian can do so.

The website of the living Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith:
http://www.Bahai-Guardian.com

By Hand of the Cause of God Ross Campbell

Shoghi Effendi wrote in 1954: "...another edifice will gradually be erected."

Shoghi Effendi:

"In the neighbourhood of these two stately edifices, and two mighty Institutions (ie. the Archives Building and the edifice for the House of Justice), another edifice will gradually be erected which will be the seat of the Guardianship, the centre which will interpret, expound and prepare commentaries on explicitly revealed laws, and will reinforce and supplement the legislative body."
(Shoghi Effendi, letter in Persian to the Bahá'ís of the East, quoted on page 323 of The Bahá'í World, 1976-1979)

When Shoghi Effendi, the first Bahá'í Guardian, wrote those words in 1954, less than three years before his death, would any Bahá'í believer have even thought of saying that Shoghi Effendi was wrong, in error, that 'there is no need for the Guardianship to "reinforce and supplement the legislative body" ', and 'there is no need for the Guardianship to "interpret, expound and prepare commentaries on explicitly revealed laws" ', and that 'we can effectively and successfully bring God's Kingdom to Earth ourselves without anyone to interpret the Most Holy Book of Laws or the Master's Charter of the New world Order.'

All sincere Bahá'ís know that the correct answer to that question is 'no', that while Shoghi Effendi was alive on Earth, no Bahá'í believer would have dared to challenge the first Guardian in that manner. Also today, 54 years after Shoghi Effendi wrote those words, there are no true and sincere Bahá'í believers anywhere on Earth who challenge, disbelieve or doubt the truth and accuracy of those official statements made by the first of our Guardians.

All true Bahá'í believers well know and understand that women and men are impotent to establish God's Kingdom on earth by themselves. Otherwise, during 2000 years of Christianity, Christians themselves would have done so.  Christians have been Presidents, many of them, Kings, legislators of all manner of political parties and persuasions,University professors, authors on themes of government , and even dictators.  All have failed to bring the Christian prophecies about God's Kingdom to fulfillment.

Why?

Because the "Perfect Architect" of the Administration of the New World Order, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, had not yet provided "The Charter of the New world Order", the blueprint for the establishment of God's Kingdom on Earth, the "Child of the Covenant" of the Lord of this Dispensation of fulfillment of Holy Prophecy. And now that humankind has received that sacred and immutable Document, the "The Charter of the New world Order", namely the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Christians even still are totally impotent to utilize that "Charter" to bring to realization the establishment of God's Kingdom on Earth.

Why?

Because it is impossible to any humans except the appointed interpreters of Bahá'í Holy Writ and Holy Text, Guardians of the Bahá'í Faith,  to interpret the Masters sacred Will and Testament, because that Document is  Bahá'í Holy Text, in fact, as the first Guardian officially wrote in W.O.B. on page four, it is, together with the Most Holy book, the Kitab-i-Aqdas, "inseparable parts of one complete unit."

That is why Christians and other religionists of other Faiths are totally impotent to establish God's Kingdom on Earth.

Likewise, that is why the sans-Guardian Bahá'í administration on Mt. Carmel/Wilmette is equally impotent and unable to establish God's Kingdom on Earth, because that Heterodox administration,  just like Christian organizations, is devoid of an interpreter of Bahá'í Holy Writ and Holy Text.

The website of the living Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith:
http://www.Bahai-Guardian.com

By Hand of the Cause of God Ross Campbell

Exchange Regarding the Erroneous Interpretations of the Headless UHJ

Below is an exchange between Hands of the Cause of God Nosrat'u'llah Bahremand and Ross Campbell:

Hasl (a Heterodox believer) wrote:

"In the context of the Seven Valleys however, it appears to refer to God, for Shoghi Effendi states:

"The word "Guardian" in the Seven Valleys has no connection with the Baha'i Guardianship."
(Shoghi Effendi, The Unfolding Destiny of the British Baha'i Community, p. 453)

Any unfaithful person who contends with the Guardian of the Cause of God and uses the logic of not using logic may come to a wired conclusion similar to what Hasl did. Hasl allows herself to interpret the word of Baha'u'llah that the "Guardian of the Cause" in Seven Valleys does not mean "Guardian of the Cause" and it means God. Where does the quotation she provided from a letter to an individual suggest such a thing?   It is not known what has been the question since this is an answer to a specific question and it does not explain the meaning of the "Guardian of the Cause" in the Seven Valleys.

