Hands of the Bahá'í Faith

The umbilical cord must be cut!

The umbilical cord must be cut. Life depends on it. Without the cutting of the cord in some manner, human life on this planet would cease to exist. Most times the cord is cut intentionally, and other times it is severed accidentally or serendipitously. In any case, no one would disagree that the umbilical cord must be cut.

In like manner, each and every time that a guardian passes from this world, the umbilical cord between he and the Institution of the Guardianship must be severed, no matter how painful that seems or how much the believers happen to adore that guardian. That act must be accomplished before any further growth for the Faith, with the successor guardian, may occur.

For in God’s Eye, the umbilical cord of the Holy Spirit moves from the former guardian to the successor guardian at the moment of transference of that office. 

Since the beginning of time, the umbilical cord has played a critical role in the continuation of human life to exist in this world. From the embryo’s first glimmers of life, until nine months later, when the baby emerges from the womb, there is a cord, an umbilical cord that brings nourishment from the mother’s body to the developing form of life in her body. When the time is completed for that developmental stage of an infants life, the baby emerges from the womb, the umbilical cord is severed in some manner, and the newborn begins to breathe on its own. The newborn is then ready to begin taking sustenance from the air we all breathe. It is also ready to begin getting nourishment from the mother’s breast or from a bottle containing the fluids the child needs for growth. There can be no major exceptions to that cycle, if life is to be sustained within the body of the infant.

We likewise understand that spiritual growth is somewhat the same, at least so far as a definitive process is concerned in order for spiritual growth to happen. However, due to the countless mysteries of spiritual growth, most humans don’t really think much about the process. They understand that in some cases there are parallels between some of the qualities of this earth and the spiritual growth residing in the heavens and the realms of the one true God. We recognize that many of the growth concepts of the past were merely superstitious in nature. Hind-sight has helped us to understand that. But have we really learned all that encompasses?

With the advent of the Bahá’í Faith, we are taught that the independent investigation of truth is essential in order that humans may learn to understand for themselves, as a means of avoiding the reliance on a clergy to guide them. We are expected to attain toward the age of maturity for humans through the Bahá’í message. We learn many lessons by observing nature and the transposing of that information  into practical knowledge toward a better understanding the spiritual world.

Knowing as we do that the umbilical cord is essential in the human life experience, why cannot we also relate that lesson to the spiritual? Why have the bulk of the Bahá’í world continued to deny the lesson of the umbilical cord and rely on superstition in matters of the spirit?

Bahá'u'lláh taught the message of His Covenant until such time as His passage to the next world came about in accordance with the human cycle. He left in writing His instructions that His Covenant would be passed to `Abdu'l-Bahá  upon His death. That was to be our avenue to continuing guidance from the One True God. `Abdu'l-Bahá certainly made that clear in His ministry, and He cemented the concept of a continuing line of God-given guidance through the offices of His Will and Testament. By the time of His passing we had had some 77 years of instruction in order that we could do our part in accepting all of the ramifications of this new concept in religious annals.

God had made provision for His New World Order, His Kingdom. In order for humans to understand that, and react properly, they were to learn and understand the parameters of that concept.  From that moment on, there would always be a mouthpiece, a Center of the Covenant on earth, to guide the lives of humans for at least the next thousand years. This would provide abundant life and a steady gain of progress for humans.

`Abdu'l-Bahá ’s clear instructions in His Will and Testament were that He would leave the focus of the Covenant given Him by Baha’u’llah to an Institution of living Guardians in order that the life cycle of the Faith would not be broken. Shoghi Effendi was the first of a line of living Guardians who symbolized the hereditary principle necessary for that Institution to endure. Shoghi Effendi clearly emphasized the necessity of the line of continuing Guardians in order that God’s Covenant with his people would prosper.

Shoghi Effendi left his written instructions to enact the process for his successor to fulfill the role of living Guardian upon his passing. The Bahá’ís had had 113 years of experience from the time of the Báb by then, and were expected to follow the instructions the first guardian had left in his “Messages to the Bahá’í World, 1950-1957” as a means of understanding his means of passing the torch of God’s Covenant,  the Center of the Cause, to the one who would become the Center of the Covenant after him. That appointee was Mason Remey, an American believer who had proven his fidelity to the Covenant during many years of faithful service to the Cause of God.

When Mason Remey was a newborn Guardian, the majority of believers scorned him and deemed him old and feeble, unable to handle the role of Guardian. They ridiculed him unmercifully, all the while continuing to adore the Guardianship of Shoghi Effendi. Do humans do the same thing to a newborn child? No, they nurture the newborn child with tenderness, love and compassion. They give the newborn enough time to “get his legs” before expecting the child to fulfill his destiny as an adult.

The lesson here is that the newborn child is very helpless and cannot function on its own until after a period of growth and instruction from the adults around him. The child does not emerge from the womb ready to climb any mountains nor do anything that a mature adult can do. Thoughtful reflection will reveal that it has forever been the same when the Manifestations of God have appeared on earth. For instance Jesus of Nazareth did not become the Christ until He had been on this earth for some 30 years.  He did not immediately emerge from Mary’s womb as a fully functioning Christ. And by the same token Shoghi Effendi did not begin functioning as Guardian immediately upon `Abdu'l-Bahá’s passing. There was a gestation process involved.

A child needs the proper surroundings for appropriate growth during the formative years. I believe it is the same with the Institution of the Guardianship. A newly ordained Guardian is as a child fresh from the womb. He needs the nourishment and supplications of the Bahá’í community for a period of time before he truly begins functioning as a guardian.  Mason Remey’s detractors are quick to point out that he was unaware of his station in the days immediately following Shoghi Effendi’s passing, and for many months thereafter. I daresay that if the community had nourished him, prayed for him, as they should have accorded his lofty station, he would have quickly become filled with the strength of the Holy Spirit and quickly would have assumed his destiny. The Bahá’í world would have prospered, the Bahá’í court system would have been established, and an authentic Universal House of Justice would perhaps have been established by now.

How much more the world would have prospered. Millions of lives would have been saved from the needless atrocities that have happened in the past 50 years, and the Kingdom would be much closer to reality than it now is.

It is not too late for the heterodox Bahá'ís to wake up and understand the lessons of the womb-life-growth process, and accept that the Institution of the Guardianship was not ended in 1957. It remained alive and well, still exists, and awaits the acceptance of the believers. Spiritually, the umbilical cord between Shoghi Effendi and the Institution of the living Guardianship was severed and transferred to Mason Remey, his successor. Shoghi Effendi was then able to fulfill his role in the next world, whatever the role of a former Guardian is.  

The Institution of the living Guardianship will live and prosper throughout this glorious Bahá’í cycle, leading the world to the Promised Kingdom. That is going to happen with or without any of us except for a living Guardian. The necessary umbilical cord will always be connected to a living Guardian, whether he is accepted by the believers or not. It is up to the individual believer to accept that and really ask himself: am I following God’s Will, or am I allowing superstition and the rule of the crowd to determine my relationship to the Faith that I profess to love?

By Hand of Cause David Maxwell

What is it in the Bahá'í Faith that harmonizes the divergent thoughts of men?

The heterodox Bahá'í publication, Bahá'í World Faith 2001-2002 writes the following statement which includes a quote from the Master's Writings:

"The scriptures of the world's great religions extol the Word of God "as the medium of celestial power and the wellspring of all spiritual, social, and material progress."  It unlocks "the doors of the hearts of men, "  moves human souls, and harmonizes the divergent thoughts, sentiments, ideas, and convictions of the children of men."

How does the Word of God harmonize " the divergent thoughts, sentiments, ideas, and convictions of the children of men"?  Every Sunday countless tens of thousands of professional clergypersons around the Earth stand in their pulpits, reach for Holy Scriptures, and present their interpretations of those Holy Scriptures to their congregations of women and men.

The well known result?

Catholics killing Catholics in wars, and Protestants killing Protestants, and also killing each other. Endless conflicting doctrines and applications of the Instructions provided by His Holiness the Christ, and so very often the leaders standing in the pulpits impose drastic measures of punishment against any and all who oppose or question their interpretations.