"Guardian of the Cause" means Guardian of the Cause as "Wali-i-Amr" in the original language means "Guardian of the Cause" and only the Guardian of the Cause of God has the authority of interpretation. Again I have to clarify that the compilation "Unfolding Destiny..." was not written by Shoghi Effendi, the first Guardian of the Cause of God and is a collection, which was produced years after the passing of the first Guardian.  It contains the content of some letters to the UK, NSA and letters to many different individuals, and it is not known who were the recipients.  It is obvious that these letters have answered some unknown questions; the reader has to guess what has been questioned and in this case it may not be the right assumption.   With the exception of a few, it is not known who is the writer of these letters. The following is the policy, which was set by the first Guardian regarding his letters to the individuals:

(Extracts from the USBN, No. 71 - February 1933 - pp. 1-2)
"The exact status, which Shoghi Effendi has intended the friends to give to those communications he sends to individual believers is explained in the following statement written through his secretary to the National Assembly on November 16, 1932:  "As regards Shoghi Effendi's letters to the individual Baha'is, he is always very careful not to contradict himself. He has also said that whenever he has something of importance to say, he invariably communicates it to the National Spiritual Assembly or in his general letters.  His personal letters to individual friends are only for their personal benefit and even though he does not want to forbid their publication, he does not wish them to be used too much by the Baha'i News. Only letters with special significance should be published there."

Hasl has shamelessly called the followers of the true Faith of God "The Remeyites" and wrote:

"The Remeyites, though, appear to have an entirely different interpretation which contradicts the authoritative one given by Shoghi Effendi. They also think that the reference to government and executive in the Will and Testament refers to the Guardianship, although the Guardian himself stated the following:  'regarding your questions: By 'Government', on page 210 of the 'Baha'i World' Vol. VI, is meant the executive body which will enforce the laws when the Baha'i Faith has reached the point when it is recognized and accepted entirely by any particular nation.'"
(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 482)

Were does the quotation above, supposedly from first Guardian say that the Guardian of the Cause of God is not the Head of the executive body? He is the Head of both the executive body and the supreme legislative body. Who else other than the Guardian of the Cause of God will be the Head of the Baha'i Commonwealth?

Nosrat

**
Dear Nosrat,

Even the bogus UHJ on Mt. Carmel admits in its own words the truth of what you have written:

"While the specific responsibility of the Guardian is the interpretation of the Word, he is also invested with all the powers and prerogatives necessary to discharge his function as Guardian of the Cause, its Head and supreme protector. He is, furthermore, made the irremovable head and member for life of the supreme legislative body of the Faith. It is as the head of the Universal House of Justice, and as a member of that body, that the Guardian takes part in the process of legislation." (The Bahá'í World 1968-1973, page 570)

Ross

**

Dear Ross,

I strongly believe that whatever the bogus UHJ has written from its constitution till now or anything that they write from now on is the best proof of their falsehood and falsity, although in their writings they mix right with wrong to hide their evil intention and to confuse the readers.  Wrong is wrong even if they mix it with right.  If they quote from the writings correctly it will be against them, if they modify or cut the writings to suit themselves or they produce erroneous and unauthorized interpretations still it is against them since we can easily disclose and show what they have done, and if they express their own erroneous ideas against the Guardianship there will be no problem for us to show evidences from the authoritative writings and prove how wrong they are.

Now this headless creature that was created by the violation of the former Hands is trapped in a web that has been woven around itself with the fibers of wrong doings, malice and wickedness for they have not only violated and misrepresented the Will and Testament of the Master but they have also transgressed against the Aqdas. The more attempts they desperately make, the web becomes tighter. Unfortunately they are spiritually blind and cannot see that they are not able to fight against the Will of God.