Did Abdu'l-Bahá make any provision so that such confusion and conflict would not similarly plague the true Bahá'í Faith? He most certainly did so. What is missing in Christianity such that Holy Scriptures do
not generate harmony of "the divergent thoughts, sentiments, ideas, and convictions of the children of men"?

The answer is basic and simple:  Christianity does not have an authoritative interpreter of the Word of God.

 Abdu'l-Bahá, in His sacred and immutable Will and Testament, provided for an "expounder of the Words of God" who inherits that power of interpretation through the "hereditary principle" of the Bahá'í Faith, which principle assures the continuing Guardianship of the Bahá'í Faith on Earth for the remaining years of this Holy Dispensation.

Only the living Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith is authorized and empowered to be the interpreter of Bahá'í Holy Writ and Holy Text.

The current heterodox Bahá'í administration on Mt. Carmel does not have an authorized interpreter of Bahá'í Holy Writ and Holy Text and the writings of Shoghi Effendi. That administration is no different than the numerous confused, conflicting organizations of the Christian Faith. That administration is powerless/impotent to harmonize "the divergent thoughts, sentiments, ideas, and convictions of the children of men".   That administration has no light of Truth to attract the souls of women and men and that is why it uses fear and threats in its feeble attempt to impose harmony and unity.

The Light of Truth in the Bahá'í Faith is is generated by the power of interpretation of our Holy Writings. It will never shine forth from an administration devoid of that power.  The heterodox UHJ on Mt. Carmel is totally devoid of that power.

The website of the living Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith :

http://www.Bahai-Guardian.com

By Hand of the Cause Ross Campbell

Is the bogus UHJ a legitimate Bahá'í entity?

“THE PRINCIPAL FACTORS THAT MUST BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION BEFORE DECIDING WHETHER A PERSON MAY BE REGARDED A TRUE BELIEVER OR NOT: FULL RECOGNITION OF THE STATION OF THE FORERUNNER, THE AUTHOR, AND THE TRUE EXEMPLAR OF THE BAHÁ'Í CAUSE, AS SET FORTH IN`ABDU'L-BAHÁ'S TESTAMENT; UNRESERVED ACCEPTANCE OF, AND SUBMISSION TO, WHATSOEVER HAS BEEN REVEALED BY THEIR PEN; LOYAL AND STEADFAST ADHERENCE TO EVERY CLAUSE OF OUR BELOVED'S SACRED WILL; AND CLOSE ASSOCIATION WITH THE SPIRIT AS WELL AS THE FORM OF THE PRESENT DAY  BAHÁ'Í ADMINISTRATION THROUGHOUT THE WORLD “
                        (Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í Administration, p. 90)

Is the bogus UHJ a legitimate Bahá'í entity? This is a question that Heterodox Bahá'ís should ask themselves. The only way to find the right answer is to check and test the establishment and structure of that body and its claims, practices and writings in the light of the sacred writings of the Bahá'í Faith. Shoghi Effendi, the first Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, stated that the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá-- "The Charter of the New World Order”--  "together with the Kitab-i-Aqdas,“ . . . "are inseparable parts of one complete unit”

The Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá explains how the Universal House of Justice must be elected and how its structure should be, clarifies the nature of its function and duties and stipulates that the Guardian “is the sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body,” thus emphasizing the necessity of the participation of the Guardian of the Cause of God or his representative in its meetings and He further sheds light on the preservation of its integrity by conferring upon the Guardian of the Cause of God  the sole right to expel any member of that body who may “commit a sin, injurious to the common weal”

Following is the passage in which Master discusses the Universal House of Justice:

“And now, concerning the House of Justice which God hath ordained as the source of all good and freed from all error, it must be elected by universal suffrage, that is, by the believers. Its members must be manifestations of the fear of God and daysprings of knowledge and understanding, must be steadfast in God's faith and the well-wishers of all mankind. By this House is meant the Universal House of Justice, that is, in all countries a secondary House of Justice must be instituted, and these secondary Houses of Justice must elect the members of the Universal one. Unto this body all things must be referred. It enacteth all ordinances and regulations that are not to be found in the explicit Holy Text. By this body all the difficult problems are to be resolved and the Guardian of the Cause of God is its sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body. Should he not attend in person its deliberations, he must appoint one to represent him. 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. This House of Justice enacteth the laws and the government enforceth them. The legislative body must reinforce the
executive, the executive must aid and assist the legislative body so that through the close union and harmony of these two forces, the foundation of fairness and justice may become firm and strong, that all the regions of the world may become even as Paradise itself.”     (`Abdu'l-Bahá, The Will and Testament, p. 14)

I invite those clergymen (so called counselors and auxiliaries) who have been created illegitimately by the bogus UHJ, to demonstrate sufficient courage to come forward and explain how they can see any similarity between the Universal House of Justice, as described by the Master, and their bogus UHJ which was created by the former Hands of Cause.  Of course these clergymen will never appear using their own fictitious appellation, or even with the help of the active pawns of the bogus UHJ  because other than their name no similarity can be found.

Also a series of questions must be addressed:

1 - Can anybody who has interpreted and altered the meanings of the verses of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas be considered a Bahá'í? The answer of course is negative since Bahá'u'lláh Himself in that Most Holy Book has warned:

“Whoso interpreteth what hath been sent down from the heaven of Revelation, and altereth its evident meaning, he, verily, is of them that have perverted the Sublime Word of God, and is of the lost ones in the Lucid Book.” ?  (The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 57)

The bogus UHJ fails this first test because it had transgressed against the Aqdas and violated this most Holy Book In 1992 when they translated and published the Aqdas in English they added some notes to the Book, many of them contain unauthorized and erroneous interpretations. In their translation in the passage about endowments; they conveniently and sinfully changed the meaning of the word “bilaad” which means: “cities” or “towns” to the word: “world”, to suit their evil intentions.

2 – Can anybody be considered a Bahá'í who falsely interprets the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá? Of course not since the Master warns:

“Beware lest anyone falsely interpret these words, and like unto them that have broken the Covenant after the Day of Ascension (of Bahá'u'lláh) advance a pretext, raise the standard of revolt, wax stubborn and open wide the door of false interpretation.”

The former Hands of the Cause and their man-made bogus UHJ have made erroneous and unauthorized interpretations of the Will and Testament where the Master obligates the Guardians: “to appoint in his own life-time him that shall become his successor… then must he, (the Guardian of the Cause of God) choose another branch to succeed him.”  Not with the intent in stating “another branch” to mean a reference to only the male descendants of Bahá'u'lláh sinceBahá'u'lláh has stated:

“Since the affectionate and faithful believers are as the aghsán (branches) and the leaves of this Holy Tree, therefore whatever (hostility and injuries) falls on the Mighty Stock; it will occur to the aghsán (branches), twigs and leaves as well, for this is how in every age these tragedies and nuisances have existed and will afflict the lovers of the Beauty of the All-Glorious.”
        (Bahá'u'lláh, Al’vah-i-Moba’rakeh, p.343)  (Ma'idiy-i-Asmani. Vol 4, p.42)

Also:

“O’ Seeker when ye see the names in The Holy Scriptures mentioning Blessedness, Divine Lote-Tree, Forbidden tree, Leaves, Fruits and the like; do not consider them fantasy, in the sight of God; the purpose of all these names has been and will be the devoted believer in God, and as long as the believer is in the shadow of the Divine Tree he will be from the Tree of Blessedness and exalted in the presence of God, but after turning away will be from the burning bush of Hell, while being faithful; afnan (twigs), aghsán (branches), o’ragh (leaves) and assmar (fruits) will be perceived as substantiated but after opposition all will be considered as rejected and abandoned”  (Bahá'u'lláh, Ma'idiy-i-Asmani. Vol 7, p.21)

And `Abdu'l-Bahá says:

“The branches (aghsán) are not limited to certain individuals, they have succession.”      (Ma'idiy-i-Asmani. Vol2 , p.76)

3 – Can anybody be a Bahá'í who practically accuses `Abdu'l-Bahá, the “perfect Architect” of delineating the “features” of “the World Order” imperfectly and of fashioning the Administrative Order so defectively that it would not last more than 36 years?