The letter that you quoted from is an inclusive example of their violation against the Most Holy Book and the Will and Testament of Abdu'l Baha, also their unauthorized and erroneous interpretations, misrepresentations, lies, and deceit.

I suggest that everybody read this shameful document to know how wrong these "people of deceit" are:
http://bahai-library.com/file.php5?file=uhj_messages_1968_1973&langua...

To respond to the question of their legitimacy, while they have mentioned the fact that you have quoted them, they argue that the Aqdas and Will and the Testament of Abdu'l Baha and the Dispensation of Baha'u'llah are not contradictory to each other, which is true, but it is irrelevant to the question since their Headless dummy itself is contradictory to all.  They have forgotten that, other than their undeserved name, they do not have anything in common with a real Universal House of Justice.  In this same letter they have illegitimately and erroneously interpreted the passage of the Aqdas about endowments to convey the meaning that the main reason for including this verse was to convince the people that the Guardianship had ended only 36 years after its establishment, while the passage is actually not about the Guardianship and has nothing to do with it; also they have by shamelessly twisting and playing with words have come up with the following convoluted explanation:

"In the Baha'i Faith there are two authoritative centers appointed to which the believers must turn, for in reality the Interpreter of the Word is an extension of that center which is the Word itself. The Book is the record of the utterances of Baha'u'llah, while the divinely inspired Interpreter is the living Mouth of that Book -- it is he and he alone who can authoritatively state what the Book means. Thus one center is the Book with its Interpreter, and the other is the Universal House of Justice guided by God to decide on whatever is not explicitly revealed in the Book."

And:

"As the sphere of jurisdiction of the Universal House of Justice in matters of legislation extends to whatever is not explicitly revealed in the Sacred Text, it is clear that the Book itself is the highest authority and delimits the sphere of action of the House of Justice."

While Baha'i Faith has only one Center of the Cause and that is the Guardian of the Cause of God, their conclusion is exactly the same as the words of Umar after the passing Muhammad who said  "'The Book of God is sufficient for us".

In a Tablet (Tablet of One Thousand Verses) Abdu'l Baha explains:

"The Ancient Beauty, may my soul be a sacrifice for Him, has removed all the ways and doors to doubts, sedition and insurrection. And He has left no place for uncertainty ...as He has identified the divine, religious, spiritual, outward and inward obligations of all... so that divine measures and their nexus become quite possible to the existence of humanity and that the mighty stronghold of the Cause of God will become well fortified and impregnable like an indestructible barrier.  He has ordained and appointed the Interpreter of the Book and proclaimed it in a most unambiguous way and made the Center of the Covenant well-known on the horizon."

In this Tablet Abdu'l Baha strongly condemns Umar for he claimed: "The Book of God is sufficient for us" (there is no need for interpreter)

And wrote:

"...these words became a sword that slashed the head of Imam Ali ... these words became a dagger that cut the throat of Imam Hussein ... these words became hundreds of bullets that hit the chest of the Bab. These words became chains that enchained the neck of the Ancient Beauty..."
(Persian selections from the writings of Abdu'l Baha p. 261)

Adib Taherzadeh, a member and writer of the bogus UHJ wrote the following account of this violation in Islam:

"The first Imam who was appointed by Muhammad to succeed Him was Ali, His cousin and son-in-law, and the first to believe in Him. He was to be regarded as the Guardian of the Faith of Islam and its spiritual head. This appointment, however, was not in writing and there is no mention of it in the Qur'an. It was made verbally to a great number of His followers assembled at a place called the Pool of Khumm, with the result that divisions arose within the Muslim community immediately after the Prophet's death, and an upheaval which was to have dire consequences engulfed the followers of Islam.

Because the appointment of Ali was not considered conclusive or binding by the majority of the followers of Muhammad, they disregarded the wishes of their Prophet and acted against His counsels. The arch-opponent of this appointment was Umar, who became the second Caliph of Islam. He campaigned against Ali, usurped his right of succession and rallied the people instead around the old and venerable person of Abu-Bakr who was installed as the first Caliph.