4– Can anybody be a Bahá'í who practically accuses Shoghi Effendi, the first Guardian of the Cause of God, of disobeying the clear command of the Master in His sacred Will and Testament when He states:  “It is INCUMBENT upon the Guardian of the Cause of God to appoint in his own life-time him that shall become his successor that differences may not arise after his passing” (emphasis added)

Surely the bogus UHJ cannot be considered a Bahá'í entity since it fails on all counts.

By Hand of the Cause of God Nosrat'u'llah Bahremand

What is there about "Everything" that you do not understand?

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

The above statement by Shoghi Effendi is known to be a Pilgrim’s Note, and many are quick to point that fact out, and negate Shoghi Effendi’s statement of it. This completely overlooks the fact that such a statement has to be true, regardless of who makes it, if one is truly a Bahá'í. For how can anyone claim to be a Bahá'í and not believe that everything written in the Will and Testament will not eventually be fulfilled?

A frequent poster on Talk Religion Bahá'í offers the following ideas:

“Here is where their logic escapes me. On the one hand they say that the Hands can't expel people because Shoghi Effendi relegated this right to himself even though the W&T says it belongs to the Hands. The assumption is that since the Guardian never gave it back to them, they still don't have it even after Shoghi Effendi dies. On the other hand, they say that IBC suddenly became activated after the Guardian's passing even though they insist the Guardian himself never did so. Who activated it then? And by what authority? We know that the IBC wasn't taking its orders from Mason Remey! Besides, by their own logic he wouldn't be Guardian until after it activated. So who then had the authority to activate this IBC? Or was it in fact, never un-activated?”

Although the above paragraph includes confusing and inaccurate statements, in many ways it all gets back to a chicken and egg scenario, no matter what the discussion about the Administrative activities in the Faith is. It gets back to where the Power of God enters into the equation. The power of God has to be there in order for any human activity to have any validity so far as religious activity is concerned. We know from the Writings that there is only one God. In mythical days, it was thought there were several Gods; that was a given. We see that from examples of there being a God of War, a God of this, a God of that. We also know that He surely must have found favor in some over the others since He has guided humans to the present day through His blessings and bounty. Regardless of any concepts in the past, humans have now evolved to the point that it is recognized among the civilized world that there is only one God. However, most humans still believe that the One True God is the one they worship.

With the Bahá'í Faith we find that the One God has released a message that He believes we have progressed to the point that in order for there to be any further spiritual progress concurrent with the material World, that He needs to provide a more direct manner for humans to obtain His instructions. Until the Bahá'í Faith, humans generally understood that God's focal point was through His Manifestation. There was usually never any doubt of that, although upon the death of any particular Manifestation, confusion always ensued as to exactly through whom God would continue to direct His
Cause on earth.

God's unfolding of His plan has happened a bit fast in recent years, relative to the pace once thought the norm. The Báb's Revelation was but an eye-blink in the history of the World, and quickly passed the Torch of God to Bahá'u'lláh, whether we were ready or not. In my view, it is logical that since there is but One God, the release of instructions comes from but One Source, God himself or the Holy Spirit. Continuing with that, we find that the Bahá'í Teachings prescribe a course to follow in order to continually tap into that One Source. All Bahá'ís should agree that the Will and Testament is that One Source, with the Orthodox Bahá'ís taking a literal interpretation of that, and the heterodox Bahá'ís using a pick and choose approach to suit their needs.

So, we now have the One Source providing direct guidance through the Will. The Will prescribes a specific administrative process to allow for that guidance to happen. When the dust settled after `Abdu'l-Bahá's death, the majority of believers understood that Shoghi Effendi was the appropriate leader, the Living Guardian of the Faith. Now, 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 concludes with the Guardian of the Cause.

While it is true that the Will talks of the infallibility of the House of Justice, it also defines the requirement of where the leadership 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 of truth, so to speak. There was no House of Justice at that time, so everyone understood where to look for the Germ of guidance. And the Germ of the Guidance of God through his interpreter, Shoghi Effendi, elucidated upon `Abdu'l-Bahá's instructions and Bahá'u'lláh's Spiritual Message in sufficient measure for humans to begin the unfolding of elements that had already been established in the Mind of God, and in many cases already established in embryonic form on this earth, in the beginnings of the Administrative Order.

By that time, we were to have learned the Germ of God was indeed present in our lives on Earth, and that the Germ of God would be with us throughout the Bahá'í Dispensation, residing in many different
humans over time. Each of those humans would possess that Germ, receiving it at such time of God's choosing. I believe that 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. And it logically follows that once named, the appointment may not be rescinded.

We need to remember that this Germ is controlled by God, and that He is the one who determines the next recipient. There is no doubt a mystery to the process, but I believe it is there. This God-prescribed process resides in but one human at a time, and that after the germ has been passed to the next human, it does not return to its former recipient. The Will requires that the Germ holder name his successor in his own lifetime. It does not prescribe the manner in the naming; only that the successor must be named. It does not prescribe a specific time when the Germ will be passed; our only assurance is that it will be passed at some point after the naming, and even that event is not defined as a matter of when it should occur, except that it must be within the lifetime of the one who is the Guardian at that particular time.

Now, 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 who does so, that is pretty closely defined. And that must be within their limited jurisdiction. You have to remember that the existence of a Hand is predicated upon there being a guardian. And Shoghi Effendi relegated that function to himself. It all gets back to the matter that there must be a guardian in order for there to be a Bahá'í Faith. We also learned from `Abdu'l-Bahá that there has to be a guardian in order for the Universal House of Justice to have a God-defined president. As president of that body, he carries the Germ of God to their deliberations. He is the only individual who carries that to their deliberations. The Will does not prescribe any sort of infallibility upon the UHJ without the presence of the guardian, a guardian who is appointed by God. That guardian is the one who carries the Germ of God to its deliberations. When he does so, the UHJ has its level of infallibility. However, the guardian is the only one prescribed with the level of Infallibility to interpret Holy Writ.

It all gets back to the presence of a living guardian, a living guardian who carries the Germ of God, which may be used within certain prescribed conditions, and only those prescribed conditions. Without a living guardian within their midst, the UHJ is not a complete entity, and lacks any of the authority intended by `Abdu'l-Bahá.

Lets look at the concluding words of the Will and Testament: "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-Bahá, p. 26

Even though that collection of words denies me the right to put forth my own opinion, more importantly, it does allows me to turn unto the Center of the Cause and the House of Justice. (You will note that it says the Center of the Cause and the House of Justice collectively. Until such time as the UHJ has evolved within the plan of a living guardian, it cannot exist, and any body claiming to do so is in error) That is where we find ourselves today. Lacking a living Guardian, 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 UHJ, I do believe that the path of the Bahá'í Faith is evolving in such manner that eventually, within the embryonic unfolding process prescribed by the Three Central Figures, there will be a Universal House of Justice with a living Guardian at its head. Then and only then, will its deliberations contain the essential element of the Germ of God, the Holy Spirit. In the meantime, we do have a living Guardian, Joel B. Marangella, guiding the Bahá'í Faith to its pre-ordained and ultimate destiny.

And therein lies the rub. The destiny of the Bahá'í Faith is pre-ordained. Those such as myself believe that Shoghi Effendi made an appointment for a successor in his Messages to the Bahá'í World, and
that successor fit within the parameters of the Faith at that time, within the development of the embryonic Administrative Order. It also fit within the parameters of the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh.
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 of the Faith. My opinion again, but I believe that the Germ of God of which I speak, passed from Bahá'u'lláh, then to `Abdu'l-Bahá, then to Shoghi Effendi. Upon Shoghi Effendi’s passing, that same Germ passed to Mason Remey, his named successor. At the appropriate time, The Germ was passed from Mason Remey to Joel B. Marangella.

The Germ is not defined as such in the Holy Writings, but I believe it is there, and is my way of
understanding the concept of God passing His instructions to His creatures at this particular time in history.

By Hand of Cause David Maxwell