Umar repudiated Ali and his position as the 'Interpreter of the Qur'an', saying: 'The Book of God is sufficient for us.' 'Abdu'l-Baha has explained that these few words, embodying the forces of negation, were so potent that they became the prime factor in precipitating all the discord and bloodshed in the Islamic Dispensation. They caused the martyrdom of Imam Ali and His illustrious son, Imam Husayn. They gave rise to untold sufferings and death for countless devoted souls within the Islamic fold. The effect of these words, according to Abdu'l-Baha's testimony, was so far-reaching that a thousand years later it brought about the martyrdom of the Bab and all the sufferings of Baha'u'llah.[1]
[1 These statements were made by 'Abdu'l-Baha in a Tablet known as Lawh-i-Hizar-Bayti (Tablet of One Thousand Verses), one of His most important Tablets concerning the Covenant.)

When man opposes the plan of God, the course of history changes. Who knows what further blessings would have been vouchsafed to mankind in general, and to Islam in particular, if the followers of Muhammad had remained faithful to Ali. For it was he who was endowed with guidance and through his unopposed leadership Islam could have exerted a far greater influence upon the peoples of the world. As a result of man's rebelliousness Islam was divided into two major sects. The Sunnis who constitute the majority followed the Caliphs and built up the temporal power of Islam. The Shi'ahs, followers of Ali and eleven other Imams [1] who were descended from him, concentrated on spiritual attainments, and are regarded by the Bab and Baha'u'llah as followers of the true sect of Islam."
      (Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 1, p. 127)

Are these "people of deceit" blind? Don't they see that they have repeated what Umar did?

Nosrat

Who Ya Gonna Believe?

"EVERYTHING THAT IS WRITTEN IN THE WILL AND TESTAMENT WILL BE FULFILLED. THE BAHA'I'S MUST NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT THIS."
SHOGHI EFFENDI, 1956

The above quote seems to be a thorn in the side of the sans-guardian Baha’is, who quickly point out that it is a Pilgrim’s Note and as such has no validity. That may or may not be so, but what does it matter? Does not the statement have validity regardless of who said it? How can anyone be a Baha’i and not believe that everything that is written in the Will and Testament will be fulfilled? After all, it is the Center of the Covenant. As such, why should not everything in it be fulfilled? What parts of it are not to be fulfilled?

What parts of it are to be fulfilled? It makes no sense that only a part of it will be fulfilled. It will all be fulfilled eventually.

We must remember that God is the focal point of the equation. By now we should know that there is only one God. In mythical days, there were thought to be several Gods; in fact that was a given for humans. There was a God of this, a God of that. We also know that He surely must have found favor in some Gods over the others since He has guided humans to this point in time through His blessings and bounty. The bulk of mankind now generally worships but one God. With the advent of the Baha'i Faith we find that the One God has released a message wherein He expects that we have progressed to the point that in order for there to be any further spiritual progress concurrent with the material World, He needs to provide a more direct manner for humans to obtain His instructions. Up until that point, humans understood that God's focal point was through a human, although it was generally believed that that human was God himself, residing on Earth for a while. The unfolding of God’s plan has accelerated in recent years, relative to the pace once thought the norm. The Bab's Revelation was but an eye-blink, and quickly passed the Torch of God to Baha'u'llah, whether we were ready or not. In my view, since there is but One God, the release of instructions comes from but One Source. We find that the Baha'i Teachings prescribe a course to follow in order to tap into that One Source. All Baha'is should agree that the Will and Testament is today’s focal point.

So, we now have the One Source providing direct guidance through the Will. The Will prescribes a specific Administrative Order to provide that guidance. When the dust settled after 'Abdu'l-Baha's death, the majority understood that Shoghi Effendi was the appropriate leader, the Living Guardian of the Faith.

How was he the leader? How did God provide that link? It is my opinion that there is some sort of single thread (or Germ) between God and this World, and that in accordance with the Will, that link today concludes within the Institution of the Living Guardian. While the Will talks of the Infallible House of Justice, it also defines the requirement of where the head of that House resides, within the Institution of the Living Guardianship. During Shoghi Effendi’s tenure we should have become comfortable with the concept of one individual having all the marbles, so to speak.

There was no House at that time, so everyone understood where to look for the Germ of guidance. And the Germ of God, through his interpreter Shoghi Effendi, elucidated upon 'Abdu'l-Baha's instructions and Baha'u'llah's Spiritual Message in sufficient measure for humans to begin establishing further elements in the chain of the Administrative Order. And Shoghi Effendi began unfolding that process. We were to have learned by that time that the Germ of God was indeed present in our lives on Earth, and that the Germ of God would be with us throughout this Dispensation, residing in many different humans. Each of those humans would possess that Germ when he was interpreting the Holy Writings. The Germ is not to be moved about lightly. After the Germ holder has announced the next recipient, it continues to reside with its present holder, but is at the ready to move to the named successor at a situation-specific time.

This God-prescribed entity resides in but one human at a time, and after the Germ has been passed to the next guardian, it cannot return to its former recipient. The Will requires that the Germ holder name his successor in his own lifetime. Other than “in his own lifetime” there is no further instruction that the successor must be named in a certain manner. It does not prescribe a specific time of passage either. Our only assurance is that the passage will happen at some point after the naming.

As to the Hands being instructed in the Will to be ever watchful that there be no opposition to the guardian, and to cast out anyone in their midst who does so, I have no problem with that. You have to remember that the existence of a Hand is predicated upon there being a guardian, and that Shoghi Effendi specifically kept the ‘’casting out” function to himself. That function may at some point be delegated, but at this time it resides with a guardian. It always gets back to the fact that there must be a guardian in order for there to be a Baha'i Faith. And 'Abdu'l-Baha prescribed that there has to be a guardian in order for the UHJ to have a God-defined president. And as president of that body, the guardian carries the Germ of God to its deliberations. The Will does not prescribe any sort of infallibility upon the UHJ without the presence of a guardian. He is the one who carries the Germ of God to its deliberations, giving the UHJ a level of infallibility. The guardian is the only one prescribed with ability to interpret Holy Writ. Without a living guardian within its midst, the Universal House of Justice is not a complete body, and lacks any of the authority intended by 'Abdu'l-Baha.

The concluding words of the Will state: "To none is given the right to put forth his own opinion or express his particular conviction. All must seek guidance and turn unto the Center of the Cause and the House of Justice. And he that turneth unto whatsoever else is indeed in grievous error. The Glory of Glories rest upon you."
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá, Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 26

Even though that seemingly denies me the right to put forth my own opinion, it likewise allows me to turn to the Center of the Cause, and base my opinion on whatever is my understanding of issues compatible with a guardian’s understanding of that issue. And that is where we find ourselves today. We cannot but espouse our belief without it being an opinion, an opinion countered by others. While I at this time do not believe that there is a Universal House of Justice, I do believe that the path of the Baha'i Faith is evolving  in such manner that eventually, within the unfolding processes conforming with the Three Central Figures, there will be a fully functioning Universal House of Justice with a Living Guardian at its head at some time in the future. Presently that organization is in its embryonic form, but does not reside in Haifa.

Orthodox Baha’is believe that Shoghi Effendi made an appointment for a successor in his Messages to the Baha'i World, and that successor fit within the requirements of the Faith, within the development of the embryonic Administrative Order. It also fit within the parameters of the “Dispensation of Baha'u'llah.’

Following that concept does not lead to a full-fledged UHJ at this time, but it does comply with the embryonic unfolding of the eventual Administrative Order. The Germ of God passed from the Bab to Baha'u'llah, then to 'Abdu'l-Baha, and next to Shoghi Effendi. Upon his passing, the Germ passed to Mason Remey, his named successor. Joel B. Marangella is its most recent recipient. The Germ is not defined as such in the Holy Writings, but a Spiritual Presence is, and the Germ is my way of understanding the Spirit that passed from Manifestation to Manifestation in the past, and from guardian to guardian in today’s world.

By Hand of the Cause of God David Maxwell